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waterlily707 · 2 years

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Aylaa and Bly’s story, Moth au (2)

Aalya x Bly stuff ahead.

Slight mention of blood/ injury but nothing graphic. Hurt/ comfort, mentions of anxiety and PTSD.

Aayla soaking wet flung open the door of her house open and shut it with her foot. She booked it into hallway, not even bothering to take her dirty boots off, leaving hints of mud, grass, and gravel all about the wooden floor as she flung open the closet in the hallway, she grabbed the first aid kit and rushed into the bathroom.

She closed and locked the door. Looking over to the countertop she groaned out loud at all of the makeup products littering the counter. She shoved it all aside, grabbed a hand towel and laid the unconscious creature on top of the towel face down.

“Please don’t be dead.”

Aalya said as she now moved and shoved all the products into the drawer to make room for what she had to do. She shot back up and got to work. She hesitated for a second before moving the creature on its back, she looked on in awe at the look of the thing. He was wearing a painted helmet, with holes at the top for its feathered antennae to poke out of. His legs we’re more bug like, and fur was displayed around his neck like a main, and upper arms. Its armor was also brightly painted, and the sheer amount of detail that went into crafting it really showed. But from this angle she could see that the blood was coming from his small side.

“Sorry about this little guy, but I need to take some of your armor off.”

She said nervously as she grew closer, she noticed some pretty simple clasps and buckles, using tweezers she undid the armor. Setting it aside in an emptied-out makeup bag, once she took all of the armor off of him, she then looked closer, noticing that he had a gash along his side, his black under suit torn showing the gash in better detail, there was a cut on his arm and another gash on his upper chest.

Finally with the chest plate off now she could see he was breathing normally which was a good sign.

“oh mon Dieu, that looks like it hurt, but it’s good to know you’re breathing, can’t be mad at that.”

She said as she began to take off his small helmet. As she finished slowly sliding the helmet off of his head and his antennas, she got a better look at him.

He had a tan skin tone with two small yellow tattoo that decorated his cheeks. His face had a shaven scruff to it, and the base of his antennae were the same color as the fur surrounding his neck.

Aalya was taken aback, when she pictured a fairy, she usually imagined a skinny, ethereal pale woman, or if it was male then maybe a cute baby or a feminine boy. But he straight up looked like a solider, one who’d seen it all.

“Oh wow..ahm uhm let me see...”

She said before catching herself and looking around his small body for some kind of zipper or button. She lightly turned him and noticed a zipper along his lower back, just underneath his wings. She undid the zipper and took off his shirt.

Aayla now had a better idea of what she needed to do, his upper body now exposed she could see the extent of the wounds he sustained, his body was pretty beat up. Aalya sighed and immediately swung into action, she washed her hands and flipped open the first aid box.

“hang in there.”

She said firmly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bly shifted in his sleep he was half awake and half asleep, perfectly content and cozy in the copious amount of fluff that surrounded him, however once he felt the feeling of an unfamiliar bed his brain began to put two and two together. His eyes flung open as he came to his senses.

His vision blurry and his head racing as he began to realize he wasn’t back at the base. He rubbed his eyes and sat up in a flash before wincing in pain and scrunching over as he held his bandaged side.

The bandages were bigger than normal but hugged his body firmly. He inspected his abdomen and left side noticing padding underneath the bandages most likely some kind of cotton to soak up any blood and to stop it from bleeding to let the wound heal.

Taking the large sheet off of him as he saw his thigh also bandaged slightly confused but also embarrassed about the fact someone had to strip him to tend to his wounds.

Bly looked around the room and was met with everything towering over him like a city, illuminated softly by a large lamp that towered over the box he was in. He listened and heard the sound of rain hitting the window and ceiling. He rubbed his neck as he tried to remember what happened and where he was.

Just as he was thinking to himself, he began to lean back onto his wings, his tattered wing however made itself known as a jolt of quick pain shot through his body causing him to yelp and jump forward.

“gahh what the hell.”

He cursed as he tried to sit up right, but also being met by the pain in his side. Clearly he had to be careful about how he moved, and in this condition he couldn’t really plot an escape anytime soon. He sat up slower this time and held his damaged wing, about half of it was torn up and littered with holes.

He grasped the blanket as he began to recount what had happened. He vividly remembered giving up, being so incapacitated from a previous fight, he could fight back anymore, he couldn’t tell where he was, or even contact his brothers, he tried to forget the feeling of the bird’s break pecking and hacking away at his already torn wing. As his brain raced and emotions ran high, he was halted by the sound of the door closing.

His breath stopped as he heard the footsteps grow closer and closer.

Grab something, get ready, try to get on your knees, do something.

His brain screamed as he sat frozen in place, he wanted to move but couldn’t what happened, why couldn’t he move? What changed?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The unknown figure came into his view as Bly was in fight or flight mode. But his mind seemed to come to a quiet stand still as he was met with the giant woman in front of him.

Her hair was damp, and her face was compassionate, she looked just as shocked as he looked back up at her, if not a little concerned at how scared he seemed to be. She spoke.

“Your awake, are you okay?”

She asked as Bly tried to formulate a response.

“I-I ah uh.”

He stuttered non stop fixated on her eyes, they were a light honey amber, full of ambition and drive but the more he looked at them the more he felt his anxiety melt away, something about her wasn’t normal but in a good way.

“Here if you’re struggling to speak stop okay. Watch me and copy.”

She said gently before breathing in and out slowly, Bly entranced began to slowly copy her breathing, after a few moments of following her breathing it helped him calm down and better compose himself in the moment. She smiled as she saw his tense body loosen up and his expression grow relaxed.

“There we go, feel better?”

She asked before he replied.

“Yeah..thank you..”

He said as Aalya sat down on her bed next to Bly, the box we was in was positioned on her nightstand next to her bed so she could better keep an eye on him as he recovered.

“I’m Aalya, what’s your name?”

She asked as Bly looked up at her.

“hah uhm I’m Bly, you have a nice name.”

Aalya smiled as she crossed her legs and scooted closer to the edge of her bed.

“Thank you no one’s really told me that before, now you don’t have to say a whole lot, I just need to know how your feeling.”

Bly stopped and thought for a moment, he wasn’t in as much pain as he was when she first found him.

“I’m feeling better actually, did you bandage my wounds?”

Bly asked nervously as Aalya smiled awkwardly.

“I did, sorry but I had to take everything off to treat you, but your stuff is in that makeup bag next to the box if you need it.”

Bly looked to the right of the box and noticed the bright patterned makeup bag sitting next to everything he sighed in relief.

“I wouldn’t recommend putting it all back on at the moment.”

Aalya said as Bly looked back and replied.

“Oh no of course not! Yeah I’m just happy it’s all here.”

He said as Aayla smiled.

“Are you hungry? I’m just warming up some soup if your interested?”

Bly was hungry, and pretty thirsty, he almost felt guilty at how much trust he was putting into her, but if she spent all this time and effort just to help him recover then maybe she could be someone he could trust.

“Actually yeah I am pretty hungry... and thirsty.”

He said scratching his neck, Aalya hopped off of the bed.

“Great, I’ll be back, in the meantime just take it easy and I’ll get you some food and water... You do drink water right? Or actually do you eat chicken noodle soup?”

Bly chuckled.

“Yeah I do, don’t worry.”

Aalya replied.

“Okay good! I’ll be right back.”

As Aayla left the room Bly sighed and began to think over what just happened. She wasn’t at all what he was expecting nor anticipating, but he was relieved she was such a good person. A comforting one at that.

He leaned slowly back against his makeshift pillow of cotton ball filled sock, he took a small tuft of the cotton ball that poked out of the sock and began to chew on it as he thought this human woman he just met.

She was so kind and patient with him, in fact he never really spoke to a whole lot of women, the only times really being if one of the generals was a woman, or just an everyday worker, or by standard he had to talk to. But other than that his only real friends we’re his brothers and his General, so this was a nice change of pace.

His brain came to another hault mid thought process as he heard Aalya come back.

“Here I found my old doll house dishes, hah did these come in handy huh?”

She said as she handed him a small porcelain bowl full of soup, in his hands it was pretty big, meant for a 12-inch doll rather than the 6 inches he was.

“Oh wow thank you I wasn’t expecting that.”

He said as he set the sizeable bowl down onto his lap.

“yeah here’s a drink, sorry it’s also pretty big. I guess my dolls were much bigger than you are.”

Aalya said handing him a cup, it was a doll mug but also still pretty big.

“Ah don’t worry, you really thought this through, and I can’t thank you enough.”

He said as he held the mug with both of his hands, he took a long drink out of it satisfied as he finally quenched his thirst. Aalya sat on the bed with her bowl of soup, and couldn’t help but watch Bly as he chugged the cup of water.

