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“Hey, here come the CCs,” Keeli says. He’s jabbing an elbow into Rex’s ribs hard enough that Rex can feel it even through their training armor. “Where’s that one that likes you?”
“Keeli--” Rex turns on his vod. On his other side, Styles jabs an equally hard elbow into Rex’s ribs.
“Over there. Back of the line. Oof, that’s a big patch up on his head. Wonder how he got that?”
Rex is distracted from his attempts to murder Keeli and turns to look at the orderly line of CCs filing into the mess, followed by Alpha-17. 17 isn’t much older than the rest of them, but being an Alpha ARC counts for a lot. Doesn’t hurt that he towers over all the standard clones. Styles wasn’t kidding, though. Rex can pick out CC-2224 bringing up the rear of the line right in front of Alpha-17. He’s got a big bacta patch on his face, right next to his left eye. Alpha-17 is talking to him, one hand on his shoulder. 24 looks paler than normal, a little drawn.
The CCs fall into line to get their food and Rex resists the urge to get out of his seat to go talk to him. He bites his lip and stretches upward in his seat though to try and catch 24’s eye. Maybe if he swings it right, 24 and some of the other CCs will come sit with them.
Keeli is snickering beside him. Rex ignores him.
He’s lucky--when 24 receives his food and turns toward the tables, he very quickly catches Rex’s eye. Rex gets to see the smile that creeps across his face. He also gets elbowed by Styles again.
He’s going to kill both of his vode at the earliest opportunity. They’d better pray they aren’t paired with Rex for hand to hand.
“Hey 24,” Rex says in an attempt at casualness as 24 slides onto the bench across from him. All pretense at casualness flies right out the window when Alpha-17 sits down beside 24.
Oh.
That wasn’t part of the plan.
“Alpha-17, sir,” Rex says in greeting. Keeli is radiating amusement. Styles has shoved a bunch of food in his mouth and so can stay completely silent, the bastard.
Alpha-17 is staring at him with narrowed eyes. Unlike the rest of them, he’s in full real armor with a pauldron settled on his shoulder and a long kama hanging from his hips. No training armor for Alpha-17.
“So you’re Rex.”
Rex blinks. “...Yessir.” He can’t fathom what’s happening here, and 24 looks like he’s about to die. It’s hard to tell whether it’s emotional or physical pain that’s got him looking like that. Rex can’t imagine it’s pleasant, whatever’s going on under that bacta patch, but it can’t be something that can’t be muted with painkillers if 24 is walking around like normal.
“Huh.” Alpha-17 turns back to his regulation mush without saying anything further.
Rex blinks. Once. Twice. Alpha-17 doesn’t seem inclined to speak further. Rex turns back to 24, who’s gamely poking at his own regulation mush.
“What happened to you?” Rex asks.
24 winces. “Messed up on some survival training. Fell off a climbing wall and hit my head. Should be okay soon, but I’m gonna have a scar.” He gives Alpha-17 a sidelong, embarrassed look. It’s never fun to mess up that badly in front of your training sergeant.
Rex makes a sympathetic sound and kicks Keeli hard under the table when Keeli nudges him for it.
“It’s gonna be a heartbreaker,” Styles says cheerfully. “CCs have to stand out.” Oh bless Styles for that intervention. “Don’t you think so, Rex?” Styles is the worst vod and Rex is going to kill him as soon as there aren’t witnesses.
Rex kicks him too and ignores Styles’ hiss of pain. 24 smiles into his plate and Rex can’t help that he smiles too, just a little. He can feel eyes on him and lifts his head properly to see that Alpha-17 is looking directly at him. Rex can’t help but squirm a little, feeling gangly and awkward under Alpha-17’s direct attention. At all of eight, Rex isn’t near done growing yet and he feels it. It’s not his fault the Alpha ARCs have a couple years on them. At least 24 is only Rex’s size, more or less, if Rex doesn’t count the couple of inches from Command breeding.
The table settles into an awkward silence. Normally Keeli and Styles are more than chatty enough to keep conversation moving, pulling Rex comfortably along with them, but Alpha-17’s presence is more than a little intimidating. Rex also can’t help but be worried about 24, who keeps glancing over at Alpha-17 between bites of his food. It’s only when the cadets are all carefully scraping their plates clean that Alpha-17 speaks again.
“You two, 24, go bus your trays. Rex, you stay here.” Alpha-17 pushes his tray over to 24 to take with him. Styles grabs Rex’s without comment. Rex can feel both Keeli and Styles shooting him nervous glances as they walk away.
“What do you need me for, sir?” Rex asks. If it was any trainer but an Alpha ARC he wouldn’t dare ask, but Alpha ARCs are still vode.
Just big, scary vode.
Alpha-17 takes a long moment to stare at him. Rex forces himself to stare right back. Apparently whatever Alpha-17 sees, he likes. His mouth curls into a faint smile of satisfaction and he leans back a little in his seat.
“Wouldn’t you know it, I took 24 to the medbay when he cracked his skull and got to babysit him drugged up out of his mind.” He pauses for a moment, just long enough for Rex’s brow to start to furrow in confusion, before he continues. “Do you know what 24 talked about the entire time we were there?”
Rex blinks. “...No, sir. I don’t.”
“All I heard about for a solid two hours was this little blond CT with the most impressive scores and how I should be taking you into ARC training or we’d be wasting you.” Alpha-17’s smile fills with teeth. Rex has no idea what he could possibly say to that.
Luckily, Alpha-17 doesn’t seem to be done.
“So I looked at your scores, kih’vod. How’d you duck ARC training this far?” Alpha-17 speaks Mando’a, like a number of the Alpha ARCs. Rex tries very hard not to be jealous of them having any kind of attachment to something outside these sterile walls.
Rex holds his steady stare. “Take a guess.”
Alpha-17 snorts. “The long-necks hate your hair that much? Well, fuck that. 24 is right, even if he is a disaster about it. You’re being wasted off the ARC track. Your new assignment should come through by the end of the day.” He stands, rapping his hand plate on the table. “And talk to 24, will you? I don’t want to listen to him go on about how pretty the blond CT is.”
Rex flushes all the way up to his roots. “Uh...”
Alpha-17 doesn’t wait for him to come up with an answer before he walks away.
Rex stares blankly down at the table until Keeli and Styles return, shouldering against him and reclaiming their seats.
“So, what’d he say?” Keeli demands. “What’d he want?”
“...I’m being pulled for ARC training,” Rex says blankly.
Styles and Keeli both go quiet.
“Wait, really?” Styles demands. “Why now?”
“24 said I should be,” Rex says faintly. “So Alpha-17 is pulling me.”
He can feel them exchanging looks past him for a long second and then...
“So 24 does like you.” Keeli’s voice is dripping with amusement.
“He really likes you,” Styles adds.
Rex promptly kicks them both.
The one good thing about ARC training: he’ll be able to kick both of their asses.
And he’ll get to spend some more time with 24. Hopefully a lot more time.
Rex buries his face in his hands.
He’s screwed.