Chapter Text
Comet knew something was off when he woke up in the middle of the night.
He took stock of his body, feeling his sore muscles protest as he shifted around in his bunk. The trainers had them on their feet for twenty hours before they released them from their pt and infiltration training. But Comet wasn’t complaining, he knew they were making them the best of the best. That just meant everyone was going to hate their trainers’ guts until they graduated. Ryder and Magnus had been in charge of the training. Colt and Seventeen normally oversaw their training, but Shaak Ti requested their presence more. Comet had to guess it had to do with the chips, but he would keep his mouth shut about that one.
Comet glanced around the room, taking account of everyone else in the barracks. Everyone was sleeping soundly to his right. He tossed to his left and froze. Dogma was sleeping peacefully but the bunk directly below him was empty. Tup was missing.
Comet pulled himself out of the sheets, exhaling heavily as his aching body was stiff as he stood. He’d been worried about Tup for the past few days, knowing something was off with him. Now Comet just had to find the boy before the trainers did.
Comet padded through the hallway, trying to think about which way Tup could’ve gone. He took the left and headed for the observation deck. Within the time of knowing the 501st trooper, he knew Tup liked to be outside when he was stuck in thought—it calmed him down more than a stuffy room. It gave him room to think. Comet reached the latched door and glanced around for any Littles wondering about the halls that could follow. Once the coast was clear, he hit the pad, fiddling with the bypass until it swung open. A cool, sea breeze brushed through the air as soon as he stepped out. As much as he preferred Coruscant, he couldn’t deny Kamino had its perks. The ocean was his calm place, the methodic rocking and the roar of the waves. It drowned everything else out.
Comet’s guess had been correct. Leaning back against the wall, watching the white caps in the dark distance sat Tup, his eyes as stormy as the sky. He didn’t even look at Comet. The Wolfpack trooper sat next to him, just watching him with concerned eyes. In the past, he could’ve read Tup like a book, but nowadays, he was closed off. Like a door slamming in his face.
“Tup…” Comet started to whisper but then he pulled back. He was just there to help in any way he needed.
They sat as they watched the waves crash into the supports around them, the soft glow of the facility lights casting onto the dark water.
Comet heard Tup draw his knees up to his chest. He just scooted closer.
Tup tipped into him, pressing hard against his shoulder. His breath shuttered as he fought to control himself.
Comet dropped his head onto Tup’s, keeping his hands in his lap.
“You need to talk?” Comet murmured.
He hoped the younger boy wouldn’t push him away. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Tup like this. So vulnerable. Tup had changed so much along with the ARC training.
Tup leaned further into him, holding onto his arm while Comet’s hand came to rest on his knees. Tup closed his eyes, feeling the warmth from the other boy’s body. He missed this.
“I remember,” he whispered, knowing Comet would understand. “With my batch. With Chains…”
Comet didn’t even flinch, pressing harder against him. “That's why you’ve been off?”
Tup gave a short cough to get rid of the burn in his throat. “Yeah. Just trying to get a grip.”
“Need Ryder to comm Rex and Fives?” Comet offered.
He didn’t expect Tup to turn him down. He was still stubborn, that was for sure.
Tup gave a soft huff but didn’t pull away. “No. Can’t always call them to bail me out.”
Comet’s chuckle rattled against his bones.
“What’s so funny?” Tup asked.
“Tup, you haven’t called them in weeks. That’s not bailing you out. You’ve been independent long enough if you need them. This is something they wouldn’t want you to bottle up.”
Tup pulled away, scrubbing at his eyes. “I’m fine. I’m fine.”
Comet gave him the softest smile he’d seen in a long time. Tup returned it. Comet knocked their knees together.
“Want to sit out here for a bit?” Comet asked.
Tup nodded immediately. Thirty minutes passed into silence, Tup’s tense body relaxing the longer they sat together. Eventually, Comet tapped him on the thigh, standing them up. They slipped back inside. A long, tired sigh tore through the quiet sound of the hallway. The two of them froze, slowly turning to the sound. Seventeen and Colt stood with their arms crossed.
Colt stared up at the ceiling. “Do we even want to know?”
The two ARC trainees folded their hands behind their backs.
“No, sir,” Tup answered quietly.
