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“I can’t win this fight,” General Skywalker leaned back and covered his face with his hands. After a moment he moved his prosthetic away and just buried his face in his covers. Rex blinked at the pathetic display before rolling his eyes.
“Oh no. Failing to get a Jedi to wear proper armor into battle? How distressing.” He muttered while checking over the general’s flimsy work. It was rushed and he accidentally sighed off on a request that was no doubt snuck in by Fives to acquire a ship mascot in the form of a tooka. Rex was quick to deny it. He was certain that there was already one hidden somewhere but wasn’t looking that hard. Finding it would mean even more flimsy work that he wasn’t looking forward to.
“This is different.” General Skywalker shot back. His voice was tense and dark. It was something that Rex noticed when he was being too emotional. That wouldn’t do. He had too much to do today than deal with an emotional General who is pouting.
“It is only different in that she is a child and should listen.” Rex tried to make his face speak volumes on how the general was acting childish but either he needed to work on it, or it simply wasn’t getting through. Rex went back to his work.
“But she can’t keep running around in a…what is that called?” The jedi rolled over until he nearly fell off his bed.
“It’s a tube top.” He had heard Cody complaining that General Kenobi was also concerned and wanted Ahsoka to wear more onto the battlefield. The only difference between their current state, Cody and him, was that Obi-wan was complaining about both his padawan and grand padawan instead of just his padawan. All the things that General Skywalker should be trying to do to get the young togruta to wear suitable clothing to the battlefield was reaching him through Cody trying to get the complaining to stop. Rex felt he had it the worst.
“But I have my…” General Skywalker rolled over to point at him but then froze. He was halfway off his bed, his finger still raised as his eyes lit up. Rex loved that look. It made the jedi look his age with the stress melting away. Mischief took its place. That was an added stress to Rex, but it was worth it.
“Please no. Sir. Whatever you’re thinking…?” He gave up as General Skywalker stood. The Jedi was shaking his finger while slowly closing his mouth. The plan was forming in his mind and he could just see that it was going to be disastrous from where he was sitting. Maybe if he requested a transfer, it would go through before tomorrow. He doubted he could go through with it, even if the Generals or even Cody didn’t make the request vanish before being seen by the right eyes.
“I have an idea. Ooo, Padme will love this.” The General was suddenly crowding into his space. Rex stiffened when his chest was pressed close to his back for a moment while he scrambled through the flimsy on the desk before pulling out his personal com just for the young senator. With Rex being in his blacks and Anakin tossing off his outer layer of robes he could feel the heat rolling off his body as it molded against his own.
“Sir?” Rex was glad that his tone didn’t shift and that his face remained impassive. It was obvious that Jedi was in love with the young woman and that she liked him back a great deal.
From a very young age Rex was told not only that he was a clone destined to die in a war for the Republic but that he was also undesirable. He was one of the first clones to be blond. And that nearly ended up with him being decommissioned. He was a captain and not a commander merely because of that fact. It was moments like this, when his heart thudded against his ribcage and his face threatened to heat up with all the emotions rolling around his chest that he heard their words in his head. He was a mistake. He had undesirable assets. Rex wasn’t his name. He was a number. Rex wasn’t a person, he was a product. A defective product at that.
And he hated that little voice. It dehumanized him. Degraded him to a thing and not a person. It was detrimental to his continued mental wellbeing like everything else in the war and most of his life. But he used it to keep his feelings in check. Before he could make a fool of himself the jedi moved off none the wiser for his inner turmoil.
“If she agrees we can meet up and gather everything we need.” General Skywalker was buzzing with near manic energy that made him frown.
“Do what?” Rex asked with no small amount of apprehension. He wasn’t quite sure he wanted to know the answer.
“I’m going to embarrass her!” The blurted answer seemed impossible. It was just what he expected to come from the man.
Rex cocked his head to the side, thinking it through. Clones weren’t the kind to easily get embarrassed. They lived in such small quarters that if they started to get embarrassed by things then nothing would be done. They all had the same bodies. A clone could walk from one end of Kamino to the other buck naked and everyone would assume that he was running a little warm that day. Natborns were different in that manner. Though the teenager was still a teenager.
“Sir, she’s…” He started but then he noticed that he wasn’t listening.
“I mean that worked the best when I was a teenager. If I was doing something that Obi wanted me to stop he would start doing it and get some others like Vos to join in until I stopped.” General Anakin Skywalker was blushing. The pink seemed to dance across his cheeks and kiss his ears. It highlighted the blue in his eyes until they looked like pools of the clearest waters reflecting perfectly cloudless skies. Rex felt a little fluttery and yearned to learn more about the cause of this reaction in his general. He kept his mouth shut.
“So, I was thinking,” The jedi started up again after coughing to clear his throat and started on his response. “If I wear what Ahsoka does to battle then maybe she’ll be embarrassed enough to wear actual armor.”
