#priya gayiyla

[djarrex]

Across the Stars || Part Four

EoE universe | AtS masterlist

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Summary: The symptoms from Rex’s treatment take an unexpected turn.

note: ty @rowansparrow for reading and for some much-needed help w this!

EXPLICIT | 18+ ONLY | angst, smut, needles mention. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING WARNINGS CAREFULLY. These apply to events occurring in the very last scene (written in italics): graphic description of corpses in a nightmare sequence, graphic scene of childbirth, blood and gore, character death in a nightmare sequence. 

about 4.8k words

Rex’s eyes crack open to the distant sound of his name that’s soon followed by obscure knocking as he rubs the stickiness from his eyelashes. It takes him a moment to register where he is and what had happened earlier. With every small movement of the muscles of his face, there are flakes of dried tears cracking and splitting, ungluing from the skin on his cheeks. His body feels drained, as does his mind. Eyes adjusting, Rex notices that the room is not as bright as it was before he’d let sleep claim him – the sky painted in purples and oranges as the reflection of the sun’s descent bounces off the crystal lake below the balcony. It feels as if he’s been asleep for millennia – groggy and weighted – in another universe. The air is thick – his brain fuzzy. He fixes his gaze to the colors painted by the sunlight on the ceiling above him – the shadow of the blowing drapes. The feel of his child laying on top of him grounds him to this world.

More gentle knocks snap him out of it, urging him to blink the moisture back into his dry eyes. The dryness he now feels contrasts heavily from all the tears that had lulled him and his daughter to sleep – a heavy knockout after a draining breakdown.

Priya is glued to him, her little fingers curled into his shirt and rosy lips puckered from how her cheek squishes against his chest. Lula is tucked under her arm, the red ears poking out from between them. Rex carefully wraps his arms around his daughter to roll her to the side of the bed as non-disruptive as possible, minding the slight bend in the mattress as he sits upright to check the time.

Shit.

Three more light knocks. Words being spoken from the other side of the door. “Is everything okay? I have been informed that you were not present today for treatment.”

Rex stands and pads to the door, rolling his head side to side and quietly unlatching it. He steps outside, peeking at his sleeping baby before closing it carefully behind him. 

“Ah,” Rex sighs – scrubbing a hand down his face. “Truthfully, it was a rough morning, though it was not my intention to sleep the day away.”

Bail doesn’t yet speak, but his words are ingrained within the concern in his features – the way his brown eyes scan the exhausted man before him.

“I suppose I should head over to the infirmary, that is, if I’m not too late.” Rex continues to fill the silence, “I’m sure missing a day of treatment isn’t something to take lightly.”

Hands folded behind his back, Bail raises his brows and tilts his chin upwards. Rex’s own brows pinch in confusion when the senator chuckles.

“You’ve got a little something in your hair, Captain.”

“Huh, wh– ”

Reaching to tap around where Bail’s eyes are looking, Rex feels the residue of dried jam, still stuck to the side of his head from this morning. Rex shakes his head and rubs at his temples, quickly remembering the events of this morning that left him feeling helpless and defeated as a father. Beaten. Drained. Rex isn’t sure how long the tears had fallen from their cheeks – unsure of what to do until it all fizzled into a shared slumber – his saving grace.  

“It’s alright. This is a lot, for you and your daughter,” Bail says with sincerity, placing his hand on Rex’s shoulder. “Freshen up then head to the infirmary. I’ll inform Dr. Brar, and would be delighted to take little Priya to supper in your stead.”

-

Rex had been correct in a sense; skipping a dose of the serum would have thrown the entirety of the treatment off course, though there’s no telling what could have happened exactly, according to Dr. Brar. Luckily Rex hasn’t been very active all day, which helps with creating an easy passage for the serum to penetrate and work, and is able to receive the normal dosage, just far later than usual. Dr. Brar was just finishing up for the day when Rex entered, an apologetic smile on his face as the doctor’s eyes lifted from the ‘pad in his hands, gesturing with one hand for his patient to get ready.

“Good evening, is all well?”

“Apologies,” Rex sighs, stripping his shirt and kicking off his shoes. “This morning was, uh, it was rough, Doctor. Ended up sleeping the day away, which is something I… hadn’t done before.”

“I see. Your body is working to accept the chemicals rather than reject them, which means the serum is taking effect – that’s good.” 

Rex hums, placing his clothing and shoes on a chair in a neat pile. “It must be, because I was unable to taste my caf this morning.”

The doctor cocks his head – considering.

“Your sudden loss of taste seems to fall under one of the unforeseen, temporary reactions I had mentioned before,” Dr. Brar says simply, inputting notes into his ‘pad as the machine and its parts whir into position. 

“Yeah,” Rex chuckles humorlessly, wiggling his fingers against the cool metal as the braces secure themselves in place. “That was definitely… unforeseen.”

“I’ll do some research on your ageusia and its connection to the treatment. Your inability to taste may perhaps be the only reaction, or the first of many.”

“As you’ve said,” he sighs. “You also mentioned that any reactions should clear up by the end of treatment.”

“I did,” the doctor confirms. “They should.”

They should.

“They better,” Rex mumbles under his breath.

That familiar hum of machinery and computers marks the start of the dosage administration – the needles seeping into his skin. In the privacy of his mind and behind closed eyes, Rex flips through different distractions he has banked that could pull him from his current focus. 

He sees his wife nearly asleep in the rocking chair he’d built long ago, Gelisa and Garran bundled in each arm as they feed from her – the little soft sounds they make as they drink – the fluttering of their long, delicate lashes. Priya sits on the floor just to the side, quietly playing with her toys and being her siblings’ guardian, as she so often does when it’s the twins' time to feed. Priya perks up when Rex approaches – his body weightless as he nears the ones he loves most in this universe. Gelisa has unlatched and is now fast asleep while Garran keeps going, suckling and staring at his Papa as he stands above, watching in admiration. Rex runs a hand over his wife’s head before reaching to grab little Lissy, holding her close to his chest and moving to sit on the couch with her. Her eyes flutter open but she remains otherwise unbothered; she isn’t a fussy baby. She blinks those gorgeous lashes at her Papa, poking her tongue out between her lips and wrinkling her tiny nose. 

Rex feels the smile stretching on his lips and the words falling from them –  mouthing them as hears it in the memory.

“My little golden-haired Lissy. Hi, little love.”

Her hand wraps around the tip of Rex’s finger.

“Just a few more minutes, Mr. Gayiyla.” 

The doctor’s voice breaks his concentration for only a moment as the memory shifts into another – the scene before him bleeding into a different setting. He’s in their bedroom now, on the bed he and his wife share. It’s dark and quiet, though that quickly changes when his eyes adjust as everything in this memory takes its shape. The mattress softly creaks in a steady rhythm – the wood boards knocking against one another. Naked with a thin layer of sweat coating her skin, she’s right there – he can see her before him, but more specifically, under him. 

He can’t help it – he misses her – feeling more anxious and uncertain than he ever has before and there’s a need residing deep inside of him that begs for attention. His eyelids remain shut as he concentrates on what images appear in the darkness behind them, giving in to what he knows this memory holds.

There’s no build-up – no crescendo. Rex finds himself thrown in the middle of it – panting and sticky and losing himself already.

“Rex– oh, fuck… Rex… just like that, baby. Keep going – don’t stop don’t stop don’t you dare stop– ”

He feels her – so warm – so fucking wet. The heat blankets his body – numbs the pressure of the needles – the weight of metal.

“I’ll never stop,” he promised. “You’re mine forever, cyare. You, your heart...” he paused, thrusting into her with more force, leaning forward to capture her lips in an open-mouthed kiss. “…your sweet cunt. Every part of you.”

He feels her arching beneath him – the press of her perfect, soft breasts against his chest. The bite of nails digs into his back. There's the squeeze of her thighs at his hips.

Rex’s fingers twitch – longing to touch her. They move on their own accord – strumming her clit.

“You hear that? Osik… the sounds your pussy makes as you take me has my head spinning– ”

The fucking sounds. Wet, slick, slippery noises that squelch, suck, and pop on repeat as he rocks into her – drills into the depths of her heat. His ears become engulfed with it all, drowning out the distant beeping of the vital monitors. 

“Rex, baby, I’m gonna cum if you keep talking like that… oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck– ”

“Cum, mesh’la. I wanna feel you strangle my cock, then I’m gonna fill you up so fucking good, you’ll have me leaking out of you for hours– ”

It’s been far too long since he came inside of his wife – felt the swell of himself engulfed in pliable, pulsating walls. The sensation is impossible to describe in words, but he can imagine it perfectly – remembering it in utter clarity. Feeling it happen through strong, unbreakable memories. Her palms cupping his face. The breaths they shared. The entangled limbs and heaving chests. Seeing it as if he were braced over her now, looking deep into her eyes.

The muscles of his abdomen begin to flex – dancing beneath the firm restraints. 

“Yes yes yes – oh my f-fuck – don’t stop don’t stop– ”

He can feel the groans and whines deep in his chest – the way they’d bubble and blow. Heat then travels to his face – the tips of his ears. His mouth is latched to her cunt – her thighs acting as earmuffs. He hears her heavy breaths, her mewls, her cries.

“Rex…”

“That's it. Say my name, cyare,” he hummed, tongue gliding through her sopping slit – dipping into her cunt. “Never stop saying my name.”

A series of loud, rapid beeping shakes Rex from the erotic memory – the heart monitor spiking.

Rex’s eyes fly open and his heart pounds in his chest. His mouth feels full of saliva and stuffed with cotton at the same time – the taste of her fading away. Eyes lowering, he easily spots the bulge straining under his briefs.

Fuck.

“Crazier things have happened, son,” Dr. Brar says plainly – unfazed – having noticed before Rex had. If Rex was able to shake his head out of pure embarrassment, he would, instead squeezing his eyes shut and steadying his breaths until the beeping of the monitor slows to a normal, unalarming rate. Tilting his head up once the restraints are lifted, he glares at the half-hard appendage between his legs, now less noticeable as the excitement fizzles. 

Well, that’s one way to pass the time. 

Rex isn’t sure what to say, rubbing at the back of his neck as he sits up and swings his legs over the edge, his hands folded in his lap in an attempt to shield what's left of his dignity. A wordless silence fills the air as the machines fasten themselves back into their terminals until he lands on: “The mind tends to, uh, wander when avoiding the present disturbance of tiny needles sticking into the skin.”

“No need to explain, Mr. Gayiyla. Here.” Dr. Brar approaches and hands Rex a smaller data pad, one that could fit into his pocket. “Use this to log any and all reactions and symptoms throughout the treatment. You’re the first patient to receive treatment like this, and the data would be extremely useful for us if we should treat any others who wish to pursue this course as you have.”

“I can do that,” Rex agrees – his ears still burning from embarrassment. 

“Eat. Rest.” Dr. Brar raises a brow. “Come back in the morning next time, hm?”

-

Back in his suite, Rex lays on the bed after a quick shower and change of clothes. He’d braved a trip to the banquet hall for any leftover food that had yet to be cleared out, scoring some bread that would fill the pit in his gut, ignoring the tastelessness of it as it went down. It had done the trick, satiating the hollow rumbling that Rex was no longer used to after these past couple of years – years of not having to live off rations.  

The moonlight shines through the room, illuminating the furniture and mosaic accents. Priya is with Leia, playing after supper as they have been – soaking up the time together. It's calm and quiet, the perfect setting to call his wife to recount the day's events.

Comfortable under the quilts with the comm sitting just below his chin, letting Lula snuggle up to him in his daughter’s absence, Rex goes on about his tasteless breakfast and extra long nap – forgoing to mention Priya’s breakdown. The last thing Rex wants is to detail his weakness – the defeat he felt as a father when the comm rang and rang in an attempt to contact his partner in this life. It’s not her fault; he feels that it’s his. Away from home, he’s solely in care of their baby girl and placing the weight of worry on his wife’s shoulders is not something he’ll do – not something she needs. 

“So it’s just… gone? Nothing?”

Rex hums in confirmation. “Completely unexpected, too. Pri and I were eating breakfast, and it just… wasn’t there,” he recalls. “I know the taste of bland foods – had plenty of that to last me a lifetime – but this was different. It all felt almost fuzzy and too thick for my mouth going in, like my tongue was numb. Even the caf, cyare.”

“Sounds like the doctor didn’t know what you could or would experience,” she comments.

“That’s because he didn’t, and still doesn’t,” he sighs. “He’s working off speculation – data gathered from other similar treatments and my bloodwork. I’m to log any and every reaction experienced throughout the treatment.”

