Chapter Text
Rex sighed and blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to get them to focus. He was about halfway through the seemingly endless report he had to write regarding the Battle of Teth, but he had been working for nearly ten standard hours and the symbols on the datapad screen were beginning to blur together. He knew his brothers would have turned in a couple hours ago and Rex’s better judgment told him that he should rest too, but he just wanted to get this over with. He had to submit something for each man he lost during the battle and with each line he wrote, his heart felt a little heavier.
With another sigh, Rex rose from his desk and made his way to the mess hall for some caf. His plan was to take a quick break to clear his head, then return to his office for a late night of report writing.
Rex was in the mess, pouring himself a cup of caf, when he heard footsteps and General Anakin Skywalker entered. Rex was surprised someone else was roaming the halls of the Resolute this late in the night cycle. The general looked almost as weary as Rex felt.
“General,” Rex greeted formally.
“Rex! Are you still doing your report too?” Anakin asked, walking over and pouring a cup of caf for himself.
“Just working my way through the soldiers we lost,” Rex said. He stifled yet another sigh and stared down into his caf. He glanced up when he felt Anakin’s hand rest on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Rex,” the general said.
“Nothing to apologize for, sir. It’s how war is,” the captain responded, trying to sound matter-of-fact. General Skywalker had already done enough to express his regret at their losses on Teth and Christophsis, more than would be expected of a Jedi general. Even his new Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, had been sympathetic and insisted on acknowledging the lives of the fallen.
“Just because that’s how it is, doesn’t mean it’s right,” Anakin said, taking a sip of his caf. The Jedi was headstrong and reckless at times, but he deeply cared about his men and Rex couldn’t have been more grateful to serve under him.
“How’s Commander Tano doing with her training?” Rex asked, after a few minutes of silence. The teenage Togruta had been a lot to take at first when they first met during the Battle of Christophsis, but after witnessing her bravery and determination, he found himself warming up to her rather quickly. Then, after she’d expressed genuine concern for himself and his men’s wellbeing after the battle, he’d decided that he was actually fond of her.
“I know I was reluctant to take a Padawan at first, but she’s actually impressed me quite a bit,” Anakin admitted. Before Rex could respond, the general chuckled to himself and Rex raised an eyebrow.
“What, sir?” he asked.
“You know, Rex,” Anakin shook his head to himself, only adding to Rex’s confusion, “ever since the battle, she can’t stop talking about you.”
“Me?” Rex asked, the shock clear in his voice. That didn’t make sense. The Jedi weren’t supposed to focus on their clone soldiers too much in general, but especially not as individuals. Though, he had to admit that his Jedi in particular did seem to deviate from the norm quite a bit. But still.
“Yeah, whenever we’re not training, she’s always asking what you’re up to or how you are,” Anakin continued, a half-grin on his face. “I’m pretty sure she has a crush on you.”
“What?” Rex’s jaw dropped.
That can’t be right, he thought to himself. Though, even as the thought crossed his mind, he couldn’t help but think back to some of his interactions with the commander. She had always been friendly to him and his men, and made it clear that she cared about them as people, rather than just clones. If he thought about it, though, maybe she did talk to him more than his brothers. She usually stood near him and talked to him when they were working together, but that was to be expected. Though, she had put her hand on his shoulder or arm a few times, and she did hug him once, for what seemed like no particular reason. Rex didn’t know much about crushes, other than the little he’d learned from holovids and his brothers, but maybe the general was right.
But a crush means romantic interest, right? That would be impossible. She was sixteen and, even though he was younger than her, he was technically an adult and she was technically still a child, if barely. But then, even if she were a couple years older, she was a Jedi and he was a clone. It was sweet that she cared about her men, but no one in their right mind would want a clone as their partner. Plus, everyone knew the Jedi had their rule about not having attachments. It would never work.
“Are you sure?” Rex asked, after taking a moment to process the information. It was still very hard to believe.
“I’m pretty sure,” Anakin laughed. When the captain gave him a skeptical look, he added, “Remember, Rex, Jedi can sense others’ emotions. She and I are more attuned to each other because she’s my Padawan, and the way she feels when she’s around you is hard to miss.”
“I, uh, okay then,” Rex muttered, unsure of how to respond. “Am I supposed to do something about it?”
“Only if you want to,” the general said, shrugging. Isn’t he supposed to disapprove of this?
“I mean, uh, aren’t Jedi not supposed to think like that?”