Colt jerked his chin toward the direction of the barracks. “I suggest you two get your shebs back before we change our minds. You’re still stuck with us for three more months.”
The two of them scurried down the hall but not fast enough to miss the conversation between their two trainers.
Seventeen chuckled, “Those two are going to be troublemakers.”
“And whose fault is that one?” Colt smiled.
“Don’t even try to turn this on me.” Seventeen poked him.
“Well, I’m not the one that raised their commanders. That one’s all on you, di’kut.”
Tup and Comet snorted as they reached the barracks door, heading to their bunks. Before Comet could get too far away, Tup grasped onto his hand. The Wolfpack teen froze, having not felt those hands grab him in months. Comet slowly turned to him, waiting for him to speak.
Tup squeezed his fingers. “Vor entye,” he whispered.
Comet ran his thumb over his knuckles.
“No debt, Tup,” he responded. “Never.”
Comet let go of his hand. He wished he hadn’t.…
Kix dozed quietly on the bunk, his eyes shut and his face turned toward Jesse’s thigh.
Jesse just watched his husband as he slept, periodically pulling his gaze away from his datapad. He had begged his husband to get some sleep after his shift, seeing the dark circle under his eyes. Fisto’s battalion had taken some heavy hits, some troopers critically injured. Instead of returning to Kamino, the troopers were transported to Coruscant as it was closer. That meant Kix had to oversee their treatment and the newer medics to make everything go smoothly which wore him out.
Jesse trailed his hand up and down his spine over his sleep shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin seeping into his. Kix started to wake up and pressed closer to Jesse’s thigh with a groan. Jesse snorted, running his fingers through Kix’s longer hair.
“You can go back to sleep, love,” Jesse whispered.
Kix shuffled, gold eyes cracking open.
“Too late,” he mumbled.
He shifted to get comfortable with his husband.
“Just sleep, babe,” Kix tried to coax him back into unconsciousness. “We don’t have anything the rest of the day—
Ther comms chimed. Both groaned in annoyance. Jesse reached for his on the ground with their armor, keeping an arm around Kix’s shoulders. He felt his husband lean closer to him, his nose brushing against Jesse’s neck. Jesse pulled the comm out, squinting at the message, then sat straight up, jostling Kix.
Kix punched gently at his husband’s shoulder. “Utreekov,” he mumbled.
“ARCs should be back by 1200 hours,” Jesse stated.
“No way.” Kix read for himself.
He followed Jesse, snatching the comm out of his hand. Kix’s heart pounded at the prospect of seeing Dogma and Tup. Their kid . Kix jumped out of the bunk but he was yanked back down by his husband.
“What?” Kix gawked.
Jesse snorted, giving him a soft look. “You running down to the hanger two hours early isn’t going to change anything.” He kissed Kix’s pout away. “So let’s just lay down and relax.”
Kix glared at him but rested directly on top of him. “How can you relax ?”
Jesse just kissed his head. “Because both of them will be home soon. Then we can have all the time in the world with them.”
Kix glanced at the wall. Jesse saw that worried look come across his husband.
“What is it?” he whispered.
“Will they be happy to be back?”
Jesse laughed softly, lifting his chin. “Yes, love. Now please for the love of the gods close your eyes. I’ll wake you up soon.”
…
Rex and Fives walked briskly through the halls of Coruscant’s barracks, boots thumping on the durasteel. They didn’t speak to one another, keeping all their focus on just getting to the damn hanger bay. Fives’ comm chimed on his wrist. He barely glanced at the message.
“Jesse says the kids ain’t there yet,” he mumbled to his captain.
Rex didn’t say anything, stuck between wanting that transport ship in the bay already and wanting to watch it land which made Fives bite back a smirk. They had received the transmission just before walking into a meeting with a few of the generals. It had knocked them completely off course. Fives had been ready to dart away with some half-baked excuse but Rex had latched onto him before he could do so, giving Fives a firm stare. Fives grumbled under his breath but allowed himself to be dragged into the room. Skywalker had picked up on their urgency to end the meeting as soon as possible, sending them on their way early with a soft smile.
“We’ll be there soon,” Skywalker added as they practically ran out of the briefing room.
The frantic pair passed other troopers in the hallway, giving them short nods or soft smiles. Fives frowned as Rex just stared straight ahead as they walked. He poked the man in the side.
