Work Text:
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The sound of an alarm woke Ahsoka from her deep slumber. She blinked, her eyelids heavy, waiting for her vision to focus on a window by her side, where the sun rose over the horizon. Rolling over, she tossed her side of the blanket onto a lump on the other side of the bed, which rustled in response.
“Wake up time.” She said, yawning and stretching her arms over her head as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.
The lump groaned, throwing the blanket back onto Ahsoka’s side of the bed before sprawling out in the middle of the mattress. “You get up too early.” A muffled Rex voice came from under a pillow.
It was a good start to a pleasant day: bright, sunny, warm, with a little bit of a breeze. A good opportunity for the war veterans working on a small Outer Rim farm, earning credits for their operation working against the ever-growing Empire. Paradise for the couple they pretended to be, taking jobs to save credits for a family of their own.
But were they pretending? To their employers, Ahsoka and Rex were the sweetest couple in the galaxy, a perfect match. To their allies in the budding Rebellion, they were colleagues and each other’s closest friend, practically attached at the hip. To each other, they were husband and wife during the day and roommates by night. Though, in the past weeks, the days seemed to bleed into the nights, neither willing to admit their feelings but more than happy to pretend when no one else is watching. Fake it until you make it, some might say. They’d been faking it, but have they made it?
By the time Rex had gotten up, Ahsoka was in their tiny kitchen, humming along to a tune the birds sang every morning. “Good morning, bub.” She greeted him with a plate of sliced toast and a steaming mug of fresh coffee.
“‘Morning.” Rex stretched when he sat at the round table they shared. “Thank you.”
Ahsoka smiled in response as she poured her own cup of coffee, leaning against the countertop. “Good sleep?”
“Yeah.” Rex chugged his drink before picking up a piece of toast. “You?”
Ahsoka replaced Rex’s mug with her own. “You were snoring again.” She said, pouring the last bit of brewed coffee into the empty mug she took.
“Sorry.” Rex laughed sheepishly, “I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.” He watched Ahsoka spoon a copious amount of sugar into the mug she held.
“No, you can stay.” Ahsoka took a sip of her sugared coffee, “Makes the bed warm.”
“Oh.” Rex laughed again, blushing ever so slightly. “Are you cold at night?”
“Only when you’re not there.” Ahsoka set her mug on the counter, chuckling at him. “I’m going to head out soon. The bread oven conked out yesterday and I told Cass I’d try and fix it.”
“You going to eat?” Rex leaned to look out the window. “It’s still early.”
“I ate before you got up.” Ahsoka brushed crumbs from the top of the countertop into the sink. “Don’t drink that too fast. You’ll give yourself the shakes.”
Rex was too busy downing his second cup to reply. Ahsoka took one more sip of her own drink before setting it down next to Rex.
Looking at her drink with disgust, he said: “I’m not drinking that sweet shit.”
“Hmmm.” Ahsoka smiled at him once again before setting out for the outdoors. “I’ll see you later, then, husband.”
“Goodbye, wife.” Rex watched as she walked out the front door, letting it shut behind her. Love you, wife. A voice in his head said. No. He scolded himself. She’s not your wife.
Sighing to himself, he picked up the half-filled mug of coffee Ahsoka left for him and took the tiniest sip. “Urgh.” He grumbled. He could never understand why she liked her coffee as sweet as candy. It absolutely ruined the flavor.
Despite his distaste for her drink, he poured it into a tumbler and set it on the table for later. Time for work, he supposed. Maybe he’ll get done early today.
Ahsoka cracked the door open to the farm’s bread kitchen before swinging it wide open. Inside was a elderly woman, crouched over a large oven, book in hand. “Good morning, Cass!” She said, stepping through the entranceway.
“Good morning, dear.” Cass replied, straightening to greet her. “You’re up early.”
“I thought I’d try to fix the oven before we got to work.” Ahsoka picked up a toolbox from the floor next to Cass.
Cass closed the book in her hand. “Oh, thank you, honey. I’m going to get a start on the dough, then, if you don’t mind.”
“Go ahead.” Ahsoka crouched in front of the open oven door, “It shouldn’t be a hard fix.”
Cass left Ahsoka to tinker on her own, disappearing into the next room. “Oh,” She said, poking her head back into the oven room, “Malum is coming by later today. Give me a shout when he comes in.”
“Gotcha.”