“You’re strong, Rex. Unbreakable.” 

He doesn’t miss the way she speaks the words – the labored pauses between them. 

“You… alright?” 

“Yeah,” she answers with despondency. “Just tired is all.”

Rex considers her reason, deciding to lighten the mood – to put a smile on her gorgeous face, even if he’s unable to see it. Her smile is infectious, and it’s something he’d be able to feel through the comm, he’s sure of it.

“Well, you’ll get a kick out of what happened during treatment today.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

He’d been embarrassed at the time – and still a little bit even now, thinking about how he’d unintentionally let his walls collapse like that in front of somebody other than his wife – but he knows she’d enjoy the anecdote. Rex longs to see, to feel, her smile, even if at his expense. 

“I may’ve had an, uh… an erection right there on the table,” he chuckles, running his palm across his forehead. “Strapped down and getting poked at and all.” 

“Oh stars,” she tries to hold back laughter – snorting and pausing to collect herself. “What did the doctor say?”

“That he’s seen crazier things. Suppose that was meant to make me feel less like a di’kut,” he jokes.

“What were you even thinking about?”

“Well,” he starts – adjusting to press himself further into the pillows. “You. Us. In our bed, probably making the twins, if I recall.” Rex grins – the memory coming back to him. “It was like I was there again – hearing, seeing, feeling everything.”

“How in the universe would you know which time it was when you knocked me up?” she asks in amusement. Rex can practically see the incredulous smile and eye roll with every word – feels it in the growing strength in her voice. 

Chewing his lip, he shuts his eyes and recalls how it had felt to have his youngest daughter close her tiny hand around his finger – the warmth and security – the unvocalized love and trust. 

“Before that memory, I had one of the twins. Well, of all of us together. You were feeding them, exhausted and worn out. Pri was playing at your feet, then I came in and scooped Gelisa into my arms to sit on the couch with her. All of it – just as vivid.”

“Okay, Jedi,” she titters, and Rex laughs. 

“Oh, my beloved, I’m no Jedi.”

Just as he says that, soft knocks sound at the door, followed by the enthusiastic and muffled voice of his kid. “Papa!”

“Pri just got here,” Rex says into the comm. “She’ll be so excited to talk to you. Hang on a sec.”

He sets down the comm and quickly heads over to the door. Priya’s arms wrap around his leg before he can open it all the way. 

“Hey little love.” Rex takes a knee and grabs the toddler’s hands. “There’s someone on the comm who wants to talk to you.”

Her golden eyes light up as Rex scoops her up by her underarms then sits her on the bed – her legs swinging freely off the side. 

He picks up the comm, and before passing it to Priya, hears the faint buzz of static. 

What? She was just there.

Instead of making anything of the sudden and inexplicable disconnection, for his daughter’s sake, Rex holds back any concerned and distraught expressions, instead quickly switching off the comm, taking a seat at Priya’s side and grabbing her to sit on his lap. He tosses the comm away, and she shoots him an inquisitive look – head tilted up to analyze any thoughts or emotions displayed on his face. Rex knows her tactics – like father, like daughter. He wills the visage of a skilled Sabacc player, not risking a glance towards the discarded communication device. She has to have figured out who it was on the other end – a child too bright to have been part of this universe for only two and a half years. Anything he displays could give it away – trigger a sadness in his baby that he can’t bear to see.

“It was Uncle Echo,” he quietly tells the white lie, cautious of anything that could betray his tone. “He was just updating me on some things before the signal got interrupted.”

The signal had been operating just fine – the connection crystal clear. Nothing seemed out of sorts… except perhaps the fragility in his wife’s voice – the front of exhaustion and the mask of wellbeing. She’s been immobile and sleeping a lot lately, drained from providing and healing. Rex understands, except he’s not there as he should be and feels a shroud of guilt cocooning him because of it. He’s parsecs away and the realization hits him: he isn’t privy to what his wife is truly feeling. If not for his daughter sitting on his lap, watching for any twitch of his lips or pinch of his brows, Rex would be beside himself. Instead, the emotions sit stagnant within his chest, burrowing deeper every second he waits to speak. 

But why did she disconnect?

Rex clears his throat, attempting to expel the discomfort building within. He decides it best to not continue on the course of the comm’s disconnection. He always has been a flimsy liar, and his chest aches at the thought of the lie he’d just told his baby girl. A change of subject is crucial.

“How was supper, sweetheart?”

-

It had been difficult to wake the next morning, bright and early in time for treatment, but Rex made it work. His joints groaned at him – his muscles tender and fragile. He’d left his suite a few minutes earlier than usual in order to accommodate for the agonizing walk to the infirmary. 

The rest of day five had seemed to move in slow motion. He was in and out of treatment, which had been the easy part. Rex had operated everything afterwards submerged in a canister of molasses – boneless and weighed down by duracrete. The planet’s gravity felt a thousand times stronger, pulling him down into the earth as he trudged along – feet buried in coarse dirt. 

Once he’d gotten back to the suite, Rex collapsed into bed, too weak and fatigued to find food or care that his stomach felt like it’d been caving in on itself. He willed enough energy only to strip off his shirt and tuck himself under the quilts. 

Now, in the warm sunset light filtering through the drapes into the empty room, Rex is alone and wants nothing more than to let his body rest before the next day comes – before he has to do it all over again. Priya went with Leia to have another sleepover, a suggestion made by Bail so that Rex could have a night of uninterrupted recuperation. 

Rex feels that it'll become the preferred arrangement for the rest of their stay on Alderaan – for both his and Priya's sakes. 

Something inside of Rex is deteriorating. A chunk of him begins to rot as his body works with the serum in fighting to reverse his accelerated aging – he feels it. The change is there and he can only hope he sees the finish line as he'd been promised. 

She can't see me like this.

His thoughts spiral to his wife. Something is off and gut-twisting guilt plagues him for not having the energy to even attempt to contact her today. Rex shakes his head, digging his palms into his eyes to keep the tears from forming. 

Ahsoka would've called if something was wrong.

His wife and infants are under the best care – that he knows for sure. They're under constant watch. Ahsoka is part of the family – will protect them at all costs. She'd be privy to his wife's feelings and thoughts, though why she'd keep anything from Rex, he has no clue.

As his eyes start to grow too heavy to stay open, Rex promises himself that he'll call Ahsoka tomorrow. 

-

He’s too hot – a furnace burning under his skin. There’s lava in his marrow – melting his bones. His head feels like it’s swollen and everything inside of it pulsates and throbs as he thrashes it side to side. The rise and fall of his sweat-glistened chest has become rampant and uncontrolled. His limbs twitch and tense. 

Rex is fast asleep, unaware of his body's reactions and is none the wiser about how the terror he's submerged in drowns him – fills his head with fear and peril. Self-doubts and worst fears toe the same line in Rex's subconscious – fates changed and memories twisted.

“The first one is out - a girl, sir!”

She isn’t crying.

It’s loud. So much screaming – blood curdling screaming. Shouting. Crying – tears burning from exhaustion and strain. Rex holds her tight, looking over her shoulder at the delivery of his children. He sees her face – her head thrown back – jaw wide with excruciating pain and eyes rolled into her skull. His breathing picks up with anxiety, knowing there’s nothing more he can do for her. All he can do is wait. 

Blood. So much blood. Fluids. The horrendous concoction paints her inner thighs and the ladies’ hands. It spurts onto Rex. His newborn is coated in it – glued in her hair. Towels and linens are ruined with it. He’s afraid. She’s withering away in his arms as her body musters all the exertion it can. They’re taking everything from her – draining her lifeforce. There’s one more then she can let go – heal. 

“One more!” one of them calls.

“Push!” the other calls.

Rex’s bones are rattling but he’s otherwise frozen. He can’t speak – can’t open his mouth. Words are lost on him as he continues to watch her body contract and expel – eyes locked on the head slowly easing its way into the world. Every sound morphs into a faint, steady ringing as tiny limbs pop out from between her legs. Guided out of the canal, Rex’s son is born.

He isn’t crying.

“It’s a boy,” he hears a steady voice say - coming through the cotton in his ears. “We’ve a girl and a boy.” The voice fades again as she instructs another. “Get them breathing!”

The body in Rex’s arms has gone limp – her head lulled to the side against his shoulder. Air squeezes itself from his lungs as his chest constricts painfully tight. Ribs cracking – piercing his breaking heart. They’re trying to peel her from his grasp but he’s not willing to let go. He can’t breathe and the room is spinning and the roof is collapsing on them. The weight of the debris buries the two of them together, just as it should be. 

“How are they?” a nearby voice asks with frantic urgency.

“I can’t get them breathing!” another voice cries. 

In the pitch black from under the rubble, Rex sees his newborns, his babies, fixed with breathing apparatus – chests motionless and eyes closed. He reaches for them, but cannot make contact. Every inch he moves has them sliding further away. There’s no more oxygen. No escape from this hell. Rex can’t even cry for them – tears too sweet a luxury for a failed father such as himself.

The twins’ lifeforces ascend from their bodies in a brilliant gold light, infant hands balled into fists as they float in the direction of their mother’s body, beckoning to her. Still in Rex’s arms, her cold skin heats with warmth as that same golden light rises from her lifeless body, reaching to grab hold of her babies. Rex moves towards them, standing on his tiptoes and just inches away from making contact, when something grabs his ankle, pulling him into the earth. The offending arm is covered in white armor painted with a familiar blue and splattered with crimson, soon joined by at least a dozen more just like it, all reaching towards Rex to drag him under. Armored arms of his fallen brothers wrap around him, and Rex watches above as his wife and newborns’ golden lights fade away before his vision goes black. 

He’s pulled under. 

When his vision is restored, Rex is staring at the roof of something too close to his face – his nose nearly touching it. Laying on his back in a bed of earth, he reaches around but is blocked in by something on all sides – something that is not unlike a coffin. The faces haunt him in his eternal imprisonment – the screams and wails high-pitched in his ears. 

Suddenly the one side of his coffin fades away and opens up to another. Turning his head, Rex sees a little girl, laying on her back just as he is, motionless and just out of arm’s reach. A tiny peephole above shines a thin, bright light in the dirt, just above her head. Blinking his eyes to focus, the little girl’s appearance and features become clear. The realization hits him and the unbridled scream of terror that rips from Rex’s chest makes her head turn.

Her normally warm, exuberant eyes are void. The dark curls on her head are caked with mud. Her once perfect, soft, youthful skin is cracked with spidering lines like she was never human – a broken, porcelain doll. Her clothes are tattered and singed, but Rex recognizes them as the last outfit he’d seen her in. No tears bless him as he stares at his eldest daughter, imprisoned just as he is. He reaches for her, but just like before, it’s fruitless. 

Priya’s empty eyes stare in his direction. As she opens her mouth to speak, something small and slimy crawls past her pale lips and across her hollow cheek, disappearing into her ear. 

The voice that comes from her is too innocent and lively – doesn't fit the scene. Rex recognizes his daughter's voice all the same.

“Papa?”

-

tags: @rowansparrow  @thefact0rygirl  @baba-fett  @spaceydragons  @bambiswriting  @gotomarvelgal  @paige6768  @masteracewindu  @starwarschicken  @kriffclone  @fett-djarin  @itsagrimm  @space-b33  @moonstrider9904  @megafrost4  @salaminus  @bad-stubers   @literallydontlook  @ashotofspotchka  @theroguesully  @ladykatakuri  @echos-secret-tattoo  @damerondala  @tsundere-cherry-girl  @sageislostinspring @rain-on-kamino

[djarrex]

oh. oh my GOSH. Hui. This is so so so beautiful 😭💙 thank you! This is better than anything I could have ever imagined 🥺💕

I better get to writing Priya's debut ☺💝 (it'll be the one after the one I'm almost finished with 😅)

Post-O66 Rex and his newborn baby, Priya, for the lovely @djarrex 🥺

thank you for requesting ☆

[book-of-baba-fett]

OC Appreciation June 2022

A huge thank you to everyone who submitted OCs! This post wouldn't be possible without you. Feel free to share, and check out all the great OC content below the cut!

* indicates 18+/NSFW Content. If you notice a NSFW fic is not tagged as such, please let me know and I will edit.

✨ Nat's Recs - some of my own personal favorites

Fanfiction:

✨Across the Stars* by @djarrex (OCs -Priya, Gelissa, and Garran Gayiyla)

The Bad Batch: Trespass by @shadestepping (Multiple OCs)

Bonsoir* by @kaminocasey (OC - Cassia Nu aka Cash)

✨ By Any Other Name* & What Blooms in Thunder* by @rowansparrow (Clone OC - Rose/Gol'Chek, Nautolan OC - Quill, Human OCs Athena and Kiran, Garbak (Original Species) OC - Ju'Lah.)

