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Rex was a rather easy-going guy, you had known that for the longest time. He liked things simple and did not want to worry about the irrelevant details. It started with things as simple as coffee, he had it black instead of with milk and sugar as it was just a waste of time and rations for him. Then there was his armor, though his helmet was special with the Jaig eyes on it and the tallies honouring his fallen brothers graced the white surface he had not painted the body of his armor as detailed as other clones had. He blamed it on the armour getting more dirty than his helmet, forcing him to repaint it a lot after he cleaned it. Even his weapons were simple, not modified like some of the ones the other higher ups had. His were still the regular DC-17s.
Maybe it was because of this you felt the Captain deserved to be spoiled every once in a while. The clones weren’t entitled to many luxuries, such things as payment and proper leave were foreign to them. With everything the boys went through they deserved better than what the GAR gave them. Although it wasn’t your job you felt responsible to give them as much as you could, wether it was some credits for a night out at 79’s or simply just listening to whatever problems they went through.
Rex had always occupied a special place in your heart. Despite his occasional awkward tendencies he was incredibly funny and loyal to no end. He was truly something else, someone special. The way he balanced being the organised Captain who at times even had to make sure his Commander and General stayed in line and the best friend you could ever have was remarkable to you. You considered yourself lucky for having the pleasure of being close to this masterpiece of a man.
You weren’t surprised when you found yourself falling head over heels for Rex. Most of the younger Jedi’s had already abandoned the idea of forbidden attachments, seeing the rule as out-dated. Anakin Skywalker went as far as marrying a Senator, completely pounding the rule into the sand. Ahsoka had also had a rather huge crush on some Seperatist guy named Lux. And everyone knew about the relationship Obi Wan had once harboured with Dutches Satine Kryze. It seemed as though everyone surrounding them would eventually fall in love. You had been next.
It crept onto you slowly, the feelings and attachment. Looking back the first time you felt your heart flutter was during the battle of Kamino. You hadn’t gone but seeing how important his home world and his brothers was to him, someone you had been told time and time again could feel no emotions, did it for you. The way he picked himself and his brothers up after Umbara and the better person he became because of it showed you he was mature, maybe more than he should be. He was the strongest person you knew. It did not take long for you to ask him out. You were just surprised he actually wanted to go out with you.
The two of you spent many nights trying to plan what the two of you wanted to do. You had offered to take him out to dinner, visit a fair or see a film but Rex had declined all of those things, saying he did not want you to pay for him. At first you pushed, thinking he was just being polite. You stopped pushing once you realised he was not being polite, he was embarrassed.
Eventually you had come up with an idea. You wanted to surprise Rex, telling him to join you today and promising not to spend (too much) on him. Instead of going full out, something that might overwhelm the poor Captain, you had planned something simple. A picnic on a meadow on the outskirts of the town. You had gone there a few times with Anakin when you were younger and you knew it was quiet and more private. Anakin took Padmé there a lot when they went out. For tonight you had reserved the place. Anakin followed up by pestering you who you were taking. You had tried to keep it to yourself but eventually he had annoyed it out of you. He acted like an excited middle school girl for the rest of the day.
Now you were currently waiting at the barracks for Rex to come out so you could get going. You had told him you’d pick him up at 1700 at his private quarters in the barracks. He was five minutes late, unusual for him. Normally Rex was always on time or ten minutes early. You did not want to disturb him or rush him but you could not help the worry that you felt. Just as you debated checking in on him the door opened, a sheepish looking armoured Rex stepping out.
“Hey.” He whispered, blushing slightly.
He looked cute with a brush. You did not need the force to tell you he was nervous. He kept folding and moving his hands, a tell tail for his uneasiness. Despite him already being on edge you couldn’t help but smile at his poor choice of clothing. That would be uncomfortable.
“Hey.” You smiled at him, trying to think of a way not to make him even more uncomfortable, “Why are you wearing your armour? You aren’t on duty.”.
His blush deepened, his hand went to scratch his neck, “I don’t really have much else. I just thought coming in just my blacks would be inappropriate.”.
