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ahsokathegray · 23 days ago

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A Remedy for Memory || Part Four

Pairing: Rexsoka

Prompt: Rexsoka Monthly Jan. ‘24 - Accidental First Kiss

Summary: One simple fall causes a certain commander to fall in love with his co-commander all over again. Rex expresses his gratitude to his lover rather affectionately — unaware that he's never done so before, unaware that he and Ahsoka aren't together.

Tags: order 66 didn't happen, temporary amnesia, whump kinda, fake dating kinda, protective brotherly Anakin

Word Count: 5,284

A/N: if you saw the rom com this was inspired by, no you didn't. but fr go watch it, it's called the other zoey! (@rexsoka-monthly)

read on ao3! / masterlist

Rex pecked the crease in her forehead, rupturing each one of her cells in a ripple like effect. It was so casual for him, as if it had been part of his morning routine all this time. Kisses on her forehead were something that this false version of herself was meant to be accustomed to by now.

Ahsoka swallowed around the knot in her throat and replaced the photo back to its temporary home, upon a shelf that would never need dusting, and turned down a long corridor. Following hot on her heels, Rex spied the bedroom through an open door and, chuckling softly, wrapped himself around her from behind and eagerly hurried them to the shared quarters.

There would be no walls of separation here as there had been aboard the Tribunal.

The strong hands encircling her waist tightened and Ahsoka shrieked, curling inwards as Rex lifted her. His speed increased and then she was airborne, thrust upwards with her lekku catching wind as the bed caught her. Rex was already waiting beneath her as she knocked against him, having moved perhaps too quickly for poor Kix’s liking and cradling her in tandem with the embrace of the mattress.

It molded itself to fit around the shape of their entwined forms and, twice today, Ahsoka recognized that she’d been graced with things much softer than she ever deserved. Even a lavish mattress couldn’t hope to rival the plush lips of the man beside her as he pressed them to the underside of her jaw. She was a fit of breathy giggles as Rex covered her in adoring kisses, his mouth touching every part of her he could hope to reach. He drowned happily in her, the both of them catching his quiet, satisfied groans as he lost himself in such affection.

The tips of his loving fingers teased the hem of her dress in an attempt to steal a touch at more of her skin, but Ahsoka caught his wrist just as the contact was made, careening into his touch before pushing his hands gently away. She couldn’t fight the twitch of her muscles or the spread of warmth in her abdomen, forever a stranger to such foreign intimacy.

Ahsoka’s adrenaline helped conjure an excuse. “I’m going to wash up before bed. I’ll be back in a bit,” she rushed to say, pecking the corner of Rex’s pleading eyes with clumsy lips.

Nuzzling into her further, Rex grunted his disapproval but didn’t attempt to convince her to stay. “Hurry back,” he mumbled, settling back into the endless amounts of pillows decorating their bed. “I’ve missed you.”

I’ve missed you.

“I missed you too, Rex…” Ahsoka trailed. “Do you, um, need anything while I’m up?” She adjusted her clothing and glanced around the room as if not for the first time. She wondered if his missing her was new or if it had been one of the few things he still remembered from before. Their knees could be brushing whilst sitting atop crates on the Resolute and yet she would still miss him fiercely in the moment. Over the course of three months, neither one of them ever had the courage to admit it, leaving their eyes doing all the speaking.

The impact of such communication was discreet to no avail, as Ahsoka had later learned from Jesse.

“Actually, yes, have you seen my datapad lying around anywhere?” he asked.

Ahsoka reached for the night table nearest to her. “Exactly where you left it,” she smirked, relieved that somehow his datapad had been planted there. “But Kix was strict on no screens until you’re better.”

Rex groaned playfully, “I’m starting to think you’re just making some of this up.”

“Believe me, I wish I were,” she answered, mulling too long over how much she meant it.

The steaming sonic greeted her like an old friend, trapping her in the fog and under the falling water, offering to help her make sense of the nonsensical. The patter of the droplets never failed to wash away her troubles and, foolishly, she hoped the spray might also melt Rex’s touch permanently into her skin.

It would do no such thing.

Ahsoka massaged her aching montrals, gripping the peaks to urge herself to remain focused, to stay on mission. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but was sure she did a bit of both. This was all fabricated. Even the cruel, beautiful glimpse of the lie had her in just as fuge a state as Rex. There were few things she wouldn’t give to live in the reality he was existing in.

She’d sleep on the sofa, she’d keep her distance, she wouldn’t allow any more strings to bond them. There were only three— really two days now until her Knighthood ceremony. That gave her two days to sever the damning strings of attachment to Rex in which she already helped knit. These things are always easier said than done, as Ahsoka still had yet to cease pressing her buzzing lips together to savor the taste of him that had been left behind.

Scanning the sonic for soap, her hands fell limply to her sides. There was a half used bar sitting on one of the ledges. Padmé had been nothing but thorough in her aid to this elaborate ruse. With a set jaw, Ahsoka turned her burning shower to the coldest setting before finishing up and stepping out, wishing that she and Rex had been the ones to shrink the bar instead.

“I need to ask you something,” Rex called suddenly from inside the bedroom, catching her as she was toweling off.

The Force alerted her that his hand was nearing the door panel and so the towel was wrapped around her body at a hyperspeedic rate. “So do I. Why are you up?” she asked with furrowed brow markings.

Not a moment later, the door separating them slid aside and steam from her sonic wafted out of the refresher to claim his tall figure. Rex stepped in with mischief tugging at his lips and he leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, noticeably without the shirt he’d been wearing.

Ahsoka gripped the towel tighter around her, acutely aware that they were each staring at the state the other was in. “You should be resting, Rex,” she exhaled, its sole purpose to reduce the threatening blush in her lekku.

The devilish smirk she’d only been introduced to today deepened. “How high is our water bill?” he asked abruptly, brushing off her remark.

“Our— Your urgent question was to come in here to ask about our water bill?”

He strode towards her, stopping so close that they shared the oxygen of a singular person. “I was thinking we could save a couple more credits each month if we showered together instead,” he drawled, speaking against her parted lips before claiming them with his own and walking her right back into the wet sonic.

Ahsoka’s breath was stolen from her, taken hostage by Rex as she fought to keep her towel from becoming compromised. His head tilted, needing to have her, tongue entering her mouth with a temptatous demand of entry — one she could not refuse. She whined as he swiped at her bottom lip and Rex chuckled at her sensitivity, his wandering hands falling and settling at her hips. The place between her thighs was swollen with excitement.

Fingering the length of her towel where the gap rested near his thumb, he whispered between her panting, “There’s no chance you’ll let me relieve you of this, is there?”

“Is your memory so bad that you’re forgetting Kix’s orders?” Ahsoka breathlessly retorted, unable to concentrate with his carefully placed knee grazing her core.

He smirked and pulled away, distracted still by the beautiful woman pressed between him and the wall. Rex ran the pads of his fingers against his lips. “You know I’m notorious for questioning orders. Or am I remembering that incorrectly, too?” he challenged, eyes dropping to her chest and wiping away a stray water droplet from her clavicle. If a remark about being wet was dancing on his tongue, he didn’t voice it, but the simmering glint in his amber eyes all but spoke it for him. They were quite good at that.

