Chapter Text
He stood still, Echo's warm presence a comfort at his side. His head was still reeling from everything, and he was barely hearing anything the captain was saying. Everything seemed so unreal, like how Fives couldn't believe he had actually made it this far. They had become real soldiers, and in the famous 501st no less. They had saved Rishi, a small group of clones…
But they hadn't all made it back. The feeling of loss cut through his head and helped ground him in reality. It soured the moment, the bitterness of not having the rest of the Dominoes here… This was real. They had gone through so much together, that it just felt wrong to not have them here. Hevy, Cutup, Droidbait… they were all gone. It was just him and Echo now.
He couldn't stop thinking about it. Echo didn't seem to know what to say either, as he went quiet. He barely spoke to Fives at all that day after the ceremony, and it worried Fives. Echo always knew what to say, but after this…
It led to Fives going to his new captain. He was worried about Echo, about how quiet he had been and wanted some advice. Rex had impressed him on the battlefield, with how he had stepped up and immediately taken charge without hesitating. He was still in awe of how Rex had managed to hit the eel first try, barely looking. It had saved his life, and he didn't think he'd ever stop feeling grateful and shocked for what Rex had done.
He froze outside Rex's door, hesitating to knock. It felt weird to come to Rex for something like this, but Fives figured if anyone could help it would be Rex. He knew there wasn't any rule against it, and dimly he remembered Rex mentioning that if he or Echo needed anything to come find him and he would be happy to help. It seemed like the captain cared, and the worst that was going to happen was Rex would tell him he couldn't help. It reminded him of when he and Echo had tried to switch squads before their final test, except this time he was alone. Which made this whole thing so much worse. He was doing this for Echo, he kept reminding himself. He could do this.
Forcing away his nervousness, he knocked on the door and stepped back. He held his breath as there was a shuffle from inside, and a few seconds later the door slid open to reveal a tired looking Rex. He was only wearing the bottom half of his armor, and his upper blacks. Fives must have caught him at a bad time. He seemed surprised for a moment, before he gave a weary smile and said "Fives. What can I do for you trooper?"
Fives opened his mouth to speak and was embarrassed when nothing came out. He covered it with a cough, and began to explain again, but Rex seemed to notice. Rex gave him a concerned look, before stepping to the side and saying "Why don't you come on in?"
Embarrassed, Fives stepped in the small room and tried to compose himself. His eyes roamed around the small room as Rex moved over to the chair behind the desk, and sat down. His helmet was on the table, and Fives felt his face flush even more as he saw the jaig eyes painted on it. He had of course registered them when he first met the captain, but it was completely different when they were the only two in the room, not in a battle. It was one thing to know the history of jaig eyes, but to be in the room with someone who had earned them…that was something Fives never really prepared himself for. Rex had earned those jaig eyes, and Fives couldn't imagine how difficult that had to be, and now they were simply sitting and chatting. Like it was no big deal.
Rex noticed him staring at the helmet. With a small chuckle, he leaned back in his chair and said "Did you want to hear the story of how I earned them?"
Fives nodded, not trusting his voice to speak. Rex gave another small laugh and gestured for Fives to sit across from him. Once Fives was settled, Rex began his story.
"It started back when I was a cadet. My batch was naturally blond, which obviously the long necks weren't too fond of. And because the long necks weren't fond of us, that made us an easy target for a lot of the other groups."
Fives knew how difficult it would have been, even as a regular clone. The Kaminoans were bad because of their focus on nothing but perfection, but even the other clones were ruthless. Just look at the amount of bullying the Dominoes had endured, and they had all been normal. If you were different in any way… it must have been a nightmare.
"Since we were constantly being harassed by other troopers, some of us got a reputation for being good fun for a laugh. Especially with the commander class. One day, a group of CCs were picking on one of my batch mates, so I stepped in. It uh…"
He stopped for a moment, running a hand along the back of his neck before continuing sheepishly "Let's just say I got my shebs handed to me. I mean, I'm only a CT trooper, and this cadet was a year older than me and had more training. Wasn't a fair fight to begin with, but I couldn't just let my batchmate suffer"
Fives made a small noise of acknowledgement. He'd seen Echo get into scraps with other cadets, and could definitely picture a younger Rex being the same. Given time, he could easily imagine Echo rising to the same rank as Rex had, given what he knew. It seemed to make sense. If there was one thing the long necks prized, it was willingness to fight even when the odds were against you. And it showed Rex's bravery, because Rex wasn't dumb and knew the odds were stacked against him and he would have most likely lost. It seemed surprising that that would be how he was awarded his jaig eyes, but hey that was slightly before Fives's time. Maybe things were different. Rex saw his face however, and shook his head.
"No, that wasn't what earned me the eyes. The trainers didn't bat an eye. But one of the CC cadets did. Cody.
He saw me after that, and came over to help my sorry shebs off the ground. After that, he took me under his wing. He was impressed with how I stood up for my batchmate, and how I kept fighting despite all the harassment. He won't ever admit it either, but he's a bit of a softie when it comes to tough cases. He secretly began helping me out and teaching me a few things to help me in case I ever got myself into that situation again."
