Spoiler: This is an excerpt from Inheritance, a fic we have yet to release. ^-^
It’s probably been close to an hour by now though Anakin’s not exactly sure when he finally pulls himself up onto a higher platform of the building. Right up ahead, light glints off a familiar armored figure, who’s standing his back facing him.
“Rex?” Anakin calls cautiously, taking a step towards him.
Something about his presence just feels off. Almost… double maybe. And he can sense the Son right around here, but he doesn’t actually see him anywhere.
“Rex?” he calls again when the clone doesn’t respond, “Come on, let’s go.”
Finally, he slowly turns around. “We can’t,” he objects, “He’s right. Right about everything. You have to join him.”
That’s… totally unlike him. Both what he’s saying, and the way he’s saying it. What did the Son do to him? “Rex, what’s wrong?” Anakin asks warily.
“What’s wrong?” he repeats like that’s the stupidest question he’s ever heard, “What should I go back for? To fight in a war I have no say in? As a slave to the Jedi?” Anakin flinches back at the unexpected question. He’s not exactly wrong. That is all the clones are, slaves to the Jedi and the Republic. They have no say in any of it, and even if they didn’t want to fight, it wouldn’t matter. He tries to take care of his own clones as well as he can, but he knows other Jedi aren’t the same way.
But he needs to focus on the situation at hand right now, not… this. An issue that bothers him all the time even if he never talks about it to anyone. “This isn’t you, Rex. He did something to you.” That he knows for sure. Rex may have a point, but he would never say something like that in his right mind. It’s not the way he is. It’s like – like the Son is somehow controlling his mind, and Anakin clings to that hope, because he refuses to believe that the man who’s always had his back would turn on him like this.
“He did nothing to me,” the clone retorts, “He just asked me to give you a message.”
“What?” Anakin demands, cautious and suspicious.
“He said if you don’t join him, he will kill me.” What?! No, he’s never going to let that happen.
“I won’t let him!”
“Then you will do it yourself,” Rex snarls suddenly, whipping out his blasters and open firing. Only years of constant training allow him to react in time, diving out of the way as the shots tear into the ground around him. He hastily ignites his lightsaber, deflecting the shots away, trying to avoid sending any of them too close to Rex as he does so.
No, just no. He doesn’t want to fight him. He can’t fight him. He’s like – something almost like a brother. Anakin takes a few steps back as Rex keeps shooting at him, then jumps down from the ledge and continues advancing towards him. The only way he’ll be able to stop this is if he stops just defending himself and disarms Rex. Somehow, without hurting him.
“I don’t want to fight you, Rex,” he says, but the clone doesn’t even respond, just keeps firing.
Fine. He raises a hand, Force shoving Rex into the wall behind him and ripping away his blasters with the Force, him in place. The captain strains against the Force grip, but it doesn’t break. This doesn’t really solve the problem of how he’s going to free him from whatever the Son did to him.
He’s still pondering it when Obi-Wan runs into view, pulling out his lightsaber. “Any suggestions?”
“The Daughter said she might be able to do something to break the mind control, but she’s fighting the Son right now.”
Then what are they supposed to do?
Whumpril Day 22: "Let's Get You Cleaned Up."
Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars
Note: Ah okay so I did my best. Enjoy.
Warning: Minor Character Death
Summary: Rex holds one of his men while they die.
Rex hated losing his brothers. However it was part of the war. It was unfair and cruel but that's why they were made right? To fight and die for the Republic?
The Captain sat with one of his men for the last time. The shiny didn't even have a name yet. However the man's armor was no longer shiny, now it was covered in blood. The blasters and explosions were deafening.
"Captain?" the unnamed clone coughed.
Rex looked down at his feet. There laid one of his men. "Soldier." Rex dropped to the ground. He removed his helmet to get a better look at the man. "Medic!" he yelled. But the request went unheard.
"Captain, I'm scared."
"You'll be okay."
The clone slightly sat up and grabbed Rex by his head, his thumb right before the others ear. "Is this it?"
"No, no it's not. You'll be okay." Tears gathered in his eyes.
Without another word his brother died. His hand slipped from Rex's face, leaving a blood trail. There was nothing he could do. He never got used to it; the blood, the noise, the death. It felt surreal. Rex shakily placed his helmet back on and continued to fight.