Boldly, Ahsoka freed one of her hands, pulling him down to her level by the nape of his neck and initiating affections for the very first time, kissing him hard and with a passion that caused him to whimper helplessly into her mouth. But Rex was too enamored to detect her bait, opening his eyes to discover he was the one now backed into the damp sonic wall, an orange hand splayed in the middle of his chest with Ahsoka at an arm’s length away. He panted, delighted with her deception and writhing under her palm, amber irises flaring. Her thumb twitched, grazing his old blaster scar and he was rendered defenseless, hips jerking involuntarily.

Securing her towel and cheekily saluting him, Ahsoka made to exit the refresher, muttering under her breath something about whatever was in the injections Kix had administered, when Rex called after her. “‘Soka,” he said, hanging on the open door of the sonic.

She turned, lekku gliding across her wet shoulders, the nickname only adding charge to the electricity coursing through her body.

“I keep a journal in that datapad. That’s what I wanted to tell you. I remembered it. Could you read to me what I logged over the last few days? Figured it might jog my memory sooner.”

Ahsoka was stunned. “Oh. Do I— you never told me,” she revealed, heart constricting at the weight of what he was asking her to do — of what she knew she might find.

He winked, eyes darkening as he unbuttoned his trousers and followed in her steps back towards the door. Rex’s tented briefs peeked out from beneath his unsecured pants but he paid them no mind, grabbing hold of the frame above Ahsoka’s head and leaning in. Her breath stalled in her lungs and her lips reached instinctually for his.

But the only thing that moved was a towel hanging on a hook beside her head. Rex’s chest rumbled in a low, dark chuckle at her deflation, “You’re not the only tease living here.”

The lines in his back were made visible to her as he walked away, leaving her dazed, disoriented, and all too almost-naked in his wake. Déjà vu continued to hit her like a train.

Ahsoka pressed her back hard against the door when it shut, making up for lost oxygen and cursing herself for losing the focus she’d so desperately scrounged up. Rex’s datapad sat untouched on the bed. She swallowed and fled into the only room she had yet to explore, finding a large closet the size of her quarters at the Temple tucked inside the bedroom. The towel nearly fell to a heap on the floor. Padmé… Padmé had outdone herself. For only a few days worth of a ruse, her friend had thought of even the most minute of details.

Men and women’s civilian clothing lined the racks, organized between hers and his, by color and season. Rex’s helmet sat atop a crate she recognized as the ones that clones stored personal effects in. Even traditional Togrutan robes adorned a few of the hangars. A series of drawers were built into the racks and Ahsoka considered them carefully, knowing they wouldn’t be empty. She reached for the first, discovering a collection of Rex’s Republic war medals inside. In front of them, however, sat something that didn’t belong — something that once belonged to her.

Ahsoka traced the convex grooves of the akul tooth headdress, picking it up as though she half expected it to crumble under her touch. The last time she’d set eyes on it, she’d pawned it off in the Underworld for enough credits for a decent place to sleep. Her chest tightened and she placed it back, comparing the bed she’d slept in that night to the one beyond the closet door.

Pride bloomed in her chest for Rex, finding awards and achievements he’d never before mentioned amidst the collection. There were a few he was rather proud of and Ahsoka spotted them quickly, remembering a time when the Captain had been one to brag. She was absorbed in her admiration for him when she came across another piece in his collection that didn't belong amongst the rest.

It, too, had been pawned off below the surface of the planet. The small diamond charm necklace stared back at her like a stranger. Ahsoka immediately searched for her Padawan beads as well, but they were nowhere to be found.

This had not been Anakin’s contribution to the ruse. Padmé had found these items in Rex’s personal quarters.

The second drawer was opened with less apprehension and Ahsoka was greeted not with gold or memorabilia, but with various lacy underthings. One side contained the same pairs of briefs she’d seen from beyond Rex’s fly in the refresher. She swallowed. The other side was much more colorful. From among the items intended for her, Ahsoka plucked out the least amount of material she’d ever laid eyes upon.

Groaning, she closed the drawer and searched for some sleepwear that would cover her rear more than the underwear promised to.

Minutes later, she was settled between the sheets with Rex’s datapad in hand, staring blankly at the amount of logging he had done. There were journal entries dating back from even before the war, back when he was still a cadet on Kamino. When his memory was restored, she hoped he might read her a few of them. She found the most recent entries and what he’d written before they left for the mission they’d just returned from.

Year 3, Month 8, Day 89 post-war

The boys have been restless. They’re itching for the field but the fight has been waning since the Seppies were defeated. We’re being sent to Serenno to collect an alleged war chest under the ownership of Dooku and redistribute it back to those it was stolen from. Sterling is attempting to convince some shinies to paint themselves like droids for target practice. But killing clankers takes an edge off that target practice doesn’t. The feeling hasn’t eased, but is mostly manageable.

Year 3, Month 8, Day 73 post-war

I can’t tell these days if I love or despise serving the GAR. I fought for a cause I believed in, a cause we won, but I’ve never been more unsure. The fight allowed me to forget my selfishness. I was never meant to have this much time to think, let alone think at all. There was never supposed to be a point in which I had to weigh what my life’s purpose was. Until now, it’d been decided for me.

Year 3, Month 7, Day 58 post-war

When she first came back to us, I was worried I’d lose concentration. I was wrong then just as I am now. Skywalker notices. So does Jesse. She and I work almost too well together. It’s something I could never begin to explain correctly, but ever since Mandalore, we are linked — forever fused in a way not unlike my own armor. I am a better man with her around, a better soldier, but not the soldier I’m supposed to be.

Ahsoka was robbed of the air in her lungs. Her own throat threatened to suffocate her. She was well past the limit of “the last few days” of entries he’d set for her.

Year 3, Month 6, Day 35 post-war

I’ve had my resignation papers drawn since we returned from the siege. If I thought I could bear the look in Skywalker’s eyes, I’d have handed them in already.

Year 3, Month 5, Day 15 post-war

She accepted General Windu’s offer. Whether she stays or goes I will always lose her.

Year 3, Month 5, Day 1 post-war

My heart exists outside of my body in the for

Tears stained her knuckles as Ahsoka checked the entry again and again, looking for the rest of the words. Rex had left it incomplete.

“So, is my poetic recount of our first time bringing tears to your eyes?” Rex asked, stepping into the bedroom.

Ahsoka jumped, drying her betraying eyes. “Something like that,” she hurried, patting the empty bed for him to join her.

He hummed in consideration, pulling her undivided attention to where he stood. A towel was slung low around his hips — below his hips, rather. She averted her eyes back to his datapad and he chuckled, striding towards the closet.

“Tell me everything,” Rex urged once he’d finally slipped in bed beside her, placing a hand over her knee and drawing her closer to him.