And Malum did come. Son of the fruit farmers next door, and the biggest thorn in Ahsoka’s side, he strolled into the kitchen, high and mighty.
“Good afternoon!” His voice floated into the room, rudely disrupting Ahsoka’s peace of mind.
Making a face inside the oven, Ahsoka replied: “Hello, Malum.” She pulled her head out of the oven and set her tools to the side. “Cass!” She shouted into the other room, “Malum’s here!”
“I’ll be right there, dear!” Cass’s voice answered.
“What’cha doin’?” Malum leaned on the counter next to Ahsoka after setting his bag on the floor, a smirk painted on his face.
Ahsoka smeared a smile on her face. “Just finished fixing the oven.” She said shortly, gathering the tools that were strewn across the floor.
“You fix things?” Malum took no notice of her disinterest.
“I used to be a mechanic.” Ahsoka zipped the bag of tools shut and turned his back to him.
Malum’s eyes lit up, a real grin spreading across his face. “When?”
“Before I met my husband.” Ahsoka reluctantly explained, referencing the cover story her and Rex made up the day they were hired. She peeked into the room where Cass stood, scrubbing her hands at a sink.
“I didn’t know you had a husband.” Malum moved to look inside of the open oven, attempting to marvel at Ahsoka’s handiwork, which unfortunately for him, was hidden behind a panel. “Where is he?”
“Outside.”
“Oh.” Malum bent down to rummage through his bag, determined to overcome the slight obstacle that was Rex. “I brought you some jam I made yesterday. It’s apple, my favorite.” He said, stepping closer to Ahsoka.
Ahsoka sighed on the inside, praying for Cass to finally finish up. “Oh, thank you.”
Malum held out a small jar of yellow-orange jam, labeled with too much handwriting for ‘apple jam’. “I hope you like it. You can come visit the orchard someday, if you’d like. I’d love to show you around.”
Ahsoka glanced down at the jar. “My husband wouldn’t approve.” Ugh. Just go away already.
Malum looked at Ahsoka with a glint in his eye. “He doesn’t have to know.”
“Mm.” Here was where their conversation stopped with Cass’ presence entering the room, whisking Malum away from his lustful desires. Ahsoka let out a breath of relief, setting the jam on the counter. One of these days, she would get Rex to scare the skinny fruit boy away, but today wasn’t one of those days.
Some days, she wished Rex were really her husband. She wouldn’t mind, she thought. Not for romantic purposes, of course, so she would be left alone. For most of her life, she had no desire to pursue a relationship, aside from her short fling with a certain Separatist. Relationships were strictly forbidden, according to the Jedi Code. But, she wasn’t a Jedi anymore and was free to do as she wished.
Rex, though? He was a handsome man, no doubt. Very fit, muscular, and had a voice that was smooth like butter. Loyal, determined, hard on the outside, but very, very soft on the inside. Rex was undoubtedly attractive; she couldn’t deny it.
Ahsoka gently shook the thought from her mind. Unfortunately for her, it returned, unimpressed by her attempts to abolish it. Maybe she would like to marry Rex, for real.
Rex wiped his forehead as he stared into the afternoon sky, shielding his eyes from the sun. “Are you sure, sir? There’s still the rest of the day left.” He said to the farm’s owner, and Cass’ husband, standing beside him.
“Ah, don’t worry about it, Rex.” The man patted him on the back, “Take off for the rest of the day. And tell your lovely wife I said hello.”
“I will, sir.” Rex left him alone to stare into his wheat fields alone and started the long walk back to him and Ahsoka’s shared house.
His lovely wife. Oh, how he wished Ahsoka was his wife. Funnily enough, he never considered her to ever be someone’s wife, being a Jedi and all, but that was before they found a job at the farm. Ahsoka played her part almost perfectly, affectionate with him when they met at work and filling the plot holes in their life stories. More and more, he fell into the illusion of a peaceful life as he spent time isolated from the rest of the galaxy. More and more, he pushed thoughts of the Rebellion out of his mind, choosing instead to imagine his life without the fight with Ahsoka by his side.
One day, he knew his life of fantasy would end.
Eventually, he passed the kitchen where Ahsoka stood in the window, kneading dough with her hands. “Hello, wife.” He said, stopping to lean in the open window frame. His body blocked the sharp glare of the sun, shading Ahsoka’s work space.
“Hello, husband.” She replied, not looking up from her work. “Shouldn’t you be working?”
“I’m off for the day.” Rex stuck his head through the window. “Got any snacks?”
