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Cody was just about dead on his feet.
The siege had so far lasted for over four months with heavy casualities on either side. But unlike the Separatist droids that recharged themselves fairly easily, the Kaminoans hadn’t been able to engineer fatigue out of the Clone Troopers. Consequently, the men were starting to show circles darker than the nearest black hole under their eyes, while tempers had started to flare up due to lack of sleep, and troop morale fluctuated more harshly than waves during a thunderstorm.
Cody stumbled into his tent tiredly, removing off his helmet and dropping it to the ground.
It showed just how tired Cody was that he didn’t even notice that he wasn’t alone until someone spoke.
“You look awful.”
Blinking, Cody turned his head to find a bedraggled Rex slumped down onto the tent floor next to Cody’s bunk. The Captain had managed to remove most of his armor, sitting there in just his blacks and boots.
Cody snorted. “You don’t exactly look that fresh yourself either,” he pointed out and started to remove his vambraces.
True enough, stubble long enough that it was on its way turning into a full beard covered Rex’s chin, and the usual barely-there fuzz of blond hair was leaving the state where it could be called wavy and entering full curls.
“Hmm, I kinda like the beard,” Rex mused and reached to scratch his chin, the raspy sound filling the tent. “I might just keep it once we’re done with this shithole of a planet.”
Cody snorted again, having already moved onto his pauldrons, which were followed by the rerebraces. But after taking off his chest plate and plackart, Cody felt so drained that he feared moving to bend over would end up with him landing face-first on the ground.
Staring listlessly at his boots, Cody tried to will his body to move toward the bunk, when he absently noted that the little creases on the tent floor had started to swirl and shift on their own.
That was bad, right?
A loud sigh startled Cody, and he lifted his head to find Rex slowly pushing himself up. He noted the way the other man avoided putting weight on his left leg, Cody’s foggy brain whispering something about explosions and shockwaves.
“C’mon, get to the bunk. You’re no good to us if you keel over and give yourself a concussion in the process.” Rex slipped his fingers between Cody’s and tugged, gently.
Cody’s body moved like Rex had yanked him, stumbling a little as he fought to keep himself upright.
“No – I should, I should check the reports,” Cody found himself murmuring, even as he let Rex push him down onto the narrow bunk. “Admiral Yularen was supposed to – to – “
“Yularen’s message isn’t going to disappear if you grab some shuteye like any normal person,” Rex interrupted gently but firmly as he started to remove Cody’s boots. “Besides, that soft-spoken demon you call a CMO has ordered his minions to delegate all your duties to your SiC for the next six hours,” the blond man added, and Cody’s bleary eyes could barely make out the wry tilt of Rex’s lips.
Still, it made him grin too. “I dare you to call Forceps that to his face,” Cody challenged, only to yawn widely.
“Who do you think hunted me down and dumped me into your tent?” Rex fired back, dropping Cody’s other boot to the ground. “Lift your ass, I’m not going to let you sleep with your skidplate on.”
Grumbling, Cody managed to push his feet against the bunk and raise his hips maybe an inch into the air. Luckily, Rex was very adept when it came to removing those particular pieces, so Cody could relax soon again.
He made a soft, questioning sound when Rex took him by the shoulder, urging Cody to roll onto his side. Deftly, Rex laid down as well, and Cody let his back rest against the warm, familiar chest. He felt Rex nudge at the pillow, and slowly lifted his head so Rex could push his arm under it, offering Cody’s head better support, while Rex’s other arm wrapped itself lazily around Cody’s waist.
Gentle, chapped lips pressed a soft kiss on the back of his neck and Cody could feel Rex nosing at the flattened curls. It was nice but even in his worn-out state, Cody remembered far too well how long it had been since his last shower.
“I stink,” Cody muttered with a frown.
“I don’t mind,” Rex replied reassuringly, and almost as if to make a point, kissed Cody’s neck again. “Now stop arguing and try to get some sleep, unless you really want Forceps to use his CMO privileges.”
Oh, if only Cody had enough energy to roll his eyes. “Weirdo,” Cody accused nonetheless, only to gasp in surprise when Rex nipped him and the arm around Cody pulled him tighter against Rex.
Their bodies were pressed together all the way down their toes, and Rex pressed another soft kiss on the spot he had just bitten. “Go to sleep, Marshall Commander, or I’ll make it an order too.”
“Last time I checked, Marshall Commander ranks higher than Captain,” Cody, half-surprised, half-proud of how cheeky he could still be with three fourths of his brain asleep, pointed out.
The way Rex huffed, annoyed and amused, made Cody smile drowsily.
“Last time I checked, the riduurok made us equal,” Rex replied wryly.
“Oh right, one of the perks of being married; getting to ignore the chain of command when it’s convenient,” Cody murmured, sleepy.
Rex’s huff was definitely more amusement than annoyance this time.
“Sleep, Cody. I’ve got your six, now and always.”
Yawning, Cody thought about saying something to that, enjoying their banter despite the way his limbs were getting heavier with each passing second. His eyes blinked, staring unseeingly at the dark canvas of the tent in front of him before Cody sighed and let them close.
“Love you,” he managed to mumble before letting the darkness consume him.
The last thing Cody heard and felt was Rex’s lips, brushing against his ear and murmuring the words back.
“I love you, too.”