#clone wars soulmate au

[fakegingerrights]

Paint Me a Picture

[a continuation of Shades of Blue. Rex x Reader, soulmate AU. Just wanted more fluff for him in this AU]

Your head snapped up as the door to your tiny, natborn quarters slid open, revealing the shadow of your soulmate framed with the light of the hall, blinking his eyes to help them adjust to the dimmed light in your room.

“You’re back.” You tossed your datapad and stylus aside in favor of hugging your… lover? Boyfriend?

Soulmate. Soulmate for now.

Rex returned your hug, tension he didn’t even realize he had melting away as you turned on the lights and pulled him into the room proper, shutting the door behind you.

Rex holds still patiently as you look him over for injuries, smiling as even the muted greys of your quarters appeared more vibrant when he was with you.

“I’m fine, Mesh’la. Your work is solid, and nothing went too wrong my first day back in the field.” Rex glanced at your datapad. “What were you working on?”

You rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly. “Just looking at some photos. I have a collection of stuff I wanted to see before we ah… discovered each other. Like that pitstop on Felucia, I have a bunch of photos of the flora and landscapes we saw. They’re really pretty.”

“Can I see? Only if you want to that is-“ You cut Rex off before his anxiety got the better of him.

“Of course, Rex. I hoped to share them with you.” You grabbed your datapad and motioned for him to sit, which he did. As you flicked through your files, he hesitantly leaned closer to look over your shoulder. You chuckled softly, initiating contact and leaning into his side. Like the first time, that stolen night in his infirmary bed, you marveled at how the two of you fit together so perfectly, hard ridges of his muscles cradled in the bony slopes of your back and ribs.

The two of you oooohed and aaaahed over the photos, admiring the intricacies of color and hue and shading in their full glory on the screen of a datapad.

Rex paused on one you had asked Kix to take of you not long after joining with the 501st. It was a viewport down on the lower decks, looking out at a nebula that had been breathtaking even in achromatic hues, and now was even more brilliant.

Blue and turquoise and gold threaded through each other made a stunning visage, as you’re grinning out the viewport as you took it all in.

"I like this one." Rex said quietly. "I think blue is my favorite color."

You hum quietly and flip to the next photo, this one of a flower you had seen on Felucia. It was a pretty white, flecked with lavender. The throat of the flower was a deep crimson red, and thick sap clung to the petals in the center. It was... disconcerting.

"I don't think I like red that much." You murmur softly, quickly slipping past the picture and fighting down images of cracked plastoid, dark blood slick like oil slipping down between your fingers and in one shining moment blazing a glorious red that still made you shudder as you fought to make sure your newly discovered soulmate's heart was beating that-

The sound of your name jolted you out of your revery.

"Hmm? Sorry. I was lost in thought." You apologized. Rex was watching you with concern in his eyes.

“Are you ok?” He asked, sliding incrementally closer as he turned the datapad off. When you didn’t pull away he looped an arm around you and let you lean against him as you got a hold of yourself.

“I don’t think I like red.” You said after a second, laying your head on his shoulder. “Your blood is red. That was the first thing I noticed.”

Rex hummed softly. “It’s eh for me. I like it when it’s with other colors, but I don’t mind it on it’s own. I like the shade of the symbol on your armor.” He commented, relaxing at the contact.

“Wanna know something funny?” He asks after a second, picking up your hand and turning it over, running a thumb across the veins in your wrist. “I thought my blood was blue for a solid week after we found each other.”

This startles you so hard you snort. “What?” You ask incredulously, pulling back to look at him. Rex flushes softly.

“Well, look.” He holds his wrist up next to yours, pointing out the bluish veins. “That’s not red, is it? I mean, I always thought my veins were red when I saw in greyscale, and then I see them in this kinda blue purple color and I was so confused- stop laughing, I’m serious!” He pokes you in the side as you wheeze, dark cloud lifting from your mood rapidly. Rex rolls his eyes.

“Anyways, I always thought these were red, because blood was red, see? And my side where it was all stitched up was bruised this blue and black color, so I go to Kix thinking that something was wrong, just for him to laugh at me too and tell me that for whatever stupid reason, the walls of our veins are darker than the blood in them and that when blood pools under your skin it can turn blueish because of extra iron and coagulation and other medical words that are definitely not in my training. But yeah, I thought my blood was blue for a while.” He huffs, then chuckles with you. “Hey, that would be pretty cool though. Bleeding Five-Oh-First blue. I could brag to Cody that I bled my battalion color.”

You’ve rolled out of his grasp at this point, laying back on your bunk as you try to catch your breath. “You-hah, you seriously thought your blood was blue?” You giggle. Rex just pouts and elbows you fondly.

“Laugh it up, sure. I’ll bet you had a color that surprised you too.” He looked at you expectantly.

You think for a second, then make a face. “I dunno… I guess I was expecting the jedi to be more colorful with how they dress. Commander Tano aside. They’re all about serenity and hope, and colors are so pretty you’d think they’d wear more of them to make others smile but instead they wear black and tan and white.”

Rex nods along. “Right? They have a whole spectrum and they choose the most boring colors. Did you know even our white armor is actually really colorful even before we paint it?” He asks. You tilt your head at him.

“No, it’s white?”

Rex is already shaking his head. “No, see the Kaminoans can see into the ultraviolet spectrum, right? So while all we see is clinical white they apparently have all of Kamino all these shades of colors we can’t see. Our armor is something like eight different colors that tell our rank and what generation we are and what batch we were in, and so on. And Kaminoans are colorful too. Kix translated some of the pictures into the visible light for us and they’re covered in stripes and spots and markings and tattoos denoting their work and achievements in all these colors only they can see.”

“Ok” You admit, “For stub nosed, stuck up slave drivers, that is kinda cool.”

Rex laughs at this. “I know, right?”

The two of you settle into a comfortable silence, him laying down next to you.

“You know,” You speak up after a stretch, breaking the warm stillness, “I don’t get the deal with pink.”

“Pink?” Rex looks at you, confused.

“Yeah. So apparently Pink is such a big deal to natborn girls. It’s supposed to be our favorite color and boys are supposed to like blue and I don’t get it. It’s either so desaturated it’s boring, or it’s so bright it hurts your eyes.” You complain. Rex thinks about it for a second.

“Well, I know I fall into the stereotype for liking blue, but I think pink is nice too.” He admits, looking over at you.

“Why?”

To answer your question, he leans over and kisses you. “Because that’s the color you turn when I do that.” He grins cheekily. You shove him playfully, mindful of his still healing side.

“Hey! I can’t control that! It’s a natural response when an attractive person kisses you without warning!” It’s Rex’s turn to flush, his copper skin skipping pink and going rosy red. Suddenly, Red didn’t seem like such a bad color. The blush suites him.

“I’m a clone.” He says after a moment.

“You think that having brothers who look like you makes you less attractive? If you didn’t end up being my soulmate I probably would have asked you out eventually anyways.” You admit, snuggling into his side. His arms wrap around you and it feels natural. Right. This is where you were supposed to be, with him.

“Really? Even if there was a more perfect person out there for each of us?” He asks, resting his chin on your head.

“Impossible. We would have made it work.” You say firmly. “Besides. The universe knew better than to separate us.”

“That it did.” He’s silent for a long moment, and you almost think he’s dozed off before he speaks softly. “I know it doesn’t mean much because we’re already soulmates, but I think I love you.” He whispers as you turn around in his arms so you’re pressed chest to chest.

“…My parents weren’t soulmates.” You reveal, nuzzling into the space between his shoulder and neck. “Their soulmates both died young. They always taught me whether you’re a ‘perfect’ match for a person or not, love is always a choice.” You tip your head up and kiss the underside of his jaw. “I love you too.”

“I like that sentiment.” Rex murmurs, fumbling for a blanket and yawning. “Can we nap for a bit?”

“Mhm. I’ll set an alarm for dinner.” You relax into his arms, enjoying this moment.

Taglist: @toomanybandstocare @backyard-bear @endo-bunny

[phoneycam]

(((((The brainrot 4))

"Whenever your soulmate says your name, you sneeze."

I think this could be really wholesome.

Like, The first months of war go by in The Negociator without much else happening beside, you know, the war, and some really needed plot bonding moments between General Kenobi and his men, getting them to slowly soften their hearts to this brilliant, altruistic, posh little jedi.

Commander Cody, in a jump of good fate, decides to be the first to entrust his general his most valuable possession, his name. The General, too moved by it, isn't capable of doing anything else than smile sincerely and thank him with all his heart for it. If Cody's heart skips a couple of beats because of it, it's no one's business.

And life goes on like that, between battles and small moments, with the only difference being that from time to time, the commmander would have random sneezes that he had never suffered before. They would be spaced long enough one from the other to not be an urgent thing to think about, so he never mentions it, plus he finds them rather embarrassing.

Then one day they are all rounded in front of a hologram, planning and strategising when Obi-Wan, unconsciuslly and for the first time, calls his commander name and not his title.

And Cody Sneezes.

And you know what? The thing is that, clones aren't really accustomed to sneezing since their superior genetics make colds a really rare thing. So when Cody sneezes, it's impossible to ignore. One, because despite the unconscious need to silence it, it still makes a sound, small and breathy and two, is due to the fact that Cody sneezes with his whole body. His head ducks, his shoulders rise impossibly high and he needs to shake his head afterwards, like if he's trying to restart his system.

Instant silence all around. Everyone to startled to speak and the general looking at him in awe while Cody just wants to be ejected into space and get hitted by a starfighter. Obi-Wan's interior little shit comes to light and he decides that he needs to prove inmediatelly his mental theory, and with some badly hidden excitment for a claimed negociator, he repeats Cody's name.

And Cody sneezes again. And chaos bursts all around.

Obi-Wan being the bastard that he is repeating his commanders name non-stop with delight, The troopers shouting in excitment and "collecting evidence" for later and Cody just looking like those cats sneezing videos.

[meebles]

the “soulmates receive an imprint of each other’s scars” trope is so rife with potential for codywan i can’t stop thinking about it

like. obi-wan who immediately starts hiding the soulmark on his face with makeup because it’s a private thing for him, then when he actually meets cody he has no idea how to bring it up. cody doesn’t find out until months later when obi-wan is injured enough to require full submersion in a bacta tank and the makeup washes off

or. obi-wan who doesn’t particularly care about showing his soulmarks, but when he and cody meet for the first time cody is wearing his helmet. cody then internally freaks out, has no idea how to tell his general who he’s just met that he’s his soulmate, so he goes as long as he can without taking off his helmet in front of obi-wan. meanwhile the rest of the 212th obviously know who obi-wan’s soulmate is, and are torn between keeping cody’s secret and just ripping off cody’s bucket themselves

and then, of course, there’s the much more angsty version where you can feel all of your soulmate’s injuries as well…

[saviinika]

pardon the way that I stare

@codywanweek 2024

Day 3: Soulmate AU

He forgot all about the way his left eye stung and blurred when he made eye contact with the nameless clone. Forgot about it until his padawan took one look at him in the LAAT/i while they skimmed over the red dirt of Geonosis and practically bellowed, “Master, your eye!”

“Kriff,” was all he could think to say in response. How could he possibly explain to his wayward padawan (who already had a chocolate-coloured eye of his own peering out of his face alongside his own stormy blue one, and don’t think I didn’t notice that Padmé’s match, Anakin) that one of the two hundred thousand men he’d just discovered on a hidden planet was his soulmate? Chances were very likely that he’d never see the clone again, that the man would die before the day was up and his eye would simply revert back to its natural blue-green.

And, hopefully, Yoda didn't notice.

