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Coruscant: planet of billions; crown jewel of the Republic; home of the Jedi Temple, Galactic Senate, and one of the largest black markets in the galaxy.
Rex hated it.
Sure, the relative peace and lack of fighting was nice, and, sure, it was nice to have a fully-functioning barrack to sleep in—but if he were being completely honest, Rex didn’t belong there. He wasn’t a Senator, he wasn’t a Jedi, he wasn’t looking for drugs or slaves or sex. He was a soldier, and soldiers belong with their brothers on the front lines.
And because Rex’s life was a complete joke, he had been on Coruscant for the past three rotations, and wasn’t scheduled to leave for three more.
Rex wasn’t completely sure how it had happened, but it had something to do with Skywalker’s protection being requested for Senator Amidala as she presented a controversial bill, but somehow Rex and two squads from the 501st had remained with their General while the rest of their legion went to aid General Kenobi and the 212th in his campaign on Karvos II—all of which led to Rex zipping through the streets in a slim gray speeder, on his reluctant way to meet Skywalker at the Senate building.
When he arrived at the massive construct that housed the entirety of the Senate, Rex couldn’t decide between being impressed or disgusted. The dome-shaped building was enormous, but still graceful, and gave off the impression of being more formidable than it actually was, similar to the Senate itself. Still, Rex knew about the squabbling, plotting, and probably illegal agreements that happened here on the daily, and he wasn’t sure how the brothers on Senate protection detail kept their sanity.
Come to think of it, the Senate clone detail were a bunch of odd ones.
But that wasn’t any of his business.
After being cleared by security, Rex made his way down the long, plush corridors towards the Naboo offices. Senator Amidala’s office was on the third floor, on the opposite side of the building, so it took Rex a solid ten minutes to find it.
As far as Senators go, Senator Amidala was one of the best. Morally strong and fiercely outspoken, she had earned Rex’s respect several times over—and her friendship with his General didn’t hurt her reputation in the eyes of many of the 501st. She had always been kind and respectful of clones, which added a mark in her favor in Rex’s mind. Plus, she had never been afraid to call out Skywalker on his insanity. Rex was often surprised at the depth of his fondness for her.
Skywalker and the Senator were standing outside her office as Rex approached, talking quietly and smiling. The Senator had foregone her traditional voluminous Naboo robes, choosing a simple blue dress, but a glittering silver band flashed as she gestured and Rex couldn’t help his smile. The Senator had been married to her long-time handmaiden, Sabé, in a small ceremony on Naboo several months ago that Rex had been privileged to attend with Skywalker and General Kenobi.
The General and the Senator noticed Rex at the same time and turned, smiles on both faces.
“General. Senator,” Rex greeted with a deferential nod.
“Captain, so good to see you again,” Padmé responded, surprising Rex with a kiss on his cheek.
“And you, m’lady,” Rex managed, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment.
Skywalker looked to be holding back laughter. “I take it the Council is impatient for me to return?” he asked, managing a steady voice.
Rex cleared his throat, steadfastly ignoring the mischievous smile that curled the Senator’s lips. “Actually, no. I was ordered to provide extra protection for the Senator as the vote gets closer. Freighter and Iron squad should be arriving shortly.”
Padmé rolled her eyes. “I don’t need any more protection. I have plenty as it is!”
Skywalker raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been a target in the past. We don’t want to take any chances with you.”
A bit of the tension left the Senator’s shoulders. “And I appreciate it, I do. But I truly think it’s rather unnecessary.”
“We aren’t expecting trouble,” Rex chimed in. “But it’s better to be ready for it.”
Padmé treated him to a gentle smile. “Always so practical, Rex.”
“Someone has to be,” the clone captain said with a grin, prompting a muffled snort and an eye roll from Skywalker.
“And on that note, I’d better go report into the Council,” the Jedi said. He scowled at Rex. “At least they’re not smart-asses.”
Rex, long-accustomed to Skywalker’s attitude, merely smiled. “Of course, sir.”
Padmé disguised her laugh with a cough, but tilted her head and gave Skywalker a strange, pointed look, raising her eyebrows. Skywalker’s face flushed, but he turned and stalked off regally without further comment.