“mmah hah thank you.”

He sighed as he set the mug down next to him and blew on his soup, Aalya smiling at how cute this was. Okay yeah no she felt guilty thinking of him in that light but c’mon he looks so happy eating the oversized noodle how could she not think this was adorable.

“No problem, I’m glad you like it.”

Aalya said as she forced herself to look away, she could stare at him for hours, but she didn’t want to make him feel weird. So, she began to eat as well. The two ate their meals together as the rain came and went in different spurts of power and duration. Aalya finished her soup and noticed Bly drinking the last bit of soup from his bowl.

“Bly was it? Is there any way I could help you get back home tommorow? Well if it isn’t raining like crazy.”

Bly set his bowl down and wiped his mouth, he looked at her and realized something key about all of this.

“Wait a second, are we in a human community?”

Aalya blinked a few times at his question before responding the best way she could.

“Uh well I live in this house, it’s located in a pretty sparse neighbor hood but yeah I mean I have neighbors, and the forest is just a few minutes away from the house.”

Bly almost choked.

“H-how did you find me?”

Aalya answered.

“I was on a hike and well I saw a bird and-”

Bly interrupted.

“No no wait that part of the forest, you...When you we’re hiking did anything seem off about the area?”

Bly asked again as Aalya thought to herself.

“Well no but it was a little bit off the main trail, I don’t know I kind of just walked in that direction because it seemed nice.”

Bly was in disbelief, he hadn’t crossed over to the human realm when he crashed, it’s a process that takes concentration to cross over realms like that, and specific points to do so.

“Aalya, I think you... “

Bly stopped himself, he was already revealing too much, so he changed the subject.

“Uh never mind, the short answer is unfortunately until I can fly again, I don’t think you can help me get back home just yet.”

Aayla asked.

“Your wings can heal? How long will that take?”

Bly looked at his torn up wing and replied.

“With this much damage, it could be a week just to get most of the filament back, Maker I’m so sorry, I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

Bly said as he rubbed his neck.

“Oh no please! It’s completely okay! I have school throughout the week, and some roommates that live here with me, I can’t have them find you, so as long as you stay here in this room. I think it should be fine.”

Aalya said as Bly nodded.

“Alright, stay here and avoid your roommates. Simple enough.”

Bly said as Aayla looked back at him. This was going to be a busy week but Aayla was glad she didn’t give up hope on Bly.

#aalya x bly #bly x aayla #aayla secura #aayla #aayla secura my beloved #commander bly #clone commander bly #bly #bly my beloved #moth au #clone moth au #Moth clones #moth clone au #clone wars au #clone wars ships #clone wars ship #clone wars bly #clone wars aayla

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north-peach · 4 years

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Whoops, lemme fic it (SW)

So I’ve been tossing this idea over in my head, daydreaming, wordbuilding and talking to myself and I’ve had enough.

It’s time to come out.

So, I tried the SI fic once and I didn’t like how it turned out and it was a good few years before wrote one again. There’s a lot of good ones, done by good authors. Silver Queen, Shadowblayze, Vixen Tail, and Mullk6 to name a handful.

But I wanted a character who knew the depth and breath of canon and could fix it. In Star Wars. With Mandalorians.

Which is usually a self insert, but....wasn’t feeling it.

Then it shifted to time travel. Main characters generally revolved around Bly, Aalya Secura, Quinlan Vos or Anakin, Rex and Alpha-17. Then it was a mix, sometimes Padme or Ahsoka, Jon Antilles or Fay, thanks to @blackkatmagic.

Then it was Boba Fett, Jango, Arla or Jaster even Tarre Vizsla. Korkie Kryze, a mix of his father’s ‘obi’ sound with ‘kote’ as in ‘glory’.

It’s been almost a month since this thought sprang from my head, exactly the opposite of Athena, but here it is.

My first Star Wars time travel fic.

Bly doesn’t wake, not for a long time.

Even if he is aware of the pressure against bare skin and the alternating temperatures that cause him to shiver or sweat to beat across his face.

He doesn’t wake to the snack, crack of the whip against his back, nor to the claws that rake across his face, but as the days pass, it is pain that draws him back from the dark.

The cold metal of manacles around his wrists, the dull throbbing of his knees against cool, packed dirt. He doesn’t move even as chains rattle and as a weak light flickers in tiny bursts even though he can’t quite open his eyes.

Bly takes a deliberate breath, deliberately breathing in long and slow.

Ribs, is his first immediate thought as pain now screams in his head, followed instantly by, back.

His arms are numb, lips cracked, throat and mouth dryer then Tatooine and it feels like someone’s poured sand in his eyes and then glued them shut.

We release our emotions, our pain into the Force. We breath it back in and then stand and carry on. Lives depend on us. The trick to keeping the pain away is it set it aside and ignore it. But you need to remember, Bly, pain is our body telling us we’re injured. You cannot ignore it forever.

It’s her voice in his head, the memories always there as soon as he tugs them and he barely muffles a noise in the shifting of his chains because the last thing Bly remembers is a fractured and shattered thing that provides nothing to help him determine his situation.

Beyond the obvious of captured, separated and tortured.

A breath, another and his fingers twitch as he tries to get his hands to response to his commands.

He moves his eyes, scrunching his face, and ignoring the sting of scabbed wounds and manages to crack his eyes open. He’s in a room, surrounded by stone and bars. An electrical lamp flicker erratically in a halo of barely there light in the distance.

No one is there. He is alone.

He listens, strains his hearing, yet nothing so much as stirs.

Bly goes back to restoring feeling in his body.

A minute, two and then an unpleasant rush of pins and needles as sensation returns to his arms. Bly grits his teeth and clenches his thighs, his legs then curls his toes under his feet, allowing his body weight to force him to rock back, using the momentum to stagger to his feet.

Lights prickle against what little vision he has and the chains jerk and rattle as he uses them as leverage to remain on his feet.

Pain bursts across his back, down his legs, his knees, every motion and contraction of his body, his muscles sends signals of agony to his brain.

“Osik.”

The word is almost soundless, hissed between clenched teeth and formed from harsh, gasping breaths.

Bly cannot help how his body curls over it self, even if it sends the blood rushing to his head and makes him even more dizzy. He braces his feet and refuses to pass out.

He doesn’t know where Aalya is.

He doesn’t know who he was with, what he was doing, if any of his vod’e are here, Bly doesn’t know anything.

He remembers blue and gold, the blue of Aayla’s skin, the gold of her eyes, maybe the blue of the 501st? Was General Skywalker on mission with them?

Was... was Vos there?

There’s nothing but a blank space in his head, so Bly puts that away for now and takes stock of what he has on hand.

Which is, in short, a big fat nothing.

He’s in loose pants, thin material, covered in dirt and blood, no shirt, no armor, no weapons- even the small tools disguised as a ring, bracelet- he’s got nothing.

It looks like he’s chained up underground in a cave somewhere. That’s the only explanation for both his surrounding and the relatively cool atmosphere. There’s a door that’s barely even a door, just a large rectangular slab of rusty bars almost propped against the entry way.

He could probably kick it open, depending on how heavy it was, but that was once he found a way out of his chains-

Bly pauses.

Looks up at the roof of his cell where the chains are anchored.

Well, he thinks, an edge of amusement to himself, If I can take my chains with me, I’ll have a weapon.

__________

Honestly, later, if someone asked how long he was stuck there in the murky darkness working and working to pull the anchor points of his chains from the ceiling, Bly wouldn’t be able to say.

He stops and rests when the injuries on his back crack open, spilling blood down his skin and dripping onto the floor, when his ribs scream at him and his breath wheezes as he desperately tries to breath.

He doesn’t ever stop for long though.

Eventually he gets free, the rest anchor breaking free of crumbling stone and Bly sinks to his knees, wincing as pain flares up again.

A moment of rest, to wait until his breathing slows down enough he can regulate it for sleath.

Then he carefully wraps his new weapon around his shoulders, winding them down his arms. Slowly, he makes his way to the door that is currently the only obstacle in his way to relative freedom.

It was heavy as it looked, but several solid shoves and one frustrated kick and the door was free enough for him to squeeze past it.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to worry about directions at the moment because his cell was located at the end of a hallway and the only way out was forward.

So forward Bly went, creeping along the walls on bare feet, moving steadily down to where a single light was valiantly, but ultimately failing at lighting up the area.

Bly took a breath and walked past, heading deeper into the caves with no way of knowing which way was out, if anyone was waiting for him on the other end or even if he could find a way out.

Bly didn’t care because right now, there was an entirely unacceptable amount of space between him and his General and it needed to be rectified, right karking now.