[mandos-mind-trick]

00:00 (Zero O'Clock)

Summary: On the run from your family, you meet your soulmate after he's sent to retrieve you. Can he offer you what you've been yearning for since your mark first appeared? Or will he turn out to be just like everyone else in your life?

Loosely based on the BTS song of the same name.

Pairing: Hunter x reader Soulmate AU

Warnings: NSFW, smut, unprotected sex, fingering, some brief mention of kink related things, brief mention of a knife kink, canon typical violence, some semi-descriptive mentions of abuse and child abuse, some angst, lots of fluff, as usual reader has a backstory for plot.

A/N: I'm trying a bit of a new format with this one, at least as to how the story progresses. I'm not sure about the beginning, but let me know what you think.

MASTERLIST

Five Minutes.

Your legs are aching almost as much as your lungs, but you don’t stop. 

You can’t stop. 

Tree roots and vines threaten to trip you with every step, but you push onwards. Get to town. You just have to get to town and you can stop. 

Three minutes. 

The timer on your wrist is like some twisted countdown. When it appeared over ten years ago, you were confused. Your soulmate couldn’t be that much younger than you. You had thought perhaps they were a different species, one that matures faster than others. 

Ten years, forty-seven days, six hours, and fifteen minutes. 

That had been the number seared onto your skin one day, the numbers slowly counting down as time went on. You tried to mark the exact day on the calendar, but it was difficult. You went off galactic standard time, as your countdown seemed to match how the hours and days passed for you. 

You daydreamed constantly about your soulmate. You researched species after species, trying to find any sort of answer you could as to why your soulmate mark had shown up so late. 

It wasn’t until the war when things began making sense. 

It wasn’t until the war that things began falling apart for you. 

The sudden appearance of the clone army, millions upon millions of beings created over the ten years before the war started, answered many people’s questions. Millions upon millions of beings in the galaxy that had lived for years without a soulmate link suddenly having theirs appear in the last ten years. 

Your soulmate’s a clone. 

Your father was not pleased. 

Your home planet was not part of the Republic. It had always been independent, and once the war started, the governing body decided to side with the Separatists. Your father was a loyal supporter of this decision, funneling your family’s vast wealth and resources to aiding the Confederacy of Independent Systems. 

You thought the entire war was stupid. Why couldn’t people just be happy with being either part of the Republic or not? 

The first time you spoke out against it in front of your father, he dragged you from the room and beat you with his belt. 

The second time you spoke out against it, at a dinner with several important political figures including your grandfather, he beat you right there in the dining hall. 

When he discovered your soulmate timer, it got worse. 

He tried everything he could to remove it. 

You knew it was useless. Even cutting the skin off with a knife, the mark would only appear again as it healed. Burns, scars, even chopping the limb off wouldn’t work. It would simply appear elsewhere. 

Your father thankfully never went that far. 

Your hatred towards him only deepened as time went on. 

News of your grandfather’s death reaches you shortly before the end of the war. You don’t cry. You barely knew him, and what you knew of him was that he was equally as cruel as your father. 

As the war ends, so does the Republic. 

Shortly after, the Empire is on your doorstep demanding allegiance. They get it, and the occupation begins. 

Six months later, you run away. 

You run and keep running. A month later, the bounty hunters begin appearing. You evade them easily enough, and when you can’t evade them, you make sure they can’t follow you.

It’s been almost a year since the war ended. Your timer is still steadily counting down. Your soulmate is still alive somewhere. You debate trying to find them, but you know finding clones means getting close to the Empire. You know nothing good would come from getting caught by the Empire. Even worse, they might return you home. 

Two minutes. 

Your feet hit solid ground, relieved to be free of the damp mud you had been running through for the past ten minutes. You race into town, hoping to lose him. 

He had appeared an hour ago, your little shack that had been offering you reprieve his target. He’s here for you, sent by the Empire or your father, you’re not sure. Either way, you’re not keen to find out. 

You were gone long before he reached your abandoned hut. You had headed towards town, hoping to reach the spaceport and convince someone to take you to their next stop before he even noticed you weren’t in the hut anymore. 

Except it was a long trek to town, and this wasn’t a normal bounty hunter. 

The first shot had narrowly missed you. 

A warning. 

You had taken off running, zig-zagging through trees as fast as you could. The shots had followed right behind you until they had died out, leaving nothing but the sound of the jungle, and your own heavy breathing. 

He’s right behind you. You know he is. You should have run for it from the start. 

You desperately need to stop. You need air, your lungs beginning to spasm painfully. You’re not going to get much farther without a reprieve. You hope you can lose him in the evening crowd, ducking into an alley. 

You press your back against the wall, putting a hand to your wheezing chest. Your eyes screw shut for a moment, urging air back into your lungs. Your legs are trembling like they may give out under you, but you know you don’t have long. He’s probably already in town. You need to stay ahead of him. Pray you can catch someone leaving at the spaceport and escape. 

One minute. 

Your soulmate is about to appear. Maybe they’ll help you get out of this mess. You can’t reach the spaceport in that short amount of time. You glance at both ends of the alley. There’s no one. So who-

A hand wraps around your throat, slamming your back against the wall behind you. Your hand is quick to grab your knife, aiming it for the throat, but his hand wraps around your wrist, stopping it.

“Give up, kid.” He drawls, tightening his grip around your wrist until you’re forced to drop the knife. “You’re not going to win this.”  

You struggle against his hold, even though you know he’s right. 

30 seconds.

Just thirty more seconds. You can fight that long. 

You drive your knee up into his stomach, but he doesn’t release you. His grip tightens around your throat, black dots beginning to form in your vision. You drive your fist into his elbow, his arm bending awkwardly. His fingers slip from your throat and you inhale sharply, your vision swimming for a moment. 

“Let her go.” 

You both look up in shock at the voice. Modulated by a familiar looking helmet, grey with an orange stripe down the middle. He’s standing at the entry to the alley, blaster drawn and pointed at the bounty hunter. 

“She’s my quarry.” The bounty hunter says, hand dropping to his own blaster. “I found her first.” 

You quickly duck, covering your head as the shots ring out. Your gaze is drawn down to your timer, eyes widening a bit. 

00:00:00:00:00

This is your soulmate? 

You push yourself back up, glancing at the body of the bounty hunter for a moment before your gaze falls on the clone. His armor is pieced together, lacking the normal consistency you associated with clones and their armor. Had you been wrong? Is he not a clone after all? 

“It’s you.” You whisper, dropping the knife from your hand. 

“Give up the fight, kid.” He says, voice distorted by his helmet, blaster trained on you now. 

You make a face. “I’m not a kid. I’m older than you.” You press your back against the wall. “When I pictured us meeting, this wasn’t what I had in mind.” 

He tilts his head, and you can picture the confusion on his face. You hold up your arm, revealing your soulmate timer now at zero. He lowers his head slightly, looking at it. He glances down at his own arm for a moment before lowering his blaster. You watch him fiddle with his vambrace, tugging it down with his sleeve enough to reveal tanned skin underneath. He’s quiet, staring down at his skin for a few moments. 

You could run. You could use his distraction to try and escape.

You don’t want to. You had been destined to meet at this moment. Since your creation, maybe even before. 

Maybe he can help you. 

But he was sent after you. 

He wouldn’t really return you to your father, would he? You had heard about clones being forced to reject their soulmates under the Republic. Was the Empire enforcing that too? He wouldn’t...would he? 

Your legs are shaking still, your body exhausted from running for so long. Always on edge, always watching your back. You slip down the wall, sitting on the ground. You stare up at him, finding him watching you. “Are you with the Empire?” You ask. 

“No.” He says, straightening up a bit. “We were sent after you by a third party.” 

“Oh.” You say, nodding. “Are you...going to take me back to my father?” 

He stares at you quietly for a long time. This was going to complicate things for both of you. Would he still return you to your father, even now knowing you’re his soulmate? Did you try to run, leave behind your soulmate to try and save yourself? You know it’s only going to get harder to be apart from here. Now that you’ve met, the longing will start, the need to be close. 

That’s why the Republic wanted clones to reject their soulmates. Not even the best programming can undo the natural need to be close to one’s soulmate. 

“I’ve caught her.” He speaks into his comm. “Get back to the ship and meet us at the spaceport.” 

“You should just reject me now.” You say, and he looks at you again. You wish you could see his face, read his expressions. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? At least, that’s what the Republic wanted.” You shrug. “It’ll hurt less for you later when my father decides to kill me.” 

“Why would he go through all this trouble to get you back if he’s just going to kill you?” He asks, stepping closer. 

You snort. “You don’t know anything about me, do you?” 

“You’re a runaway rich kid, and your father is willing to pay a lot to get you back.” He says, wrapping a hand around your arm. He hauls you to your feet far too easily, spinning you so you’re pressed against the wall. 

“Moving a bit fast, aren’t we?” You quip, his hands gripping your wrists behind you. 

“Can it, kid.” He grunts, cuffing your arms behind your back. 

“I’m not a kid.” You huff, tugging against his hold, but you quickly give in. 

This wasn’t what you were expecting when you pictured meeting your soulmate. Of course, you’d spent most of the war hearing nothing but propaganda against the Republic and the clone army, so you really didn’t know what to expect. They’re not quite the mindless soldiers like you’d been told, at least that’s what you’d discern since this group was apparently working independently of the Empire. 

“You’re making a mistake.” You say as he takes your arm, tugging you towards the end of the alley. 

“I’m sure you see it that way.” He says, leading you onward. 

You plant your feet, trying to get him to look at you. “No, I’m trying to warn you. If you actually bothered to look into who I am, you never would have taken this job in the first place.” 

He finally stops, turning to look at you. “Why do you care?” 

“You’re deserters, aren’t you? I’ve only heard propaganda, and seen clones in passing once, but I do know most of them are loyal to the Empire now. Most of them aren’t out here playing mercenary and bounty hunter. You received coordinates for a place to drop me off, right? Somewhere in the D’Astan sector? You know what that sector looks like right now? It’s crawling with Imperial troops and ships. The war had barely ended and they were already invading. I ran because my father is a cruel man who spent my whole life beating me to submission. He’s a weak man who can’t stand things not being in his control. The Empire has completely taken over and I’m one of the few things he has left he can control. I don’t want that.” 

He stares at you for a while. You know he’s thinking over your words. He won’t trust you, not completely. If you can just get to him a little, though, you may be able to save your own skin, and maybe his as well. 

“You’re my soulmate.” It feels unreal saying those words. You’d pictured it a thousand times, and yet, none of them had come close. “If nothing else, trust me on that basis. I know you’ve been told your whole life to reject me. I don’t want you to.” 

He stares at you for a moment longer before turning, tugging you along as he makes his way towards the starport. Tears prick your vision. You have no idea what he’s thinking, what he’s feeling. For all you know, he doesn’t believe you and he’ll take the risk returning you to your father. 

He has no reason to trust you. 

For all you know, he’s going to reject you. 

If that’s the case, though, why hasn’t he done it yet? 

“Can I at least know your name?” You ask softly, looking up at him. 

He stays silent, walking you into the starport. Thankfully it’s late enough that it's not very busy. This looks bad, it looks really bad for you. 

“Hunter!” 

Of all things a child runs towards you two. 

“We were getting worried.” The child says as Hunter leads you towards an Omicron-class ship. 

He leads you up the steps, three more clones inside. Well, at least you think they’re clones. None of them quite look the same, at least size and height-wise. One is lankier and is wearing goggles, the other is a giant of a man, and the third has a cybernetic arm and legs. 

Hunter pushes you down into one of the seats rather roughly, pointing his finger in your face. “Don’t move.” He says threateningly, leaving you sitting there.