Rex tried not to imagine it. He forced himself not to think about his general in a tube top that matched his eyes. The thought of following him to battle with the skin of his back visible and fully able to see his flexing muscles. Rex focused mainly on flimsy work and boring war meetings and not the fact that Ahsoka wore mini skirts and that would look amazing with his generals thighs flexing. He didn’t get dizzy from the barrage of images in his head of his general dressed as his commander. Not even the Separatists best torture devices could get him to admit that he would not be sleeping well tonight.
One thing Rex was certain about. He wasn’t about to suffer alone. There was payback to be had. If he had to work, live, and fight through his general dressed like a teenager Togruta with a problem with authority then so was his or’vod. Cody was due for some payback. And it would come as the kind that he couldn’t do a damn thing about.
“Why not just you? Would General Kenobi be willing to join?” The delighted horror that spread across the jedi’s face was worth the upcoming pain. Cody was going to kill him. If anyone heard manic giggling coming from the room they wisely ran off instead of investigating it.
~~~~~
“Rex, I am going to kill you.” Cody was standing at attention next to him. The words were snarled out through the personal com that Cody opened specifically to threaten him. Rex stared straight ahead and bit his lip. Part of him was feeling guilty. The other part was currently offline while he held to the smallest sliver of sanity to hide his feelings from the force.
“And you both need some black.” Senator Amidala was currently flinting around the shop on Coruscant. Cody and Rex were placed on guard duty and forced to travel along while the Jedi try on outfits chosen by the young woman. It was decided that she was the only one who had a sense of style and therefore the only one who could decide what would make Ahsoka balk. She was also the only female there and understood teenage girls.
“What do you think?” Obi-wan slipped from the changing room with a pale tan upper shirt. It was flowy like his robes but with several bands cut out across the arms and a diamond shape cut from the chest to show off his pecks. It was tight other than by his wrists where they widened. His pants were nearing being called leggings that were dark brown to almost black with several slashes through. It made his pale skin pop and left little to the imagination when it came to what he was packing as a male.
“Perfect!” Senator Amidala clapped her hands before tossing an outfit at General Skywalker and shoving him into the now vacant changing room.
“Ah, Sir?” Rex swallowed when they both turned to him. “What is the likeliness of this working? Ahsoka is still… a teenager.”
“You have a point.” Senator Amidala tapped a manicured fingernail against her lip before cocking her head to the side. “She may get a kick out of it more than embarrassing her.” She moved General Kenobi around before straightening his tunic and tugging everything into place. Rex and Cody got full view of the fact that the tunic had a strip of cloth across his shoulders and near his hips. Other than that it was fully open to show his flexing muscles as he was moved for his inspection. Cody’s small whimper reached only him through the coms when the Senator adjusted the tunic so the older jedi’s rear was put on display. Rex tried not to giggle as Cody shifted stiffly from foot to foot with a hip wiggle.
“I do believe we can make this into an embarrassing event more than… Ahsoka getting a kick out of it.” General Kenobi’s warm rumble filled the shop. Cody seemed to sway toward the man before stopping himself. Rex steeled himself with the fact that he wouldn’t be getting any help from his vod in this manner.
“She’s rather laid back, Sir” Rex spoke through gritted teeth. The curtain to the changing room had moved. For the moment his own general stayed covered and he thanked the maker that he had his brain working for a little longer.
“Rex is right,” Senator Amidala smiled at him and he dipped his head respectfully. “Ahsoka has spent time in both the temple and with the clones. Neither are big on being embarrassed.”
“Oh, she’ll be embarrassed.” General Skywalker strolled out.
Rex wanted to die. He felt a small amount of pride in the fact that he was silent. But his kit was cooking him it was so hot in addition to pinch in a tender place. It was becoming a painful manner and he shifted much like Cody did a moment before to try and make more room. What he assumed was sweat tickled his upper lip as he took in the perfect image before him.
General Skywalker was in black and red. The black tunic was similar to Obi-wan as it had many cut outs including the chest and he assumed the back. Only it was skintight everywhere, showing off his tall frame and lean muscles. Stripes of cloth wrapped around his biceps and gauntlets around his forearms that just seemed to fit in. The trousers were red in a way that made him dizzy, with diamond cut outs on the front to the tops of his shins where it disappeared into his boots that seemed to hug his calves.
“You’re dead.” Cody was laughing at him. Rex both wanted to punch him and hide behind his or’vod. He could count the number of abs his general had from across the room if he wanted. Rex already knew how many and the loose brown belt wrapped around his hips would make the perfect handle to just hold him in place for a rather long list of debauchery that Rex had in mind.
“I’m with Anakin and Obi-wan on this, boys. It’s going to work.” Senator Amidala was leaning back with a grin on her face. Rex nearly keeled over when his general smiled at that, his eyes already gleaming with triumph.
“How many more outfits can you make?” He nearly gushed out to her. Rex pretended to scan the store, strolling to the windows back in a stiff painful manner to try to loosen back up and get the blood flowing elsewhere. There was nothing he could remember about the trip other than the flicker of red from General Skywalkers trousers reflecting in the window.
