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Jesse does a double take when the trooper lands unceremoniously in the dirt beside him, because he swears there is a flash of red on the shoulder bell.
“Kix!” The ARC trooper yells above the blaster fire raining down on them.
His heart skips a beat when his brother doesn't respond. Ducking below the crest of the hill, he hovers over Kix worriedly.
“Kix?” He asks this time, unlatching his brother's bucket and setting it off to the side.
Then he sees the singed hole in Kix’s shoulder.
He swears, trying to make Kix say something. Anything. The medic's face is twisted in pain.
“Jess-” he finally shudders.
Jesse is on high alert, already unclipping the strap on Kix's cuirass. He digs through Kix's pack until it produces saline, bacta patches and a roll of gauze. He knows his hands are shaking uncontrollably as he begins to clean the wound, because fuck, this is his brother. His brother, the medic. Kix should be doing this, not Jesse.
But Kix is hurt, and its up to Jesse to patch him up.
His heart wrenches at the whimper Kix let's slip past his lips when Jesse flushes the wound with saline.
“‘M so sorry, Kix.” He murmurs through tears that he didn't know had formed.
The medic's dry humor never falters. “I'm never this nice to you, am I?’
Jesse let's out a pained cry. “Shut up, Vod. I'm kinda freaked here.”
Kix smiles through the pain. “You-agh-you’re doin' great, Jess.”
Jesse presses the gauze into the bleeding cavity, sealing it off with a couple of bacta patches.
Its going to have to work until he can get Kix to the medbay.
He can see his brother's eyelids begin to slip closed, and panic wells in his chest.
“Nonononono,” he rushes, shaking the injured trooper. “Stay with me Kix'ika. C'mon”
He wants to scream when Kix's eyes slip closed.
When Kix wakes up, he's surrounded by bright lights. He foolishly thinks, just for a second, that this is the afterlife. But Jesse's sleeping presence at his bedside tells him otherwise. He's in the medbay, then.
He moves his hand to feel around his shoulder, but its weighed down by another, grasping like a lifeline.
The tug causes Jesse to stir, one hand scrubbing at his eyes from the brightness that bathed the room.
Kix watches him with kind eyes. Maybe its the medication, but he's so damn proud of his brother. His brother, who—despite not being a medic—helped save his life.
Jesse finally registers that Kix is awake, a relieved grin crossing his face.
“You di'kut.” He huffs. “I told you to stay awake.”
Kix grins right back at him.
“You told me to stay with you. Awake is different.”
Jesse groans, but inches closer to Kix's bed.
“That was…”
“Scary?” Kix finishes for him.
“Yeah.” Jesse agrees, staring at the wall ahead. “Never want to do that again.”
Kix snorts. “What, Mr. Big bad ARC trooper Jesse scared of a little blood?”
Jesse only gives the medic a glare, one that holds pain and fear, which causes any amusement on Kix's face to vanish.
“Hey.” He grabs Jesse's wrist. “I'm here. You saved my life.”
Jesse opens his mouth to protest, but Kix cuts him off.
“If you say Coric was the real hero I swear that man's head won't fit in his bucket.”
Jesse laughs a little at the weak sarcasm.
“Osik, I'm glad you're alive.” He breathes.
Kix smiles again. “Me too. I'm proud of you, Jess.”