#i fear he might be ooc but he's got a concussion for half of it

[melliejellybellybean]

Check Ups and Pick Ups

Captain Rex/Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: Probably incorrect medical talk

Captain Rex was calm, cool, collected, and completely oblivious. But with the help of your fellow medical colleague and resident love expert, Kix, you've constructed a plan to confess your true feelings.

This is my @cloneficgiftexchange for the lovely @ladysongmaster! I really liked your prompts of comparing hands for flirting scientific purposes and "Are you flirting with me?" "You just realized, huh?" and it inspired me to write this. Truthfully, I wrote this during my finals week, so I have no clue how well it's actually written, but I REALLY HOPE you enjoy it!

If he was honest, Rex didn’t remember much about how he ended up in the medbay, but something deep in him knew that it was Fives’ fault. The bright, sterile lights of the room bounced off the pristine white walls and attacked his vision and caused his head to pound even harder. It really should’ve been easy for him to focus on anything that wasn’t those walls and stop putting himself in physical pain, but the alternative meant focusing on the only other thing in his field of vision: you. Under any other circumstances, he would have enjoyed having you so close to him and tenderly touching his head, but seeing as he was already fighting the urge to vomit into your lap, he felt it was best to not test how well his stomach would handle the amount of butterflies you always managed to put there. 

“And you say he… fell?” Your voice sounded muffled. That wasn’t good, was it? 

“Yup!” A bright voice that sounded a bit like Tup, “Right off his bunk.” 

You didn’t sound convinced, “You’re sure?” 

“Of course!” Tup’s voice rose almost a whole octave, “Dogma was there to see the whole thing.” 

The sound of Tup’s elbow heading straight into Dogma’s ribs was followed by the man’s hiss. “Yeah, he smacked his head on the way down.” 

“And this has nothing to do with the fact that Fives and Hardcase have been planning on testing out their new ‘Clankerball’ game today?” 

“I’ve no clue what you’re talking about.” 

You sighed and moved back into Rex’s field of vision, this time much closer. “Okay, captain, do you know where you are right now?” 

“Aboard the Venator. In the medbay.” 

“What year is it?” 

“The year 12” 

“Who is the current chancellor?” 

“Chancellor Palpatine.” 

“Are you free on Zhellday night?” 

“Ye– huh?” Rex’s gaze snapped to you for the first time since his entrance to the bay. 

“Whoa, captain,” You inched slightly closer, the too-casual tone from your last question replaced by one of genuine concern. “Your eyes are really dilated!” 

Tup snorted, “I think he gets like that everytime he looks at you.” 

The comment, combined with the butterflies that seemed to multiply exponentially the longer he looked at you, proved to be too much for Rex’s stomach, and before he knew it, his mess hall lunch was on full display all over your shoes. 

“No, I think he’s just concussed.” 

… 

Normally, Rex’s interactions with you were limited to standard health checks and occasional trips after a particularly rowdy 501st scheme. However, for the first time since joining the Grand Army of the Republic medical team, you had the perfect excuse to be around him constantly for a full 24 hours. It wasn’t ideal, he was concussed and probably very confused about a lot of what was going on in the current moment, but you’d take what you could get. 

While it wasn’t necessary, you had a timer set for every hour to remind you to make sure his symptoms weren’t getting worse. If someone felt that was a bit excessive, they could take it up with your medical license. Not that anyone would. Most of the medbay staff, including some of the med-droids, were witnesses to the unbearable pining that you held for the 501st captain and fully rooting for the plan that you and Kix had cooked up. 

“As much as I love and respect the guy,” Kix startled you one day, “Rex is a complete di’kut.” 

You cleared your throat. How long had he been looking at you? Did he notice you staring at the door after Rex left escorting a slightly limping Echo? “That’s a little harsh.” 

“Doctor, I’m not blind. Everyone can see that you’re in love with him.” 

“Wha– I’m not– That’s– Love is a strong word–”

“And I’m done with watching whatever holonovella has been going on here.” Kix slung an arm around your shoulders. “It’s time for Operation Dr. Matchmaker.”