Ahsoka looked back at Cass, who stood behind her, also kneading dough. “We just got the oven up and running, so you’ll have to wait a little.”
“Damn.” Rex watched Ahsoka shape a loaf and plop it into a pan.
“Are you headed back to the house?” She asked him after a moment of silence.
“I was going to, unless you want help.”
“Hmm.” Ahsoka wiped her fingers on the apron she wore. “We’re almost done actually. Small batch today.” Pausing, she pulled Malum’s jam out of her pocket, “Actually, could you take this back and put it in the fridge for me?” She asked, handing him the jar. “The fruit boy came by earlier and gave me this.”
“The fruit boy came?” Rex stood up straight, a fire starting to rise within him. With every mention of Malum, the fire within him grew. Little did he know, his feigned possessiveness over Ahsoka was becoming real.
Ahsoka rolled her eyes at the thought of him. “Yes, he did.”
“And he gave you this?” Rex held up the jar of jam to the sun, turning it over in his hands, which desperately wanted to smash the fragile glass into the rocky ground. Instead, he ran his thumb over the label, which read: “For Ahsoka, jam almost as sweet as you.” With every word he saw, the flame within him roared ever mightier, threatening to consume his mind.
Ahsoka nodded in response, setting out more bread pans in front of her.
“What did he want?” Rex lowered his voice so that Cass wouldn’t hear. He couldn’t hide the scowl on his face, or the anger in his voice.
“He invited me to the orchard.” Ahsoka looked up and saw Rex’s upset face. “I told him I was married, Rex. I don’t entertain that man’s desires.”
“Good.” Rex leaned further into the window to whisper to her: “Next time he comes around, you let me know.”
Ahsoka’s face grew hot at his words. “I will.”
Taking advantage of his close proximity, Rex pressed a kiss to the top of her head, lingering just long enough to sneak another one. “I’ll take care of him.” He murmured. His lips half wished to reach out for Ahsoka, to kiss her again, again, and again.
“I’m sure you will.” She said, starting to knead another lump of dough.
Rex pulled away from her. “I’m going back to the house.”
“Gimme kiss first.”
Rex saw no reason to deny her. Leaning into the window again, he gave Ahsoka a quick peck. “I’ll see you after work, wife.”
“Bye bye, hubby.” Ahsoka smiled, her face blushing. She watched him stride away from the kitchen, jam in hand, half hoping his kisses weren’t just for show.
“Cuties.” Cass’ voice came from behind her.
For the next hour, she kneaded and shaped bread loaves in pans, passing them to Cass for scoring and egg washing. Every moment, she thought of Rex, passing back and forth between imagining her fictional life with Rex and reminding herself that it may really just be an act. Everything about the man seemed so real, but it was supposed to, wasn’t it? What was the point of acting, if no one believed it?
“My dear,” Cass’ voice pulled Ahsoka out of her daydream, “you can go home. I can take care of the rest for today.”
“Oh.” Ahsoka blinked and turned to Cass. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” Cass smiled warmly, “You’ve helped me a great deal this morning with the oven. Go spend some time with Rex.”
Ahsoka didn’t argue.
Coming back to the house, Ahsoka could hear the water running in the bathroom. Rex was showering, probably. Turning her attention to the kitchen before her, she opened the fridge. Too late for lunch and too early for dinner, she thought to herself. Oh well. She was hungry.
The fridge held a thick-cut steak, a gift from the butcher that lived in the valley; half a loaf of leftover bread from last week’s market; Malum’s jam, which was haphazardly shoved in the door; and various other cooking ingredients. She could cook the steak, she supposed. It would be a nice surprise for Rex.
With that thought, she removed the steak from the fridge and set it on the counter. Butter was next, followed by Malum’s jam. Hmmm…Maybe not the jam. Rex wouldn’t like the reminder of Malum over his nice steak. She almost felt bad for the poor fellow, considering how much Rex bad mouthed him. But at the same time, Malum’s presence made Ahsoka’s insides shrivel into a ball and her blood pressure go through the roof.
Unwrapping the steak from its paper shell, Ahsoka laid it onto the cutting board, the pink and white marbling of the steak a sharp contrast against the straight, brown grain of the board. Cutting herself a small sample, she set the steak aside to acclimate to room temperature.
Mmm… She thought, chewing on the bit she cut off and taking a glance around the corner. At that moment, Rex emerged from the bathroom with a towel around his waist, his skin still damp from the shower.
