#ct7567

The greenery was a welcome distraction. Luscious, tall trees swayed in the breeze, shielding the carriage from direct sunlight and clear blue skies, lingering branches extended out, pointing the way towards the exit of the manor’s extensive stretches of land. The iron gates were tall, and as you peered out to see the tip of the spikes, you felt watched. The complete stillness and lack of life against the green forestry was like black paint on white. You’d only seen them once, a few weeks back when you had arrived for the job. They were as domineering now as they were on your first day. They were watchful, peering over and their gaze tailing you until the carriage disappeared far into the distance, hidden away beneath the greenery of the forest.

The sky was a contrastingly brilliant blue against golden wheat. Even the most skilled painter couldn’t replicate the vibrant scenery on their best canvas, or so you thought as you peered out through the carriages’ window.

Warm air clung to your skin, trailing it with thin streaks of sweat, disappearing between numerous layers of your uniform. The smell of humid country air filled the carriage, seemingly cramping the small space up more so than it already was; from the corner of your eye, you caught a glimpse of the Viscount tugging at his collar. He breathed out a heavy puff of air, frustration evident in the crease between his eyebrows and the downcast of his lips.

The ride was otherwise silent, but the constant songs of birds and the vibrating hum of the carriage aided in keeping it from being unbearable. You busied yourself with observing the scenery, noting a distant taste of smoke on the tip of your tongue.

The Viscount could surely make anyone replicate this view on a canvas at the mere snap of his fingers and a handsome payment. You were curious as to just how much it would cost one to do so.

Your eyes reflected the wondrous scenery like a mirror, which Rex found himself drawn in to, enjoying quietly observing your childlike wonder.

When he had noticed your sneaky glances, he had pretended to be annoyed, exasperated even. The carriage was stifling, and he was quick to regret his impatience to leave the manor - Mrs Opal would’ve definitely known how to keep the heat at bay, though he wasn’t regretting the chance to watch your mannerisms, as miniscule as they were around him.

He also knew Mrs Opal would not be impressed with him. She loved to make her thoughts known even when unprompted, and so Rex knew she’d make you sit quietly with your head down.

Though you did manage to hide all your thoughts behind a pretty curtain of long lashes and quick escapes from his sights. It was difficult for Rex to tell what you were thinking. You were terrified, that he knew. Yet you were also curious, attentive and careful, like an animal of prey scoping and mapping out its’ territory.

Slowly, your head turned, and your eyes met his.

The slight widening of your eyes snapped him out, and Rex threw his nose into an awfully boring article once more. His heart was racing like a galloping horse, thrilled and yet terrified. You’d just caught him staring. The Viscount. What was he doing?

The air in the carriage stilled, the silence overwhelming as you tried to make sense of the situation. Why was he staring? Did you do something you weren’t supposed to? A shiver ran down your spine.

You were so glad Mr Owens wasn’t here.

You remembered the way his watchful gaze never left your figure this morning, eyes squinted until they were but tiny slits, judging and scorching and awaiting, as if he was sure you would mess up. You knew what happened if a servant was insubordinate. Or simply made a silly mistake.

You visibly swallowed, turning your attention back to the fields. You wouldn’t slip up. You couldn’t. You weren’t even sure if punishments differed depending on the servants’ role and status, but you weren’t about to go trying to find out. Maybe they became less severe, or maybe they were completely different.

Mr Owens was nothing if not a lion waiting for you to wander into his den when it came to slipping up.

For the entire journey, the Viscount did not speak a word, and neither did you. You really had to ask Mrs Opal about the rules on interaction. Maybe this entire situation would be less awkward if the Viscount was a Viscountess.

Eventually small, spiky rooftops and chimneys began popping up in the distance like a trail of mushrooms in a fairytale. Grey smoke oozed out from a few like a steady stream, soaring into the vast sea of summery blues.

The distant rumble of village life began increasing in volume and energy, and you found yourself gaping at the people. Small children pranced around, enjoying the coolness of water from a nearby stream. Women and men were scattered around, amid various tasks, dust and grime decorating their figures. You inwardly recoiled into yourself at the thought of how difficult it would be to wash all this dirt off. Maker, were you glad you were no longer in charge of washing duty.

As you became lost in observing the village life, the carriage had come to a slow stop, and you looked around confusedly.

“We’ll carry on by foot.” The Viscount’s voice was much closer now, startling you.

He was leaning over, reaching for the door handle. His breath fanned over the tip of your nose, and his entire stature was impossibly close. Too close for comfort, you could say. Or professionalism.

“Let me open the door for you, my Lord!” Squeaking, you too reached for the handle. Your fingers slipped beneath his, taking a firm hold of it. His hand landed on yours, his warmth seeping into your skin. Your breath hitched as you slowly looked up, eyes widening as his presence was now much closer, much warmer. Close enough to-

Your eyes widened as the handle clicked and all forms of support vanished beneath you, your figure plummeting to the ground.

A burning sensation flamed all over your skin, beginning in the legs and travelling all the way to your arms. Gravel pieces dropped from your palms as you rubbed them over your skirt, wincing at the increasing pain. Shaking your head, you were about to get up, but your breath was caught in your throat.

Injuring yourself seemed to quickly become the least of your worries as your sight landed on your skirts - they were tattered and dirtied with soil and dust and whatever else littered the earth.

You’d have to wait until wash day to be able to clean them and you only had one other uniform and that hadn’t even been issued by your current employer.

Either you’d continue working in these skirts until wash day or you’d have to explain to Mrs Opal why you weren’t wearing the correct garments.

“Kriff… This is bad-”  You muttered, wincing and scowling simultaneously. A series of ‘no’s’ escaped your lips, as you spotted more and more dirt and mud. What should you do? The Viscount certainly wouldn’t be pleased, walking around with a dirtied maiden in tow. Perfect. Things were going terribly wrong terribly fast.

“My apologies, my Lord, I didn’t mean to-”

“Were you hurt?” Interrupting, the Viscount reached for your hand, taking it between his own gloved ones. He turned it over, inspecting the scratched, bleeding skin. “Here, take this,” He muttered, wrapping his handkerchief around your palm. “We’ll treat it as soon as we’re back at the manor.” His brows were furrowed as he quickly looked you over. Ignoring your stupor, he moved away once he was satisfied.

“M- My Lord? I cannot accept this, I-”

“I insist.” With a firm voice and a warning look, he’d managed to silence your protests.

Your heart was slamming against your chest, like a bird trapped in a cage as you nodded, “Thank you,” you muttered, looking away as you felt your face heating up.

The Viscount gave you a small nod, releasing your hands.

“We should get going, if we do not wish to be late.”

You found yourself cemented to your spot. Confusion was painted across your features, the Viscount’s contrasting behaviour muddling over your thoughts.

Why was he so… Kind? At the manor he made sure you felt like nothing but a small speck of dust, floating just outside his vision so as not to rouse his ire. Yet now? It was as if you were watching an entirely different person.

The Viscount was already a few steps ahead of you when he looked back expectantly.

“Are you coming or not?” He questioned. Your legs moved on their own accord.

“Y- Yes, my Lord.”

-----

Getting to the boutique was straight forward. The Viscount clearly knew where he was headed to and was unwavering under curious overt looks. Your skirts felt awfully heavy under the afternoon sun, and to be honest, you felt like a sweaty dog.

Glancing over to the Viscount, a tinge of jealousy prickled your heart as he was seemingly unfazed by the heat.

The silence felt almost worse than the heat, and you found yourself tugging at the collar of your shirt for some comfort. You weren’t sure how formal you had to be when interacting with the Viscount, but his change in demeanour towards you inspired a little confidence.

“Are you not feeling warm, my Lord?” Unsurely, you glanced towards him. His cardigan was a navy blue colour, absorbing majority of the light that hit it.

“A little.”

Not talkative. Maybe he’s shy.

With a sigh, you looked back to him, “Would you like to take your cardigan off? I can carry it for you, my Lord.”

“That is not necessary.” He muttered, his throat growing dry. Rex wasn’t good at small talk. The Viscount did not engage in small talk.

You didn’t say anything else, instead opting to give a small nod. The path you took seemed to be a silent one, and the village felt more like a ghost town. Everyone was busy. Everyone was out and about in the fields and the farms and the barns, doing their fair share.

The boutique was situated in the town centre, alongside all the other shops. A market was also set up in the town square, but that wasn’t very busy on a mid-week afternoon.

A few lonesome figures were scattered here and there, but the silence was palpable. Your pace slowed as uncertainty clouded your thoughts - you weren’t sure which shop exactly was the boutique.

The manor life was too busy for a maid like you to be going out every now and then, and even in the few spare moments you had, you’d been too exhausted to go sight-seeing.

Luckily, you had the Viscount with you and you trailed after him like a timid pet dog.

Different shops and huts adorned the place, ranging from tall to small, providing different services. A butcher shop here, a tailor shop there. You’d assumed that’s where Mrs Opal went to have the Viscount’s suits fixed.  

A quaint flower shop rested in between the bustle of the food market and the many homes scattered around, and you found yourself drawn in. Ruby roses and honey-coloured tulips were neatly decorating the outside of the shop, a chalkboard sign sitting outside, naming all sorts of flowers and their prices. A beautiful arch adorned the door, silky white gypsophila’s and other sorts of carnations growing around it, soaking in the hot sunlight.

A young woman could be seen trimming stems from the cover of an arched window, a faint smile situated on her lips. Two braids rested on her shoulders, and freckles painted the apples of her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She looked lovingly at her flowers, faintly feeling the petals of a sunflower against the pads of her fingers.

The sight brought up a smile of your own and her gaze suddenly caught yours. Your breath hitched, cheeks tinting red as she waved at you.

Embarrassed, you turned away to hide the fact you’d been caught staring, but your face was met with a brick wall. Your nose quashed itself into the Viscount’s shoulder blades, your fingers scraping the material of his white button-up shirt. When had his cardigan come off?

“Everything okay?” The Viscount asked, surprised at the sudden impact.

“Y- Yes, my Lord! My apologies.” You quickly stuttered out, looking up with bright red cheeks.

Maybe it was the glaze of embarrassment or the heat exhaustion, but you swore you noticed the corner of the Viscount’s lips turning up. Was he smiling? Did he find it funny? You shook your head as you made your way beside him, holding your arms out for his cardigan, only to be promptly ignored.

You took one last look at the flower shop, noticing that the girl had disappeared from view, her sunflowers laying limply on the cash counter.

The front of the boutique seemed to be nothing if not simple. A foamy green door, a wide window showing off two floral dresses and a suit. A bell chimed as the Viscount pried the door open, his arm extending and body flattening to the side as he uttered an, ‘After you’.

With a soft thank you, you took a step into the small shop.

The inside was much more colourful compared to the outside. Colourful fabrics ranging from the deepest of violets to the faintest of yellows decorated the walls. Silks and frills and bows hung from the ceiling and carefully crafted pieces and glinting jewellery littered every corner of the room. Off to the side was a curtain and a space where a door should be but wasn’t. A fitting room, perhaps.

As you looked away from the onslaught of colour and sparkle, you noticed a woman, possibly in her mid-forties. Her frilly hair was pinned in place atop her head and her eyes looked bored and disinterested in the arrival of new customers. She had a cigar clasped between two fingers, a newspaper in the other, thin-rimmed glasses atop her pointed nose and a dress that resembled nightwear. She’d barely even glanced up.

The Viscount cleared his throat.

With a loud sigh, the lady made her mood crystal clear; completely and utterly disinterested.

“What services may I offer you today, my Lord?” Her voice was nasally, her words sharp and concise with every syllable that left her lips. It clawed at your back in shivers like a cat’s talons on a curtain.

The Viscount was indifferent to her tone, a small smile present on his lips. “I’d like to order four new dresses for this young lady.” He motioned to you.