His cheeks were colored with the heat from the sonic, giving him a glow that would’ve been deadly for anyone so close. Between his warm skin, masculine aroma, and his silk pajama shorts that matched her own nightwear, Ahsoka lost her truce with concentration. If her Great Trial had been not to ogle Rex’s bare, unfairly muscular chest, she would have failed almost instantly.

“‘Soka, are you feeling alright? What’s bothering you?”

She nodded, powerless but to read him a false entry that did not exist, to lie to him through her teeth as per her orders. “Month five, day eighty-nine post war. Ahsoka and I will be visiting the men at the shipyard this week. They were sent on a mission to Serenno retrieving stolen artifacts from Dooku. Skywalker gave us permission to personally return any Shilian items back to her people. All Ahsoka can talk about are her parents.”

“Have I ever met your parents?” Rex asked hopefully, considering the entry.

Tears threatened once more in her eyes at the possibilities they’d have if they were entirely different people. Ahsoka shook her head and continued, “Well, not yet, anyway. Alright. Month five, day seventy-three post-war. Some days I miss the GAR, but I might just be better with kitchen appliances than I am with my pistols. I asked Ahsoka for her review and she declined to comment.”

He laughed and leaned further into the pillows. “So I am a terrible cook?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll still kiss the chef anyway,” she smiled, pressing one to the faint scar on his chin.

She could feel the low hum in his throat. “Read to me our first time,” he prompted next.

Ahsoka stiffened, skin blooming with heat. “Rex—”

“What?” he teased. “You remember when it was, don’t you? I’ll vow to you right now that this is the one and only time I’ll ever forget an important date.” He put one pleading hand over his heart and the veins were noticeably standing out, drying her mouth further than it already had.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and summoned the courage that evaded her, “And this is the one and only time you’ll ever get a pass.”

He wet his lips and nodded back to the datapad as if to repeat his question.

She searched through his older logs and found the one from that night in the hangar — the night something might’ve happened had things gone according to plan. Her lekku darkened further and she could see Rex’s wiggling eyebrows in her periphery.

“Go on,” he goaded, squeezing her knee in encouragement.

Year 3, Month 5, Day 1102 of war

I have marked this entry for deletion, but not before I’ve committed every detail to memory. I woke up in my quarters this morning with no memory of how I got there. The last thing I remember was leaving and finding Ahsoka in the hangar control room. I expected the amorous nature of our exchanges to dwindle as we returned back to the monotony of our respective roles, but things shifted in that room, coming to a precipice as she removed my helmet and we rendezvoused in the shuttle.

Days of tortuous feelings snapped into place, gaining clarity, gaining a name. My impossibly short life has gained infinite more meaning with her back in it. She gives me years back. I prefer who I am when I am with her. I am better for knowing her. I envy the rain's ability to fall for her and soak into her skin. I never did make it to her room and I’m trying to tell myself it’s for the better, but I can’t get the memory of her off my tongue. I wanted to believe it was something I could escape through physical release, but I have never finished so hard and yet I still—

Rex placed a gentle hand on her thigh. “You don’t have to read it, ‘Soka. I just like being the reason your lekku turn three shades darker.”

Ahsoka blinked rapidly, shutting his datapad off and returning it to the night table. The entry had been quite lengthy, continuing on in detail about what he remembered that she could not allow herself to read. She was scarlet in the face and met his eyes sheepishly from the shelter of her own shoulder.

Laughing, Rex squeezed her leg and invited her to lie next to him. “If it left you that speechless, I can’t wait to find out how often we test the integrity of this bed frame.”

She nearly choked, shifting it quickly to match his amusement. “It’s just very… enlightening to read from your perspective,” she settled with, gathering her many feelings on his words into one broad statement. The image of Rex pleasuring himself was stamped into her mind, making it difficult to maintain eye contact. “Did it help you remember anything?”

“I’m recalling the Serenno mission a bit, the talk about all the different artifacts Dooku pillaged, but nothing else.”

“A good night’s sleep will help,” Ahsoka said. “Ewok steps.”

“Ewok steps,” Rex repeated, smiling and switching off the lamp.

So she inched downward in the sheets, fitting herself to Rex’s front and finding that the point of her montral didn’t bother him as she’d long worried it might. Rather, it curved around his shoulder and hooked there as if they’d each been designed for that very purpose, to fit from the very start. She had entirely forgotten to refuse the comforts of the bed for the couch, but her tired body protested.

Rex sighed once she settled, his heart calm while hers continued to challenge the cage it was trapped in. He had more than become that relaxed man he’d spoken about so hopefully on the Tribunal three months ago. He had embraced the life she’d wanted with him, allowing himself what his heart desired without the duties of their titles interfering.

A wave his relaxation washed over her, contagious and inviting, having no need for the water of the sonic to melt his touch into her skin. His feverish touch caused it to happen all on its own. He hummed and delicately stroked the tip of her montral, dipping into the curve. She shivered. A sleepy kiss was pressed to her rear lek, drowsy with incomplete words of love slipping off his lips.

Rex slept the next day away. Ahsoka had the entire apartment memorized by the time he emerged from the bedroom, decidedly not lingering on words he’d only half written or half said. She was also half convinced the amount of rest he’d gotten might help his brain play a bit of catch up, but that theory proved incorrect to her chagrin.

“Anakin and Padmé have invited us over for dinner tomorrow tonight,” Ahsoka announced as Rex entered the kitchen.

He rubbed his face and came to where she stood by the caf maker, slotting himself behind her and wrapping his hands around her middle. Ahsoka laughed softly and leaned her head back, giving Rex the room to place his chin on her shoulder and kiss the curve of her lekku. It took her by surprise just how fast the role she was playing had taken root. Standing like this in the kitchen with him felt natural. Guilt bubbled in her stomach, sick with the way she was having to think of this as any other mission, preemptively mourning these moments.

“Think he’ll ask me aside about yesterday?” Rex asked, releasing her when the caf maker sputtered.

Ahsoka went to fetch a mug from the cabinet and stopped cold, their conversation before his fall hurdling to the forefront of her mind. “What did you say?”

He cocked an eyebrow and continued, “Skywalker. He was there at the shipyard yesterday. I think he’s withholding something.”

She blanched, coming back to the present as Rex carefully removed the mug from her fingers. “Sorry, I just— you remembered something.”

Rex smiled briefly, teeth shining. “He’s never been able to hide the way his emotions come across on his face. Now that I mention it, what exactly are his thoughts on his former Padawan and Captain living together? He didn’t seem to be in high spirits when he saw us.”

How his brain had omitted where they were standing when this happened was beyond her.

“Oh. He’s, well, it did take him a while to accept. And no one was in high spirits, Rex. You fell pretty hard.”

“That’s all?” Rex asked, a brow arched.

“You know how Anakin is. It’s only been three months,” she added.

He let out a short huff of air and sipped his caf. Guilt gnawed at her. Rex was already confused as it was and her broken lies did nothing but make it worse. “So it’s going to be one of those dinners, then.”

“Unfortunately.”

Ahsoka detailed the fall he took the day prior but he had no recollection of it. Nothing about datapads, Commanders, her upcoming ceremony, or a privately scheduled conversation seemed to come to mind for him. “There’s more I should be remembering, isn’t there?” he asked.

