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The conversation between Cody and Bly has long drifted from tying up the loose ends of the Separatists’failed assault on the city onto more important things: gossip about the other commanders. The generals and Commander Skywalker are still around the holotable, but, from the snippets that float over, they’ve also abandoned anything that could pass as tactical and moved onto the purely personal.
They’re all just waiting for the last unit to file back in so they can officially call this done. Ponds and General Windu had taken a few dozen of the 91st to pincer the attacking force to great success.
And Rex had joined them.
It’s not right that Cody worries more about some of his men than others, but it is human. Which he is, despite Kaminos best efforts. So he worries about Rex and Ponds more than any of the nameless 91st men who’d joined them.
“We should have waited outside,” Bly says, rubbing at his face.
“At least it doesn’t smell like smoke in here.” Cody would rather the clean air than the sunshine.
The lights in their makeshift headquarters are old and dim, several not working at all, another flickering sadly. At night it had trapped the room in miserable half darkness, the bright lights from screens cutting hard lines through the room. They’re into midmorning now, the sun finally high enough to climb over the buildings around them, casting warm light across the room.
But it’s a reminder of how long they’ve all been awake. If it wasn’t a general they were still waiting on, most of the people still lingering would have cleared out.
And, while the reports say all’s well, he he wants to make sure that Ponds is returning Rex in the same condition he received him.
Bly elbows Cody in the side. “I’m sure your boy is fine.”
“Ponds can take care of himself,” Cody says, deliberately misunderstanding.
Bly snorts, but drops it, leading them into a conversation about why Cody and Fox aren’t talking again. Cody would almost rather talk about Rex.
The flanking team arrive back just before midday, the rays of sun from the window shifted across the floor. The mud on their armour is fresher than the mud on Cody and Bly’s, still damp enough to smear instead of flaking.
General Windu addresses the men, then strides over to join the other Jedi while the clones disperse. Most of them shuffle away completely, the call of the showers and their bunks too strong to resist, but some have some life left in them.
Ponds lifts his head at Cody and Bly, lingers long enough to make sure none of his men want him, and ambles over to them. Rex, gold paint streaked with enough mud that he almost blends in with the 91st troopers, goes in the opposite direction, joining the gaggle of junior officers still milling around.
“Took you long enough,” Bly says, knocking his bracer against Ponds’ in friendly greeting.
Ponds makes a noncommittal hum, pulling off his bucket, and rolling his neck until it cracks. His exhaustion is fresher too, not having had time to settle into a more general weariness.
“Good to see you too, Bly. Cody.”
“Easy run of it?” Cody asks. “I counted the same number of men coming in as you left with.”
“I wouldn’t say easy, but it could have been a lot worse. Your ARC did good work,” Ponds says, tilting his head in Rex’s direction. “Thinks well on his feet.”
Rex always has that effect, leaving people gushing about him in his wake. Cody is no better and is always pleased on Rex’s behalf that it’s noticed.
“He’s one of our best,” Cody agrees. Next to him, Bly snorts. Kicking him would only draw Ponds’ attention, but Cody makes a quick note to do it later. Probably while Bly is sucking him off and least expecting it.
“Wasted as a lieutenant,” Ponds continues. “I assume you’re already grooming him for a promotion? That’s why he was volunteered to join us?”
More or less. Cody hadn’t had a chance to volunteer him; Rex had offered himself the moment he’d heard the 91st needed an extra ARC.
“Yes, but he hasn’t been told that yet. He was only made a lieutenant after his performance on Geonosis. It’s been decided”—not by Cody—“to wait before pushing him towards another promotion.”
Bly makes another unnecessary noise. Cody ignores him, but Ponds gives him a look.
“Well,” Ponds says, still eying Bly suspiciously, “waiting or not, you’re lucky to have him.”
“Don’t encourage him,” Bly says, breaking his uncharacteristic silence with very characteristic shit stirring.
Ponds’ eyes narrow, just a touch. He’s known Bly almost as long as Cody has; he is more than capable of identifying when Bly is out to cause issues. It’s unforgivable then that he doesn’t just ignore Bly entirely.
“Encourage what?” Ponds asks, eyes moving between Cody and Bly.