__________________

Times passes and Bly has to take a breather, has to sit to wait for his legs, his hands, everything to stop shaking even as chills crawled up his skin.

He keeps going, keeps following the eternal hallway he seems to be trapped in. Occasionally he’ll come across other cells, but like all of the ones he checked previously, there isn’t anyone in them. Just chains, manacles, shakes, crude stone tables or chairs.

The weak lights are not quite evenly spaced out, but every cluster of cells has one in the middle of the block. He’s sure he’s passed about six blocks by now, and still no sign of this hallway ending or branching off.

A part of him wonders if he’s hallucinating, but the continuous pain for his body begs to tell him differently.

He trails bloodstained hands against the wall and so far he hasn’t randomly circled back around so he must be making progress.

You were modified to see better in the dark? Compared to humans, or near-humans, Twi’leks vision is considered superior, but without the Force, I’m thinking you’d win at Hide-and-Seek-in-the-Dark.

My favorite color? Tell me, if I said blue wh- no, I’m kidding! It’s gold Bly. W- No, not like my eyes! Like Master’s-

Bly can hear Aalya sometimes.

The way she laughed, said his name or how she would stare at him. When her mouth softened and she smiled so easily.

Bly keeps going.

______

Hours? Maybe days later, Bly hears voices that are, for once, not his or in his head. A soft murmur, nothing clear enough to make out words or the like, but Bly grits his teeth and quickly lunges into the nearest cell and flattens himself in a natural curve of the walls.

He’s lost weight during how ever long he’s been here, so he folds himself easily into the shadows and evens his breath down, ignoring the ever familiar spasm of pain his ribs makes with every movement.

A beat, two, three, longer and still the voices only murmur.

Bly slows moves from his hiding place only to step right back into it as the voices abruptly rise in volume along with a feminine scream of pain that rings off the walls and is swallowed by the darkness that leads down to his cell.

Gently, Bly uncoils his chains.

______

When enough time passes he can make out the heavy footfalls of two armored being’s footsteps and the unmistakable sound of dragging feet, Bly closes his eyes and concentrates on his hearing.

“-Ne shab'rud'niÖ, aruetii-”

“-aruetyc dini'la-”

The sharp sound of metal against flesh, followed by a harsh vocalizer.

“Ne'johaa!“

A faint moan, before one of the men laughs.

See, the thing is Bly isn’t considered Mandalorian.

In fact, Manda’yaim considers Bly and his brothers to be abominations. Soulless things created in a lab. Not to mention General Kenobi’s Duchess is a pacifist in the very worst way.

A Mandalorian with a Mandalorian’s stubbornness, determination and pride to be anything but a Mandalorian.

Good intention’s Satine Krytze may have had at the beginning but erasing everything that makes Mandalor Mandalor was not the way to go about bringing peace to her people.

Especially since the Duchess had the final say on if the Clones of Mand’alor Jango Fett should be considered citizens of Manda’yaim. Or rather, she just enforces Prime’s opinion that clones were not real people and this couldn’t be a people or a part of a people.

Jango Fett may have been some high ranked Mandalorian in certain circles, but the only reason why the clones even knew the languages is because of the instructors who adopted the older batches and how those clones would teach one or two- like Kote who became Cody, who taught Ret who was now Rex.

The language and the customs spread from the clones who were actually wanted down to even the shiniest of shinies. Of course, there were parts of their culture that they developed all on their own.

Being modelled after a Mandalorian, of course, meant that they shared the same traditions and quirks that they did as a consequence of being so closely related.

The colors, symbols and naming to mention a few.

Colors all had meaning, as did their placement, the same with symbols and the bucket everyone wore. Working with the jetiise as closely as they did, their culture took bits and pieces that resonated with the Vod’e and as it did with everything, spread to all the battalions.

But when he hears a threatening form of behave, traitor followed by two words that mean ‘traitorous’ and ‘insane’ preceding what is clearly an armored fist making contact with someone’s bare skin, Bly’s already pretty sure who’s side he’s on.

That’s even before he sees the dusty blue and the gray of beskar in the dim lighting worn by two people dragging what looks like a teenaged girl between them.

Kyr’tsad.

Kriffing, karking-!

Bly untucks himself from the shadows and creeps up behind the two, careful to keep to the walls until he lunges forward, throwing one of his chains between target two’s legs even as he losses a coil of chains around target one’s neck and pulls back.

His ribs scream, his arms shake, but he drops his weight and wrenches the shabuir back, his legs kicking out the catch the small space between armor plates on Death Watch’s lower back to toss him over and behind.

Target the second is already dropping the girl, pale blonde hair visible in the gloom and reaching for a weapon at their belt.

Bly doesn’t give them the chance, jerking his chain back instantly compromising target two’s balance.

Barely ten seconds in this fight and both of them are on the ground. Target one is still choking with the chain around their neck and Bly keeps yanking it back to ensure they stays that way.

The other, Bly goes in for close combat, using his chain as bet he can with his shoulders and ribs kriffed up, but he manages to get enough wrapped around their legs and a single arm that he’s able to jab his fingers into the hollow of their throat and jerk their helmet off.

Eyes, nose, mouth, all places Bly can do some damage, but his strength is flagging so he slams his palm into their nose, once, twice, thrice until the shabuir goes limp.

One down, one to go.

Bly cracks the chain and sends the last stumbling even as he palms a vibroblade and uses the weight at the end of the chain the move himself close enough to-

Bly swings up, twists and lets dead weight fall where it may.

A moment, two, three before he breaths again, carefully, adrenaline pumping through his body. He pulls the chain taunt and swings the blade down. Metal chips, but doesn’t break do he does it again, again, again until it gives and all he’s left with is a manacle around his wrist.

The process repeats until he’s free from the weight of chains and he’s free. An arm carefully wraps around his chest as he struggles to breath, but he forces himself back up, to rifle through the utility belts and pockets to see what other weapons or rations he can find.

The first pocket he searches has a whole flask of water and he immediately takes small slow sips,

He coughs, the taste of iron lingering in the back of his throat, but already his day is starting to pick up. Setting the water back down, he turns his attention to the small body crumpled on the ground.

Gingerly he makes his way over, easing himself to the floor and reaching out a hand-

-before pausing.

All three of them spoke Mando’a. Even in the dim lighting, Bly can see all the bruises up an down the girl’s arms. So he opens his mouth to speak, only to cough, his entire body lighting up in pain as his ears start to ring.

It takes a minute, but when he stops, he carefully wets his lips and tries again.

“Hey, ade.”

Silence.

In the hallway, there’s only the sound of his strained breathing and her soft breaths.

Bly doesn’t know if she’s faking or not. Either way, he can’t afford to take any more injuries.

He coughs again, hunching over and unable to avoid the low groan of pain that crawls up his throat.

He does his best to breath, there in the dark with the girl either genuinely unconscious or faking it. Either way, the pain is distracting him and he’s going to need to sit there for a moment before he attempts any other movements.

Regardless he tries again and ignores how his voice cracks.

“I’mma...I’mma need you to wake up here, ad’ika.”

His back burns where he’s leaning against the wall and he can feel the blood begin to drip again. He doesn’t know how much he’s lost, how many times he’s reopened his wounds, but considering how lightheaded he is, considering how everything is starting to close in on him, it’s probably more then recommended.

The world blurs around the edges and his awareness drifts away for a bit. Somewhere, far away, it sounds like Aayla singing, her voice echoing with the 327th Star Corps.

_____

“Gar shuk meh kyrayc.“

Bly blinks back to awareness.

The girl knees in front of him, short blonde hair framing a pale face. Barely out of childhood, even if she looks like she’s in need of a few good meals.

Then the words register.

He can’t help the amusement that wells up and huffs a laugh he immediately regrets.

“Here,” the girl says as she shoves a fist in front of him.

He flinches back, before stilling himself.

The girl doesn’t react, just holds up the water flask in her other hand.

“It’s for the pain. The tall one carried them.”

A breath, then he reaches out, ignoring the shaking on his hands, to let the girl drop two small pills into his hands while shoving the water at him. More careful sips as the pills go mostly dry down his throat.

“Vor entye,” Bly rasps.

“Ba'gedet'ye,” she says, eyes running over his face, his chest, a wary twist to her mouth. “You’re no use dead.”

Unnecessary for her to repeat that, Bly thinks. Scared, but brave. His lips twitch as he runs a searching gaze over the girl.

Torn clothes, almost identical to his own, only with a shirt and less blood and dirt. Thin wrists, lank and greasy hair, coupled with even more bruises he can see blooming everywhere on uncovered skin.

Including her face, one cheeks which sports several colors that frame lines of dried blood and a split lip.