It’s not like you have much of a choice. There’s not much room to move anyway, as the large one and the child join you. The ship rumbles as it comes to life, forcing you to press back into the seat as it lifts off the ground. Your arms are pressed uncomfortably behind you, hands going numb as the cuffs cut off circulation. 

Your stomach churns with the familiar jump to hyperspace, Hunter not returning until the ship is well on its way to most likely your drop off point. You’re nervous, not just for yourself. Hunter must not have believed you. You’re sad for them, and yourself. 

The large one pulls off his helmet with a sigh. Though he’s very large, his face is unmistakably that of a clone’s. They really must have been hired by a third party. Your father never would have stooped that low. He’s in for one hell of a surprise when they show up to hand you off. 

Your gaze is pulled away from the big one as Hunter enters the hull, removing his own helmet. He doesn’t look like you expect a clone to. His hair is long, held back by a red bandana. He has the rugged face of a clone, but the left half is covered in a skull tattoo. It’s intimidating, just like his gaze as it burns into you. 

The one with the cybernetics follows him, his helmet removed as well. He’s paler and gaunter than the others, a headset wrapped around his head. He takes a seat at the computer, typing rapidly. 

“If what you said is true, we can’t risk turning you in.” Hunter says. 

“Why would I lie to you?” You ask, though you already know the answer. 

“To save your own skin.” He says. “I believe you, that you were running for a reason. But that could be any reason. Not just the story you told me.” 

“Then by all means.” You say, trying to get comfortable with your hands behind your back. “Research away.” 

It’s quiet for a few moments, part of the screen visible over their heads from where you’re sitting. You are telling the truth to them. You have no reason to lie. Especially not to your soulmate. 

“You’re a Separatist?” Cybernetics asks you. 

You roll your eyes. “You know, just because someone lived on a Separatist planet doesn't mean they were Separatists too. I hated them. I thought the war was stupid. Why couldn’t they just be happy not being part of the Republic and the Republic just leave them alone?” 

“I think it was a bit more complex than that.” Hunter says. 

You roll your eyes again. “Well, it’s not like I was ever getting the truth there. We were fed Separatist propaganda for years, even before the war started.” 

The ship goes quiet again, broken only by the sound of Cybernetics typing at the computer. 

"She's telling the truth." He finally says, breaking the quiet. "Imperial files have that whole sector listed under their control.” 

“We can’t risk revealing ourselves.” Hunter says. “But we need those credits.” 

You resist the urge to roll your eyes once more. “If you bothered to check my bag, you’d see I have plenty of credits in there.” 

Their eyes fall to where your bag has been placed on the chair behind them. Hunter opens your bag, digging through until he finds the box of credits. He opens it, looking inside. 

“That’s far more than we’ll get from Cid for this job.” Cybernetics says. 

“You can have them.” You say. “It’s my dad’s money anyway. I took what he had on hand before I left.” 

“You’d just let us take this.” Hunter asks speculatively. 

“If it means saving both our skins and keeping me from having to see my father ever again, then yes. You can have my whole bag, if you’d like.” 

Hunter stares down at the credits for a moment before heading into the cockpit once more. 

“Hey, Cybernetics.” You call before he can follow Hunter.  

“My name’s Echo.” He says with a frown, obviously offended by your nickname. 

“Okay, how was I supposed to know that? It’s not like you’ve been very hospitable.” You shrug as he disappears into the cockpit too. You nearly jump out of your skin as you turn, finding the child standing next to you. “Oh my, you’re a sneaky little thing.” 

“Sorry.” She laughs. “My name’s Omega. That’s Wrecker.” The giant clone waves. 

You nod back, your arms still cuffed behind your back. “Hello.” 

Hunter reappears, coming to stand in front of you. “If you’re tricking us in any way, I will not hesitate to shoot you.” 

“If you knew the things my dad did to me growing up, the things he would do to me if he ever got his hands on me again, you wouldn’t hesitate to trust me when I say I want absolutely nothing to do with him or the Empire.” You stare into his eyes as he kneels in front of you. “He’s a horrible man and he can waste all of his money and resources looking for me for all I care.” 

Hunter undoes your cuffs, and you rub your sore wrists. “We’ll drop you off on the next inhabited planet we can find.” 

You frown. “So that’s it? We’re not even going to talk about it?” 

“There’s nothing to talk about.” He says, turning his back to you as he sits at the computer. 

“Like hell there isn’t. If you’re that dead set, then just reject me now and get it over with so we can both move on with our lives.” 

“I can’t trust you.” He says over his shoulder. 

“I’m not asking you to trust me.” Your voice wavers a bit. “I’m asking you to talk to me. Either talk to me, or just reject me and get it over with.” 

***

The ship is quiet as it floats aimlessly through space. You gaze out the viewport at the thousands of stars in front of you. Hunter is in the seat across from you, his seat turned to face yours. 

“I have to protect them.” He says. “If anything happens to them...” 

“I know.” You nod, turning to look at him. “They’re lucky to have you. All my life I’ve been wishing for someone to care that much about me. Someone who would protect me. My mother was always too scared he’d turn on her if she said anything. It wasn’t long after the war started that I figured it out, that my soulmate was a clone. My father wasn’t happy about it. He tried everything he could to remove my timer. It never worked.” 

Hunter tenses a bit at your words. It feels good, talking about it finally. Even if he did decide nothing was to come of your link, it still felt good to tell someone about what had happened to you. You’ve never had that chance before. 

“I never thought much about my link.” Hunter says, turning his gaze out the viewport. “I couldn’t. The Kaminoans created the rules about seeking out soulmates and the Republic agreed. I didn’t have time, anyway. We were always moving, always on a mission. I hoped the war would end before the timer reached zero. I’m not sure I could have rejected my soulmate. Most of the clones ignored those rules. They kept their links, secretly keeping contact with their soulmates.” He shakes his head. “I figured it would happen when it happened. I didn’t think it would be like this.” 

“What, that you’d desert the army and wind up bounty hunting your soulmate who was a Separatist?” 

“Something like that.” A smile tugs at the corner of his lips. 

“Where do we go from here, Hunter?” You ask, turning to look at him. You take in his profile. The skull tattoo, the slope of his nose, the line of his jaw. He’s handsome. Ruggedly handsome. Not totally what you would consider your type, but perhaps the link to him was more than just looks. 

You’d been raised with the idea of becoming someone’s trophy. You’d never hold power in your own family. You’d be someone’s pretty little wife who served drinks and made babies and made her husband look good. You’d marry someone just like your father who would beat you with a belt if you spoke out in opposition against him. 

Then your mark had shown up, and with it came the idea of something else. Something more. Something different. 

Hunter is different. 

So very different. 

He turns to look at you, his eyes studying your face. “What is it you want?” 

You smile, leaning back in the seat. “I want to live on a farm on a small planet with kind people that care about each other. I want to care for animals and to play in the dirt. I want a house that’s just the right size. I want to be happy and safe away from politics and war and my family.” You stare into his eyes, deep into the rich depths of them. “I want to be happy with my soulmate.” 

***

You lay in bed, staring out the open window. The cool morning air is blowing in, rustling the curtains. The sun is just starting to rise, painting the sky in yellows and oranges. It’s quiet, the only noise the occasional bird song as the world begins to wake up. It’ll be warm today, the perfect time for you to finish planting your garden for the season. 

An arm wraps around your waist, warm lips pressing kisses to your exposed neck. You smile, leaning back against the broad chest. 

“Morning.” You murmur, biting your lip as his stubble tickles the sensitive skin. 

He murmurs his greeting against your neck, his hand trailing up your bare side. 

“We have to get Omega up for school soon.” You say, his lips working on sucking a mark onto the skin under your ear. “And we should take that milk into town.” His hand slides higher, cupping one of your breasts. “And we need to get the guest room ready for when Crosshair arrives.” 

Hunter hums in your ear, pulling you tighter against his chest. You can feel him, hard against your lower back. “Worry about that later. Right now, I need to make love to my wife.” 

It’s been nearly two years since that fateful day your soulmate hunted you down during your escape from your father. 

Not long after, you had found this place. It was almost exactly what you had imagined, what you had told Hunter you wanted. It had felt too good to be true, at least until you began to settle in. It took some adjusting for the others as well, but they eventually found their places. 

Echo decided to leave with Rex, feeling it was the right choice. You know it hurt the others to let him go, but you felt if he was happier fighting with the rebellion, then he should. You still see them occasionally when they drop by for a quick rest. 

During one of those rests, they had brought a new figure into the house. They had stumbled across Crosshair being held at a facility and had rescued him. That had been a big adjustment, as he dealt with a lot of trauma from his time being controlled by the Empire. 

Eventually he healed, and he grew bored. Echo and Rex offered him a place with them, helping them, but he decided on a different route. 

He became a bounty hunter. 

He still stopped by every so often, spending a few days on the farm before he’d leave, heading out to catch more quarries and get more credits. 

Wrecker and Tech settled into farm life nicely. You had worried Tech might work himself to a coma as he spent endless hours learning everything he could about the planet, its flora and fauna, its weather patterns and seasons, the native cultures. He’d set up the house to best utilize the weather and natural phenomena, picked the best crops to grow and which animals would be the easiest to keep. Wrecker was more than thrilled to help with the actual farm work, tending to the animals and the more heavy-lifting aspects that came with it. 

Omega settled in best of all, making friends in the nearby town and starting school. Hunter’s happy in this domestic life. You can tell just looking at him. He had shared similar dreams with you, settling down on a remote planet so that Omega can just be a kid while she still can. A place that’s safe, far from the reach of the Empire. 

It’s been quiet since you landed here. You haven’t seen or heard anything from the Empire or even a bounty hunter. You had all been a bit on edge at first, waiting for the inevitable arrival. 

It never came. 

You’ve been safe, you’ve all been safe, for the first time ever. 

Marrying Hunter had been an easy decision. There was no legal benefit in it, since he was a clone and you had left your family and its name and its standing behind you. You had done it mostly because you wanted to. Adopting Omega had been the natural next step, of course. It hadn’t been a legal adoption, again for obvious reasons, but it still felt good to put a name to it all. 

You’ve built a new family, one you actually want. 

One you actually love. 

Hunter turns your body just slightly, his hand trailing up to your jaw. He cups it gently, looking down at your face. 

“What?” You ask, your cheeks flushing just a bit. Two years and you still feel a bit sheepish under his gaze. 

“You’re just so beautiful.” He says, leaning down to kiss you. 

“You say that all the time.” You murmur against his lips. 

“Because it’s true.” He murmurs back, deepening the kiss. 

You press your body back against him, touching as much of him as you can. He’s softened a bit in two years, you’ve noticed. With the constant strain of fighting and continuous missions behind them, they’ve all softened a bit. Farm work is hard, but not nearly as demanding as what they had spent their entire lives doing. He’s still just as strong, but the hard ridges of muscle are gone, leaving soft edges in their wake. 

That, and finally getting some real food in them has helped. 

You like him no matter what, but you prefer his soft body. It means he’s well rested and well fed. Something he deserves after everything. 

His lips trail down your neck and shoulders, his deft fingers sliding from your jaw down your body, pausing just to pluck at one of your nipples playfully. You gasp quietly, reaching back to tangle a hand in his hair. 

You’ve had plenty of time to learn each other’s bodies over the years. Your first time together had been rushed and desperate in the fresher on the Marauder. It had been a result of the yearning, the need deep within your souls, your very beings, to be linked together. To be as close as you possibly can to each other. It had been awkward fumbling in a too-small space. 