“I can give you four more by the end of the day.” She answered with the same ecstatic energy. “Just wait for the others to see you. It’s going to be amazing.”
“What do you mean?” General Kenobi was slipping back into the changing room with another set out clothing shoved in his arms.
“I mean who could concentrate while fighting you?” She fluttered around General Skywalker a second later, scanning him while he preened.
“Or you” Cody muttered over their private channel. Rex grunted in agreement as he took his place next to him. Several hours later when he made it back to his room to take his bucket off he realized that it wasn’t sweating. His general gave him a nosebleed.
~~~~~
The next battle was really just a skirmish. It didn’t stop it from being an ultimate disaster. They had three new shines and each one of them took damage that could be blamed on the general.
One saw him before the battle even started, tripped over his own feet and nearly knocked himself out with a wall. He spent most of the day in medical and ended up helping the healers with all the wounded that came in. When he was being carted away he was mumbling to himself about backless tunics and blue eyes.
The second was tracking the general with his eyes and ended up falling out of the LAAT he was in while they were taking off. Luckily, they were still on the Venerator and he was bopped over the head by one of the more experienced vod before hauling him off to heal his dislocated shoulder. One glare from Rex and the shiny was nearly in tears while ducking his head.
The last one actually made it to the battlefield. He was smart, for a shiny. He stayed with the group and took orders well. He didn’t panic when they were partially pinned down by droids and managed not to die when they did their final charge. However, the moment the shiny laid eyes on the general he stood stupid and Rex ended up tackling him to the side to stop him from being a literal target. It didn’t help that the General jumped over them a second later and took out the last of the droids with his lightsaber spinning and humming around him in beautiful destructive arcs. Rex would fully remember the way his pants hugged his body from that particular view from the ground when he jumped over their heads.
Ahsoka was right behind him but she wasn’t running. She was hustling with a blush on her face and her lightsabers up, unlit and covering her face. Still dressed the way she always was as the point had not fully struck her what her Master had planned.
“Master, please” Her voice dropped down to a hiss.
What she said next Rex didn’t know. General Skywalker stood tall while gazing out at the torn battlefield before turning. His lightsaber still lit in his main hand cast light around him so he was haloed in the sacred blue hue that made his eyes glow eerily with the power. His other hand ran through his loose hair so it was pushed back from his face that beamed out with a smile that could turn the tide of the war. At least in Rex’s opinion. The shiny swooned into his arms and he let his vod’ika fall to the ground.
“No time Snips. We need to help the wounded.” General Skywalker’s voice boomed out with the order. Rex swallowed hard as a familiar trickle started on his upper lip. He was weak. But his men didn’t need to know that.
“You heard him. Start headcounts and finding the wounded. Medics standby for the critical.” He grabbed the shiny by his chest plate and hauled him to his feet. A smart rapt on his bucket sent him off stumbling toward two vod trying to make their way back to base. One was being held up by the other as his leg was bent in the wrong direction. It was at least still attached. Rex had enough time to see him take up the other side of the wounded man before turning in time to see his general standing, so they were face to face. He didn’t even hear him move.
“Did you see how well this is working? She’s going to break soon. I can feel it.” Rex wasn’t ready for him to whisper like a secret. He wasn’t ready for the way his hands were caught and brought up to be held tight between them.
“Sir?” Rex reviewed everything that happened in the battle in his mind including Jesse falling into a pit when he saw the Jedi and Fives tripping into Echo who cursed him out before freezing when he saw the reason. They were losing badly because their general was a massive distraction. One that Ahsoka could feel through the force and was torturing her. The Torguta was stalking away with the rest of the men and her shoulders up. Rex could just see Echo and Fives pacing her as her own personal bodyguards but no doubt giving her trouble from the way she force pushed Fives into another ditch.
“Can you maybe talk to her about the body armor? Put it into her head before I start talking to her to make a deal?” The hands clutching his, one slightly cooler than the other through his gloves and bright adrenaline filled eyes met his own.
“Yeah,” Rex swallowed. He didn’t want to talk to Ahsoka about her Masters outfits. He didn’t want to talk to anyone about it right now. Not with the rolling feeling in his gut when others looked at him that currently rose up his throat and tasted a lot like jealousy. The vod had so little, yet he wanted this to be all his.
“Great” General Skywalker had a wicked grin on his face. “We’re meeting up with General Kenobi and the 501st on Abuno for a joint operation.”
“She’s not seen him yet?” Rex didn’t want to squeak but that was what came out. He had seen the outfits General Kenobi went home with and he knew that his vod were all having the same problems as him.
“She has not.” With a flash his general was gone. The man was nearly skipping in delight as he chased after the men. A few stragglers were bringing up the rear and Rex made certain to scan the area around him for any vod that needed help. He most certainly didn’t lock eyes on his generals retreating rear and tilt his head in time to the sway of his hips. Nope. He certainly didn’t do that. Rex couldn’t even be mad when a few vod around him did the same in beat with his own head tilts.