“Nothing,” Cody says, with a firmness that might work if he wasn’t exclusively in the company of other marshal commanders. As it is, no one so much as bats an eyelid. He’ll take it out on the next junior officer throwing too much weight around and in sore need of a reminder that they’re a small fish and that Kamino is a very large ocean.
“You haven’t noticed that Cody is practically drooling all over the man?” Bly asks, putting effort into sounding like this is a perfectly innocent question even though no one here will buy it for even a moment.
Forget kicking him, Cody is going to bite his dick off.
Ponds frowns. He looks over his shoulder at Rex. It’s the correct tactical choice for Cody to do the same and make sure he knows what intel Ponds gathers. Rex is standing with his helmet balanced between his forearm and his hip, smiling at something Blue is saying to him. He’s got a line of dirt down his jaw and chin, dragged thin like he’d tried to rub it away but only made it worse.
When Cody pulls his eyes away he finds that Ponds has beaten him to it and is glaring.
Fucking Bly.
“Really, Cody?” Ponds demands.
“I’m not drooling over anyone.” If Ponds has noticed how competent Rex is, why is it such a big deal that Cody has too? Or that he’s noticed how handsome Rex looks when he laughs? “Rex and I are frien— Snort at me again, Bly, and I’ll insert my blaster up your nose to help clear it out.”
Bly, the dickhead, doesn’t snort, instead he lets out a full bark of laughter. There’s other places Cody can shove his blaster.
“Bly wouldn’t make this up,” Ponds says. “It’s not interesting for him if it’s not true.”
Cody does a quick analysis of the situation. Bly has too much credibility to fully dismiss, and Ponds is good at sniffing out the truth. He can’t just deny any attraction to Rex, that’s a losing position, but he can take control of the narrative. Probably.
“He’s exaggerating,” Cody says.
“So you are into him?” Ponds asks, which isn’t the take away Cody had hoped for.
“We’re friends,” he repeats. “And I’m impressed by his skill as a soldier.”
“And by how good he looks in his little ARC uniform,” Bly mutters. Bly doesn’t know that Cody knows he’s been putting his dick in General Secura. He’d be more careful if he did. Cody has been waiting for the right moment to drop that particular nugget of information, and it’s so tempting for it to be now. He bites his tongue and lets Ponds lecture him instead. There’ll be a better moment. One with more witnesses.
It leaves him with nothing to distract Ponds with.
Ponds rolls his eyes. “It’s irresponsible to even consider a romantic entanglement with him, Cody.”
“I don’t think I asked for your opinion,” Cody says, letting a little coolness slip into his tone—a coolness which is thoroughly ignored.
“He’s your subordinate.”
“Yes, I had noticed.” Does Ponds think he’s stupid? Does he think Cody hasn’t considered this from all angles?
Bly doesn’t say a word—why would he? He’s already got what he wanted.
“Then you should understand how bad of an idea becoming involved with him would be!” Ponds, to his credit, is keeping his voice low even while trying to give Cody a dressing down that he doesn’t have the rank to back up.
Giving up ground had been a mistake, he should have denied everything and let them slam up against that solid wall until they got bored. He needs a new angle. “I’ve long since given up on expecting Bly to mind his own business, but Ponds, I expected better from you.”
Ponds isn’t any more impressed by that angle either. “If you’re about to start putting your dick where you shouldn’t, you’re going to make this everyone’s business.”
Bly decides it’s time to make things worse. “You’re wasting your time, Ponds. They’re already fucking.”
Ponds throws up his hands. “Then why are we even having this conversation. Why is he being so defensive?”
“I’m not being defensive,” Cody says. Neither of them even look at him.
“Because he doesn’t just want to fuck him, he wants to draw little love hearts with both their names inside on the edges of his reports.”
Cody does kick Bly, wittinesses be damned. He’s not some lovesick fool.
And he would never vandalise a report like that.
Ponds seems to think he would. “You understand how that’s worse?” Ponds demands. “We can’t have favourites. It reflects badly on your judgement, and it sullies his own achievements. It isn’t fair to him to have anyone assume he earned his rank because you’re sweet on him.”
“I think you’re underestimating how often this happens. Bly?” Don’t bring up Secura. Even it would be very funny. “Are you still fucking Grit?”
“No. Stat sometimes, though. And others I don’t think you know.”