Later he would greet Anakin at the end of the fight. The only blood on Rex was his face and hands so the general had no idea anything was wrong. The soldiers helped Kix wherever they could.
Rex took his helmet off for the same reason he had taken off before. Anakin took note and waited till time was right. He walked over to him and said, "Let's get you cleaned up."
"Huh?" Rex looked at him, "no, I'm okay. I'll take care of it."
"No come here." Anakin grabbed his Captain's hand and went to find a damp cloth. Rex protested but gave up as Anakin rested the cloth of his skin. It felt nice.
The Jedi gently held his brother's face still with his other hand. He ran the cloth over the blood and lightly scrubbed it.
Rex just sort of stared at Anakin. It felt nice to have someone take care of him for once. He was so used to taking care of everyone else that this took him by surprise.
"How's that? It stained, there's nothing I could do about that, sorry." Without another word Anakin grabbed Rex's gloves and cleaned his hands next. Then he switched the clones for his. "There. Get some rest, you need it."
Everything together made Rex tear up. It was nice to feel loved and taken care of.
Okay so idea for angsty fic with Fiyero actually shooting Glinda in the cornfield. Meanwhile Elphaba doesn’t know that Glinda is hurt and is casting the spell trying to save Fiyero who manages to escape (he’s traumatized). Glinda is declared “dead” becomes a martyr. But, somehow Elphie’s spell affects her and Morrible works some magic that has surprising effects on Glinda
Buzzcut -
Among the clone cadets, all the blondies have the same haircut.
In a collective of identical individuals who value their individuality as much as is feasibly possible, here's why -
When Boba is four years old, he doesn't quite understand why the clones are different from him. He knows they are, though. So he looks to the trainers to imitate how to behave, and he treats them kind of like toys. It's fun enough, for a kid with no one else to play with.
And one day he drags his newest playmate back to his rooms to show his father - "Look, he doesn't look right! Look at his hair! Isn't it funny?"
CT -7567 is a cadet who looks the same age as Boba, who has cowlick blonde curls over atop his tan face and his bright brown eyes and he stares up at Jango with wide, wide eyes as Jango stoops to look at him, swatting Boba's hand where it's dragging on the clones arm.
Jango remembers, for the first time in a long time, that his sister had hair like that. That she looked like that - round cheeked and brown eyed and bright haired.
He pats the boy on the head, ruffling his fingers through his locks, a little thinner than Boba's own thick brown. Than Jango's own.
The boy stands very still till Jango's had enough of running his fingers through the strands and stands back up, sending him on his way and ruffling Boba's hair when he pouts about it.
Jango decides not to think about it, after.
Four days later he enters the mess looking for that blonde hair, looking for any blonde hair, and he doesn't find it.
He does find CT-7567, half-hidden in the shadow of a template-perfect CC cadet who dares to fully turn around and face him when Jango focuses on his smaller companion.
That blond hair has been sheared practically down to the skin, those bright brown eyes big and wary of him.
CT-7567 doesn't remind him anymore of his sister.
Right, Jango thinks derisively. What was he thinking? It was nothing more than a defect in the process. the boy was nothing more than a product.
He leaves.
No blonde cadet ever grows their hair out, after that. Even back then the boys all knew - it was never a good thing to garner Jango Fett's attention.
Even after Prime dies, the tradition remains, one batch warning the next behind them to keep the blonde hidden.
For the bad things happen bingo, I Will Punish You For Your Friend's Failure, with Obi Wan and Rex during the Zygeria arc with Rex being punished by the slavers.
Oooooh, happy evil brain twinkles.
TW for blood, child death, and mildly graphic torture. No specifics because spoilers but do be cautious.
•••
There is an enemy, and it is within, the Jedi taught.
You will encounter foes of all forms in your years as a Jedi. There will be cruel tyrants and selfish politicians, ruthless criminals and violent terrorists. Possessive lovers, radical reformists, slavers and desperate people willing to do whatever it takes to achieve what matters to them. And then the next thing, and the next.
But these are not the enemy.
The Jedi have only two natural enemies.
The Sith have been extinguished from the galaxy, lost to ruin. What the Jedi did not destroy, the Sith themselves did, locked in the raw emotion of the Dark Side, turning on one another.