“You’re so damn tense.”
The well-placed glare Fives received made him snort.
“Mind your damn business,” Rex snapped playfully.
Fives hadn’t seen that soft, relaxed look in such a long time. He missed it.
“And like you’re any better,” Rex added.
Fives ran his tongue over a tooth. “Just saying, you’ve had lots of practice at this point for brothers going to ARC training, me included.”
Rex flicked his head. “Don’t start with me, cocky brat. This is different and you know it. You have no room to talk when you nearly put a hole in the floor with your pacing last night.”
Fives gaped in disappointment. “And I call you my boyfriend…”
Rex raised a brow, knocking shoulders with him. “So we’re just going to ignore facts now?”
Fives growled, “I’m going to hit you.”
They continued to bicker on their way to the hanger bay, making any trooper they passed either blink in confusion or stifle their chuckles. As they approached Torrent and the other squads waiting as well, Echo rolled his eyes.
“Do you two ever shut up?” he groaned.
“How about you shut up?” Fives fired back at his twin.
Echo threw his hands up in the air. Wolffe snorted at the sight of the ARC and captain going at it.
“How long has that been going on?” Wolffe threw a question up for anyone to answer.
Kix sighed tiredly. “Days.” He stared at the couple. “Can’t get any peace around here.”
He carefully left out how he and Jesse had been the same way. He leaned back into Jesse as his husband wrapped an arm around his waist.
“Are you two done?” Kix snapped.
They lowered their voices but continued to tease each other, fighting back smiles.
Fang rolled a toothpick between his fingers, nudging Ponds. “You gonna bawl like a baby when you see them?”
The commander didn’t take the bait, sad to say.
“No,” he answered calmly. “Though I can’t say the same for some people .”
Alarm interjected, “Twenty credits says Fives is the first to cry.”
Limit hissed, “I don’t know. It might be Cody.”
Boost, hearing from where he stood. “I’ll put twenty on Waxer.”
Sinker nudged him. “My money’s on Bly. Deal?”
“Deal.” Alarm smirked.
Once the arguing between Rex and Fives ceased, the captain calmly stood with his squad. The same, however, couldn’t be said for the ARC trooper. Fives fidgeted with his gloves or tapped his fingers on his armor. Echo just deadpanned a stare at him, not having anything to say about his behavior.
Hardcase cleared his throat. “Are you good ?”
Fives flipped him off.
Bly impatiently stared at his chrono, wanting the minutes to tick down faster. He’d been without communication with his teenager for months and he didn’t want to wait another second.
“Problem, commander?” Impulse drawled to the man.
Bly turned his eyes to the heavy gunner. “Don’t even start with me,” he said.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Blulap added his two cents. “We’re respectful…just looking out for you .”
“Sure.” Bly rolled his eyes.
Wolffe glanced around at his batchmates. “Am I the only one that’s acting like a normal fucking person?”
He received an array of glares from his brothers.
Arks flashed a few signs at him. “You sure about that?”
That very morning as they lounged in Wolffe’s bunk, the man had been distracted from his normal calmness in the bunk room. Arks had deduced it had to do with the arrival of their new ARC.
“Don’t even,” Wolffe growled playfully.
Cody clicked his tongue and crossed his arms. “No, no, please continue. I need this.”
Arks started to sign again, then smiled with his command yanked on his hands, lacing their fingers so he was stuck. He just stuck the tip of his tongue out at his boyfriend, having no other way to communicate how the man was acting like a child. The Generals strolled in not much longer, some they hadn’t seen in a while. Fisto and Billaba conversed softly with each other, following behind the other Jedi with ease. Obi-Wan had a knowing smile as he looked at the clones. They held anxiety in their eyes. He never liked to see it.
“Patience, they’ll be here soon,” the Jedi said.
“Easy for you to say,” Crys mumbled.
Helix nailed him in the ribs, making him wince. Ponds smiled.
Mace approached his squad. “Well look who’s out of the temple.”
Ponds rolled his eyes. “Contrary to popular belief, I do know when to leave, thank you very much.”
Fisto turned his attention away from his conversation with Billaba. “No he doesn’t!”
All the clones snorted, then tried to fix their faces.
Mace looked up to the ceiling. “I’m surrounded by imbeciles.”