Gently, carefully, Bly lifts a hand and hovers in front of the injury. Not touching, close, but out of reach.

“And you?”

She blinks, startled. The barest hints of confusion crinkle her brow.

Bly smiles, letting his hand drop.

“Are you hurt, ad’ika?”

A touch of fire burns in her eyes.

“You’re bleeding.”

It’s almost an accusation, the words falling harshly from her mouth.

He acknowledges the point.

“Lek.” He continues, more solemnly, shifting his weight forward to meet her eyes, slowly enough that she doesn’t react beyond tensing her muscles. “But Kry’tsad is not known for being kind.”

Slowly, the girl shakes her head.

A moment of silence passes and the girl watches him. Bly gets his breathing back under control and deeply appreciates as the pounding in his head fades along with the burning in his shoulders and arms.

“By any chance, have you seen a blue Twi’lek in any of the cells you passed?”

“We are the only prisoners in this place. There are none who come here, save for the tall one and the cold one, both of which you killed.”

Bly studies the girl, the way the strain in her features eases as she talks about target one and two’s death, the audible note of gratitude.

“Tion gar gai?“

“What is yours?”

The response to his simple question is instantaneous, her tone now biting and wary. He doesn’t react, only lets amusement tug at his mouth.

“Bly-”

(“There is a name that Mandalorians use when they are disowned or cast out from their clan or family. Some chose this name as a way to seperate themselves on their own terms. Others have their names taken and are left with this.”

“Considering that Jango Fett doesn’t considering us real people let alone his ade, do we call ourselves this?”

A humorless laugh.

“You always were the one who never hesitated to go for the throat, Kote.”)

“-just Bly.”

“Arla.”

Not a familar name, even if there’s something about her face that reminds him of- reminds him.

“Let’s get out of here, okay, Arla?”

The barest hints of a smile as Bly hauls himself to his feets and then turns once he can speak without screaming or making any other noises of pain, and holds out his hand.

Arla hesitates to reach out, before glancing over to the bodies.

“Can I have the blaster if you have the vibroblade?”

“How about we see if there’s another vibroblade you can carry and I’ll take the blaster?”

______

A more thorough search of the bodies produces another vibroblade, a small holdout blaster (which Arla claims), a large blaster (which Bly claims) rations, two lights that work and a new set of clothes and armor for Bly.

He makes Arla turn around while he strips the corpse of the tall one, a.k.a. target one and pulls on the armor under suit, which helpfully compresses his ribs and then begins to strap on armor.

“Were you conscious enough to see how many people there are in these caves?”

Arla’s voice is soft, but it carries well as she immediately goes into an information download.

“We came on a ship, just the three of us. There is no one else here. It’s supposed to be so secure that it doesn’t matter if you manage to escape, there’s no where else to go. Plus someone always comes to check every couple of days. Which is when, if they want you to live, you get food and water. This is where you get thrown when they want you to rot away and die in the dark.”

Bly hums, carefully clicking vambraces into place, pleasure briefly rising up in his chest at the decent fit.

“And the war?”

Arla pauses.

“I haven’t- They kept most of the information away from me, but sometimes I managed to hear things. Like how Kry’tsad has a sky in Mand’alor Mereel’s camp and how they’re planning how to lead them into a trap and kill them all in such a way to send a message.”

Bly blinks, as he finishes up with tugging the last piece in place.

“Mand’alor Mereel?”

Arla makes an agreeing sound.

“Someone let slip they’re calling him Mand’alor the Reformer. Vizsla gets really angry when he hears that.”

Mand’alor Mereel.

Jastor Mereel?

On getting access to the holonet, one of the first things the Vod’e who were interested in Mandalorian history looked up was the state of leadership. Kote was certain that he wanted to see who decided that they weren’t citizens despite being from a Mandalorain.

Jaster Mereel was the father of Jango Fett, before he died on Korda 6 twenty something years ago!

Bly took a breath, before spitting out a curse in Twi’lek, follow up by a very vehement “Force osik!”

Arla didn’t say anything when Bly walked up behind her, only stared to stare, distaste clear in the disgust on her face.

“Needs must, ad’ika. I need to find someone and the easiest way off this haran place is on the Death Watch ship you came in one. Which”, Bly slid the helmet on, the HUB automatically pulling up and activating night vision. “Will be a thousand times easier which me pretending to be Kry’tsad.”

Again, he held out his hand.

“Ba'slanar.”

A smile, small, but undeniably there as clearly seen by the display screen in his buy’ce.

Arla took his hand.

_________

The climb out of haran was nothing to sneeze at, but they made it. Upon exiting, Bly couldn’t help the noise of appreciation he made at the sun setting into the distance. Or rising. Either or. It wouldn’t matter in a few minutes as they would be leaving the planet, deserted and rocky as it was, it offered no appeal in water or wild growing plants.

The ship was there, ramp still down and Bly gently tugged Arla along, right into the ship and take that, General Skywalker!

Plan A, accomplished with only a minor deivation.

Minus the either confused youngling or the apparently very real possibility of time travel.

Aayla was still missing and Bly still had no idea if anyone else was missing or if it was him that was missing and not everyone else. For all he knew, this was something that only affected him and Aayla was completely fine.

Surrounded by the 327th and the 501st, plus droids.

Bly quickly ran through each and every room in the ship, Arla right behind him, gripping her vibroblade, clearing each space before moving on to the next one.

Cargo, armory, kitchen, berths, cockpit and a decent sized corner with padded seats and tables.

Bly also ran a lifesigns sweep from the main computer before he was satisfied. It wasn’t a large ship, but it could comfortably accommodate three to four people so it would be perfect for them.

He holstered the blaster and quickly ran through flight check before initiating the start up sequence.

Arla quickly strapped herself into the co-pilots chair, unable to contain the trains of excitement painting itself all over face.

Ramp up, engines fired, all systems green, Bly slowly poured power into the system and the ship lifted off this karking planet, landing gear folding up and away.

Before he turned around to launch into the atmosphere, he quickly toggled the weapons system, loaded up a missile and fired it without hesitation into the mouth of his former prison.

The resulting explosion of stone, dirt and fire would go a long way to ease nightmares for the next weeks.

Once they cleared the atmosphere, Bly carefully used the HUD to change all teh passwords, security settings and just generally switched out who the ship’s computer’s answered to before tugging it off and gently running a hand through his tangled hair.

“Well, ad’ika. I’ve no place to be, but frankly I could use a shower. How about you?”

Arla look up and smiled, eyes wet.

“Shower and food first. Then we find our people.”

The knot of worry in his chest eased somewhat at the assurance that now he was able to begin his efforts to find out if Aalya made it along with him and if any others did.

“Her name is Aalya,” Bly says, longing heavy in his voice. “I don’t remember much, but if she’s out there, I’ll find her.”

Arla, stands, equal height with him before holding out her hand. She wait unti Bly takes it before speaking.

“Arla Fett. I’m looking for my brother Jango. He should be with Mand’alor Jaster Mereel and the Haat Mando’ade.”

_______________________

....so uh. When I sat down like............................five hours ago I did NOT mean to write chapter one of fic. I guess I did though so....eh. I’ll go polish it up and post it on ao3

#star wars #arla fett #jango fett #bly #aalya secura #bly x aayla #time travel #fic #ficclet #chapter one #fanfiction

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jenstar1992-2 · 3 years

Text

A Love Destined

Pairing: Rex x Jedi! Reader

Warnings: Canon typical violence, killing of an animal in self-defense, mentions of injuries (nothing graphic), Rex gets friend-zoned (technically, but we know better [these two will get their sh*t together, I promise])

Word Count: 7,885

Taglist: @loverofclones / @sgarrett49 / @neekid / @lightning-wolffe / @delectablyvaliantmentality / @helengratice / @lafy-taffy / @nagasamii / @kingtano / @buffnatalieportman / @xmersia / @imabeautifulbutterfly / @justanothersadperson93 / @mandosgurl / @starsforce / @dreamingofclones / @xxeiraxx / @gotomarvelgal

*If you would like to be added to the taglist just let me know*

Previous Chapter -> Next Chapter (Coming soon)

Chapter 8

A lot had happened in the past month; Anakin had lost R2 on a mission and you’d all been betrayed by his replacement, Ahsoka had been sent on a special mission with Master Luminara, where yet another betrayal had taken place, then Anakin and Obi-Wan had been sent to Florrum to confirm the claim of some pirates who said they had captured and were holding Count Dooku for ransom, which had been going well, until they then got captured themselves. Luckily, with each of these incidents, things had worked out in you and your friends’ favor, and you were all back together once again.