Ponds rolls his eyes, but his focus isn’t shifted to Bly for even a second. “So everyone is being stupid. Do you think that will convince me?”
“I’m not interested in convincing you.”
Ponds holds up his hands in surrender, albeit a very frustrated surrender. Cody has to give him that—unlike so many of the commanders, Ponds isn’t interested in dying on every hill he so much as stumbles upon. “I’ve said my piece. Do what you will.” Ponds gestures towards Rex, and Cody’s gaze follows. “Rex is an excellent soldier, don’t let your dick mess that up.”
Rex turns, catching Cody’s eye across the room. His smile widens, half raising his hand in greeting. Cody’s own lips turn up before he can consider what a terrible idea that is. Rex turns back to the conversation, but the damage is done.
“You weren’t exaggerating, Bly.” Ponds crinkles his nose. “He looks at Rex like he’d thank him for spitting on him.”
“He’s a friend,” Cody says, firmly. “That I have sex with him is immaterial. The way I look at him isn’t meaningfully different to how I look at any of my friends.”
And Rex has never spat on him. He has put his tongue deep enough into Cody’s mouth that he may as well have. That is also immaterial.
“I’m a friend that you fuck, and you’ve never looked at me like that.” Bly says, reminding Cody why he so often regrets talking to him.
“It’s called sexual attraction. I fuck you because you’re convenient. I fuck him because he’s hot.” It’s more of admission than he should have allowed, but worth it to insult Bly.
But Bly is difficult to insult. “Well if you’re going to be like that I’ll bunk with Ponds tonight,” he says.
Ponds looks Bly over. “We both need to shower first. Actually I need to shower now. Stuff is going to start growing in my underwear at this rate.”
“Hot,” Bly says cheerfully. “You can join us, Cody, if you apologise for being so hurtful.”
He probably will join them, but he won’t apologise for shit.
“We’ll see you later?” Ponds asks. There’s a tone through it, not quite an apology, but certainly making peace. “And for what it’s worth, if you’re insisting on making a mess with a subordinate, he’s not a bad choice.”
“I wasn’t looking for anyone’s approval,” Cody says, ignoring the offered truce.
Ponds smile gets sharper. “That wasn’t approved.”
Cody huffs. He knocks his bracer against Ponds. “Good to see you, Ponds.” It’s mostly true.
“Good seeing you, too. Coming, Bly?” Ponds says
Bly nods. “Later, Cody.”
Cody watches them leave, though he really should follow; he’s also long overdue a shower. There’s not anything left that needs his attention here. Some of the junior officers will be handling the datawork from the last arrivals and everything that needs his eyes he can do from his quarters.
But his lingering is rewarded.
Rex breaks from the others. He’s smiling long before he reaches Cody. He’s tired, but wearing it better than many others.
“Hello, sir,” he says, a breath of fresh air after a long day and terrible friends. “I was hoping to catch you before you left, but I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Wise choice,” Cody says. “Nothing of value to be gained from talking to either of them.
Rex laughs. “Commander Ponds seems like a good man. Very by the book.”
That’s one way of putting it. “He was very complimentary of you.”
Rex rubs at the back of his head. “I’m glad I reflected well on you and the 212th.”
That line of dirt is still on his jaw. There’s a flash of a fantasy of cupping Rex’s jaw while he wiped it away. Rex would let him. Ponds isn’t entirely wrong: there’s more complexities to work around than he’d like. Rex looks at him with a clear warmth that makes it hard to care.
“Were you making plans with them?” Rex asks.
“Nothing I wouldn’t love to rearrange.” It would serve them both right.
A couple of months ago, Rex might have backed off on that, cautious about assumptions and inconveniences. They know each other better by now. “I think I’ve got a couple of the ration bars you like squashed at the bottom of my kit if you want to share them with me?”
Ponds and Bly can definitely keep themselves company.
“You sure know how to treat a man,” Cody says; he’s all out of his own stash.
“Glad you think so. I’ll come around after I shower?” Rex looks him over. “After we’ve both showered?”
“I look forward to it.” There’s more he could say, enough to solidify the implications between them. He’s not sure he needs to.
Rex touches his bracer, lower than Ponds had, fingers almost brushing over his hand.
“Me too,” he says. He smiles and Cody’s chest tightens.
Even if Ponds is right, Rex is worth a little complexity.