Slightly puzzled but still grinning, Rex watched him go before turning back to the Senator. “I’ve been assigned to be your personal guard until the vote is up,” he said. “The rest of my men will be stationed around the building.”
Padmé clasped his arm lightly. “Thank you, Rex,” she said with a smile, before turning and entering her office, beckoning him to follow.
***
Senator Amidala’s office was plush and luxurious, but not ostentatious like many other Senators’. The floor was soft tan carpet, the furniture made of pale blue fabric and dark wood, and the window behind the simple desk provided a sweeping view of the Coruscanti skyline.
Rex paused in the doorway, feeling slightly off balance and out of place. Padmé, Force bless her, quickly put him at ease by gesturing around the office with a sweep of her arm. “Please, make yourself comfortable. I’m afraid you’ll be rather bored for a while. I have a lot of paperwork to do.”
The captain shrugged. “I’m not bothered,” he assured her, before tentatively stepping further into the office, admiring the unique art on the walls.
Padmé glanced up amusedly from her datapad. “I didn’t know you were an art enthusiast.”
“I don’t often have the opportunity to study it, but I enjoy it,” Rex replied, stopping in front of a landscape painted in muted blues and grays.
“You’re a man of many surprises,” the Senator commented idly, flicking through a document.
Rex paused in his examination of the painting. “Oh?” he questioned guardedly. He wasn’t sure where the Senator was going with that, or what she meant, but he wasn’t sure he liked it.
She didn’t even glance up from her datapad. “A clone soldier, captain of the most recognized legion in the GAR, second to Anakin Skywalker—lover of art and smart-ass comments.” At that, she pinned him with a shrewd gaze. “Anakin is very fond of you.”
Frozen, Rex stared at her, unsure of how to respond. Admittedly, his first thought when he saw the man who would be his General was “wow,” and then, “wow, hot.” But those thoughts still shamed him, both as a man and as a clone, and would probably get him sent to reconditioning if he ever put voice or action to them. He wasn’t sure what the Senator was getting at, if she somehow knew what he felt for his General or if she was merely making a statement about the contradiction between Rex’s profession and his personal interests.
When Rex failed to respond, the Senator’s eyebrow quirked upward, but she returned to her datapad, humming quietly.
Rex could feel his face heating up once again, so he quickly turned his attention back to the painting he had been studying, before realizing that the blues utilized by the painter were the same shade as Skywalker’s eyes, and he quickly moved on.
***
By the time that he sent his two squads back to the barracks and accompanied Skywalker as he escorted the Senator back to her penthouse, Rex had nearly tied himself in knots. He had long made peace with himself and the fact that he had to keep his inappropriate feelings for his General a secret, but with a few well-placed words, the Senator had broken the glass box that contained those feelings, setting them free to whirl unwelcome around Rex’s mind. She had said that Skywalker was “fond” of him, and, really, could she have picked a more ambiguous term? What did she mean by “fond?” Superior-subordinate-fond? Friend-fond? Rex liked to think that he had a unique relationship with his commanding officer, a true friendship. Romantic-fond?
When that thought had crossed his mind, Rex had nearly hyperventilated.
All things considered, Rex was a bit of a wreck. His famous self-control on the battlefield apparently didn’t apply when feelings were involved.
Unfortunate, truly.
Rex came back to the present as the speeder pulled to a stop in front of the landing platform of Padmé’s penthouse. The Senator thanked them both with a smile, before heading toward the door.
The clone captain sensed it a moment after Skywalker whipped his head around, scanning the busy air-lane. All emotional turmoil vanished from his mind as Rex vaulted out of the speeder, grabbing Padmé around the waist and shielding her with his body just as several blaster bolts hurtled out of the darkness. The hum of Skywalker’s lightsaber and the sound of bolts deflecting off it reached his ears as Rex hurried the Senator towards her building, pistols in hand, casting frequent glances behind him. He quickly got the door open and kept her by his side as he did a swift but thorough sweep of her apartment. He had just finished when a tousled Sabé appeared in the living room.
“What’s going on?” the handmaiden asked as she pulled the Senator into her arms.
