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“First, we have that… thing.” Anakin says.
Obi-Wan quirks an eyebrow. ‘Thing’? What thing could Anakin and Rex possibly have to take care of that is more important than the mission at hand?
He watches as they argue, Rex saying that they don’t have time for this when Anakin does something weird with his face. He raises his eyebrows, and jerks his chin in the direction of the storage areas.
It is only years of diplomatic training that keeps Obi-Wan’s jaw from dropping. Are they planning some kind of, of rendezvous? Obi-Wan was sure Anakin was in a relationship with Senator Amidala but he is also involved with his captain?
Thoughts swirled in his head as he considered this new information. Was Anakin stepping out on the Senator? Did they have some sort of arrangement? How did Anakin have the time for two dalliances during a war? How did Anakin and Rex reconcile their official stations with… whatever it was they had?
His thoughts are interrupted by Hunter telling them to sort out whatever is going on while he waits on the ship.
Anakin turns away and Rex looks aggrieved. A strange look for someone who is apparently having a torrid affair with their Jedi general.
Before Rex can follow Anakin, Obi-Wan stops him with a hand to his shoulder.
“Captain,” he says. “Are you… alright? I mean if something is going on, I’m always here to listen. You and your men are under tremendous pressure. You’re allowed to talk about it.”
Rex seems surprised. “Thank you, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Obi-Wan smiles. Rex gives an aborted wave and turns to follow Anakin to a storage room.
There’s a strange feeling percolating in Obi-Wan’s chest. It burns and makes him feel very uncomfortable. He’s never felt this before and is not best pleased. He doesn’t like feeling things he doesn’t understand. He should meditate on this.
↥⇋↥
“Fuck.”
It was jealousy. That shitty, burning feeling inside when Anakin and Rex were having silent conversation in front of him was jealousy. Not of Rex, of course, Anakin was his brother, but of Anakin.
The clone brothers were handsome men, Obi-Wan could admit that with ease, but he’d always had a soft spot for Rex in particular. He handled Anakin’s quirks with a grace even Obi-Wan couldn’t hope to master. And personally, Obi-Wan has always liked blondes.
To Qui-Gon’s distaste, Obi-Wan had never been particularly good at repressing his feelings. He has gotten better at it, especially navigating a war zone where diplomacy was paramount, but his emotions still leaked out around the edges. And this discovery had his feelings leaking all over the place. Unfortunate.
Handling this would be a delicate matter. Meaning, of course, Obi-Wan was not planning on handling it at all. He would bury his feelings deep, deep inside his chest, never to see the light of day. Anakin and Rex would continue their… whatever it was and Obi-Wan would die alone. Perfect.
Still, Obi-Wan worried about how they navigated their stations with this relationship. Would Anakin hesitate to send his lover into battle? Would Rex disobey orders if it meant protecting Anakin? How did that even work, Anakin ordering Rex around during the day only for them to be equals in their off time? Probably best not to think about it.
The jealousy grew as Obi-Wan considered this. Definitely best to stop thinking about it. Surely Anakin and Rex were happy, even though Anakin was seeing another woman, even though Obi-Wan would love Rex wholly as he was. No, no, he needed to stop. This was none of his business, he had only found out by accident, neither man had actually deigned to tell him, he needed to let it lie.
Obi-Wan will admit, he feels a little hurt that he had not been told of this new development. It made sense, of course, Jedi were forbidden from such attachments but Obi-Wan had thought he and Rex were friendly enough that the topic may have come up anyway. Running so many joint missions together, Obi-Wan had come to admire Rex.
Cody was a good man, he had said so before and would again, but Rex had a spark that drew Obi-Wan’s gaze before even he had identified that feeling inside him. His devotion to his men, to Anakin and Ahsoka was incredible, it was easy to lose focus during a galactic war and slip away from care, but Rex never let it get to him. But again, best not to think about that.
↥⇋↥
It was purely coincidence that the 212th and the 501st had leave at the same time. Cody and Rex, being the close brothers they were, decided to rope their men into spending it together, to take advantage of the downtime together. Usually, the generals spent their leave elsewhere, not wanting to loom over the men during their time away from the war, but Cody and Rex had insisted that Anakin and Obi-Wan spend their leave with them.