It wasn’t long until you were given your next assignment, this being to aid Aayla Secura and her forces in an intense air fight that had turned more dangerous once their ship was invaded.

You’d been able to board said ship, after your gunship unceremoniously crashed into it, and had found Aayla and her men quickly. You all fought through waves of droids as you attempted to make it to the lower hangar where Anakin had a ship waiting to aid in your escape. Unfortunately, right before you were able to board, a huge explosion occurred and, acting on instinct, Anakin pushed all of you through the doors and tried to hold the oncoming explosion back, which lead to him getting badly injured.

After getting yourselves and Anakin onboard the ship, you had made your way to the Resolute and readied to board, but again, things went a little haywire and the hyperdrive ended up being accidentally activated, meaning you had to detach the ship, so as not to take them with you as you were forced into hyperspace.

You’d only been traveling for about twenty minutes before Aayla’s commander, Bly, realized what the coordinates you were traveling to were, and, since you seemed to be having so much luck as it was, you were headed right for a star.

Luckily, you all were able to avoid the star, but ended up crash landing on a nearby planet. Which is what brought you here, setting up camp on some unknown planet, and trying to figure out your next move.

“Anakin doesn’t have much time, we have to find help tonight”, Aalya spoke, addressing the group.

You nodded your agreement as Ahsoka spoke up next.

“Okay, you guys go South and find help, Rex and I will stay with Anakin”, she suggested.

You already knew this plan would be shot down, before Aayla even said a word.

“No, Ahsoka, in order to get help quickly, we must work together”, she told the padawan.

“But I can’t just leave him, he wouldn’t leave me if the tables were turned”, Ahsoka said, trying to defend her reasoning, however, you could tell this wasn’t going to get her what she wanted from the jedi master.

“I know this is hard, Ahsoka, but Anakin must stay here, and you must do what is best for the group”, she explained.

Ahsoka didn’t like the idea of leaving him behind, and you felt bad for her, knowing how she felt, you didn’t like having to leave a man behind, especially if it was someone close to you, and who could be closer to a padawan than her master, so you decided to come up with an alternative.

“I’ll stay”, you offered, placing a comforting hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder and giving her a small smile, before turning to address your fellow general. “Master Secura, Ahsoka has a point, we can‘t just leave Anakin defenseless out here without at least one force sensitive individual. We don’t know what could be lurking about this planet, and I think it would be safer to have someone who could sense any oncoming danger before it arises.”

You waited patiently as Aayla seemed to consider your words. Finally, she looked to you and nodded.

“Yes, you and the padawan do make a good point, perhaps you should stay with Skywalker, just to be safe”, she agreed.

Ahsoka then smiled up at you, a silent thank you in her eyes, and you sent a reassuring smile back.

“With all due respect General, I’d like to stay as well, as backup”, Rex said as he came to stand beside you, directing his words at Aayla.

She looked to him and gave a single nod of approval.

“Very well, General (L/N) and Captain Rex will stay here while the rest of us go and find help”, she stated.

Ahsoka then turned and walked to Anakin, who still hadn’t regained consciousness, but was now resting in a tent-like structure made from pieces of the fallen ship.

“Be strong Master”, she told him. “(Y/N) and Rex will watch over you.”

“Don’t worry kid, we’ll take good care of him”, Rex reassured her.

“He’s in good hands Ahsoka”, you added.

She turned to the two of you and smiled.

“I know he is”, she said, giving you a nod of gratitude before following Aayla and her men into the tall grass.

“Be safe”, you shouted to the group.

“You too”, Ahsoka hollered back, which caused a small smile to form on your face. That girl was just as caring as you sometimes, in fact, as time passed you had started to notice you two had more than a few things in common, which was probably why you got along so well, her becoming almost like a younger sibling to you.

You sighed deeply, noting a dull ache in your side, along your ribcage. You had gotten pretty beat up during that crash, and you’d expected a few bruises here and there as a result, but you could tell this one was going to be a little worse than the rest. Still, it was nothing too serious, certainly nothing you couldn’t push through, and you decided you’d simply deal with it later.

You heard shuffling behind you and turned to see Rex sitting at the mouth of Anakin’s tent, taking guard. Deciding to join him, you made your way to the tent, settling down beside him, only slightly wincing as you sat, the dull pain in your side becoming a little more noticeable with the action.

“You alright”, he asked, noting your brief pained expression and the quiet hiss that had followed.

You looked to him and smiled.

“Yeah, fine, just a little banged up from the crash, nothing to be concerned about though”, you replied, trying to brush it off.

“That’s what you always say” he said, raising an eyebrow at you skeptically.

“And I’m always right.”

He let out a huff of laughter and shook his head.

“Still, I think it wise if we check, better to be safe than sorry, especially since you never take any injury of yours seriously, even when a trained medic might; it could be worse than you think”, he said, turning his body to face you.

You rolled your eyes, but then gave him a look.

“You sure that’s the only reason you want to check my injury, because it sounds to me like you’re just trying to get me out of my clothes”, you said, a note of playfulness in your tone, one he didn’t seem to catch.

“What, no, I just… I’m simply concerned for your health. I’d never use that as an excuse to…”, he had begun to ramble, a slight redness growing over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. You’d really gotten him this time, and you couldn’t help but laugh at how flustered he’d become in just a few seconds.

“Relax Rex, I’m just messing with you”, you said through your laughter. “You make it too easy sometimes.”

He sighed and turned to face forward again.

“Ha, ha, you’re hilarious”, he said, unamused, but not angered. He knew you meant no harm in it, but that didn’t stop him from finding it just a tad annoying. He always tried to keep a certain amount of stoicism about him, and you seemed hell bent on trying to break it every chance you got. Although, truth be told, it was a trait he somehow found himself appreciating in you, he’d even venture to say he found it a bit… endearing, not that he’d ever admit that to you.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, I’ll stop”, you said as you forced yourself to stop laughing, only letting out a small chuckle here and there before finally being successful.

You then just sat there, letting the sounds of nature around you fill the silence. This allowed a sense of calm to wash over you, and prompted your mind to wander, bringing up thoughts you’d had on your mind recently, some relevant, some not, some that had been reoccurring for a long while, and you spent the next couple hours silently filing through all of them, while Rex sat quietly beside you, periodically scanning the tall grasses for any sign of danger. You were glad he’d opted to stay behind with you, seeing as out of the two of you, he was certainly the more vigilant, but you also knew that if a threat were to make itself known, you would sense it before it got too close, at least, you hoped that would be the case.

The sun had just set, and you were lost in your thoughts when one in particular sprung to the forefront of your mind, the one that had been coming up more often than not lately.

“Hey, Rex”, you said, attempting to get the attention of the man beside you. He hummed his acknowledgment as he continued to scan his surroundings. “Can I ask you a weird question?”

He turned his head to look at you, his eyebrow raised.

“Don’t you always?”

You gave him a look before lightly back handing his shoulder, your knuckle making a small knocking sound as it hit the piece of plastoid covering it.

“Very funny, but seriously, can I”, you asked him.

He then gave you a single nod. “Of course, what is it?”

“Do you believe in destiny?”

The question seemed to throw him off a bit as his brow hitched once more and his eyes widened ever so slightly.

“Do I believe in destiny”, he asked, repeating the question, almost as if he didn’t quite understand it, or maybe he just didn’t understand why you were asking.

“Yeah, you know, destiny, that power that predicts, or even controls, what will happen in one’s future”, you clarified.

“I know what destiny is (Y/N)”, he said, offering you a small smile.

“Oh, so… do you, believe in it”, you asked again.

He turned to look over the swaying grasses once more, this time seeming deep in thought.

“I’m… not sure, I guess it’s a nice thought, knowing that there’s a plan to all this, and that we’re not just stumbling around blindly, wasting our time on things that won’t really matter in the long run”, he finally said, not taking his eyes from the scenery before him.

Your eyes widened. That hadn’t been the response you’d expected.

“Wow, that’s a really bleak way of looking at it”, you said with a light humorless chuckle.

He looked to you then, the expression on his face telling you that he hadn’t meant what he said to come off so negative.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that”, he said, trying to backtrack and correct his wording. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s nice to think that things are planned out for us, and that things happen for a reason, that we’re all a part of something greater, that we’re all necessary.”

You thought this over for a moment before responding.

“I think I understand what you mean, and I can’t say I disagree. After all, it is nice to feel needed”, you said, offering him another smile, one which he happily returned.

“So, while I’m not sure if I fully believe in the idea of destiny, I would like to think there’s some truth to it, if for no other reason than to use it as a small source of comfort. Does that answer your question”, he asked earnestly.