✨Call Me Home * by @twistedstitcher27 (Jedi OC - Orr'Sinda Perth)

Call the Twi'Lek Midwife* by @ficsnooneaskedfor (OCs - Citali, Melita, Izel)

The Clone Wars Gets a New Victim by @thechaoticfanartist (Jedi OC - Grim)

The Duty of a Captain by @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life (Clone OC - Doc)

✨From Where We Stand* by @djarrex (OC - Ahri)

✨ Halo* by @rowansparrow (Nautolan OC - Quill, Human OCs Athena and Kiran, Garbak (Original Species) OC - Ju'Lah, Clone OC Rose/Gol'Chek.)

✨ The Hunt* by @moonstrider9904 (OC - Rose)

Illicit Affairs by @book-of-baba-fett (Jedi OC - Talia Riva, Clone OC - Captain Storm)

Insatiable* (Game of Thrones series) by @starwarslove16

Moonwalker* by @moonstrider9904 (OC- Sarah Adhara)

Not Saying Much by @clydesducktape (OC - Sola Korraay-Gideon)

One Step at a Time by @wild-karrde (Clone OC - Chuckles, Twi'lek OC - Arni, Pantoran OC - Nita)

Paradigm Shift (The Bad Batch/Expanse crossover) by @eyecandyeoz (OC - Emilia Chatham)

Pieces by @teletraan-meets-jarvis (OC - Issa Straun)

A Prince of Dathomir* by @kimageddon (Nightsister OC Zaiya Valessa, Mandalorian OC - Adaji Treshan)

✨Starlit Murder by @thebitchformerlyknownaskenobi (Pantoran OC - Kau'ra)

Stars in Their Multitudes by @jedi-valjean (Multiple OCs, feat - Com Narcom, Koss, Aberon Halmath, Kaltha, Tarkay, Leela, Korma, Sister Risuno, Unal Munir, Broque.)

Sins of the Father by @kimageddon

Artwork:

✨82nd Darkwatch Platoon by @zoruui

Ailani Réillata by @queen-breha-organa: Ailani in the Beach Dress by @gimmeyoursnacks Ailani Sketches by @maybe-murphy Ailani at Sunset by @d3epfriedangels ✨

✨Amaya by @amikoroyaiart

✨Cala by @thefact0rygirl, art by @maygalodon

✨Cherise by @cyarbika, headshot by @calamity-aims, art by @maulpunk

Captain Storm by @book-of-baba-fett, art by @elledjarin

✨Chad by @milfreva (there is literally so much Chad art and I love it all)

Dara Idella by @spacerocksarethebestrocks

✨Eya by @galacticgraffiti, art by @pinkiemme, art by @sar-arts

✨Kau'ra by @thebitchformerlyknownaskenobi, Starlit Murder fanart by @kimageddon

Lena Orim by @ilikemymendarkandfictional, art by @rebekahs-art

✨Locks and Urudyk by @cyareclones

Mari Gildow by @penguinkiwi

Omura Vane by @certified-anakinfucker

✨Priya Gayiyla by @djarrex, with Papa Rex by @howie-ner-cyare

Quill Cawthon by @rowansparrow, art by @space-b33

Sola Koraay-Gideon by @clydesducktape, moodboard for Not Saying Much by @princessxkenobi

Talia Riva by @book-of-baba-fett, character concept art by @deliahscrush2003 art by @elledjarin, by @deliahscrush2003, art by @space-b33

Creator Spotlight:

This section is for some OC creators in general - folks who share OC appreciation/have too many cool OCs to list them all here.

@ailani-reillata

@arrthurpendragon

@cyareclones

@circadianx

@darth-caillic

@deliahscrush2003

@eyecandyeoz

@findswoman

@justalittletomato

@just-some-girl-92

@kimageddon

@kote-wan

@milfreva

@moonstrider9904

@night-watch-trespass

@purgetrooperfox - Leo deactivated but I got so many shoutouts for their OCs and couldn't link anything but still needed to shout them out.

@rowansparrow

@wild-karrde

[djarrex]

• Just like my entire blog and everything I write, the content below is for 18+ peeps only •

Series Summary: You've been with Rex for a while - your first date being just before his injury he’d sustained on Saleucami. Following the Great Jedi Purge and subsequent fall of the Republic, you’ve been traveling from one system to the another with Rex in search of other deserters of the Empire and fighting for what’s left of the Republic, all while laying low and successfully staying off this new Empire’s radar. Though things are crazy and hardly stable, moving nonstop throughout the Outer Rim isn’t enough to stop the two of you from finally being able to act upon what you’ve both hoped to have for the longest time.

Note #1: This whole thing started out as a few smutty thots that morphed into a series of sorts because of your support, kind words, and encouragement! It’s all still in progress, and there’s more to come! ♡

Note #2: Everything on this list is Rex x (the same)f!reader. Common warnings include: breeding kink, possessive!Rex, unprotected piv, plugging, rough sex (always consensual), sensual sex/love making, mentions of pregnancy and trying to conceive, related hormones, pregnant!reader, mom!reader, and dad!Rex, a sprinkle of angst, domesticity, a lot of Fluff -> each work will include individual warnings. I’m always open to your thots, comments, or questions regarding Post-Order 66 Rex and fam! ♡

main masterlist | ao3

updated: October 30th, 2022

A lot happens in between these main installments - everything else has been linked under the Thots + Drabbles heading, so be sure to check those out as well!

The Aftermath

The Temple burns. The Jedi are gone. The clones have changed. The broadcast that's played over and over burns in your brain. You're able to connect some dots, and can't help but think that the worst has come to claim the man you love. After days of unsettling radio silence, Rex finally comes home to you.

Staying the Night at the Lawquane’s

You and Rex travel to Saleucami to warn Cut and his family about everything that had happened mere days ago, and the idea of starting a family of your own gets revisited. 

Killing Time in the Y-wing • written in bullet point format

It’s not exactly possible to be physically intimate when traveling from one rendezvous to the next, but the two of you find a way to satiate your mutual arousal by entertaining other means.

I Saw Him

Rex ends up seeing an old friend - one of his closest friends, actually - but it isn’t exactly in a warm, joyous context. You want to comfort him, to hold him, but Rex would rather be inside of you than be held by you.

Hold Still

Rex doesn't think he'll ever get tired of the way you feel beneath his fingertips... especially not of the way you feel stuffed full of him while he holds you still and pressed against him.

The List • based on previous thots

Rex had kept a password-protected list of potential baby on his old datapad that he added to every time he heard a name he thought was nice. The datapad was destroyed on the fallen Venator, but luckily Rex had committed a few names to memory - one of which he spills in the heat of the moment.

Finding Out

You've been experiencing inexplicable nausea for a few days now - perhaps it's time to visit a med center.

Baby Bump • written for a request

Rex is obsessed with your little bump.

Insatiable

You’ve never acted this way before... It’s the last straw for Rex when you’re trying to pull him away while in he’s the middle of something - perhaps he needs to teach you a lesson.

Distractions • based on this thot

Rex has been teaching you different ways to defend your little family, including how to properly and accurately shoot a blaster. Naturally, the next step is to teach you how to shoot while being distracted. That shouldn’t be too difficult of a lesson, right?

Everywhere 

It’s all coming together - this life the two of you have wanted for so long is finally starting. Everything is within reach now, materializing right in front of your faces.

Speeding Things Up • written for a request

Rex has an idea on how to get the ball rolling since you’re a tad bit overdue.

Welcome to the Galaxy, Little One 

The moment has arrived when little Priya makes her debut, and Rex's dream of being a father is finally a reality.

Moments Like These

It’s been long enough since giving birth to Priya, so you and Rex find some time to be intimate while the baby sleeps; he's completely enthralled by the way your body provides for his baby daughter.

Posterity

A gesture that was supposed to be as simple as a loving wake up surprise quickly turns into something more, and plans that were discussed in the past begin to reemerge.

Promises Kept

Acting on a filthy impulse leads into something carnal, and once again, plans from the past reemerge in the heat of the moment... this time with vigor.

Across the Stars: a multi-part arc

Art • The List • by @samrubio

Art • Welcome to the Galaxy, Little One • by @howie-ner-cyare

Mood Board • Everywhere

Mood Board • Welcome to the Galaxy, Little One

• Don’t be afraid to hop in my inbox with any thots, questions, or comments! •

Post-Order 66 Rex NSFW Alphabet

First meetings / first date

First kiss / first time

The mirror 

Marking you as his -> | X | X |

Somno as a treat  • just my little addition to op’s thot

Rex can’t keep his hands off you after finding out you’re pregnant • from my 5 sentence ficlet dump

Rex doing the belly lifting thing from that tik tok trend

Feeling the baby move while being intimate

The origin of the Gayiyla name

Rex trying to get Priya to kick • from my 5 sentence ficlet dump

Third trimester symptoms + how Rex helps you handle them

Postpartum life + the most dutiful and caring Rex • from my 5 sentence ficlet dump

Rex + a slight mommy kink

Thoughts on future interactions with the Gayiyla family and the Bad Batch + Omega

When TBB + Omega found out that Rex was gonna be a dad

The Bad Batch + Omega doting on Priya • from my 5 sentence ficlet dump

Rex reading to his baby girl

Rex attempting to braid Priya’s hair • from my 5 sentence ficlet dump

Thoughts if Priya happened to be Force-sensitive

Rex seeing kids playing at the market and getting ideas

Spicy tub time thot (also mentioned in AtS part 2)

imagine a Gayiyla family portrait

A Gayiyla Halloween

[djarrex]

Across the Stars || Part Three

EoE universe | AtS masterlist

<- previous part | next part ->

Summary: The treatment begins - and some adaptations need to be made.

note: sorry this took a while to bust out - but here, have some angst!!! :) bless @rowansparrow for looking this over - screaming and crying in the comments of the doc <3

content warnings: injections/needles mention, angst, some daddy-daughter fluff, Rex gives Priya a bath (please don’t make that weird - Rex is a good dad and good dads bathe their children), quick blood mention, a brief allusion to PPD near the end

about 5.4k words

He really shouldn't be this tense - anxious. Rex feels something akin to nervousness, his body feeling unlike his own from being nearly bare and strapped down as if he were a cadet again, when he’d been poked and prodded by the Kaminoan doctors. He knows what he has gotten himself into - though putting it like that has a sort of negative connotation. Rex is doing this for his family, for himself in the sense that he needs to be there for them for as long as possible - to have a chance at living a normal life with an average human lifespan. He’s here because he wants to be - needs to be. Not a single regret materializes in his subconscious.

Rex wants this treatment - needs to bid his accelerated aging adieu. A quick trip to Alderaan, an errand of sorts, and he and Priya were to head right back to Dantooine. In and out. One and done. Quick and painless.

Of course, things are never easy, nor do they ever work out that way, so here Rex is on his first day of treatment. The Gayiyla family will not be reuniting as soon as he’d so desperately hoped.

“I told him that the implant wouldn't work for us,” Rex hushed into the comm, clutching it tight with both hands, holding it to his lips. “Asked him for another option.”

“Well, what did he say to that?”

Under the weight of the quilts, burrowing himself within the blanket fort he’d constructed with Priya, Rex spoke to his wife quietly, keeping his voice down and turning the volume on the comm to the lowest setting so as to not wake the toddler curled up at his side. He feels the apprehension sitting in her voice, the question spoken after an uneasy moment of silence.

It won’t be easy. It won’t be quick. It won’t be painless. His cyare is astute, perceptive - knows in her heart that the sought-out option is not going to be a walk in the park. But it’s what he must do, and he will gladly endure it because in the end, it will all be so, so worth it.

“He gave us another option.”

His heart beats loud and heavy, thumping in his ribcage and pulse points. Sweat beads at his hairline - his temples. He maintains long, deep breaths - in through the nose and out through the mouth. Straps are tightly secured around his abdomen, wrists, ankles, upper thighs, and upper arms - the threat of abrasions already blooming with each brush of the material against his sticky skin.

“Ready, Mr. Gayiyla?”

The clean, white lights focused on his body are suddenly blinding. Wearing only his briefs, the metal he’s strapped to stings and bites - shivers born from the blurred line of chill and nerves shooting through him. Rex closes his eyes, sucking in an even longer, deeper breath of air through his nostrils before letting it ease out of his mouth. The only things he can move freely are his eyes and fingers and toes, looking around the room to the best of his ability - the mechanisms hovering over him. He wiggles his fingers and toes - testing.