The planet had endless black sand beaches and bright sun, not a cloud in sight. The gravity was a little lighter than Obi-Wan was used to which allowed for an ease to his joints he had not felt in months. This content feeling couldn’t last of course.
“Obi-Wan!” Anakin called. “Come get in the water! It feels great, and we’re gonna play a game. Fives brought a ball.”
Obi-Wan, who would rather be eaten by a Zillo beast than get in the water, was wearing a large hat, an excess of sunblock, and was lounging in a cushioned chair.
“I’ll pass, thank you, padawan,” Obi-Wan replied.
Anakin rolled his eyes. “As usual, you’re no fun.”
Obi-Wan was preparing a scathing reply when his brain abruptly veered off course due to the appearance of Rex in nothing but a pair of tiny shorts.
“Rex! Finally, some competition, get over here, you’re on Fives’ team.” Anakin was somehow immune to the sight of his captain bare-chested, and was still going on about whatever surely torturous game he and Fives had come up with. Perhaps, Obi-Wan thought, he was simply used to the sight. This made Obi-Wan think even more, slightly uncharitable thoughts.
Rex pauses as he passes Obi-Wan. “Hello, sir.”
Obi-Wan smiles at the formality. “Obi-Wan, Rex, you can call me Obi-Wan, especially on leave.”
Rex looks vaguely uncomfortable but complies. “Obi-Wan then. Um. Are you sure you wouldn’t like to join us? I know it’s Fives, but Echo has been a good influence. I don’t think anyone will die during the game.”
And there it was. Rex’s unexpected humor, He hadn’t really believed Anakin, when Rex had been first assigned, that the man had a sense of humor. He looked so buttoned up and Obi-Wan had certainly never heard back-talk from Cody. Perhaps with Anakin as a general, Rex had learned that his boundaries were less strict. Or maybe he was just funny. Either way, Obi-Wan is not getting in the water.
“Thank you, Rex, but no, I’d rather not get involved. Besides, I’m sure you want some more time with Anakin.”
Rex gives him a weird look. “Sure,” he says slowly. “Time with the general. Great. I’ll… see you later then.” He tosses one more strange look over his shoulder as he walks down to the water. Obi-Wan must have been too obvious, Rex doesn’t know that he knows. They must think they’re being subtle. Or Rex may be uncomfortable with Obi-Wan knowing. He did raise Anakin after all, perhaps Rex is worried about a shovel talk.
Obi-Wan will deal with that later, for now, he’s taking a nap.
As the sun moves across the sky, Obi-Wan finds himself in between meditation and sleep. He’s jolted awake though by the sight of Rex jogging up the beach, out of the water. Drops sparkle on his skin, his hair darkened by the water, and oh, he’s heading straight for Obi-Wan.
Rex flops down into the sand next to Obi-Wan’s chair, panting lightly.
“So,” Obi-Wan begins. “Good game?”
Rex laughs and Obi-Wan’s heart clenches. “You could say that, sir. I can’t say I’ve ever had so much water in my ears and I grew up on Kamino.”
“Obi-Wan,” Obi-Wan reminds, gently. “You don’t have to call me ‘sir’ here.”
“Right. Obi-Wan,” Rex says.
The way Rex’s mouth forms his name, all those round vowels, pleases Obi-Wan. He tries not to think about other times Rex could be saying his name, yelling it out, even.
“Rex,” Obi-Wan starts, then stops.
Rex tilts his head in Obi-Wan’s direction. “What is it, Obi-Wan?”
It’s the name that does it. Hearing Rex say his name so casually hurts his heart and opens his mouth.
“You have my blessing. Not that you need it of course, but I thought, I don’t know, if there’s anything holding you back, you shouldn’t let it. Love is so precious, especially in these times. You need to take it where you can.”
As Obi-Wan talks, Rex’s eyes get wider and wider. When Obi-Wan pauses, Rex speaks.
“Respectfully, what the fuck are you talking about?” Rex says.
“Oh,” Obi-Wan says, “I suppose you didn’t know I knew, about you and Anakin.”
Rex’s eyes take on a crazed look.
“It’s fine!” Obi-Wan assures him. “I promise, I know I raised him but I never could have hoped he’d have a man half so wonderful as you in his life. Though he never really showed interest in men, but whatever the two of you must be special, so-” Rex cuts him off.