Once they were safely back on the ship and cleared by medical he worked on following through with his promise. He found Fives and Echo in the barracks with the young Commander after an hour of searching. It would’ve taken less time if he wasn’t stuck replaying the view he had in his head of the general jumping over them. It made his pants stretch and left very little to the imagination. The urge to touch made his fingers twitch and infuriated him on his lack of decorum. He was a clone and the General was a Jedi. He had no right to have these feelings.
“Hey Rex,” Echo had a knowing look on his face. Rex wanted to punch him. But Echo was one of his favorites.
“What a battle?” Fives was less subtle as he winked from where he was laying on the bed. He was nursing his shoulder from where he landed. Rex smacked it while he walked by. Echo’s resulting snickers were nearly drowned out by Fives yelp of pain but he ignored them and sat next to the young commander.
She was freshly cleaned yet still sporting a frown. She was in her usual gear, which is to say none at all, and only her holsters for her light sabers.
Rex leaned back and narrowed a glare at the twins. Echo cocked his head to the side before grinning. It was a little manic but there was still warmth in his eyes as he stepped back. With a flick of his hand he had Fives up and moving with a complaint that he wanted something to eat before they got some rest. His twin whined the entire way out and echoed back down the hallway.
Once they were alone he didn’t say anything. He sat back and waited. Not that it ever took long with the two jedi. They were his best friends that weren’t vod and he knew them just as well. Usually.
“Why is he doing this?” She whispered low before sitting back up. “He looks like….”
When she didn’t finish she leaned back and covered her face with her hands. It was a habit she picked up from her Master since she started training. Rex could almost feel the air getting sucked from the room as she took a deep breath and let it out in a loud groan that very much could be a growl. Guilt washed over him that they were doing this but he stamped it down. It was for her own good.
“And all of your reactions to it?” Ahsoka flipped over and pointed a finger at him.
Heat spread across his face and he knew she could feel everything that was going on in their minds with the force. That even as he kept his feelings on the downlow for the last several missions they were boiling to the surface against his will. While he didn’t know if his vod spent enough time with General Skywalker to love him, they definitely had eyes that could see how jaw droppingly beautiful he was.
“I don’t….” He started but she did growl this time.
“You do know. You had to tackle a shiny to the ground today because he was struct stupid by the sight of Skyguy. Everyone is talking about how he’s dressed and there’s holo’s going out to the highest bidder!” She held up a datapad with a propaganda story. On the cover was an image of the general in one of his fancier outfits and he had no doubt that the Senator was behind it.
“Is it a new way to end the war?” Rex read the headline before cocking his head to the side. “You’d think it would be catchier?”
“There is a holo of my Master half dressed for everyone to see and you’re cracking jokes.” Rex blocked her trying to hit him with the data pad. Leaning back with a laugh he shoved her off and waved her along.
“Must be some Jedi thing. I don’t see the difference.” He stole the datapad and held it up to compare the General to her. Now that he was looking at it he realized that the outfit was remarkably closer to the one that the general was wearing in the holo to what Ahsoka was wearing. The colors and everything were on point.
“Oh you would say that. Clones have no sense of personal space.” She stole the data pad back and set it on her lap.
“So do the Jedi.” He shot back before shutting up. The datapad was still facing upward and he had a clear view of his general.
“Well, the current plan is meeting up with General Kenobi for some reason or another. Maybe he’ll have some insight.” Rex remembered being told what it was. His brain happily supplied the feeling of his generals hands clutching his own and his stomach flipped again. Longing to keep hold of those hands and never let go rose in him until his chest ached. He let it go.
“They all… ugh. I can’t hear the thoughts of the vod but you’re all spreading so much lust and every other emotions into the force that I’m starting to feel like I’m going insane!” She crossed her arms over her chest while ignoring his inner plight.
“Other emotions?” He blanched slightly. Accepting his own crush was a lot easier when he didn’t attach the emotions that he was feeling when the general was near. Or the way his stomach dropped in a manner that threatened jealousy when his vod talked about him, or the content warmth in his chest when he was safe and sound while finishing up late night flimsywork.
“I just need to ignore it. This is him trying to get to me” Indignation flared in her eyes as well as her rebellious spirit. Rex blinked before letting out a sigh. There were things to be done and no one else to do them. Some of which include checking on the wounded and taking stock of their supplies.
“Maybe he’s just trying to get through to you by doing this?” Rex patted her on her shoulder before standing back up.
“How?” Her tone was of the typical pouting teenager to the point that he had to roll his eyes.
“How did if feel seeing your Master run out on a battlefield with no armor and little backup?” Rex tried to keep his annoyance from his tone but the knowing smirk she shot him proved that he didn’t quite manage. The laughter faded to seriousness, and she sat back. Rex would guess that she needed to meditate on it but she could equally go to the training mats and wipe the floors with vod until she felt better.