Speaking of meat… Ahsoka thought to herself without thinking. Embarrassed that she would ever think that, she ducked back around the corner, returning to her steak. It wouldn’t be ready for a few minutes, so she busied herself with the stove instead. Oil in the pan . She reminded herself, pouring a bit of cooking oil into caast iron pan, the image of Rex still floating in her mind. How lucky she was, to have such an attractive husband, is what she would say if he was her husband.
“Steak?” Rex’s gruff voice gently pulled her out of her daydreams and into the real world. “What’s the occasion?”
“Nothing special.” Ahsoka could feel his still moist skin exuding heat on her back as she rubbed a bit of salt onto both sides of the steak. “Just in the mood.”
In the mood for something else? Rex shook the thought from his mind, partially disgusted at himself as he watched Ahsoka sear the steak. “It’s my lucky day then.”
Ahsoka chuckled, laying the piece of meat in the piping hot pan. “If that’s the case, you get lucky every day.”
I got so lucky that every day, the most beautiful woman in the galaxy pretends to be my wife. “I am very lucky that you cook delicious food every day.” He said instead, “And I am very grateful that you do so.”
“You better be.” Ahsoka replied, half-jokingly. “Can you turn on the oven? I want to try and bake the steak.”
“Bake it?”
“I saw it in a recipe.”
Soon enough, there were two steaming pieces of perfectly cooked steak on the table, joined by a pair of tall glasses of ice cold lemonade. “Good?” Ahsoka asked, taking her seat at the table.
“Mhm.” Rex responded with his mouth full. “Amazing.”
Ahsoka chewed her steak, feeling the texture of cooked meat in her mouth. Rex was right; it was amazing, but she still preferred the raw piece she sampled earlier. Oh, humans and their intolerance for meat straight from the kill.
“Thank you, Ahsoka.” He said between bites, the steak disappearing faster than the sweet bread in the kitchen when the workers would come in for a break.
She smiled, cutting herself a bite. “Don’t eat it too fast, love.”
Rex waited for Ahsoka to finish her meal before gathering the dirty dishes. “You should get more of those.” He said to her, washing the plates in the sink.
“I can check the next time I go to the market.” She replied, refilling her drink in the fridge.
“Take me with you next time.” Rex propped two plates upright in the drying rack. “Spend time with my wife, hm?”
“It’ll be a date.” Ahsoka set her drink down and leaned on the countertop, watching Rex wash silverware. “Cass’s been asking me when we would go out together.”
“What about tonight? It’s still early.”
“Mm, maybe.” She took a swig of her drink, licking the excess from her lips.
“I’ll buy you something nice. Maybe a-”
Before Rex could finish, a ringing sound came from Ahsoka. “Oh,” She said, pulling a communicator from her pocket, “hold that thought. I’ll be right back.”
The Rebellion. Rex watched Ahsoka hurry into the other room, holding the thought in his mind. Maybe a ring. He would have said, feeling more confident with his advances with Ahsoka than usual. Maybe it was her lovey comments sprinkled in throughout the day, or maybe it was his annoyance with the goddamn fruit boy that was getting to him. Ahsoka was supposed to be his.
He hoped her call wouldn’t last too long into the night. Longer calls meant more trouble for the both of them, occasionally calling one of them away from the farm. Long calls meant lonely nights in an empty bed, missing the one he called his wife. Without thinking, he moved himself to the small patio attached to the house, leaning against the wooden guardrail that closed the space from the wilderness. Bits of the setting sun shone through the dense trees that hung themselves above him, illuminating the wooden slats he stood on.
Oh, maybe a ring. He imagined what kind of ring she would like, most likely silver with a blue stone. A thin band, dainty and delicate, much unlike her. Good lord, how General Skywalker would rip him limb from limb if he caught a wisp of Rex’s desire to wed Ahsoka. He knew he would never see the light of day again, if that happened. You only live once , he had told Rex, but if you do it right, once is enough . Rex would die a happy man if Ahsoka would give him one chance. If General Skywalker killed him right then and there, then one life would have been enough.
“Rexie.” From the fleeting light came an endearing nickname he tolerated from one person.
“Ahsoka.” He waited until she was by his side to turn. “Any news?”
Ahsoka stood inches from him, her body feeling static to Rex. “Nothing important.”