“Four?”

“Yes, four.”

“Anything else?”

With a hum, he paced around the shop, observing the sea of colour, a gloved hand reaching out for something. A navy-blue, silky fabric. “Yes… The colour. I’d like for it to be blue and white.”

The lady lowered her glasses, thin eyebrows raised as she eyed the fabric. Her interested had been piqued.

“Silk? I hope you’re aware the price for is quite… Hefty.” She set down her pamphlet, rubbing a thumb and forefinger together.

Panic was evident in your eyes as you looked between the two, protests lingered on the tip of your tongue, and you turned to the Viscount, “My Lord, are you sure? That is much too expensive for a dress designated to a lowly servant like me-”

“I’ve come prepared today.” The Viscount didn’t spare you a glance as he answered the seamstress, a confident smile on his face.

With a curt nod, she made her way over, pulling the roll of fabric from its spot on the shelf, before sauntering away towards a pearly white one. She returned to her desk, fishing out some measuring tape and safety pins.

With a flick of her hand, she had the two of you following her into the back room and with a push on your shoulders, she had you discarding your skirts and cardigan, but not before pushing the Viscount out. The curtains were drawn with a soft whack, allowing you some privacy.

She took different measurements, manoeuvring you like a rag doll, matching different shades of blue and white to your body in differing patterns and shapes.

“He wants these done within a week… Absolute lunatic!” She muttered to herself, dismayed at the Viscount’s request, before shoving the fabric into your chest. “Hold this, I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

She opened the curtains with a flap, her figure disappearing behind.

You looked into the mirror, holding the silk up, admiring the smoothness of it beneath your fingers. You’d only seen such beauty from afar, worn by all kinds of men and women of status. You never imagined that one day you would be the one to hold it.

The sound of your name being called snapped you out. The Viscount.

A hand gripped the curtain. Your heart dropped as the Viscount was about to open it. Your hands flew to keep it closed; a breath caught in your throat as you held it with a death grip. Just because you were a servant it did not mean you wanted to show yourself off to everyone within your vicinity.

“Yes my Lord?” Squeaking out, you peered your head out, covering the rest of your body below the neckline.

The Viscount looked you up and down, a confused quirk in his brow.

He didn’t know what he was thinking. Rex was used to being around the ladies from the inn, having grown comfortable with their ease in their nudity around him. A faint blush dusted his cheeks as he was met with your panicked, bewildered eyes. The shop wasn’t well lit, only a weak ray of light illuminating the changing room. Rex hoped you didn’t pick up on his own reddening face.

Clearing his throat, he tried to scramble up a response.

“Are the fabrics to your liking?”

Perfect. You’re a Viscount for a reason, Rex.

Throwing a glance at the fabrics pooled around your feet, you gave the Viscount a small nod. “Y- Yes, I’m waiting for Ms Isabel to return. She took my measurements and took off.” You breathed out, giving a tight-lipped smile.

He returned a small nod, praying to the gods for you not to realise the state he was in.

“I’ll be just around the corner then, shout if you need saving.” Promptly, he turned around, rubbing his face exasperatedly once he was out of your sight.

What was he doing? You weren’t some woman he’d be spending the night with. You were one of his maids. He was here to buy you some dresses to have you looking presentable at balls, to ensure his status as a Viscount wouldn’t be questioned.

At least he’d managed to keep his composure, to cover up for his lack of consideration. He had only wanted to see you, as he found himself growing comfortable in your presence at an alarming rate.

That would need to be sorted out later.

Taking a seat in the front of the shop, he watched as Ms Isabel hurriedly returned, the sounds of curtains being pried open and a squeak tumbling out from the back, followed by her gruff voice.

“Give me that fabric, girl.”

 ------------------------------------------

“Why are we walking, my Lord? Don’t you have urgent business to attend to?”

The Viscount was a few steps ahead of you, as you both had silently agreed on it being inappropriate for you to walk beside him. Maybe if you were Mr Owens, his personal butler, then it’d be deemed appropriate.

“Ms Isabel was done earlier than I expected, so I wished to walk instead.”

With furrowed eyebrows and your focus centred on not tripping in the tall grass, you failed to notice the small glance he’d thrown at you.

“I’m sure you can promenade in the gardens, my Lord. I do not wish to be rude or imposing, but this is much too difficult for a maid like me, my skirts are too heavy and too long.” You pointed out, nodding at the different branches and tangles that threatened to trip you up.

The Viscount paused in his steps, turning abruptly to face you.

“Would you like some help with that?” He pointed to your fists that were clenched tightly around your skirt.

“May I ask how exactly do you plan on helping me, my Lord?”

“Well, if it isn’t obvious, I can hold one side whilst you hold the other.” With a shrug of his shoulders, he extended a hand out. You looked to him as though he was the silliest looking animal on the whole of Naboo.

You blinked a few times, attempting to come up with some sort of response or even acknowledgement of his words.

“You cannot possibly be serious, my Lord. I apologise, I did not mean to sound so… Whiny.” You quickly backed away a step, anxious at the thought of how the Viscount had interpreted your words. Sure, you’d love to accept his help, but you didn’t think a noble should be aiding you in keeping your skirts above ground. You didn’t think you were allowed to even request this kind of aid.

The Viscount sighed heavily as he took another step forward, his face expressionless as he lifted one side of your dress.

“M- My Lord! I do not require your assistance, I insist!”

“The more you protest the longer it’ll take us to return to the manor.” Was all he said as he motioned towards the seemingly small building in the distance. “Now let’s go, if we want to get back in time for tea.”

Plush green trees fenced the wheat fields from the village to the hill on which the road to the manor began, they swayed in the wind and occasionally parted to provide a small derailing trail deeper into the forest. You noticed that this wasn’t the road you’d taken in the carriage, but you recognised this view whenever you’d seen it whilst cleaning the windows facing the south, or when you’d found yourself doing chores in the gardens. The trees and brush came to a round stop as you eventually neared one end of the field, and the Viscount had to urge you forwards as you came to a slow stop, wondering whether the two of you were really heading in the right direction.

The two of you headed straight on through a semi-thick wall of trees, your eyes watchful for any outstanding roots and fallen branches that could be seen as hazardous. If your skirts caught on any of it, you were sure they would rip.

The Viscount had carried onwards, ahead of you at your request, once you were clear of vision-blocking wheat plants. This had left you to fall behind, as you had struggled more to climb over brush and twigs. You called out to him, concerned when the trees didn’t clear up fast enough, but the Viscount only called back, “Follow me, we’re almost there,” and took on a quicker pace through the forestry.

Your heart pumped blood at a more anxious pace as the Viscounts’ figure started to slowly slip from your vision, yet your worries were eased as you caught up to him, raising a questioning brow at why he had come to a stop.

“My Lord?” You asked, stepping over a particularly large branch before looking up.

 You came to a sudden stop as the Viscount gripped your arm, pulling your body back. “Careful there,” he said, pointing at the sudden dip in the path.

Breathless and confused, you look towards the meadow ahead, stunned and speechless. The trees had cleared up, a meadow lay ahead of you with countless flowers spread far and wide, glinting in the sunlight with hues of deep purples and ruby reds, creating a trail that led a clear path towards the gardens of the manor.

“What the…?” You glanced to the Viscount, mouth gaping wide open, heart fluttering at the softness of his smile and the mellowness in his eyes. Slowly, he turned to face you, that smile still ever so present, “Pretty, isn’t it?” he asked, nodding towards the meadow.

With a small nod, you could see that it only led upwards from there on, and exhaustion suddenly seemed to tug at your limbs more prominently now.

“Indeed, though I’ve never been here before,” You said, observing how a brook flowed downwards somewhere to the far right, away from the fields you’d just emerged from. Yellow buttercups and bluebells lined the edges of the water, taking sips and twinkling under the setting afternoon sun. “It’s certainly pretty enough of a place for a picnic, my Lord.” You suggested, beginning to step down the gradual slope below you. A few tree roots stuck out from the earth, acting as nature’s steps. The Viscount was quick to follow, reaching equal ground sooner than you before he reached out, offering for you to take his hand.

Quietly you thanked him and sauntered towards the brook, grasping your skirts and leaning over the edge to see what could be hiding within the water, a smile blooming on your face as you noticed tadpoles swimming close to the earth.

“Tadpoles?” The Viscount questioned beside you, crouching down to poke at the water.

“I believe so, it’s about time for them to hatch,” You replied, watching as the little creatures swam in flurries away from the Viscounts’ hand. “You’re scaring them, my Lord.” You pointed out, observing the side of his face.

“I don’t believe I’m causing them any harm.”

“For all we know, they might think you’re a stork. Heart attacks in tadpoles are a matter not to be laughed at, my Lord.”

The Viscount laughed anyway. “I’m not sure I resemble a stork all that much, cyar’ika,” The nickname slipped out, Rex felt panic curse through him but quickly realised you didn’t hear it, or understand it.

“To them you might,” You mused, having crouched down as well before you dipped your own hand in the water, “If I was a creature that tiny, anything would resemble harm and danger to me.”

The Viscount said nothing as he turned to you, watching the peaceful expression on your face. He’d never imagined that the two of you would be spending your time together like this; as if you were a pair of close friends. The two of you should’ve resumed your journey long ago, but he was content to just sit there with you, enjoying the peaceful beauty of mother nature. Majority of the women in his life were either mother figures to him or single ladies looking to marry, or desiring intimacy, but you were neither. You were a maid who had the misfortunate of catching him red-handed with a woman he wasn’t married to, so really he was only making sure you kept your lips sealed.

You behaved differently to every other maid he met. You were hesitant and clumsy. You preferred to stay further away from unfamiliar things, people, yet you were insistent on interacting with him.

He watched as you dropped a pebble into the brook, silently observing as it drowned to the bottom, settling amongst other stones. “Shall we continue?”

“Continue? Continue what?”

You smiled, glancing at the Viscount, “Continue walking, my Lord. The sun is setting,” you pointed out, motioning to the sky.

The Viscount followed your train of thought, realising just how low the sun had set, barely peaking over the treetops and brush.

“Let’s continue.” He rose from his crouched position, offering you a helpful hand.

“Will your skirts be okay?”

“Sorry?”

“Your skirts. There’s some dust and mud on them. I’m asking whether you’re fine with that.” He explained, noticing that mud from the brook had overlapped with the dirt you had fallen into earlier that day.

“I’ll have to wait until wash day.”

“Wash day?”

“Yes, my Lord. That’s when we wash all the garments of all the personnel and nobles in the mansion.”

“And when is that?”

You pursed your lips, looking over the filth your dress has become. “End of next week, my Lord.”

“You can’t possibly wait that long.” He said, concern painted across his features.

“I have no spare uniform, my Lord. This’ll have to do.” You shrugged, beckoning him to start heading towards the mansion once again. Taking a few steps forward, you didn’t get far as the Viscount took a gentle hold of your bicep. Frozen, the two of you stared at one another, your gut twisting with a strange, foreign feeling. You didn’t like the look he was giving you. Was it pity? Was it guilt? You felt naked under his gaze, squirming as he studied your reactions. The corners of his eyes seemed to be downcast, reflecting the faint frown on his lips. He was making you uneasy under the weight of his stare, “What is it, my Lord?” you breathed out, unable to take the silence or the staring any longer.

“I’m sorry,” He said, before clearing his throat, turning away to look at the manor, “I’ll have a uniform issued to your quarters by tomorrow morning.” He added, before following an invisible path leading further up the meadow.

Following in tow, the Viscount left no room for discussion, and left  you to bubble in your confusion in silence.

The path up to the manor stretched out for what felt like hours as the Viscount did not utter another word to you for the rest of your walk, his mood having plummeted for a reason unknown to you.