“Assassination attempt,” Rex responded shortly as he prowled the apartment, pistols at the ready, waiting for Skywalker to reappear from wherever he had chased the assassin to.
Padmé only seemed mildly shaken, Rex noted with respect, even she allowed her wife to press relieved kisses to her cheeks and lips.
Although every instinct in his body was urging him to follow Skywalker, Rex restrained himself, knowing that his primary duty was to protect the two women. Sabé eventually convinced Padmé to curl up on the couch together in the lounge, right where Rex could see them, and the captain settled down to keep watch.
***
It was several hours into his watch that Rex heard the soft shifting of carpet that indicated someone was in the apartment. Draping a blanket over the sleeping forms of the women, he stepped softly toward the kitchen and living room, where the only door opened into the Coruscant night.
The shifting blue shadows provided excellent cover as Rex made his way silently toward the living room, carefully regulating his breathing and footsteps to make sure that the intruder didn’t hear him.
Carefully poking his head around the doorframe, he noted unhappily the circle that been cut away from the window, large enough to allow a man to slip through. He wasn’t sure how the glass had been cut without him hearing, but he filed that information away for later consideration.
He waited patiently for several minutes until a dark shape rose from where it had been crouched in the shadow of a chair, then Rex hurtled toward it and tackled it around the middle. His arms wrapped around unyielding metal and two claws grasped his upper arms.
A droid, then.
An extremely strong droid.
Rex snarled silently as he struggled to stay on top of the droid, which was fiercely jerking in an attempt to dislodge him. He managed to withdraw one of his pistols before being backhanded across the face, crashing into a table and shattering the silence. He shook his head, momentarily dazed, before regaining his feet and launching himself at the droid again. In the back of his mind, he could hear footsteps approaching—Padmé and Sabé, woken by the noise.
“Stay back!” he yelled before one of the droid’s appendages clubbed him across the face again, splitting his lip. He tried to aim his pistol at the droid, but had to drop it to keep his opponent from flinging him across the room.
The droid spat an unintelligible string of binary at him before he felt something sting his neck. Instantly the room grew fuzzy, and he blinked hard to try to clear it. His grip loosened, but just as the droid tossed him away, Skywalker burst into the penthouse, cleaving the droid in half with a ferocious swing of his lightsaber.
Rex struggled to right himself, but his muscles wouldn’t obey him, and he watched blearily as Skywalker checked the apartment and made sure that Padmé and Sabé hadn’t been harmed. By then, Rex’s vision was swimming.
Skywalker turned in a circle, noticing Rex’s absence. “Rex?” he asked cautiously. Both women looked around also, before Padmé caught sight of Rex slumped against the wall behind a table. All three hurried over to him, and Rex squinted and wrinkled his nose, trying to make out their features.
“Was waitin’…for yooou,” he slurred at who he thought was Skywalker.
The Jedi’s hands flitted frantically over him. “Where, Rex? Where are you hurt?” His voice sounded rough and desperate, and it didn’t suit him.
Rex’s head lolled. “Fuckin’ droid…stung me.” He felt a dopey smile cross his face, and somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice was telling him helpfully that he looked besotted, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to care. “Stung…on m’neck.”
Skywalker’s warm human hand cupped his face as the Jedi gently turned Rex’s face to see the purple bruising spreading from the long needle still lodged in the captain’s neck.
“By the Force,” Skywalker’s voice caught as he gently pulled the needle out, turning it so the barbs wouldn’t catch.
At some point, Padmé had left, because now she returned with a hypospray that she injected into the other side of Rex’s neck. Instantly Rex’s vision began to clear.
“What….whazzat?” Words were still hard.
“A multi-purpose antidote. You’re lucky it didn’t use a more exotic poison. I recognized the symptoms—the bruising, the slurred speech, the slack muscles.” Her voice was tight with fear.
Rex managed an almost-normal smile. “‘Preciate it,” he mumbled.
Her hand closed around his. “Thank you,” she whispered fiercely.
Skywalker began to gather up his loose limbs. “I should get him back.”
Padmé stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Rex shouldn’t be moved. He can stay here for the night. I have a doctor on call.”