This is it - the other option. It’s happening.

Day one.

After a centering breath of air, Rex responds - the apple in his throat bobbing with a thick swallow. “Yes. Yes, I’m ready.”

The doctor clears his throat, and the metal hanging above him lowers slowly with a steady whir - braces extending and flattening as they meet his skin before shaping around his muscles.

“Alright,” Dr. Brar conceded. “Intramuscular injections. The serum will be delivered deep into the muscles, allowing it to be absorbed into the bloodstream.”

Dr. Brar taps away at the console to Rex’s left, just out of sight as his head is secured in place by the props pressing into his temples, the soft beeping and whirring of the machines echoing in his swarming mind. Rex knows what’s about to happen - briefed on the procedure just yesterday.

“The pectorals, deltoids, and vastus laterales,” Dr. Brar explained as he gestured to each aforementioned area on Rex’s full-body scan, displayed in vivid color on the largest screen in the room. “These will be the injection sites.”

A wincing pressure starts to build where the cluster of needles is easing into Rex’s skin. Involuntarily, he tenses, his body reacting to the hundreds of pin pricks - all poking through his flesh, deep into the muscle - as they’re gliding through him as if he were made of the finest butters that he’d spread on his toasted rolls at dinner last night.

Rex wills his body to relax, not daring to shift or flex even the smallest, most insignificant of muscles as the serum oozes into his body. It may be in his head, he thinks, as he feels a sort of rush underneath his skin, a pressure similar to a tiny wave washing through him. He counts in his head to pass the time - to ten, then to fifty, then to a hundred -

“The procedure lasts five minutes…”

Dr. Brar praises Rex, the way doctors so often do. It’s the flat, procedural tone lacking warmth, filtering through his clouded ears, assuring him that he’s doing great, and reminding him to stay relaxed.

“... once a day...”

The growing sequence of numbers falls apart - unravels and spills everywhere. Everything is jumbled and busy and loud. Through the voiceless din he thinks of them - his babies. Their faces formulating from behind his shut eyelids, young and rosy and sweet. They resemble him a lot, though the features of their Mama make their appearance in certain instances. Gelisa’s gummy grin. Garran’s concentration weighing in the way he creases his brows. Priya’s eyeroll.

“... for fifteen days.”

Her - he sees his wife, next. Old. Gray. Smile lines prominent and frown lines less so. Shorter. Softer. Quieter. Having lived a long, happy life. The kids are gone - long since moved out of the house and perhaps away from Dantooine to live their own lives. He pictures his children fighting in the budding Rebellion, marrying, having children of their own if they choose - contributing to society in a meaningful way, whatever that may be. Their mother remains on Dantooine, in the house Rex had remodeled and rebuilt over the course of years of hard work. The house he’d introduced to her while she was still round with their first child. The house all of their children were born and raised in.

“Fifteen days,” Rex echoed, slightly disheartened. He sighed, shaking his head though his heart beats with promise. It’s a small price to pay, the cost extremely worth it.

Fifteen days sacrificed, to add a thousand more, he repeats in his head.

He then hears the creak of the floorboards - the rocking chair he’d built - the doors. He feels the spring breeze on his face - the lavender-scented air in his nose. He sees her, sitting in the rocking chair on the porch, a loth cat curled up on the quilt draped across her lap.

She’s not alone, though. Not like he’d been afraid of. A second rocking chair takes shape in this very real vision - a foresight - directly beside hers.

An old man sits in it, limbs relaxed, a ‘pad in his hands and a focused look on his face as he reads whatever is on the screen. The man has a thick, white beard with a connecting mustache. Body fuller. Skin not as tight. Head shaved and shining in the light of the Dantooine sun. A shrunken, faded scar on the right side of his head.

The man is him - it’s Rex. He’s old, looking to be within the same age range as his wife. They’re together, living the last of their years side by side, just as they’d wanted.

The beautiful scene before him blurs into indiscernible shapes and colors, then fades away.

“The first dose has successfully been administered,” Dr. Brar says - the metal attachments rising from the injection sites as if on cue. “All vitals appear normal.” Rex blinks, straining to see the doctor with the stretch of his eyes to the side. He once again hears the tapping of buttons as the braces release around his arms, legs, and abdomen, freeing him from the temporary imprisonment. His skin burns where the needles had penetrated - temples sore from the head stabilizer.

Rex clears his throat - tongue suddenly thick and dry. “I’m okay to leave?” he manages, cautiously sitting up and rubbing at his wrists where the braces had bitten against - a slight discoloration belting around the skin.

Dr. Brar approaches now, bactagel and patches in his sterile, gloved hands. His eyes study the affected areas reddening on his patient.

“In a few moments, yes.”

Rex twists his body and lets his legs hang off the modified cot, palms pressing into the metal on either side of his lap. He feels different, though he knows nothing anywhere near significant would have happened after only a single dose of fifteen. It’s a mental thing, sending signals of mixed feelings and sensations throughout his body. He can’t explain it, not even in the trusted privacy of his own mind.

He just feels different, simple as that.

“Any, uh, post-procedural care I should know about?”

The doctor gently rubs the cool, soothing gel along the angry skin, eyes narrowed in focus behind his lenses. He dips his fingers into the medicinal applicant, dabbing it in generous globs where needed. Rex’s skin thanks the healing gel, no longer burning and furious as it had been moments prior.

“Get a lot of rest - not just tonight, but every day during the duration of this procedure,” Dr. Brar responds without looking up, now ripping the wrapping from the patches and applying them atop the gel-coated skin. “Your body is strong, but you will need it.”

Rex departs the medical wing in the clothes he’d arrived for the procedure in, the gray sweatpants bunched taut at the ankles and sliding uncomfortably against the sensitive bind marks just above his feet with each step. He grabs the end of his long sleeves with the opposite hands, tugging them all the way down past his wrists and covering up the heels of his hands. He doesn’t rush back to his suite, knowing there’s nothing and no one waiting for him there since Priya is soaking up as much time as she can with the little Alderaanian princess. He’s not hungry, which he finds strange seeing as he was unable to eat before the procedure.

Rex meanders through the grand corridors, loosely heading towards his suite but stopping at each balcony between thick columns, leaning against the stone and watching how the frozen lake below sparkles in the sunlight. This planet is beautiful, and part of him is starting to imagine living in a small cottage between the snow capped mountains, a sparkling lake just outside off the back porch, his children splashing and squealing with joy on the shallow shore during the planet’s summer.

He shakes himself from that aimless fantasy, reminding himself in a mental scold that there’s a reason the five of them aren’t living on a planet like Alderaan - a system with far too much traffic. There had been numerous factors that’d contributed to Rex’s selection of deeming Dantooine as their permanent home - the main one being that it was secluded and unpopulated enough to never run the risk of being found there.

Letting out a deep sigh, Rex pushes himself off the stone, lightly patting himself over the bactapatches second-skinned to him underneath his shirt. The muscles in his chest are sore, he notices, as he takes another deep breath. He focuses on what his muscles are telling him as he makes his way back to the suite, honing in on the tug and stretch on his arms and legs as he goes, not at all registering that his daughter is clumsily sprinting towards him at determined toddler speed, crashing into his knees and closing her arms around his thighs.

For the first time ever, Rex winces in front of his baby girl. He doesn’t catch his own reaction in time, and as perceptive as she is, Priya notices instantly. The pained, concerned look on her face breaks his heart.

“Hi baby!” Rex manages through the soreness in his chest, shaking his head into action, a wide grin stretching on his lips. “What are you up to?”

Priya’s disheartened expression quickly flips at her father’s greeting. “Pwaying!” she exclaims. “We’re wacing! I’m fast.”

“I know you are,” Rex chuckles, taking a knee to be level with his kid and brushing the wild curls from her eyes. “You’re racing, hm? Where’s Leia?”

“Lost her!” she answers honestly with her contagious giggle. “I’m fast!”

Before Rex can stand upright, the little princess can be heard approaching - out of breath and light feet heavy against the carpeted floor. Nodnia is right in tow, just as out of breath herself.

“I’m here!” Leia calls as she rounds the corner in a sprint, her normally kempt hairstyle a mess. With hands on her hips, she laughs. “Wow, you’re really fast, Priya!”

“Just like my Papa,” she answers proudly, hands on her hips, mirroring her new friend’s stance.

Rex stands, first nodding to Leia’s nanny in greeting then glancing down at the two girls with a soft smile. Priya is resembling her mother with that stance, and it makes his heart flood with a mixture of ache and warmth.

“Alright, go play,” Rex says with a nod of his head towards the way in which he came. “Papa will come get you when it’s time to eat, okay?”

The girls are already running down the corridor when Priya agrees loudly.

-

Everything is bland, now. Dull in flavor. Tasteless.

Three going on four days in - three successfully administered serum treatments down and twelve to go - Rex can no longer experience the exquisite, firework of cohesive flavors that had previously exploded in his mouth from the moment the food touched his lips to when it slid down his gullet. It’s all so bland - Rex’s palate suddenly lacking that spark. The side effect is not one Dr. Brar had mentioned, though the Alderaanian doctor did say that there would be unforeseen, temporary reactions throughout the duration of the treatment that would clear up by the end of the three weeks.

He notices this reaction on the morning of day four.

Breakfast was served to Rex’s suite - handed to him on a literal silver platter. A cup of caf, a single wisp of steam ascending from the dark liquid. Toasted flatbread topped with sauteed greens and ground gorak and egg. A frosted glass of starblossom smoothie had been blended and poured for Priya, along with a freshly baked fickleberry jam pastry drizzled with thick, sweet cream.

Rex first cuts into Priya’s large pastry, the purplish-red jam oozing from where the knife had split it into manageable pieces. He sets down the smoothie and bite-sized pastry pieces onto the table, and picks her up to put her in her little booster seat, kissing her forehead and both cheeks. Priya claps her hands together as her eyes blow wide with hunger at the sugary meal before her - Rex swiping his finger through the viscous jam and popping it between his lips - the taste (or lack of) being one he does not think anything of. Settling in the seat beside her, he drapes a cloth across her lap before draping one across his own, reaching for the fork with one hand and the hot cup of caf with the other.

When the caf breaches his lips and hits his tongue, Rex pulls the cup back, examining it with confused eyes. Priya watches her Papa with a similar, quizzical look - jam smeared all over her lips and fingers.

“Strange,” he comments under his breath, setting the cup down and instead slicing through the flatbread with a fork, poking the piece with the prongs and bringing it up for a bite.

Rex knows there should be bursts of flavor tingling on his tongue, as there has been with every single bite of Alderaanian food thus far, but once again, he tastes absolutely nothing. The solid food sits still in his unmoving mouth behind his teeth, his tongue flicking back and forth against the soggying bite. He disembles every morsel, picking apart the different textures, trying to pinpoint any strong flavors - any flavors at all.

Nothing.

He swallows, and reaches for the caf to chase it.

Nothing.

He fingers the remnants of his daughter’s pastry, now only flaky crumbs and red smudges on her plate, once again popping the jam into his mouth.

Nothing.

He politely grabs the child-sized glass from her delicate hands, inserting the thick straw into his mouth and sucking up a sip of smoothie.

Fucking nothing.

In mild frustration, Rex tosses his fork onto his full plate and pushes it all away from in front of him, the ceramic squeaking across the wooden tabletop. He chews the thin part of his bottom lip in thought, right where it curves into the corner, unknowingly drawing blood, the copper tang unregistered as it touches his taste buds.

“Papa?”

Rex turns to his little girl, her golden eyes bright with concern as she peers up at him. Finger coated in jam, she points towards his mouth, and he reaches up to tap along his lip until feeling the wetness at the corner, bringing his finger down for inspection.

“I’m okay,” he quickly assures her, picking up the cloth and wiping the corner of his mouth and finger. “Papa’s okay, baby. More than okay.” He scoots the chair backwards, standing and taking her in his arms, not at all minding the smudges of purplish-red fingerpainted on his shirt.

“Owchie,” she says with a frown.

Rex sighs, holding her close.

“I’m okay, I promise,” he murmurs into her curls, her jam-coated lips pressing into his chest. “Papa’s getting help from a doctor friend, like what I told you before. That hasn’t changed. There are things that might be… different with me for just a little while, though, but then we can go home.”