“Yes, I think it does, thank you”, you said, then taking a moment to silently appreciate the fact that, no matter how ridiculous the question, or how strange the topic, Rex would always indulge you, and carry out even the most nonsensical conversations, just to satisfy you and your curiosity. He truly was the best, and you reminded yourself of how lucky you were to have him around.

“What about you”, he suddenly asked, breaking the short-lived silence.

You looked at him, confused. “What about me?”

He chuckled, knowing he must’ve snapped you out of your own head again, hence your confusion.

“Do you believe in destiny”, he asked.

“Oh, yes, I think I do”, you replied.

“And why is that”, he asked curiously.

“Well, a lot of things have happened throughout my life so far, a lot of people have come in and out of my life, and more often than not, with each new experience, I’ve gotten the feeling that, whatever the change, it was meant to happen, like I was supposed to have those experiences, my life was supposed to shift in the direction it did, the why is the only thing I can’t seem to figure out, but I think that with time, that will make itself apparent”, you told him.

“Uh huh, and what experiences would you be referring to, your experiences while training as a jedi, or your placement on Kamino, perhaps?”

You chuckled. “Well, yeah, those are good examples, I guess, but I was thinking of times when the feeling was stronger, like after that first battle on Geonosis, and when I was assigned to the 501st, both those times were when I felt it the strongest, and both of those events had one thing in common.”

“And what’s that”, he asked.

You let out an amused laugh and shook your head before answering.

“You, laser brain”, you said, keeping the grin on your face.

“Me”, he asked, confused once again.

“Yes, you. I got the feeling first after our meeting, and then again after our reunion”, you explained, then looking ahead as you continued, “It’s hard to really explain, but I just got this overwhelming sense of rightness, like we were supposed to meet and be brought back together again, and I still get that feeling, even now. It’s like, I’m right where I’m supposed to be. I know that probably doesn’t make any sense. Maybe I’m just overthinking it.”

“No”, Rex said abruptly, causing you to look back to his gaze, which you now saw was unwavering. “I, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel something similar. So, no, I don’t think your overthinking it.” He then paused, as if contemplating his next words. “If I could be completely honest with you, I feel as if you’ve brought a certain sense of… purpose, to my life, shown me that there’s more to life than this war, that I can be a soldier, while still being a person, and I’m grateful for that.”

At first you didn’t know how to respond, his words touching the softest part of your heart.

“I… didn’t know you felt that way”, you admitted.

“I do”, he said, his eyes not leaving yours, as a way to prove to you that he was being honest.

You gave him a soft smile as you spoke.

“Well, if we’re sharing, then I think I should tell you that you’ve brought many a good thing into my life as well. You’re always there for me, no matter what, and you’ve given me a companionship that I wouldn’t trade for the entire galaxy. I’m glad we met, glad that you’re now a part of my life, and I owe you a lot”, you confessed.

He sent you a soft smile of his own.

“You don’t owe me anything, you being here is payment enough”, he said.

You wanted to say more, wanted to tell him the whole truth of your feelings towards him, but all you could bring yourself to do was smile back.

You then turned your head back to the grass, smile still on your face, and when you were finally able to find your words, you spoke.

“See, maybe we were destined to be friends”, you said, gaze still straight ahead.

He was silent a moment but then replied in an almost somber tone.

“Yeah, friends.”

Noting his shift in demeanor, you turned back to look at him, seeing that he had now turned his head to the complete opposite side, almost as if he were trying to avoid your gaze at all costs. You were about to ask him if something was wrong, but your attention was quickly pulled away as you heard a faint shuffling in the grass. You turned to look in the direction of the noise, squinting your eyes to try and peer into the darkness that surrounded the small camp area. You felt Rex shift to look in the same direction.

“Did you hear that”, you asked him.

“Mm hmm”, he hummed quietly, before slowly getting to his feet. He adorned his helmet and clicked on the small lights attached to its sides, then looked around. “I’ll go sweep the perimeter; you stay with the general.”

“Okay”, you said as he began making his way around the campsite, pistol in hand and on high alert. “Be careful”, you whispered, loud enough for him to hear, but not loud enough to alert anyone, or anything, nearby.

As Rex performed his sweep, you began to get an uneasy feeling, but before you could voice this to him Anakin shuffled behind you. You turned and saw that he was coming to, so you quickly entered the tent to check on him. He tried to sit up and you placed a hand to his chest, trying to ease him back to his previous position.

“Don’t try and do too much, you’ll only strain yourself”, you told him quietly.

By this point Rex had completed his sweep and made it back to the front of the tent. He noticed you speaking to Anakin and came to stand at the tent’s entrance.

“How is he”, he asked you.

“Not really sure, he just started waking up and tried to sit up, I told him not to strain himself”, you replied.

“General (L/N) is right sir, you shouldn’t move too much”, Rex told your fellow jedi.

However, this didn’t stop Anakin from trying to sit up again, this time with more of an effort. You tried to usher him back down, but then he spoke.

“Rex”, he rasped. “Be- behind you.”

You both looked to where he’d indicated, and before you could even think a coherent thought, a large bird-like creature sprang from the tall grass, grabbing Rex by the arm with its beak and throwing him away from the camp. Then with a speed you hadn’t expected from such a large animal, it was on him, pinning him to the ground.

You shouted his name, worry thick in your voice as you felt Anakin begin his attempt to rise once more.

“We- we’ve gotta help him”, he said, voice still heavy with a rasp of pain.

“No”, you told him firmly. “You’re in no condition to fight. You stay here, I’ve got this.”

With that, you gently released your hold on Anakin and leapt to your feet, sprinting towards the creature that held your friend in its grip, lightsaber already in hand and ignited, but before you could make it to them, a shot went off, and you saw the creature raise its front leg, screeching in pain. You expected it to then run off, scared after being shot, but instead you saw it gearing up to strike a blow with its injured appendage, clearly aiming to maim with its sharp talons.

Thinking quickly, you picked up your speed and slid across the ground once you were close enough, stopping right next to them, then rolling over onto Rex, your back against him, effectively putting yourself between him and the menacing animal. You did this just in time for the creature’s talons to come down on you, instead of your captain. Luckily, you were able to bring your lightsaber up to shield yourself from the blow, causing the talons to fall on it, and not you. The creature screeched in pain once again, this time louder than before, as its skin made contact with your blade. It then shifted its weight off of Rex as it jumped over the both of you and retreated back to the grassy plains.

Acting on instinct, you immediately flipped over and took a defensive position above the man you aimed to protect. With your saber raised, you glared at the surrounding terrain, scanning the area for any other predators who might dare a go at you, but nothing else ventured from the grass. You then felt a gentle hand wrap around your wrist.

“I think it’s gone (Y/N), we’re okay now”, Rex said in a tone just as gentle as his touch. You could tell he was trying to calm your nerves, which were now heightened and caused you to feel very on edge and defensive. However, the warmth of his touch and sound of his soft voice soon had them calming, just as he’d intended, and you disengaged your saber, slowly lowering the hilt to your side before looking back down at him.

“Are you alright”, you asked him, worry etched into your features.

“I am, thanks to you”, he said.

You smiled down at him until you realized the position you were in and froze, a look of embarrassment replacing your smile, a blush rising over your cheeks.

In your rushed actions to save Rex from being mauled by that beast, you had thrown your entire body over his, and when you’d flipped yourself over, the position you’d taken was one that now had you straddling his mid-torso.

“Oh, I- I’m sorry”, you muttered as you lifted off of him and rushed to stand, causing his hand to fall from your wrist on your way up.

He chuckled. “You don’t need to apologize for protecting me (Y/N), besides, no harm done”, he reassured you, rising to his feet and taking off his helmet. You noticed the grin he was giving you and just knew his amusement was due to your sudden flustered behavior, but this didn’t upset you, if anything, it lightened your mood, because you knew it meant he really was alright, and that thing hadn’t harmed him. You sighed with relief and lightly laughed.

“Well, as long as you’re alright…”

“I am, thank you”, he replied.

You nodded and made your way back to the makeshift tent to check on Anakin, Rex at your heel. You found that he had passed out again, so you left him to rest and joined Rex at the mouth of the structure once more. This time you two had decided to sit back-to-back at the entrance so it would be easier to scope out the surrounding area. However, after an hour of this, you felt your eyes becoming heavy with sleep. Rex must’ve felt you slipping, because he soon turned his head, trying to see you from his current position.

“You should rest, I can take over from here”, he told you in a low voice, so as not to alert anything else that might’ve been lurking about.

“I’m fine, I’ve stayed awake longer than this before”, you informed him.

“I know, but you’ve had quite a day, and your injured, even if you don’t want to admit it.”

