Star Wars the Clone Wars - One shots

Venom

When Rex saw Jesse limping weakly towards him, the Captain decided he hated Maul.

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"And now, as a show of good faith, I return your comrade in arms to you."

Rex almost didn't believe Maul, not until he heard the clink of the cuffs falling off Jesse's wrists, and watched his brother rub where they must've been cutting in.

Jesse looked terrified, and it wasn't a look Rex was used to seeing on his vod. He and the ARC had grown close after everything they'd gone through, from Ahsoka's departure to Fives' death and Echo's return. They were partners in arms.

"Run along," Maul encouraged sinisterly, "There you go. Back to your brothers."

Jesse walked with a limp as he crossed the room, his eyes glazed over. He nearly tripped twice, and it took everything that Rex had within him to not run forward and help him. The Sith Lord watched with something of a smirk on his lips. In that moment, seeing his brother weakly struggle towards him, Rex decided he hated Maul.

He had never liked him. How could he, after he heard the stories? He murdered General Kenobi's Master and secret lover (Skywalker didn't hide anything from the Captain anymore), and had only added more suffering to an already hurt galaxy. Now though, Rex had a personal reason to dislike the beast.

As soon as Jesse was within arm's distance, Rex reached for his shoulders, "Are you alright, Jesse?"

He was pale, sweat shining across his forehead as he stumbled through his words. "I'm sorry, Commander." He avoided Ahsoka's eyes, "I couldn't help it. I told him everything."

Rex's heart sank. Not only was it worrying to know that Maul now had something over Ahsoka to use against her- her absence from the Jedi Order, probably- but he had always torn into his brother's mind and broken past his shields.

He remembered Teth, the pounding in his skull as Ventress tried to tear through his shields to find Skywalker's location. He hadn't cracked, but it was clear that Maul was the stronger Force-user of the two. Jesse was one of the strongest guys he knew- it couldn't have been easy for the Sith to get the information he wanted.

Not every clone who had been interrogated with a Force-user could be as lucky as he was. Commander Neyo was mute for several weeks following an encounter with Savage Opress, and Rex knew of at least three clone troopers who had been decommissioned due to psychological breakdowns after mind-tricks.

He hoped Jesse would be okay. He was the closest vod he had left.

"It's okay," Ahsoka said, meaning it. She would never hold it against him. "Rex, get him out of here."

Gladly.

Taking Jesse's arm, and noticing it was trembling, Rex started to lead him away. Part of him wanted to stay, knowing Ahsoka was in for the fight of her life, but he couldn't help her. If anything, he'd only get in the way.

He put an arm around Jesse's shoulders as they left the throne room. He needed to get him sat down, figure out if he was really okay since he didn't actually answer the question.

"Jesse," he said once they were outside, lowering his brother to sit against the wall of the building. The ARC's head lolled backwards, eyes rolling, "Jess, come on. Speak to me."

He coughed, leaning forwards to spit bright red blood onto the ground before slumping against the wall. Panic flooded Rex as he opened a comm channel, "Hang on, vod. Let me call a medic."

"No!" Jesse lurched forwards, grabbing his chest plate and nearly pulling the Captain on top of him, "No, Rex, please."

He started to rasp, eyes not focusing on him, "I don't need one, the others do." He rambled, and Rex wondered if he knew what was going on, "I just need- it's only my head that hurts."

Rex kneeled in front of him, frighteningly aware of the blaster fire in the background. The Mandalorians were attacking the 322nd, and his men needed him, but the one in front of him needed him more, "Jesse..."

"Want him..." he groaned, his entire body trembling, "Want Kix."

"I know," he pulled Jesse close, pushing his face against his neck. He missed Kix too. The 501st hadn't been the same since they lost their medic. "I know, Jess."

"He- the Commander," his voice was muffled against Rex's pauldron as he clutched onto his older brother for dear life, "He wanted to know everything about her. I tried to resist, I swear- I would've never-"

Rex hushed him, "It's okay, Jesse. We know you did everything you could."

The blaster fire got indefinitely louder, though it was still quieter than the sound of his own heart rate. Pressing a kiss to Jesse's temple, Rex pulled back, "Get somewhere safe. I'm not letting you fight in this battle. I'll come back for you."

Jesse hummed, his eyes bloodshot, "Promise?"

It was a testament to his exhaustion that he didn't protest being benched. In fact, recently, Jesse hadn't argued with the medics nearly as much as he used to argue with Kix. Rex firmly remembered the ARC running out of the medbay with half his arm hanging off and the impatient medic screaming curses behind him.

"Promise."