There were long shadows casted on the face of the manor as you and the Viscount walked along the gardens, watching as one by one, the windows lit up under some candlelight.

He had remained silent for majority of the walk back, only gracing you with one word responses and grunts to every conversation starter you threw his way. Eventually you gave up, settling on walking in silence and admiring the beautiful evening.

You could see a figure waiting in the distance, arms on their hips and a foot aggressively tapping the stone steps below them. “Where have you been?” Mrs Opals’ voice rung out across the stretch of grass as she quickly made her way towards the two of you, an unpleasant scowl growing on her face.

She had stopped just a few metres away, waiting for you. You glanced towards the Viscount, who was unfazed by Mrs Opal’s clear display of displeasure.

“We went to the village, had the girl fitted and made our way back,” he said, “Why do you ask?”

“You were gone for hours, I was starting to worry that you got lost, perhaps,” Mrs Opal said sternly, leading the way into the manor, “Nevermind the fact that you left me without saying a word!” She exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief. The three of you rounded the building to avoid walking through the kitchens, and were now entering the lit up entrance hall of the manor. Around you, the candlelight flickered and burned and kept the hallways bright, creating a warm orange glow and mixing with the royal red carpets that lined the grand staircase and disappeared into the shadows of the lower grounds of the manor.

“You have an unexpected guest, my Lord,” Mrs Opal paused as she led the two of you to the lounge, where presumably the guest was residing. The Viscount took a sharp breath, as if to cut her off but she beat him to it, “I know, you said no visitors, however this is someone whom I couldn’t deny entry. He’s had a long journey and insisted on waiting for your return, sir.”

“Who is it?” The Viscount inquired curiously, his eyes thinning into slits as he stared the older woman down.

Mrs Opal cleared her throat, adjusting the collar of her dress nervously, “You’ll be happy to know that it’s someone familiar,” she said, glancing back, “It’s your brother, Lord Fives.”

You observed the Viscount’s behaviour, noticing how his shoulders instantly relaxed at the mention of the name. You guessed the Viscount preferred this brother over Lord Wolffe, who made it his mission to intimidate every servant in the manor. Maybe this brother would be kinder, more welcoming than the two Lords who inhabit this place.

“Fives?” The Viscount asked, his voice a gruff whisper, “He’s arrived early.”

“Maybe he was excited to see you, my Lord.” You mused, glancing over at him as you reached the lounge room. The dark brown doors were closed, and you had to help Mrs Opal open them as they were too heavy.

As the doors opened, you were greeted with a comfortable silence. The room was rather small, resembling a private study more so than a lounge. It was cozy room, decorated with deep red carpets and curtains, it had a high ceiling and a large fireplace that emanated heat and sparks and comfort the closer you moved to it.

Candles littered the room all around, however none were lit up, you assumed that the fireplace provided enough light to the room. As you looked around the room, you noticed a bar cart in a far away corner, with a few glass bottles and glasses lining it in a neat row. Whiskey. A bookshelf lined the opposite wall, filled to the brim though you spotted an empty slot. Returning to the middle room, you counted a few armchairs, which sat around the fireplace in a half-circle, and as your sights finally landed on the rooms’ only occupant, you paused, realising the missing book was in his hand.

The book had a red cover, with neat golden letters decorating it. The beholder was wearing a white button-up shirt, with high-waisted trousers, and a cardigan lay to the side of him. His hair was an ebony black, cut precisely to tame his curls and goatee. His entire build was large, but what piqued your interest were his shoulders; they were broad and heavy-looking, and you caught yourself wondering what they’d be like to touch. Not only that, but his side profile was certainly a welcome sight-

“Brother! What a pleasure to finally see you!” Rex exclaimed as he walked towards Fives, his arms outstretched to welcome the latter in a hug. His sudden outburst startled you, ripping your focus away from admiring all things about the Lord. They tightly embraced one another, wide smiles adorning their faces as they laughed, and once again, you found yourself inwardly swooning.

“I’ll admit it’s been a while, Rex. It’s good to be back,” Fives said as the two parted. “I thought I’d stop by, afterall we are going to the same ball.”

“Well I’m glad you’re here, if I had known we would’ve come back earlier,” The Viscount said, walking over to the bar cart, “Have you spoken to Wolffe already, then?” Pouring himself a glass, the Viscount tipped the glass in the Lords’ direction, to which the latter proceeded to nod.

“There was no need for you to hurry, brother, I believe I’ll be staying a while,” Lord Fives watched as the Viscount poured a second glass, murmuring a small ‘thank you’ as the two sat down together, “Echo will be joining us at the ball as he had some business to take care of back in the Capital,” He paused, taking a sip of his drink. Waiting for a moment, the Lord hummed in approval as the alcohol left a burning trail down his throat, “I haven’t seen Wolffe yet, no, Mrs Opal said he was out.”

With that, he motioned to the older woman, a toothy smile on his face.

His sights landed on you and he quirked a brow at the Viscount.

“And who’s the other lady?”

The Viscount’s gaze was intimidating as he savoured his drink, “That’s my new maid,” He gestured towards you, looking between you and Lord Fives with a glint of confusion in his eyes, “She’ll be accompanying me to the ball.”

“To the ball?” Fives raised a brow at that.

“Indeed. It isn’t good for Mrs Opal to stand around for too long, ever since her knees worsened, and, to be frank, my new maid is a capable one.” For a second, you felt your heart leap into your throat as the Viscount’s compliment registered.

Lord Fives looked back at you, his eyes roaming over your figure, studying you. You felt timid under his gaze, fighting the urge to shrink into a corner of the room.

“Ladies, would you care to join us?” He asked suddenly, and you heard the Viscount choke on his drink at the suggestion. Looking nervously to Mrs Opal, you tried your best to remain looking relaxed.

If you were to be honest, the new Lord seemed to have a certain effect on you, but what that effect was you weren’t quite so sure yet.

“That’s kind of you, my Lord,” Mrs Opal answered, a small smile dancing across her lips as she motioned for you to follow her. The two of you took a seat on the sofa, your figure remaining close to hers. You felt watched as you fixed your skirt, ensuring that none of the mud would be touching the material beneath you.

“So, how new are you then, cyar’ika?” Lord Fives asked, tilting his head slightly. He rested his elbows on his knees, swirling the whiskey absentmindedly.

You glanced at the Viscount and Mrs Opal, unsure whether you were permitted to reveal all the details.

The Viscount gave you a small nod, and your heart thrummed under his intense stare.

“It’s been a couple of weeks now, my Lord. My duty isn’t as important as Mrs Opals’, however I do feel grateful for the opportunity to work closely with the Viscount.” You muttered out, looking up at him. His his eyes widened the tiniest bit upon hearing you.

Humming in response, he took a long second to study you. His gaze trailed from the top of your head, down to the dark blush which settled on your cheeks, to your dirtied dress. Though he didn’t question it, you still felt slight embarrassment over not having the time to put on something different – oh well, it couldn’t be helped now.

“How come the Viscount chose you?”

Blinking in surprise, you tried to scour your brain for explanations. The true reason was something the Viscount wished to keep a secret, you were too fearful of what would happen if you were to reveal it.

You opened your mouth, ready to reply with some lame excuse, but the velvety thrum that was the Viscount’s voice interrupted you.

“I’ve noticed her a while ago, working in the gardens on a hot day. She was dusting the carpets and took a break and picked up a fallen rose from the ground, I watched her walk around with it in her hair the entire day,” The Viscount hummed, staring down at the almost empty glass in his hand, “I guess something about her intrigued me.”

To say that you were speechless was an understatement. You remembered that day as clear as words on a page, but you never realised that the Viscount had ever noticed you up until recently. How many times had he caught you acting like a fool? Prancing around with flowers in your head and snacks in your hands at odd hours of the night?

You couldn’t control the wildfire that spread across your face, nor the fastening of your heartbeat, nor the way your mouth was left agape as you focused on the Viscount.

Lord Fives looked between the two of you. He was analysing the stunned expression on your face, his brows lightly furrowed as he compared it to the Viscount’s. Something didn’t feel right, but Fives knew when not to push a certain topic. He wouldn’t, at least not yet. Something in his gut told him Mrs Opal hadn’t been involved in the recruitment process.

“Actually, my apologies, could I be excused please? I’d like to wash up before bed, and I believe it’ll be better for the three of you to catch up without my intrusion, my Lord.” You spoke, aware that your request might’ve been made at an inappropriate time.

Fives quirked a brow at you before turning to the Viscount, who only gave a small nod in response.

Fives turned back to you, a soft smile on his face, “I see no issue with that,” He paused, finding the look on your face sweet, “However you owe me a promenade tomorrow. Deal?”

You blinked up at him, mouth slightly agape as his question took you by surprise.

“I- I’m not sure… I’ll be with the Viscount and-”

“That’s okay, I have a meeting to attend in the afternoon and you won’t need to accompany me, so you may consider it a day off,” Rex spoke up, eager to end the interaction between you and Fives. He could already tell his brother fancied you, and smelled out the partial bullshit in your recruitment story, but Rex could tell you were feeling lost and uncomfortable. Fives could have you all to himself tomorrow, even if that didn’t sit right with Rex.

“I see. Well, thank you for your time, I will see you tomorrow, my Lord,” You looked to Lord Fives, throwing on a tight-lipped smile, “Have a good night, sir.” You bid your goodbyes quickly, bowing slightly towards the two Lords, murmuring a quick goodbye to Mrs Opal as you left.

Rex watched the entire interaction, his stomach churning at the faint blush present on your face. He couldn’t understand what had you blushing and stuttering when it came to his brother, but Rex slowly began regretting his decision as he watched you quietly slip away under Fives’ watchful gaze.

Rex swallowed thickly as his brother turned to face them, and the small smirk on his face did not go unnoticed.

“So, where were we?”

----------

The sun had disappeared behind the horizon, leaving behind traces of a warm breeze and running thoughts. You sat by your open window, observing the way the stars were dotted all over a canvas of dark purples and blues and black shadows. The moon had disappeared off to somewhere, stranding the manor in a gloomy darkness. Orange lamps decorated the exterior gates, which stretched far and wide around the manor, but the light didn’t dare to enter the gardens. You leaned your arms against the windowsill, sighing heavily. It had been a tiring day, and every so often you felt your body being lulled into sleep under the beauty of the night.

Your sleepy eyes trailed from left to right, admiring the beautiful rows of hedges of baby pink roses, which stood out against the pitch black like a reflection of the stars in a lake. A reoccurring blush settled on your face each time you thought back on the Viscount’s words.

A gardener would come every morning to tend to the flowers, ensuring they were kept at their best, cutting away pieces that had died. It was a pity, but at the end of the day, you always found yourself picking up the leftover flowers he had forgotten to throw away, hiding them away in your quarters to admire later on. That’s how the Viscount caught you playing around like a little girl.

Further on in the distance, across fields of pitch black nothingness, you could faintly spot the flickering, diminishing lights of the village. You assumed not many people stayed up for long after nightfall, as only a few scattered glimpses of light illuminated the night. From the comfort of your bedroom, the village resembled something out of a fairy tale. If you squinted hard enough, you could imagine a trail of fairy lights dancing around the borders of the village, keeping it safe and protected, with the darkness keeping it hidden away from dangerous creatures and visitors, allowing the magical fairies to live happily in their mushroom huts and treehouses, to continue their peaceful existence amongst the darkness of the forestry. You’d always imagined such a world, wishing that one day you’d walk through a tall wall of rose orchards, expecting to see nothing out of the ordinary, but instead being taken to a land of fairytales and love stories.

You sighed out again, hiding your face away in your arms, as the warm embrace of sleep lulled you further into an unconscious state. You intended to get some shut eye but only for a moment, just long enough to gather some semblance of strength to drag yourself into bed.