“I miss Mama,” she says softly - lip quivering. It breaks Rex, absolutely obliterates him when he hears the sadness and longing in her small voice, her eyes welling with tears and dark lashes sticking together. He hasn’t spoken to his wife since after he’d received the third dose yesterday, though she hasn’t been feeling too good, sleeping most of the day away, according to Ahsoka. Ahsoka’s been a huge help, watching over Mama and the twins, ensuring they’re well taken care of, without granting herself so much as a blink of sleep. Ahsoka is selfless - always has been, and has taken care of Rex many times in the past. Saved his life, even, more than once. Now she’s selflessly taking care of his family - the people he loves most in the galaxy.

He misses them. Deeply. Painfully. Heartachingly.

“I do too.”

Priya looks up at him - sniffling.

“Yeah, Papa misses Mama, too. I miss Gelisa and Garran, and I miss Auntie ‘Soka. I miss everyone, baby girl, but we’ll all be together in a few weeks. We’ll make the biggest dinner and watch movies all night, okay? When we’re home we’ll all play together and take long walks through the plains, just like we used to before Mama had your brother and sister. I promise.”

“Okay,” she says - voice small and shaky. “Bwubby and Sissy walk with us?”

Rex smiles, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “They’re too small to walk, baby, but we’ll hold them so they can be with us when we walk.”

Priya nods, wiping her damp face with her hand.

A sticky, jelly-coated hand.

Rex sighs and presses his smile into a thin line - holding back laughter.

“Uh oh,” she says with a light giggle, observing the hand she’d just had to her face. “Made a mess.”

Rex shakes his head as a hearty laugh escapes him, swinging her over his shoulder like a sack of crops. She squeals and grabs tightly onto his shirt as he walks her towards the ‘fresher.

“Bath time!” she exclaims.

“Indeed it is. You’re a mess, baby girl.”

Rex sets her on her feet at the foot of the tub which, he doesn't yet realize, is a mistake.

She first freezes, and the look in her eyes is one Rex knows all too well. The little smile on her face turns mischievous (another feature too similar to her mother’s) and there’s a beat of challenging pause before she lunges at him just as Rex turns on his heels. She chases him around the ‘fresher, arms outstretched and making grabby hands at him, the two of them circling around the large tub for several laps before Rex halts for a moment to turn the water on.

He struggles with the handle, and she catches him.

Her hands reach and tug at the bottom of his shirt, yanking until he plays along and goes down.

“Oh no!” he cries dramatically, landing on the tiled floor and curling up on his side - preparing for the attack. “Nooooo! I surrender!”

Priya giggles and pounces on him, gently smacking all over his head, spreading the gooey, sticky jam in his hair and over his skin. Unknowingly of course, she’s hitting the areas of his arms that are assaulted by needles daily, and Rex pushes back the urge to cry out in pain, instead laughing loudly and plotting his next move.

She continues to pull and yank on his shirt, stretching out the material while coating every inch of it in purplish-red.

“Messy Papa,” she laughs maniacally. “Messy! Mess! Mess! Mess!”

“Ahhhh!” Rex uncovers his face and in one swift movement, grabs the toddler and attempts to start peeling off her stained clothes. She continues to giggle and wiggle, Rex having to hold both her arms in one hand as he gets her prepared for a bath with the other. The water continues to run, filling the bottom of the basin as Priya finally starts to calm down.

“You’re crazy,” Rex chuckles, picking her up with one arm and bending down to grab the discarded clothes to throw them in the basket in the corner. With Priya hanging onto his shirt, Rex leans to dip his hand into the shallow water, gauging the temperature.

“Alright, Pri. Bath time. No funny business.” He points a finger at her and she wrinkles her nose. “You got me, trooper?”

“Sir yes sir!” she says with a serious tone - mock saluting.

Rex sets her on her feet inside the tub, holding her hand to keep her steady as he kneels onto the tile. Popping the lid of the bottle of toddler-safe soap, he squirts the liquid into the water and lets the tub fill up just a moment longer so the bubbles have time to form.

Her face lights up at the sight of the bubbles growing all around her.

Sitting on her bottom now, Rex guides her head backwards with a palm at base of her skull for support, submerging her thick hair into the sudsy water. As she sits back up, Priya splashes then tries to grab the bubbles with steady hands, just as she does when taking a bath back home. While distracted, Rex takes a washcloth and soaks it in the sudsy water, gently running it down her shoulders, chest, and back. He carefully splashes her with water, rinsing the bubbles from her skin before moving to massage her scalp with his fingers, softly untangling the knots from her hair with steady hands.

“Close your eyes,” Rex says. “Gotta rinse your hair.”

It’s silent now, save for the gentle, calming splashing of water as he rinses the suds from her hair and takes a second to wipe the stickiness from her face with his thumbs. Her long, dark eyelashes stick together and to her cheek, soaked, flattened curls glued to her forehead and around her ears.

Rex looks up, absently scanning the room.

If he closes his eyes, which he does, he can picture them back home, in their own ‘fresher, giving Pri a bath in their own tub. Theirs is not nearly as large as the one here in this guest suite, but what back home has that this suite does not, though, is the wooden ladder leaning against the wall, each rung draped with a towel. The hand-woven rug they’d purchased from a sweet old woman at the market in town, laying just beside the tub, the place where Rex would rest his knees as he’d give Pri a bath. The scrap of steel Rex had found at the dump that hangs directly above the sink, polished for hours and hours with his own two hands until it was of decent mirror quality.

He opens his eyes, and looks around the ‘fresher. It’s luxurious, sure, but it’s not home. Far from it.

Rex finds himself rubbing the thin hair of her dark eyebrows with his thumbs, a gesture that soothes Priya and often helps lull her to sleep on those hard days.

“All done, Pri.” He drains the tub, and reaches for a towel. “Up.”

He helps her to her feet, wrapping her in the soft towel. She points at him, and he looks down at the drying globs of jam painted on his shirt.

Osik. My shirt.

Rex peels his shirt off, tossing it in the basket before collecting his toweled toddler burrito into his arms.

He carries her into the room, all swaddled and cozy within the adult-sized towel, and sits her on the bed so he can pick out a clean outfit for her. He rummages through the drawer where he’d unpacked and folded all of her clothes, searching for an outfit to wear for the rest of the day.

“Papa?”

Rex hears the worry in her voice, the soft, concerned lilt that sounds as if she’s about to cry - the stutter in that first letter. Without yet turning around, he can practically see the lip quiver - the furrowed brows.

He’d completely forgotten about the blotches of bruises on his arms and chest, a constant bloom painting the daily injection sites.

“Hey, sweetie- ”

She sniffles - lips curling downwards and brows pinching tightly together.

Rex grabs the first articles of clothing he finds, tentatively stepping towards the bed, kneeling on the floor and reaching up to caress her cheeks.

She flinches, and he freezes.

“Priya?”

Wordless, she points to his biceps, then to his chest.

“I’m okay.” The response is automatic, yet doesn't sound very believable. Not even to her.

She stays silent, eyes fixating on the bruises. Rex watches her observe him - how she studies the purplish-black blotches etched into his skin - the tears breaking through the barrier. He watches as something snaps within her - a switch flipping. The range of emotions she’s processing are evident on her little face, and in moments, she settles on one.

It’s the start of her search for a breath - gasping with choked sobs. Tears stream down her cheeks as she unravels herself from the towel - bowing and kicking. Fists clenching the sheets.

Rex moves into action as he stands, starting to get her dressed, though she doesn’t make it easy on him. Her toddler strength is unmatched, flailing her limbs as Rex struggles to get the shirt over her head and arms through the holes.

“Priya!” he almost snaps, and he quickly backtracks. “Priya, my little love, I need to get you dressed.”

Priya shakes her head adamantly, face swollen and wet and eyes squeezed shut - eyelashes sticking together. She stops fighting him, though, and Rex manages to secure the shirt in place. Her legs have calmed their rapid kicking as she tires herself out, and he takes the opportunity to pull up her training underwear followed by her leggings so that she’s fully clothed.

Rex quickly grabs himself a shirt, pulling it over his head and taking a seat at the edge of the bed.

“Hey,” he says in a calm voice, bringing her to sit on his lap. Her sobs have subsided into sniffles, and her breaths have steadied.

“Hurt,” she says with the most heartbreaking frown, a lip quiver to top it off.

“I’m okay, Priya. I’m okay, I promise. This is only temporary. Remember what temporary means?”

She blinks at him with glistening, golden eyes.

“It means that it won’t be forever,” he finishes. “Papa might have some boo boos now, okay, but in a few weeks, when we’re going home, I’ll be all better. I promise.” He kisses her head. “These boo boos won’t take me down, pretty girl. You know Papa is strong.”

“And... and I’m stwong like Papa,” she says through small sniffles.

“Exactly,” he whispers into her hair - planting another kiss into the damp curls. “My strong girl.”

Rex moves her from his lap, reaching for Lula and handing the tooka doll to her.

“Let’s call Mama, okay? Let’s talk to Mama. It’s still daytime back home, so let’s call her.”

With glassy eyes, she nods in agreement - clutching Lula tightly in her arms.

Rex grabs the long-range comm, dialing the frequency for back home as he rubs Priya’s back in soothing circles. The channel buzzes with static as it tries to connect.

“Mama?” Priya tries softly.

“Cyare, are you there?”

Nothing but faded static.

“Mama?” she calls a little louder - worry rising in her voice.

Rex sighs and rubs at his temples, anxiety bubbling in his throat as the static continues.

“Mama must be sleeping, baby,” he sighs again. “We can try again tomorrow, okay?”

Static. Sobs. A high-pitched ringing.

Rex feels his heartbeat in his ears.

“Mama!” she practically yells it out now - fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. Rex’s composure falters at the sight of his daughter going hysterical, sobbing uncontrollably, tears and snot caking her reddening face. “Mamaaaa!”

“Priya.” Rex pulls her into him, laying on his back and wrapping her in his arms. “Priya, baby girl, it’s okay. It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay.” A tear streaks down his own cheek now that Priya is unable to see his face, and he alternates between rubbing her back and her head. She wails into him, crying so hard that at times it sounds as if she’s forgotten to take a breath. Rex holds her as tightly as possible without hurting her, staring up at the ceiling, zoning out.

He doesn’t know what to do.

He remembers that the comm is still trying to connect, and he instead opts to leave a voice message.

“Cyare,” he murmurs into the comm - holding it close to his lips. Priya sobs loudly into his sternum, completely soaking the clean shirt he’d just put on minutes ago. “Cyare, please call when you get this - doesn’t matter what time it is. I know you haven't been feeling well, but she’s… Pri is hysterical right now, as I’m sure you can hear.” He pauses, squeezing his eyes shut and taking a deep breath - collecting himself. Priya’s fingers twist into Rex’s shirt - bunching the soaked material into tiny fists. “I… I don’t know what to do. She needs to hear your voice.”

Rex sniffles quietly, hiding the fact that he, too, is crying. Everything hits him all at once, emotions of every kind claiming his entire being and escaping through the soft sobs he quietly emits when the comm is away from his face. His daughter has seen him hurt - physically hurt. The look on her face haunts him, sitting in the forefront of his mind. Rex had never meant for her to see him this way - bruised and wincing and hunching over in pain. He has to remind himself that that’s why they’re here, away from home, in the first place. That it’s going to be extremely difficult before it gets better. That he’s going to be bruised, wincing, and hunching over in pain for the rest of the procedure, he concludes, until he’s “cured.”

Thinking about the procedure only produces heavier tears.

His baby girl will be seeing him like this for the duration of their stay here on Alderaan - suffering from the side effects and physical reactions of this very necessary procedure. Unable to enjoy a meal. She’ll be seeing her strong, unbreakable Papa weak and hurting.

Distantly, Rex wishes he’d left Priya at home, though that thought is chased very quickly from his mind as he scolds himself.

He brings the comm back up to his lips, taking a deep, shaky breath then softly uttering out: “I need to hear your voice. Please.”

-

tags: @rowansparrow @thefact0rygirl @baba-fett @spaceydragons @bambiswriting @gotomarvelgal @paige6768 @masteracewindu @starwarschicken @kriffclone @fett-djarin @itsagrimm @space-b33 @moonstrider9904 @megafrost4 @salaminus @bad-stubers @fivesarctrooper @literallydontlook @ashotofspotchka @theroguesully @ladykatakuri @echos-secret-tattoo @damerondala @tsundere-cherry-girl @sageislostinspring

[djarrex]

ANOTHER ONE AKAKJSKAJS RO PLS

Why yes I am still making bad memes of @djarrex’s writing thank you so much for checking in :)

[djarrex]

Across the Stars || Part One

EoE universe | AtS masterlist

x | next part ->

Summary: After a traumatic event and close call in the Gayiyla family, Rex travels across the galaxy with Priya to receive help from a friend of a friend and trusted ally of the family.