“You wound us, sir.” Fang bit on his toothpick sarcastically.
Kai laughed where he stood glued to Fang’s side. Mace didn’t constitute a response, moving on to conversing softly with Choss about some of the injured troopers in the medbay, always remembering their names. Ponds stuck close by as well, wanting to hear about how his men were doing. Ashoka bounced on her toes next to Anakin, watching the sky. Obi-Wan and her master just watched with amusement, knowing she had missed the troopers. Most of the nerves settled as they stood together except for a few. Fives continued to fidget impatiently. It had been months since they had seen Tup, their son. It was so much harder than he had previously expected, blinded by his pride.
“Would you chill out?” Echo placed a hand on his shoulder.
Fives glared at his twin. “It’s not my fault they’re taking forever.”
Wolffe growled, “Never rush a pilot. Bad things happen when you do.”
“Besides,” Fang said carefully, “They’re approaching now.”
A small transport entered the hangar and circled rotated around, hovering in the air for a moment until command gave them permission to land. Rex’s heart started pounding. The transport settled on the ground beside other ships. The hatch opened from the back, letting out a deep sea of about thirty ARC troopers, armor painted in an array of colors, who stood up from their seats. The ARCs walked toward their respective Jedi or commanders waiting in the large hangar bay. Rex saw Bacara, Monnk, and a few others he knew personally. He welcomed them back with tight embraces or respectful nods.
Fives held in a sigh. Soon. Just give it a minute.
Everyone waited impatiently for their boys to find them. When the ARCs parted enough, they caught sight of the seven boys. They were all locked into discussion, standing in the center of the chaos, helmets off. The stress and worry surrounding the older clones melted away immediately. They were okay.
“Why would I do that?” Zeke asked Tup loudly, “If it would save the squad—”
Tup rolled his eyes and raised his hands. “Oh, for fuck’s sakes! Are we really doing this right now?”
Myles flicked Zeke on the head. “I don’t need you to be a self-sacrificing little shit on the battlefield.”
“Hey, dickhead!” Comet called with a wolfish grin. “You don’t just throw yourself into a squad of droids as a diversion!”
Zeke looked at him. “Could work in this hypothetical situation. Jake, back me up.”
Jake cleared his throat. “Technically speaking,” he started slowly, “Comet would appear to be cor—”
Zeke slapped a hand over his mouth, making the other ARC just blink at him. “Don’t finish that sentence.”
Comet grinned at Jake. “Bite him.”
Tup and the others began to laugh, bending over breathlessly.
Myles pushed his boyfriend away. “Why are you such a menace all the time?”
Zeke smirked at him, preparing to answer, but Dogma groaned loudly.
Dogma swatted at the boy. “Please, I’m begging you, don’t answer that.”
Rex and Fives had to keep themselves from rushing over to Tup. They observed every inch of him as they walked closer. The squads noticed how much their boys had changed. They filled out their armor more with muscle, some even seemingly taller with the way they held themselves. Some adorned kama around their waist while others did not. They’re eyes held more wisdom than they expected to see.
The Jedi stepped forward, amused with their troopers' engagement with each other. Anakin cleared his throat. All the ARCs paused, staring at their generals.
“Oh shit,” Tup muttered.
Jake blanched white. “Right… we’re back.”
“Heh.” Comet grinned wolfishly at his squad.
His squadmates matched that same, sharp-toothed expression.
Tup looked at Rex and Fives, and seemingly relaxed a little. Home.
“Sir!” Tup stood at attention, back straight.
The other young clones followed suit. Obi-Wan smiled at Wooley, feeling his strong presence in the Force after so long.
“Glad to see none of you have changed much,” the calm Jedi said.
“Sirs,” Myles acknowledged politely.
Aayla didn’t hide her smile. “Welcome back! And congratulations on becoming ARCs. It is a wonderful achievement!”
The boys nodded, grinning and smiling. The Force rippled with happiness.
Tup looked at Anakin. “Anything to report?”
They all knew what he was asking. The chips. The war. Everything.
It took the man a second to respond. “Nothing at the current moment.” Anakin added, “I’m sure your squads will take care of settling you back in.”