However, the moment turned into a few, within which you drifted in and out of sleep, floating in a deep sea of darkness, like a small boat drifting somewhere far away, somewhere far in the middle of the ocean.

When you opened your eyes again, it was completely dark. Only the moonlight illuminated the landscape. A strong gust of wind blew past you, eliciting goosebumps all over your skin. You felt confused, woozy. Still sleep-drunk as you looked at your surroundings. How long ago had you fallen asleep?

Something was different. Off.

Shakily, you gripped the windowsill and stood up. You waited for a long moment, head hanging low as you waited for the room to stop spinning. There was a dull ache in your shoulders, and you cursed yourself for falling asleep anywhere but in your bed.

Finally you moved, looking out at the gardens once again. Your body felt stiff and tense, your blood pumping in your ears a tad too hard, a tad too loud. Your eyes scanned the rose hedges, looking for something within the darkness. Something that would validate your gut feeling. But there was nothing.

And with a sigh, you climbed on the windowsill, reaching for the handle. The breeze was too cold for you to leave the window open overnight.

Just as your hand gripped the handle, you heard it. A noise.

For a single moment, you were paralysed with utter, blood-chilling fear, convinced there was a beast hidden within the shadows.

You whipped your head back and forth, eyes wide open, body on full alert. Could it be a coyote? An escaped bull? No. Not around these parts of the countryside. The village was too far, the farms even further.

You shook your head, inhaling a deep breath of fresh air before sliding the window slightly shut, leaving a few inches open. It was about to be summer, and the nights were getting warmer, so your room would be steaming in the morning. You moved away as you didn’t wish to stay up any longer, especially since you had to be up bright and early.  Your back would be awfully sore in the morning, and you were already dreading it.

It was just before your body touched the mattress when you heard another noise. It was much closer this time, though, and much louder.

Ripping your body away from the bed, you moved immediately towards the window.

If there was a coyote, the guards needed to be made aware-

Something was moving. Something in your reflection moved, yet you didn’t. It was strange, an instant sense of fear so powerful it froze your body to where you stood. You could only move your eyes, the rest of you solid like a statue. You watched, waiting for something. Some kind of movement, or yet another wail.

That’s when you saw it.

Two figures, pressed against the gates of the back gardens. Moving animatedly, hidden away by the confines of darkness. They were dressed simply, as simply as possible to be able to do what they were doing-

The noises had now become clearer, and you were able to discern them as moans and whines, and you realised that they did indeed sound like a wild beast. Maker how fast were they going at it?

You opened your window quietly, leaning over the windowsill again. You squinted your eyes as hard as you could, trying to discern the faces of the people. They weren’t exactly the best at being discreet, and they did rise your ire.

A faint blush dusted over your cheeks as you realised you were essentially being a peeping Tom. But you weren’t doing anything weird. They weren’t being discreet, and you just wanted to tell them to knock it off. To have a little bit of shame.

Realisation struck your sleep-hazed mind like a chord.

It wasn’t just a pair of random servants going at it like banshees in the cover of the dark. No.

Something prickly, something ugly twisted at your gut as the realisation dawned in on you, cruelly sobering you up.

Rex did not sleep that night.

He violently opened his eyes once the bustling sounds of his brothers stirring broke into his conscious awareness. He let out an instinctual groan as he forced himself to sit upright, trying to wipe the exhaustion from his eyes with his fingers in vain. The sunlight caused him to squint as he looked around camp to get a sense of his surroundings.

Of course, once he saw you, he couldn’t seem to look away. He immediately froze in his tired and hunched over posture, his sleepy eyes looking upon you without much thought at all as his brothers faded into the background.

You were already packing up your sleeping bag and pillow, clearly well rested and ready to get moving.

Rex immediately felt the need to approach you, filling him up with the anxiety he was almost able to forget as he continued to look upon you. He sighed at the immense feelings he was struck by as you anxiously equipped your backpack, clearly stressed for the mission ahead, and ready for it to be over.

Rex wasn’t sure what to do, he wanted to bid you a good morning, but he was also scared to. As though acting on his desires to interact with you would only confirm his… “feelings”… for you. Rex wasn’t ready to accept defeat. But the desire to say something only grew stronger as he noticed you taking your first step away from him. The moment slowed down to a halt in his mind as he mentally panicked over what to do next. He instinctively raised up one of his hands as though he were preparing himself to call for you, but unsure of what to say.

“What are you lookin at?”

Then it hit him.

Rex felt a hand smack him over the base of his back, completely knocking the air out of him as he doubled over for a brief moment. His anxiety was quickly replaced with annoyance as he viciously looked behind himself, just to see Fives’s smirk. But of course, once Fives caught sight of Rex’s annoyance, his smirk shrank to about half the size it was before, a twinge of concern now visible in his eyes.

“Jeez cap’, sorry.” Fives sarcastically told his superior as he squatted down next to him.

“What do you want, Fives?” Rex sighed as he rubbed his temples. Fives placed a hand on Rex's shoulder softly to silently indicate authenticity.

“Well,” Fives began a bit too slowly for Rex’s patience to tolerate, “I just wanted to let you know that almost everyone is ready to hit the road again. And honestly?” Rex could sense Fives’s smile return to him slightly. “I’m surprised that you weren’t the first one awake.” Fives paused for a second, his fingers twitching slightly on Rex’s shoulder. “Are you doing alright, Rex?”

“Hm?” Rex replied carelessly, falling asleep in his upright position. Another twitch of Fives’s fingers was enough to jolt him awake, causing the Captain to jump before he made sense of his surroundings once more with a couple blinks from his eyes.

“Oh…! Yes.” Rex tried real hard to seem as though nothing was wrong. “I just wanted to get a bit more sleep today… just in case we run into some trouble, you know…?” Rex pathetically explained.

Fives shrugged, released his soft grip from Rex’s shoulder, then stood up straight. Rex was too tired to even look up at his brother, but at least he was awake to listen.

“Sure, I guess.” Fives replied with some uncertainty in his voice. “It’s just not like you to sleep in during a longer mission like this. Are you sure you’re okay? You seem really tired.”

Somehow, Fives was annoying Rex even when he was actually being genuine.

“Yes Fives, I’m okay.” Rex stated plainly, praying for the soldier to go away. “Don’t worry about me.” Rex heard the crunch of grass being crushed under Fives’s boot as he began to make his leave.

“O-kay Cap.” Fives really elongated that first word. “Just make sure you get ready, we’re going to head out soon… and that’s an order!” Fives found that last part especially humorous as he walked away, laughing his ass off as he made his way towards his other brothers.

Rex looked around to see that most of his brothers were at least almost fully packed up. He looked back at a shrinking Fives to see that he was ready to go, armor and backpack prepared and all. The Captain sighed, disappointed in himself as he shook his head slightly.

Rex took the opportunity to sigh once more before forcing himself to stand, using what little energy he had left to get himself upright. Once he was up on his feet, Rex felt as though he was drunk. Well, he assumed it was like being drunk at that moment. The elevation change completely wiped Rex out, he felt as though the softest gust of wind could knock him over as the planet spun around him. He slacked his head back, allowing his face to welcome the heat of the sun as he groaned quietly to himself, trying to gain some sort of composure.

The dizziness disappeared after a few long moments, but then the exhaustion kicked in. Rex turned his attention away from the sleep-inducing power of the sun to examine his surroundings, only to see his vision double over once every few seconds, multiplying the soldiers that were around him tenfold.

Rex quickly shook his head in an attempt to escape his tiredness. He grumbled to himself as he started to get his armor back on over his blacks, finding it way harder to slip the pieces on than usual. At some points, Rex would realize too late that he had put on a piece backwards, or even on the opposite limb than intended. That frustrated him more as it forced him to spend more time on something he would have already gotten done if there weren’t… special circumstances affecting his sleep.

Eventually Rex got his armor and backpack together. He felt quite rushed once he finished equipping his armor, shoving his sleeping bag and pillow into his pack with great force, and without great thought. He then slugged his backpack over his shoulder before making his quick leave to find his superiors, barely remembering to snatch his helmet on the way out.

Rex couldn’t help but look to the ground as he quickly made his way around his brothers, barely evading them with every step. His mind was a mess. He hadn’t been this tired in a long time, this tired to barely string a thought together. What’s worse? The only thoughts he could seem to get into his head other than how late he was, were thoughts that pertained to you. His heart tightened each time he reminded himself about you, and the feeling frightened him almost to the point of panic. Why was he feeling this way about you? Why couldn’t he control his emotions like he used to? And why did he think it was a good idea to get Echo involved?

His pace quickened as images of you flashed through his mind. Your smile, your sleeping face, the skin he caught sight of under your robe. His heart beat faster for those thoughts and he went faster and faster, as more images haunted his mind’s eye, as-

Then it hit him, again.

Rex bumped into someone hard, knocking him right on his ass, his backpack crashing onto the ground behind him, and his helmet slowly rolling away to the distance. His victim hit the ground quick, their body making a loud thud as it hit the grass, and their backpack making an array of all sorts of sounds as it crashed into the earth.

Rex rubbed his temple with the palm of his hand as he regained an awareness of his surroundings. He opened his tightly shut eyes. And of course, he ran into you.

Shit.

Rex was immediately a bumbling mess, barely making out any coherent words or phrases.

“O-oh my! I-I am so sorry Y/n- General…!” He got himself back on his feet quickly before practically diving over to your aid, lucky enough to have his knee pads on to avoid giving himself friction burns against the grass.

“A-are you okay!?” Somehow, his immediate reaction was to then place his hands on your shoulders. Just before he made contact, he stopped himself, hesitating in panicked confusion.

“Uhh…” He stared at your shoulders, not knowing how to remedy his mistake. His eyes were lucky enough to then spot your backpack and its spilled contents, to which he was then quick to begin collecting your things, not even thinking to give your face a glance.

The more of your belongings he collected into his arms, the harder it was for Rex to prevent them from dropping back to the ground again. Food, water, clothes, tools. It was about to become too much for the Captain, but he had to keep going, he couldn’t stop.

“Rex!”

Rex was quickly brought back into reality, only just able to get all of your things into his arms. He took a hard stop once he had realized it was your voice, your hands on his shoulders begging him to be still. He looked up, and of course; he was met with you, faces close together.

Your lips were tugged up into a slight smile, but your eyes told a multitude of stories. One story matched your lips, you didn’t mind seeing the Captain, you maybe even wanted to see him. But your eyebrows creased into your eyelids slightly, indicating to even a tired Rex that you were concerned. Rex felt guilt rise within him at the realization. But he also found that he was frozen, unable to come up with something to say during the brief moment of silence between the two of you.

“Hey, thank you. But you didn’t have to do all of that for me.” You looked to the pile in Rex’s arms for only a brief moment, but long enough for Rex to catch you in the act. His eyes followed yours down to his arms, only then catching your backpack in your hands, waiting for new contents to be added within.

“Oh…!” Rex quietly exclaimed, making sure to be quick, but also careful with dropping your belongings back into your pack with one plop. Rex couldn’t help but then look back up, just to catch your eyes doing just the same. But, wow… your faces were really close together.

Rex felt his cheeks burning up. His eyes widened immediately after the realization. A quick breath snuck into his lungs.

Rex was quick to stand up, leaving you beneath him as he suddenly had to clear his throat. His fist covered his mouth as he coughed multiple times, his eyes seemingly unable to decide where to look as his eyebrows furrowed in fake composure.

“It was no problem.” Rex said quickly. “I apologize for bumping into you.”

You rose to your feet at a slower pace than Rex, torturing him as he anticipated your face meeting his. As your legs straightened, you were looking down at your pack as you tied it shut.