Note: Hi! Taking this series off hiatus to bring you this next set of installments! This takes place about two years after we last saw the Gayiyla family, so Priya is about two and a half now! I'm not 100% sure how many parts this installment will come out to, but I'm thinking three as of right now. Please enjoy part one!

***Please read the following content warnings! The chapter opens up with Rex recounting a traumatic event. Childbirth, blood/fluids/mild gore mention, traumatic birth, I would say that Rex pretty much goes into shock for perhaps the first time in his life, angst, close calls/revivals (the previous warnings all take place at the very beginning), very brief allusions to breastfeeding, father-daughter Fluff, AND special SW guest stars make an appearance!

about 4.6k words

"The first one is out - a girl, sir!"

It was loud - blood curdling screaming that'd nearly rattled the wooden house - bouncing off the walls in piercing waves. The sounds of a million voices erupting from only a few throats, all shouting and coaching and speaking the same things - praises, reassurances, promises. Eventually, all noise had become a single, steady, high-pitched ringing that eclipsed all else, buzzing between Rex's ears as it'd all unfolded before him.

It was messy - fluids and blood and blood and it looked as if the most horrendous crime scene had been the setting of their arrival - perfect angels that would add to their growing family. White linens ruined. Towels and rags drenched. Hair sticking to skin from sweat and tears. Anything or anyone within proximity had been painted in the very real, medicinal colors of bringing life into the world.

It was scary - the whites of her eyes only visible as the balls rolled in their sockets - an expression as pained as it ever could be. A soft, beautiful face contorted into one of pain, fear, concentration, excruciating pain, fear. Hands shaking. Chest heaving. Limbs seizing as if they had been possessed. Veins protruding from her neck from raw exertion.

Rex was trembling - legs and hands covered in miscellaneous fluids. He'd held his wife in his arms, trying to remain as composed as he promised himself - as he promised her, their children - that he would be, but Rex was faltering. Crumbling. Completely unraveling as his babies were making their way into the world in the most traumatic way possible.

Fear. So much fear that it had been pumping through his veins, claiming Rex from toe to head.

They almost didn't make it - all three of them.

She'd gone still after that final push - fell limp in his arms as all remaining energy fled her body after it had fulfilled its duty of expelling the babies. Rex had never felt such terror; his entire body had numbed, only the ringing in his ears had alerted him that he was still conscious and yet he was very much aware that the woman was trying to take his cyare from his arms - trying to peel her from his hold on her where she had been positioned when delivering his first born.

"It's a boy," he'd heard a steady voice say - coming through the cotton in his ears. "We've a girl and a boy." The voice faded again as she'd instructed to another. "Get them breathing!"

Everything had been done as they'd done it before, but, this was different - so, so different. They’d come early, way too early, and the risk had already been so high - too high for comfort and they both knew the finish line was going to be a dangerous one to cross.

"We've already visited every medcenter on Dantooine, and going to any one a second time is something we cannot risk, Rex."

They weren't crying.

"Telni will come assist with the birth as she did with Priya's, and someone else will be arriving with her this time. It'll be okay, my love. They'll be here soon, Rex. Priya will be a big sister, and we'll be okay."

They were too still.

"Rex! Something- something's wrong, Rex. I... I don't- something doesn't feel right!"

Stay calm.

"Ahsoka will be here within the hour with Telni and the other woman. Priya's bag is packed... just lay down, cyare. Drink. Please, just breathe- "

Their world had been an inch away from coming apart, an inch away from crashing down on Rex as his wife had continued to lose blood within his arms. His newborns had been taken to the other room to be revived - manually given their first breaths - Maker only knows the details - by Telni's assistant, Qy'da. Telni, meanwhile, had been busy with caring for the slowly fading woman Rex was refusing to let go - stitching and mending.

This can't be happening. They can't go before me - this isn't right. I'm the one in this family who will be taken too soon, not them. Please, not them-

After what had felt like an entire lifetime of being trapped in every single hell, the ringing had faded in Rex's ears, only to be replaced by a large gasp for breath coming from his wife slumped against his chest, and a moment later, two very frail and tiny squeals had erupted from the other room.

They'd made it - all three of them.

By Maker's good grace, Rex's family had survived. Priya would not be without a mother. She would be a big sister. He would have a wife and three children. Their family would be okay - would remain whole as it should be.

Gelisa and Garran had been brought out in a medium sized basket, each premature newborn swaddled in matching pastel green and orange striped blankets. Qy'da had helped Telni with cleaning up Mama, and the basket of babies was laid atop the table at the side of the bed. With his wife still in his arms, Rex had watched his little babies, his little warriors, as their chests rose and fell in sync with one another. The boy - Garran - had dark hair just as his big sister had when she was a newborn, though not as thick it seemed. The girl - Gelisa - differed in that her hair had one solid blonde streak growing on the side of her head through the surrounding dark strands, just above her left ear.

Rex had felt a surge of sheer warmth upon noticing the unique mark given to his daughter, wanting so badly to brush his fingers gently across their soft heads and plump cheeks, when his name had been weakly whispered aloud, pulling his eyes away from his fragile fighters.

"Are they okay..."

He'd brought up his hand, flaked with droplets of blood and plenty of other things, and traced her arm delicately as he kissed the top of her sweat-damp head.

"They're okay, cyare... you're all okay." He'd swallowed a sob - head thrown back in relief - drained. "Rest now."

-

Rex clutches little Priya tighter to his chest as the freighter soars through hyperspace - the brilliant blue and white streaks of light filling the otherwise dark cockpit. Recalling the day that his twins had been born, one that should fill his heart with warmth and bring tears of joy to his eyes, instead riddles his body with fear and dampens his lashes with grief mixed with exhausted relief. Deciding to push the painful memory aside, Rex relaxes himself to the constant hum of the ship - a sound that he's known for a lifetime.

His two-year-old is out like a light, curled up on her Papa's lap with her little thumb lodged in her mouth. Rex smiles down at her, brushing away a dark curl from where it hung over her brow. Clutched to her own chest is Lula, the tooka doll gifted to her from Uncle Wrecker and Omega when they'd first visited Dantooine two years ago. It's Pri's favorite thing in the galaxy now, and she can't go anywhere without it.

Especially not while traveling through space for the very first time with her Papa as they cross the galaxy together, just the two of them.

"We'll be fine, Rex. Ahsoka is here, and the twins and I are getting stronger every day. You need to do this - for you, for all of us. You're a free man now, my love. You're a father, a husband, and if you do this, you'll live to see yourself become a grandfather. You'll live to see your children become adults, fall in love. We would be able to grow old together, Rex, like we've only dreamed about. You won't need to worry about leaving us far too soon. This opportunity may not show itself again. We'll be okay here, right, Ahsoka? I promise."

"I promise, Rex. Your family will be well cared for while you two are away."

Priya coos softly in her sleep, the soft sounds joining the ship's droning and putting Rex at ease. He's been incredibly tense since making the final decision to leave, even though he knows it's for the better and will be entirely worth it when it's all said and done. Besides, the procedure shouldn't take very long, and Rex and Priya should be back home to the others in a few rotations - a week, tops.

Tilting his head back against the headrest, Rex allows his exhaustion-heavy eyes to flutter shut. There's about seven more hours of the journey left to go until arrival, and the calm of hyperspace is one he's quite familiar with. It was always where he and his brothers were the safest - where they would eat, laugh, relax, strategize, drink, sleep -

Beep beep beep.

Eyes blinking open, Rex stares up at the low ceiling of the cockpit before dragging his wrist up to where he can make out the time, sighing upon noticing the small amount that had gone by since he'd last checked.

"Osik..."

The comm button on the console flashes a steady beat, and Rex adjusts himself on the seat, careful as to not stir his daughter too much. Reaching to answer the comm, he swivels the seat but she starts to wake anyway, rubbing tiny fists over her golden eyes.

"Bad word," she murmurs - fingers curling into his shirt.

"Sorry, baby. Papa's getting a call." He rubs her back, his hand wider than the expanse of it, and hits the button. Projecting in a hazy blue light from the console and into the open space of the cockpit is Ahsoka, standing tall with her arms crossed over her chest, her expression relaxed and warm. Rex smiles in greeting as he leans to kiss the top of Priya's head, hearing the soft chirp of insects coming from his friend's end of the call.

"It's late there. What are you doing up?"

"You know me, Rex," the Togruta says with a smile. "I was just taking a walk through your crops."

"Oh?" Rex lifts a brow, keeping his voice at an acceptable volume as Pri drifts back into sleep. "Didn't sneak anything, did you?"

"Not this time," she says teasingly. "I wanted to check in, see how you're making with time."

Rex looks at the screen, his eyes roving over the data displayed for the trip. "About six and a half hours to go. Little one knocked out about an hour ago after a burst of energy." He laughs quietly, continuing to rub her back soothingly. "How are they?"

"Garran and Lissy are getting stronger," she says proudly. "Your son had quite the appetite today - poor Mama must be drained dry. And little princess started smiling more - she likes watching me use the Force on their toys." Ahsoka pauses, cocking her head to the side. "She misses you terribly, Rex."

His chest tightens. "I miss her, too. All three of them. So much. This shouldn't take long, right?"

"Well, I know as much about it as you do. From what he had mentioned to me previously, you're the first clone to have this procedure completed at their facility. In fact, I think you may just be the first clone to have something like this done."

"Right." Rex looks down at his baby girl, lips curling up at the corners at how her long lashes fan over her soft cheeks. He pictures his babies at home, how small they are at only a month old, and their mother, who is sleeping alone, still weak from the physical and emotional trauma she'd endured mere weeks ago. "I need to get back to them soon."

"You will. But until then- "

"I know." He smiles. "Thank you, Ahsoka. For setting this up, for everything."

"I would do anything for you and your family, Rex. Tell Pri her Auntie 'Soka says hi," she says. "May the Force be with you, Rex, and Priya too. We'll see you soon."

With a mutual nod, the call ends, and the projection fades with a low whir. He'd call again after they've arrived and settled, and hopefully he'll get to speak to his wife and babies. Rex wants to tell them how much he loves them, how much he misses them, how proud he is of them, how strong they are...

Staring out the viewport as if in a trance by the stars passing by faster than the speed of light, Rex continues to absently rub circles across Priya's back - a tear falling down his cheek.

"Papa?"

Her soft, sleepy voice pulls Rex from his longing daze. He blinks the wetness from his eyelashes and sniffles quietly, almost unnoticeably, before his eyes are pulled downwards, where she's looking up at him with that classic toddler face of concern.

"Yes, little love?"

Priya points up at him with her pointer as her thumb hangs loosely between her lips. "Cwying."

"Oh, oh no, honey, I'm okay. Papa's okay."

She shakes her head. "No. Papa sad."

Moving the stray hair from her face and bouncing her softly on his lap, he offers a reassuring smile. "I just want us to get back home to Mama, and your brother and sister. I miss them."

A silent moment goes by as Priya adjusts herself on his lap before she's reaching her palms up to cup his cheeks. Her tiny thumbs brush at the dampness trailing along his cheekbones - eyes examining the ones that mirror her own.

"Aw better, Papa," she says - smearing the tears along his skin. "Aw better."

Rex's heart floods with warmth at his daughter's sweet gesture, one that she'd picked up from all the times her Papa and Mama would sooth her when she was upset or scared. He cups his cheeks overtop her little hands, and brings her knuckles to his lips.

"Thank you, baby. I'm all better."

She giggles when Rex starts to playfully nibble at her hands, making munching sounds and opening his mouth wide as if he'd bite them off and eat them. He plants a smooch to her forehead, and pulls her back to lean against his torso.

"Why we going away?"

Her innocent voice tugs at Rex's heartstrings. He'd explained it to her before leaving, speaking to her in a way that didn't set off any alarms or hint that her father would die before she grew to Mama's age. They'd all sat together in the living room, the twins feeding from Mama and Priya sitting on Rex's lap as they shared some family time together before separating while Ahsoka prepared the freighter for the journey.

"Do you remember what Mama and I were talking about before we left?"

She nods - brow furrowed.

"Papa is going to see some friends who can help us, so that I can stay with you, Mama, Garran, and Gelisa for a long, long time."

-

Rex's eyes widen in awe as the freighter breaches the atmosphere, the gorgeous planet he'd heard so much about appearing before him from where he's looking out through the viewport.

"Pri," he calls to her, leaning over to run his finger across her cheek. From her little booster seat strapped into the copilot's chair, Priya shuffles around, craning her neck to where she can see above the console in front of her. "Look, baby."

