Haiii it's been a while hasn't it? Well currently been having a new hyperfixation as of late. A certain awesome animated show called Clone Wars! So expect some stories and drabbles featuring Ani, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Cody, Rex and allll the clone bois alongside my regular stories.

New year; new me! And new stories! And to start off the new year, a tooth rotting brotherly fluff fic! Cuz I think the clone bois really deserve to have soft fluffy moments with each other. Warning: this is a tickle fic. Anywho enjoy!

A Different Kind of Clone War

Maybe this was a bad idea. But it couldn't get any worse from here right? Wrong! That's what Arc Trooper Echo was currently thinking as he nervously scrolled through his datapad, pretending to read it as he cautiously walked through the empty hallway.

He was on high alert; looking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being stalked. Anytime he passed another one of his clone brothers, he stepped aside just in case they might try to jump him. He really could not trust anybody at this point. Not even his Captain!

This was a Clone War, alright. But a different kind of Clone War...

One week earlier

Arc Troopers Fives and Echo had just come out of the mess hall, walking together back to the barracks to recharge for the night. They were suddenly on high alert battle mode when they heard a familiar scream of their young Commander. Both troopers had their blasters armed and ready in the next second.

"Quickly, Fives!" Echo urged as they ran in the direction of the scream. "She could be in trouble!"

Both troopers slowed down when they heard...laughter? They both cautiously peeked into the room where Commander Tano was currently sparring with General Skywalker. Except she was on the floor with a smile plastered on her face, breathy giggles spilling from her lips.

Anakin smirked and offered a hand to help her up. "Maybe that'll teach you to never underestimate me?"

"You so cheated! That was an unfair move!" Ahsoka giggled out. Her Jedi master simply shrugged.

"Gotta be prepared for any kind of surprise attack, Snips. What happens if the Separatists try this move on you to get information out of you? Gotta withstand anything they throw at you."

"But the Separatists are never going to tickle me! That's dumb!"

"You know what else is dumb? The fact that you never try and stop me whenever I manage to tickle you." Anakin smirked again.

Ahsoka flushed and averted her gaze. "That's not true..."

"What, do you perhaps...like being tickled, Snips?"

"I-I..." Ahsoka made a little flustered noise and blushed; her orange cheeks darkening to blood orange.

"Okay, fine," she admitted with a soft sigh. "It's just...going into the training to become a Jedi at a young age...it doesn't quite leave any room for you to do 'normal things' that people my age do. Don't get me wrong, I love being a Jedi in training. One day, I hope to be able to end this galactic war and keep maintaining the peace like Master Yoda and Master Plo encourage me to do.

But...I can't help but feel like during the years of my training, I've missed out on a lot of things. And well, part of me kind of wishes I could experience more of that. Even if it's childish. Is that bad?"

Anakin wore a sad smile. "Ahsoka, I understand. Believe me, I get it. Yes, being a Jedi gives you responsibilities and makes you mature faster than you would expect, but that doesn't mean that you can't have fun at the same time. There will be times where you have to be responsible and do your part, but there also will be times where you can drop the serious act and loosen up."

He smirked again. "Like this, for example, this is the perfect time for you not to have to be the 'serious Jedi' everyone expects you to be." He reached his hands out and poked her sides repeatedly.

Ahsoka curled in on herself and giggled. "H-Hey! Wahahahait! So nohohohot fair! Heheeheehee!"

"Hm you're right; this is unfair. Perhaps I should give you another lesson in Force training that I discovered you could do. Obi-Wan taught me this actually, heh." Anakin faintly blushed, remembering that particular incident that was used against him.

He released his hold on her sides and instead reached a hand out and fluttered his fingers. Ahsoka shot him a confused look before she startled both Domino twins—who were still spying curiously at the doorway—as she collapsed to the floor hugging her middle, giggling and squealing hysterically.

"What? Feels worse than my fingers?" The older Jedi teased.

Ahsoka nodded frantically, kicking her legs. "Eeeeeheeheeheehee!! W-Whahahahat is thahahahat?! I-It reaheeheeheeheally tihihihickles!!"

"Force tickles, Snips. Heh, did you know you can actually do that through the Force?" Anakin asked casually, as if he wasn't currently tickling his Padawan who was still squealing laughter.

"N-Nohoho I dihihihidn't!! EEEEE! A-Anakin, s-stohohohop!! I-It's too tihihihihicklish!!"

Said Jedi stopped his attack and leaned down to give some comforting head pats to his panting Padawan. "Heh you get used to it, Snips. Try being in my shoes and having Obi-Wan constantly messing with me with those Force tickles every time we meditate together."

Ahsoka looked up with a rare playful twinkle in her eye. "Oh..? So...that means...it works on you too? It means..." She gasped with a trademark gremlin grin that made Anakin suddenly nervous. "You're ticklish, Skyguy!"