Of course he didn’t have anything else. You had assumed the Republic would at least issue the clones a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. After all it seemed like something necessary. Thinking about it now you felt slightly stupid and ignorant for assuming that. They did not even get to keep pictures or a few pairs of boots, only getting new gear if the old one broke beyond repair. If their gloves or blacks had holes they were expected to sew them up until they were hanging together at the added yarn and had to be thrown away because they wouldn’t hold together.
“How about we get you something else to wear? There’s a nice shop on the way.” You offered him.
“That’s alright, thank you.” Rex shook his head and slightly leaned against the doorframe of his chambers.
You could see past him now. His usually tidy barracks was completely torn apart. Blacks where scattered everywhere, along with datapads and flimsi. It looked like he had tried to do a bit of cleaning but stopped halfway through. Even his desk lamp was not where it was supposed to be, it was almost falling off the table. When Rex noticed you could see he quickly stood up straight again, the scratch of his neck returned.
“Got nervous.” He explained, “Tried to get some work done…”.
“You’re supposed to have the night off.” You gave him a smile, not at all surprised by his disregard for that, “Come on. We’ll at least get you a pair of trousers and a top and then I’ll show you what we’ve got planned for tonight.”.
Rex protested the shopping once again, saying you shouldn’t spend your credits on him. His words fell on deaf ears as you took his hand and pulled him out of the doorframe. It shut behind him and he suddenly quieted down. Through the force you could feel a slight unease radiating off of him at the close proximity you two stood. In order not to make him uncomfortable you let him go and stepped back slightly. This was not the right place for such contact anyway. If someone saw the two of you like that the rumours would spread quicker than you could hand out duties to scrub the fresher.
You told Rex to follow you again, leading him out of the barracks to the busy streets of the town. People were just coming home from work, speeders were all over the place. It was loud, louder than normal. The pavements were almost too busy to stick together. Out of instinct you had grabbed Rex’s hand yet again. It made you more comfortable, not only because you were afraid to lose your date in the crowd but also because Rex was incredibly warm. Touching him just made your brain go fuzzy. You just hoped he felt as comfortable as you did. Rex was not the biggest fan of crowds - at least if they did not consist of his brothers - and you wanted to make sure he would get through it alright. The last thing you wanted was to make him more nervous.
After a few turns you had reached the shop you were planning to go to. It was just a small clothing store, nothing to fancy yet the clothes still had high quality. Aside from the usual robes you wore you often got clothes there. The outfit you were wearing now actually came from this shop, except it had been a few months since you bought it so they sadly did not sell the collection anymore. You were sure there would be something Rex would like too.
He reluctantly followed you into the shop. It was much cooler than being outside. Coruscant was a warmer planet so most shops did have air conditioning. A small shiver went up your spine, you were used to the warm air and did not expect to feel so chilly. A soft but firm touch came to your arm, pulling you closer to Rex’s warm body. His calloused fingers rubbed up and down your arm until you felt the cold stop bothering you. Despite enjoying the touch you were surprised Rex made a move on you. Sadly it ended just as quickly as it had begun.
“You alright?” Rex wanted to know, slowly letting you go again.
“Yeah, just chilly. You know how I am with the cold.” You assured him, “The men’s section is just down here.”.
Once you got there you could see just how surprised Rex was at the amount of clothes in the shop. He halted for a second, almost looking shocked. He had probably never been to a clothing shop in his life and had no idea just how many things there were to wear. You waited patiently for him to keep going, not wanting to rush him. The picnic could wait a bit. Rex likely needed a moment.
You had seen it a few times with him. Rex liked to learn about new things and experience things he did not know. He would take his time, analyse everything and then decide what was the smartest thing to do or what was appropriate. Even if it was only a minute, you let him have it. Nothing could tame his curious mind if he could not take everything in for a moment and decide what was smartest to do. Based on his expression he had yet to find that out.
“I think I need some help.” Rex said, looking around the shop in confusion.
