"Stay together—"

Rex cursed as he felt Fives jerk back. Turning around to see if the ARC was alright, Rex kept one eye on the battlefield. Then his heart dropped into his stomach.

"Fives," Rex yelled out as he watched the ARC's knees buckle.

Rex could hear his heart in his ears as he shot one last Umbaran before moving over to Fives. The captain wrapped his arms around the ARC's chest, cradling him in his lap.

"Kix! Kix! Medic," Rex screamed out picking up a blaster to protect Fives.

Kix ran across the chaos that was Umbara and skid to halt beside Fives. This wasn't the first time Fives had been hit in the chest, but this shot hit closer to his heart rather than his shoulder.

"Fives! Fives! Fiv'ika! Fiv'ika please," Rex begged as Kix began to get a better look at the burning hole in Fives' armor.

"Rex we need to get him out of the line of fire. Help me with this," Kix spoke calmly, but his hands were shaking as he pulled off Fives' helmet.

Rex nodded and helped Kix drag the ARC to the tree line away from the battle. Blood was pooling from Fives' mouth in a dark crimson color. The amount of it is what chilled Rex's veins once they got Fives to safety. They set Fives against a tree so that Kix could get to work. The ARC reached out with a shaking hand and Rex took it quickly. He tightened his grip on Fives' hand as the ARC began to slip from consciousness.

"Rex go! I'll take care of him. You need to go. The battalion needs you. I have Fives," Kix spoke as he began to pull off the ARC's armor.

"Right. Stay with me Fiv'ika. Stay with me," Rex spoke gripping the ARC's hand tightly his voice shaking before he ran back into the battle.

Rex did his best to keep as many of his men alive while they took down Umbarans. Bolt after bolt the Umbarans fell until only the 501st was standing. The captain turned to look over his men doing a mental head count before turning his head in the direction of Kix and Fives. Fives—dare he even think it— was limp enough that it made Rex's breathing hitch, but Kix continued working. Every once in a while the medic would lift his hand up to the ARC's pulse point then get back to work.

Kix called over one of the other medics to help him finally once he stopped bandaging Fives up. The two medics clipped on his armor for him before getting him onto a stretcher. Rex tensed up when the chief medical officer walked over to him.

"I managed to stop the bleeding in time, but I don't know if…. We're on the battlefield right now Rex. I can't say he's gonna be alright," Kix swallowed heavily glancing in the direction where the other medic took Fives.

Rex didn't say a word, but gave a small terse nod. He opened his mouth to say something when the voice of a certain jedi cut him off.

"CT-7567 do you have a malfunction! You should have pushed the enemy back! Now we have even more enemy ground to capture," Krell snarled practically startling the 501st.

"I'm sorry," Rex asked not sure he had heard correctly, because the jedi had used his number.

"CT-7567 are you reading me? We have lost more ground because of your incompetence to not press the enemy," Krell shouted this time anger clear in his voice.

"Sir, had we pushed forward our casualties would have been even higher. General Skywalker's plan was to attack the city's sides in waves not full on," Rex spoke carefully not liking Krell's tone.

"Well I am not Skywalker, clone. There is a reason I am so efficient on the battlefield, and your feeble mindedness will not change that. We're moving forwards," Krell narrowed his eyes at Rex venom dripping in his tone.

Rex clenched his jaw as Krell walked away. Push the enemy? I just lost my ARC trooper and right hand to this ambush! How many more of us are you trying to get killed?! Rex huffed lightly shaking his head.

"Sir, orders," Dogma asked quietly.

"We'll push forward. I don't like it, but something tells me we don't want to be on Krell's bad side," Rex nodded and marched forward tightening his grip on his decees.

/

Fives blinked awake slowly. There were voices around him clearly, but he couldn't tell what was being said. Groaning lightly the ARC trooper tried to sit up to see what was going on when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Woah woah easy there, sir. Shockcharge go get Kix and the captain," came a younger brother's voice.

"Where are we," Fives croaked out the metallic taste of blood still in his mouth as he licked his lips.

"Couple of clicks out from that ambush. You've been out for nearly an hour and a half. You scared the cap' pretty bad, ner vod," the younger medic spoke keeping the ARC down.

"Kriff," Fives cursed quietly pushing the medic off of him with ease and sitting up.

"Sir you shouldn't be—"

"Fives!"

Said ARC trooper turned his head seeing Rex bolting over to him relief clear in his stance even if he couldn't see the captain's expression. Once Rex reached him Fives slipped off the stretcher slowly. The blonde wrapped a hand around the ARC's upper arm when Fives stumbled lightly.

"Oh look I'm swooning," Fives joked lightly trying to ease the mood and cover up the fact that he nearly just died. Again.

"Yeah I can see that. You swooned so hard it scared the hells out of me. You okay? Can you fight," Rex snorted lightly not buying the joke, but happy to play along as he looked over his ARC.

"Yeah. Yeah I can fight. I'll do my best not to be overly reckless," Fives nodded glancing at Kix who was about to object.

Kix gave a frustrated sigh and shook his head, but never said anything. What did I expect? He's an ARC.

"Good. I need you," Rex nodded and rested his helmet against Fives' in the same bump before they dropped.

Fives moved one hand up to grab ahold of Rex's upper arm leaning into the helmet bump lightly before Rex pulled away.

"We should get moving before frog-face comes over here and starts yelling," Fives said not even bothering to hide the nickname for Krell.

The ARC could have sworn he heard Dogma and Tup gasp and snicker.