Once you’d found your home, you both finally had space and privacy to take your time. Testing, trying, playing. A few times you’d allowed his knives in bed, and once you’d reenacted your first meeting, except that time ended with you being fucked handcuffed against a tree on the edge of your property. 

Most of all, though, you enjoyed the quiet moments like this one. The gentle lovemaking on lazy mornings, the quick moments when you can slip away from your responsibilities. The nights when he gets that look in his eye during dinner and you know you’re going to end up tangled in the sheets, moaning his name. 

Twelve years ago you never would have thought this could be real.

Two years ago you never thought this could be real. 

Fate is hardly ever wrong. 

You gasp quietly as his fingers slip between your thighs, finding your slick folds. He licks and nips at your skin, leaving a trail of marks no doubt. He has said more than once he loves your scent and the taste of your skin. It had taken some adjusting to his enhanced senses knowing he could hear and smell everything, and he has a habit of smelling and tasting everything. 

His hand grips your thigh, draping it over his waist. His fingers slip through your folds again, gathering your slick on his fingers before he presses one into you. You’re already wet, anticipating a rather satisfying morning. He runs his thumb over your clit and you jolt a bit, still sensitive from the night before. 

You moan quietly, tugging lightly on his hair. He groans in response, breath fanning across your ear. His scalp is sensitive. You’re able to reduce him to shivers by just raking your nails across it. 

He slips a second finger into you, his pace lazy and slow as you writhe in his arms. You can cum easily just from his fingers, something he’s rather proud of. To you, it’s a testament of just how perfect you are for each other. 

You know he wants you to cum on his cock this morning, yet you can’t help but whine as he pulls his fingers from you. He shushes you, shifting you ever so slightly before the head of his cock slips along your folds. You moan, walls clamping in anticipation. You’ll never get tired of him, of his body, of how perfectly it fits against yours. How perfectly it fits inside yours. 

He slides in, in one go, pausing for a moment once he’s seated fully inside you. His arms wrap around you, holding you as close to him as he can. You can still feel it like the first time you had sex, the bond between you. The link tying you together. The energy thrumming through you and into him, and then back like a circle. 

It’s something unexplainable. Something precious and unique and it fills you with warmth every time you think about it. 

“Hunter,” You whisper, walls clamping around him. 

He shushes you, lacing your fingers together. “I’ve got you.” 

He begins to move, slow and steady. Your eyes drift closed, savoring the feel of him, the drag of his hips, the stretch of his cock. The softness of him around you. You feel safe in his arms, like nothing can hurt you, nothing can touch you. Nothing can ruin this moment. 

You’re not going to last long, his fingers slipping between your thighs to circle your clit once more. Your legs shake, walls gripping him like your body is trying to hold onto this moment forever. 

You cum quickly with a quiet cry of his name, his own thrusts getting sloppy as he moans quietly in your ear. He stills as he reaches his own release, his groans vibrating through your back.

You lay there for a moment, clinging to each other, basking in the early morning glow. Neither of you have the will to move, wanting to stay like this forever. 

Alas, that’s not possible as a loud crash is heard from downstairs followed by Omegas giggles and Wrecker’s rather loud apologies. 

“The kids are awake.” He murmurs, pressing a kiss to your shoulder. 

“Yes, it seems they are.” You say, a smile tugging at your lips. 

“We should get up before they destroy the kitchen again.” 

“Agreed.” You say, reluctantly pulling away from him. 

You both dress, preparing to start another busy day. Hunter pauses by the door, leaning down to kiss you softly. 

“I love you.” He says, practically beaming down at you. 

You smile, tracing your fingers over his cheek. “I love you too.” 

And you mean it. 

Taglist:

@stressed-cherry, @6oceansofmoons,  @ladytano420, @spicy-clones, @kaminocasey

[jedi-lothwolf]

Codywan Week Day 3: Soulmate au

Summary: When you touch your soulmate for the first time you can see color. When Cody and Obi-wan first met, they discovered just how colorful the galaxy can be.

    The world was so boring in shades of gray. But that was all Obi-wan knew. That was all most people knew for the earlier parts of their lives. You would wait until you met your soulmate. Then once you touched them, your world would fade into color.

    Obi-wan had always wanted to see the color of the universe had to offer. Now he is 34 and waiting. A war had begun and he was a general. He still needed to meet the people under his command.

    The first time the Jedi saw his commander, he felt like they would get along. "I'm Obi-wan Kenobi. We'll be working together."

    "Commander Cody." He reached his hand out for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you."

    As the two shook their hands, the room seemed to light up. The shades of gray they both had lived with their whole lives faded into shades of red, blue, and more. Yet the color that took Obi-wan by surprise was the color of Cody's eyes. They were a simple brown yet stunning. "You have very beautiful eyes."

    "Thank you." Cody said. The two stared at each other for a moment. They didn't let go of the other's hand or break eye contact as they stood there. "I like yours."

    "Thank you." The two let go of each other but stayed locking eyes. "What color do you think they are?"

    Breaking eye contact, Cody walked over to light on some board. "I'm not sure about the name, but I do know that they look something like this."

    Smiling, Obi-wan looked around to find something that reminded him of Cody's eyes. He settled on his cloak. "Yours are a darker shade of brown than my cloak."

    "How do you know it's brown?"

    "Everyone tells me it is. I used to ask my master all the time."

    Cody smiled. "That's sweet."

    "Yeah. Well, shall we. We have duties to attend too." Both of them knew this was the beginning of something beautiful. While nervous, maybe they would be okay. The two would figure out more about the universe together.

    Bonus

    Cody and Obi-wan stood on the beach. The water was crystal blue. The clone could swear he had seen that color before. As the Jedi sat down to relax, Cody realized where he had seen that color before. In fact, he saw it all the time.

    "I know how to describe your eyes now." Cody said as he joined him. Obi-wan had already found sweet ways to describe the man's eyes. He said they looked like coffee or old books.

    "Oh?"

    "They remind me of the sea. No wonder I like them so much, they remind me of home. You remind me of home."

    "That's sweet. Thank you, love." Obi-wan looked around quickly before kissing Cody. He may not have shown how much those words touched him, but they did. They were one of the sweetest things he had heard in a while. "I love you."

    "I love you too."

[padawansuggest]

Obi-Wan wears a ‘the liberals didn’t make me gay, your dad did’ shirt on the negotiator once when he got woken up and had to leave without getting dressed, and starts an outright riot everyone is so mad at him. Where as the actual origins of the shirt was what he wore to Anakin’s 17th birthday party and Anakin was DELIGHTED. Vastly different ideas here.

[gun-roswell]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi Characters: CC-2224 | Cody, Obi-Wan Kenobi Additional Tags: Fan Events and Prompts, CodyWan Week 2024, codywanweek2024 Fantasy AU, Fantasy AU, time jumps, Multiverse, Poetry, Narrative, POV CC-2224 | Cody, POV Obi-Wan Kenobi, Starcrossed Lovers, Soulmates, Fluff, codywanweek2024 Series: Part 7 of CodyWan Week 2024, Part 14 of CodyWan Summary:

CodyWan Week - Day 07 (Cody/Obi-Wan)

Day 07 prompts: Modern AU: Teacher/University/Academia AU / Courting / Dimension travel (by one character)

Summary: This time, something different, something more, perhaps poetic! POV Cody, POV Obi, a poetic narrative across the multiverse.

Part of CodyWan Week 2024 / CodyWan series

@codywanweek​

[vodika-vibes]

"Lost" made me feel some unexpected feelings, so...

I'd like to request another angsty thing w happy ending. It's soulmate au and both Sev* and reader somehow know their soulmates are dead, so now in this world of predetermined happy couples they have to flirt like normal people.

It's pretty personal for me, because... I had a person who I felt like my soulmate. And he's dead. And I have to live understanding there probably won't be another crazy love like this when you feel like a two halves of whole, enhancing each other, mutually healing, perfectly fitting, understanding each other with minimum of words... But maybe one day I'll meet someone who at least will be able to make me feel safe and bring some calmness to my troubled soul.

*I just love Sev. It's my third Sev request and I know you fully understand me. Sev is gorgeous.

What Comes After

Summary: You’ve been a member of this support group since you were a young teenager, as your soul mate died when you were both children. Every day is a struggle, but you’re starting to come to terms with the fact that you have to look for your own happily ever after.

Pairing: Clone Commando Sev x GN!Reader

Word Count: 1435

Prompt: Soulmate AU

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: Thank you for your request! I'm sorry for your loss, I hope this story offers you the feeling that you wanted. I once read a fic where people who were "destined" to be together chose other people because of reasons in their lives, and the vibe from the story was "the love might not burn like a wildfire, but it smolders, deep and true." And that's kind of what I wanted for this one.

You release a quiet sigh as you look up at the building where your support meetings take place. You’d think, after so many years, that going inside would be easier.

It’s not.

Admittedly, most days you’re fine.

But some days. Some days the messy scrawl on your arm, written in dull grey, taunts you.

Mom, where did I leave my backpack?

Your soulmate died when they were a child. You remember, in vivid detail, the day the vibrant blue script turned grey. You had been seven years old, and you didn’t understand what was happening.

Your teacher did though.

You remember her wrapping her arms around you and sobbing into your hair while you waited for your mom to come and pick you up. And you remember your mother gently explaining what the grey color means to you.

Not many seven-year-olds have their entire life shattered before it even begins.

As it happens, though, there weren’t any support groups for young children who lost their soul mate, your mom looked. So she had to attend meetings to get information to help support you.

You were allowed to attend the groups, with your mom or dad, when you turned 13 years old. 

And you remember how the other members of the support group seemed to crumple in on themselves when they saw just how young you were. Eventually, your parents could just drop you off at the support meeting, because the people had become honorary aunts, uncles, and grandparents to you.

When you were 17, you created an online support group for underage people who lost their soul mates. With forums, chat windows, and information to help them deal with the loss. 

You’re 25 now, and you’re the head of the Angel Support Group, a massive intergalactic support group dedicated to supporting children and teenagers as they navigate grief. All forms of grief.

And even then, you still attend your weekly support groups. It’s nice, being around people who understand your loss, even if most of them don’t really understand how your loss is different from theirs.

You open your car door and step out while swinging your purse over your shoulder. You kick the door shut and lock the car, this is a safe area but it’s a good habit to have, and you head towards the building. 

As you approach the building, you see a man hovering awkwardly near the entrance.

You’ve never seen him before and, as you move closer, you see that he’s a clone. 

More tellingly, his entire left arm is grey, and the grey seems to go under his shirt.

For a moment, you think it’s a tattoo. And then you remember that one of the recorded soul bonds is injuries showing up on their soul mate's bodies.

And he’s covered in a lot of grey.

Too much grey.

Your heart aches for him, so you stop and walk over to him, “Hello,” You greet with a small smile, “Are you here for the support group?”

He starts, and you see his muscles tense, “…yes. My brothers say that I should talk to people who might understand—” His voice is much deeper than any other clone you’ve ever met.

“In my experience, it does make everything more tolerable.” You agree.

“I doubt I’ll be welcome.”

“Why would you think that?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a clone.”

“Well, you’re hardly the first clone who’s joined this group.” You reply reasonably, “If you need help, then you need help.”

He folds his arms over his chest, “You’re a member?”

“Since I was a teenager.”

He blinks at you, surprised, and drops his arms. You see his gaze dart to the grey sentence on your arm, and some of the hostility drains from him. “A teenager?”

“Yeah, well. At the time there weren’t any support groups for seven-year-olds who lost their soul mates.” You reply lightly, “There are now.” You pull open the door, “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

For a moment he doesn’t move, and then he sighs softly, “Alright. Lead the way.”