He usually never told anyone when he needed help. Most of his actions were thought through by himself and if he needed anything he would look for any knew information by himself. Only if he couldn’t find anything he would dive head first into the situation and hope for the best. But he never asked for help. Maybe it was his pride or he just felt more confident in his actions. Whatever was different now made him reach out. The other men being dragged around by their partners could have made his decision easier.
You made sure to give him a reassuring smile before walking over to the jeans at your left. There there were a few models. Other kinds of trousers were there too but jeans was likely the most experimenting you could get out of him. The fact that most jeans were blue could probably sway him more. You looked through a few models that could look nice on him, then you looked at the sizing.
“You’re tall, you’ll probably need a 32… Or maybe a 34?” You thought out loud, “Do you know how long your legs are?”.
You turned to face Rex only to see him looking at you with a confused expression as you dug through the pile of jeans on the shelf. A hint of amusement struck his face too. Overall he seemed to have no idea what you were on about.
He hesitated, “I think I’m a medium?”.
He did not sound convinced. You chuckled at his comment before pulling out both sizes and handing them to him. He kept them in his hands, wandering after you as you picked up a few more pairs for Rex to try on before walking over to the section with the tops. You did not mind buying him a few things, he obviously needed it (especially since you were planning on taking him on a few more dates and you did not want to ask Anakin if Rex could borrow any of his civies). Plus he definitely deserved to be pampered a bit.
You walked through a bunch of tops, occasionally you picked some up but put them back as you realised it wouldn’t suit him well. Rex had beautiful naturally tanned skin and dark brown eyes, it was something you had noticed very shortly after meeting him. He was handsome, there was no doubt about that. You thought he was even handsomer than his brothers but you might be biased. The only problem you had was with his blonde hair. There were some really nice yellow shirts that looked great with his skin but were clashing with his hair. Eventually you found a few things, mainly more comfortable than overly fashionable but again, Rex enjoyed simplicity.
In the end you sent him to change into the clothes. You had given him a wide spread of things to chose from, varying in colours and style. You had followed him into the small hallway in front of the changing rooms and sat down on a small chair there, waiting for Rex to change. He needed longer than you were used to, likely because of the armour that you kept heard clanking against the floor. It wasn’t until you heard a loud knocking noise you looked up in surprise. Rex had banged one of his body parts against the dressing room.
“You alright?” You called out, wondering what had happened.
“Everything’s fine. I’m just not used to this little space.” Rex called back, “These rooms feel small.”.
“They are small, Rex.” You told him, “These rooms always are.”.
After a few minutes you could hear Rex groan on the other side of the curtain. You looked up from where you were staring at the floor and saw Rex coming out of the dressing room with some blue jeans and a burgundy pullover. It suited him well, you had to stop yourself from scanning him too much. Usually your crush made you feel insanely calm but right now a certain giddiness filled your stomach as you watched him wear something other than his armor. As much as you liked a man in uniform Rex was something else in casual attire.
“Does this look alright or do I look like a cadet put this on me?” Rex questioned.
You scanned him again, “Can you turn slowly foe me please?”.
Rex did as he was told. The jeans were a tad bit too small but other than that he looked great. You used the chance you got to give his ass a short glance while his back was turned to you. His was definitely one of the nicer ones out of the GAR, not as nice as Jesse’s but definitely nicer than many others. You would have to remember that for the next time your friends argued about who had the nicest one.
“Are those the size 33?” You wanted to know.
“Yes.” Rex confirmed your suspicions, “I didn’t want to accidentally break something because I tried on a pair too small first.”.
You couldn’t help but smile at his comment, “I think you should try on the smaller pair.”.
There were many more clothes Rex tried on, some fit him and some didn’t. You did not like the look of a few things, thinking they clashed with him. The t-shirts were something you thought looked nice on him, they were the right size but still showed off his muscles. You gave his shoulders a few glances every time Rex wasn’t looking. They were muscular and wide, just as beautiful as the rest of his toned body. But while you thought the t-shirts looked great Rex did not feel the same way, not enjoying the way they looked on him. He preferred more of the sweatshirts.