At Skywalker’s protest, Sabé chimed in. “We owe him our lives.”
The Jedi hesitated, but sighed heavily. “There’s nothing I can do to convince you?”
The two women shook their heads in unison, prompting another sigh. “Well, then, I’m staying here too.”
Rex felt himself being lifted off the floor, bridal-style, but he could only manage mild embarrassment. Somewhere between being laid carefully on the bed that he was pretty positive belonged to Padmé and Sabé and being stripped of his armor, Rex’s mind slid into darkness.
***
Rex woke a few hours later, clothed in some sort of loose robe and draped in soft blankets. He refused to open his eyes for a moment, knowing that once he did, he’d have to get up and be a soldier again. So he kept them stubbornly closed, mildly ashamed but indulging in the type of comfort and peace that was so rare. It was the shifting of the bed beside him that prompted him to open his eyes a slit, then all the way.
Skywalker was sprawled next to him on his stomach under the covers, his arms tucked under a pillow and his hair a curly mess. He was still wearing his Jedi robes, though he had dumped his boots and leather tabards in the corner. His face was relaxed in sleep, smoothing the lines that war had created. He looked young and innocent, and he was beautiful.
Clearly being shot at and poisoned didn’t have any effect on his emotions, because Rex’s heart rate shot up embarrassingly quickly and his breath caught in his throat.
What he wouldn’t give to wake up like this all the time—no war, no battles, no shooting, and next to the man he loved.
The captain was too tired to deny it. Honestly, he had known for a long time but stubbornly didn’t admit it.
He was in love with Anakin Skywalker.
Interesting how such an admission could be so freeing.
As if in response to Rex’s silent admission, Skywalker opened his eyes sleepily.
“How are you?” The Jedi’s morning-rough voice was definitely terrible for Rex’s health.
“Been better,” he responded honestly. “But not too bad.”
The Jedi propped himself on on elbow, studying him seriously. “You saved Padmé and Sabé. Thank you.”
Rex squirmed under the covers, his face flushing, but he smiled. “Someone had to,” and was rewarded with a matching smile from the Jedi, but it faded quickly.
“I almost lost you,” Skywalker said quietly.
Rex scoffed. “I don’t die that easily.”
Skywalker’s expression didn’t change; if anything, it grew more tentative.
“Rex, I—listen, the thing is—I wanted to say—“ the Jedi scowled at himself, and Rex couldn’t help a fond grin.
“Complete sentences would help,” he said mildly.
Skywalker snorted and his lips curled in a hesitant smile before taking a deep breath and saying in a rush, “I know you know about the Jedi Code, and that you have your regulations, and that I probably shouldn’t be feeling this way or be this attached, but last night made me realize that I can’t lose you.” He paused, clearly self-conscious. He seemed to be fighting with himself, but Rex waited, breath coming faster. Several long moments passed before Skywalker seemed to come to a decision, his expression steeling, then he inhaled sharply through his nose and pressed his lips against the captain’s.
Rex’s brain short-circuited.
All too soon, the Jedi pulled away, looking stricken and heartbroken. Belatedly, Rex realized that his shocked paralysis had communicated the completely wrong message.
“I-I’m sorry…I thought…fucking hells—“ Skywalker’s stammering was cut off by Rex’s hand fisting in the front of his tunic and yanking him down into a fierce kiss.
In his enthusiasm, Rex crushed their lips together too hard and he tasted blood, but couldn’t be bothered to care. Anakin let out a strangled sob and twisted his hands in Rex’s shirt as the captain’s hands slid up his back.
“I love you,” Rex said breathlessly, in between kisses. “I’ve loved you…since the day…I saw your…fucking smug face.”
Anakin laughed into his mouth before pulling away and burying his face in Rex’s neck, his hands still fiercely gripping the other man’s shirt.
He had to be dreaming, Rex thought dazedly. He was in a plush bed, sans armor, and Anakin fucking Skywalker was in his arms. He wasn’t sure which god or force or higher being he had pleased in order to deserve this, but he wasn’t complaining.