“I have things to do” Rex stood and stretched out his stiffening back and shoulders. “Get some rest,” He tried not to make it sound like an order. He was just a Captain and she was the Commander. Before he fretted too much on it she was nodding. Her yawn flashed fangs at the world and she slumped after him. Stepping into the hallway she leaned against his side for a moment, wrapping her arms around his middle and mumbling into his chest.
“What?” Rex petted her head until she twisted so her face was free.
“Thanks.” She squeezed tighter for a moment longer than moved off. He could almost convince himself that the Jedi would figure it out but then he shook off the ridiculous idea. The war was more likely to end before than her agreeing to wear armor.
Turning his feet toward the med bay he pushed all thoughts of generals in short shirts and tight fitting pants. It worked until he stepped into the room and was instantly targeted by Kix. Rex nearly turned around to run. He made it as far as a half spin before a hand landed on his shoulder with a painful clap. Turning to see gritted teeth bared in a threatening smile he shrunk.
“A word Captain!” Kix turned him with the ease of a medic who knew pressure points and how to use them to make people move the way he wanted. Rex was pretty sure that his hand going numb had nothing to do with the battle and everything to do with the furious medic currently cornering him.
The familiar sounds and hustle of the med bay washed over him as he walked. Brothers groaning from cots shoved close together to make space, some on their way to bacta tanks while others had to tough it out a little longer. One thing about having very few casualties in a battle is there tended to be an increased amount of vod that had injuries.
“Kix, I am not…” He was about to say that he was not injured and there was no reason for the man handling when a finger was pointed between his eyes. Cross eyed from staring at it before flicking to Kix’s infuriated face.
“Get your general dressed before we lose any vod. If I have to dress one more wound because they dropped their knives on themselves when he walked by or fell out of kriffing LAAT’s….” Kix threatened. Rex was used to his harsh way of acting when it came to their vod. Being a medic made him rather overprotective. Yet the eye twitch was new.
“Yeah Captain.” Jesse was tired. There was a purple and black bruise around his cheek and strain on his face.
“I kept staring at his ass and missed the order to attack.” Another chimed in from the closest cot. He was in the middle of getting his ankle bandaged.
“Please, Captain. It hurts to run when…Ahem.” This one wisely shut up when Rex narrowed his nastiest glare at him. Yet he turned away before the vod would start wondering about being decommissioned. Rex, unfortunately, knew how hard it was to run when his cod piece became too tight for comfort.
“I will bring up the manner with the general when I have a chance. Right now all we can do is bear with it a little longer and hope the commander caves into wearing armor.” Rex rubbed at his face. When his statement was met with silence he pulled his hand back to see varying looks on every face.
“All this to get the Commander dressed?” Jesse seemed near to tears.
“Why are Jedi like this?” Kix snarled while stomping away with red around his ears.
“I suppose we can last a little longer for the vod’ika sake.” A voice echoed out among distraught mutters, but he just nodded.
Every one of them was struggling with the change. But they all loved their Commander and even when taking orders from her saw her as a little sibling. They were meant to take care of her because she was their Generals Padawan.
As Rex made his way to the refreshers to clean up he realized they had no warning for what was coming next. And he didn’t have the heart to tell them how much worse it was going to be. So far there was no sign of General Kenobi causing this amount of chaos, but the man was called the Negotiator for a reason.
~~~~~
When they reached the 501st they were engaged in battle with part of the separatist army. While the 212th were holding their own fine there was a village that the separatists had taken hostage that they stashed their wounded and a war journalist in. A quick mission briefing and then he was loading up onto a LAAT with his Commander and General. Commander Ahsoka was trying to hide behind him but he could barely respond to it.
General Skywalker was in dark brown this time that seemed to make his skin glow. His low cut shorts rode up on his thighs to the point where he wondered if it was a skirt instead and how it was even staying on the man. His top was barely there and very much looked the same as the first thing Ahsoka wore when she first arrived. The main difference was that there was a short cape on his shoulders that flowed down like wings in addition to a similar flowing clothing wrapped around his hips so it fluttered around the back of his legs. From the rear it looked fine but when he walked skin would peek out. His boots still covered his calves and made it look like he was ready for bar hopping more than a battle field.
Needless to say it was a sight that made him ensure his bucket was firmly in place before takeoff. Every little bump made the general readjust his stance, causing his legs to flex to keep his balance. Wind caused the cape to flap around him with a motion that made him look ethereal in beauty.
Then they approached the village there were several buildings smoking yet no longer on fire. Several blasters arced toward them and General Skywalker activated his saber. Blue light filled the LAAT with a hum of power. Rex only preyed that he didn’t turn to smile at his men before giving the order to attack. He didn’t think he could move if he saw that.
“Ready!” At his words the men braced themselves. The LAAT was taking heavy fire but the moment it was low enough for the Jedi, which was still rather high for everyone else, he jumped out with the cape floating behind him.
“Di’kut” Rex hissed low while running to the opening. Commander Tano was at his side but he grabbed her shoulder when the LAAT lurched under the barrage of fire and flame.