She ran a hand through his buzzed blonde hairs. “It’ll come back. They’ve asked me not to say much just in case it hinders the healing process. You have to remember on your own,” Ahsoka revealed, feeling herself shrink in her fuzzy, monogrammed slippers. Rex readied to protest but she continued, “I’ve been thinking. We should go back to the shipyard. Something there might make something in that old brain of yours click and I’m told the boys are still unloading.”

He pecked her on the cheek and traced the markings there adoringly. “Yes ma’am,” he whispered and gave her a small salute.

Only a handful of troopers roamed the shipyard, as most had taken their leave to the barracks or to the sports bars by now. A squad from the 332nd was stacking emptied crates, nodding to their Commanders as they made their way through the open facility. Rex said nothing, but Ahsoka could plainly see the smile on his face at their orange painted buckets as they passed by.

The Resolute and the Tribunal were docked beside one another, both of them with lights shutting off. Confused, Rex turned to squeezed Ahsoka’s hand, lifting their joined fists and pointing to the cruiser. “Why are they preparing the Tribunal? I thought its maiden voyage was its last.”

Ahsoka bit her tongue, certain that it was her they were prepping it for. As a Jedi Knight and no longer Anakin’s Padawan, she’d be given her own Venator. Gone were the days she’d be a staple in the halls of the Resolute. From here on out, she’d be sleeping in the General’s quarters because she’d actually be a General. “I’m not sure,” she said untruthfully. “I can ask Jesse. I let him and Kix know earlier that we’d be stopping by.”

Rex only nodded, swallowing the fact that these things Ahsoka could not tell him must be quite big.

They found Kix sitting on the ramp of a smaller shuttle, patching a laceration on the elbow of a shiny. Ahsoka waved at the pair and he beckoned them closer. As they neared the shuttle, its familiar dim lighting and wear greeted her. Kix was occupying the shuttle she and her Captain had stolen away in during their return from Mandalore. She turned to Rex for confirmation and he was already grinning, shooting her a wink.

“Mind if I drop off another patient?” Ahsoka asked the medic playfully.

Kix laughed, securing the bacta patch on the other trooper and telling him he was free to go. “Suppose I can make time for one more sorry soldier,” he jested. “What have you two been up to lately?” He looked to Ahsoka, communicating wordlessly with her.

“Honestly? Sleeping and spilling caf,” she answered.

“Well, there are studies that prove caf intake can improve memory performance. How is the old thinker? Remembering anything at all?”

The look she received was one of sympathy, one Rex couldn’t see. Kix just clicked his light into Rex’s eyes for a quick checkup.

Ahsoka sighed, “Little things. No major events, really.”

“I see,” Kix said, understanding her meaning. “I could do a quick brain scan before I head off for the evening if you’d like. Jesse’s in Rex’s old office if you want to speak with him.”

She thanked Kix and squeezed Rex’s shoulder before heading in the opposite direction overhearing as the medic asked Rex if he knew his last name, to which they laughed. It was dark now, but she’d long since memorized the way to a certain corner office. The door was ajar when she arrived, a lamp she’d gifted him illuminating the room.

A sizable dent had been made in the stacks of reports that had been there yesterday and occupying the newly emptied space were a pair of crossed feet.

Jesse was lounging in the desk chair, legs propped up and passed out cold. His mouth hung agape with exhaustion and Ahsoka stifled a laugh, approaching her dear friend. “Jesse,” she called, watching closely as he stirred. “At attention.”

His nose scrunched and she stifled a giggle, taking a datapad and nudging one of his feet. Jesse’s feet uncrossed and both pistols were drawn before his eyes ever cracked open, a steel look in his dark eyes.

“Ahsoka,” he signed, chest rising and falling violently under his armor. “I’m so sorry, I— I would have never— I must’ve fallen asleep.”

She softly released the breath she was holding, “It’s okay, Jesse. I should’ve knocked. I’m sorry I startled you.”

His pistols were replaced into their holsters and Jesse rubbed his face. “That’s no excuse to have pulled my blasters on you, I—”

“It’s alright,” she said again, offering him a kind smile. “You didn’t know. You— Rex has them, too.”

He looked up at her and she sat adjacent to him at the large desk. “He told you about the nightmares?”

She shook her head. “No. I only found out about them last night. He slept for a long time, but he didn't sleep well… I had no idea.”

“I don’t think any of us really get any decent shut eye once we leave Kamino. No one talks about them, except maybe the medics. It’s something we tend to keep pretty close to the chest. Did he have them all night?”

Ahsoka thought for a moment before responding, “No. No, not until after I got out of bed.” Her lekku flushed.

Jesse smirked. “So you finally slept together?”

“Jesse,” she warned.

“Nothing stops them, you know. The nightmares. Kix has tried everything at this point. So if you stopped them, even for just a few hours, that tells me everything I need to know,” he said.

“And what would that be?”

“He’s bad in love with you.”

#rexsoka #rexsoka fic #rexsoka monthly #january 2024: accidental first kiss #my fic #a remedy for memory #ahsokathegray

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ahsokathegray · 2 years ago

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Codpieces and Clone Con Artists

Pairings: Rexsoka, Foxiyo, Anidala

Prompt: Rexsoka Monthly Jun. ‘23 - It’s Not What It Looks Like

Summary: In the immediate aftermath of the Republic winning the war, Rex and Ahsoka find themselves busier than they'd imagined. After having almost a full week of near misses with one another, the tension left unaddressed after the Siege of Mandalore comes to a head (wink wink).

Tags: first crack fic attempt, no Order 66, alcohol, Hardcase is hammered, everyone lives, semi graphic depiction of Palps kicking the bucket, Hardcase hurls his guts out, adult humor, adult situations

Word Count: 6,037

A/N: If you haven’t already, go give @rexsoka-monthly a follow and join us in supporting and creating prompt-based Rexsoka content! 🫶

read on ao3! / masterlist

The end of war celebrations lasted for more than a week. Ahsoka had lost track of just how many individual gatherings she’d been to by now. Her first sit down had been with Anakin inside Padmé’s apartment, or rather, the couple’s shared apartment.

Together, she and her Master worked through the strain that weighed on their relationship, clearing the air and restoring the dynamic they’d both missed so dearly. Anakin had profusely apologized to her the entire night, despite her efforts to tell him that her trust in him had never faltered. He was overjoyed with her return and proud beyond measure of her successes. He was especially relieved to no longer have to conceal a relationship that she apparently was already aware of and had been for quite a while.

Ahsoka couldn’t have been happier for them. The end of war and revised Jedi Code brought her impossibly closer to her dearest friends. Seeing both Padmé and Anakin light up around each other, freely, warmed her heart.

Once her Master did finally stop apologizing, they hopped between many topics. They spoke of Palpatine’s gruesome execution via zillo beast, what plans Maul had been spilling during his trial hearings, and how the siege went on Mandalore.