It was also interesting to see him in different colours. Usually Rex wore his uniform so you were used to him in blue and white. On the occasion you saw him in his blacks you could see him in that colour too. But you had never seen him in something more bright before. The deeper colours also looked great on him. In the end you bought a couple of pairs of tops and trousers despite Rex’s protest he did not need that many. You had insisted in getting him some more just so he could mix and match them. You knew the clones that had civies often wore them out to 79’s or other places when off duty. It was probably a lot more comfortable than his armour.
After paying up you continued to take Rex to the actual destination of your date. It was a bit further out and as it was now slightly later than you had planned you called a cab to take you to the meadow. The ride there was spent in silence, you admired Rex in the civies and he seemed too surprised by the new feeling to notice your eyes dancing over him. He was beautiful, that was the best way you could describe him right now.
The ride didn’t take too long, the both of you got to your destination only a few minutes after leaving the centre of the capitol. You had expected to be late, maybe even in a traffic jam. It was typical for this time of day. But you had gotten lucky and the streets had emptied out a bit.
“We’re almost there.” You informed Rex, starting to walk down the small natural path that lead you to the tree you had set everything up under.
Rex followed you, trying to keep up with your quick pace. You were overly excited to show him what you had planned for the both of you. You hoped he would like it. After all, Anakin had helped you set things up and meddled more than you thought he should. You were thankful though, otherwise you would have likely never finished setting everything up in time.
Once you reached the tree you saw Rex pause for the second time today. The tree had a few lanterns hung in it along with some fairy lights. Beneath it was a small red and white picnic blanket and a basket of food was on top. Flowers seemed to have sprouted around the area. In the distance you could hear a small river and trees moving with a light breeze. In the grand scheme of things it probably wasn’t too special but this was Coruscant, somewhere nature was a rarity and peace was a pleasant gift.
“I know you didn’t want me to take you out to dinner so I thought I’d prepare something myself.” You told him, “The dinner lady at the temple gave me a few rude stares. I don’t know if it’s because I am shit at cooking or because I was in her way as she tried to make lunch. I think you’ll need to decide that one.”.
A smirk came across his lips, then he looked down and laughed, “You didn’t have to do all that.”.
“I didn’t have to, I wanted to try and do something you would like.” You told him.
His eyes glanced towards you. For a second your gaze met his before both of you looked away blushing. Instead of waiting any longer and standing around awkwardly you went to the fabric on the floor and sat down. He followed shortly as you started going through the basket and taking out some of the food. It was more snacks really, a lot of fruit and simple things. You had made a couple of sandwiches but that was about it.
“I brought some wine too. Would you like some?” You offered, pulling it out of the basket as well.
When you looked up you saw Rex still staring around at everything. At times he looked at the flowers, then the food. Currently he was fixated on the lanterns above him. You smiled to yourself as you watched him. While you let him finish taking in the new scenery you started pouring him a glass. You placed it in front of him and waited for him to come around.
“I didn’t know there were fields on Coruscant.” Rex spoke as he turned to you again.
“So far I only know this one. Found it while getting in trouble with Anakin when we just became padawans.” You explained, taking some of the fruit and popping it into your mouth.
Rex raised a brow, “That sounds interesting.”.
You shook your head, the memory seeming as if it had just been yesterday, “We were fourteen or fifteen, just getting the hang of life outside being in the Temple all day really. I’m sure you’ve noticed Anakin’s dislike for Master Windu and vice versa, right?” Rex nodded, also taking some fruit, “Well… one day Anakin wanted to prank Master Windu. Spoiler: It did not go as planned. So Anakin went into his chambers and wanted to put salt - was it salt? - no, flour all over his office. He had a few bags of it with him and emptied them on the floor. And then he slipped. He fell right into the desk and a drawer opened. There Anakin found a nice bottle of some sort of alcohol, I don’t remember what it was but it was definitely something not meant for teenagers. And Anakin being Anakin thought it would be smart to take the bottle. He emptied out the rest of the flour and then left to find me and drag me into the shit show.” Rex seemed very interested in the story you were telling, “He found me in the hallway. With Master Windu. With the bottle in one hand, the flour bags in the other and covered in it. Master Windu had no idea what had happened at this point. When Anakin dropped the packets of flour on his shoes by accident he wasn’t happy. So Anakin grabbed me and started bucking it down the hallway and out of the Temple. Master Windu came right after us and I was just confused. After running for a while we eventually lost Master Windu but we just kept going. Eventually we reached an alleyway and Anakin thought it was a great idea to start drinking from the bottle. Don’t remember too much after that but we woke up here the next morning and needed to comm Obi Wan to pick us up.”.