You raised a brow and gave him a sideways look, not that he could see it from where you both were, but you did it nonetheless. You knew he was only trying to look out for you, but you were an adult and could make those decisions on your own, and you decided to stick it out, even if your side was now aching a bit more due to your previous physical exertion.

“Seriously, I’m fine, and I’m staying awake”, you told him, with what you thought was determination in your voice, but what he knew to be stubbornness.

He sighed. “Alright then, if you say so”, he said, then went back to silently watching the landscape before him.

You had fully intended on staying awake until the others returned, but soon you felt your head grow heavy, your eyes began to droop once again, and before you knew it, you had drifted off to the sounds of the swaying grass in the gentle breeze, and the insects making their nightly music.

***

Rex knew you were asleep when he felt you go slack against his back, and he couldn’t help but grin to himself. He figured it wouldn’t take too much longer until you succumbed to your body’s need for sleep. You’d been running yourself ragged for a couple weeks now, and today had finally pushed you over the edge. He knew you’d lose the battle at some point; a person could only take so much before their basic needs won out.

As carefully as he could, Rex turned and moved you to a more comfortable position, figuring that laying against the hard plastoid on his back was anything but. So, he removed the piece of armor covering the top of his left thigh and gently laid your head in its place, knowing it was the best he could offer, given the current situation. It seemed to do the trick though, because even though the movement caused you to stir slightly, you soon relaxed and fell back into a deeper sleep, a faint contented smile overtaking your lips, one which prompted him to smile down at you in adoration.

You looked so at peace, and he couldn’t help but notice how the glow from the nearby campfire illuminated your face in a way that made you look even more beautiful than you already did. If he could, he’d stay here forever, surrounded by the sounds of the night coupled with your rhythmic breathing, watching you sleep soundly by the fire light, and feeling your warmth against him; it was nothing short of a perfect moment, at least to him it was.

Rex was so wrapped up in this little moment of his that he hadn’t noticed the man lying behind them, who had woken up a minute prior, and had seen the scene that had just played out between his two friends. He saw the look his captain was giving you as you slept, and mentally congratulated himself as his intuition had been confirmed. He then laid his head back down and closed his eyes, falling back asleep with a grin on his face.

***

You didn’t know how long you had been asleep, but it felt like too short of a time as you were being awoken by a familiar voice attempting to ease you into consciousness. Your eyes fluttered open, and you were greeted with the brightness of the sun shining on the fields around you. Still a bit dazed from your slumber, you sat up and rubbed the sleep from your eyes, letting out a soft groan as you stretched your arms above your head, noting the pain in your side that had dulled slightly, but you knew it would be a couple of days until it completely subsided.

“What happened”, you asked sleepily.

“You fell asleep” Rex replied from behind you, causing you to turn and squint your tired eyes at him.

“How long was I out?”

He shrugged. “A couple hours”, he responded.

“Why didn’t you wake me sooner?”

He gave you a look that told you, you should know why.

“Because you needed it”, he said, then looked down as he fiddled with the plastoid piece over his thigh.

You looked to where he was now focused and took on a look of concern.

“You okay”, you asked him.

“Yeah, it just needed a bit of readjusting is all”, he explained.

You nodded in understanding, having seen many a soldier who had to do the same, and again you found yourself thinking of how uncomfortable their attire must be, especially when worn over long periods of time. That being said, you let it go, trusting it was nothing more than what he said, and did a quick scan of the area.

“Anything of note happen while I was out”, you asked.

“Nope, unless you count your snoring as something of note”, he said, sending you a playful grin.

You looked to him, eyes widened.

“I do not snore”, you said defensively.

He raised his hand and moved his index finger and thumb so that they were almost touching, but not quite.

“A little bit”, he said, his eyes squinting with his words.

You crossed your arms but couldn’t help the smile pulling at your lips.

“Well, so do you”, you countered.

He laughed. “I don’t doubt it”, he said.

You both then broke out into a muted laughter, smiling at one another once your laughter eventually faded. Your face then suddenly went serious, and you turned your attention toward the grass.

“What is it”, Rex asked, his demeanor shifting quickly with yours.

“They’re coming”, you responded.

“Who”, he asked, “the others?”

You shook your head in response. “No.”

Just then Anakin began to rise from his position on the ground, trying to sit up, but Rex placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“General, you need to maintain your rest”, he told him, but Anakin wasn’t going to give up this time.

“I can’t rest, she’s right, they’re coming”, he argued, and Rex finally allowed him to sit up, then helped him to stand and held him steadily with one arm, while holding a blaster in the other.

“There are a few from what I can sense”, you informed them.

“How many”, Rex asked.

“Enough that we’ll have our work cut out for us”, Anakin said from beside him, letting out a short hiss of pain as he attempted to keep himself upright.

“They’re here”, you said, before three of those bird-like creatures stepped slowly out of the tall grass.

The beasts screeched and pawed at the dirt ground beneath them, preparing to strike. You and Anakin ignited your lightsabers while Rex raised his blaster, ready to defend yourselves, and within the next moment they attached, running toward your group. Rex took one out with a few shots, one hitting the creature square between the eyes and causing it to fall instantly. The other two continued to bound toward you and as one got close enough you all jumped out of the way, landing away from each other. You looked back to where the tent had been, only to see it now broken apart, its pieces scattered around where it once stood as one of the creatures had barreled right through it, said creature now shaking its head, temporarily disoriented from the incident, but where was…

“(Y/N), look out”, you heard Rex shout to you from across the campsite.

You quickly flipped over to see the other creature leap toward you, and with not enough time to avoid the impact altogether, you raised your feet to meet its chest, catching it before it could properly pounce on you, using this leverage to hold the beast’s snapping beak from your throat. You weren’t entirely lucky, however, as it had managed to pin your arms down by the wrists, the sudden impact causing your saber to fall from your hand and roll a few feet out of reach. You struggled for a moment, and you began to hear others approaching, although this time you could tell they weren’t more predators, but instead were the others returning. This fact gave you some newfound energy and you looked to your saber, opening your hand palm out, calling it to you. In another second the saber was returned to your hand, and you angled it to face the creature before then igniting it. From where you were the saber pierced through the animal’s upper front leg, causing it to screech out in pain and lift the limb, freeing your arm and allowing you to then stab the saber through its chest, striking its heart and effectively killing it. The animal then fell forward, its whole weight being placed onto you, and you struggled to free yourself from underneath it.

After a few minutes of this, you suddenly felt hands grab your own and pull, then freeing you from the suffocating weight atop you.

You looked up to see Rex and Ahsoka looking down at you worriedly.

“Are you okay”, Ahsoka asked.

You smiled and let out a heavy breath.

“Yeah, fine, and you”, you answered, the hint of a joke in your tone, which caused both of them to roll their eyes as their expressions turned to ones of relief. The two then helped you up and you all made your way back to the group, passing a now tied up creature, the last of the three that had attached you.

You noticed an unfamiliar addition and guessed him to be a local, which was then confirmed when Ahsoka introduced him as the village’s healer, Wag Too. He agreed to take you all back to the village and fix up anyone who needed it, Anakin being at the top of that list. So, you loaded Anakin on a stretcher and began the trek to the village.

Wag Too took the lead as Ahsoka and Bly followed close behind, carrying Anakin in the stretcher, while you and Rex took up the rear.

It didn’t take you long to notice something was off with the captain; he had a subtle limp and seemed to be coddling his left arm as it hung a bit limp at his side.

“You’re hurt”, you exclaimed, immediately worried again.

“I’ll live. Besides, its probably just a bruise”, he said, in a playful tone. He was mocking you, and while normally you wouldn’t mind, this was a serious matter and you wanted to treat it as such.

“That’s not funny Rex, this is serious, you could’ve sustained some real damage”, you told him, scowl on your face.

“Hang on, so when it’s you worrying about me, it’s serious, but when I worry about your injuries, suddenly its not an issue”, he asked, giving you a perplexed look.

“Yep, that’s right.”

“That’s a double standard if I ever heard one”, he said, frowning slightly.

“Well, get used to it, because when it comes to putting the health of those close to me above my own, I’m full of ‘em”, you informed him, then moved closer and reached for his non-injured arm. “Now, let me help you, you shouldn’t be walking on your own until you get that looked at.”

You draped his arm around your shoulders and wrapped yours around his torso, letting him use you for support while holding him up as best you could. He then sighed, as if defeated.

“I guess there’s no point arguing, is there?”

“Nope. I’m helping you and you’ll just have to bear it”, you replied with a smirk.

He chuckled behind his helmet. “I think I can do that.”

***

The village was buzzing with curious villagers upon your arrival; they all looked at your group like they hadn’t seen anything like you. Outsiders must not have been a common occurrence on this planet, not that, that surprised you.