Rex smiled a little wistfully to himself, before continuing "Thankfully I never was humiliated like that again by the CCs, thanks to Cody's help, but it didn't make the long necks go any easier on us. One day during a training session, they accidentally turned on too many droids. They had already been giving us a more challenging test than usual, as it was one designed for the CC cadets, but they wanted to see if there was anything else unusual about my batch aside from our hair color. "
Fives was sitting on the edge of his seat, fully engaged in the story as a hint of pride seeped into Rex's voice, tinged with what almost sounded like a bittersweet nostalgia." We were already down three members, due to previous injuries. They were pinned near the back of the arena, and we were near the front. We hadn't meant to get separated, but we couldn't go back because of the droids separating us. Me and my last brother had to complete the first version of the citadel test, before it was modified. I was the one who volunteered to be the distraction while my brother went for the light, but he was shot down. I had managed to take out the droids, and it was simply the towers that were still firing at me. I ended up drawing their fire away so my brother could get away, as I did volunteer to be the distraction. I ended up modifying a CC tactic Cody had taught me to work for one person, involving jump cables and a detonator, but it worked and got me on top of the tower. Still not entirely sure how to this day it did, but it worked. Since I had passed the test, it was decided that my batch would be put into CC training alongside the others.
It was at my graduation from training that the Mandalorian trainers awarded me the jaig eyes. They had been watching me from that moment they told me, and I had proven myself worthy of them for how I refused to turn my back on my brother, volunteered myself, and managed to creatively save the mission. They waited until I finished training to make sure I was actually worth it apparently. "
Rex sat back in his chair, his story finished. He was watching Fives's reaction, as a mixture of shock and awe flitted across Fives's face. It was a few seconds before Fives managed to say "Wow. That's incredible sir…I can't imagine how difficult that must have been. My batch had some similar problems… but nothing on that scale."
Rex looked at him curiously, so Fives felt the need to explain. The story just came pouring out of him, about the bullying, the fighting within the group, how they retook the test and eventually passed… Rex simply sat and listened intently, his eyes locked on Fives's face, nodding occasionally until Fives fell silent after he mentioned Rishi.
There was a lump building in his throat, and he vowed not to cry or let his voice break in front of his captain. The stories of their training had been bittersweet, because they had overcome so much together and learned so much, but now they were gone. Rex seemed to realize it, and gently asked "So the other brothers… Hevy… that was the rest of your batch wasn't it?"
Fives nodded, looking down. Rex made a small hum of agreement, before he said quietly to himself "Guess I was right"
Fives looked over at him in confusion, before Rex sighed and ran a hand over his face. He explained "I figured that was why you were here. Though I have to admit I'm a little surprised Echo isn't here with you. I put the pieces together by how you Echo and Hevy interacted. I'm sorry"
Fives fell silent. He searched Rex's face, before saying quietly "I don't think Echo is taking it well… I don't know how to help him. It just worries me a little bit."
Rex folded his hands on his desk and leaned his chin on them, lost in thought. It was a heartbeat before he responded, and when he did his voice was heavy with sadness "Honestly Fives, there's not much you can do. Just be there for him, let him know he's not alone. He still has you, and now you have the rest of the battalion looking out for you both. It will take time, but he'll be okay. He's strong."
Fives nodded in agreement, but something was nagging him. It had almost seemed like it was a dismissal, but he was still confused. Carefully, he asked "Thanks sir… but what happened to your batch? You mentioned them, but didn't say what happened in the end. Why did you tell me the story?"
Rex gave him a small smile, but it was hiding pain. Letting out a breath, he said softly "I told you the story because I knew you were curious, and I realized that we are pretty alike. Everyone is a shiny at some point. As soon as we graduated, my batch and I were sent in and… well, I'm the last one left. I get it, and I've been in your shoes before. I know what it feels like."
Fives sat back, slightly stunned. Rex had averted his eyes, not meeting Fives's face. Fives hadn't realized how personal this was for Rex, and felt bad for bringing it up. As he opened his mouth to apologize for bringing up painful memories, Rex turned back around to look at him. His face was sympathetic as he said "Don't worry. It's been a long time, I'm fine. It just takes time."
Fives nodded, and moved to stand up. His head was buzzing with the new knowledge, but the tightness and nervousness in his chest had loosened. Talking to Rex had helped, and he thought he could better comfort Echo now. It would get easier, especially now that he knew Rex had their backs. As he made his way to the door, he paused. He wasn't sure if this would be overstepping his boundaries, but felt he had to offer Rex something, some support in return.
Steeling himself as he began to open the door, Fives said quietly "And captain? Thanks. I know it's not the same, but if you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to me. You don't have to do this all alone either."
Rex hesitated for a second, almost shocked, before he nodded a thanks and Fives ducked out of the room before he could embarrass himself further. The nod was enough confirmation for him that he hadn't overstepped, but he wanted to get out of there before things got more awkward. However, he missed the small soft smile that had crept onto Rex's face as the door slid shut.
Standing outside the door, his chest heaving with what he had just done, Fives tried to reign his scattered thoughts in order as he checked the ship wall to see what time it was. It was well into the ship's night cycle, and as Fives began to quickly walk back towards the bunks he hoped Rex wouldn't make a big deal of it and simply chalk it up to Fives being sleep deprived or something. It wasn't until he got back to the bunks and curled up next to Echo's sleeping form that he was able to relax and completely banish the thoughts swirling around his head. Whatever happened, they would get through it. It would be fine.