Rex gave a huff, “Next morning must have been fun.”.
“I don’t remember, I was still shitfaced until the evening after.” You admitted.
Rex laughed, a deep, heartfelt laugh. He threw his head back slightly, his Adam’s apple moving slightly. Rex had a nice laugh, it was warm and didn’t sound mocking in the slightest. You couldn’t help but laugh along. It was contagious.
“You must have some fun stories about alcohol, considering you and the boys go drinking a lot.” You at least hoped he would, otherwise you just made yourself look absolutely ridiculous.
He thought for a second, then he nodded, “Did I tell you about that one time we met Shaka Ti at 79’s and Fives tried to hook up with her?”.
Your eyes grew wide, the amusement returning to both of your faces, “What?”.
“You know what 79’s is like, loud and chaotic. And many of us tend to enjoy finding a girl there for the night. Fives especially is fond of getting someone to take him home with them.” Rex explained, knowing this wasn’t knew information for you, “And he also likes getting really drunk. A lot of clones who were on Kamino while Shaak Ti was there also started fancying her a lot. You know, because she is the only good looking woman in the facilities full of hormonal men.”.
“The Kaminoans aren’t your type, are they?” You joked.
He gave you an annoyed glance, slapping your arm slightly which made you laugh, “They aren’t exactly in our field of interests. Now… Fives had this huge crush on General Ti since they failed their tests and she gave them a second chance. Anyway… General Ti was in 79’s one night while we were on leave and was trying to find some troops. That was when a very drunk, naturally confident and flirty Fives came up to her. And he didn’t just stop there, he started pulling him into a booth with us in it. Echo-” you didn’t miss the pain that filled his eyes at the mentioning of his passed brothers name or the way he took a sharper breath. You took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, he squeezed back with a small smile, “Echo kept scolding him and told him to let her out. General Ti seemed quite amused though. And then Fives started very drunkenly flirting with her and got very touchy. She actually was very nice about it. Until he wanted to drink something and accidentally spilled it over her chest. Him trying to clean up her chest with some dirty napkin didn’t help.”.
Yep, that sounded like Fives.
“Did they actually hook up though?” You asked through a slight laugh.
“I don’t know, they wandered off somewhere and Fives doesn’t remember much of the night.” Rex answered, “You’ll probably have to ask General Ti for that one.”.
Oh, you were sure you were going to bring that up sooner rather than later. As your smile slowly fell again you could feel how much your cheeks just hurt from that short interaction. It wasn’t the first time you joked around with the Captain, most of your interactions were spent with wide smiles and quiet giggles. Rex was just fun to be around, always managing to make you laugh.
You snagged another piece of fruit from the boxes before getting out two warm ones from the basket. You had tried to make some pasta with some sauce at the temple and took it with you, thinking it would be a nice idea. Even though you followed a recipe it turned out looking different that the picture. You hadn’t tried it yet but you hoped it would taste alright.
“Want to judge my abilities to set the kitchen on fire?” You questioned as Rex took the box.
You almost dropped the fork onto the grass as his hand brushed yours. Your heart skipped a beat. A few deep breaths later you were alright again. It had not been that big of a deal, just a touch. By the time Rex had a fork he had already opened the box and sniffed the food inside. He did not look like it disgusted him. By the time you opened your box and mixed up your food he had already tried it.
“Holy Maker! This is so good!” Rex exclaimed excitedly.