Later, you learn his name is Sev, and that he’s a commando. You learn that he never met his soul mate, but that he’s pretty sure she was killed in a Separatist attack. You learn that he’s been having a hard time sleeping and that his brothers are afraid that he’s going to allow himself to get hurt if he doesn’t get support.

It’s nice to see the support group rally around him. 

It’s even better to see the tension and unease drain from him the more people share their stories and he realizes that he’s not alone in this. 

As the meeting leaves you offer Sev your comm code, which surprises him.

“Just if you want someone to talk to,” You explain, “It’s not a bad thing, having friends.”

He accepts the comm code gratefully, and then you both go your separate ways.

Honestly, you don’t expect to see him ever again, let alone hear from him. But he surprises you. 

He sends you a message late that night, admitting that he can’t sleep because he feels lonely, even when surrounded by people. You can understand that, so you sit awake and chat with him until you fall asleep.

It’s the start of a, slightly odd, friendship.

Sev isn’t a kind man. Calling him rough around the edges is a massive understatement and his confession that he likes fighting and enjoys killing should have sent up all of the red flags, but you like Sev despite it.

He’s not a kind man, but he is a good man. 

On the anniversary of the day that your soul mark turned grey, a day you usually spend locked in your apartment, Sev invited himself over and forced you to eat and drink, and held you while you sobbed on his shoulder over what could have been.

And on days when Sev’s temper is on a hair-trigger, you seclude him away from the world in the safety of your home, curl yourself around him, and listen to him talk about what should be.

You’re comfortable with him, and he’s comfortable with you.

So, when your relationship with him changes, it’s not a surprise to anyone other than you and Sev.

It starts late one evening, almost a year after you met him.

“Have you ever considered starting a relationship?” Sev asks from where he’s sprawled across your couch, watching you make brownies for the pair of you to share.

“A relationship?” You repeat thoughtfully as you pause mid-stir, “No, I guess not. For the most part, people expect me to be alone forever.”

“Which people?”

“My parents, my siblings, my extended family.” You say, “With my soulmate dead, I guess most people expect me to not want a relationship.”

“That’s sucky of them.” Sev offers.

A laugh falls from your lips, “Well, they’re not hounding me for grandkids, so I’ll take it. What about you?”

“My brothers hope that I’ll find happiness even with my soulmate being gone,” Sev replies.

“What about what you want?”

He shrugs, “I want to stop feeling so empty all of the time.”

You smile at him, “I can understand that.”

Sev watches you for a moment, and then he sits up, “Do you want to go on a date?”

You set your spoon in the bowl and turn to face him fully, “A date?”

“Yeah.”

You don’t answer for a moment, taking the time to carefully consider his offer. In truth, you like Sev. You’re comfortable around him, you feel safe around him. And when you’re with him the empty feeling deep in your chest seems to fade to the background.

So you smile at him, “I’d like that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He stands and walks over to you. Slowly he lifts his hands and presses them against your cheeks, and then he leans in and presses his forehead against yours. 

You close your eyes and lean into his warmth, “It’s not going to be easy.” You warn, your voice soft, “We weren’t born for each other.”

“Not that hard,” Sev corrects, “We just have to keep picking each other, over everyone else.”

“Well, when you put it like that, I suppose I might be overthinking it.” You reply as you open your eyes and smile up at him. 

Sev scans your face for a moment, and then leans in and presses a light kiss at the corner of your lips, “That’s alright. We’ll figure it out. But we should finish the brownies.”

You reach up and wrap your arms around his neck, “Deal.”

[fakegingerrights]

Shades of Blue

[Rex x Fem!Medic!reader. Soulmate AU, multiple kinds but Rex's happens to be colorblindness until your soulmate touches you. Warnings: Violence, Injury and Gore, Nonsexual Partial nudity, Angst. Inspired by @mandos-mind-trick series.]

Soulmates weren't rare by any means. In fact, Rex would even go as far as to say that it was more rare not to have a soulmate than to have one.

The numbers were a little different when it came to clones. Many didn't live long enough to meet a member of another species, let alone form a relationship with them.

Rex wasn't so lucky.

He had adapted well to his colorblindness, his batchmates covered for him until he learned to tell the subtle differences between shades of grey. He learned that the red wires in a droid popper were always the thicker wires, he learned that the stun power packs and the regular power packs for the training blasters were different weights.

After Kamino, he learned even more. Blue paint smelled slightly different than red. Poisonous plants usually had some sort of easily recognizable pattern, but always be careful with what you touch.

Joining the 501st was a bit of a culture shock. General Skywalker took a liking to him immediately and decided he didn't want another clone to be in charge, promoting him to Captain. Kamino had forbade he become a commander, despite the command training. The blond hair and the fact that he had a soulmate kept him from advancing, he would have stayed a trooper if it weren't for Skywalker.

He was sure he'd die a newly promoted captain when Skywalker found out about his soulmate. Skywalker just grinned.

"I remember waiting for my own colors, not that there was much to see on Tatooine." Was all he said, patting Rex on the shoulder and walking away, leaving Rex dumbfounded in his wake.

"Sir?" His voice was slightly more strangled than he would have liked, calling after Skywalker. Skywalker laughed, but disappeared around a corner.

Rex waited in fear for the demotion, the notice he was sent back to Kamino, anything to do with his defect. Instead, he found battle maps more clearly labeled, he found medical supplies color coded yes but with shapes to go with the colors now. Rex found the paint cans labeled with careful Aurabesh, in Skywalker's messy handwriting, each individual color and what they were used for. The reds and golds for the jedi starfighters. The blues of the battalion.

That was how Rex learned his armor was blue. He asked Skywalker about it, in the long missions in orbit or the days spent in hyperspace.

"What's Blue, general?" He asked, looking at the newly done Jaig eyes on his helmet. "That's our armor, right? Blue accents?"

"Yep." Skywalker was currently elbow deep in his starfighter, something he insisted was 'relaxing' but had Rex on standby in case he got stuck or something. "Blue, huh? Blue is... Blue is Family." Skywalker settled on eventually. "That's the color of Mine and Obi-Wan's lightsabers, and all of your brothers have blue armor, and you were trained by Alpha 17, who had blue armor too." The jedi grunted as he untangled a ball of wire from the engine.

"Family? I thought Red was what people used for family..." He traced the fresh cut talleys into the paint on his vambrace. One for every tactical droid they took out planetside.

"Red? Eh, I guess you could... Red is blood. Adrenaline. Fire is red. Passion. Dooku and the other sith have Red sabers. You're mandalorian, right? Or... kinda, Half mando?" Skywalker yanked a piece of frayed wire out of the messy ball.

"I... I speak the language, and know the culture intimately, but I have no clan to call my own." Rex supplied. "Red, on armor at least, is for honoring a parent or a family member."

"Yeah, I can see that... But blue is more alive than red. I don't know how to explain it. It's the color of most unpolluted skies. It's the color of water, and that's a rarity for so many people. Kamino is mostly blues and greys and blacks. On Tatooine, we fought for the color blue. Water was so precious in the desert. When I met my soulmate, she was wearing blue." Skywalker gets a goofy grin on his face.

"You kept your soulmate bond, sir?" Rex asked. Skywalker sat up out of the belly of the fighter.

"I did. We agreed it would be more beneficial to both parties to keep it. Pass me that wrench, would you?"

And that was the end of that conversation.

The next time Rex thought about his soulmate, he was meeting the natborn medic assigned to Torrent company to help take the load off of Kix and Coric so they could 'spend more time actually doing their job of fighting rather than running around trying to keep everyone else alive.'

Rex really disliked natborns sometimes. He was fully prepared to dislike you too. That is, until he actually met you.

"Captain Rex, right?" You asked, holding out a gloved hand to shake his as he gave you a once over, appreciating the light armor you were wearing and the utility belt full of equipment. Rex smiled as you gave your name.

"Glad to have you, Doc. You've already met Coric and his junior officer Kix?" Rex asked. You nodded.

"I'm all settled in and ready to go too, wherever you need me, Sir." You saluted sharply at him. "I'm really impressed with the organization levels here. Everything is labeled so neatly I forget I can't see the colors yet." Kix coughed awkwardly as he interjected himself into the conversation.

"As hard as Kaminoans tried, they couldn't find a way to remove soul-bonds from us clones. Not all of us have one, and like anyone else we have different ones, but a few of us are color-bound to our mate. Coric is one of them, and he doesn't let it slow him down at all. Neither does the captain here." Kix clarifies. Rex gave him a look. "What? She's not gonna tell anyone. Right?"

You paled, waving your hands for emphasis. "No! I would never want to get anyone in trouble. If... what's the word you use for us? If natborn officers can have them you should too. My lips are sealed, promise." You met each of their eyes and they both relaxed an almost imperceptible amount.

Rex gave you a slight smile. "Let's get you acquainted with the other men, shall we? You're assigned to my company and trust me, you're gonna have a heck of a time getting us in to the medbay."

You gave him a cheshire grin. "Is that a challenge, Captain?"

~~~

You got to work quickly, as the men prepped and drilled for planetside deployment to Christophsis, you were right there, training your body to hold more supplies, to get to wounded faster. Every extra second shaved off your mile run was a life saved, you told yourself. Every time you got out of a sim to see a faster time, you smiled.

Even Kix was impressed.

"You're working yourself to the bone, Doc. You're already here, what are you trying to prove?" He asks, handing you a water bottle as you finish a set in the weight room.

"Prove? I'm working side by side with genetic perfection. And somebody's gotta make sure y'all don't go and get yourself killed." You took the bottle and sipped at it slowly, sitting up. Kix just shrugged and continued to spot you while you worked.

After Christophsis, and later Teth, he said nothing more about it. His cheerful, joking manner was replaced by quiet competency and a determination to see as many brothers as he could to the end of the war.

You sat with him when Coric caught a blaster bolt in the neck, and there was nothing either of you could do. With a choking softness in his voice, he looked at you.

"How? How is he dead?" The words brought a fresh wave of pain.

"Internal decapitation. The bolt went right through his spinal column. He was dead before he hit the ground." You intoned into the heavy silence. Kix shook his head and sat back from where the two of you had been sitting side by side on the empty surgery table, already scrubbed of blood from the day's activities and ready to be packed up when Torrent was dispatched back to the Resolute tomorrow morning.

You frowned, confused, as Kix stripped off the upper part of his blacks and turned so you could see his back. You had seen him shirtless before, in passing glances. You knew about the soulmark scrawled between his shoulderblades, the words in beautiful cursive and splashed with several different hues from what you could tell. You had never bothered to look at the words, but you did now.

Kix, as in Coric's little brother Kix?

Your heart broke a little. "Kix... Kix look at me." You reached up and pressed a hand to either side of his face. Misty eyes, tired and lost and so utterly broken, stared up at you. "We have soulmate bonds for a reason, ok? You can't break the bond until you've met the person." You pulled him into a hug, letting him hide his face in your neck as he struggled to come to terms with his grief of losing a brother. "You'll meet them one day, Kix. I know it. It'll be alright. Coric met his soulmate a few months ago, do we have anything to give to her?"

Kix let himself have a few more moments of just being in the presence of another person who cared. Who understood.

"He had a necklace she had given him... and his gauntlets. I have both. Do you want to come with Rex and I when we give them to her?" Kix asked softly. You nodded, a pit forming in your stomach at the idea of the next shore leave. You and Coric were close, and had met his soulmate a handful of times last time you were on Coruscant.

"Yeah. Let me go grab some stuff, ok? Then we need to head to bed." You got up to leave the room right as a knock sounded on the door.

"Doc, Kix, you in there?" Rex's voice came from the hall as Kix hurriedly tugged on his shirt again.

"Yeah, we're here." You called as he stepped in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt I need casualty counts from the wounded after battle." The captain rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Oh. I have those." Kix left the room in a hurry, and as you caught a glimpse of his back, adorned with the republic symbol and making it very obvious the top of his blacks were on backwards. Rex may have been colorblind but he was stupid observant when he needed to be.

He often needed to be in a warzone.

"Doc." Rex nodded at you in greeting after Kix had left.

"Captain. Been a helluva day, hasn't it." You sit down again on the floor, leaning your head against the wall behind you. "We lost Coric. He met his soulmate not to long ago. We're looking for his personal stuff to give back to her."

Rex sighed softly. A ache all of them felt for their brother's soulmate but few brothers lived long enough to know first hand.

"What about you and Kix?" Rex asked, taking a seat next to you. His plastoid plates click as he settles himself on the ground. "Has your world-" He made a gesture to his eyes with his hands. You laughed bitterly.

"Me and Kix? That would make things a lot simpler wouldn't it. No. I... It's his story to share. His soulmate apparently knew Coric by name." Rex took a deep breath.

"Yeah, yeah that would make sense. I'm sorry I assumed." He shrugged a little in his armor.

You sighed. "You?" You asked, looking at him. Rex ran a gloved hand over his pale hair.

"No. I... No. It's not I go around grabbing people anyways." He laughed humorlessly.

"Maybe we'll get lucky one day, you and I." You said softly. "Find our person. The Maker... Force... Universe, whatever, wouldn't give us another half unless we'd meet them." You looked at him, tracing the monotone contours of his armor.

"Yeah? What if we end up like poor Coric?" Rex sighed. "You... you get it. Even for a natborn, you eat with us, sleep with us, you know us. We're... not made for long term use. I don't want to leave anyone behind."

You hummed, not really saying anything. The two of you sat in silence for a long moment before Rex hauled himself to his feet, offering you a hand. You clasped his hand, latex glove on the blacks that covered his palm.

"We're gonna need rest for tomorrow. It'll be an exhausting day."

You couldn't agree more.