“You don’t need to be sorry, Rex.” You replied as you finally looked up to the Captain. Rex could feel his eyes locking onto yours. He was unable to look away, as though there was something attracting him to yours, keeping it trapped in your beauty. Your lips were moving, clearly indicating that you were speaking to the Captain. But, for some odd reason, he just couldn’t hear you. He couldn’t hear much, really. Everything around him became a muffled jumble of quiet. All he could think about was the color of your eyes. The little specs of darker color in some parts, the streaks of lighter color in others.

He really liked what he was seeing.

“Rex?”

Suddenly Rex could hear again. He immediately tensed up, his shoulders squared as though a superior was about to lay him out.

“I-I’m sorry, what was that last part?” He asked. A slight crack accompanying the lack of confidence in his voice.

Confusion littered your face. Rex swallowed.

“I asked you if you were doing okay…?” You repeated with uncertainty, the confusion keeping your face tensed as you stared at the Captain.

“Right…” Rex began quietly. “I-I’m okay.” He forced a smile upon his lips. “I just didn’t get enough sleep last night… th-that’s all.” He trailed off, looking to the ground as though it would provide him the support he needed, before forcing himself to look upon you once more. You didn’t look convinced. You clearly looked worried for Rex. He felt his heart skip a beat.

Did he like that thought?

“I understand…!” You replied, bringing Rex out of his confusing thoughts. “Just…” You didn’t finish your sentence, choosing instead to take a step towards the Captain. Rex could only watch everything unfold in slow motion as you got closer to him, raising your arm to do something that Rex couldn’t predict.

Then, you placed your hand on his shoulder, and time sped back up again. But Rex was once again unable to focus on anything else around him except for you and your hand on his shoulder. He stared at your hand for what felt like an eternity. It almost felt like he was able to feel the warmth of your skin piercing his armor. It made him want more, and that scared him as his shoulder tensed against your touch under his armor.

“Just let me know when you’re feeling better, okay?” You asked the Captain, concern more clear than ever in your voice as Rex shifted his vision from your hand to your face, your eyes now piercing his. Rex felt his cheeks become hot once more. But you took your hand away from the Captain soon after, standing there with a slight smile on your face, awaiting an answer from the Captain.

“Yeah…” Rex’s words came out like a whisper as he stared. “Sure…”

“Good.” That was the only word you spoke in response to Rex’s, but it told a more descriptive story to the Captain. Rex’s mind focused on how you wanted him to come to you, that you were concerned for him, that you cared for his well being.

He liked that thought.

Your attention was suddenly brought to something else, prompting the Captain to look around as well to see troopers all heading in the same direction. Rex looked to where they were heading, and barely saw the top of Anakin’s head in between the soldiers’ helmets.

“Looks like it’s time to go.” Rex heard you say. “I guess I should head for the front.” You stated with a defeated sigh. Rex looked to you as you stared in the distance, dread clear on your face as your breaths deepened, unintentionally communicating your anxiety to the Captain.

“Did you bring the blaster?” Rex asked you, already knowing what was causing you distress. Your shoulders stiffened slightly, but you did not look back at the Captain. Rex followed one of your hands as it laid itself against your abdomen, clearly feeling for something underneath your robe.

“Of course I did.” You replied, a hint of worry obvious underneath your words. “It’s the only thing I can use to defend myself with my current… affliction.” You let another deep breath out, your eyes still focused on what was occurring ahead.

Rex looked upon you, thinking deeply of what to do next. His heart hurt for you. Even without ever using the force himself, he knew that you lost a major part of who you are, something that Rex was determined to help you regain. He gently placed a hand on your shoulder, his sleep-deprived brain not giving him the chance to overthink the action. Once his hand made contact, your shoulders tensed just a little more before you quickly looked to the Captain. Your eyes were filled with anxiety. You looked as though another bad thought would push you to the brink of tears.

“I’m scared.” You barely managed to whisper out as you stared at the Captain. Rex tightened his grip on your shoulder ever so slightly.

“It’s okay to be scared.” Rex replied smoothly, but quietly to maintain privacy. “I won’t take my sights off you, okay? I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

“You would do that for me?” You asked with widened eyes and parted lips, your eyes locked onto the Captain’s.

“Of course.” Rex said. “We’ll stick together, especially when we get deeper into enemy territory.” Rex felt your shoulders relax a bit.

“I-” You cut yourself off, briefly disrupting your eye contact with the Captain before bringing your eyes back again. “Thank you…”

“You don’t need to thank me, Y/n.” Rex smiled. “I said I was going to help you with this, and I intend to keep that promise.” You smiled back at the Captain, Rex drank up the sight as though he was dying of thirst.

“But you don’t have to do any of this for me.” The smile escaped you slightly.

“But that’s what friends are for.” Rex was quick to reply to that statement. A little bit of shock filled your face, just noticeable enough for Rex’s sleepy mind to catch it. Then, your smile grew bigger than ever before.

“I appreciate your friendship, Rex.” The Captain’s smile grew in response to those words.

“I-”

“Master? Captain?”

Both you and Rex’s heads quickly faced the source of the new voice. And there was Ahsoka, face full of innocent confusion and a hint of annoyance. The Captain swiftly removed his hand from your shoulder, not noticing it following his hands slightly as the contact ceased.

“What are you guys doing so far away from the front of the formation?” Ahsoka asked with her arms crossed. “Anakin made me look all over for you two.” She explained as she rolled her eyes towards her Master. “Are you coming?”

“Y-yes of course!” Rex was quick to stumble his way towards an answer. “We were just…” Rex trailed off, not knowing what excuse to invent for the Padawan.

“I was just asking the Captain about some formations that his soldiers use during battle!” You butted in. Rex’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as he side eyed you. Your smile was even wider now, but obviously artificial to even the mentally lagged Captain.

“Right, Captain?” You eyed Rex, snapping him back into the moment and back to Ahsoka’s inquiry.

“Right…!” Rex looked to Ahsoka. She was clearly a bit annoyed at the situation, but seemed convinced of the excuse you were able to make up. “Sorry Commander, I guess I got a bit too carried away.” Rex said as his hand rubbed the back of his buzzed head.

“Well, you boys do love coming up with new ways to kill battle droids…” Ahsoka commented, a humorous smile infecting her face at the thought. She uncrossed her arms, waving one towards the front of the formation. “We should catch up to Anakin though.”

“We’ll be close behind you, Commander.” Rex confirmed to Ahsoka, you nodded in an attempt to dispel any of the Padawan’s doubts.

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes slightly at the pair, her eyes bouncing between you and Rex rapidly for a few seconds. The Captain could tell that there was something that Ahsoka was itching to say. Whatever it was, Ahsoka never made it known, she simply shrugged after a brief moment, her eyes closing and her eyebrows raising slightly as she pushed the thought to the side.

“Sure, anything to keep me from hearing your boring ramblings.” She then said with a smirk.

Before Rex could come up with a shitty comeback Ahsoka had already turned around and weaved her way through the lazy company of soldiers, before finally disappearing from Rex’s line of sight. He had to fight the urge to sigh in relief before looking back to you. Your smile had already faded as you continued to look into the distance, not noticing Rex’s deep attention on you. He found himself looking at your lips. They were parted slightly, signaling that you were deep in thought.

The Captain once again found himself unable to look away from you.

‘I should stop this.’ A hazy thought managed to reach Rex’s sleepy mind.

“We should start moving.” He forced himself to say to you, despite how much he wanted the moment to last.

You jumped a bit, eyes wide as you cocked your head to the side to look at the Captain.

“Yeah… you’re right.” You replied unsurely, clearly still burdened by the mission ahead as you faced away from the Captain. You were quick to make the first step towards the other Jedi, leaving Rex just shortly behind you, disrupting any ideas of response that he could have said to you. He flattened his lips together, before taking his first step, staying just behind you.

- - -

Getting to the front of the formation was not an easy task. As the battalion was still not close enough to the factory to be in any danger, troopers continued to maintain a lazy replication of a proper formation, forcing you to twist and bob and weave through the crowd, almost bumping into clones dozens of times.

Every step you took towards Anakin and Ahsoka filled you with more dread. Once you were at the front, there was nothing you could say or do to stop the mission from progressing. You were going to have to march to your potential doom, and there was no one around you who you could vent to about it.

Well, you had Rex.

You thought you would feel guilty for burdening him, but admitting your fear to Rex helped you release some built up tension, and his reassurance made you feel even better. The Captain who could barely utter a word to you the night before was once again showering you with kindness, promising to keep you safe and reminding you that the two of you were actually friends. The thought threatened to make you smile, but then more confusion set in. Rex was acting so strange towards you, and he wasn’t saying why or even acknowledging it whatsoever. You wanted to frown at the thought. The two of you were getting closer, then Rex seemed to pull away, but now he’s back again.

What the hell was he so caught up about?

You wished you knew.

You wished he would just tell you.

Why couldn’t he just tell you?

…

You wished you knew.

As you continued dodging soldiers, you couldn’t help but feel Rex’s presence behind you, likely echoing your movements to avoid bumping into his brothers. You wanted to slow down, let Rex catch up to you, to stand next to him and be close to him.

Of course, that feeling was returning. The same one you couldn’t identify. The same one that feels so right, but so wrong at the same time. The one you know you have felt before, but the one who’s origin you couldn’t seem to remember. Your mind, so exhausted from recent experience, has only just begun feeling consistent positive emotion again. And it was all because of the man behind you.

What was the feeling? This need for proximity? This increased appreciation for his attention?

You were once again asking questions you couldn’t find an answer for. All you knew was what you were feeling. This friendship with the Captain must have been meaning a lot to you, why wouldn’t it? He’s been your first friend ever since…

You shook your head to wave the thought away. There was no reason to think of that right now. It would only make your fear of this mission worse. Besides, Rex wasn’t closing himself off like he was the night before. He was showing you that he cared again, that he wanted to be friends.

A-and, you liked that! But…

You just hoped that Rex would confide in you soon enough.

- - -

The moss was soft beneath your feet as you maintained a steady pace forward. The air was crisp, its refreshing smell almost completely distracting you from the mission ahead. But it wasn’t enough to do so. In fact, your mind raced, going through each possible horrific future you might find yourself in enough to block out the conversation that was occurring around you. Fives’s and Echo’s humorous banter was all but a blur as you kept your head down and forward, eyes darting back and forth in constant thought.

Maybe you wouldn’t be able to escape the bombs in time.

Maybe a battalion of battle droids would find you first and gun you down.

Maybe you wouldn’t even make it to the factory at all. Anything could be lurking in these woods.

You could feel sweat already begin to pool on your skin as your hand gripped the blaster wedged in your belt. In fact, it was getting really hot.

Wait, why was it getting so hot?

You looked up to see a pale white steam that suddenly engulfed the battalion. Your hearing returned to you. No longer was Fives and Echo horsing around and irritating each other, the troopers around you were now inquiring about the steam, just like you.

“Where is this shit coming from?” You heard Jesse ask behind you, followed by collective affirmations by other troopers all around you.

You could see Rex, somehow now in front of you, subtly shake his head, clearly annoyed at his underprepared brethren. He turned to face his brothers, tension clear in face as one of his eyes couldn’t help but squint, twitching slightly at the absence of its original position. As you looked at Rex you noticed the dark bags under his eyes.

Wow, he was tired.

Or… stressed?

Or both?

“We’re approaching the hot springs that are abundant in certain areas of the planet.” Rex rolled his eyes. “If you guys actually studied the maps you were provided before the mission, you might know what we’re running into before they appear.”

“Jeez Rex.” Fives replied with a playful attitude. “Not everyone can be as boring and responsible as you.”

“Being prepared for missions is the difference between making it to the end alive or dead.” Rex was quick to reply. “I hope you know what’s coming next. It won’t always be this safe.”