Your face heated up at the memory of how you began Operation Dr. Matchmaker. What was wrong with you? Asking if he was free while he was actively suffering from a concussion? Luckily, Rex had other things on his mind when you tossed your dignity out the airlock, but with Tup and Dogma listening in, you wouldn’t be surprised if the entire ship had heard about it already. Your datapad beeped, indicating that another hour had passed, and you shook the thoughts out of your head. No matter how handsome he was, you had a patient to take care of. 

“Hello, captain! How are you feeling?” You cheerfully (maybe too cheerfully?) greeted him as you walked over to his bed. 

Rex groaned. “About the same as an hour ago.” 

An awkward laugh forced its way out of your throat. “Of course, well, you know the drill by now I suppose.” 

To be fair, you did conduct a proper check-in at first, but somewhere in between asking about what he remembered from the past day and if he remembered who was above him in the chain of command, Kix walked past. He met your eyes with a wink and a thumbs-up which gave you a surprising boost of confidence to carry out your plan. 

“Alright, last question: Can I take your temperature? You’re really hot today.” 

A beat of silence followed which gave you just enough time to regret every single life choice you’d ever made. “You already took my temperature five minutes ago…” 

You really should have timed that line sooner. “That’s right!” You laughed much louder than intended, “I was testing your short-term memory and you passed! Okay, see you in an hour!” 

You passed by Kix as you sped walked out of there, barely catching his mumbled, “This is going to be harder than I thought.” 

… 

The next 24 hours passed in a much similar fashion. Every single pickup line that Kix had provided you was a complete failure. 

“Are you an appendix? Because I really think I should take you out.” 

“Clones are actually created without appendixes. The Kaminoans didn’t see any purpose in them” 

“Can I be your ophthalmologist? ‘Cause I can’t stop looking into your eyes.” 

“Are they still really dilated?” 

“Did you alter my vestibular apparatus? I can’t stop falling for you” 

“Should I call Kix?!” 

“Hey, I’m a medullary thyroid carcinoma and you’re a pheochromocytoma. We’re MEN 2B.” 

“... I have no idea what that means.” 

With every swing and miss, you felt the pity from the other occupants of the medbay grow. At one point, Dud, a very nice clone from the 104th who had been in the medbay for about a week with a broken arm, tried to step in and explain one of your lines, but Kix’s glare could be felt from three beds down. 

During your final check-in with Rex, you decided to deviate from Kix’s script. Maybe the medical flirting was going over Rex’s head and you should take a more direct approach. 

“Yeah, so your nausea subsided enough I think. Your balance is much better and I don’t think you have any significant memory loss. I think you should be good to go. Oh! One last thing: We should compare hands. You know… for science… and medical purposes.” 

The whole medbay seemed to hold its breath. 

“Okay.” Rex held up his hand. You tried not to let your relief be too visible as you placed yours into his much larger ones. Your touch was feather-light at first, but when you looked up to see that his eyes were already on you, you became bolder. Just as you were about to move your fingers to interlock with his, he spoke. “Did you get all you needed?” 

You felt like a balloon that had just been popped. “Um, yeah, I got all the measurements.” 

“Great! I really need to get out of here. I’ve spent too long in this bed.” Rex took his hand away and got up. “Thank you so much for all your help, doctor. Should I come back in a few days for another check?”

You slowly lowered your hand. “Actually, I’m pretty booked with appointments for the next while, so you should probably get Kix to monitor you from now on.” If your voice sounded hollow, Rex didn’t mention it. 

You kept your eyes on the ground and stayed rooted to the chair beside what used to be his bed until you heard the medbay doors whoosh behind him. 

Dud broke the silence, “It really wasn’t that bad. He was probably still out of it from his concussion–” 

“I’m so stupid.” You put your head in your hands. “What is wrong with me? I couldn’t get the hint the first time he rejected my pick-up line so I just had to try 20 more times? I’m the oblivious one! I couldn’t tell that he was trying to let me down easily!” 

Footsteps approached and you looked up into Kix’s encouraging gaze. “Hey, don’t be like that. We’ll try again and it’ll get through his thick skull the next time! We’ll brainstorm some more and come up with even better ideas.” 

“I can help.” Dud offered. 

“Dud’s gonna help!” 