The generals shared a few more words with them. The ARCs replied, not one of them cracking a wise joke. Professional, so different from the teenagers they used to be, but also still the same. Before the Jedi dismissed themselves, Ashoka threw her arms around Dogma and Tup. She said a quick few words to them as they wrapped an arm around her before darting after Anakin. Tup could finally really look at his squad, biting back his smile but failing to do so. Their squads approached immediately and the ARCs met them halfway. The boys launched themselves at their brothers. Tup was the first one to do so, crashing into his captain. Rex caught Tup, giving a long sigh as he embraced his son. Tup squeezed his arms around him tight.
“Hi, love,” Rex whispered in his ear.
He felt Tup smile against his neck. “Hi, buir.”
Fives scooped Tup next, swinging him around a bit. Fives kissed his head, cradling his skull with a hand while the other rested on his back. Tup just closed his eyes, leaning heavily on his father.
The other boys had similar reactions. Dogma smiled and initiated a hug between him and Jesse, resting on the other man’s bulk.
“Hi, Jess,” Dogma greeted nonchalantly..
“Hey, bud,” Jesse chuckled.
When it came to that, Dogma hasn’t changed.
Dogma looked to Kix when the medic started fussing.
“Are you okay? Anything broken?” Kix fired off. “And don’t lie to me! I’ll comm every medic on that damn planet if I have to.”
Hardcase groaned, squeezing the back of the teen’s neck. “Dude, you’re going to freak him out. Maybe hug him instead of making threats?”
Kix blinked, then realized that was a much better idea. He crushed his boy into a hug, feeling Dogma hold him back.
“We’re so happy your back,” Jesse hugged Dogma from behind.
“So am I.” Dogma smiled.
A smile was new, refreshing, something he did with such ease now. It took a while for him to get this comfortable and it amazed the couple.
Comet was yanked roughly into his brothers’ embraces. They all shoved one another back and forth. Comet laughed and shoved back.
“Geez! You stink!” someone shot an insult his way.
Comet grinned. “Bet you ain’t no betta!”
When the hug attacks ended, Spade stepped forward and looked Comet up and down.
“It suits you.” Spade examined Comet’s upgraded armor.
Comet snorted, “Well if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be wearing it! So… thank you.”
Slade looked away. “You’re welcome.”
Comet blinked in surprise. “Are you… blushing?”
Slade closed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “No.”
Comet gaped at him. The younger clone got a clap on the shoulder from the captain.Comet looked at him.
“Welcome back, kid,” Wolffe said proudly.
Comet smiled at him. “Good to be back, sir.”
Zeke and Myles received claps on the back, not too many hugs going around. They had never been the most physically affectionate squad. It was enough though. Myles cocked his head at the stranger in their squad next to their resident asshole.
“Hi, I’m Myles,” Myles introduced himself.
“Kai, nice to meet you.” Kai smiled kindly but dangerously.
Fang rolled his eyes at the sight.
Zeke shoved Ponds’ shoulder teasingly. “Already tried to replace us, huh?”
The commander rolled his eyes. “Don’t start with me. You’re lucky I didn’t find permanent replacements for your ass.”
“Nah, Windu likes us too much. Finds us amusing,” Zeke said.
Limit scoffed, “He finds you something … amusing is not one of them.”
Myles noticed how Fang wrapped an arm around Kai’s waist. Myles definitely had questions for later, but he just smiled brightly at Kai.
“You good, kid?” Fang lifted his chin.
“Yes, sir.” Myles grinned at him.
“Don’t do that.” Fang shoved him.
With B-squad, Jake just melted into Bly’s embrace, smiling softly at Break, who hid behind the commander. Concept brought Break into a hug next, rocking him side to side. Impulse and Bailey ruffled his hair. Concept pulled back and lifted Break’s chin.
“How are you? Any seizures?” Concept asked.
“Only three or four,” Jake said, “The trainers were good about it. The boys helped too.”
Impulse narrowed his eyes. “Anything else we need to know?”
Jake just laughed, a soft sound they hadn’t heard in a long time.
“No, I'm fine. Really.”
“No kama?” Break asked carefully.
Jake shook his head. “No. I gravitated towards intelligence rather than tactical operations. Same with Wooley.”
He smirked. “The others got the pretty skirts.”
“We heard that!” Zeke shouted..