Rex takes only a moment to witness the canyons and rivers that run through the many, snow-capped cordilleras touching the lavender skies as their freighter soars through the air before putting his focus on his daughter, whose sweet face positively lights up at the scenery surrounding them. He grins while watching Pri's eyes sparkle, taking the steering in hand and setting course for a brief scenic detour that'll still get them to where they're expected.

"Pwetty!" she exclaims, clapping her hands together in rapid succession. "Papa, do the spin!"

Rex chuckles at her enthusiasm, and gladly obliges. Squeals of joy rip from her chest when the ship turns upside-down in a flash, barrel rolling a few times before returning upright - the mountain peaks swirling in a full circle with the ship. Her giggles cease as they approach the capital city, where a collection of gleaming, rounded structures populate the mountain-bordered island they'd been erected on long ago, catching her attention immediately.

She's seen similar structures in the fairy tale picture books that are often read to her at bedtime, but nothing quite like this.

"Look!" Priya wiggles in her booster seat, pointing her finger and smiling wide. "A castle!"

"That's the Royal Palace, sweetheart. That's where we're going."

He prepares for landing, setting the ship on autopilot to set itself down at the inputted coordinates of the hangar bay. The light disappears and the cockpit goes dark as the ship flies through a tunnel carved into a low mountain that leads to the pad.

"Papa...?"

"It's okay, baby. We're almost there."

As soon as the final word leaves Rex's lips, the light returns as the ship exits the tunnel. Patrol ships hover along with the freighter, guiding them towards the point of landing. Rex allows the ship to set itself down as he starts to gather their things, unfastening his daughter and slipping her shoes on before setting her on her feet. Priya eagerly jumps up and down - the knocking of her boots against the durasteel echoing in the cockpit.

"Can you hold your bag for Papa?" Nodding excitedly, Priya secures her bag on her back, slipping her arms through the slots and taking Rex's hand. They make their way towards the ladder, where she gets on his back for the descent. Hand in hand when on solid flooring again, they step towards the door as it slides open.

The pair heads down the ramp. A friendly face is waiting just at the other end, across the long bridge connecting the platform to the main hangar, waving in greeting as he moves to meet them halfway. Dressed in velvet, dark teal robes that drag across the duracrete at the last inch, with his hands folded neatly at his front and a large, welcoming smile stretching on his lips, Bail Organa pauses just a few feet away from his guests.

"Warmest of welcomes to Alderaan, Captain!"

Rex returns the smile and shakes hands with the Senator - his mind put at ease at the sight of the face belonging to a man true to the Republic. Bail's eyes lower with a soft chuckle as both he and Rex look down at Priya, who's now hiding behind her Papa's leg, gripping his pantleg tightly.

"Ah," Bail clicks his tongue, crouching down on one knee to be eye level with the toddler. "And who might you be, little one?"

She speaks her name - muffled from her face nestled firmly into Rex's leg.

"Senator, this is my daughter, Priya," Rex tells him - reaching down to stroke her thick hair. At her father's comforting touch she begins to loosen her grip, and at the same time, Bail's hand extends towards her - palm upright. The politician's eyes flick up towards Rex, and the clone nods.

"Hello, Priya. I'm Bail Organa. It's very nice to meet you."

She studies the extended hand for a moment, moving her eyes back and forth between it and the eyes of the man it belongs to, soon coming out of her shell and from behind her Papa's leg to take it in her own, tiny one - the entirety of her palm and fingers swallowed by just his palm.

"Ah, here we are!" Bail gently guides her from Rex's leg. "Why, you look just like your father, little one."

Rex smiles down at his daughter, placing his hand atop her head and smoothing down her hair as she blinks her wide eyes at the man. Bail stands up straight, and folds his hands at his front once again - turning his head towards the bay doors behind him.

"Shall we head inside? I will personally escort you two to your suite so you can get settled."

Rex nods, taking Priya's hand in his. Bail turns on his heels and heads towards the direction in which he came - robes swaying royally at his feet.

"C'mon, little love," Rex says down to her with a smile - squeezing her hand. "You ready?"

Smiling up at her Papa, Priya nods confidently - gripping the strap of her bag with her free hand.

Upon entrance, only a single word comes to Rex's mind instantaneously.

Extravagant.

The glimmering, silvery blues engrained within the structural masonry catches Rex's eye as they make their way into palace from the exterior hangar. The ceilings must be nearly a hundred feet tall from the glistening, mosaic tiles running from one end of the corridor to the other, windows to the right just as tall and tinged in hues of blues and silver. The way the light catches in the stupendous hall, the stained transparisteel glowing brilliantly, makes Rex think of shells that would be found ashore crystalline beaches of a distant system he has yet to visit.

His head moves slowly from side to side as they walk, committing everything to memory so he can recount the details to his wife later on, absently swinging his daughter's arm as he does when they peruse the market back home together. They pass by corridors on the left, only slightly narrower but just as decorated as the main one they're branching from. Rex wonders where they lead to, if they all connect or if they simply end where another chamber begins.

He then feels a gentle tug at his sleeve.

"Papa? Wittle girl."

"Hm?" Rex leans down to see where Priya's eyes are directed, and sure enough, a little girl's face is quickly disappearing behind her selected hiding place just up ahead. Bail's broad, cloaked shoulders lift and drop from the lead as he huffs out a soft laugh, raising his hand in that direction and waving the small, seemingly curious shadow over.

"Sweetheart, why don't you come meet our special guests?"

The little girl, with honey brown hair styled neatly in double braids that wrap in tight loops at either side of her head, steps out from behind one of the many pillars lining the corridor, her hands folded politely at her front - almost mirroring the stance of the man she's approaching.

Priya tilts her head to the side, studying the little girl who is mere inches taller than herself and no more than a couple years older, watching curiously as she takes Bail's hand. The soft patterns in her day dress matche the teal of his robes.

Bail turns to face the pair - hands on the little girl's shoulders. "Would you like to introduce yourself, sweetheart?"

The little girl stands up straighter, and meets Rex's eyes first.

"My name is Leia, Princess Leia of Alderaan." She pauses - considering the child beside Rex. "I'm not big enough yet, but one day I will be Queen like Mother!"

Priya's eyes enlarge at the royal titles, eagerly stepping towards the little princess and letting go of Rex’s hand.

"Nice to meet you, Princess," Rex greets her respectfully - softness flooding his deep voice. "I'm Rex, and this is my daughter, Priya."

Priya turns her head around to glance at her Papa, and her expression is one he can read all too well. Any remaining nerves and anxiety about the new location and unfamiliar faces seem to have dissipated - her eyes bright with thrill.

Her head whips forward when Leia taps her shoulder.

"Hello Priya! How old are you? I'm four!"

Holding up two, little fingers, she responds, "I'm two."

Bail crouches down, pulling the girls close - lovingly pinching his daughter's chin. "Leia, why don't you show our little guest here around the palace?" He looks to Rex for approval. "Is that alright, Captain? Leia's nanny, Nodnia, will be nearby." As he says that, a young woman emerges from one of the corridors on the left and curtsies in greeting.

Rex nods, smiling down at the girls. "Please, Senator, just call me Rex. And of course, that would be great. Pri, stay with Leia while I set our things down, okay?"

"Okay, Papa!"

"C'mon!" Leia grabs Priya's hand as she's shucking off her bag, handing it to Rex before being whisked away by her new friend. Rex can't help but watch as they near the end of the massively wide and open corridor, craning his neck when they turn the corner, hand in hand.

"They will be fine," Bail assures him - a hand settling on his shoulder. "Noddi will keep an eye on them. In the meantime, let's get you settled into your suite, then acquainted with Dr. Brar. Your consultation is in an hour; someone will be sent to escort you to the infirmary."

Both bags in hand, Rex follows Bail down the corridor, passing by several magnificent doors on either side until stopping at the one at the very end of the line - where the corridor deadends. The senator grips the handles and pushes the tall doors open, and Rex's eyes widen for what feels like the hundredth time today at the size and luxury of what should be just a simple, short-term accommodation. Straight through the elegantly yet somehow minimalistic decorated room that's bigger than the entire Gayiyla house, is the opening to the balcony, which overlooks the mountains blanketed in white that border the crystal clear lake below, shining with flecks of ice.

In awe of the scenery before him, both interior and beyond the walls, Rex stands frozen in the center of the suite - boots sinking into the plush, forest green rug beneath him. Bail takes the bags from his guest's hands, setting them atop the chest at the foot the royally-sized bed covered in thick, handstitched quilts made from the finest Alderaanian fabrics.

"I would miss Alderaan dearly when attending to business on Coruscant," Bail starts. "Even when I'm away nowadays on a different kind of business... I long to be home. There's no place quite like it. Though it'll be short, I do hope you enjoy your stay here." Rex blinks with raised brows, just now registering that the bags had been taken off his hands. He meets Bail's warm, welcoming eyes as the senator continues, "Freshen up if you must. You'll find that everything you need is within these walls. You and your daughter will be very well taken care of here as the Queen's and my guests."

"I- I don't know what to say, Senator."

"You needn't say a thing, my friend," Bail chuckles lightly. "Someone will be up here in a little less than an hour. Your daughter will be escorted to your suite once you're back, and by then, supper will be ready in the banquet hall."

Rex scans the rest of the enormous room from his spot in the center, his eyes catching the golds, greens, and metallic accents of every piece of furniture and decor that compliment one another. On the far side, opposite what appears to be a kitchenette, bigger than the one back home, is the refresher. The door to the 'fresher is wide open, exposing the large tub at the center of the shiny, tiled floor. Rex's muscles relax all at once as he stands there, the thought of sinking into a nice, warm bath sending a welcoming tingle down his spine.

He shakes his head to pull himself back to the present.

"Thank you, Senator."

Bail chuckles again, patting his guest on the back as he turns to head out of the suite.

"Please, Rex, just call me Bail."

-

tags: @rowansparrow @thefact0rygirl @baba-fett @spaceydragons @bambiswriting @gotomarvelgal @paige6768 @masteracewindu @starwarschicken @cassiian-andor @kriffclone @fett-djarin @itsagrimm @space-b33 @moonstrider9904 @megafrost4 @salaminus @bad-stubers @fivesarctrooper @literallydontlook @ashotofspotchka @theroguesully @ladykatakuri @echos-secret-tattoo @damerondala

***please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed from tags

[djarrex]

Priya: *doing something she was told not to do*

Rex: "Priya! That is a no-no!"

Priya: *makes that scrunchy Rex face back at her Papa* "coME N GET mE" *maniacal toddler laughter*

Rex: "KRIFF, kid."

Priya: *running away* "KWIFF!"

Mama: *from the other room* "Rex!"

Priya: *still running* "WEX! WEX! WEX!"

[djarrex]

Okay so idk if your 5 sentence thing was nsfw or not but:

Rex learning how to braid his child’s hair

AWWW OMG! Yeah nsfw or sfw whatever works lmao but ok so my head immediately went to my post-order 66 Rex since now they have the baby on the way, but flash forward a couple years in the future and he's trying to do Priya's crazy, thick hair 🥺

| other ficlets |

***

"Hold still, baby girl."

It's been several minutes of tugging, tears (Rex's), and testing of patience as Rex attempts to try out what he's silently been observing you do since it first became a necessity for keeping your daughter's hair maintained. Sighing with the rubber bands held in place between his clenched teeth, his fingers continue to fumble messily through her impossibly thick hair.

"How does mama do this," Rex mutters under his breath - shaking his head when the haphazard braid unravels before him. Priya sits still now, actively tuning in to the way her daddy quietly huffs out of frustration from behind her, and then you walk in, smiling like a fool and giving Rex those eyes - patience, my love.

***

@thefact0rygirl thought you'd appreciate this ♡

[djarrex]

OH I kinda have a thot of rex but not just rex but Mr. Gayiyla 👀 rex going to the local town to run some errands and he sees two little kids running around chasing each other like siblings and all he can think of "wouldn't priya would like to have a sibling" you know? So he goes back home and sees Mrs. Gayiyla folding some clothes, Rex walking up to her from behind and starts peppering her kisses behind her neck and hugging her, you know all in love and probably getting in the mood 👀 and she's like "oh whats up with all of this?" Rex rubbing light circles in her stomach and saying "it would be nice for priya to have a sibling, uh?"