You cut off their ridiculous scheming. “That was the most embarrassing 24 hours of my life, Kix. Maybe you didn’t notice, but he never once responded to my advances. Isn’t that kind of an indicator of how he feels? What made me think he’d return my feelings?” 

“Well, don’t just give up!” 

“I’m done.” You declared, “Operation Dr. Matchmaker was a flaming pile of garbage to begin with. You have to handle the rest of his recovery because I don’t think I can ever look at him again.” 

Kix and Dud shared a concerned look, but you had already gotten up and started cleaning off the bed for the next patient to use. 

…

Three times. In the month following Rex’s concussion, he had visited the medbay three times for stupid reasons. First, Jesse cut his hand and it bled a slightly concerning amount, then he brought Hardcase after he threw up in the middle of the night, then he forcibly escorted Echo when he stubbed his toe on a chair. They didn’t have a medical degree, how would they know if it was somehow broken? Three dumb medbay visits which usually would be rewarded with a chance to see and talk to you, but Rex once again was greeted by his brother. 

Kix took one glance at Echo’s foot. “Yeah, he’s fine.” 

“You’re sure? Maybe you need a second opinion.” 

“What are you doing here, Rex?” Kix crossed his arms, “Since when did you start caring about stubbed toes and food poisoning?” 

“I want my brothers to be in the best health.” Rex defended, “Besides, Echo was really hurt!” 

“I was in pain for maybe the first 45 seconds.” Echo muttered. 

Kix sighed, “Alright, look, it’s kind of ruining my plan for me to talk about this, but I know why you’re here. And it’s not Echo’s kriffing toe. You’re here because you haven’t talked to a certain pretty doctor since your concussion and you’re getting desperate.” 

Rex stiffened, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t be stupid.” Kix rolled his eyes, “You’ve had it bad for her since she started working with us, and frankly, it’s painful to be in the same room as you both. You need to man up and talk to her. You’re a captain for Maker’s sake, start acting like it.”

“I don’t know what you think you’re seeing, but I can assure you it’s wrong.” Rex denied stubbornly, but Kix was sure he could see a bit of a blush creeping up the captain’s neck. 

Bingo. Kix shared a sneaky look with Echo. It looks like it was time to move onto the next phase of Operation Dr. Matchmaker. “Okay, well, if you just need a push someday, let me know. I am more than willing to help out and–” 

In record time, Rex grabbed Echo and headed for the door, “You talk about this again and I’m leaving you on the next deserted planet.” 

Hook, line, and sinker. 

… 

A month later was a day that Rex would normally have dreaded, but instead he found himself counting down the days to the 501st health evaluation day. Walking into the medbay, he immediately started around. Everywhere he looked, he saw medical staff and droids walking between beds, carrying clipboards or equipment, but he didn’t stop scanning until he caught a glimpse of you. Then his gaze was like a magnet, he watched from the bed that a med-droid had directed him to lay on as you approached the bed on the farthest end of the medbay from him. He couldn’t see who you were talking to or hear what was being said, but he did notice that your posture seemed stiffer than normal and that your smile didn’t quite meet your eyes. 

He wanted to talk to you and see if you were okay, but his rehearsal of how he would voice this concern for you was interrupted by the suddenly loud voice that commented, “You know, Doc, you’re as bright as a lightsaber. I saw you beaming from across the room.” 

Rex knew that voice. He heard it almost every time they were in 79’s on Coruscant for a night and Hardcase decided to flirt with a pretty waitress. This time, however, it seemed like the pretty waitress Hardcase was flirting with this time… was you. He was ready to sit up and scold his brother, but your chuckle stopped him. The only way you responded to his advances was by rolling your eyes and walking to the next bed. Rex guessed he could let it go, for now. 

He laid down fully again, trying to return to his thoughts, but this time you were slightly closer and he couldn’t help but try to strain for your voice. He definitely heard it when another obnoxious voice all but yelled, “It looks like you’ve got your blaster set to stun today, Doc, because you’re stunning. Got any plans for Zhellday?” 

This time he sat straight up and glared at Jesse, who seemed to be purposefully avoiding his gaze. You fully laughed this time, seemingly less tense than you were when they first arrived. 