The two men lay like that for a while, carefully forgetting about all the responsibilities that came with being a clone captain and a Jedi general, Rex’s hands running up and down Anakin’s back and the Jedi’s breath hot on his neck.
They were just dragging themselves reluctantly out of bed to escort Padmé back to the Senate when they heard giggles and soft moans from the next room over.
Exchanging wide-eyed and mildly scandalized expressions, they sank back into bed slowly.
Why get out of bed when the lady you’re protecting clearly hasn’t?
Still, Rex felt like a voyeur, laying in bed and listening to the pleased sounds from next door.
That is, until Anakin’s human hand crept slyly under his shirt.
Jerking in surprise, Rex turned to face Anakin, wide-eyed, but the Jedi merely grinned and slid his bionic hand up to join its mate.
And Rex was gone.
So far gone.
Probably off the deep end forever, Force rest his soul.
Waves of dizzying arousal crashed over him, nearly drowning him in the sensation of Anakin’s mismatched fingertips gliding up his stomach and over his nipples. When Anakin’s teeth closed on his collarbone, Rex made a noise that most certainly was not a whimper, thank you very much. The Jedi continued his slow exploration of Rex’s body, licking over the freckles that dotted the captain’s shoulders and sucking stingingly pleasant purple bruises on his neck as Rex’s fingers dug into pale, broad shoulders.
Rex lost track of time as Anakin tasted every inch of his chest and stomach, but somehow they ended up naked and grinding against each other, Anakin’s tongue shoved deep into his mouth.
For once in his life, Rex could ask for anything and get it.
And fucking hells he wasn’t about to let that go.
He shoved Anakin back firmly, earning a scowl that quickly transformed into a starving stare as Rex wriggled into the mattress, spreading his legs shamelessly and arching his back.
“I want you in me,” he said breathlessly. “I want to feel you.”
Anakin’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Are you sure?” His eyes were wide.
Rex grinned wickedly. “Someone has to be.”
Anakin cackled.
Despite his confidence, Rex was sure he’d died and gone to heaven when Anakin found lube in the bedside table and pressed slick fingers inside him. Anakin stretched him frustratingly slowly, but his expression of reverent awe was completely worth the waiting. Finally, Rex batted away his hands. “For Force’s sake, I’m ready!”
Anakin’s hands were shaking as he hitched Rex’s legs around his waist. “Are you sure?” he asked again. “I’ve heard it hurts on your back.”
Rex waved him off. “I want to see your face.”
The Jedi swallowed visibly at that, but complied.
When Anakin pressed inside, Rex’s hands dug white marks into his arms, and Anakin stopped immediately. “Rex, we don’t have to—“ he cut off in a moan as Rex slid himself forward, taking all of Anakin in one impatient move and gasping at the stinging pain. Rex squeezed his eyes shut, adjusting, but the pain only made his arousal sharper.
Who knew he could get off on pain?
Well, he was a soldier, so he wasn’t totally surprised.
He could feel Anakin trembling, and he reached up to stroke his cheek. “I feel so good,” he whispered. “You feel so fucking good.” Anakin’s eyes slid shut and Rex’s other hand tightened on his arm. “Now move, dammit!”
Jolted into action, Anakin rocked his hips forward, drawing a gasp from both men. The Jedi quickly found his confidence, establishing a quick rhythm that had Rex swearing at each thrust. When Anakin brushed against a spot deep inside him, stars lit up his vision and he swore quietly in a choked voice, his fingers digging into the other man’s arms.
Blast those Jedi instincts, a small voice said in the back of his mind as Anakin unerringly found the spot again and again. It only took a few more thrusts before Rex’s vision went white and pleasure lit up his body like fireworks.
When he came back to the present, Anakin was slumped on his chest, breathing hard and covered in sweat.
Rex thought he’d never seen anything more beautiful.
He grinned lazily and swept a hand up the Jedi’s back, content to bask in the afterglow for the precious few minutes they had before they absolutely had to be up and heading to the Senate. After all, Padmé still had the bill to speak for and the assassination attempt last night was proof that someone didn’t want her to succeed.
“Force, I love you,” Anakin mumbled into his shoulder.
Rex pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I know.”