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Kix couldn’t help but feel like an invisible weight lifted from his shoulders as he disembarked the shuttle, taking in the hustle and bustle of troopers in blue paint. For a moment he just stood at end of the ramp, basking in the feeling of being reunited with the 501st after six long months on Kamino. Looking around, Kix spotted a familiar figure waiting at the end of the runway with a helmet tucked under his arm, clearly waiting for him.
Smiling underneath his own helmet, Kix wasted no time walking up to Rex, stopping to stand to attention in front of him. “Captain,” Kix greeted with a crisp salute.
“At ease,” Rex said with a nod. The expression on his face was stern, but Kix could see the way his eyes glowed with pride and joy. “Welcome to Konkari Base, Lieutenant.”
“Thank you, it’s good to be here.” Kix replied, taking off his helmet to show just how much he meant that.
“We’ve all been eager to have you back with us, although I think some of us have been even more eager than the rest and they’ve been very vocal about it,” Rex sighed with a tired grin. “So much that I caught the Domino Twins in the middle of making plans with the Commander to get you here faster just to appease the said vod.”
Kix felt his heart skip a beat, followed by warmth that spread throughout his chest. “What were they planning on then?” He inquired, falling in step with Rex when he started walking, leaving the runway behind and heading further into Konkari Base.
According to the dossier Kix had read, Konkari was actually a town built on a tidal island that sat in the middle of vast coastal flats. The natborns had abandoned it soon after the first Separatist attack on their planet, leaving it for the Republic forces to take over. It felt odd to walk through stone-paved streets with tall and slender buildings with windows made from thick, sea-green glass tiles that popped out from the beige and grey stone work.
“It involved bribing the General’s astromech and Y-wing with pre-set coordinates,” Rex replied with a snort, “and the worst part is that I’m 97% certain that it would’ve worked from what I got a glimpse of before they scattered.”
Kix chuckled.
They turned a corner and entered a market square surrounded by larger buildings that in Kix’s mind looked more administrative than occupational. Currently, there were no vendors or their shops and the whole market square now filled with rows of swoop bikes, crates upon crates and temporary barracks.
“The main medbay is in that building,” Rex informed, pointing at one of them, a wide four-story building with a large and intricate mosaic of rolling waves decorating the bottom half of it. “I’ve arranged for you two to have the rest of the evening free. You’ve also been assigned new quarters – private ones – so you can have some peace and quiet.”
This was added almost as an afterthought, but Kix could see through it and the thoughtfulness of his Captain made the admiration and affection Kix felt toward him grow ten-fold. “Thank you, sir,” Kix said with a nod. “I’m sure Jesse will appreciate that just as much as I do.”
The other man just rolled his eyes and waved his hand. “Go and relieve us from the misery that is our pining CMO,” Rex ordered and turned around, heading toward another building.
Wasting no time, Kix crossed the market square in quick strides. The trooper standing on guard by the door glanced at Kix, only to make a visible double-take when he clearly recognized him.
“Second floor, turn right from the lifts and walk all the way down the hall,” he promptly informed Kix, who blinked before nodding slowly in thanks.
And as he walked through the wide double doors, Kix swore that he heard the vod mutter “thank the Force, he’s back.”
Following the instructions, Kix felt a bubble of excitement in the pit of his stomach when one of the doors suddenly opened and a voice Kix had been hearing through a holocomm for months carried through.
“ – orders or not, tell Coric that I’m not going to budge until he sends me the full report of those bacta containers,” Jesse stated loudly, stepping out of the room. He was looking over his shoulder, meaning he didn’t see Kix immediately.
So when he finally turned around, Kix could witness firsthand how the medic froze mid-step, mouth still open as if to say something but no words came out.
“Hello, Jesse,” Kix greeted, holding back a chuckle at the way Jesse’s eyes grew big in surprise as he took Kix in, now Torrent’s newest ARC trooper.
He hadn’t really been that adventurous with his ARC armor unlike some others. The new chest plate carried the same design as his old cuirass with blue painted over the gray and swooping down to his sides. The kama was black with one, thick blue stripe running diagonally on the right side, mimicking the one he had once painted on his right cuisse.
There were only two new additions to his armor design.
First was the double white lightning that spiraled around the blue vambraces, a detail he had added on a whim.
The second were new double pauldrons, completely black except for the tiny difference in the left one. There, Kix had painted the thinnest of red lines that followed the rounded edge. It was the same shade of red as the medical symbol painted Jesse’s left pauldron, and Kix had added it there to honor his medic.
(And beneath the armor there would be another surprise in the form of new ink, a design Kix had created just for two of them. He would reveal that in a more private setting, though.)
It was a mix of something old and something new. Kix thought he looked good and, judging from the way Jesse’s eyes had dilated, he thought so too.
Kix let Jesse stare at him for another second before he was moving, gathering the astounded medic in his arms. The surprised yelp was silenced with a kiss Kix planted on Jesse’s lips, nose catching the familiar scent of disinfectant and bacta that never seemed to leave Jesse, no matter where he was.
It was such a small thing but the moment Kix smelt it, he could feel the last remaining worry lift from his shoulders and finally relax properly. He was back with Jesse. He was home.
Jesse clung to him in surprise for a second before he deepened the kiss with a muffled sound of joy, wrapping his arms around Kix. The new pieces of armor made the embrace a little awkward, but Kix knew that wouldn’t last long.
“I’m going to kick Rex’s ass,” Jesse swore once they finally broke apart. He hadn’t let go, so close that his lips brushed against Kix’s with every word he spoke. “He didn’t tell me you were returning today, even though I told him to.”
Humming, Kix kissed him again, soft and quick. “I asked him not to,” he revealed, amused, “wanted to surprise you.”
Jesse’s whole face scrunched up as he gave Kix a long look, which only earned him another kiss.
“Anyway, I was told we’d have the whole afternoon free, but it sounds like you’re too busy to join me,” Kix teased, nodding toward the open doorway.
Amused, Kix watched the realization dawn on Jesse’s face, eyes growing big once more. What delighted him even more was the light redness that covered the tips of the medic’s ears.
Twisting his body so that he was half-facing the doorway again, Jesse shouted, “Cancel that message, Hardcase, I’m taking the rest of the day off!”
This time Kix did chuckle, even more so, when Hardcase just shouted right back, sounding far too pleased with himself.
“Already did! Now get out of here! Oh, and Kix!”
“What?” Kix yelled back, grinning.
“Please let Jesse get at least some sleep tonight, alright?”
“I make no such promises, Hardcase,” Kix replied, delighted at how the tips of Jesse’s ears grew even more red, and Hardcase’s cackle followed after them.
“’No such promises’, eh?” Jesse repeated with a sly grin and a raised eyebrow.
Kix raised an eyebrow of his own. “I wasn’t the one who sent me a very detailed list of what he was going to do the second we were back together again.”
Jesse chuckled, sheepish. “I did have some good times writing down that list,” he admitted.
“Well…” Kix leaned closer to whisper into Jesse’s ear, “I was kind of hoping to try number 7 on that list tonight.” He then nipped the medic’s ear, smirking as Jesse inhaled loudly, shivering. The heated look Jesse gave him in return sent Kix’s blood rushing.
Yes, it was good to be back.