And the Jedi are left with the true enemy.
You are the enemy, the Masters warned. Your weaknesses are your real enemy.
All obstacles can be overcome as long as you master yourself.
Fear will lead you astray. Push through it.
Anger will corrupt you. Abandon it.
Envy will poison you. Purge it.
Grief will break you. Overcome it.
And if you fall, you will fall as yourself, at peace. A true Jedi perishes for the right reasons, where not even self-possession could stop the sheer numbers of the opposition.
The enemy is within.
•
Obi-Wan Kenobi took a deep, steadying breath. The enemy is within, he reminded himself. My fear is the enemy. These people cannot destroy me.
The broken wrist, clumsily bandaged and still forced to work, whispers that otherwise. The bruises along his spine groan in misery. There was a cut on his upper lip that had bled and dried in his beard and lips. Someone had driven the handle of a whip into the muscles of his left leg, and it could not bear his weight.
He opened his eyes just in time to receive a stunning blow across the face.
Despite the fancies of holodramas, a strike to the face is nothing to brush aside.
The Jedi reeled, his head exploding, his face stinging. White light erupted behind his eyes and his nose burned as if he’d dived too deep into water.
“Who is your Master?” a voice demanded.
Obi-Wan blinked rapidly, gasping for air. His entire head throbbed; he was on his knees but his back had arched back so far his head was a foot from the floor. Wincing, he dragged himself back up and stared passively into the snarling Zyggerian’s eyes. “I am.”
A roar of discontent. “Wrong!”
The hand came back, but this time it closed around his throat.
•
Qui-Gon caught him by the shoulders, one hand moving upwards to press against the side of his Padawan’s neck.
“You are stronger than your fear,” he said. “Because your fear is only part of you. Your strengths outnumber your fear, Obi-Wan.”
Behind the boy’s young eyes, though - flashes of remembered horror, children dead in the streets of Melida/Daan and the screaming sound a blaster bolt made as it grazed close, so close, to his ear - and hit another boy instead —
Obi-Wan gasped as if drowning, his mind convinced that he was not getting enough oxygen.
Fear was going to kill him.
Fear was the enemy.
“Oh, Padawan,” sighed his Master. And then the hands left his neck and his shoulder, leaving Obi-Wan bereft, plunged into ice cold waters of terror and trauma, his failures haunting him like the ghost of Cerasi.
•
Obi-Wan choked, bucking involuntarily as the meaty hand clenched around his throat, crushing his air pipe.
He couldn’t breathe.
Still. What did it matter, if this monstrous slaver killed him in a fit of rage? Obi-Wan was more than this man and his pride, his greed, his disregard for life.
Obi-Wan was a Jedi.
His body’s automatic response to being abused and killed was nothing.
He was more than his fear.
“Damn Jedi!”
The hand released him, and the red-haired General slumped to the floor, unable to stop his forehead from colliding painfully with the uneven slag flooring. More blood. He tasted it in his mouth, he felt it dripping down his forehead.
“Very well,” the same voice continued. “The punishment must suit the prisoner, in some cases. How lucky of you. So special.”
They cannot hurt me, Obi-Wan reminded himself. My body is not my soul. I am more than my fear.
And then two more slavers entered the room at a summons, dragging a struggling figure between them.
Rex.
Obi-Wan’s fear spiked so sharply he felt his chest stab with physical pain.
No, he told himself. No. Fight it. Fight it—
The Zyggerian behind him sensed his rising emotion and grabbed him roughly, one hand on the thick collar around the Jedi’s throat, and the other dug painfully into his hair.
•
Obi-Wan shuddered.
A bomb - Twela, Bruin, Conno, Toorun, and others went flying, flailing helplessly in the air.
Toorun rolled on his side and got back up.
Conno collided with a vehicle and lay still.
Bruin landed on his feet and stood up, grinning in shocked relief, and then dropped with a bullet in his head. Blood spattered stone.
Twela landed on a pile of rubble.
When Obi-Wan found her, she had been lying there for an hour while the battle wore on, a rebar shoved through her stomach.