You smiled. Not having had a bite you were unsure if it was even edible. Either way you were sure Rex was exaggerating a bit just to flatter you. There was no way it could be that brilliant. You had substituted half the ingredients as you couldn’t find the right herbs in the kitchen.
“It’s edible.” You said as you finally tried to, “You should have seen the kitchen though, it was a complete… mess?”.
As you looked up you could see Rex had already wolfed down a quarter of the food. The sauce was all over his mouth too. You had caught him just as he put another fork load into his mouth. He seemed to notice how he looked and just froze while staring at you like a bantha caught in front of a predator. His face and ears suddenly turned a deep crimson again.
“Sorry.” He apologised after he swallowed, “We just don’t usually get warm food. Unless it’s the stuff the stray loth cats don’t want.”.
“I guess we’ll have to do some cooking classes together. May I?” You took a napkin and carefully wiped Rex’s mouth off, he only looked at you in confusion, “There.”.
You were painfully aware of the clones’ food situation. It was not great. The GAR often only gave them a couple of ration bars to get through the day. You had had one once. They were dry like Tatooine’s dessert and tasted horrible. They were packed with nutrients and supplements for every vitamin and mineral they would need but you doubted they were that healthy. You had seen their health charts. For men of their muscle mass they were all incredibly skinny and light. You would definitely try to fatten him up a bit.
The rest of your dinner was spent in comfortable silence. Rex had finished way before you so you offered he could share your own. You knew he wanted some but he was too polite to ask. Only when you lied and told him you couldn’t finish it he took a few more bites. You would have been able to finish up but Rex seemed to need it more than you, plus he actually enjoyed it.
You never minded being quiet with the Captain. It was rare to find people who you could actually share silence with. One of you would always make it awkward. But with Rex it wasn’t like that. You understood there was no need to constantly talk, the two of you could just be quiet together. Especially for Rex, who always had to be social despite him being more introverted due to his position in the battalion, liked the quiet. You could feel it through the force.
The sun slowly started setting. Shades of pink and orange painting the sky before they would be covered by the black darkness of night, only leaving a few stars and a moon to brighten the sky. Although warm in the day time you felt yourself shiver for the second time today. Now that the sun wasn’t there to caress your skin the breeze made you remember just how much you hated evenings.
“Would you like my blacks?” Rex, observant as always, offered.
The blacks were heat regulating, much like his armor. Though it would certainly be warmer you declined the offer. Instead you scooted closer to him, coming up to his side and gabbing his arm to wrap around you. He was already leaning against the tree so you started leaning against him, his body heat transferring to you. First Rex was tense and you almost debated going away again. When he relaxed you decided to stay. He seemed contempt with your current position.
“This will work too.” You replied.
He pulled you closer to him, holding you a little tighter. Vibrations rumbled through his chest, signalling he was chuckling. At first you felt nervous about his touch. It was foreign, weird almost. Small touches like grabbing his hand or patting his shoulder weren’t anything you worried about anymore. You would be lying if you said you did not feel a spark but you had gotten used to it unless it happened accidentally. This was new. Your heart was beating loudly and your stomach was silently churning with nervousness. You reminded yourself to breathe again, reminding yourself it was just Rex, trustworthy, compassionate Rex. Then you only felt calm.
“Have you ever gone out with someone?” Rex wanted to know, the question so quiet you were sure you wouldn’t have heard it if another breeze showed up and carried his words along with the petals it picked up.
“You mean on a date or a normal relationship?” You wanted him to specify, but Rex only shrugged, “I’ve been on a few dates here and there, nothing too special really. And I’ve hooked up with a few people at clubs but I was never official with someone. The right person just didn’t show up. Why do you ask?”.
He scratched the back of his neck again. He shifted slightly, likely with the intention to get you further away but all it did was land your head further on his chest. His grip loosened slightly, leaving you wondering if he had expected something more.
“I thought you hadn’t. Since, well, you know…” He started.
You raised a brow, “My Jedi Code?”.
“Yeah… your Code.” He agreed, “I don’t know. I just thought- never mind.”.