You looked at Fives. He was clearly about to come up with something witty to say, but Rex didn’t wait to find out, he simply turned his head back forward again. Fives paused at his coldness. The smile that was on his face died out quickly as he eyed the ground for a moment, not quite sure what to do. Other clones looked on in silence, sharing Fives’s confusion and uneasiness as they snuck looks at the Captain.

It was strangely quiet for a few moments. But eventually, troopers began to talk amongst themselves once more. You looked back at Rex, only able to see the back of him as he kept a steady pace ahead of you. You quickened your steps, easing yourself at Rex’s side, just far enough away and slow enough to where he wasn’t likely to notice you. You turned your head slightly to get a look at the Captain. His eyes stayed ahead, dead focused on where he was going. He was clearly unhappy, his lips were turned down in a slight frown, unperturbed as his brothers began speaking once more.

Before your mind could properly form a thought, you noticed Rex stop in his tracks.

Your actions immediately followed the captain, you stopped only a step or two ahead of him. You turned your head forward to see that everyone ahead of you had stopped walking as well. Your eyes searched for Anakin for any hint of what could have occurred to stop the march towards the factory. Once you found him, you noticed that Anakin and Ahsoka were speaking with each other, a smile on both of their faces. You were starting to understand that if the General of the 501st had such an expression on his face during a mission, you might want to panic a bit. So it was quite understandable for you to feel a little nervous for what would come from his mouth.

“Boys, I’m sure you’ve noticed that the air has gotten a bit steamy recently.” Anakin began sarcastically. Murmurs began to fill the space around you as you tried to ignore the intense feeling of Rex’s presence within a few steps from you.

“We’re in the last few clicks before we’re likely to encounter Separatist forces.” Ahsoka continued. “The sun is going to set soon, so we thought that it would be good to stop here and relax before things get too serious.”

You looked to the sky, mostly blocked by the thick trees, but you could clearly see the sun begin to fall to the horizon. You were surprised to see that the sky’s baby blue hue had already turned more orange as nightfall was threatening to bloom.

“So, what’s so exciting about resting next to some hot springs for the night?” You heard a trooper asked, followed by mumbles of collective agreement from other clones.

“The hot springs are cool enough for us to bathe in them.” Anakin replied. “I’m sure none of us are happy to be as sweaty as we are. This is our chance to doll ourselves up for the battle droids before we blow them up.” Anakin could barely keep himself composed while Ahsoka rolled her eyes, a slight smirk was visible on her face as the chuckles of troopers filled your ears.

The verbal approval of the troopers around you got louder while anxiety began to stir within you.

So… are troopers you don’t really know going to be bathing? With you nearby? Naked…?

You looked to Rex in hopes of obtaining some sort of reassurance from him, or at least his company. But when you turned your head the Captain was already gone. Walking away towards who-knows-where, some of his brothers followed close behind. It was clear to you that Rex did not want company. While his brothers were basically jumping with joy at the thought of the hot springs, Rex kept to himself. His shoulders were squared, but tense, doing little to hide his lack of excitement from his brothers. If they noticed, they ignored the Captain’s obvious moodiness.

But you noticed. You looked on for another moment as other troopers began to spread out towards the hot springs until you were almost completely alone among the trees and the moss. You took a deep breath in, holding it as your lips flattened between each other, anxiety and worry eating at you until there was nothing left. You looked to the distance where the hot springs were, chose a direction, and took a step.

- - -

The roaring of the water filled Rex’s ears, leaving nothing else to be heard but the distant booming of his brothers jumping into the water.

The Captain’s eyes were closed, his limbs kept close to his body as the hot water attempted to calm him. His eyebrows were furrowed as emotions swam within him, taunting his opportunity at enjoyment before the mission became too dangerous. The lack of sleep fought to keep him under the water while his scrambling thoughts begged him to jump out and find you.

He tried desperately to ignore both calls.

As Rex’s lungs began to whimper for air he rose to the surface, only allowing the top half of his head to appear above the water. The roaring of the spring turned to the playful yells of his brothers as they splashed the water and wrestled each other.

Rex wished he could breathe water.

His eyes slowly opened to reveal the large spring he managed to find. Unfortunately for the Captain, his rowdy brothers thought that it was a good idea to join him, to disrupt the serenity of the hot springs and bother Rex even more. He was thankfully turned away from his brothers, only forcing his ears to bear the weight of their annoyance as Rex looked into the distance. He could see his other brothers, way more relaxed and calm than the ones he found himself accompanied with. The stream from the hot water luckily covered the unsavory parts of his naked brethren, allowing Rex to look on as he attempted to lose focus and simply allow the water to take him, to let him forget of his current situation.

Eventually, the sounds of his brothers faded into the distance, Rex’s vision focused on nothing in particular, and his thoughts began to slow down…

But right when he was finally about to relax…

An image of you popped into his head. Along with a thought…

‘I should talk to her.’

Rex stood quickly, his body rising from the water suddenly enough to catch the attention of his brothers. It was quiet for a moment.

“Rex?” Echo asked with some concern. “Are you okay?”

The Captain turned his body slightly to face his brothers, not knowing what to say right away as they stared. He couldn’t focus on a response when you were taking up his mind.

“Rex…?” Echo asked again, taking Rex out of his distracting thoughts.

“I-” Rex began, shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts. “I need to go for a walk.” He sighed, before turning towards the land. As he made his way out of the water, he didn’t bother to look back, but it sounded as though his brothers had already forgotten about him. They weren’t as loud as they were before, but they were back to horsing around again.

Good, at least they were having fun.

Rex rose out of the water, droplets falling from his extremities and face as he stepped foot onto land. His skin shivered at the air, freezing compared to the bubbly warmth that the springs provided. Close by were his clothes, neatly folded and ready to be worn again. He picked up his briefs, raising up his legs one by one to slide the fabric up his legs, covering his muscular thighs, partially reflective from the moisture. Rex’s blacks were next. He struggled to get them on, the moisture that remained on his skin made the fabric cling to it, causing him to take longer than he’d hoped to cover himself up.

Rex pushed his embarrassment down as he prepared himself to make his way to you. He looked at his armor and pistols, and almost considered if he should bring them with him. His exhaustion quickly answered the question for him. He rapidly forgot about the gear as he took his first step away. Once a couple of trees blocked his view from his brothers, he stopped, confusion setting in.

Where were you, anyway?

Rex supposed he would have to find out the hard way.

- - -

Everyone else had seemed to find a spot in the hot springs for themselves and the brothers that accompanied them.

Everyone else was already relaxing in the water, ridding themselves of the sweat and dirt that had built up during the mission.

Everyone else seemed to be having a good time. At least they were loud enough to make that part obvious.

But you?

You were walking for a while. There was nowhere for you to go.

Yes, you could have asked to go with someone. But…

You didn’t need to explain why you didn’t to yourself again. All you wanted was to find a spot for yourself as you waded around trees. Eventually you realized that it was getting quite quiet.

You peered over a tree, praying you’d find what you were looking for.

To your delight? You found yourself a small hot spring, mostly away from the others. The spring was big enough to fit a handful of people, just barely enough room for you and your thoughts.

You didn’t hesitate to practically skip towards the spring, immediately unbuckling your belt as soon as you got close enough to remove your gear.

The belt was easy enough to remove. You put it to the ground neatly, placing the pistol underneath it and your sabers to hide it away from wandering glances. You kept the handle visible, in case you needed it in a moment’s notice. You disliked that you paid such little attention to your sabers as of late, but you pushed the thought away as you removed your robe.

The cool air nipped at your skin as you let the robe fall to your side. Your boots slid off of your feet with ease as you lazily tossed them to the side, now reaching for the rim of your pants.

You paused as your thumbs disrupted the contact between the fabric and your skin. You could suddenly hear the distant hoots and hollers of troopers echoing quietly in your ears. You looked to your left, then to your right, then extended your neck to look behind you. You remained in that position as your eyes darted between the trees and the foliage, your hands unmoving from your waist.

Once you comforted your mind, you turned yourself back towards the water, pushing the waistband of your pants away from your stomach, stretching the fabric as you began to lower the pants, implicitly moving your legs and arms in tandem. Once your pants were off, your hands moved to grasp onto your top. You turned your head to look backwards once more, fearful of someone sneaking up behind you. But, once again, you were alone. You turned forward, your arms pulling the fabric above and over your head, before you lazily tossed the light garment to your side, landing on your other clothes.

You hesitated for a moment, nervousness kicking in as your fingers danced around your underwear, gripping the edges of it lightly. You pulled it down delicately, tickling the skin of your legs as you stepped out of the fabric. The cold air made a shiver go up your thighs and spine briefly.

You dropped the last of your clothes and immediately made your way towards the edge of the spring, your pace quickened in fear of someone seeing you. You stepped into the spring with both legs, shuddering at the temperature. It was a bit warmer than you anticipated, and a bit deeper at that. The spring already covered your legs up to your lower thighs.

After a moment of adjusting, you waded your way towards the center of the spring. The spring you found was not that large, but more of your body was quickly becoming submerged with the more steps you took. After only a moment, you were in the center of the spring, there was enough water to cover your shoulders while you were standing. Perfect for your height.

You gave yourself a moment to try to relax into the comforting heat of the spring. You took a deep breath, and let it all out with a humph as you felt the water against your skin. It was almost too hot, but just cool enough to feel good, just enough to potentially relax you. The water slid against your skin and tickled the scars on your back ever so slightly with its heat, causing you to shiver briefly. You ignored the sensation as best you could as you took in another deep breath, letting the air and steam into your lungs and body, slowly decreasing your heart rate over time.

You eventually closed your eyes and lowered yourself into the water slightly, covering everything up to your mouth, but not an inch more. Your deep breaths continued in and out through your nose, taking you into a deeper state of relaxation. You became deaf to the distant sounds of troopers as your hearing focused on the sound of the water around you splashing softly.

An image of Rory flashed through your mind. Your eyebrows raised every so slightly as the sight, you almost had to stop yourself from smiling as he did so in your mind’s eye. You thought of the time you were able to spend with him before he was gone. You thought of the good and the bad, all of it worth it to you because either way, you were with your Commander, and he was with you.

You lowered yourself into the water even more as your thoughts took center stage. You allowed your head to submerge itself below the water, the constant rage of the water comforting your ears as your head acclimated to the warmer temperatures.

You imagined another time with your old Commander. You both were standing in the back of a war meeting. Generals and Commanders alike were describing what was going to be a long and arduous mission, one that you were going to have to be a part of. The thought made you a bit nervous, of course. Not even the force could help you predict what might happen on that mission, how long it would take, who you would lose.

The sound of Rory’s sigh brought you back into the meeting, you turned your head slightly to look at the Commander, who was still facing the presenters.

“Are you okay?” You whispered to Rory. He eyed you for a brief moment, his neutral facial expression unchanging, trying not to draw unwanted attention to the conversation.

“Yes, yes.” He replied, still unmoving. “I’m just not particularly in the mood to go on this mission. No matter how important it is.”

“Yeah…” You quietly agreed. “I don’t want to either…”

“But do you know what?” Rory asked, finally looking at you as he awaited your answer, giving up on his facade. Confusion set into your face slightly.

“No… what?” You asked. He smiled at you before he spoke, making you yearn even more for his answer.

“Well, we have each other. And, honestly? Just that alone is enough to convince me that we’re going to be alright. Life threatening war or not.” You smiled, before giggling softly to yourself, covering your mouth with your palm to muffle some of the sound.

“God, that was so sweet that it’s making me sick.”

You both chuckled quietly, trying your very hardest to not be heard by those around you. Eventually the laughter died down between you, and you looked at Rory one more time. You took a side-step towards him, making the already small gap between the two of you even smaller. You leaned in, knowing that the next words that would come from your lips couldn’t be heard by anyone else.

“I love you.”