Wooley went limp in Waxer’s arms, giving a long but satisfied sigh. Cody petted his hair, threading his fingers through the thick curls.
“Everything good?” the commander asked Wooley.
Wooley gave him a relaxed smile. “Perfect now that we’re back. That was… interesting. Not bad, but a shit ton of work.”
Crys chuckled, “We can imagine, bud.”
Tup tugged on Fives’ kama. “Not the only good-looking one in a kama now, old man.”
A few of them choked before howling with laughter at the older ARC’s face. Fives grinned.
“You lil…” Fives wrestled his son into another hug, ruffling Dogma's hair as well. “Don’t think that because you are an ARC now means that you are like that.”
Tup smiled innocently. “We’ll see~”
A final figure approached them all, ripping his helmet off to reveal different colored eyes and a sharp stare. Rex smiled at Ryder.
“Your children are fucking menaces,” Ryder deadpanned.
The teenagers smiled innocently, though their smiles bordered on sharp just like the other ARC.
“Us?” Jake posed.
“Never,” Comet disagreed.
Rex put a hand on Ryder’s shoulder once he was close enough. The two men shared a soft look. Rex was glad the ARC was back where he belonged.
“I hope they didn’t cause too much trouble,” Rex said.
Ryder groaned, “I don’t even want to think about it. I think Colt and Mangus weren’t sure what to do with them once we started training. Seventeen was ready to shoot himself in the foot.”
A joke but true. The seven of them had been forces of nature from the beginning.
“I don’t want to see your faces for a week.” Ryder pointed at the new ARCs.
The younger men snickered.
“Sir, yes, sir.” Zeke saluted mockingly.
The squads slowly began to head out of the hangar, wanting to get their boys back to the battalions as quickly as possible. Kix and Jesse started to lead Dogma out, but Fives and Rex noticed how Tup broke off, heading toward the ladder that led to the observation deck. They shared a look before following him, allowing some space to stretch between them.
Coruscant’s sunset poured over the sky with a deep orange, purple, and red. Silver ships flew past in the sky and nearby. City skyscraper lights blinked radiantly in the distance. The planet bustled with life. Tup sat on the edge of the deck, legs dangling. Of course, it shot a cord of worry through Fives and Rex, but they trusted him. They sat next to Tup, making themselves comfortable and taking in their son. Tup looked older, sharper around the edges, but he still retained his softness.
“I remember,” Tup started, still looking at the sky, “All of it.”
Rex’s breath hitched. He had always wondered if Tup would regain all his memories with time. Tup had lost some good memories but also horrible ones as well.
“When?” Rex put a hand on his back.
Tup swayed into the touch, closing his eyes. “About halfway through. I remember Peyton, Finn… everyone. Everything from the beginning.”
His voice shuttered just a bit. He recalled how his hands shook for an entire day when he remembered what happened to his batchmates. Two weeks later, the shakes returned when he remembered Chains.
Fives brushed a hand over Tup’s hair, feeling the tiny twists scattered periodically throughout.
“Are you okay?” Fives asked.
To their surprise, Tup smiled.
“Yeah. For the most part. Comet helped.”
He knocked his head against Rex’s shoulder. “What’s been happening with the battalion?”
“No major casualties.” Rex pulled him closer. “Couple tough campaigns but that’s war for you. Everyone will be happy to see you and Dogma again.”
Tup’s smile grew at the thought. He’d missed his battalion during training, often thinking about them throughout the days.
“Did Case blow anything up?” Tup giggled.
Fives thought about it. “Technically, yes. He was messing with a datapad and some wires got crossed, broke the fucking thing. Smoke, sparks, everything.”
Tup chuckled and curled further into Rex.
Rex jostled him playfully. “Did you blow anything up?”
The boy scoffed. “No, duh… Zeke almost did,” he mumbled toward the end.
They looked at him with amused faces.
“And how’d that work out for him?” Fives asked.
Tup glanced off to the side. “Trainers had him running until he threw up.”
Rex chuckled, brushing his nose against Tup’s hair. “Not surprising.”
The captain dragged Fives closer to their huddle and they sat there with each other, re-familiarizing themselves. Fives traced the crisp blue lines of new paint on Tup’s armor, noticing a few new ones.
“What about the chips?” Tup dared to ask.
Rex and Fives went a bit tense but not enough to worry him.
