Cejanr (A Rexsoka SWTCW Fanfic)

16

Rex leaned on the counter, rubbing at tired eyes over a cup of black caf, courtesy of the harpy who had woken him up because he com was going off. He hadn't taken that well, pinning her against the bed until he remembered. He left the plate of semi-overdone scrambled eggs for Ahsoka. Ventress was no cook, but it was edible. 

He answered his comm to Anakin, who gave him a rueful smile.  

"How are they, Rex?" 

"Ahsoka's resting, Fives is semi-conscious and healing, and Ventress has terrible bedside manners." He grumbled into his caf. 

"How bad was she? Ahsoka, not the wanna be sith." 

"Half starved and severely dehydrated. She's taking a little food, though." He dug at his eyes, feeling every muscle in his body complain with movement. He felt like he had just done one of Krell's marches uphill. Anakin pressed his lips together, and Rex sighed. "Let me guess. You need me back?"

"You've been missing for 36 hours. Me and Cody can't cover you forever." He shifted a little. Rex stiffened a little.

"You told Cody?" He asked. Anakin shook his head. 

"Not exactly. Just told him you were at Ahsoka's. Should I?" He glanced over his shoulder at something unseen. Rex hesitated. 

"No. Don't tell him about Fives until I know more. You should tell Cavalry. She can keep a secret, and her and Fives were close. We need her to not do the same thing Ahsoka did." Rex decided. "She's a valuable asset we can't afford to lose." Anakin nodded. 

"I'll call her in. Please be back sometime today, show your face, and I can release you back to her house. I assume you two made up?" He asked expectantly.  Rex rubbed at the back of his neck and nodded. 

"I be there long enough get some stuff done. Do you know when we're set to ship out again? Are we going back to Ringo Vinda?" He wished he had brought his datapad. Anakin shook his head. 

"We're being kept close to Corascant. I think most of our battalion is under observation. But after that we'll be away for multiple sieges at a time. Enjoy the two months you have. We'll be everywhere from Lothal to Anaxis for nearly five months. Depending on how fast Fives recovers, I'd like to have him back in the battalion before we ship out." Anakin pursed his lips a little. Rex nodded.

"I'll see what he can do. If we could get him enlisted as a civvie grunt, I'll order for his transfer immediately. Pass him off as a clone look alike with some contacts and hair dye. The tattoo may prove to be a problem, though." He frowned. Anakin shrugged. 

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I'll see you in a few hours, Captain." His general cut the connection. Rex sighed heavily and leaned on his forearms, taking another gulp of his caf. he smiled slightly when thin dusty orange arms wrapped around his waist as Ahsoka pressed her face into his back. She mumbled something unintelligible into his spine and shifted a little. He wrapped a careful arm around her shoulders. 

"Look who's awake." He smiled and turned to brush a feather light kiss against her lips. She smiled and huddled into his side with a soft sigh. "Did you eat?" He asked. She nodded and stifled a yawn. 

"Yeah. Some of the plate of rubber left on the bedside. Your doing?" She asked sleepily. Rex chuckled a little and shook his head. 

"Nope. That was Ventress. I think you've wormed your way into what little shard of a heart she has left." He his smile took on a bitter tone. 

"Not really. She still feels she owes me for her freedom." Ahsoka sighed, and the hairs on the back of his neck prickled as he sensed her touch the force. She frowned. 

"Something wrong?" She asked, looking up at him. "Rex?" 

Rex rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "Got some good news and bad news. Good news is I'll be sticking around for a while. Bad news is that afterwards it'll be siege after siege. That means-"

"No interstellar comms. I know." She huffed out a sigh. "For how long? How will I know that you're ok?" She asked, her lower lip trembling a little as she fought down a overwhelming sense of panic. 

"From what I can tell, it's five planned months. But you know how politics works, so usually longer." He huffed out a sigh and pulled her to his chest, for her sake or his he didn't know. After a second, he released her and gently tipped her head up so she was looking him in the eyes. "Hey. I'm here now. I'll be here for a while. Just... keep your eye on the news and hope everything goes smoothly. I'll be gone for a few hours, and then I'll be back. Anakin is getting sick of covering for me."

Ahsoka gave a wet chuckle, twin tears tracing down her cheeks. "Little does he know." She murmured, kissing him gently. Rex smiled a little. 

"Little does he know." He agreed. He untangled himself from her and gathered the few things he had brought with him to her apartment. He knelt at Fives's side and put a hand on his little brother's shoulder. 

"Get better, euk vod. I'll be back soon." He said quietly. Fives's eyelids flickered. 

"Y'mean your leavin' me with the scary lady?" He mumbled. Rex chuckled and pulled the blankets a little tighter around him. 

"Yeah. I'm leaving you with the scary lady. Are you feeling any better?" He asked. Fives rolled his head back and forth a little, then winced. 

"Not really. My stomach hurts. Think the fever's gone though." His words had the slightest slur. Rex helped him sit up a little, grimacing with him as he let out a soft whine of pain. He got his little brother to take a few swallows of water before he rested him back down. Rex sat back on his heels, watching him. It was hard to believe that this was his little brother. The practical joker. The sarcastic and funny one. 

He looked so small and pale now, the black ink of his tattoo standing out like a bruise against his sheet white skin. Ahsoka put a hand on his shoulder, sensing his worry for the other clone. 

"I won't let him die, Rex." She whispered. Rex nodded, covering her hand with his. 

"I trust you." He murmured, standing. A brief hug and kiss on the forehead and he was out the door, heading back to the barracks.