“They’re not,” Anakin acknowledged, though he had an odd look on his face like he didn’t fully believe what he was saying. “So I guess just ignore it or tell her you don’t see her that way.”
“Sir, I can’t say that to her. She’s my commander!”
“Okay, so ignore it.”
“What if she keeps feeling this way and, I don’t know…” Rex trailed off, not really sure where he was going with his statement. “Why don’t you just talk to her?”
“I will, but how well will she listen?”
Rex sighed. He had a point. He hadn’t known Ahsoka long, but he knew she was stubborn and Anakin telling her specifically not to do something would only make her more likely to do it.
“I guess I’ll talk to her then,” Rex grumbled with resignation. How did I get roped into this? I just came to the mess for some caf!
“Thanks, man.” Anakin patted Rex’s shoulder again and turned to exit. Before he disappeared into the hall, he shot Rex a smug grin over his shoulder. “Let her down easy, okay?”
Rex stared after him in disbelief. The Kaminoans had most certainly not prepared the clones for situations like this. We’re bred for war. How is this even happening? Most days he was thankful for his Jedi, but right now, he was tempted to request a transfer to the Coruscant Guard.
Ahsoka waited with her master as the rest of their LAATs landed in the Resolute hangar. Captain Rex and most of the rest of the 501st had been supporting Obi-Wan, Commander Cody, and the 212th planetside, while Ahsoka and Anakin had been attempting to capture Asajj Ventress on her warship. Obi-Wan and his troops had been able to defeat the droid army with minimal casualties, but Ahsoka and her master had lost Ventress to an escape pod. Ahsoka was okay with this outcome. As much as they needed to catch Ventress, their men coming back safely from battle was a greater victory to her.
Now, she and Anakin were waiting for their troops to arrive, so they could take note of the number of casualties and ensure that the injured received medical treatment. As the clones began to file off the transports, Ahsoka stood on her toes to look for one soldier in particular.
Ever since she met Captain Rex, she’d had a hard time getting his handsome face out of her head. She knew, of course, that all the clones had the same face, but they were different to her, especially Rex’s. He’d been the first one to welcome her to the 501st, even before Anakin had accepted her. Rex was an incredibly skilled fighter and an exceptional leader. They hadn’t know each other long, but the clone captain had always had her back and supported her as commander, despite how new she was to everything.
Ahsoka had been pretty good about avoiding attachments for most of her life so far, but that had changed the moment she saw Rex. He invaded her thoughts and whenever she saw his blond hair, amber eyes, or even the jaig eyes of his helmet, she felt her stomach do a little flip.
She tried to stay focused as the troopers reported to her and Anakin. Most were shinies, replacements from their massive loss on Teth, and she was still learning their names. Fortunately, almost all were unharmed and those that were had mostly minor injuries. The Jedi sent anyone with a wound, however minor, to the medbay. Anakin, along with Kix and the other medics, didn’t want to risk any injuries slipping through the cracks.
Finally, Ahsoka caught sight of Rex’s 501st blue jaig eyes and left-shoulder pauldron descending the ramp of one of the larties. She glanced at Anakin, verified that he didn’t need her at the moment, then trotted towards her captain. She was relieved to see that he didn’t seem hurt at all. Even though he was the most capable clone in the 501st, when they were apart in battle, she feared that something would happen and he’d meet the same fate as most of the men on Teth.
“Rex!”
He stopped and waited for her to reach him.
“I’m so glad you’re alright!” she said, jogging up to him.
Ahsoka stepped forward to put her arms around his torso in a hug, but he caught her before she could, placing his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at his visor, confused. He hadn’t initiated physical contact with her before, but he’d also stopped her from hugging him.
“Hey, Commander,” Rex said greeted. “I was hoping to talk to you for a minute.”
“Sure, Rexter.” She smiled at him as he led her down one of the Resolute’s halls, until they were out of view of the hangar.
She couldn’t imagine what he might want to talk to her about privately. When she tried to sense his emotions through the Force, they just seemed… confused. That doesn’t seem right, she thought to herself. I guess using the Force to sense emotions is something I need to improve on.
When they were alone, Rex turned to her and took off his helmet. Ahsoka stood in front of him in parade rest, fighting the urge to admire his chiseled jawline. She made herself focus on his amber eyes, which were just as nice to look at, honestly.
“Commander,” Rex started, sounding uncharacteristically nervous. Ahsoka tried not to show her surprise. He was always so professional and confident; she didn’t think she’d ever seen him nervous before.