“A couple more have been deactivated.” Fives rocked them. “Don’t want to rush anything and Vokara is still monitoring everyone to make sure there aren’t lasting effects.”
“Any migraines?” Rex asked.
Tup shook his head. “None. Couple headaches but we got pushed to the limit during training. I feel… fine.”
They believed him. They had never believed those words before. All three of them glanced down toward the opening to the hangar, seeing more relief supplies being loaded by the masses into ships. Tup stared at the boxes.
“How many more planets have the Separatists taken?” Tup asked quietly but firmly.
He’d seen too many of them in his short lifetime, constantly unloading them from the ships with his squad throughout the war. He’d hoped that the war would slow down during his months away, but he was wrong.
“About ten,” Fives answered. “The battalions are trying their best, but sometimes it’s just not enough.
Tup tensed up. Fives squeezed his hand.
“We have to stop Dooku,” Tup grit out.
Rex soothed him with a hand on his nape. “I know. We’ll try.”
Tup spun in his arms. “No, we will .”
They both smiled at him, those sappy looks he equally hated and loved. Tup ducked his head under Fives’s chin, breathing in the scent of blaster fire and plain soap. Perfect.
“It’s not over yet.” Tup moved his head to look up at the sky.
…
A few klicks away in the depths of the Coruscant guard barracks sat a clone at his desk, scrolling through his counsel. Mindless paperwork flooded his screen, always so much to do. He’d been at it for hours, trying to put a dent in the massive amounts of paperwork and forms of his stack. The commanders always split it equally, but sometimes he wondered if they slipped more into his stack. His head throbbed in time with his pulse, mind going into overdrive to focus on what he was reading. Fumbling his hand forward on his desk, he wrapped a hand around his cup of caf and took a slow sip. It tasted like shit, but it would keep him awake for a bit longer at least until he could finish a few more files.
A knock sounded at the door. He sighed, putting the cup down.
“Come in.” He kept his eyes on the screen as the person entered.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw chipped, red paint and scuffed armor. He knew he wouldn’t like this conversation.
“Gage, call came in about patrol shifts,” Thorn said, “Your squad starts in an hour.”
Gage twitched with irritation. Bashing his head into his desk would’ve been immature. He fucking hated being a commander.
He turned to glare at Thorn for a second before going back to his work. “Thought you didn’t want me pulling so many patrol shifts.” He leaned back in his chair.
They’d discussed it briefly when Gage joined the Guard fresh off of Kamino and honestly didn’t care what his responsibilities were. The other commanders didn’t want him out in the field. Gage had to guess it had to do with his age. Thorn was tired. Gage could see it all over his face and body language, but they all were exhausted.
“Look, kid, just do it please so I don’t have to make it an order,” Thorn said.
Gage snorted with an eye roll. They had the same damn rank.
“Why can’t Fox do it? Hell, Thire is probably begging to go out and do something.”
Thorn just crossed his arms, raising his brows. “Fox is with the chancellor.”
Gage paused, narrowing his eyes. “Again? How many times does that man need him?”
He hadn’t been in the Guard for long, but he’d found the habits of the Chancellor extremely weird.
Thorn’s face fell. He scuffed his boot on the ground.
“I don't know. I suggest you don't ask. None of my business and it's none of yours." He walked closer, propping his hip on Gage’s desk. "What you need to be worried about is patrol. That's it."
Gage spun in his chair. “Do I have to? Patrol gets boring when nothing happens. I’ve had enough of escorting snobby, asshole senators and arresting people for drunk, disorderly assault. I want to actually do something.”
Thorn smiled at him. Rare. “Maybe something will happen tonight. You never know.”
Gage wasn’t sure, fighting the pout. Thorn sighed and ruffled his hair. Gage couldn’t remember the last time he’d been touched. The Corries weren’t fond of physical contact like the other battalions. Sometimes that was just the way it was.
Thorn made his way to the door but paused as he opened it. “If I come back and you’re still in here, I’ll have Stone deal with you. Understood?”
Gage flinched at the notion. Stone was one scary motherfucker.
Gage stiffened and shot out of his seat. “Okay, okay! I’m coming! Damn.”
He shut his unit down and reached for his helmet hanging on the wall before leaving the room behind Thorn.