Rex didn’t respond, the thoughts of the Rebellion slipping from his mind. “This is nice.” He said, leaning forward again onto the guardrail.
“What? This?” Ahsoka looked off into the woods in front of her.
He turned to look at her. “Living here. With you.”
“Pretending to be husband and wife?”
“It’s quiet.” Rex took a deep breath, thoughts streaming into his mind, “If things were different, I think I’d like to live this way. Nobody to answer to.”
“By yourself?” Ahsoka continued to look into the foliage, “Sounds lonely.”
“Well,” Rex looked up into the sky, “I’d like to think I would’ve found myself a wife.”
“Where would you find her?” Ahsoka asked, prodding into Rex’s mind. She wondered if this was his way of saying he loved her, or if he was just talking to talk.
“In a mechanic’s shop.” He replied, referencing the story she had made up, “She would be like a star: beautiful and mysterious.” He turned his gaze to her, looking upon her face, “Adventurous, courageous, and willing to protect those she loved at the risk of her own life.”
“It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into this.” Ahsoka shifted her eyes to Rex’s hands, which were still laid on the rail.
“It’s hard not to.”
Ahsoka stood perfectly still, her heart starting to beat faster. “Is it?” She took a breath, her chest heavy with emotions she couldn’t help but feel was wrong.
Rex didn’t respond, looking away from her and letting the tension grow between them. His mind egged him on to do something about the situation. Speak now , it told him, or forever hold your peace .
“Are we still pretending?” He asked, his voice barely audible over the rustle of nature.
“We’re not married.” Ahsoka replied, avoiding the real question.
Rex sighed. “No, not that.”
“Then what?” Ahsoka tilted her head, turning to look at him.
Feeling her eyes pierce his face, he lost himself in the prickling, not answering her question.
“Rexie.” She said softly, reaching out to touch his hands, which were numb with anxiety. She recalled back to her former master. The Force doesn’t care who I love. So why should the Council? He had once asked her, defending his own marriage. The Council was gone now. She was free to love who she wanted.
Rex didn’t try to stop her. Her touch sent electricity down his spine, rendering him useless. She could be in complete control of him and he wouldn’t complain a single bit. “Hm?”
“What do you mean,” Ahsoka said these words slowly, her thumb rubbing back and forth on his hands, “by pretending?”
Rex didn’t respond for a moment. “To be in love?” his voice came out almost a squeak.
This time, Ahsoka took a minute to reply. “I don’t think I’m pretending anymore.” She shoved the words out of her mouth as fast as she could before they had a chance to retreat back into her throat.
Letting out a shaky breath, Rex blinked once, turning to look at her. “Maybe we should stop pretending to pretend.” Even in the growing darkness, Ahsoka had the face of a goddess, one he would worship for the rest of his mortal life given the chance.
“Maybe?” Ahsoka’s hand worked its way up his shoulder, her thumb still tracing gentle circles. In doing so, she shifted closer to Rex, almost near enough to hear his breath catch in his throat.
Rex nodded silently, frozen. From fear or disbelief, he couldn’t tell. He felt Ahsoka reach up to cradle his face, her fingertips gently pressing into his cheek. Without knowing, he leaned into her touch, wishing for more.
“You’re cute when you’re all flustered like that.” She laughed quietly, her smile shining brighter than the stars in the night sky.
Rex blushed, his face growing redder by the second. “I…” He didn’t finish his sentence, for his train of thought was gone. Her hand moved slowly to pull him down until his face was inches from her’s. She rose to her toes, closing the gap between her and Rex. He could feel the heat of her lips on his, coaxing him to lean forward an inch to-
He hesitated, pulling away the tiniest bit. Just do it, Rex. Listening to his internal voice, Rex wrapped one of his arms around her waist, tugging her body to be flush with his. It took him a full minute to realize he was kissing a pair of pillowy, soft lips.
It wasn’t the first time they had shared a kiss. Small pecks around other people were never off the table, but they weren’t filled with a shared need for each other like this one.
Ahsoka broke the kiss, her eyes fluttering open, breathing heavy. All worries of forbidden feelings had left her mind, replaced with carefree bliss and a sureness in her heart. She felt herself being pulled into another kiss, this one more intense than the last.
Rex, filled with unbridled joy, couldn’t contain the grin on his face as he kissed Ahsoka over and over, his hunger never satisfied.
“I love you.” He whispered between kisses.
Ahsoka waited for the next one to end before responding. “I love you too.”