It took her two days to die—
Cerasi, falling into his arms. Gasping. Blood everywhere. Her father screaming. Blood on Obi-Wan’s hands—
Nield, his friend, telling him he didn’t belong - kicking him out of the camp to die alone - blaming Obi-Wan, rightfully, for the death of Cerasi and the peace she had helped create—
But as quickly as they had been taken away, the warm and solid hands of Qui-Gon Jinn were there again, this time on his back. Pulling him. Tightening around him.
Obi-Wan blinked rapidly, gasping and shaking, pressed into a warm embrace while his Master rocked him gently, whispering encouragement into his hair.
It was good to be held.
•
Obi-Wan twisted, struggling in near-panic to get away from the arms restraining him.
“Stop it!” he yelled. “Stop!”
They did not stop.
The Zyggerians had been on Rex for over two hours, holding him down, methodically slicing the soles of his feet, throwing their fists into his abdomen and face and throat, slamming his head against the unforgiving ground.
The Captain was a mess; bruised and bloodied, involuntary tears making his damaged face glisten.
Rex had finally started to scream five minutes ago, and still they would not stop—
“Stop! You’ll kill him!” Obi-Wan shouted, his bound hands clenched so tightly that his palms were torn and bleeding. “Stop!”
“And now the bird sings,” the slave master crowed, laughing down at him. “So high and mighty, Jedi?”
“Leave him alone!” Obi-Wan demanded.
The slaver’s face darkened.
Two things happened at almost the same moment.
A knife was drawn from seemingly thin air and without hesitation or fanfare was plunged into Rex’s thigh; the Captain screamed again, writhing.
A button was pressed, and the collar around Obi-Wan’s neck blazed with electricity that made him convulse, blinded, agonized.
“You don’t give the orders here,” the master snarled. “Haven’t you learned? You’re not in control here!”
•
“You are in control, Padawan,” Qui-Gon murmured, rubbing his hand up and down the boy’s back, following the still too-prominent line of his spine. Up and down, up and down.
“I’m not,” Obi-Wan sobbed. “I’m a failure.”
“You haven’t failed until you’ve let yourself down and decided not to get up again,” his Master replied firmly. “You are master of yourself, Obi-Wan, and therefore master of the situation. You can rise above. Even if you need help to do it. You are not a slave to fear.”
•
“Slaves are not masters,” the Zyggerian bellowed, and Rex screamed again.
Obi-Wan shuddered and twitched on the floor; he felt filthy, ragged, used. Now useless.
“You don’t make the rules!” A kick to the abdomen that deprived him of air. Once again suffocating. Drowning.
All he could see was the bloodstained floor. All he could hear was the voice, and Rex screaming through gritted teeth.
“Every time you cross me, I’ll punish your freakish friend. And anyone else that crosses your path. I! Am! In! Control! Here!” Each of the final words was delivered with a sharp jerk on the chain that had been attached to the collar.
Obi-Wan choked and wheezed.
Pain.
Terror.
Helpless.
I can’t —
“Who is your Master?”
“You are,” Obi-Wan told Fear, eyes glazed, blood spattered across his vision. Maybe permanently. Like a brand. Like Cerasi’s lifeblood on his shaking hands.
“Who is your Master?” the slaver asked again.
Obi-Wan stared vacantly upwards.
Fear looked back at him. Outside him. Inside him. Triumphant.
“You are,” whispered the Jedi, and his eyes rolled back in his head.
He slumped to the floor.
Rex’s screams faded as the punishment abruptly ceased; the Clone lay on the stone floor, limp and in terrible pain, staring with abject fear in his eyes at the fallen Jedi.
His utter relief that the pain was over, that they had taken their hideous hands off of him, was warring with his worry.
And his growing terror.
If even General Kenobi could be controlled...
“A good start,” the slave master said thoughtfully, trodding deliberately on Obi-Wan’s damaged foot. “And I was told Jedi did not feel fear.”
•••
"It was me, Cody. It was me who killed Waxer. I'm almost positive about this..." Rex said quietly // If it's not so too late, oh, lovely Angst Igauana
You have awakened something terrible. This idea is exquisitely torturous and Iove it.