The sound of screams forced you out of the memory. The slight aches you felt were quickly replaced with shock and terror. You opened your eyes as you looked up to the top of the water, the light of the setting sun barely visible as bubbles accrued from your mouth as you couldn’t help but gasp in surprise. You shot to the surface, straightening your legs with lightning speed. Right as your head broke the tension of the spring, you heaved violently, only then realizing how long you actually were underneath the water.

You heard another yell as you caught your breath, this time the yells were closer, a clone needed help. You ran towards land, trying your hardest to fight the resistance that the water forced upon you. You climbed up with all your strength, barely able to find your footing as you struggled to collect the clothes you lazily strung about in front of you.

Another yell, closer again.

You were barely able to slip your underwear up your legs as another yell in terror filled your ears. You jumped in reaction, rushing yourself even more as you grasped your pants.

Another yell rang through the trees, this time it was as though they were right on top of you. You threw your pants to the ground, opting instead to grab your robe. You quickly wrapped it around you without caring much for presentation. You ignored your sabers, immediately grabbing your blaster before running off into the trees, fearing what could be happening within the dense forest as you bounded towards it.

- - -

Rex ran his hand along the side of the trees as he passed them by, trying not to think of anything that would cause him stress.

Too bad he was walking towards what had been causing him such things.

The setting sun kissed his skin as he continued through the dense forest, its orange hue stabbing through the leaves and the branches as it warmed Rex’s skin.

Rex came to an abrupt stop once the sound of splashing water rang through his ears. His palms pressed against the bark of a thick tree as he peered around it, finding himself looking towards a small spring with a figure stepping into it.

His eyes travelled down to the ground before the water, immediately recognizing the color of your robe and pants and… underwear?

Rex felt the breath of his inhale getting stuck in his throat as his fingers began to curl around the thick fibers of the bark. His breathing became deeper as he couldn’t help but look towards you once more, revealing your naked back to the Captain.

His nervous attention was immediately captured by the realization that your back and the back of your arms were covered in a plethora of scars.

Any healthy skin you still had left in that area was only visible in scattered misshapen divots. The scars dominated that portion of your body otherwise, slightly raised compared to your healthy skin and presenting a darker and pinkish tone.

He watched on as you lowered yourself into the water and shivered slightly. Rex has gained plenty of scars throughout this war. He’d been lucky enough so far to avoid getting any on his face, but he knows scars. Near the beginning of the war a blaster shot grazed the back of his calf, burning his skin and creating a nasty scar. It managed to heal over time and fade considerably, but Rex would never forget the uncomfortable feeling the scar had when it touched hot and cold water.

Somehow, at a time not too long ago, something burned you enough to give you those scars.

“Oh.” The Captain muttered quietly under his breath.

He could only think of one time when this could have happened.

Suddenly Rex heard a branch behind him snap, he whipped his head backwards quickly, looking towards the dense trees. His pupils danced back and forth as he tried to locate the source of the noise, his wartime instincts kicking in as fear beat at his heart.

Another twig cracked. Rex turned towards it, but he found nothing. His breathing quickened and became more laborious. He quickly looked back towards you, but you were… gone? The water in the spring rippled where you once were. Rex could only assume the worst.

“Y/n?” Rex managed to say aloud.

Without another moment to think, Rex heard the earth behind him rumble and felt it shake. He turned once more to see a large insect emerge from the ground. Rex’s instincts kicked in as his right hand went for a blaster. His heart dropped when his hands felt nothing.

He left his blasters back with his armor.

Rex looked back to the monster, fear engulfing his face as he took three steps back, palms facing the beast in an attempt to calm its hunger.

But the beast did not listen. Drool fell from its face as it matched Rex’s pace. Slowly stalking towards him, filling Rex with more terror with each step. Then, the beast leaned back, preparing to attack.

Rex then did the only thing he could think to do before the beast lunged at him.

He shakily balled his hands into fists, and he yelled out as the beast approached.

But right before the beast made contact with the Captain, a blaster shot rang through the woods and into the beast’s shoulder. The darkening woods briefly lit up, barely registering in Rex’s shocked senses as he witnessed the beast curl towards the wound in pain.

More shots flew towards the beast, causing it to stumble away from Rex with each hit. All Rex could do was look on as the beast weakened more and more, now trying to get away from Rex, despite its injuries preventing it from doing so. It looked pathetic as it writhed and screeched in pain.

One last shot flew right by Rex and into the head of the beast. As it crashed to the mossy ground beneath as Rex’s ear rang with a high-pitched whine. His wide eyes quickly left the beast and to the presence he suddenly noticed in the near distance.

You quickly stepped into Rex’s view, feet firm on the ground as one hand kept your blaster aimed towards the beast. Rex could see a slight tremor in your hand. Your eyes looked hard at the creature, your expression telling the world that you were dialed in on any movement, ready to fire your blaster again without a second thought. But Rex saw right through you, even in his frantic state. You were afraid.

“Y-y/n?’ Rex managed to squeak out.

You immediately cocked your head towards your captain, your eyes widening and your expression softening as you exhausted your aim at the creature slightly.

"REX!" You yelled as you turned your body towards him, when he then noticed… what you were wearing.

Or what you weren’t wearing really.

Your bare feet were the first things he noticed. They confused him as his eyes wandered up your legs… which were also bare, the robe you barely managed to put on only covering the upper portions of your thighs as Rex peered up to the next thing the towel wasn’t concealing… which was your chest.

Nothing explicit was showing, but the towel was barely covering what it was supposed to. You fist gripped the towel at your chest, pushing your breasts together, making your cleavage more obvious, water droplets were scattered all over your bare skin. Rex felt a knot form in his stomach at the sight.

His eyes darted to your face once more. Your eyes looked to the Captain in worry, care, and relief. You were breathing heavily, clearly in a rush to save Rex from that monster. You took a deep breath in, letting it out as you let a smile creep onto your face as your gaze softened more. Rex couldn’t help but smile back. You were saying something, but Rex didn’t even notice as he looked on, feeling a warmth creep onto his cheeks subtly.

chapter six!

06. jailbreak and detonations

IT'S BEEN THREE DAYS since that nightmare, and the whole jail floor has been eerily quiet again. Soka had gone to check the blind woman's abandoned cell but it looks exactly the same every other time she checked it.

So, instead, Soka circled her cell a few times, unsure of what to do. It quickly turned out she didn't need to figure out what to do because within a few minutes the alarms overhead started to blare.

Soka practically jumped out of her skin, watching as the world around her devolved into red lights and pitchy screams. The wailing and banging activated with the alarms, and to Soka's relief, a small team of guards raced down the hall past her cell.

The sounds of shooting started shortly after overhead, and Soka listened patiently, heart pattering in her chest, as the shooting slowly came down the levels.

Within the hour, the shooting was on her level. 

Soka squinted and could sort of see what was going on. A group of people in armour (was that turquoise?) were taking down the guards. Soka was mighty pleased to see the guards be taken down, they hadn't been treating her all too nice during her time here.

The invaders finished off the guards and Soka watched, interested, as they stalked down the hall, looking into cells. Maybe they were here for the Pike Syndicate member that was brought in a few days ago? Soka nodded to herself, that seemed likely.

"Who are you nodding to?" a young female voice spoke up. 

Soka looked up, startled, to find one of the invaders, but tiny. Soka blinked at her, mouth agape. "What?"

"Omega, who are you talking to?" A male voice scolded the young invader. A tall invader came into view of her cell. He had prominent goggles taking over the visor position in his helmet. "Hunter!" he called out as the young invader—Omega— took a step back.

An invader shorter than the goggled one walked into view. Hunter, the goggled one called him. Goggles moved over to the pad connected to her laser door while Hunter looked down at Omega.

Omega must've understood because she moved back, stepping out of view, and started to whisper to herself. Soka belatedly realized Omega was relaying information into a comm.

"You're Sokanara Tanobi, correct?" Goggles said as the pad sparked and flickered before dying out, the laser door dropping. Soka watched in awe.

"Correct?" he repeated.

Soka nodded her head quickly, turning her gaze to Goggles. "Yeah, yeah." she paused frowning, "...what's it to you?"

Goggles stuck out a hand as if to introduce himself, "I am Tech. We are here to rescue you."

"Yeah!" Omega chirped in, causing Hunter to send her a hand signal which had her grumbling.

Soka watched the interaction with curiosity. "Does he- Hunter, does he not speak?"

Tech tilted his head, she could see his eyes bouncing around her face, wondering why she was asking this question. "He can." Tech spoke measuredly.

"I just prefer not to." 

The voice sent tingles down her spine and Soka turned to look where Hunter had taken off his helmet, crouched next to Omega who had also taken off her helmet.

He was checking her helmet for damages, and Omega was just finding fun in wearing Hunter's. It was clearly too large for her, slipping oddly onto her face, loose around the edges. Omega's hands still stimmed with glee.

A beep to Tech's comm had him scowling before taking a blaster and a datapad from his hip. Soka hadn't even noticed they were there. "Echo's pinpointed more guards coming down to our level, we must move."

Omega slipped off Hunter's helmet, passing it back to him, before taking her own and putting it back on. Hunter did the same to his helmet and held a finger to a round disc on the sides of his helmet. She heard him speaking, the voice muffled by the helmet, before raising a hand and pointing it down the hall opposite that they had come in.

"Wrecker said there's a hidden opening on that side. We've gotta blast it open." Hunter relayed.

Omega's face brightened, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a detonator. Hunter's body tensed in alarm. "What on terra-" he cursed, "Did Wrecker give you that?"

Omega nodded, pulling out some more detonations to match the detonator. "He told me he wanted me to blow something up." Omega shrugged, passing them to Tech who had his hands out. Tech inspected the detonations before nodding firmly to himself, starting down the hall.

Hunter sighed, "Why does no one listen to me," he mumbled sourly as he followed after Tech. Omega looked up at Soka, "C'mon miss! let's go!"

Soka nodded, pushing her legs into motion to jog alongside Omega. Soka briefly looked at the empty cell of the blind woman, a shudder running through her as a vision of bloodied worms flashed in her mind. She tore her gaze away and ran a bit faster to catch up with Omega when she realized she had slowed down.

They reached the other two, who were talking quite animatedly about the explosives. Tech was telling Hunter to set the explosives already due to the limited time they had, while Hunter was saying he didn't want to over-explode the wall as to bring attention to them.

"Aren't the guards already coming down?" Soka inputted as she slowed to a stop beside Omega. Tech waved an exasperated hand at Soka as if to say "see?" at Hunter.

As if to prove Tech's point even further, a bolt from a blaster shot zipped past the group and embedded itself into the wall. It almost seemed like Hunter had already sensed it coming since he snagged Omega, pulling her down to the ground, as the blaster shot was close to aiming at her.

Tech kicked into high gear as well, grabbing Soka's arm and tugging her behind him. Tech passed Soka some explosives and without a word, started to shoot back at the guards. Hunter did the same, and Soka watched as Omega pulled out a large bow and zipped out neon pink arrows.

The trio didn't need communication, a few hand signals was all it took for them to change tactics whenever it was needed.

They had evidently decided to tuck themselves to the grooves in the wall, Tech dragging Soka belatedly with him, and ducked in and out of shooting at the cockroaches of guards appearing.

"As one falls, another just takes it's place!" Hunter called out, irritated.

"Change of tactics!" Tech replied, a few fingers flying in the air at Hunter's direction. Maker if Soka knew what on terra it meant, but Hunter seemed to understand just fine. He pulled a popper out of his pocket and launched it at the horde of guards.

A zapping filled the air, and before Soka could blink, Tech snatched some of the explosives from her hands and tossed it towards Hunter. Hunter caught it easily and passed it to Omega, to which he explained something to her. Omega nodded and Tech turned to Soka.