Anakin was taken into what looked to be a giant hollowed out seed, for his healing to begin. Then, after some time had passed, Rex was taken in to get his arm and leg looked at, and you sat patiently with Ahsoka on a nearby hill, waiting for the healer’s analysis of the two. You both had been talking for less than an hour before Wag Too approached you again. Standing as he got closer, you asked the burning question.

“Will they be alright?”

He smiled warmly. “Yes, they’ll be just fine”, he informed you. “The jedi will need a few more pod oil treatments and lots of rest, but he’ll pull through, and the soldier should be up and about by tomorrow.”

You let out a small sigh of relief and smiled gratefully down at him.

“Thank you, for all you’ve done, we really appreciate it”, you said.

“It’s not a problem, happy to help, although, it’s been brought to my attention that my work isn’t over just yet”, he replied.

You both gave him a confused look.

“What do you mean”, Ahsoka asked.

“Well, your friend informed me that you were injured as well, Miss, when your ship crashed”, he said, directing his words at you.

“He said that did he? Well, I can assure you I’m fine, nothing more than a bruise, really”, you told him.

“He said you’d say that, and he also said to not believe you and check it anyway”, he told you, seeming to recite the words from memory as opposed to choosing them himself.

You huffed and sat back down.

“Can you believe him, going behind my back like that, I told him I was fine, why can’t he just accept that”, you asked Ahsoka, feeling a bit frustrated at having to repeat yourself so many times in one day because people refused to believe you.

“(Y/N), Rex is only doing this because he’s worried about you, he does it because he’s caring, especially when it comes to you”, she said, her last words prompting a confused look from you, which had her backtracking. “What I mean is… you two are close, so it’s only natural that he cares for you and your wellbeing, that’s what good friends do.”

You sighed again. “Yeah, I guess you’re right”, you said, finally deciding to concede. “Okay fine”, you said to the healer. Wag Too smiled as he then escorted you to an empty pod to perform the examination.

Ahsoka simply smiled as she watched you go, internally chastising herself for almost blowing it. It had become somewhat obvious to her over the time you’d been with them that you had some sort of affect on Rex, and though she wasn’t one hundred percent confident as to the extent of the captain’s feelings, she knew they were there to some degree. However, those feelings were only to be expressed by Rex, and Rex alone, so she would keep it to herself for now, and just see what played out.

***

Turns out you had been right about your injury, it was just a bruise, a bad one, but a bruise nonetheless. An overnight pod oil treatment and an oil coated bandage later, and you were feeling much better. You exited your pod the next morning feeling more rejuvenated than you had in a long while.

While taking in your surroundings, you noticed Rex sitting on a hill a good distance from the village, most likely on watch for any incoming ships.

You’d been meaning to speak with him ever since last night, but at the completion of your examination you were told to stay in your pod and rest to allow the oils to do their work, and so you hadn’t gotten the chance. You knew his actions the day prior weren’t done to undermine you, he simply wanted to help, and you thought an apology was in order, so you made your way up the hill, intending on doing just that.

When you were a few feet away, he noticed you, sending you a smile and greeting you from where he sat.

“Good morning (Y/N)”, he said, seeming to be in good spirits, and this allowing you to smile back easily.

“Morning. May I join you”, you asked.

“Of course”, he said, gesturing to the empty space beside him.

You sat, bringing your knees to your chest and folding your arms over them. You then smiled as you looked over the little village, that while teaming with life as the villagers went about their days, was still rather quiet. Watching them go about their daily routines was almost cathartic in a way, not something you experienced often during wartimes.

“This place is actually pretty nice once you truly take it in, the Lurmen’s way of life is rather… peaceful” you said, voicing your thoughts.

Rex hummed in agreement. “Yeah, I guess it is”, he said.

“How’s your arm”, you asked, eying the fresh bandage wrapped around his injured limb.

“Better, thanks, and you, how’s your side”, he asked earnestly.

“Better, those oil treatments really do work some kind of magic”, you said, forcing a chuckle.

He nodded in agreement, but soon looked at you with a slight worry as he noticed your demeanor.

“Are you sure you’re okay, you seem a little… down”, he said as he continued to analyze your expression.

“Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. It’s about yesterday, I… I got upset with you when I shouldn’t have and I owe you an apology”, you explained, looking him in the eye.

“You… got upset with me, when”, he asked, confused.

“Well not to your face, but yes, I did. It was after Wag Too had treated you; he came out and told us that you had mentioned my injury to him and insisted he treated me as well”, you said, turning your gaze to your folded arms in front of you.

“Oh, yes, I thought you might get mad about that”, he said, “But I only did it because…”

“You care”, you said, cutting him off and continuing, not wanting him to think you were still upset with him. “I know, and I appreciate that. I know I can be stubborn and careless when it comes to my own wellbeing, so, having someone around who cares, means a lot.” You looked over, making eye contact once again as you spoke those last few words. “Thank you, Rex, and I’m sorry.”

He processed your words for a moment, but then nodded his acceptance with a warm smile.

“Any time”, he said, prompting a small laugh of relief from you.

Your moment was interrupted when Rex noticed a ship approaching from the distance. Taking up his scopes, he peered through them to get a better look at the vessel as you squinted up, trying to make it out with just the naked eye.

“Rescue shuttle” you asked him.

“No”, he said warily. “That’s a Separatist ship.”

You sighed. “Great, as if we didn’t have enough problems already”, you grumbled.

Rex activated his commlink and spoke into it.

“Commander Bly, we’ve got company.”

“Friendlies”, you heard Bly ask on the other end.

“Not exactly”, you said, loud enough to be picked up by Rex’s commlink. “More like a Separatist droid ship heading right for us.”

“Acknowledged. General, Captain, you should get back here as soon as you can”, Bly said, forming it as a suggestion, but with the tone of authority used when giving an order.

“On our way”, you told him, Rex then broke the connection. You looked to him and shrugged. “So much for peaceful.”

***

The Separatists had arrived and had immediately begun taking control of the land, but unfortunately, there was nothing you all could do about it. The Lurmen had decided not to fight, as they wished to stay neutral, and they believed this the best way to do so. While your group didn’t agree that this was the best course of action, you had to respect their wishes, and so you worked to get off planet as soon as possible, for if the Separatists learned of a Republic presence on Maridun, there was no hope of the Lurmen’s neutrality being sustained.

With no ship to aid in your escape, Anakin had the idea of stealing one of the Separatists’ shuttles; you thought it a bold plan, but worth a shot. However, after following a probe droid to a Separatist base set on the planet, you’d discovered that they possessed a new weapon, one that could wipe out dozens of living organisms at a time, while not harming anything non-living, like their droid army. After seeing the vast destruction this new weapon could cause, you knew the Lurmen didn’t stand a chance, and so it was decided that you would take out the Separatists’ communication station, grab a shuttle, and then go assist the Lurmen, even if it wasn’t what they wanted; you weren’t just going to leave them to die.

The Lurmen’s leader fought you upon your return and throughout your attempts to protect the village, but you persisted anyway. The Separatists soon arrived and prepared their weapon. Luckily, you all had not only stollen the shuttle, but two shield generators as well, and with those shields you were able to hold back the weapon’s blast, meaning that they had to bring the fight to you, and that’s just what they did.

Your group took out the first wave with little issue, but when the second and third attacked all at once, you were forced to fall back. Anakin charged ahead to take out the weapon, while the rest of you headed for the village, taking down droids as you went. While defending the village, you were surprised to see the villagers begin to aid you in your fight, finally deciding to defend their home. With their help, and Anakin taking out the weapon, your victory came soon after.

You all had managed to save the village and its people, and they were grateful in the end, although, this victory had brought about the question of what this meant for them now, and while you felt sympathetic toward them in this time of unsurety, you still believed you all had done the right thing.

Soon Republic ships arrived to collect you and you found yourself headed off to yet another system in need of assistance.

While lying in your quarters a few hours later, you found yourself thinking back to your conversation with Rex the day before. Everything you’d told him had been nothing but the truth, so why did you feel like you were still lying to him. Maybe because, to an extent, you were, although, you wouldn’t call it lying, just, not telling the whole truth. Everything you said had been true, but there was so much more that was not said, and this is what gnawed at you. You didn’t tell him, because you couldn’t tell him, as you knew the end result would only leave you both hurt, or worse. You would just have to keep those feelings to yourself, for both your sakes. This was an argument you had with yourself time and time again, and every time, your reasonable side would win out, today was no different.

You decided to focus on the present and forget all of those nagging thoughts. All that mattered right now was that Rex was safe, your friends were safe, and you were back, ready to take on what came next.

Little did you know, fate had something unexpected in store for you.

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