Rex hadn't stopped shaking, for days, he'd been shaking non-stop. Even while Cody held him and rocked him in his arms, telling him everything wasn't terrible anymore, he still shook. He still cried and he still wanted to die. The two sat in the barracks, Rex was holding himself as Cody did. The younger brother stared off as the memories flashed through his head, his stomach turning, "Cody, I, I think I know who shot Waxer." He mumbled, eyes not meeting his brother's.
Cody perked up, "What do you mean?" They know who shot Waxer, it was a brother, but it wasn't on purpose and it wouldn't have happened if Krell hadn't been there. "Rex, what do you mean?" He asked again. For a long moment, Rex didn't move, every part of him numb as a hot tear streamed down his face.
"I keep replaying everything in my head and I remember seeing a spot on a helmet, Waxer's helmet." Rex recalled, his voice monotone and broken, "Cody, I killed him," his head at last turned to face Cody, who's eyes narrowed. "He's dead because of me."
"Rex, it wasn't your fault, if you had known-"
"But I didn't!" Rex screamed, jumping to his feet, he stumbled a little as his knees almost gave out. "I didn't know so I shot him!" He continued to scream, causing Cody's throat to run dry as he desperately thought of what to say. "I don't deserve to be a Captain, not when I lead good men to their deaths. I killed so many brothers, I was counting in my head, wanna know how many?" His voice was dry.
Cody stared at his brother, he was sleep deprived, shaky and still in shock. Cody couldn't think of what to say to his poor brother, "Twentynine" Rex inturrupted Cody's thoughts, "I killed twentynine brothers before I realized they were brothers." Rex laughed, tears pouring from his eyes, "Twentynine brothers died by my hand, Waxer died by my hand before I realized, they were brothers."
Cody stood up, reaching out his hand, but just as he was about to speak, a voice cut in. "What did you say?" Both brothers turned to them, Boil. He stood still, "What did you say?" He repeated, taking a step closer. "C-cause it sounded like you said you killed Waxer, d-did you Rex? Kill Waxer?" Boil fumbled over his words. He hadn't been able to sleep, he hadn't been able to breath.
Rex froze as he stared at Boil, he'd never seen him without Waxer by his side. "I did, I killed him." Rex confirmed. Cody shook his head, and as he was about to speak, but found himself cut off yet again as Boil ran into Rex, forcing him against the wall, gripping his shirt collar tightly.
"It was you?!" He screamed, slamming Rex against the wall, "You killed him!?" He screamed, tears of pained rage falling from his eyes, "You killed my brother! My best friend!" He pulled Rex forward slightly before slamming him back yet again. Rex tried to break free, but part of him didn't fight back, for he deserved this. "You killed Waxer, out of everyone it was you?!" He kept slamming Rex back until Cody broke them apart. "You bastard!" He yelled.
"Boil!" Cody screamed as he shoved him off Rex and back, "Take a walk!" He ordered, voice loud and sharp. Rex fell to the ground, sobbing loudly like a child, rocking slightly. "Go-" Cody ordered, watching Boil shake his head, a snarl on his face. He stared at Rex, still shaking his head before leaving the barracks in a rush. Once Boil had promptly exited, Cody turned to Rex and collapsed to the floor next to him, "Hey, Rex, it's okay lil'un," Cody reached his hand out, only to jump when Rex snapped away
"Don't touch me!" Rex wailed as he rocked, whimpering between staggered breaths, "I deserved it! I deserve this!" He continued to ball as Cody felt his own heart crumble at the sight of seeing his baby brother so indescribable hurt. "Leave me alone." Rex whimpered, burying his face in his arms .
"N-no!" Cody blurted as his eyes watered, "I'm not leaving you." He stated, catching Rex's attention as he spoke, for his voice had cracked. Cody couldn't meet the gaze of his little brother, for he was supposed to be strong, he wasn't supposed to cry in front of him.
"Cody." Rex whimpered, becoming more sad that he made his brother cry. "Cody please don't cry, please." Rex begged as he crawled towards his brother, he was frantically wiping his eyes, but the tears were too much. Rex reached his brother and tugged on Cody's arms, but they wouldn't budge "Cody, stop crying," Rex continued to weakly pull his brother's arm as he had when they were young, "Stop crying!"