Another typical thing did when he got uncomfortable, hiding away his thoughts and feelings. You didn’t know why he did it. It was a habit many clones had which you failed to understand. You debated if you should push him or not. Finally you decided Rex needed an extra shove.
You were tracing circles on his knee as he picked at some grass, “It seems important to you. There’s nothing wrong with saying how you feel. You can tell me that kind of stuff.”.
He pulled you slightly closer again, “I just thought that with the Code and everything you might had not gotten around to it.”.
You looked up shortly only to see Rex ripping up some grass, “Was that important to you?”.
He shook his head, “Important isn’t the right word. It would have eased my mind more.”.
You didn’t understand what he was on about. Something was on his mind, obviously something he felt uncomfortable with telling you. It seemed like something you should probably know though, considering it was something about relationships.
“Why’s that?” You asked.
“I just haven’t had that type of experience yet. I never really got around to other women because I kept making sure the boys were staying safe.” Rex confessed, “And I guess like you said, the right person just didn’t show up.”.
He didn’t meet your eyes, simply kept toying with the grass as you waited if he wanted to tell you more. It surprised you it seemed to be a big deal to him, you had not thought of it as being important until now. Frankly you didn’t care what he had or hadn’t done with other partners as long as he was comfortable. He clearly wasn’t.
“Doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Honestly most of my encounters were pretty mediocre anyway.” You stated, trying to make him more comfortable, “Like having an itch on your back you can’t reach and someone keeps scratching around it.”.
When he said nothing you debated what to say next. You didn’t want to make him uncomfortable but you didn’t want everything to remain this awkward. Shortly you questioned if this was the right time to confess your feelings. You decided it might not be the worst idea considering the atmosphere was already awkward. It would either remain awkward or make it slightly better. You just needed to do it. There had been harder things you had done, bigger trials you had faced.
All you needed was 30 seconds of courage.
“Rex…” He looked at you, making you pause, “You’re special to me, very special. And I like you way more than I should. I didn’t ask you out because of your experience or how often you have been on dates with other people. As long as you are happy I have no problem with that. I didn’t come here just to have sex with you and then act like nothing happened. I want a lot more than that, something official. And if you don’t that’s okay. I just have these strong feelings for you and thought you should know.”.
He paused before responding, “I feel that way too.”.
There was a short silence. Then, in a few seconds Rex’s lips crashed into yours, or more so the corner of them. The angle had been incredibly weird and it had no build up, leaving both of you to jerk away in shock. You had not expected that to happen and by the looks of it neither did Rex. You looked at him with slight confusion only for him to blush again and to start hiding his head in his free hand. It took you a moment to process what had happened before you could react.
“I’m sorry.” You quickly apologised, having to suppress a small giggle, “I wasn’t expecting that.”.
Rex shook his head, “I wasn’t either. Are all first kisses that awkward?”.
You were smiling a bit too brightly from the surprise now, “Technically it doesn’t count. You didn’t get my lips if that makes you feel better.”.
Rex looked up at you shortly, the red only deepening. He looked like he was about to cry from embarrassment as he shook his head, “It doesn’t. At all.”.
He went to bury his face away again but you stopped him before he could. You placed your hand on his cheek and carefully made him face you. In order to reach him better you shifted from next to him to sitting in between his legs. He gave you a questioning look, unsure of what to do as you placed his hands on your waist and shoulder.
“Permission to give you your second first kiss?” You asked him.
He nodded, “Yes please.”.
You inched closer, reminding yourself of your courage again. He was nervous, you could tell by his breathing. You were nervous too. But instead of overthinking it you went for it, connecting your lips to his in one swift motion. It was short, only lasting a couple of seconds, but it felt special. There was this calmness that washed over you again, mixed with the warmth and soft tingling only Rex knew how to get out of you. When you broke apart both of you wore huge smiles.
“Permission to steal my second kiss from you?” Rex asked this time.
And this time you nodded, “Yes please.”.
So he did just that, making you wonder why you had not made your move sooner.