“Secure the village with no casualties.” Commander Tano reminded the men before shouting a battle cry and charging out. It was still twenty feet from the ground but with how fast they were descending he wasn’t sure it would be a good landing. Rex launched himself out followed closely by his men.
He could see orange tinted Clone armor on the far side of the village and it wouldn’t be long until they secured the village once again. General Skywalker wasn’t far head. He was pulling fire away from the LAAT and redirecting the blasters back on the droids. Above his head was the screaming roar of the LAAT uncontrolled descent but then the pilot was crashing in front of him and the transport barreled into the Super Battle Droids that were currently forming a counter for their attack. Rex yanked him to his feet.
“Learned that from the General” The vod slurred out but got his blaster up and started to charge forward with the others. His shots were pulling to the left and Rex waved Kix to take him out.
From then on, his mind was narrowed to the battle. Which of his vod was injured? Where the droids were attacking from and how to best counter it? Fives and Echo took the right and started clearing houses while the Jedi pushed the droids deeper while Jesse started to pick off those who were fleeing.
Soon their colors of blue and orange mingled until the last droid let out a rather pathetic yet confused curse and fell to General Kenobi’s light saber. Rex wobbled a bit before smiling at the way Cody was behind him, his visor tilted down so he was obviously staring at his ass.
General Kenobi was in skin tight pants that looked painted on and a flowy cropped top that while smeared with grit and a burnt sleeve still looked dashing. It was almost the color of an orange sunset that matched his men perfectly and he stood out standing atop the fallen droids with the sky clearing behind him. The fact that he was wearing two matching gauntlets that looked familiar. A second later he deactivated his saber and hooked it to his hip. Attempted was the better explanation as it slipped from his grasp and rolled away. The jedi glanced back as Cody scooped it up and reached up to hand it back to him. Rex marked that Cody had new gauntlets.
“Captain?” Jesse whimpered next to him while Waxer patted him on the shoulder.
“Oh dear Grand Padawan. It’s so lovely to see you again.” General Kenobi seemed to float down to the pile of busted droids to sweep the flabbergasted Togruta into his arms.
“Master,” Anakin beamed. “It’s so nice to see you again.” Somehow Anakin’s shorts rode higher across his thighs and he clapped his hand on his shoulder.
“I wanted to thank you for your suggestion for lighter battle wear! Master Kit and my dear friend Vos have joined in. It’s very breathable.” Rex nearly choked when he thought about those two dressing like Ahsoka but his vod sudden crowded behind him.
“No, please. He already takes his shirt off so much!” One of them, at least he was certain it was one of Cody’s men, whined loud next to him. Not that the Jedi noticed.
“I didn’t start this!” Ahsoka wailed out while struggling to break free from the others.
“You’ve been wearing the same thing since you stepped onto the battlefield my dear. We merely thought we would give it a try.” General Kenobi rumbled before spinning to Cody. “Let us regroup. Make sure the villagers are cared for.”
“Yes Master” General Skywalker nearly skipped away while General Kenobi kept hold of the blushing teenager. Unfortunately, he made his way right up to Rex.
“Men, since we’re fresh into the battle we’ll take the brunt of the work. Divide into groups and find any wounded, set up scouts and watches.” General Skywalker paused next to him with a delighted smile. “It’s working” He cheered quietly into his ear before sweeping away. Rex staggered into motion before directing troops around while avoiding Cody.
He couldn’t avoid his commander. The Togruta found him after escaping her grandmaster’s grip. The blush was the most he had seen on her face and she took to hiding behind him for the rest of the short campaign. They took camp outside the village and had to send in more troopers just to extract their Jedi from the villagers admiration and affections. The Journalist was practically vibrating while writing his story and drooling over the men.
“Rex, please.” Ahsoka leaned against his back while hiding in her jedi robes. It was chilly on the planet and they had started a few fires around their camp that the vod encircled and cuddled. The journalist was eating it up and snapping holo after holo. Rex wanted to cry because he could see how chilly it was just from the how perky Anakin had become. Not that he seemed to care.
“Ahsoka. They’ll stop when you wear more to a fight. I know you think you’re fine but we need you to be safe.” Rex gave up knowing that was the plan all along. He was too busy dreading what the news stations would be posting as Fives dragged Echo into a pose for another holo. In the back General Kenobi was gently bandaging a fresh burn on Cody’s arm while the Commander started to dose with his head slowly falling to the General’s shoulder.
“But then I will be giving in.” She hissed low before hiding when the Journalist did another sweep past their small fire. Jesse was snoring nearby with Kix starting to drift off next to him. He was already wondering if he would be able to wake them up and get them back to their tents or if they would be alright sleeping there.
“Or you would be saving us all the trouble. We’re desperate here. He’s put us in the infirmary with these antics. Having you both in armor would improve moral.” He muttered low. Anakin was currently checking on the 212th men that he hadn’t seen in a bit and learn the new shiny’s. He moved among the vod as if he was the same, but didn’t seem to notice their lingering eyes. Rex stamped down more jealousy.