"I can't!" Cody's head shot up, "I know I'm supposed to be strong enough for us but dammit Rex, I can't take it! I can't take watching you sob and sob and I can't handle the fact that I can't help you or take away your pain!" Cody confessed, face red hot, "You're suffering and I can't help you!" Rex stared wide-eyed at Cody as he thought of what to say, but nothing came in mind. So Rex did the one thing he knew he could, he hugged his brother.
Pulling Cody to him and hugging him tightly. "I love you, Bubby." Rex mumbled, hiding his head in Cody's shoulder and neck. He felt Cody's shoulders drop as his arms wrapped around him, tightly closing his eyes as he held Rex just as tight. "....I know I'm a mess sometimes, you're always there for me, I never stopped to consider that you were a mess too." Rex sighed, his tears finally stopping. Cody whimpered as he rocked the two of them, eyes shut tight.
"It's okay." Cody forced out in a clear tone, "That's what big brothers are supposed to do," Cody pulled away from the hug, he forced a soft smile as he reached out and wiped away the tears on Rex's face, "I'm supposed to take care of you." He stated. Rex reached out his hand to wipe away Cody's tears, he then smiled,
"Doesn't mean I can't take care of you too"
@ct7567329 @a-lil-perspective @mageofcole @advcntura @crying-at-ikea @stuckyjacos @crahsystor @obiorbenkenobi @satan-incarnate-666 @kalm421 @passionofthesith @mackstrut @jonathananubian @kamino-mermaid @hotnthorny @jyvorakal @xdangerouslysoftx @big1ron @blue-haired-grace @rangerslayer-97 @alienoresimagines
For the WIP ask, I want to know more about Fox shoots Rex. 😭
Thank you for asking about it 💗 Believe it or not, that one actually ends up being a fix-it, eventually. It's a canon divergence fic that takes place during the chip conspiracy arc, except that in this, Rex manages to break the Force Field Fives had set up to restrain him and Anakin just as the Coruscant Guards arrive. He puts himself in front of Fives, trying to deescalate the situation, but takes the hit for him instead.
The moment he realized that he shot Rex, and that his blaster wasn't on stun, Fox is devastated by what he's done. And it only gets worst, because when he sees Rex fall, Anakin just loses it and force-chokes Fox. The only reason he doesn't just kill him is Fives, who breaks his concentration, shouting about how they need to get help for Rex.
Thorn takes advantage of it to drag Fox away. Not being able to stay by Rex's side makes it even worse for him and he just breaks down. This time, Fives lives, because Anakin won't let anyone come near his trooper after what happened to Rex. It also leaves Fox fearing the repercussion the Coruscant Guard will ineluctably get for failing its mission. He's so shaken and scared that he doesn't even dare send in the report of how arc trooper Fives wasn't neutralized.
Thorn tries his best to comfort him, but it's not enough to counter how much he now hates himself. No one in the Guard has ever seen him being so miserable. And when Cody asks to see him, Fox is convinced it's to tell him Rex died because of him. However, things turn out better than he expected.
Since Rex wasn't the original target Fox was aiming at, the blaster shot wasn't fatal, even though it left him with a big injury. When Cody heard of Rex getting hurt, he came to see him, along with his General, and they found Fives waiting by the captain's side, who explained them all about the chips, and about Palpatine being the Sith Lord. Also, since Anakin's outburst had many witnesses, Obi-Wan now knows his padawan has gotten dangerously close to the Dark Side, as well as the rest of the Order, who then make sure he gets help, so Vader never comes to be.
So the war is over, and Fox gets to hug Rex and to apologize a thousand times for hurting him.
Just one more for Sans rest day, @undertalethingems made a great list of drawing ideas and I really loved the one of him and Alphys going to a museum to nerd out so I drew them into my local museum
IT IS I, THE CUDDLE PILE ANON. OK OK I KNOW I SAID THAT WOLFFE WAS MY LAST REQUEST BUTTTTTTT I HAD 2 IDEAS AT LIKE 3 IN THE MORNING sooooo basically one about the 501st (+Ashoka) and how they’d comfort Rex when he’s down. And another one were the 501st (+Rex maybe anakin) comfort Ashoka when she’s down. THEY’RE SUCH GOOD BIG BROTHERS 😭 in return for these 2 ideas, I shall gift you with my love and weird quotes my friends have said: “all I wanted was a 10 piece McNugg, I got spiritual enlightenment” “I know I’m not the sharpest kid in the shed…wait” preferably separate fics pls (when it’s convenient for u, YOUR HEALTH COMES FIRST GO DRINK WATER YOU FABULOUS AUTHOR) hey that kinda rhymed ok I’m done 🙃
So sorry I'm late on the first prompt, but finally here we are!
