Cyare (A Rexsoka SWTCW Fanfic)

9

Ahsoka stormed though the hospital on Mandalore, looking for her clone. The medical staff cleared a path for her after she shouted at a meddroid for trying to help her before she found Rex.

When she dud find him, he was asleep in a bed in a solitary room. She ignored the protests of the nurses telling her not to go in there. They didn't know what was wrong with him, and were worried he might be contagious. He looked like death, slumped in the bed, his skin unnaturally pale and his eyes sunken and dark. She plopped herself down in a chair by his side, and he woke with a start.

The pain in his eyes nearly broke her. "Commander." He greeted her bitterly. Ahsoka blew out a breath and closed her eyes.

"Rex I-"

"Please." He cut her off, his voice rasping slightly. "Don't tell me you're sorry." His voice was tight with pain and emotion. "If anything I ever did meant anything to you, don't tell me you're sorry." He sat back against the pillows and closed his bloodshot eyes. "I trust your judgement, commander, it's saved my life enough times." He gave a grim and humorless chuckle.

Ahsoka bowed her head and rested her forearms on her knees. Rex's breathing soon gave way to deep, even breaths of sleep again. The last thing he needed was more contact with the force, but Ahsoka used a mind trick anyways to ensure that he stayed asleep. She covered one of his hands with her own small ones, and smiled softly. He wouldn't be waking up any time soon. He was still slightly feverish, and Ahsoka wished she could do more without hurting him further.

"I know you told me not to say it, but I have to still hold onto hope that you can forgive me." She whispered, running a thumb across his scarred knuckles as she tried not to cry. "I'm sorry, Rex. I am so, so sorry."A medical droid finally burst into the room.

"Padawan Tano. You are injured and disturbing He  other patients." He droid hovered in front if her as she clambered to her feet. Everything hurt, and she hugged herself with a wince. Now that the adrenaline had completely faded, it was a miracle that she could even stagger to her own room across the halls. She sat down heavily on her cott and let the droid fuss over her. There was a prick in her neck, and everything went black.

Three days. Three days since he had last talked to Ahso- to Commander Tano. He had recovered from the force burn fairly quickly, and was back on Corascant. He stayed in his armor most of the time to hide his tear stained cheeks and dark-circled eyes. The only exceptions being training with Anakin and Tano and the gym.

That was were he was currently. The gym. He liked coming here, everyone else was normally too focused on their own exercises to notice his gritted teeth as he let out his residual pain and anger out on the punching bag. Normally.

He was at it again, slugging the thing for all he was worth. He didn't care about his bruised knuckles or exhaustion. He just punched the bag. He was jolted out of his misery by someone putting a hand on his shoulder. He turned and would have put their lights out if they hadn't blocked his punch.

"Easy, ori'vod." Fives said gently. "Just me." Rex glared at the ARC. "Poor bag." He commented almost casually. "Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

Rex grunted something that he didn't quite catch. "Nothing is wrong, Fives. It's not what you think." He said at last, turning back to the punching bag and starting again. Fives caught his wrist and spun him around so that he was examining his hand.

"And how would you know what I think?" He frowned, looking his captain in the eyes. Rex had lost weight since Mandalore. His face was pale and gaunt, the only color being the dark smears under his eyes. "Right now I think that you have been punching the stupid thing for hours now and you have yet to wrap your wrists. Proper support is important so you don't break your hands." He took Rex by the arm and lead him over to a bench by the wall.

Rex didn't resist, but he wasn't entirely happy about being confronted either. He took the water bottle that Fives gave him and sat next to his little brother. "So what's going on?" He asked, wrapping up his wrist and bruised knuckles.

"Can't say." Rex grunted, staring off into nothing.

"So it's about Ahsoka, then." Five smirked, finishing his right hand and reaching for his left. Rex pulled his hand back and glared at him. Fives paid it no mind and grabbed his arm, yanking it over so that he could wrap it up too. "Hey, I'm not done yet ori'vod." He growled playfully. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"Do you honestly think I care!?" Rex spat back acidly. If it made any impression on Fives, he didn't show it.

"Oh, I know you don't, but I do so deal with it." Fives finished wrapping his other hand and stood, pulling Rex to his feet. "You know, togruta mate for life. Even if you two haven't..." He clicked his tongue and jerked his head to the side, "she still has claimed you as her partner. You avoiding her is going to kill the both of you one way or another."

Rex walked back over to the punching bag and frowned. "Yeah, well, seeing her call another man, a seppie, her betrothed and kissing him stings far worse than death ever will." He started swinging again. Fives walked behind the bag and held it still for him. A thought came to Rex.

"If she sent you here to tell me she's sorry, I already told her. I don't want to hear it." He growled, punching the bad hard enough that Fives grunted on the other side.

"She didn't. Anakin did. He's worried about you. So am I." Rex paused to glare at his brother. Fives returned the icy look. "Rex, you don't eat, you barely sleep, and when I was wrapping your hands you were shaking." Rex started punching the bad even harder, and Fives moved around it to face him.

"Rex."

Rex ignored him and focused solely on the bag.

"Rex!"

Reaching out to the force still hurt a little, but he didn't know what he was doing at first. Why couldn't he just be left alone in his misery?

"REX?!"

He was jolted back into reality in an instant. Fives was staring at him open mouthed. Rex looked at the bag and was surprised to find sand trickling to the floor. He had hit the seam of the leather bag and torn it clean open down the side. His head throbbed. He let his emotions get the better of him and he had punched through the bag. He staggered back and hit the wall, sliding down it to rest on the floor for a few seconds. Fives tried to process what had just happened.

He spun on his heel to face Rex and closed his mouth. Rex clambered tiredly to his feet and pulled the wrappings off of his swollen knuckles.

"I'm going to go finish my paperwork." He growled and stalked off.