“That’s enough out of you.” You actually responded! From where he sat, Rex was caught between wanting to strangle Hardcase and Jesse or wanting them to continue so you’d keep laughing. 

You moved onto the next bed, where Fives sat. Fives locked eyes with Rex and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes made the captain deeply suspicious. This time you didn’t even start your initial check-in before Fives opened his mouth, “Mesh’la, are you an appendix? Because I really think I should take you out.” 

Fives maintained direct eye contact with Rex as he flirted with you, but after the first sentence you were too flustered to notice. You were flustered! How could you be flustered at that pickup line? Rex was honestly impressed that Fives even knew what an appendix was, but something about that line in particular felt very familiar. Had he used it on a waitress in 79’s too? 

Rex was pulled out of his thoughts and you out of your sputtered response by Echo suddenly sitting up, “Can I be your ophthalmologist? ‘Cause I can’t stop looking into your eyes, cyare.” 

You looked equal parts horrified and amused at the scene that was happening before you as Rex whipped his head around to stare at his traitorous brothers. What was wrong with them? 

Tup jumped to his feet from the next. “Did you alter my vestibular apparatus? I can’t stop falling for you.” 

You once again tried to stammer a response, but nothing seemed to be coming out. It was silent for a bit before Hardcase, Jesse, Fives, Echo, and Kix turned to look expectantly at Dogma. 

Dogma sighed and defeatedly looked at some scrawled note on his hand. “Hey, I’m a medullary thyroid carcinoma and you’re a pheochromocytoma. We’re MEN 2B.” 

That last line hit Rex harder than a blaster bolt. He knew where he had heard all of these lines. His mind finally relinquished the memories of you saying all of this to him when he was recovering from his concussion. Why were his brothers using them to flirt with you? Does that mean that you were flirting with–

“Hey, cyar’ika,” Kix wrapped an arm around your waist, “let’s compare hands. For science.” 

“That’s it!” Rex roared. He ran up to Kix and pulled him off of you, then put himself in between you and the semi-circle of 501st soldiers that had formed during this ordeal. “I don’t know what has gotten into you today, but you all need to stop. Can’t you see she’s just trying to do her job without being harassed?”

“Captain?” A delicate voice from behind him cut off his reprimand. He turned to look at you properly for the first time in a month. You had a little playful look in your eyes that he hadn’t realized he missed, and just like that, about a million butterflies burst into his stomach. Holding up a thermometer, you asked, “Can I take your temperature? You’re really hot today.” 

His mind was working on overdrive. These were questions you had asked him to make sure he wasn’t badly concussed. And his brothers were using them to flirt with you. Did that mean that they were inherently flirtatious? Did that mean that–

“Are you flirting with me?” 

“You finally noticed, huh?” For the most part, you looked playful and confident, but Rex had watched you from far enough to notice the subtle shake of your hands and the way it looked like you were almost holding your breath as you waited for his response. How could he pick up on all these little mannerisms that you did, but not when you were actively trying to flirt with him? 

“Can I see your hand?” Rex asked. You held up your hand, but instead of him even pretending to be comparing hand sizes, Rex gently interlocked your fingers, then brought your hand to his lips and pressed a light kiss to the back of it. “Are you free on Zhellday?” 

“Yeah.” You swallowed. 

He grabbed your free hand with his and pressed a kiss on that one, “Pick you up at 7?” 

“I’d like that.” You breathed. 

For a moment, the two of you just looked at each other and existed in this moment that made all of the pining, miscommunication, and lovesickness worth it, Rex glanced at your lips before panicking and relocking his gaze back to yours only to catch in the act of doing the very same thing. 

“As absolutely riveting as this interaction is, we do actually have jobs to do.” Kix interrupted before Rex could give into the urge to fully kiss you in the middle of a very busy medbay. 

With the moment thoroughly ruined, you and Rex looked over at the excited, victorious, relieved, and from Dogma, slightly disgusted reactions from the rest of the 501st. 

“I should probably let you get back to your work.” Rex awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, “See you on Zhellday?” 

“Yeah.” You responded, “I’ll also see you in 15 minutes. I have to actually take your temperature later.”