"W-What?! No, no, of course not!" he said a little too quickly. "Who told you that? That's a lie!"

Ahsoka tapped her chin. "Huh..that's funny you should say that. Because I think I remember not too long ago...that Padme and even Obi-Wan said something about your...physical sensitivity."

Anakin blushed at the mention of Padme. He couldn't believe she would throw him under the bus like that! Oh, he was so getting her back later.

"...I wonder if I'm able to do that as well!"

Anakin blinked. "Huh?"

"The Force tickling!" Ahsoka beamed. "I wonder if I'll be able to master it as well? Then maybe you will learn not to underestimate me."

Skywalker scoffed. "Puh-leez! This...Force tickling is not an easy thing to master, Ahsoka. Just like all your other training exercises, it takes years to master even a single—" He didn't get to finish his sentence, however, as the ever so mischievous Ahsoka Tano concentrated with her hand...reached through the Force with that same fluttery finger moment...and—

"H-Hehehey! Snips, stahahahp ihihihit!"

Bingo. "What was that you said, Master?" Now it was Ahsoka's turn to be snarky. "It took 'years and years' to master something like this?"

"Y-You stihihihill have a lahaha—long ways to gohoho!"

"Oh! Then maybe I should practice more on you!"

"Nonono wait-! AAAA! A-Ahsokaaahahahaha!! C-Cut ihihihit ahahaha—out!!"

The Domino twins watched in awe at what was happening: Ahsoka was tickling her Jedi teacher through the Force? Echo and Fives, like the rest of the clones, didn't know much about the ways of the Force. Just that it was a Jedi thing that enabled them to lift things, choke people, and sense when something was off. This, however, was a totally new and intriguing discovery for them.

The even more intriguing discovery was watching how this so-called tickling played out: one person softly touched the other in a way that made them laugh? Can such a soft touch make someone laugh?

This was so alien to them. As living beings bred and engineered simply for battle, and nonstop training their whole lives, tickling was never introduced to them. Not even on Kamino. The only forms of touch they knew was the warm touch of a heated medical patch or a cold ice pack. Or a warm pat to the shoulder or head. And of course, physical pain from injuries. That was it. No in between.

How could such soft touches and pokes feel funny to the point where it made someone laugh? It just didn't make any sense.

Back inside the barracks, both Arc Troopers couldn't shake off what they had just witnessed.

"Hey, Echo? Do you um...do you think that maybe we..? We might be..."

"If we might be ticklish like Commander Tano and General Skywalker?" Echo finished his twin's thought.

"Yeah. Do you think we are?"

"Hard to say. Such a thing was never addressed to us since our earliest days back on Kamino. And it is possible that the Kaminoan scientists could've taken out that trait to make us more fit to be the perfect soldiers."

"Oh yeah, you're right." Fives' scrunched up his face. "Still...something tells me that that particular thing might not be totally gone. At least not all of it? I mean, don't our nerves work two ways? If you can feel pain then...you gotta feel tickling, right?"

As Echo pondered deep in thought to answer that question, Fives grew impatient. He wanted answers. He was going to test his theory now. Without wasting another second, he experimentally poked Echo in the side and both Arc's eyes widened in surprise at the instant reaction: Echo flinched and squeaked.

Said clone rubbed his side where he had been poked. Before he could open his mouth to scold at his brother, Fives poked him again except this time his finger stayed glued to his twin's side; poking just as he saw Anakin do to Ahsoka.

Fortunately for Fives, both clones had already shed off their armor and were in their Republic blacks. It was unfortunate for Echo since he now no longer had any protection to protect his rather sensitive side.

"F-Fives! H-Hang on..! That's hahaheheh...it's..."

"What? Ticklish?" Fives grinned like the troublemaker he was.

Something about that teasing tone made Echo crack. He sputtered out giggles and quickly covered his mouth as not to disturb the rest of their sleeping brothers. But it was becoming difficult to keep quiet as the pokes to his side continued. And worse, Fives was enjoying himself too much so he brought his other hand into the mix and was now rapidly poking both sides.

Echo's knees were becoming weak. Stumbling backwards with both hands still covering his mouth, he flopped onto his bunk with his brother towering over him.

Fives just tilted his head like a curious puppy. "I wonder where else we can be ticklish? What about...oh! What about here?" He grabbed his vod's wrist and tugged it upwards a little to clumsily scribble his fingers under Echo's arm. For someone who didn't know what tickling was until a few minutes ago, Fives was scarily good at it, Echo thought.

"Pffhrk! HahAhahaha!! Fives, nohohoho! Stohohop ihihihihit!"

