Star Wars Fan Fics: One-Shot Collective

Advice with ARC Trooper Fives

Dialogue Prompt:

8. "I think I have found the cure for happiness." / "What's that?" / "Falling in love."

Warnings:

None, just fluffy, cute and SFW

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The door to the barracks slid open sharply and his boots stomped across the metal floor. Two more steps into the room and the Clone Trooper ripped off his helmet and threw it across the room. He hadn't realised in his frustration however, that he was not actually alone.

"That's not the way to treat your equipment, Trooper," his Captain stepped out from between one of the bunks, a datapad in his gloved hand. ARC Trooper Fives snapped to attention and a salute.

"Captain," he greeted, "I didn't think anyone was here."

"Clearly," Rex replied dryly, and returned the salute. "At ease, soldier." Fives relaxed his stance but he didn't feel any better. His chest ached and his limbs felt heavy as he sank onto the bunk he stood beside. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Captain Rex still eyeing him. Eventually, he lowered the data pad and stepped over, moving to sit on the bunk opposite.

"What's got you throwing equipment like the Seppies are coming at you?" he asked with a chuckle. Fives' mouth twitched slightly, he didn't even feel like making a snappy comeback as he usually did. He couldn't even think of one. Rex seemed to notice and Fives could almost feel the frown that crossed his features. "What's going on?" he pressed.

"I think I've found the cure for happiness." Fives mumbled, he didn't really want to talk about it, but he knew that if he didn't he was going to go mad. What was he supposed to do? He wasn't an expert in these sorts of things, despite how he pretended otherwise. What could he say? What could he do to make the situation better? He had to do something because as it was... he couldn't stand it.

"...what's that?" Rex asked slowly, clearly taken aback by the strange comment.

"Falling in love." Fives replied with a flat tone.

"Ah." Was all Rex replied with. The younger clone looked up to see his brother nodding thoughtfully. "And here I thought you did well in that department."

"So did I!" Fives scoffed, exasperated, throwing his hands up in the air. "I complimented her, I offered her gifts, and bought her drinks, I asked her to spend time with me... and... she seems to like me... at least I thought so! But she keeps telling me not to worry, but she also says she likes spending time with me... but then just now she called me her friend--"

"Ouch..." Rex winced.

"I know!" Fives cried in response. He wanted to throw his helmet again, his chest ached painfully, it felt so tight he was having trouble breathing, was he sick?

"So she turned you down?" The Captain asked, in clarification and the Trooper paused, calming himself down.

"Well..." he began, "not exactly, she just mentioned it off-handedly..." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"So, did you tell her how you feel directly?" This question smacked Fives over the head like a durasteel pipe.

"Uh..." he started and Rex just let out a chuckle, hiding his laugh behind his hand. Fives shook his head, "But I mean, I tell her all the time that she is special and beautiful--"

"You know, Fives, there are some women that don't see themselves that way." Rex interjected, resting his chin on his hand. Fives blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes they don't have confidence in themselves and don't realise that someone could be interested in them." The Captain explained and Fives' mouth opened in disbelief.

"How could that be true? She's amazing! She's so sweet and kind and thoughtful... She makes everyone smile like a ray of sunshine-- Cap if you saw her you'd know it too--" Rex held a hand for a moment and Fives felt his confusion take over, how could she not know it? How could she not understand how precious and darling and perfect she was?

"We are clones." Rex began, and Fives nodded, wondering where the Captain was going with this. "And we look and sound the same to everyone around us, right? So why would anyone see us individually in a sea of the same faces...?" The look of worry must have bothered him as he stopped Fives' thoughts with a poke to the forehead. "Maybe she feels the same way about herself." It was like a light went off in Fives's head.

"Oh." Was all he could say. She... she might not think herself special enough? Not worthy of--? He stopped that thought at once as even thinking it made his chest hurt again. He hated that. That she might not know just how much he adored her. Her eyes, her smile, that laugh of hers... He hadn't even thought it could be a possibility, it seemed impossible for her not to see her own beauty when she looked into a mirror.

"So... what are you going to do?" Rex asked, leaning back and folding his arms across his chest. Had Fives been paying attention, he'd have seen the smirk across his Captain's face. Instead the Trooper jumped up to grab his helmet.

"I'm going to make sure she knows," he replied, a look of determination in his eyes. "I'm not giving up!" With that, the young Clone hurried to the door and nearly ran down the hall.

He didn't hear his Captain's chuckle, "Good luck brother."