“But….” Ahsoka started but he just shrugged.
“Consider it. For us and your own sanity.” He didn’t want to fall asleep at the moment. He had done all his duties and would have to help coordinate a sweep to make sure that the droids were off the planet. The Jedi would most likely touch base with the leaders of the villages to make sure that they didn’t need any more help from them in the morning.
“I’ll consider it.” She gagged as she caught sight of General Kenobi flirting with one of said leaders. Rex had to look away. Cody was still asleep. But he was safe. He had seen the gauntlets and knew that they were committed. General Kenobi was most likely negotiating something or another.
~~~~~
Several weeks later they made it back to Coruscant that they went to an armory. General Skywalker strutted around back in his jedi robes with some shin braces and a chest plate that Ahsoka picked out.
Ahsoka was sporting much of the same with added gauntlets and was covered more heavily. Both had the blue and white that they decorated themselves and Rex tried not to let his pride show through. His jedi were covered in armor and while not head to toe like he wanted, it was something. They were happily making their way back and he blissfully thought about how his General was now covered. Not that he was a prude but he could think.
“Oh, I need your help with the flimsy I’ve been putting off” Rex was going to kill his general. He sagged and nodded along even as the man was practically skipping.
“The ship’s mainly empty so I was going to put my new gear away and get started. Less people to interrupt.” There was as strange glint in his eyes but he spun to point at Ahsoka.
“General” Rex warned as the Togruta glanced up with a grin.
“Why don’t you help her and meet me in my quarters?” He started to form a plan but for what Rex had no idea. Being Captain for as long as he had, he knew when the General was coming up with something stupid. With a defeated sigh he nudged Ahsoka with the back of his hand to get her moving.
“See you in a bit” Rex narrowed his eyes at his general to show that he was onto his plan even if he didn’t know what it was. Ahsoka was already dragging him off. They ended up stopping on the way to the ship to show General Kenobi the armor and spent half an hour for tea before he was able to excuse himself when the General kindly decided to keep his grand padawan over for the night. Apparently, she wanted stories of how the jedi embarrassed his padawan into behaving. The way that Cody refused to meet his eyes when passing just spiked his worry up another level. They all had to know that something was up. Or he didn’t want to talk about the exchange of gauntlets.
With nothing left to do he made his way to the ship. It sat in the bay with several vod running around restocking or repairing. They mainly nodded to him and moved on with their day, not carrying that the Captain was still on the ship. All they would care about was that they needed to get done so they could start their own leave and visit the city.
Rex couldn’t help dragging his feet a bit. Either the jedi was telling the truth, which was unlikely, or that there was a pile of flimsy work waiting for him. All it rounded up to was that he wasn’t going to make it to the bar to hang out with some of his vod like he wanted. He hoped someone would bring Echo and Fives back in one piece. Jesse was Kix’s problem.
“General?” Rex knocked on the door. When there was a grunt he punched in the code to let himself in. At least that was the plan. Rex stood in the doorway, frozen and unable to move from the spot.
Anakin was in baby blue tunic that stretched across his chest and made his eyes seem unnatural. It had slits across his pecks and abs until the material curled inward belaying it’s softness. The sleeves were nonexistent with the collar flaring to accentuate his throat. Black trousers stretched over his thighs where he was seated, his legs crossed in a manner that would be casual if it wasn’t so mind numbingly sexy. Even with his boots that were the same he wore for the last four campaigns was taking his breath away from where they hung to his calves. His legs seemed even longer as he put the datapad he was reading from down on the desk and stretched them out. Like a loth cat waking from it’s nap in the sun.
“Are you going to come in?” His General swung to his feet with the unnatural elegance that he used when in battle.
Rex froze. A belt hung around his hips loosely and wasn’t actually holding anything up or in place. It sent Rex back to the time in the store when the whole prank started. At once it made his hands twitch briefly at his sides for fear that he would reach out to hold on.
When he glanced back up he feared that his life was over. His shields were up because he was stealing himself for a night of flimsy work or something to do with Ahsoka finally getting armor. But they couldn’t have prepared him for the barrage of dirty thoughts against his shields. He was expecting the armor. Not beauty. Not the kind that makes him forget about the war and just want to sit and hear horrible jokes with the man.
“You should come in and shut the door.” General Skywalker smiled and he suddenly felt the door shut behind him. He didn’t remember moving in or letting the door close. He didn’t know why the jedi was walking closer to him with his head cocked to the side. There was the same look on his face that Rex knew. Of course he knew it. He had seen in thousands of times. It was when Anakin Skywalker caught the bad guy, when he won the battle or saved the day. When he was about to win and knew it. Rex was being hunted.
“Sir? I thought…” He swallowed when he realized that he wasn’t about to say that he thought he was done wearing those clothes.