----------
"Uh oh, someone messed up."
When Fives is the one to freeze in the middle of a conversation, that gains the attention of the scattered 501st troopers nearby. Said newly minted ARC had been in the middle of a rousing story when he noticed that one of the medics decided to join the rest of the "plebs" willingly.
And not only a medic, Kix was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.
"Whatever it was, it wasn't me!" Kix raised an eyebrow as Fives lifted his hands, and gives an amused snort.
"For once it's not your fault. Any of you see Rex?"
"Avoiding you again?" Echo asked, looking up from the manuals he'd been idly reading. "Told him you were going to start getting angry."
"I'm past that, I told him I need to monitor his BSV recovery, and I can't do that if he insists on skirting the medbay. Now, since you all clearly don't have anything to do, I'm pulling rank and ordering you to hunt down Rex and bring him to me."
"But we just got our game going!" Hardcase cried in dismay, he and Dogma crouched over a board game they'd been gifted some time ago.
"Aw poor guy." Kix deadpanned, rolling his eyes. "Tell you what, the man who delivers Rex gets some of the treats Plo gave me."
"Seriously?" Hardcase finds the game suddenly not as important, even Dogma side-eyeing the medic along with the very quiet troopers around him.
Kix shook his head.
"The man who brings me Rex gets to have their own mini-stash."
The medic isn't sure he's seen any room empty so fast, shaking his head with a rare chuckle as he heads back to his beloved medbay. It's not the best look to send an entire battalion after their commanding officer, but at this point Kix was tired of the excuses and his concern for Rex's health was overriding his initial trepidation. The BSV and the lives it took in the bunker had sent a ripple of fear through quite a few men, not even able to bury their brothers who had to be burned to ensure no trace of the virus could remain. They were trained to fight against all sorts of enemies, but one that was naked to the eye and deadlier than any clanker was...uncomfortable to think about, and most medics didn't comment on an uptick of their fellow batchers reading up on viruses and how best to combat them. Kix didn't have too long before he received a message, gathering up his mobile kit before heading out and towards where Rex had been found.
"He's buried in his reports." Jesse had found Rex hiding in a communications room, and Kix just nods. "Want me to keep guard?"
"No, I have a task for you."
When the door to his current hideout opens, Rex wants to curse.
"So, are we done hiding?" There's a clunk on the console behind Rex as the medic's kit is set down, and the blonde just remains silent as he fills out another report. "I need you to look at me."
"I'm busy." The excuse falls flat, and Kix scoffs.
"Who isn't. Do I need to pull rank again, or will you let me do the bare minimum exam?"
"......."
Rex gives in after twenty minutes of silence, the captain grumbling under his breath as Kix descends on him. Despite not being pleased with Rex and his evasiveness, he takes care to keep most of Rex's attention him himself rather than his medical tools. Rex hadn't said it out loud, which to be fair he couldn't as to remain the face his men looked up to and trusted, but being subjected to more than a few nasty tests after being liberated from the BSV had not helped him recover from the fact he could have died without being able to save anyone, let alone himself. Medbay's hadn't been much to him before, but now Rex started going out of his way to catch Kix and the other medics outside of the room, reassuring them as always yet avoiding simple things like his recovery assessment.
"You have been recovering nicely." There's a very small slump of Rex's shoulders, but the medic says nothing as he packs up his kit. "I'll test the blood I took, but you're lucky."
"Like I've been saying, I feel fine." Kix raised an eyebrow, pausing to shoot the surprised commander a glare.
"Oh you are nowhere near fine, but I did promise to try and be nice right now. I order you to report to the barracks, you've been holing up away from everyone, and it shows."
"I have reports to fill out..." Rex winces at how weak his protest is, but doesn't get much of a chance to say more when the door opens once more to reveal Ahsoka. "Really?"