Naturally, the Captain (now Commander) was brought up as well, but she evaded the topic like it was the blue shadow virus. She still hadn’t fully been able to wrap her head around the thrumming in her veins that had started when they reunited. It made her feel somewhat sick, but in the best way possible.

She’d visited the barracks a few times that week, going out of her way to make an appearance not just in front of her own troops, but the entirety of the 501st. It was cathartic in a way she’d not been able to imagine on her days below the surface of Coruscant. Good news was in greater supply than she’d anticipated, with more familiar faces around than not. Ahsoka didn’t ever think there’d come a day where she didn’t fear the loss of her men’s lives. An immense weight had been lifted in that area alone.

Before she could even really join in on the boy’s celebration, she’d been summoned by Master Plo. With a promise to return another time, and a hole in her heart from not having seen Rex since delivering Maul in custody, she headed back to the Temple.

It was a joyous homecoming that was seemingly endless, a new set of Masters, Padawans, and troops returning each and every day. Speaking of which, Ahsoka had even gone out of her way to request an audience with Barriss. Her old friend has refused the visitation request, but Ahsoka was glad she’d tried anyway.

Closure had come to her in almost every way except one.

Many of her peers and colleagues, not to mention Anakin, had come forth with their relationships in lieu of the Jedi Order revising some of its outdated policies. Even members of its own Council were involved in unsurprising relationships with their clone Captains or Commanders. Her Senator friend Riyo Chuchi had even fit into that category. She crossed paths with Ahsoka while grabbing a cup of caf before one of Maul’s hearings and had divulged brief details about her and a member of the Coruscant Guard. The news honestly surprised Ahsoka more than the reveal of some of the more rigid Jedi Generals being involved with someone.

Riyo had invited Ahsoka to spend time with her and the Corrie Guard at 79’s that evening, to which she happily accepted. It would definitely cut close to her second dinner with the Skywalkers (who’s family number had just increased by two members), but she’d find a way to make it work.

Much to Anakin’s and Padmé’s dismay, she left a little earlier than planned to be able to catch an air taxi to the clone bar. She sprinted through the Federal District and was somehow able to hail a cab that wasn’t already occupied. Traveling across the planet wasn’t difficult, just leagues more crowded than usual with all the celebrations still ongoing. Everyone had somewhere to be.

She was only a few minutes late and exited the taxi with haste, smoothing her dress as she jumped from the backseat and handed over the credits to the driver. Riyo waved her down from outside the bustling establishment and beamed at her. “Ahsoka!” she greeted, pulling her friend into a tight hug, “I hope you didn’t have too much trouble getting here. Fox and I just arrived.” She motioned towards the man in red painted armor that Ahsoka already knew. It seemed all sorts of relationships and acquaintances were being transformed in light of the war ending.

“Commander Tano,” Fox addressed her by rank, “I’d like to formally apologi—”

“No apology needed, Fox,” she smiled, “I’m afraid I’m done accepting apologies this week. Let’s say you buy our drinks and we’ll call it even.”

He laughed and nodded, “I’ll say that’s fair, Commander. Let’s make our way inside?”

Riyo beamed and tucked a stray gray hair behind his ear before following him through the door. She turned to Ahsoka and grabbed her hand, pulling her friend closer, “I’ve never seen Fox apologize to anyone.”

Ahsoka giggled, “I take it that was a big deal, then.”

“Huge,” Riyo laughed with her as they waded through the crowd.

Accompanying the men in 79’s was a favorite pastime of Ahsoka’s. It’s where she learned to play (or rather, how to chat at) Sabacc with Jesse and where Cody taught her the ins and outs of bolo-ball. They’d often come to watch the more anticipated limmie matches here rather than inside the barracks. The clone bar is where she learned possibly too many useless facts about different alcohols, or how many shots of Tihaar it took to get Kix up and dancing with his brothers. It was where she’d had her first drink, both legal and otherwise, the latter being completely by accident and sworn to secrecy from the Captain by all parties involved.

She smiled at the memories she’d made, knowing well, finally that she’d get to continue to make them for years to come.

Fox led them to a booth with several faces she knew rather well. The Torrent Company division of the 501st were already waiting for them, plates of appetizers devoured and their eyes fixed on the pod-racing tournament broadcasting above the bar.

“Commander!” they greeted, some of them slurring the word.

Ahsoka waved to them and scooted into the booth behind her two escorts, “For the last time, you don’t—”

“Have to call you Commander anymore,” finished a voice from behind her. She knew it all too well. Ahsoka turned and was then face-to-face with Rex. He was leaned coolly against the booth, his signature half-smile playing at his lips and plate of ronto rinds in his hand. “We know, Commander,” he shot her a wink and then placed the food on the table, “Don’t let the boys eat everything. Beats me how they’re even still hungry.”

Fives cocked an eyebrow and asked him, “What gives, Captain? Aren’t you doing the waitress’s job? Got a side hustle we don’t know about?” Someone else made a comment about job security before falling victim to the newest tray of food.

Rex scowled, “You mean those cross-wired waitress droids that can’t get the orders right? I’ll pass.” A series of pouts were given by the boys before their hunger made them forget their disappointment. Ahsoka chuckled as he slid into the booth beside her and Fox gave their drink orders to the droid that appeared anyway despite Rex’s complaints.

Suddenly, having him so close made her heart jump into her throat. They’d been in sporadic contact since delivering Maul over to the proper authorities, but any opportunity they’d had to see one another kept getting missed. First they’d attempted to schedule some one-on-one time over caf, except she’d couldn’t delay her conversation with Anakin again. Then, he was supposed to be at the barracks the first time she’d gone over there, but Master Plo had arrived at the Temple. She even dropped by a few times more in the off chance that he’d be in his office.

Maybe he was working part time as a waitress for the bar, she thought humorously.

The end of the war kept everyone much busier than she would’ve ever imagined. There were trials, hearings, and Senate meetings to attend. In addition to that, no one was going to miss Palpatine’s public execution via consumption. And Ahsoka wasn’t going to turn down anyone’s offer to catch up just so she could wait around for Rex to not be busy.

But he was here now, and it felt like a nest of mynocks had taken flight in her stomach.

“You’re a difficult woman to track down,” he commented, leaning closer so that she could hear him over the other thumping music and surrounding conversations. His hot breath on her montrals sent a shiver up her spine. She nearly melted into a puddle on the cracked booth seating. Rex tugged at the hem of his glove and Ahsoka couldn’t help but focus her attention on his hands… Why was she — wait… She looked around the crescent shaped table, breaking free of the trance, and noticed Rex was the only one other than Fox that was still in uniform.

Everyone else had civvies on. Of course, she’d noticed the men’s new, casual clothing when she’d visited the barracks earlier in the week, but hadn’t thought to consider Rex wearing anything other than his armor. Now, she was thinking it was a good thing that he hadn’t appeared before. She’d never even seen Rex half-kitted, let alone just in his blacks. Seeing him in civilian clothing would’ve rendered her speechless. Becoming a puddle in the seat might’ve been a very real outcome had he shown up tonight like that.

