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As usual, the walk from Anakin and Padme’s home to Ahsoka’s was filled with shifting lights and shadows. Rex and Ahsoka took little notice as they paced along, lost in conversation, laughing as they review the evening’s festivities. Their was took Rex and Ahsoka across the end of a plaza, between an overlook that revealed the levels below and a row of tall free-standing columns that created deep shadows in the lights of Coruscant. As was the habit they’d developed over the past months, they slowed past the railing, hesitating to look out over the city and—though neither quite admitted it even internally—to put off arriving at Ahsoka’s apartment. Below them, a riotously joyful party of Wookiees celebrated life day, their warbled songs drifting up toward the former captain and commander. For a moment, each simply looked out at the festive lights wrapped in the warm silence of old friends. But before long, Ahsoka found her eyes drawn back to Rex. She hoped the shadows hid the blush that crept over her montrals as she acknowledged how very often her eyes had been on Rex that evening. Now that the clone rights bill had passed, clones were no longer required to wear armor or a uniform at all times and Rex wore his first and only set of civilian clothes, a simple blue tunic and grey pants. Ahsoka had seen Rex and all the clones in their blacks a thousand times so she was certainly aware of their physical forms. But these civvies were distracting in a whole new way, highlighting and concealing at once, soft in a way that made her think about what it would be like to run her hand over the fabric, feel the strength underneath. And that evening, relaxed and among friends, Rex seemed to glow with golden warmth and peace.
Ahsoka observed that one side of the open collar of Rex’s tunic had turned in, sticking in place and revealing a small expanse of golden skin. The opportunity to fix it was tantalizing, and though Ahsoka felt her breaths shallow and quicken, she reached two fingers delicately inside the placket and smoothed it up, brushing the backs of her knuckles ever so slightly over Rex’s collarbone, and then flipped her hand over to smooth the placket down from the outside. Rex inhaled sharply as she did so, and Ahsoka felt a cold spike from the back of her neck down her spine. She immediately felt she’d overstepped, assigning significance to Rex’s behavior toward her where there was none, and pulled her hand back. But Rex’s reflexes were lightning quick, and before she could choke out an embarrassed “sorry!” He had grabbed her hand and replaced it over his heart, covering it with his own.
“It’s okay, Soka,” he whispered. “I like this.” Ahsoka simply stared at him for a moment, lost in the sensation of warmth and strength beneath her fingers. Rex looked down at her with an intense, inscrutable expression. Ahsoka’s heart raced and she was sure the thumping of Rex’s heart under her palm seemed thunderous. It was hardly the first time Ahsoka had touched Rex in some way, but this was different. The soft multicolored glow of the city lights filtering into the shadows where they stood and the nearness of their bodies gave the moment an intimacy both felt acutely. And the Force swirled around them so tangibly Ahsoka almost expected to see the eddies in the air or feel an unseen hand push her forward. Instead, she found herself compelled to ask a question—one she had never felt it was the right time to ask before, despite her curiosity.
“Rex, what did you say to Anakin that day he nearly turned, when he attacked you, that made him stop?” The question hung between them for a moment and Ahsoka feared Rex would simply laugh and deflect as he always had previously. But instead he stared back intently and—was that a smirk?
“Anakin, I’m not interested in your wife. I’m in love with Ahsoka.”
Ahsoka’s eyes grew wide and she couldn’t have stopped the grin spreading on her face if every member of the Jedi council had been watching in stern judgment.
Rex broke into a smile in return and soon both found themselves laughing, joy and love and freedom overwhelming their torn and battered hearts.
“It was so pure—He was so shocked that he couldn’t hold on to the darkness,” Rex explained with a laugh. Then as both returned to a more serious tone, Ahsoka realized R still clutched her hand to his heart, fingers now curling around hers. “Later he told me he approves,” Rex finished with his smirk returning hesitantly.
“I do too,” replied Ahsoka as she placed her free hand on his cheek and leaned up to kiss him. It began slowly as each savored the moment— finally , this moment of their lips and hearts colliding—but after a moment turned more fervent. Finally Ahsoka pulled back and Rex rested his forehead on hers.
“I’m in love with you too, Rexter,” she whispered.
Around them the lights shone with fervent color as the night deepened and the Force sang.