"Jesse says you can't ignore me asking you things." The togruta smiled, and Kix can see the tension visibly leaving Rex as the togruta crosses the small room with a smile.
"Jesse is a traitor." Rex grumbled, but Kix doesn't need to Force to see there was no malice in his words.
"Maybe, but he's right. You haven't seen come to our sabbac nights anymore, and not even Skyguy has seen you outside of shift. So, I'm asking you to come join us scrubs for the night!"
"I'm sorry scrubs?" Rex's eyebrows shot up as Kix failed to hide his snort of amusement, a small grin cracking his impassive face for the first time in ages. "Let me guess, Fives taught you that?"
"Mhm! Although judging by the two of you, it doesn't mean regular troops does it?" Ahsoka grumbled as Kix just barked out a laugh, Rex trembling in the effort to hold his own in. "I'm so getting back at him."
"As long as it doesn't involve personal injury, I'll help." Kix shook his head in amusement, watching Rex place his hand on Ahsoka's shoulder.
"I have a few ideas myself." He tries not to focus on the way the Jetti preens when he gets to his feet, shifting close to him as the trio head out and towards the barracks, listening to some of Rex's surprisingly good prank ideas to use later on.
No one kicks up a fuss when Rex finally joins them for the impromptu movie night Echo and Dogma had set up, just joking with him and laughing about the movie that was more a sound board than actually paid attention to. They all knew it was just background amusement, just happy to see their commander letting loose for the first time since the BSV and enjoying his men's company, leaving the bunker deep in his mind for another night.
Anakin cursed
That wasn’t a new thing. Specially since he was lost in the middle of the forest with no cell service. Anakin wondered who was so important enough that both Ashoka and Obi Wan would drag him out in the middle of nowhere.
“It will be fun Anakin” He muttered “They are good people, he said” Anakin threw his hands up in the air in frustration.
“I’m OBi WaN KeNoBi and I LIKE DIrt and TREES and torturing my YOUNGER BROTHER!” He kicked a hollowed tree stump. “Stupid trees.”
A few days ago…
“Anakin, can you take a couple of days off work pleaseeeee? Obi Wan and I want you to meet some people and their realllyyy cool!”
Ahsoka and Anakin were sitting in a cafe in which Anakin spent most of his time programming for his job. Anakin looked up from his programming for a second to look at her. “Yeah sure, if I want to get behind this project.” He snipped
She rolled her eyes “come on! It’s Obi Wan’s friends and-“
“Obi wan has friends?”
“Haha ha, anyway their really cool! And I’d think you would get along with Fives and Rex.”
Anakin frowned “What kinda name is Fives?”
Ahsoka grinned knowing that Anakin’s curiosity would probably get him to come along. “Fives is a good guy… although he tends to attract trouble like a certain someone I know.”
“I don’t know what your talking about.” Anakin said his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“It’s settled! You’ll come with us to meet them!” She said cheerfully
Before Anakin had a chance to respond she wrote down an address on his notebook he kept on him to help sort out his programs and scurried off.
Anakin stared at the address before shrugging “what’s the worse that could happen?”
Present day
It was a lot worse. Anakin had now been wandering for an hour after parking his car near a rusted pole that had the address on it. As he trudged through the muddy trail he found that the pathway had slowly disappeared into the surrounding woods. And when he turned back to look at the trail he found it vanished completely.
Now here he was yelling at nothing and kicking some poor tree log, hoping that Obi Wan or Ahsoka would magically show up.
Eventually he came across a stream and attempted to follow it to lead him somewhere.
“Don’t follow that stream” whispered a unfamiliar voice from the trees.
Anakin to his embarrassment later shrieked and slipped on a loose mossy patch only for home to hit his head. Dazed and as he lost consciousness he swore he saw a person coming toward him at a distance.
Part 1 done! I love @waterlily707’s moth au. its so cute! I made it a modern au as well cause idk how to put it in a cannon universe. Part 2 will hopefully come soon if my schedule lets me. Part 1 Is a little short but in part 2 I’ll try to make it longer!
so i've given glinda anxiety. i've given her adhd. i've given her autism. all of those kinda make sense. next thing I've got in my personal arsenal to project onto her is pots tho. so. um.
a glinda that faints into elphies arms all the time?? idek