No longer was he a clone Captain or Commander. He was just Rex. And he’d never been this distracting… except for when he stood so close to her aboard the Tribunal. The conversation they had on the way back home had been running around in her mind since returning. It was a wonder she could focus on catching up with anyone at all.

“I could say the same about you,” she said back, piling her plate with ronto rinds before the rest of the boys could scarf them down.

Rex stole a rind from her plate and took a bite out of it, smirking as he did so. Why was that so… Was that attractive? “Yeah, I’ve never been so busy on leave before,” he chuckled, popping a finger into his mouth and sucking.

Definitely attractive.

Ahsoka inhaled deeply and corrected her posture, trying desperately not to linger on a display that shouldn’t have affected her, “Tell me about it. We can’t seem to be in the same place at once. And I didn’t think for a second that I’d be seeing you here of all places.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, his eyes sparkling under the neon lights. Kix returned from the ‘fresher then, squeezing back into the booth and minimizing some of the space from between her and Rex. There was an immense comfort in their proximity, but she was a karking goner when the sides of their thighs became pressed together. Ahsoka swallowed thickly, knowing he couldn’t feel her, but she felt him enough for the both of them.

All at once, she both hoped there were no more men coming to sit at their table and hoped that there was. How many more people could they squeeze into this booth before she was all but sitting in his lap? Ahsoka was silently thankful for the dim bar lighting and colorful strobes, as it hid her darkening lekku. She pushed her nerves aside and lifted a brow marking, “Maybe because I’ve never seen you in here before. I’d wager all my credits that you’ve never stepped foot inside this bar until tonight.”

She could feel the rumble of his laugh from where her leg was pressed against his. He flashed his white teeth and teased, “Right. And how many credits do you have again?”

Jesse laughed obnoxiously with a mouth stuffed full, “She’s got a point, Rex! You’ve been here maybe twice?”

“Only if you’re counting tonight! And the fact that the Comman—” Fives joined in, but was promptly elbowed in the ribs by Fox.

Rex looked down at her and Ahsoka didn’t know whether she regretted or stood by her teasing comment. Either way, the way Rex was looking at her now, closely resembled the way he’d been looking at her the last time they’d been together. There had been a frenzy of energized something between them on the Tribunal’s bridge that she tried hard to forget about but just couldn’t. It was there during the entire siege, but utterly unmistakeable there on the return trip to Coruscant.

Having these near misses with him over the week has been incredibly frustrating, but had also worked to give her more time to think. She supposed the time was beneficial, as she could hardly hear herself think now that she was in the bustling interior of 79’s.

“Yeah, well, heard this place hasn’t formally closed in three days. Had to come see what all the fuss was about,” he joked, looking at Hardcase in particular, “I’m willing to take the bet that he hasn’t left this bar in that long.” Then, as the time struck midnight, the bar showed another replay of Palpatine cowering in front of the zillo beast before he became solely a pair of pale ankles sticking out of its mouth. The bar cheered and hollered, confetti shooting up and drinks tilting back.

Fox gave a dark chuckle to the left of her while the rest of their table groaned, as it was their first replay of the action without having a drink in their hands. Hardcase was happily snatching nearby shot glasses that other brothers had abandoned, adding more of the liquid to his body than he should’ve. A few of the men at their table (not Fives) grumbled about the Bettie droids, but their complaints drifted away as Rex leaned in closer to Ahsoka’s left montral, “Skywalker told me you’d be here.”

Ahsoka bit her lip and turned her attention to him again. He tilted his head down so that she could speak near his ear. “Well, I hadn’t seen Riyo yet and I’d already seen Anakin earlier in the week.”

He laughed, “I figured as much. If I waited your schedule out any longer, I just as well might’ve never seen you again.”

“I’m a busy woman,” she teased again.

Rex opened his mouth to respond but Riyo tapped Ahsoka on the shoulder at the same time. She turned to where her friend sat beside her and the girl gave a knowing glance, her blue cheeks a shade of periwinkle. Ahsoka didn’t miss for a second Fox’s ungloved hand resting on the girl’s thigh. “Ahsoka, come with me to the refresher?”

She nodded, “Of course.” Rex smiled at the pair and stood so that they could exit the booth. Riyo wrapped delicate fingers around Ahsoka’s wrist and pulled her through the swaying bodies and droids holding drinks on platters, weaving them through the packed room and into the women’s refresher at the back corner of the bar.

“Fox just told me something rather interesting,” Riyo grinned, grabbing Ahsoka’s hands and holding them in her own.

The Togruta stood confused and tilted her head, “What was it?”

Riyo couldn’t conceal her delight if she tried, “Apparently Captain Rex has been losing sleep looking for you all week! Ahsoka, what happened on Mandalore?”

Ahsoka blinked and the reality of her and Rex’s shift in dynamic was no longer unspoken. It was tangible and real and could be seen by others. It could be seen by others… The rules that once forbade such acts had given way.

“Hello,” Riyo laughed, dragging out the vowels of the word, “Is my friend still in there?”

The sound of her laughter brought Ahsoka out of her thoughts. “Yes. Sorry, I just…” she shook her head at herself, “I can’t believe I’m about to say this out loud.”

Riyo bit her lip in excitement, “I knew I should’ve reached out sooner! Tell me everything!”

“It was immediate. Right as I got back… Right as I saw him again for the first time… Nothing has been the same between us since. It was there for the entire duration of the mission.”

“And you haven’t seen him since?” Riyo gasped, on the edge of her seat with the details.

Sighing, Ahsoka confirmed, “No. I don’t know how to explain it. There was so much… electricity between us and I couldn’t pull myself out of it. I didn’t want to. But we had to finish the mission and bring Maul in. I expected it to just disappear, for things to go back to how they were before. Even being apart from him… it has yet to go away. And now that he’s here tonight—”

But she cut herself off when Riyo shook her head and looked up at the ceiling.

“What is it?” Ahsoka asked, feeling ridiculous.

“Ahsoka, please tell me you’re joking,” Riyo gushed and looked around the room in amused disbelief. “Is it really not obvious that the man is in love with you?”

Ahsoka was stunned, her hands falling limp and slipping from Riyo’s hold. It had been the answer she’d already known deep in her bones. Her friend spoke the truth so casually and it knocked the breath out of her.

The Pantoran smiled sweetly and ushered Ahsoka to stand in front of a mirror, “It seems you're in need of a pep talk. Girl talk. Because the universe knows the men are talking. Ahsoka, what you just described may be foreign to you, but it isn’t to me. Everything you feel is exactly what Fox and I feel for each other. But we can get to me another day. Look, according to Fox, Rex hasn’t been the same since you guys got back either. You’ve turned his galaxy inside out!”

Rex shuffled out of the booth himself and headed for the men’s room. Thorn gave him a nod on the way and clapped his back before making a beeline for the bar. The 501st’s Captain garnered many a salute, carving a path through various brothers on his way to a more private area of the refresher. He’d just been about to remove his codpiece to relieve himself when another hand clapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump.

A laugh that could belong only to Fives echoed in his ears. Fuming, Rex turned to face his brothers, each one with mischievous expressions painting their faces. “Haar’chak, I can’t use the refresher in peace?”