~~~

You cradled Coric's helmet as Rex knocked on the door of Coric's girlfriend's door. You recognized her instantly when she opened it, a dark skinned twi'lek with pale tattoos.

"Uh.. Good evening, Sirs?" She asked, a tremble in her voice. You took your cue to step forward, presenting Coric's helmet.

"I'm so sorry, Ma'am. There was nothing we could do."

Her face crumpled as she took the helmet. "I... I know. I felt it." She whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. Kix stepped forward too, placing a hand on her shoulder. She leaned into his touch.

"I'm so sorry Ma'am, I have his necklace and vambraces here for you too." Her head whipped up to look at Kix, tearstained and wide eyed. Rex nudged him.

"Kix..."

The Twi'lek shook her head, dropping Coric's helmet with a clatter. "Kix... as in Coric's little brother Kix?" She asked, barely waiting for Kix's stunned nod before she pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry about your brother." She whispered, and Kix just shook his head, a bitter laugh bubbling out of his throat.

"I'm sorry about your soulmate."

You put a hand on Rex's shoulder opposite of his pauldron. "C'mon, Captain, let me buy you a drink while they adjust to each other's presence." You murmured low enough for him to hear. Rex glanced back at the two, Kix now also in tears and not letting go of the poor girl, who was sobbing into his chestplate.

The two of you walked in thick silence, the 79's a few blocks down from Kix's soulmate's apartment. Rex stopped short at the entrance of the bar.

"I... I'm usually not one for clubbing. Too many people." He hedged. You gave him a reassuring smile.

"We'll just grab a seat in the back then?" You propose. Rex still looked hesitant, but nodded after a moment. You insisted on buying drinks since Rex hated spending his small stipend on something like alcohol. As you two waited, him watching the crowd and you sneaking glances at him.

He was beautiful, in the black and white shades that made up your reality. All the clones were, but he stood out to you. You flushed slightly as he caught you staring.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" He asked. You laughed and shook your head.

"I... you're gonna laugh." You said, looking at the table and tracing the grain with a finger tip.

"Did I do something stupid?" Rex asked, giving you a wry look. You snorted.

"No, no you haven't. You not the kind to make stupidity a habit. I was wondering what color your hair was." You blurted out. Rex groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I'm still the same stock as Fives, gotta make sure he's not rubbing off." He took a sip of his spotchka, mouth twisting slightly until the tang settled into a pleasant burn in his throat. "My hair is blond, according to Skywalker. A yellowish color. Everyone else's' is black or dark brown."

You took a drink yourself, coughing at the taste. "Ok, that is awful." Rex snorted.

"That's the point. Don't worry, I'll getcha back to the barracks." He promised, a fond smile flitting across his face.

"Going soft on me, Captain?" You asked.

"For you? The entire GAR is soft. You could probably get Fox to take a nap by batting your eyes." Rex chuckled. You swatted at his arm, hand bouncing off his armor.

"Hush. If rumors about you are true I'll be hauling you to the barracks rather than the other way around, lightweight."

Rex just took another drink to spite you.

~~~

The last place for healing that you would expect to take place is on the Battlefield, but here you are ducking and covering between the rounds of rocket mortars.

Explosions shook the ground, and everything hazed out around the edges as you in grey smoke and black soot. Dark blood stained your body and none of it was yours. You heard the shout Kix gave when it happened, but he was too busy to react.

"The Captain's down!" The roar went up among the men and you weren't one to hesitate, springing into action to cross the four hundred meters between you and the Captain. Rex was holding his side and gasping, frighteningly still. Blood, dark and thick as oil spilled from the gash on the left side of his chest in spurts.

You instantly were yelling orders, trying to get a perimeter set up around the two of you as you pried the captain's helmet off so he wasn't gasping through his respirator.

His breathing was ragged, his lips chapped and cracked, eyes hazy as your gloved hand brushed dust off his face.

"Stay with me, Rex. You're not allowed to die on me yet." You yelled above the din so he could hear. He gave you the barest hint of a nod, if not the the intensity in his eyes you would have thought it a spasm.

You pried his chestplate off, plackart coming with it as you inspected the damage. You couldn't tell if the piece of debris that had done this had punctured more than a lung, you felt up under his jaw for a pulse but there wasn't one you could surely feel with your gloves.

You yanked one off with your teeth, jamming it under his chin as you tried to get a read of what was going on with his heart.

Rex gasped under you, eyes going out of focus as you gritted your teeth and counted the beats to make sure he wasn't in danger of a puncture in his heart.

You kept pressure on the wound, wincing as his broken ribs creaked under your hands, red seeping out-

Oh.

Oh Kriff.

You laughed slightly hysterically as you gave him a stim to help with the bleeding and pain, spraying bacta over the wound. "You seeing this, Captain?" You asked. Rex's blood was vibrant across your hands, sending a painful twist through your stomach. The stripes, the blue stripes, in his armor was almost completely covered by golden-brown dirt and red blood and black soot. Even the greys and blacks looked more life-like, vibrant and real.

Rex's eyes held a dreamlike haze to them as an explosion, brilliant gold, flashed over head. He was drifting slightly in and out of consciousness as you worked, eyes wandering in silent wonder at this new reality. Red blood. Dusty armor. Gold fire. And high high above this messy battle was blue sky.

Blue.

It was the color of your armor, strong steady hands bandaging the wound and keeping pressure.

It was the color of his own shattered plating.

It was the color of the sky. Freedom

Rex could see now why Skywalker called blue Family. The two felt remarkably similar.

"ey-.... Hey!" You patted his cheek until his eyes fluttered open and tried to focus on you. He didn't remember closing them. "Hang on, Rex. Medevac is coming, we're getting you out of here and pulling a tactical retreat." You yelled, brushing some dust off his face. His eyes followed your blurry form, suddenly snapping into focus. You gave him a lopsided smile.

"There you are. Hang on, Cyare." The clone word of endearment fell from your lips so naturally. "You aren't leaving anybody behind yet." Rex tried to talk, his breath coming out in a raspy gasp. You shook your head. "Save your breath. Ok."

Rex managed a nod, fumbling with his right hand to grasp your arm, squeezing twice. You nod.

"I'll be there when you wake up, Captain. Promise." There was a roar above your heads and a LAAT/i dropped down right in front of you two, and you lunged to get a gurney prepped as blasterfire splashed around you. A clone Rex didn't recognize lifted him, careful not to disturb the bactapatching on his side.

He listened with half a mind to your chattering as your bare hand brushed his head, fingers playing over his gold, you told him, hair. Rex fought to keep his eyes open, trying to obey and stay awake until he felt the shift in his stomach that meant artificial gravity had kicked in and they were on the Resolute once more.

"Ok, Rex. You can sleep now. You're in the clear now." Your soft voice finally said, and he went out like a candle in the wind.

~~~

You paced the medbay, forcing yourself not to spend too much time gawking at the vibrancy of everything. You could do that properly when Rex was awake. Currently, Kix was taking him out of a bacta tank and he was set to wake up in a few minutes but those few minutes felt like hours.

Your head snapped around as Kix stepped out, fond exasperation written across his face.

“He’s been asking for you since I took the tube out of his throat.” Kix stepped aside and let you into the small room, then shut the door to give you some privacy.

Rex was watching the heart monitor in it’s different colors with rapt fascination until you made your presence known, leaning against the rails of his gurney.

“Hey.” You murmured, looking him over and deciding he looked much better when he wasn’t covered in blood and dirt. Deep bronze skin, amber-gold eyes and white-gold hair made for a stunning figure. “We… certainly danced around this for a while.”

He laughed, a hoarse, grating sound that still made you smile. His left hand fumbled a bit until you slipped yours in it. His thumb slipped back and forth across your knuckles.

“I had hoped.” Rex whispered. “Stupid armor.”

You laughed, swatting at his shoulder gently. “Your armor keeps you alive. So what if it caused a little delay. We’re together now.” You said the last phrase with some trepidation. Rex nodded instantly.

“We weren’t made to be apart, Mesh’la.” You squeezed his hand tightly at his words.

“Rex? I’m scared.” You whispered. Rex struggled to push himself up into a more proper sitting position, recently severed and healed muscles protesting. He waved away your concern and lowered the rail on the bed.

“Me too. I don’t want to give this up though.” He murmured. "How are we going to do this?" Rex looked at you and for a second you were lost in his eyes, admiring every little fractal of color.

"Like anything with uncertain terrain, one day at a time, Captain." You murmured.

"Rex." He corrected you. "Call me Rex. I want to be more than just a title to you."

You lifted your clasped hands and pressed a kiss to the back of his knuckles. "You've always been more than that." Rex looked at you like you had hung the hyperspace lanes just for him. "Rex, you're my other half. We'll be fine together."

"Promise?" He whispered, seeming to tire and letting himself slide against the pillows. You squeezed his hand tight.

"I promise. Go to sleep, Rex." You stood up, to leave him in peace but he caught your hand.

"Stay, Mesh'la." And you couldn't say no. You let go of his hand and had him scoot over, making sure you stayed on his uninjured side as you curled up next to him on the bunk, resting your head on his chest and listening to his slow, steady heartbeat. A heart that you had fought to keep beating. The medical bunks weren't made for two but you two made it work, slotting together like pieces of a puzzle.

Rex bent his head, and a feather light kiss brushed the top of yours. You didn't respond, but didn't pull away either. His exhausted body quickly succumbed to sleep. You weren't far behind. Two halves of a whole.

[phoneycam]

(brainrot 5(?))))

Soulmates experience the same nervous or involuntary tics at the same time.