Idk just a thought, was to shy to type this out and all I could think is the gayiyla family 🥺

it's uhhh kinda like you just foretold what I had planned 👀 and for anyone new, this ask has to do with my Post-Order 66 Rex series :')

As we know from the series, Rex wants kid(s!!) PLURAL children. Wanted to get the ball rolling as soon as Priya popped out tbh

*series comes off hiatus just for this ask* this is very soft very very soft

I'm just totally imagining him running those errands, stopping finally at the lil baby shop he frequents whenever he makes it into town. The shopkeeper knows Rex - knows all about his little one because he's just so proud to be a Papa and opens up to her when it comes to his baby girl. She's a harmless old lady who's been running that lil shop for longer than Rex has been alive - helped him when he stumbled in there to buy that baby blanket Priya ended up being wrapped in right after she came into the world. The old woman smiles when she sees him, using her wooden cane as she steps into the storage closet to select some of her hidden items that she knows Rex and his family would appreciate.

Maybe she knows Rex is a clone - whether she speaks that knowledge to him or not, she keeps it a secret. She's fond of Rex, and how he's out there making a life for himself and his family.

Anyways. As he's checking out, handing the woman the credits (she always throws one or two back at him even though he tries to respectfully decline the discount), a pair of children run by the storefront, kicking a ball around. Rex's expression lifts, noticeably so, and the woman chuckles.

"You are a family man," she says while wrapping the goods, and Rex offers her a kind smile. "A father of many children, I foresee it."

Those words play in his head as he heads back to his homestead.

Yeah, he's foreseen that, too.

When he walks into their house, Pri is napping in her little pen in the living room while his wife is folding the laundry that had just been plucked from the lines outside. Rex can't help but melt inside - setting down the goods from his trip into town before wrapping his arms around her front.

Mrs. Gayiyla giggles as Rex plants soft kisses all over her neck and shoulders, his chest pressed against her back. She drops the tunic mid-fold, and turns around in his arms.

"Hello, love. How was it?"

Rex smiles, leaning to press a warm kiss to her lips in response.

"You're in a good mood," she teases - running her fingers through the growing, blond curls above his ears. "What's up, Rex?"

Rex can't help the flicker in his gaze that lands first on their small daughter, sleeping soundly in her pen with her favorite tooka doll tucked in her tiny arms, then trailing downwards towards his wife's belly.

She raises a brow, and leans to kiss him again.

"It would be nice for Priya to finally have that sibling," Rex mumbles against her mouth. She pulls back - a grin stretching on her lips.

Rex has been hinting at it for a while - both explicitly and otherwise. She laughs - a soft, loving sound.

"I agree." Taking his hand, she guides Rex into their room. His heart races - blood rushing south. "Shall we get to it then?"

*returns to haitus*

[djarrex]

VEE AND JAY y'all are cracking me tf up 😭😂

this is one of those times where we all have to sit back and say to ourselves: captain rex would never

Guys you aren't gonna believe this, Captain Rex robbed a donut shop

You all can stop with those post order 66 fanfics, this is what he did after order 66, he robbed donut shops.

[djarrex]

Please for the 5 sentence ficlet, Rex playing with his baby by trailing his fingers and pressing along his wife's belly to get the baby to kick?

YESSSS. bless this and bless you. Ok so I'm gonna connect this to my Post-Order 66 Rex series because I am unable to write anything that has to do with Rex having a baby without thinking of Rex Gayiyla in particular :')

send me nsfw or sfw hc/thots and I'll maybe write a 5 sentence ficlet | other ficlets

just Fluff with a capital F! dad!Rex, pregnant!reader

<<<>>>

"She was doing it earlier," you chuckle lightly with a lazy shrug while raking your nails through Rex's thick, growing hair where's he's kneeled between your legs - very determined to make his daughter kick so he can see for it himself.

"Common, Priya," he coos towards your belly - his fingers moving back and forth along the vertical line running down the center of your stomach as he continues, "Kick for Papa, little one."

His favorite thing is to talk to her; Rex will get eye-level with your bump, hold it between his palms then tilt his forehead against it while he speaks to his growing daughter. You love seeing him like this, all soft and gentle and totally a dad, and you know he can't wait to meet her, but for now, he'd be the happiest man in the galaxy if she would stop being so damn stubborn and just kick for him.

Another few minutes go by of Rex tracing over every inch of your rounded belly as he speaks to her, when finally, a little fluttering sensation within your abdomen has his eyes blown wide and a huge grin growing on his face - a tiny little limb just barely bulging out and meeting Rex's finger.

[djarrex]

thinking about how older Priya would say something like

"I fight for what's left of the Republic - the budding Rebellion. I am a solder, like my father before me."

[djarrex]

Hello beloved! I was thinking about Rex interacting with Priya (as I often do) and I was wondering if he reads her bedtime stories, or what his bedtime routine with her is? 🥺 I am very soft for one (1) man and his little girl.

RO. You deserve this my dear I hope this helps make your stay a little more bearable (bareable? jk bearable. pulling humor from our chats bc I'm a dumbass)

Find the rest of the series in the Post-Order 66 Rex ML

Ok so I may have gotten Carried Away. There’s just a little hint of sad, but other than that, FLUFF. about 860 words. Papa!Rex reading to his baby girl. Even at less than a year old, children are considered emergent readers, and benefit from seeing the text as it's being read to them. The more Papa Rex reads to little Priya, the more she'll take an interest in wanting to read. She'll soon become familiar with how print has meaning, and eventually will start pretending to read as her finger moves along each word (it'll come out as cute babbles and very premature word recognition because she has not yet learned how to decode, but hey, at least there's that understanding in place of how written words correlate with the words we speak!) <3

<<<>>>

"Rex... where did you find this?"

It feels so unreal in your hands, your watering eyes not believing what they're seeing. The colors on the hardcover are just how you remember them; the same colors you see behind shut eyelids when accidentally conjuring flashes of your childhood, your family. The flimsi pages held by the binding - now worn and losing its integrity - give off that smell as your turn each one: the smell of a book. A real book with pages one can turn with their fingers, grasping each one and letting the sound fill your ears as they flip. It's so much more than mindlessly dragging a digit across the screen of a holo device.

"There was a stall in that other town that sold these. I, uh, I've never seen a real book before, but when I saw this one right up front," he lay a finger on the page you're currently flipped to, pointing at a little pastel tooka wearing a silly hat in particular, "I thought Pri would like the many colors and the cute characters."

Closing the wide and thin, rectangular children's book, you press it against your chest, arms wrapping around yourself and holding it tightly. Your vision becomes slightly blurred for a moment until the tears become heavy enough to descend. Rex furrows his brow - a flash of concern sinking in his honey eyes.

"What's wrong? Is- is this not okay?"

"Rex," you manage through a soft sob. "It's perfect. I just... I can't wrap my head around how the universe led you to pick this book in particular." Releasing your hold on it, you pass the book to Rex, who looks it over intently. It’s silent as he sets it on the table, then he’s scooting his chair closer to you.

"Is this something you had as a child?"

"My father..." You take a deep breath - exhaling slowly through your nostrils. It’ll never get easier to dig into those memories you keep so deeply buried in your mind. Rex takes your hand, bringing your knuckles to his lips and holding steady. He knows. "He would read it to me. Almost every night, right before I'd go to sleep. I never thought I’d see something so vivid from my childhood again, let alone hold it in my hands.” 

It’s silent for another few moments while your eyes lock onto the cover, Rex’s eyes fixed on you.

The baby starts to fuss from her crib, and you’re quick to stand up to retrieve her. The dampness around her large, familiar eyes nearly mirrors the tears drying underneath yours, but you can’t help but smile when her little fists raise in the air in a call for you. You hold her close and bury your nose in her thick hair as you head back into the kitchen. She’s quick to shift her weight to the right within your grasp, extending her arms and tilting towards her Papa as soon as she catches sight of him sitting at the table. You’ll never get tired of the way Rex’s face positively glows as his baby girl reaches for him.

“There’s my little love,” he says down to her while brushing loose, messy, sleep hair from her forehead with his fingers. She coos in content, and you shake your head with a sigh - a grin stretching on your lips to match Rex’s.

“She doesn’t even try to hide it,” you chuckle. “A daddy’s girl if I’ve ever seen one.”

“Ah.” Rex pokes her tummy and bounces her on his knee, the two of them giggling in unison. “The next one’ll be a mama’s... one.” You raise a brow at him.

The next one.

“I can read it to Pri, every night,” he softly suggests - gesturing to the book with a jolt of his chin. From her place on his lap, Priya reaches for the book, but her fine motor skills are not yet developed. He picks it up for her, and opens it up to the first page - her eyes widening at the unfamiliar colors and characters greeting her for the very first time. Testing the waters, Rex places his finger on the extra large Aurebesh font, and moves it slowly to the right with each word he speaks down to her. Priya’s hand wraps around his pointer as it glides across the flimsi, hanging on to him and following along with her gorgeous eyes moving in the same direction. Her Papa keeps going, page after page, stopping before flipping to the next to point out a new character included within the vibrant illustrations. You giggle through a soft sob as her little palm smacks against the page in excitement upon flipping to the last one - fresh tears streaming down your cheeks at the scene playing out in front of you. 

Rex closes the book, and brings a hand to wipe away a stray tear from his own cheek. Priya maps out the hardcover with curious fingers - tracing along the pictures and moving with font of the title. You share a glance with your husband, and he smiles.

“Every night.”

<<<>>>

@thefact0rygirl @bambiswriting @gotomarvelgal @fett-djarin @rowansparrow

****Honestly sometimes I just don’t feel like adding the 70+ tags but if you wanna be tagged in anything Post-Order 66 Rex, let me know! <3 (tagging those who I think would appreciate this)

[djarrex]

for the 5 sentence ficlets... rex also doting in his care of his wife after she's given birth-- those first few weeks are BRUTAL

mmhmm yep gonna also include this one with Post-Order 66 Rex :')) I just love how you guys are into the whole hubby/Papa Rex thing and want more of it ahhhhh I love you all

send me nsfw or sfw hc/thots and I'll maybe write a 5 sentence ficlet | other ficlets

postpartum!reader, dad!rex, mentions of previous labor/delivery, mentions of breastfeeding, mentions of postpartum symptoms, Rex is the best hubby and dad in the galaxy

<<<>>>

Still weak from pushing a tiny human out of you only a week ago, you're not as much help with the infant crops and literal infant as you'd like to be. To say you're sore is the understatement of the cycle; your entire body feels as if it's still housing a full-sized baby, your breasts are swollen and nipples raw, everything around your hips and waist burns when you pee, not to mention that you're tired.

Rex, ever the dutiful father and loving husband that he undoubtedly is, has been on his aching feet every and all day and most nights - bringing the baby back and forth between feedings and her crib, getting you everything your healing body requires, and assisting you with physical movement whenever you're in need of it. And though there's not much he can do as far as easing the burning sensation that comes whenever you use the latrine, he's by your side as much as he can be while also keeping and eye on both Priya and the sprouting yot beans outside.

Mr. Research has been finding different methods of soothing your mind and body to help you over some hurdles that come with postpartum life: he'll take you a short walks through the tall grass outside with the baby resting against his chest in a little carrier he'd picked up in town; he always makes sure you have a full, fresh cup of water with you at all times, knowing of the importance of staying hydrated while breastfeeding; and when you're too exhausted and raw to feed Priya, he gladly takes over with the pumped milk that'd been bottled and stored just for the occasion.

[djarrex]

sfw headcanon that the bad batch DOTE on little priya!!! she loves her uncles and is a little princess and rex is a perfect father

100% agree with you, and sometime in the near future I will be writing something that includes TBB visiting the Gayiyla's and meeting Priya! For now, here's a lil crumb :)

send me nsfw or sfw hc/thots and I'll maybe write a 5 sentence ficlet | other ficlets

Just fluff and dad!Rex - I'll link this in the Post-Order 66 Rex ML

<<<>>>

"I can't believe how much she looks like you, Rex," Echo says to his brother with a large smile and a soft pat on the back, and Rex just absolutely beams upon hearing that from someone in addition to you. Omega's been sitting on the floor with Wrecker as he makes funny faces at Priya; the bubbly, giggly reactions he's been eliciting from the four-month-old seem to be entertaining the gentle giant even more so than the laughing baby. Earlier, you'd offered for Hunter to hold Priya, but he politely declined; he'd rather watch, he told you, but you now know that he doesn't trust himself with something that precious. Tech is most interested in her genetics, which Rex had to politely tell 'Goggles' to treat her like his daughter, not as a science experiment to be inquired upon, much like they were back when they were her size and age. Rex keeps a close eye on all of them when they're around her; even though he'd trust them with all of your lives, he's still a nervous new dad, and he'll even scoop her up whenever he feels they've each had "their turn" just so he can hold her and love on her.