“Nope,” Hardcase hiccuped into a giggle, a colorful drink in hand that he definitely plucked off of a table that wasn’t their own. There was even a tiny drink umbrella tucked behind his ear.

Rex tightened his jaw, “What’s so important that it couldn’t possibly wait until I got back?”

Fives backed away with his hands up in defense, “Can’t hear a thing out there. And Fox just confirmed our suspicions. We couldn’t very well talk about your fondness for the Commander in front of her could we?” he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

The Captain stood up straighter and was prepared to deny the accusation when Jesse chimed in, “I–If I may Captain, it’s pretty obvious even without the confirmation. You’ve been noticeably absent from our celebrations and based on the way the two of you interacted on the mission… I’d say it all adds up.”

“I expect better out of you troopers,” Rex barked, attempting to regain control.

Hardcase’s previously grin-plastered face now sported a frown and Kix consoled him, “It’s okay. You know he can be harsh when he feels like he’s been backed into a corner. He doesn’t mean it.”

Jesse crossed his arms and shared a look with Fives, feeling only slightly guilty for reporting to the men what chemistry he’d seen brewing between their beloved Captain and Commander during the siege. “Look Rex, we aren’t here to give you any shit,” the newest ARC began.

“Yeah, for tonight,” Fives added, a wicked smile on his lips.

“Right. We figure if you were looking for her all week, the least we can do is help out now that she’s here. The offer stands for tonight only, so the choice is yours. We have absolutely no problem giving you shit out there in front of her if you’d prefer,” Jesse wagered.

Rex sighed, knowing he didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter. He’d planned out what he was going to say to her all week… trying to figure out the best way to go about it. His nerves didn’t usually get to him like this. “I really don’t like how conniving this lot gets when they drink.”

Kix laughed, now holding Hardcase’s drink as the man was nearly asleep with all the alcohol in his veins, “That’s not the work of the drinks, Captain. It’s a talent that comes to them completely naturally.”

“All natural,” Fives agreed, “Has to be. That kriffing droid never came back with our drinks!”

Shaking his head, Rex gave in, “Alright. I can’t believe I’m going through with this, but… Tell me what I need to do.”

“First thing you need to do is open your eyes, Ahsoka,” Riyo said as she plucked fuzz off of Ahsoka’s navy tunic, “What is all this stuff, anyway? Fox would die if he saw all of this on Mandalorian threads. But I digress, when we get back out there, you need to swallow your nerves and look into his eyes. I’d be shocked if anyone at the table missed the way he lit up around you! Just that body language alone? I mean, look at how this blue material brings out the color of your eyes!”

Ahsoka shook her head, never caring much about these things. But could her friend be right to some degree?

“And don’t think I didn’t see those orange helmets. Fox had his own assumptions that Rex was the one who ordered them to be painted, but your ARC out there — Jesse, I think — confirmed it to him just the other day.” Ahsoka thought about all those helmets with her markings on them. Had Rex used a holo of her for reference or did he have her markings memorized?

Content with her work, Riyo shook her hand free of all the fuzz balls that had gathered on Ahsoka’s dress and smiled, “There!”

“I look exactly the same, Riyo,” Ahsoka rolled her eyes playfully.

“Nonsense! The blue in this dress absolutely pops now. The way I’m assuming it did on Mandalore,” the girl teased, winking at her friend through their reflections.

They began to make their way out of the vacant refresher when Riyo decided to make one more quick adjustment, “Oh!” Ahsoka lifted a brow marking and Riyo had both palms turned up, “Hand me your gloves, too.”

“My gloves? What does this have to do with my gloves, Riyo?”

“Just trust me,” her friend laughed. And so Ahsoka obliged, shucking her hand gauntlets and gloves and handing them over to her. “Alright. I’ll keep them safe. Now go back out there and leave your nerves in here. I’ll be right behind you.”

He'd been in the ‘fresher for way too long. Rex had no desire to listen to Hardcase retch into a stall behind him and he sympathized with Jesse, who was holding their incapacitated brother upright. The last thing they needed was for his head to get stuck again.

Fives talked Rex through some of his best pick-up lines while Kix showed him how to use cosmetic wax strips. He kept a spare kit in his utility belt at all times so that he could touch up the complex design he kept shaved into his head. Rex never even knew what his brother did to keep it so impeccable until now. He was silently kicking himself that this could’ve been part of his routine during the entire war.

Kix stuck his lip out as he concentrated, having taken over as Rex kept messing up with the wax. “You don’t want to get too much on here. It just takes the smallest amount,” he explained, as he ripped a strip from between Rex’s eyebrows.

“Stang, Kix,” Rex hissed, a tear pricking in one of his eyes.

“Oops. Sorry, Captain,” the medic apologized, “I have some bacta as well if you need it.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted through clenched teeth, letting his brother continue on to his hairline.

Rex had long drowned out Fives, (the only one of the men who might’ve ever actually gotten lucky on a night out at 79’s) as the man kept trying to figure out the pick-up line that got a drink poured on his head a year earlier. Rex squeezed his eyes every time Kix ripped a strip away and took his blonde hairs along with it, breathing slightly heavier and trying to tough it out.

The skin on his neck began to burn and he grew impatient, checking a chrono mounted on the wall, “Alright, are we quite finished here?”

“Yeah, I’d like to use the wax now,” Fives said, “Thorn just sent me a message saying the blue Twi’lek who wants me is out there.”

Kix sighed in defeat, “Fives, I told you last time that I don’t have enough wax for that.”

“Relax, I’m just going to touch up my goatee,” he assured, stroking his chin.

The medic handed over his little kit and Fives gave a girlish giggle, running with it into the stall beside the one Hardcase still occupied. Rex shivered, not being able to fathom waxing his bits like that. “He’s a madman,” he observed, his eyes wide.

Kix got out his medical pouch and shook his head, “Yeah. Tell me about it. Anyway, you’re all good to go. Get out there and talk to her. I’ll keep them wrangled in here the best I can and hopefully uninjured.”

“Thank you, Kix,” Rex nodded, rolling his shoulders and preparing to walk back out to finally catch up with Ahsoka. As he took the steps towards the exit, the amount of chaos behind him went unnoticed as the nerves began to surge within him yet again. The burn in his neck then crept up to the back of his head and he felt each individual hair be suddenly ripped up. All eyes in the refresher were on him as he slowly pivoted on his heel. He’d never witnessed a ‘fresher full of vode be so quiet, nor had he ever seen a clone so petrified.

Hardcase dropped a large strip of blonde hair and it fell to his feet in slow motion. The clone visibly paled and stumbled in his drunken haze back into his stall, spilling the contents of his stomach yet again. Fives’s mouth hung open and he scrambled to finish pulling up his blacks, “He— I dropped the kit and he just— Hold on ‘Case, I’ve got you!”

Jesse swallowed and attempted to disappear just by being still enough, knowing good and well they’d all feel the Captain’s wrath. It was just a matter of when.