It all starts as an innocent inside joke from the 212 troopers. How their high officer where the best and one of the key proves of it was how in tune they are with eachother. That thought slowly evolved with every interaction they were able to witness until it turned into a kind of game, trying to understand just how deep the synchrony went. Space bingo if you will.

1.

Ever since he decided to have a beard, he touches it. at first it was because of the new sensation, later to show it of as one should do, then to display knowledge in hopes to seem more wise and finally evolving in his "in deep thoughts" pose.

It was on the early battles when it first happened. The clones weren't comfortable enough yet to being openly without their buckets and so, the moment both officers moved to rest their chin on their hand, Cody hit his helmet causing him to make an aborted movement pretending that he was trying to adjust it when the general turns to look at him. There is a pregnant pause around the holotable before Obi-Wan turns back to the holotable and the commander has to survive the rest of the meeting with the constant snickers from his brothers inside his helmet.

2.

In times of high stress situations he tends to scratch the back of his head, particularly the place where his padawan braid was, an unconscious tick he picked first from his time in Melidaan. He got to overcome it over the years when he came back to the temple, only to pick it back up after Qui-Gon died and he became a knight.

The first time the troopers note it is in Christophsis. Anakin is being he's usual reckless self causing Obi-Wan the go grey early with his invisible ship against a hole separatist fleet, and he doesn't even realize he's hand moving up to pass it over the back of his head, nor that his commander repeated the exact same movement at the exact same time, too distracted with the fight in sight. The other troopers on the bridge however? they did notice.

3.

This one happened before they where about to land in a highly unknown planet with an astonishing lake of information. They were walking into a trap, not that they knew at the time that.. or well.. not until both General and Commander deepened their frowns and mumbled quietly "I have a bad feeling about this". This time they did notice it tho and turned to look at eachother with a surprised look while the soldiers around them are gapping with a collective thought of "Oh kark we are so doomed" and "lmao check another one for the team."

4.

A defect of using a helmet for so long, is that you start forgetting how to keep a straight face and our dear commander, starts slipping his controlled mask especially when faced with stupid decisions. This is one of the main reasons him and Anakin do not get allong well. Because one of the first times they were all reunited strategizing their next move, Anakin decided to offer his brilliant idea and almost cried when faced with the pure power of the combined disgust Obi and Cody were inadvertently showing.

Ahsoka and Rex thought it was hilarious, Obi-Wan had to apologies multiple times before his formed padawan stopped sulking and demanding Obi-Wan to spend less time with his commander and the rest of the troopers just checked another mark.

5.

Kamino has never and will never be an easy place to live in. The facility was a nightmare and no one knew this better than the clones themselfs, between the kaminioan, the trainers and the Alpha batch, life was a challenge and any little quirk can be a dead sentence if you're not careful enough. Cody knows this and learns to deal with it.

It's in the middle of a peace negotiation with the local authority when they noticed it.

It was a small group for this mission, just Cody, Obi-Wan, Boil and Waxer accompanying a Coruscant team of negotiators. The prime minister of the planet was being unpleasant during the whole meeting, with nasty comments, senseless demands and baseless accusations towards eveyone. All bark, no bite.

The jedi was leading the negotiations putting him in front of everyone with the commander by his side; Waxer and Boil standing just behind them notice a pattern pretty quickly. Everytime the minister said something bad about the jedi or the clones, both of their officers would each start drumbeating their fingers with their thumb. A small thing that no one else could notice because their hands were behind their backs, but remarkable enough for the troopers witnessing it as a checkable tic.

6.

Dex notice the next one.

Obi-Wan likes to take every clone he can to visit Dex's reastaurant at least once, but the most regular companion is always the cammander. Not that it bothers him, in fact, he is rather fond of the good commander, but he can't help but notice how everytime the principal door opens a little bit harder than needed, they both will tense up and inmediatelly look at eachother.

And yeah idk, i just think it's neat as an idea. I can imagine a lot more of little scenes like these. Maybe some time latter both realize, maybe they know, maybe they will purposely start doing some to just mess with the troops, maybe it would save the galaxy somehow... just saying..

[cloneshipficquotes]

“Have you finished your staring?”

Jesse smirked. “Nope. But I would like your name.”

The medic answered with a sharp grin. He leaned forward, his elbow on Jesse’s bed and his chin propped up on his fist. “What makes you think you should have it?”

— eyayah_oya & Wooley Simp (orphan_account), from I never knew what I was missing

[mandos-mind-trick]

Clone Soulmate AU Series

A Masterlist of all my fics for my Soulmate AU series. All of them contain smut so minors vanish.

MAIN MASTERLIST

Blessed Silence - Tech x reader

Monochrome - Imperial!Crosshair x medic reader

Jaig Eyes - Rex x medic reader

Carry Me Home - Cody x reader

Danger - Wrecker x reader

00:00 (Zero O'Clock) - Hunter x reader

Cabur - Wolffe x reader

Grey - Jesse x reader

Healing Touch - Kix x reader

Lost Time - Gregor x reader

The Soldier and The Spy - Fives x reader

See You In My Sleep - Howzer x reader

Dream of You - Echo x reader

Blurbs:

The Thing About Soulmates

On Soulmate Rejection

A Little More On Rejection

[aces-to-apples]

reposted the maulakin soulmates fic now that it won't hurt my feelings

[oceansssblue]

[THE BAD BATCH] — Soulmate AU

ECHO/OFC

WARNINGS: SOME ANGST (HAPPY ENDING), ECHO WITH SOME SELF-BODY ISSUES.

Echo stared at his now metallic forearm. He could almost picture it; the way his tanned skin used to show her name, the strange irreplacable ink shaping the five small letters that had changed everything back when he was a kid. His soulmate's name. His mark. His bond.

Echo had been nine when the five letters had suddenly sewed themselves onto his skin. It was just an uncomfortable itch at first; then, it burned. When nine year old Echo had dragged his right sleeve up to check his forearm, he had found a name.

<< Raine >>

Five small letters that gave him hope and cursed him all the same. His first feelings had been –after shock and confusion– pure joy and affection. Someone, somewhere in the galaxy, was destined just for him; a true match to his particular soul. Not his brothers, not just any clone; His.

Then, that joy and hope had been squashed away. Taken with greedy hands and harsh words. He still remembered the lecture the kaminoans gave him, amongs a few other lucky –or unlucky– clones. The hope and joy was replaced with fear, guilt, and sadness. Someone, somewhere, was destined to live in constant worry for him, or worse, forced to experience his loss with or without the chance to getting to know him. Because he was just a clone, engineered to fight a war for the Republic; and nothing else mattered at all. Not that name; not his bond. Not Raine.

Years passed, and little Echo kept growing into the soldier he was now with strict rules and a clear objective in mind; becoming an ARC trooper, protecting his Jedi general and the Republic, surviving fight after fight among the brothers who could. Survive. All thoughts of his soulmate were burried under a million worries and more than a dozen closed calls; under the grief he held for the death of too many vods and the anger and rippling sadness that threatened to bury him alive. Just keep fighting. Dont give up. It became his new mantra; and that he did, until the option was taken away from him too.

His memories of Skako Minor were, at best, hazy and mixed up. He saw numbers. He saw Fives, and Rex, his squad and all the manuals he had learned by page. He saw, but he didn't think. Or live. He was just something; part of the technology, of a system, not even a clone right then. He didn't realise how much he liked and needed to be just a clone until he started his long way to recovery after Anaxes and found out just how different he was from the rest of them now.

The death of his twin had been even more difficult to process than getting used to his new body and mind. He didn't recognise himself in the mirror; didn't recognise who he was without fives. But the Bad Batch showed him who he could be. He had hold onto that new oportunity while he learned how to cope with his new shape; how his complex interface worked, how to filter huge amounts of data in his head, how his legs and scomp moved. It hadn't been easy. It still wasn't. But he had learned to leave the past behind; how to focus on what he still had, and suddenly, with time, Clone Force 99 had become family in his eyes. After the fall of the Republic, he had sticked with them. One day, Echo would contact Rex and join the Rebellion, return to what he did best; until the Bad Batch found a safe haven, a place for Omega to grow without the fear of getting caught by the Empire constatly hugging her, Echo would cover their backs.

(•••)

"I'm still unable to comprehend where I could have made a mistake. I have considered every option I have been able to come up with; but something must obviously be escaping my mind. Your prothesis are failing to recuperate their full movility and speed and I can't seem to find the error in order to fix it so..."

Echo tried not to chuckle at Tech's constant mutters and rambling. They had just finished a mission for Cid in Ackerton three days ago, in which once again Echo had used his new abilities to infiltrate in an external security system to get the doors that they needed oppened. He had done that with no problem at all; but his legs had buckled right after achieving it and he would have had hit the floor if Wrecker wasn't there to catch him in time. It had appeared to be just a minor shock to his system, back then; with Echo quickly regaining his foot and finishing the mission swiftly with no other complications at all. However, the strange malfunction had repeated at least twice per day since then; and Tech, to the resident genious own greatest frustration, handn't been able to find the reason yet. That's why they were currently walking towards the supposedly best ingeneering workshop in a nearby planet, Osk; to, for once, get some external help.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Tech", Echo answered with his usually calm, soft voice, trying to put his brother at ease while he continued directing them through the route he was visualising in his head. "We'll get it fixed in no time".

Tech frowned in evident irritation. He was also worried for Echo, even if expressing in annoyment his lack of knowledge was the only way he knew how to.

"It is not nothing. If it were, I would have obviously found the malfunction and..." He started, but was quickly cut out by Echo's voice as the soldier stopped right on his track and scanned the building in front of them with interest.

"Clanks&Screws, that's our place right there" announced Echo, making Tech go silent for a tiny while he too scanned the workshop from the outside.

Echo nodded and walked towards the entrance without bothering to check if his vod was following or not.

"Can't believe we're leaving this in hands of a shop with a name like that..." Tech muttered, but entered the work place just the same.

At least the shop was kept clean and only slightly disorganized. Some chips, wires, drivers and half projects where abandoned here and there; but otherwise it didn't give off the impression of someone who just wanted to get money doing a shitty half job. Tech examined the space without hiding his curiosity; while Echo tried to locate the resident ingeneer, who was no where to be found.

"Be right there!" Shouted a voice from an adjacent room, right then, and once recovered from the surprise both clones waited patiently for the workers arrival. They could hear a feminine mumble across the opened door behind the counter. "Just make sure it doesn't crumble again, little bug".

They didn't have much time to ponder to whom she was talking to –though by the nickname, and considering where they were, it was probably some kind of techno droid– before a tall girl with chocolate brown hair tied up in a messy bun and black grease stains across her cheeks and hands walked towards them. She had caramell eyes, a small button nose and a very un-flattering work overall on. Even with her figure hidden from stranger's wandering glances, Echo couldn't help thinking how beautiful she was.

"What can I help you with, boys?" She asked, after scanning them in a fraction of a second that felt too long and yet not enough to the former ARC trooper.

Tech was quick to jump into his endless explanation and, surprisingly, the –probably in her mid twenties– woman patiently listened and nodded along. Further from feeling annoyed or irritated, she seemed to cling to each word as if she were gratefull to have someone who had done some research and knew what they were on about for once. She payed special attention at how Echo's neural system worked; her eyes turning to steal a glance from him here and there while Tech continued discussing posibilities and his thorough research. Echo awkardly –yet patiently– waited for the two ingeneering experts to come to a conclussion.

"Have you checked his neural interface, then?" She cut out, once she knew the googled man wasn't going to point out any adittional relevant information anymore, and Tech looked at her stunned.