“Oh, I know what you thought.” The jedi stopped far too close to him to not be on purpose. He almost took a step back as his fingers threatened to twitch. It took everything to focus on his face and not glance down. Rex stared at his nose and tried not to look him in his eyes.
“You know?” He processed the words and asked through gritted teeth before realizing that he didn’t want to know how he knew.
“I guessed might be the more accurate term right now.” The head tilted in the other direction and he wondered if he was going to be eaten right there.
“Guessed what, Sir” Rex forced calm throughout his body and gave in.
“Enough with that. How many times have I told you to call me Anakin?” They were somehow closer with him leaned so he had a clear view of his chest. If he would only glance down.
“At least eleven times, Sir.” Rex barely withheld a whine when he finally glanced down. He didn’t mean to. It was just so hard to lie when they were eye to eye. He knew it was more. To the point where he started to when they were alone just to stop that mournful beaten look from crossing his face. Rex clinched his hands when his mind clocked the new view for future day dreams and short sleeps.
“I think you’re just being stuborn now.” Hands landed on his shoulders and started to slowly work their way down his arms. Rex stared. A dozen or so responses or questions wash through his mind only to get stuck at the lump of his throat that came from a buried deep urge to start drooling.
“Anakin?” Rex finally blurted out when his hands finally touched his own. Anakin just smiled while lifting his hands and turning them so their palms faced upward. Fingers ran along the callouses and some scars that he doesn’t remember getting. Anakin’s missing hand was cool in contrast to the warmth of his flesh hand. Rex glanced down to watch, enraptured while taking count of all the little scars he had from tinkering on droids.
“You kept us safe for so long, with these hands.” Anakin gave them a little shake before swallowing. “All this time I would catch you thinking about things. People who told you that you’re just a clone. A defective one at that. Or that you couldn’t deserve love.” Anakin’s voice went from snarling rage to broken and gentle.
“I didn’t know you could hear me.” Rex didn’t try to hold back. Only slowly turning his hands over in attempt to sooth the man.
“Before you start saying sorry. I didn’t realize why you were thinking it until I started this stupid thing. Then when the others started I was worried that you were going to pull away more but I wanted you to stay close.” As he talked he pulled Rex’s hands until he could step into the middle of them. “You can leave, if I got this wrong. But I think you’ve been wanting me closer.”
Anakin turned his hands over and placed them just over his ribs. Rex let him lead his hands down until his thumbs hooked through the narrow belt that slipped an inch before it was tightened around his hips. Rex mostly held his hands flat before tightening them.
“You’re not going to send me away for thinking…. For wanting to keep you close.” Rex pulled him a touch closer like he wanted to do since it started. Anakin had several inches on him so he had to tilt his head back slightly.
“I will never send you away.” Rex closed his eyes when the words were whispered to him like a secret. He knew deep down that he was telling him the truth. He knew that he was safe. At least for a moment.
“Is that why you’re dressed like this. To tell me I can stay?” Rex hummed low and leaned forward until he could feel heat against him. Heart racing when he felt a nose brush against his own.
“I dressed up because I knew it would hold you in place long enough for me to do this” Anakin kissed him.
All the tension slipped from his frame until he was leaning against the door with Anakin pulled against his front by his hips. Sliding his hands along his back before groaning. It didn’t have a back and his fingers met skin covering tight moving muscles. Anakin was shifting above him before jerking back to gasp.
“I wanted to do that so long ago. I couldn’t always feel what you were thinking but I knew you wanted to.” Anakin started to ramble as Rex kissed down his neck. “Wanted to stay with you. Will stay with you.”
Rex moved back up to press another kiss on his lips. A kind way to shut him up. Rex let some of his shielding down until Anakin let out a whine and bucked against his front. He pulled back with a deeper moan. With a single tightened grip on his hips he steered him toward the bed.
============================A Few Hours Later=====================
“Please just wear your armor into battles.” Rex was close to dozing with Anakin stretched out next to him. Despite the fact that they were both naked and exhausted, the jedi was back on the data pad. His back was propped up and he was using his flesh hand to play with Rex’s buzzed scalp.
“I will try. While they do turn a crowd it’s hard to move around in. I like the airflow of a robe. So many more places to hide snacks.” He rapidly muttered before leaning over and pressing a kiss to his forehead.
“What’s so important?” He had only seen him take absolute attention at something in a while.
“This article that says the donations for the war effort has spiked and we’ve managed to turn some of the separatist planets into allies.” Anakin tilted the datapad and he saw it was in notes from the council and senate about the way jedi are dressing. Further down was a note that many clones had their heads checked after an incident with Jedi Kit and Vos causing them all to fall. That all units are now on standby while head scans happened.
“Hopefully that means we’ll have extra time on leave.” He ran his hands up his stomach and tweaked a rather beautifully bruised nipple. Anakin stared down at him for a second before letting the datapad drop to the floor.
“This can wait until morning.” Anakin rolled on top of him before doing a happy sort of wiggle to push himself down until they were face to face.