“Obi-Wan, again, I mean this with the utmost respect, but what the fuck are you on about? Do you think me and the general are in some sort of relationship? I don’t- you- what?”
Rex looks to be on the verge of tearing his hair out, if he had enough to pull, and Obi-Wan scrambles to explain himself.
“Captain, Rex, I didn’t mean, I’m sorry, I thought, during that mission a few weeks ago, you and Anakin said you had a thing, and you’re so close I just assumed, are you not…?”
Rex blows out a huge breath and starts laughing, edging on hysterically.
“Sir, Obi-Wan, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The mission with the bad batch, as they call themselves I believe. Hunter and I were discussing details with you when you both ran off, saying you had some sort of thing.”
Rex’s laughter is definitely hysterical now.
“Oh that, yes, I mean no, I mean it’s not what you think,” Rex seems to be on the verge of a breakdown and Obi-Wan has no idea how to fix this.
“It’s fine! Really! I don’t know how it works with you, Senator Amidala, and Anakin, but I won’t tell anyone, it’s none of my business really, I only found out by accident-”
“You know about the Sentaor?” Rex interrupts.
“Well I thought I did,” Obi-Wan says. “But then there was you and I thought, well it seems I may have been mistaken.”
Rex lets out one more wild laugh. “Yes, no, I would never, with all due respect sir, ew.”
Obi-Wan laughs with something like relief. “So you and Anakin aren’t… involved?”
“No more than a captain and his general,” Rex says.
“Good, I mean, not good, just-”
Rex puts a hand on Obi-Wan’s arm. “I’m glad we got that sorted, Obi-Wan. Anakin and I are not, have never been, and will never be involved.”
Obi-Wan smiles softly at Rex. “I am sorry for assuming, it’s only, well you’re such a good man Rex, one could only come to the conclusion that you were spoken for.”
“Ah,” Rex says. “No, I’m not. Spoken for that is. Yet.”
Yet, Obi-Wan thinks. How promising.
↥⇋↥
Rex groans as he rolls over, wrapping an arm around Obi-Wan’s waist.
“What time is it?” Rex asks.
“Early,” Obi-Wan says. “Early enough to go back to sleep.”
“I’m already awake, might as well get up, make the caf.”
“Or we could have a lie-in,” Obi-Wan says, smiling.
“Or we could do that,” Rex agrees, burying his face in the nape of Obi-Wan’s neck.
Rex and Obi-Wan had been living together for nearly two years and sleepy mornings still helped Obi-Wan feel more at peace than he ever had. The war ending didn’t mean things were suddenly easier, the Senate nearly fell apart, the Jedi Council went into deep debate, and Anakin had anywhere from two to five therapists at any given time.
Luckily, Obi-Wan had Rex by him the whole time.
“Obi-Wan,” Rex mumbled. And oh how hearing his name from those lips still made his heart sing.
“Obi-Wan, we should really get up, there’s so much to do,” Rex says.
“Surely not,” Obi-Wan says. “Surely there is nothing in the whole galaxy as important as you holding me and me getting fifteen more minutes of sleep. I do insist.”
Obi-Wan feels the curve of a smile against his neck.
“I suppose, sir, you may be right for once.”
“For once?” Obi-Wan says indignantly. “I’ll have you know I am often correct. Ask anyone. Not Anakin.”
“Ah, yes, Anakin, my illicit boyfriend,” Rex teases.
“Oh, Rex, that was years ago! I was under intense pressure and stress! Anakin was making a very weird face in your direction! I really do encourage you to let that go.”
“Never,” Rex says. “It’s actually the funniest thing that has ever happened to me so I will never let it go, no.”
Obi-Wan takes a deep, steadying breath. “Great, fantastic, as long as we never tell Anakin.”
“Never tell Anakin? I told him years ago, he was mortified that you thought he could step out on the Senator,” Rex says.
Obi-Wan’s eyes widen. “You told him! Without me? I couldn’t even defend myself. I see what kind of man you are, I’ll be leaving now.” Obi-Wan pretends to try and leave the bed, Rex easily wrestling him back down.
“Oh you’re not going anywhere,” Rex says. “We’re having a lie-in, remember?”
Obi-Wan snuggles back into Rex’s arms, warm and comfortable. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad that he had assumed a relationship between his padawan and his captain, it got him here after all.