"Oh, I can't believe I didn't evaluate the posibility of the malfunction coming from his central system! I went straight to the prothesis without taking into consideration that his neural conexion may have been seveered while tapping into the defence code web and..."

The young mechanic chuckled and turned to Echo. Those were two interesting men.

"Have you been having some sort of visual or processing weird alteration too, handsome?"

Echo blushed involuntarily and tried to remember.

"I... I have, actually. I didn't think too much about it, but I've been able to process data almost too fast. Faster than my usual rythim, at least. But that's not exactly a bad thing, right?" He asked, wearily.

She hummed and crouched down to grab a case of tools and placed it on the counter in front of her.

"Not painful, but not a good thing either" she answered distractedly, her hands roaming through the tools in search of a specific one. "It might be a sign that your prothesis aren't sending the necessarily signs to your neural system and therefore making it able to speed the conexions of other functions. Imagine your body is a circuit. If you eliminate or lower the charge on the colateral one that goes towards your legs, the other conexions will be able to work faster. That way you can sort throw data better, but loose movility, range and speed."

Echo didn't ever think that he would feel that atracted to brains; even if it were a desirable trait, he would have imagined that it would be more of Tech's thing. However, this woman knew what she was talking about; and he found the determined way she talked and moved and her easy, collected disposition refreshingly attractive. It helped she was pretty, too.

"Alright, let's have a look" she announced, once she finally found the rounded tool she was apparently looking for, and pointed at one side of the room to him "Can you sit on the stool over there and take off your shirt?"

Stating that Echo's cheeks burned brighter than a star would have been an understatement.

"W-What?" He could only managed to stutter, paralised.

The young mechanic laughed –a true, un-restrained, melodic sound– and showed him a loop-sided amused smirk.

"Not like that, handsome" she soothed him, albeit with a entertained twinkle in her caramel eyes. "I've seen a pair of similar neural systems like yours before, and you guys usually have a double entrance point to minimise the risk of overcharing and damaging a port. I assume you got one hiding there on your head implant and one on some spot on your spine, don't you?

Tech could still read the shock and hesitance on his brothers face and decided to gift him with some more seconds to collect himself.

"You are, indeed, correct. Your knowledge is impressive. I confess I had my reservations upon arrival, but I can see now that my doubts were unfair".

The young woman showed the goggled clone a small smile and waited for Echo to finally react. He did so with a million doubts and concerns running through his head. He was used to his body by now, but he wasn't used to others looking at it. He sat down on the stool regardless and slowly took his shirt off; staring down at the floor and trying not to fidget in his self-consciousness.

She seemed to understand what he was feeling and thinking about; as she quickly stepped behind his back without staring at his body more than necessary and reassuring him before actually starting to play with his head.

"I'm gonna do this as quick and swiftly as possible, okay? Just gonna plug in in both ports and run a quick scanning system first. If it is what I think it is, my program will find the severed conexion in no time and we'll get it fixed under fifteen minutes. Sounds good?"

Echo nodded in silence. He felt an electric rush zapping through his veins when the young woman connected to both of his ports; feeling slightly comforted while she talked him through what she was going to do. Her hand softly caressed one side of his neck; and Echo couldn't hold his reaction. He trembled; a feeling mixed with both panic and pleasure. She assumed it to be purely the first and her voice turned surprisingly soft and gentle.

"You alright there? It shouldn't be painfull at all. Just a few more minutes. Let me know if it does, okay?"

He nodded, closing his eyes and letting her search along his files. It felt weirdly intimate, somehow. He tried to mantain his breathing under control and not think of Skako Minor. He was safe, now; even if someone was checking him like the half-droid he was.

"Found it" her satisfied voice popped up after some minutes, making Echo open her eyes and only then realising he was crushing Tech's hand on his own one. He let it go with a small apologising glance; his googled brother completely unfased by the act. "It was just what I thought. The security interface you tried to infiltrate must have sent a shock to your system that has somehow rerouted some of the conexions between your neural implant and your legs prothesis towards other circuits. That's why you can still move them but without the same speed, strength, and movility range. I just have to carefully rerout it back to normal and you should be good to go in ten".

Both Echo and Tech nodded in understanding, and they let the mechanic perform her art. Tech studied each step; making sure nothing was put out of place and learning along the way. She diligently worked in near silence for the next few minutes; muttering to herself here and there and turning the corners of her lips up in victory when achieving each step.

She finally sighed and very carefully and slowly plugged out of the man's ports. She threw her tools back onto their case and handed Echo his shirt, standing up in front of him and showing him a small smile.

"All done. Feeling good, handsome?"

Echo re-dressed and cautiously tried to flex his artificial knees and twist around. He nodded in relief. Tech did too, satisfied.

"Yeah. I didn't even realise it before, but it did feel different than usual. Now it feels just right". He looked up at her with honest eyes. "Thank you. What do we owe you for this?"

She walked back towards the counter while she answered.

"Usual price is 100 osseks. But it was a pretty quick repair, and I like you guys, so we'll leave it at 90, how about that?

Tech stepped in and extended his hand.

"We appreciate it. Unconviniently, we only count with its equevalent in credits. Would that pose a problem?"

She shrugged and waved a hand.

"Nah. I accept pretty much any sort of payment here. Just let me call bug in so he can scan those credits for me. Not that I think you guys are trying to fool me, but scammers are getting quite creative this days".

Echo nodded in agreement.

"No offense taken" he added, and she turned to the opened door calling her droid out.

"Four-o-nine! Move your little wings here and scan this credits for me, bug!

A small red CRX-technodroid calmly flew towards them; making chirping sounds while he inmediatly followed the human's order. Tech curiously glanced at both Echo and the droid before voicing his observation.

"Curious name for a technodroid" he started, tentatively, while she waited for the red bug to finish his scan.

"Is it?" She answered, distracted, saving the credits in a safe place and getting the change for them. "I named it after someone important to me".

Tech collected the excess back and dropped it in one of his numerous belt pouches. He just had a feeling about this. Could he be right?

"May I ask who? A family member, pherhaps?"

Her face filled with melancholy and a sad smile perched on her lips for once.

"It's someone who I've never met", was her quiet answer, and Echo felt his heart beat intensifying and threatening to burst out of his chest right then. He had catched up on Tech's suspition. But there was no way that beautiful woman was her soulmate, right?

His tongue felt stuck to his mouth. Fortunately for him, Tech continued his cautious research like he always did.

"You must have realised were clones, as intelligent as you are, albeit different than the mayority of us. Am I correct in assuming that that is his CT-number?

She seemed hesitant to confirm his theory, but ended up nodding and Echo felt closer to suffering a heart attack. This was it. This could be it. This could be the moment where his whole world shifted again and...

"1409, yeah. I cut it down to four-o-nine for short" she let out a nervous chuckle, reading their postures and understanding the direction of his questions with a growing heaviness in her heart. "Don't tell me you know him? After the Republic fell I assumed I wasn't going to be able to meet him. Everyone's on the run, nowadays, and..."

She grew silent, fidgeting with the end of her sleeve, and Echo swallowed his insecurities down. He glanced at Tech, who nodded at him and gave him the rest of the strength he needed to voice his confession out loud.

"I am... I am CT-1409. I... I'm your soulmate."

A million thoughts and emotions seemed to flash in the girls eyes. She stared in shock, stunned; looking at him a few seconds later with raw hope and anxiousness etched in every fraction of her face.

"If... if this is a joke, it's no fun" she whispered, without tearing her caramel eyes of him, and Echo couldn't stop staring back even when Tech's voice intervened.

"I can assure you Echo is indeed clone trooper 1409. We have no reason to lie to you; we've already achieved what we came here for".

She tugged her sleeve up. Without looking at her right forearm, she caressed the numbers on her skin. Echo trembled at the sight. It was such a reverent gesture, filled with such hope and warmth...

Her caramel eyes searched his amber ones; the stare she gave him was so intense it seemed as if she was searching his very own soul. And he was hers. His soul.

"Tell me my name. If you're my soulmate, you must have had it etched in your skin, once, too."

She needed confirmation. And he understood. Echo knew right then that she had been waiting for him even longer than he himself had. Because while her memory had been forcebly burried inside his mind, toppled with his hard life as a soldier, he was still fresh in hers; no-one told her to shut it down, to forget about him. And Echo understood once more all the lies that the kaminoans had tried to teach them about their soulmates too. It didn't matter if they met each other or not. It didn't matter if the clones succeeded in forgetting them. Their soulmates worries and fear for them would not change. Would not stop. And neither would their love and care.

"Raine" he whispered, as if she would dissolve in thin air if her name was spoken too loud "Your name burnt my right forearm when I was nine years old. I was told to forget... But i never truly did. It was the one order I never couldn't fully follow".

Her eyes filled with tears and she tumbled towards him.

"F-Fuck. Fuck... You-You are..."

She couldn't help herself. Some part of her understood the reservations he might have to being hugged and touched; but he was his soulmate, he was fucking there, and she couldn't do any other thing that throwing herself into his arms.

Echo couldn't bring himself to plant distance between each other either. A slight panic flew through his veins with the unexpected contact; but she was there, and surprisingly, she fiercely wanted him. And Raine was all he ever wanted too, even if he wasn't allowed to feel so.

She cried on his shoulder, whispering against his armour.

"I thought you might be... With the war and the rise of the Empire, I hadn't found you yet and I thought I might never..."

Echo moved his left hand over her back in a soothing caress.

"It's alright. It's alright, Mesh'la. I'm sure it was difficult, and we've... I've been through a lot, too... But we're here now. I'm right here, okay?"

She felt strong enough to push her face back a little in order to being able to look up towards him. She was tall, sure, but he was even taller. She liked that.

"I've been calling you handsome and trying to flirt with you since you stepped inside my shop, thinking I might find myself a hot date for a change and..." she let out a teary laugh, making Echo chuckle with her, too.

"And I happen to be your soulmate" he finished for her, showing a small warm smile. "You know, that actually makes me feel a bit better. I was worried that if I ever managed to find you, you wouldn't find this..." he gestured "Attractive".

She bit her lip and some of that previously cool collected cheekiness reappeared.

"Oh, handsome, believe me" her arms slowly wrapped around his shoulders and neck, and she grinned at him "I find you hot as fuck".

They chuckled and laughed together; both unable to resist each other anymore and joining their lips in a passionate –yet gentle– kiss. She melted in his arms. Kissing his soulmate, Echo, had to be the best thing she had experienced in her life.

Later that night, when Echo returned to the Marauder with the rest of his family –they all had agreed to stay for a whole extra week in Osk to give the young mechanic time to pack her things up and join them– Raine looked down to her forearm and caressed his four digits with a soft smile.

<<1409>>

She couldn't be happier; couldn't feel prouder of having his mark on her skin. And she couldn't wait to experience all that were to come.

THE END.

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AUTHORS NOTE:

That's it for this one folks! Please forgive any errors I've made; English is not my native language.

I really hope you've enjoyed this! And if you have (or even if you haven't, I accept constructive critisicsm) let me know in the comments! This is my first au ever in tumblr (i write fics on wattpad in spanish) and I'm sure I'll feel more inspired to continue if you do so.

Also, I accept requests! If you want me to write a story about a specific clone, with whatever theme or relationship you can imagine (i can also write dark stuff, smutt, WHATEVER) let me know in the comments or send me a dm!

Xx, Sky.

[rexsokaficquotes]

Heartmarks aren't rare among humanoids in the galaxy; they are, however, rare among clones. Rex can name on one hand which of his brothers were blessed with soulmates, especially those who were still alive.

(Are heartmarks a blessing or a curse? Rex is never sure of the answer.)

— akingnotaprincess, from between one heartbeat to the next