"Follow Omega's lead, she will explain what you need to do." He said before rushing after Hunter, who Soka hadn't even realized had left.

Maker, she'd be a really bad spy.

Soka turned to find Omega already scaling the wall behind them, easily placing her explosives in a half circle.

"Omega, what do I do?" Soka called out over the blaster fire. Omega turned to her with a beam, "Just toss me the explosives when I ask for it!"

They worked in almost perfect sync, save for some of Soka's awful tosses, and soon a decent detonation circle was created on the wall.

Omega reached to her side and clicked a button on the side of her comm. It buzzed three times and Omega took a step back. "C'mon," she said with a gesture.

Soka followed Omega into the grooves in the wall, tucking themselves into it, while supposedly waiting for something.

That something came a few seconds later, some blaster fire following, and Tech and Hunter slipped into view.

This time, Tech got to Omega first and curled himself around her. Soka watched in confusion as Hunter came up to her, hands empty and open towards her.

"We're gonna set off the detonations, turn your face to the wall and cover your ears." He told her. Soka nodded, doing as he said, and felt his presence behind her as he tucked himself against her like Tech did to Omega. Hunter's gloves felt surprisingly cold over her hands as he guided them to cover her ears, helping to muffle the world around her.

The ground shook under them and within a second Hunter had removed himself from covering Soka, grabbing her shoulder and turning her around. "Alright, let's go."

Tech and Omega had already removed themselves from the grooves, and were returning blaster fire through the smoke. Hunter led Soka through the hole in the wall, revealing a big vast canyon before them. It was one of the grand openings to the lower-levels, Soka realized.

There was no where to run, except to tuck themselves into the side of the wall, and shuffle along. 

And did that Soka did, having watched Hunter duck back into the building to help bring out Omega and Tech.

While Soka waited against the wall, shivering and heart pounding, the whir of a ship caught her attention. She watched as fire spewed out of the backside, the ship coming closer to her current position.

Soka swallowed thickly, thinking she was done for. She tried to shuffle along the wall to get back to the entrance of the exploded hole, when Omega burst out of the hole, Tech and Hunter following respectively.

ᯓ★

WHOOOO its finally time to get plot interesting!!!!

this was originally one really long part but i decided to split it into chapters so yall wouldnt get tired from reading it skskjdksdj

ya girl is on fireeee btw

like literally

biology class makes me want to set myself on fire.

and bcz of school its been like a month since i last updated (im so sorry)

anyways lol go drink some water though the next chap is a continuation of this chap so dont stray away for too long <33333

taglist: @callsign-denmark, @goose-nest, @molethemollie

if you want to be tagged, just comment your username below and say "i want to be tagged"

“Fives you are my best friend but for the love of Maker leave it alone…” He has that signature Osik (shit) eating grin on his face. “Aw come on y/n, it would do you both some good trust me!” I glare at him “Copaani mirshmure’cye, vod? (Are you looking for a smack in the face mate?)” He puts his hands up in defense “Hey I was just trying be a good friend.” Just then Jesse and Tup come over. “What’re ya talking ‘bout?” Jesse teases. I glare at him and Tup smiles “You’re being ridiculous y/n…I thought Mandalorians were supposed to be brave.” “Alright look here you mir’sheb (smart asses), I can make sure your next lesson with me is miserable” I wag my finger at the trio. Fives stands up and nods to the other two “Alright, we better let her eat her lunch in peace.” I get suspicious - he never gives up that easy… - “Pare (Wait one), Fives what are you up to?” He turns around “Nothing, like you said…you can make our next lesson miserable. I know you keep your word.” I give the group a suspicious look and watch as they walk away. Just then Rex enters the room and I pretend not to notice. Fives looks back at me and smirks, I can feel the heat creeping up my face. He, Tup, and Jesse take the opportunity to head over and chat with Rex - Maker I want to know what he’s saying…or do I?

A sudden presence at the table surprises me. “Udesii! (Take it easy!), bad time?” Cody asks giving me a strange look. “Nope, I’m fine. What can I do for you?” He takes a seat across from me and eyes me. I look past him at the conversation being had on the other side of the room and just then Rex glances over his shoulder my direction. Cody turns around to look and in that moment, the brave Mandalorian wants more than anything to become part of the durasteel wall. Cody turns back around, facing me with a grin “Oh…I see, Rex got you all worked up again?” My eyes grow wide “Again?” He lets out a deep laugh “I swear to Maker you two are the only ones who don’t notice…Fox, Bly, Bacara, Neyo, and even sometimes Wolffe and myself take guesses at how many times a day you steal glances.” As if on que Fox joins the table. “Just in time for the show” Cody tells him while teasing me. “Ha Ha, you’re hilarious….” I roll my eyes. “Y/n, you still haven’t talked to him?” Fox asks pretending to be shocked. A string of curses in Mando’a leave my mouth. “You guys are as bad as Fives….and that’s saying something.” They both just laugh at my expense. “You two di’kutla (fools) are lucky I don’t have your groups today for training…” and with that I get up and take care of my tray, having had enough of the shenanigans.

————

Later that evening I was in my office - the GAR was oh so kind enough to give me - and theres a knock at my door. With out looking up from my datapad I holler “Come in!” The door slides open and a rather sheepish Rex enters - he’s typically quite a confident, without being arrogant, man… - I stand “What can I do for you Captain?” “Please just call me Rex.” “I thought it was Captain or Sir?” I tease becoming rather nervous. He rubs the back of his neck and laughs nervously “I- uh- I came to see if you would be interested in going with us—with me to 79’s sometime.” - is this really happening? Fives you mesh’la di’kut (beautiful idiot) - “Yeah Rex, I’d love that” I can feel my face flush. He straightens, standing tall and confident “Really? How about tomorrow night?” A smile dances across my face “That sounds great, I’ll see you then”. He nods and excuses himself closing the door behind him.

I spin around smiling like di'kut (idiot), clutching my datapad to my chest - maybe Fives was right? Oh Maker don't ever let him know that...the last thing he needs is a more inflated ego.... I head back to my desk and finish up my report for the day before heading to my apartment for the night.

————

Thankfully I only had one training session the next morning which went without a hitch and I actually had time to catch up on my reports. The day over all went by rather quickly and I headed to my apartment to put on something other than my typical attire - as much I love my beskar and everything it stands for but unfortunately it's not gunna work. I open my closet and stand there for a moment before pulling out a pair of black jeans, combat boots, my bantha leather jacket, and nicer fitted tank top. Quickly I shower, put on light makeup, and quickly curl my hair a little before heading out to the street and hailing a cab. "79's please." "You got it." I look out the window as the driver lifts us into the lanes of traffic.

It only takes a matter of minutes to get to 79's and I find myself standing outside nervous - what if he decides he doesn't like me? An arm around my shoulder pulls my from my thoughts "Jeez y/n, If I knew you'd get cleaned up that nice I would’ve just asked you out myself." I throw at elbow at Fives an hit him square in the stomach. He doubles over and I hear a roar of laugher behind me. Spinning around I see the rest of the 501st Torrent squad - minus Rex. "I should’ve known you all would show up..." Jesse comes over and leans an elbow on Fives - whose still doubled over - "Oh come on we wouldn't miss this for the world! Besides we've got tomorrow off!" Hardcase whoops and hollers. Echo comes over and speaks so only I can hear "you'll be fine...Rex'll love getting to know you. Trust me." He winks and gestures for the group to follow him inside leaving me standing here alone. I suck in a deep breath and head inside. It's not my first time at 79's but its my first time with the intent to be with Rex and only Rex.

When I enter, the music is loud and there's a sea of people as usual. Making my way over to the bar I order a drink. Once the bar tender hands it to me I glance around looking for Rex. In the corner - where they always are - the rest of Torrent squad is looking at me and Fives points over towards the other side where Rex is chatting with the other Commanders. Finding my confidence I head over to say hello. "Su cuy'gar (Hello)" I smile and wave at the group. Rex's eyes wander over my form and Cody is the first to speak up "Who knew you wore anything other than armor" everyone but Rex and Wolffe laugh. "Very funny.” Rex gets up and says his goodbyes to the group "Should we grab a table?" I nod and he offers me his elbow. "Such a gentlemen" A smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

We sit down at a table and chat over some appetizers and drinks. I tell him a little about myself like my childhood on Mandalore, etc…etc…He tells some stories about the things that they accomplish during the war and even some typical shenanigans they’ve pulled while deployed. “Maker they sound like they are just as entertaining out in the field as they are in training!” “You have no idea…but they’re good soldiers…some of the best” I can hear the pride in his voice which brings a smile to my face. Leaning over the table I whisper “Don’t tell the other Commanders but the 501st has always been my favorite.” He quirks a brow “Oh really? Why’s that?” “Let’s just say I have a soft spot for the boys in blue” I say coyly before taking a sip of my drink without breaking eye contact. Rex smirks with his one eye brow still raised. “Careful Captain, you raise that eye brow any higher it might disappear.” He chuckles and shakes his head, “you know, other than the Jedi and a select few people…you’re one of the only ones who treats all of us clones like we matter.” I know this was supposed to be a compliment but I can’t help but feel sad, I sigh “Ni ceta Rex (I’m sorry Rex). It’s not fair…none of you chose the life given to you and yet you all do it with no complaints…I wish more saw you the way I do.” I start picking at my fingernails but a hand comes across the table, covering mine, stopping me. Looking up I met his gaze, those beautiful honey brown eyes have such a warmth to them - He’s never looked at me or anyone that I’ve seen this way before. “I’m just glad we have someone like you looking out for us all” he pauses for a second before continuing “The way you treat my vode (brothers)…my men…it means more to me than you’ll ever know.” The way he says my name and everything that follows does something to me I can’t even fully put into words however, I can feel the heat rising in my face and in my core. “Vor entye (thank you) Rex” I can’t help the smile that plasters my face. “ Ba’gedet’ye (you’re welcome) y/n.”

Glancing around I notice there are quite a few people dancing, even Fives who gives me a wink. I can’t help but shake my head and roll my eyes at him which catches Rex’s attention, he chuckles. Springing up from the table I grab Rex’s hand and drag him out onto the dance floor. The initial shock plastered on his face, “I-uh-I’m not much of a dancer.” I laugh and shrug, recalling a few nights when even Cody would dance…after a few drinks, “I know, just follow my lead.” He nods and at first watches me dance around him for a moment and the joins in. Before I know it his hands are on my hips as we grind our way through Maker knows how many songs.

When the night is about over Rex offers to walk me home. The entire way we laugh and talk about anything and everything - I feel so comfortable around him…it feels like we’ve known each other forever. I stop in front of my apartment building “this is me.” He looks up at the large building “It’s not quite like the GAR barracks.” “No it certainly isn’t. Did you want to come in? If I’m over stepping I completely understand…” I quickly explain. He looks over at me with a smile on his face “only if you want me to.” I nod and he follows me up to my apartment.

The door slides open and I enter, taking off my coat to hang it. Rex enters behind me. “Make yourself at home. Can I get you anything?” I offer. “I’m alright, thank you.” He doesn’t move from where he standing and I honestly find it adorable. “I had fun tonight” I break the silence after a few moments. He rubs the back of his neck like he’s nervous. “Everything okay Captain?” He’s quick to respond “Yeah no everything’s great I had fun tonight too.” I make my way back over to him “but?” I ask feeling uneasy. “Honestly, I’ve felt this way before” After all the war and training he’s even through as a man, in this moment he looks like a boy with his first crush. I put both hands on his plastoid covered chest and look into his beautiful golden brown eyes “I haven’t either but I’m willing to give it a shot if you are?” His hands find their way to my face gently cupping my cheeks. Leaning in he places the softest and most gentle kiss on my lips. When we break he rests his forehead against mine “How’s that for an answer?”