“I just wanted to say,” he continued, averting his eyes, “it’s an honor to serve you in the 501st. Really, between you and General Skywalker, I couldn’t hope for better Jedi to serve under. But… maybe we could ease up on the, er, unnecessary physical contact.”
Oh.
Ahsoka understood what he was saying immediately. He knew she liked him and wanted her to back off. Got it. Tears pricked the edge of her eyes, but she blinked rapidly, forcing them back. She could also feel warmth on her lekku and knew her chevrons must be darkening with embarrassment. She took a deep breath, again trying to expel her physical reactions.
“I understand,” she said, forcing her voice to remain calm. I’m the commander here. I need to be mature about this. “I’m sorry for overstepping and for causing you any discomfort. You and your men did a great job today, and I’m really glad everyone came back safe.”
Without waiting for Rex to respond, she turned and made her way back to the hangar, leaving him alone in the hallway. Yes, it hurt hearing that her feelings weren’t reciprocated, but in truth, Ahsoka wasn’t too surprised. Rex was friends with Anakin, and she could only hope that he would still treat her as a friend too, but anything more would be pushing it. And if he ever did have feelings for someone, it certainly wouldn’t be a scrawny Padawan like her, who was also his superior.
Ahsoka wanted to be a compassionate leader, but the last thing she wanted was to be making the men in her charge uncomfortable with inappropriate affection. If Rex still wanted to treat her as a friend, she would let him do so on his own terms. By the time Ahsoka returned to the hangar, she had resolved to push down the hurt of the rejection and focus on being the professional commander that her men deserved.
Anakin was still standing in the same spot, logging that last few troopers. As Ahsoka approached, her master suddenly turned his blue eyes on her and raised an eyebrow.
Oh, kriff. He knows something. It was that stupid training bond that made it impossible for her to hide her emotions from him.
“What happened, Snips?” Anakin asked, once the last of the clones had exited the hangar.
“Nothing,” she said, knowing full well that he wouldn’t believe her.
“I couldn’t help but notice the change in your Force signature when Rex is around,” her master said, flashing her a smirk. He knew. Of course he knows! Why would I be dumb enough to think otherwise?
“I’d really rather not talk about it, Master,” she said, turning away and folding her arms across her chest. She’d just talked herself out of feeling sorry for herself. She didn’t need to be reminded of the sting of rejection that still sat in her chest.
“Look, Ahsoka,” Anakin’s voice softened, “I won’t give you the whole ‘no attachments’ speech. I’m sure you got enough of that at the Temple. Just know that it’s perfectly normal to have feelings, even for a Jedi. You just need to learn how to put those feelings aside and focus on the task at hand. And if you decide you do want to talk about it, I’m here.” At his words, Ahsoka let her arms fall back to her side and looked up at him.
“Thanks, Skyguy,” she said and she meant it.
“You’ll be alright, Snips.” Anakin put a hand on her shoulder briefly.
“I know.”
“Captain on deck!”
Ahsoka looked up from her Sabacc cards as the clones around her snapped to attention. She had been hanging out in the living area of the 501st barracks for the past couple hours, having finally returned to the Resolute and her men, after a week of arduous studying at the Jedi Temple. She had become pretty comfortable around the clones since they’d started working together and she’d been delighted that they’d basically accepted her as one of their own. Spending her free time with them in the barracks had become the norm and she always felt her tension fade around her honorary brothers.
Ahsoka set her cards down on the small table they’d been using for their game and stood along with the troopers, though unlike them, she took her time rising to her feet. She already knew who she would see before she saw him. Rex stood at the barracks entrance, with his bucket under his arm and two unfamiliar clones at his side.
“At ease,” Rex said, and the whole room relaxed instantly. “I’d like to introduce the newest members of the 501st, Fives and Echo.” He gestured to the two men beside him and the barracks erupted with cheers and various forms of “welcome.”
When the room had quieted down, Ahsoka approached Rex and the new recruits. Her captain seemed to straighten his posture when he spotted her.
“Men, this is your commander, Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano.”
Rex flashed her a warm smile, which Ahsoka immediately returned. After their conversation a few weeks prior, she’d been worried that things would be awkward between them, but somehow, everything had felt normal. Rex’s behavior towards her hadn’t seemed to have changed at all, to the point that she had started to question if that awkward conversation had happened in the first place. But of course, she knew it had. The small feeling of longing that lingered when she saw him wouldn’t let her forget. It had subsided a bit though and Ahsoka was just grateful that their friendship hadn’t been affected by the incident.