After enduring that wholesome experiment for nearly five minutes, Echo was left a panting mess on his bunk. But Fives wasn't done. "Ooh! Do you think the rest of our brothers are ticklish?"

"W-Wait, Fives, don't e-even think about it!" Echo gasped out.

No one got much sleep that night in the barracks. For the first time in a lifetime, the clone barracks were filled with smiles and squealing giggles. Just pure wholesome, brotherly happiness.

Fast forward a week later, and suddenly tickle sneak attacks were now a thing aboard the base. It was brothers against brothers; no one was safe. And it was all because Fives' curiosity about tickling initiated a playful war amongst the 501st. He had started a game with the rest of his brothers on who would be able to tickle the entire 501st fleet first without getting tickled back.

And everyone was hooked and competitive already on day one. Points were given on who successfully sneaked some tickles to their unsuspecting brother, and points were deducted when their sneak attacks were unsuccessful or if they got tickled back before they could make their move.

And amidst it all, Echo was the score keeper. Although he tried not to be involved in this tickle war—especially become a victim of it with the excuse of "Well somebody's gotta keep track of the points!"—in the end, he always got jumped.

Which brought him to where he was now: walking through the hallways, trying to avoid the rest of his brothers as he read through a battle plan on the data pad he was going to deliver to Rex. He couldn't concentrate though with the giddy anticipation that he might be jumped at any moment.

And speak of the Sith, that's just what happened. Fives jumped around a corner in front of him, startling his twin. "Waaah!" Within the next second, he was already giggling madly as Fives fluttering his fingers rapidly against both sides of his neck.

"A-Aaah! Hehehehe! F-Fihihihves!"

"You're just lucky you have your armor on," Fives said over his brother's loud giggles. "Otherwise, I could've tickled you way way worse! But looks like I get another point for today! Yes!"

"Stahahahap it!" Echo backed himself against the wall, trying to swat Fives away with the datapad. "I-I hahahave to deliver thihihihis to Rehehex!"

Fives halted his attack. "Oooh! Speaking of Rex, Jesse and I came up with this brilliant idea to go against the Captain!"

"The...what...what do you mean..?" Echo panted.

Fives beamed. "Since this is technically an all out war between all of the 501st, that means we gotta go after Rex too!"

Echo paled. "We are not tickling Captain Rex."

"Heck yeah we are! And we need you for this!"

"Oh no. No, no, no. Do not drag me into one of your childish schemes again. Especially when I know Jesse's involved."

"C'mon, Echo! Rex trusts you the most out of all of us. And with you talking to him as a distraction, Jesse and I can have him on the floor in ten seconds flat!"

Echo blinked. "Wait, what? You mean to tell me the both of you are attempting to take our captain down?

"Well duh," Fives shrugged. "He's the Captain. Have you seen him? It's gonna take teamwork to take him down."

"You know what Rex will do to you if you dare try to attack him that way. He might have your hide or worse. Might I also remind you that everyone who's ever attempted to tickle the Captain recently was nearly murdered by him?"

Fives scoffed. "Oh please, you're exaggerating. Just be our distraction, will ya? Pleeeease?" He flashed his twin a pleading puppy eyes stare.

Echo groaned. He could never say no to his brother when he gave him That Look. "Fine. But if Rex asks, I was never a part of this. Got that?"

"Loud and clear, vod."

"Echo, what brings you here?" Rex's gaze softened as the Arc Trooper entered his quarters.

Said trooper waved his datapad. "Just bringing in those battle plans you wanted to review, sir."

"Ah, yes. Thank you for that, by the way. I'm surprised you can still keep up with data reports with all the childish chaos happening around you."

"Er...what chaos, sir?"

Rex flashed him a smirk. "You know, that little game that Fives started involving tickling? I've lost track of how many times Fives and some of the others had tried to get me."

"Oh. Well that must be frustrating." Echo faintly blushed, remembering the times he got tickle jumped by either Fives or one of his other brothers. His shoulders stiffened when he noticed the air vents door above Rex be removed, and his twins head cautiously peer down.

"What?" Rex noticed his younger brother's gaze. "Is something wrong?" He looked behind him, but saw the vent duct in tact.

"Uh, n-no nothing wrong, sir. Sorry...just a little paranoid being a walking target."

"Yeah, I know," Rex chuckled. "You seem to be a common target between your brothers; your screeching laughter really gives it away every time."

Echo blushed with a sheepish frown. How embarrassing for his own Captain, his older vod, to hear him in such a vulnerable state. Sure, there were times where Rex got to see him go along with Fives' silly shenanigans, but he still had a reputation to maintain around his commanding officers! "I-I guess so, yes. Sorry you have to be victim of this playful war, Rex."

Rex waved it off. "Eh its alright. Funny how the rest of your brothers actually think they can make me become their next victim." He chuckled. "I'd like to see them try and jump me."