Tightening his jaw, Rex forced his muscles to relax and his fists to uncurl. There was a rage behind his eyes as he spoke, “I will deal with you all later. Kix, take care of this please.”

“Yes, sir,” his brother acknowledged, snapping to check in on both Hardcase and Fives.

Rex took a deep breath and finally exited the ‘fresher. He brought a hand up to the back of his head and, sure enough, a large chunk of his hair was missing in the perfect shape of a wax strip. The sensation of his fingertips on his bare skin took him by surprise and he realized he’d forgotten to put his gloves back on after he’d made a mess with the hot wax.

But once Rex caught sight of the tips of Ahsoka’s montrals, all was forgotten but her. She was laughing and simply radiating with beauty as she conversed with Senator Chuchi. He made his way over, equipped with a lump in his throat, as he sat back down beside her. One arm naturally took hold of the back of the booth and he reminded himself to breathe now that his arm was essentially around her. Fives had better be right about that advice.

Riyo turned to Fox and Ahsoka’s eyes turned to meet his own. Rex smiled with the twitch of his cheek, unable to conceal the way she made him feel. “Sorry I was out for a minute. Hardcase was having a rough time of it in there,” he apologized.

“I was wondering when it was going to happen. All that mixing he was doing wouldn’t have made a very good appetizer for the table,” she joked, eyes sparkling.

He shook his head, finally finding the humor of what had just played out back there. Shifting to turn more in her direction, he put his lips next to her montral again, “I was hoping to discuss the mission with you.”

Ahsoka gave him an amused look of confusion, “The mission? We’ve already submitted all the reports.”

“Well, it’s not exactly about the mission. It’s about after, or I guess it was there the whole time, but—”

His words were lost as the waitress droid finally showed up at the table again, a large tray of Tihaar orders and one very colorful frozen drink. Rex turned to reach out and accept the drinks, when the droid jerked to face him and clipped his face with Hardcase’s Meiloorun Sunrise. He grunted with the impact and Ahsoka darted to bring a hand up to his face, effectively bumping into the droid that shorted out and shut down, causing it to spill the drink entirely into his lap.

She scrambled to her knees in the seat and searched the table for napkins. Rex took over the cradling of his head and clenched his teeth. Riyo handed her some spares and Ahsoka began her apologies, “Rex! Are you alright? She got you good didn’t she? Oh! I’m so sorry. Here.” She wiped the spilled drink up off of any piece of his armor that was supposed to be white. One hand was placed to his shoulder and the other ran the length of his front to get into every crevice. There were slices of meiloorun that threatened to slide off his thigh gauntlet and into the space between that and his codpiece. She acted quickly, sparing a hand to grab them and instead causing them to slip.

“Ahsoka—” Rex tried, speaking her name breathily beside her montrals.

He groaned above her and hissed. “I know! I’m trying,” she spoke loudly so that he could hear her. Kix emerged from the ‘fresher with the rest of their party in tow and she flagged him down, “Kix! I need your medic pouch!”

Another groan fell past his lips, “‘Soka, it’s okay, I can—”

“I know. Don’t worry, Kix is coming,” Ahsoka assured him, continuing to wipe up the mess she’d made, clearing the liquid off his codpiece and sparing one hand to fish for the lost fruit between his legs. In her flustered effort to grab the slippery meiloorun slices, her other hand kept at rubbing the napkins over his codpiece.

“What in the blazes am I doing wrong? I gave him all my best moves and he gets this as a result? What did you do differently, Rex?”

Upon hearing Fives’s words, Ahsoka stilled her motions. She looked up at the men crowded around her and her mouth fell agape. A wide smile was splitting Jesse’s face and Fives didn’t look like he could be any more proud. Kix had his medic’s kit in hand but had yet to act. He was about as frozen and embarrassed as she was. Meanwhile, Hardcase took a seat at the booth to properly mourn the loss of his drink.

Ahsoka swallowed and looked at Rex. His cheeks were tinted pink and his bottom lip was tucked between his teeth. Her mistake became clear as her fingers moved and he gave a soft whine, his codpiece noticeably tighter. “Oh. No. No, this isn’t— it’s not what it looks like,” she said, removing her now sticky fingers from Rex’s codpiece.

“Commander, I think it’s exactly what it looks like. It looks like I’m a kriffing genius!” Fives exclaimed, all but patting himself on the back. He grabbed two glasses of Tihaar from the table and strode off to find the Twi’lek that Fox paid Thorn to say was into him. The Corrie guard chuckled darkly yet again.

Pulling away from Rex, Ahsoka cleared her throat, “The waitress droid knocked him in the head with a glass.”

Kix nodded and assessed the Captain’s head, tapping the skin and developing a conclusion after only a few seconds, “She hit him pretty good, but by the looks of it, it’ll just be a nasty bruise.”

“So he’s alright?”

The medic laughed, “I don’t know about all that. But he’s uninjured.” With that, he wrangled up the men in blue and moved them to sit at the bar.

Rex’s chest was rapidly moving up and down when Ahsoka felt brave enough to look at him again. He looked winded but had that half-smile on his face that made her so weak. She threw her head back and squeezed her eyes shut, “You were trying to tell me that you could do it. Weren’t you?”

“Yeah… I think I could’ve managed it alone,” he laughed, “But I can’t say I have any complaints either.” Her embarrassment shifted and her eyes widened. He continued, “Do you remember what I wanted to talk about?”

She swallowed thickly and nodded, “Yes.”

Rex took one of her hands in his and dipped a clean napkin into his glass of water, using it to wipe the sticky drink from her fingers. He then repeated the action with the other hand. Ahsoka’s heart pounded in her chest during the entire thing, watching as Rex wet his lips in concentration.

When he was done, he pulled her closer, their thighs touching once more, and brought her hand up to his face. Her thumb trembled as she bravely caressed his skin, feeling the stubble of his shaven beard for the first time. He smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to the digit, finding her eyes in doing so. A breath was hitched in her throat with the action and she leaned a fraction closer. Rex did the same and she gave him an urgent nod, giving her full permission.

He placed his own hand under her jaw, grazing her lek and making her gasp into his mouth as they meet in a kiss. His mouth is gentle yet passionate, tasting of mint rather than alcohol. They find a rhythm and Rex swipes his tongue over her bottom lip, swallowing the sweet sounds the sensation pulled from her. Ahsoka allows him entry and feels his other hand wrap around her waist and pull, causing her to place hers behind his neck to maintain stability. Her head was spinning too fast to call on the Force for assistance.

Ahsoka’s fingers ran over his short, buzzed hairs, unable to stop herself from beginning to memorize an entirely new and foreign part of him. She then reached the back of his hand and stopped rather abruptly, her fingers feeling around to confirm. She opened her eyes and her lips stilled, prompting Rex to do the same.

“Rex?”

He hummed in response, holding her waist tighter and getting drunk just off of her alone.

“Why are you missing a patch of hair in the shape of a perfect rectangle?”

#rexsoka #rexsoka monthly #june 2023: it’s not what it looks like #rexsoka fic #my fic #codpieces and clone con artists #ahsokathegray

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