Part 1 - Growing Pains

Summary: Ahsoka experiences growing pains and can't sleep. Rex offers some advice and helps to remedy the situation.

Ahsoka groaned as she turned over on her bedroll. She couldn't sleep, and her body hurt all over. It wasn't from a recent battle or intense training exercise. The 501st had landed on the rocky planet Tulkarr close to nightfall, and did nothing but set up camp upon their arrival. She knew why her entire body ached. It was growing pains. Ahsoka was excited to have grown 2 inches in the last few months, but her stiff joints and constantly throbbing lekku said otherwise. Admitting defeat, the Togruta stood up and headed to the rations tent for a cup of water.

"Going for a midnight stroll?" Ahsoka was startled when a large white lump tucked under a protruding boulder spoke to her. Ahsoka's eyes adjusted to the darkness to reveal Captain Rex laying on his bedroll.

"I couldn't sleep," Ahsoka replied. "Was going to get some water. Sorry if I woke you."

"Don't worry, you didn't," Rex sat up. Ahsoka noticed he was still in his armor. (She found it so strange than some of the troopers slept in their armor. It must not be comfortable.) "Writing up those recon reports for Cody and General Kenobi took forever. I just turned in." Rex looked Ahsoka up and down and a frown formed on his face. "You look miserable, kid, are you alright?"

"It's nothing serious," Ahsoka said. "Just growing pains... haven't been able to sleep the past few nights. It's worst in my lekku. They've been throbbing like crazy and giving me a major headache."

Rex chuckled. "Ah, I know about growing pains. Don't miss those days."

"You do?" Ahsoka asked. Rex nodded and patted the space next to him for Ahsoka to sit. She obliged.

"Accelerated aging, remember? We clones grow twice as fast as regular humans. There was a time, I must had been about seven or eight, I grew about four inches in three weeks. Felt like my skeleton was trying to rip out of my skin."

"That sounds awful!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "I'm sorry you all have to go through that. Mine isn't nearly as bad." She rubbed a lekku sympathetically.

"We managed," Rex replied. "There's a bunch of remedies that help to ease the pain. Definitely ask Kix for some meds, he'll know what to give you. Stay hydrated, it helps. Maybe carry an extra canteen just in case." Rex was counting the pieces of advice on his fingers. "Warm water helps too. Not that we have many opportunities to soak in a hot bath... but maybe wrap some hot rags around the worst areas, like your lekku. And massage the area, loosen up those muscles. We uh," Rex scratched his chin. "For lack of a better phrase, we used to have... massage parties..."

Ahsoka stifled a giggle. "Massage parties?" She repeated. "Did you paint each other's nails too?" Rex gave her a pointed look and Ahsoka put her hands up in defense. "Sorry! Just joking. I think it's incredibly sweet that your brothers always help each other out, even for something like that."

Rex smiled and nodded. A beat of silence passed between them, then the clone ran a hand through his closely buzzed hair. "If you want," he began, "I can give you one now... maybe it'll help you get to sleep."

Ahsoka smiled at the captain's awkwardness and sincerity. "That would be great, thank you!" she chimed. She scooted closer to face him, legs tucked beneath her and hands in her lap.

Rex gave her a puzzled look. "Umm, are you gonna turn around?"

"Well, you're gonna massage my lekku, right?" Ahsoka looked at him expectantly.

"Err... sure, yeah I can." Rex sat on his knees and gently turned Ahsoka so she was directly in front of him. He raised a hand to his chin and stroked it in a Kenobi-esque fashion. "I'll do my best, but obviously clones don't have lekku, so tell me if I... do something I shouldn't."

Rex gingerly lifted a lekku in his hands. Ahsoka noticed how extremely careful he was not to touch her chest. She could almost roll her eyes at how gentlemanly he was. He took it between both hands and rolled it like a baker rolls a string of dough. Gently at first, he gradually rolled harder.

"Let me know if it's too much pressure." Rex said.

Ahsoka felt awkward looking at Rex when he was this close to her, so she chose to look out into their dark surroundings. "Mmm, no that's fine," she replied. It actually felt really good. The throbbing in the lekku Rex was handling was nearly gone, and her headache had started to dissipate.

Not to mention it started to make her feel... warm and tingly. Rex's hands running over her lekku were sending tiny jolts of electricity down Ahoska's spine. Although she was feeling more relaxed, her heart started to race. Ahsoka had heard rumors that lekku were a pleasure zone for Togrutas. Did Rex know that? The thought made a blush creep to her cheeks that she hoped he didn't see in the darkness. She was never really educated on the biology of Togrutas. The only other member of her species in the Jedi temple was Shaak Ti, who was away on Kamino most of the time and otherwise waaaay too monk-like and matronly to be asked such intimate questions.

Ahsoka decided to close her eyes and let out a tiny sigh of content. Rex stopped for a moment, not knowing how to judge her reaction. Without opening a eye, Ahsoka mumbled, "It's working, keep going."

Rex continued his ministrations. He worked her other lekku the same way for a while, then began rubbing her temples and forehead, making his way up to her montrals. Ahsoka cracked an eye open to watch him, his face full of concentration, eyebrows knitted and tongue sticking slightly out the side of his mouth.

Ahsoka smiled slightly at his dedication. It was adorable. He was adorable. Ahsoka had always liked Rex more than the other men in the 501st. It was obvious why - she had spent more time with him during battles and missions than any other clone, and had seen what a great captain and leader he was. They had become pretty good friends since their first meeting on Christophsis.

But now that Rex was inches from her face, running his hands all over her lekku, making her heart race and her skin prickle with excitement, Ahsoka couldn't help but notice other things about Rex. Like how handsome he was. Sure, he shared a face with 3 million other men just like him, but there was something special about Rex. Maybe it was his hair. Ahsoka was always intrigued by Rex's hairstyle. Blonde was an odd color choice for someone like Rex, and he kept it so shortly buzzed, she wondered why he even bothered to color it. She figured he must have to cut and color it every week. Despite this, the hairstyle suited him perfectly. Or maybe it was his eyes. One thing Ahsoka noticed about clone troopers were their eyes. They were brown, but the exact shade was not identical between clones. It was a trait that Ahsoka genuinely appreciated about clones. It made them unique from birth. Rex's were a shade of amber, and on the occasion that Ahsoka saw him in the sun without his helmet, there were specks of gold that flickered in them. She saw some of those specks now from the faint glow of the moon above them. Then there was his physique. Tall, muscular, literally engineered to be the finest specimen of man in the galaxy. The Togruta's heart beat even faster.

"Feel any better, Commander?" Rex pulled Ahsoka back to reality. He scooted back from her, finished with his handiwork.

Ahsoka tried to brush off the lingering tingly sensation she felt and the blush that was definitely burning her cheeks. "Loads better!" She ran a hand over her lekku, the throbbing pain in them gone, along with her headache. "Thanks Rex, you're a miracle worker." She leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug.

Rex stiffened for a moment, then relaxed and patted Ahsoka awkwardly on the back. "Erm... anytime kid. Happy to help." They released the hug. "Make sure you get that cup of water before heading back to bed," Rex instructed as Ahsoka rose to her feet.

Ahsoka nodded in agreement. "I will. Thanks again."

"Oh, and Commander," Rex ran a hand nervously through his hair again. Ahsoka swore she could see him blushing, even in the darkness. "Maybe we shouldn't tell General Skywalker about this."

Her stomach fluttered. She knew it was going to start doing that a lot more now. "That's probably a good idea."