As he was talking, Echo noticed the vent duct be popped off again. He did his best not to look up and jeopardize Fives and Jesse's little sneak attack. He could've ratted them both out right then and there, but a small part of him wanted to see if his brothers' crazy plan would work. He had to admit, tickling the Captain would be a funny thing to see. He was always so serious, and really deserved to have a moment to let loose and laugh. Even if it was forcibly.

Keeping his promise, Echo kept Rex busy by continuing to converse with him. Fives and Jesse were inching closer, ready to pounce and—

"GOTCHA!"

"Aaaahh!!"

Fives and Jesse managed to successfully tackle their ori'vod, making him yelp in surprise. Rex squirmed and grunted underneath their hold. "Fives! Jesse! What is the meaning of this?! Get off me, now!"

"Sorry, Cap, no can do," Jesse said with an evil grin.

"Haha yes! Finally got him! Thanks, Echo!"

Rex sputtered. "Echo?! You were in on this?"

Now it was Echo's turn to sputter. "N-No! Of course not! I didn't even know they were plotting against you!"

Rex flashed him that older sibling glare and growled. "Oh, you are in so much trouble for this! When I get up, you are going—" His words got caught in his throat as he felt this funny fluttery feeling on both sides of his neck. It was a soft fuzzy feeling, almost made him want to scratch with his fingers, but at the same time...it made him want to laugh? The urge to laugh bubbled in the pit of his stomach, and his lips curled into a grin. "Both of you..! S-StAhap this!"

"Oh my stars, did your voice just crack, Rex?!"

"This is so out of character for you, vod. I love it!"

Rex tried to throw off his two brothers, but for some reason his strength was leaving him. Of all his battle experiences and training, nothing prepared him for this type of attack. He didn't understand this; how were these soft touches and scribbles to his neck rendering him to this helpless state? He was normally strong enough to throw off opponents that were bigger than him, but right now luck was not on his side. Still, he was the 501st captain! He couldn't let this ridiculous child's play be the end of him! He stubbornly clamped his mouth shut, refusing to let the bubbling giggles in his throat spill.

Fives and Jesse seemed to notice, and decided to switch tactics. Things got a whole lot worse for the poor captain when both troopers managed to worm their fingers between the armor plating under his arms to wiggle their fingers against the unprotected skin. Of course, the only protection Rex had were his blacks underneath his trooper armor, but it didn't protect him enough from the tickling sensations that evidently made him crack.

"M-Mhmhmhmhm! Hrkgh..! Hhnghehehehehhee!! F-Fihihihves!!Jahahaha—Jesse!! Stahahahp thihihis ahahaha—at once!!" Poor Rex couldn't do anything to defend himself. He couldn't even hide his blushing face as he was pinned on his back. He could only continue to laugh himself silly and kick his legs in an attempt to bear these ticklish feelings that buzzed through his nervous system like Force Lightning.

Ignoring their brother's plea, both clones kept scribbling their fingers under Rex's arms to keep him laughing. They were even evil enough to each grab a wrist and tug it upwards to keep tickling under his arms as he defensively brought his arms down to his sides.

"A-Aaah! No! Nononono!" Rex panicked as he felt his arms being pulled up. "I'll hahahahave you courtmartialed for thihihis!! You heheheeheehee—hear me?! E-Echo! Echohoho!!Mahahahake them stAhahahaaap!!"

And Echo...Echo didn't even try and help his captain. He simply stood there, secretly recording the playful scene. He figured this was going to be the only time he was ever going to see Rex laugh so freely and childlike so why not record this sweet little moment? Besides, he had to show the rest of the guys this. They would never believe him that he heard Rex actually laugh without any proof.

The moment was short lived as Rex managed to kick Jesse off through his giggly induced state. All three troopers stepped back. Clearly, this wasn't part of the plan. Despite being a panting mess, the 501st captain was on his feet and giving all three troopers a cold glare that quickly softened to a playful one. "You...You three all have...three seconds...to run." That was enough for the three troopers to high tail it out of there while shrieking in unison.

"Echo, were you recording me?!"

"I-It's nothing personal, sir! Just to remember this lovely moment!"

"Oh, I'll give you something lovely to remember! C'mere!"

"AAAAAAHHH!!"

Oh well. So their plan to tickle attack Captain Rex backfired heavily. Still worth the risk! And worth the tickly consequences as each trooper was hunted down individually, and Rex got his brotherly revenge on them all. He had to send a clear message to his men: no one tickles the captain and gets away with it!

Nevertheless, the tickly Clone Wars still continued on. Even Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile and watch their clone friends engage in their playful banter. They were finally getting a chance to experience something other than injuries and war.

THE END :3