When Rex introduced her, both rookie clones shifted to attention and saluted her. Both men had black hair, as most of the clones did, cut in the usual military fashion. Echo was clean shaven, while Fives had a neat goatee and Ahsoka also noted a “5” tattoo by his right temple. Their armor was still white, aside from a blue handprint on Echo’s chest plate, but she knew the boys would waste no time getting them painted up in the legion’s signature blue. They also each donned a silver medal, no doubt symbolizing their accomplishments on the mission that had landed them here with the 501st.
“At ease,” Ahsoka said quickly, releasing the rookies from their attention position. “And welcome to the 501st, Fives and Echo. You must have really impressed Rex to earn those medals.”
“Fives and Echo here helped Cody and myself when we were on the Rishi Outpost. Grievous attacked the outpost, with the intention of targeting Kamino. We wouldn’t have been able to the alert Republic forces, or even make it out, if not for these troopers,” Rex explained, voice bright with approval.
“Thank you both,” Ahsoka said formally. Then a smirk crossed her face. “Really, saving Rex and Cody is a big deal. I’m not sure how Anakin and Obi-Wan would manage without them.” Rex chuckled at her comment. Fives and Echo, seeing the captain break composure, smiled as well.
“Speaking of which, I need to report back to General Skywalker,” Rex said. He glanced at Ahsoka and she knew he was silently asking if he could leave the rookies with her. She knew he wouldn’t ask out loud, as she was still his superior, but she didn’t need to hear his question to understand it.
“I’ll take it from here,” Ahsoka assured him. “Though, I’m sure the boys can show them around better than I can.”
“Thank you, Commander.” Rex gave her one more smile before sliding on his helmet and departing towards the bridge.
Ahsoka turned towards Fives and Echo, who still stood in front of her, awaiting direction. Something was off about them. They had just been rewarded for acts of heroism and yet she could feel a sadness flowing off them through the Force.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Fives and Echo,” she said, trying to make her voice sound warm and welcoming.
“You as well, sir,” Fives responded sharply. Ahsoka put a hand up.
“Please relax, we’re all off duty right now. Can I ask what’s troubling you?”
“It’s nothing, sir,” Fives said quickly, but Ahsoka saw Echo’s posture droop slightly beside his brother.
“Our brothers… they didn’t make it,” Echo said quietly. Fives shot him an alarmed look, as if he didn’t think his brother should be so candid with their commanding officer.
“What were their names?” A shocked look passed between them. Ahsoka felt an ache for them, that they would be so shocked that someone actually cared about their fallen brothers.
“Cutup, Droidbait, and Hevy… They were our batchmates and we were a squad throughout our training on Kamino,” Echo explained wearily.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Ahsoka said gently. She stepped forward and placed a hand on Echo’s shoulder. “No one should have been lost, but it was because of your bravery that their sacrifice meant something. I didn’t meet Cutup, Droidbait, or Hevy, but I’m certain that they would be proud of you.” As she spoke, she felt Fives’ amber eyes boring into her, but she kept her own gaze on Echo.
“Thank you, sir,” Echo said. His expression was both appreciative and surprised at her kind words.
“I won’t keep you any longer. Why don’t you go settle in?”
Echo nodded gratefully and turned towards the rest of the barracks. A couple of his brothers quickly rose to greet him and show him around.
Fives was still staring at Ahsoka with a perplexed look etched on his face. When she turned towards him, he seemed to snap back to reality.
“Are you okay, Fives?” Ahsoka asked.
“Uh, yes, sir! I mean, yes. Thank you, Commander.” She could tell her friendliness was throwing him off and he was still trying to figure out how to act. “Echo’s been having a bit of a rough time of it.”
“I’m glad he has you to be there for him,” she commented and he nodded in agreement. “I’ll let you go now.”
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Commander.” Ahsoka was surprised when he purposefully met her blue eyes with his amber. Most clones new to the 501st were still so used to being treated like property that it took them a while to be able to look at her and Anakin like they weren’t gods or something to be feared. Ahsoka was always relieved when they got more comfortable and that attitude faded. She’d never had it happen so quickly, though.
“You too,” she said, holding his gaze. “And, Fives? Loss is hard. If you need to talk to someone, let me know. Or your brothers or even General Skywalker. Whatever makes you comfortable.”
“Yes, sir, I will,” he said, his voice suddenly quiet.
Ahsoka was pretty sure he was still watching her as she walked down hall, away from the barracks.