p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rex knocked on the door, scratching his neck. He had planned to leave his helmet on whenever he was with him to show him how unnerving that was, but he didn't think the man cared, and wasn't sure if he could wear his helmet /"Enter."br /He pushed the door open, and his curiosity was wasted. It was horribly plain. A mattress on the floor and a chair with a small table. He had no light but for his window and a tiny fresher. The guard was seated in his chair. He was swaying slightly, and Rex crossed his /"General Skywalker explained a bit of why you wanted me to assist you and left the decision to me. To be blunt, sir, I'm not sure why you would want me over a healer, but, I'd be happy to help part of the week if that's alright. I don't get shore leave often. How often did you want me?"br /The guard didn't budge, and after a moment looked at the /"If you could assist in changing bandages in the morning and in the evening that should suffice. But I can get a healer."br /Even through the modulation Rex could hear a hint of /"I can be here more often, I'm happy to, sir."br /He didn't reply and Rex sighed. "I asked my medic for some training, I should be able to help easily."br /He nodded once, and Rex knelt before him, removing his helmet. He felt exposed, and knew the guard was watching him carefully. He'd never seen Rex without his helmet, and although he was a clone, he felt exposed. He untied the guard's boot from his calf, blood having seeped through the bandage. Rex opened Kix's med kit, grabbing the bacta spray. He checked his Chrono. "What time do you typically retire?"br /He was getting used to the silences. "1800."br /Rex nodded. It was roughly that time so he began to peel the bandage. He felt the guard tense, the fabric of the chair giving under his curling /"I'm sorry."br /The fabric had healed into the wound a little, and he used the spray to loosen it. When it finally gave way, he saw the wound was wide open, muscle visible. Bile rose in his /"Sir, did you have this treated?"br /He shook his head. "I cannot."br /"What? Why?"br /"I possess the ability to self heal."br /"How long does that take?"br /It was as if he didn't hear /"I-" he hesitated. "I can do it."br /Rex stared into the wound. "With all due respect, sir, getting this treated would make a world of difference."br /He seemed to /"I could have my medic do it. They'd never know."br /He looked down, and for a moment Rex was afraid he'd insulted him. "Not that you need-"br /"I cannot."br /His tone was final and Rex nodded, spraying the wound. He'd caught him by surprise and he let out a small /"I'm sorry." He sprayed it again and dabbed around it. He rebandaged it and sighed. "I'll talk to my medic again. I thought it was stitched."br /He didn't reply, taking shaking /"Is there anything I can get you?"br /"What time do you want me here in the morning? 5 or will you sleep later being off duty?"br /"I do not think I'll need assistance in the morning."br /"Sir, your leg is wide open."br /" I will be alright."br /"I'll be here at 5, don't get up without me."br /He put out his hand. "You aren't going to let me help you change are you?"br /He stood. "no."br /He helped him to the bed, tossing his shoes across the room. "Don't get up until I'm here."br /He shut the door before he could answer, sighing. He'd offended him, and now he was trying to get rid of him. Rex was a little irritated he had to spend his entire shore leave in the temple guard, people who never moved or spoke or even ate, but for this guard to ask Anakin if Rex could stay, he must have been desperate for someone, and Rex was that someone. Why was he searching for companionship now? And why was he going about it in this way? He could simply go back to being a regular Jedi if he were lonely, right?br /Rex met up with Cody at 79s, telling him the story. Cody ordered another round of drinks and Fives came /"I heard you're stuck with the captain."br /Rex /"he sounds like something is eating him and he sees himself coming around to you." Cody /"It was very strange there. They have… too little."br /"He's probably losing it." Fives said. "He's alone constantly."br /"He doesn't talk to me when I'm there!"br /Cody stared at him. "Rex the mans been alone for who knows how many years and isn't allowed to speak. He's not going to just chat your ear off."br /"He doesn't know if he can trust you either." Fives added. "You could tell on him."br /Rex downed his drink. "I don't know. His leg is blown wide open and he won't do anything about it."br /"Just keep doing what you're doing unless he gets worse. Then call Kix."br /Rex snacked, watching the flow of the room. Was he in some sort of trouble? He knew his imagination was getting away from /"What are you doing on leave?"br /Cody shrugged, "Obi Wan wants to spar, otherwise you're looking at it."br /Fives downed a beer. "I may try to get a girl this go around."br /"You're asking for it." Cody warned, "I can't save you if you get caught."br /Fives waved his concern away like a cloud of smoke. "I have it under control."br /Rex checked his Chrono and slid from the booth. "I have to be up early for his majesty." He touched Cody's shoulder, "I'll catch you tomorrow?"br /He nodded, "come by the barracks after you put the guard to bed, I'll be back from Obi Wan."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rex was up and at his apartment at 445, knowing he'd unlock the door with the force when he was awake. He did, and Rex swept in. There was an immediate change. He could smell blood, the bandage from last night on the floor, bloody handprints on the wall and mattress. There was blood on the floor, and It looked as if he'd crawled across the floor in the night. The captain was sitting in his chair, looking his /"Are you feeling alright?" he asked /He didn't reply, but he was /Rex knelt before him to look at it and sure enough, it was white, puss dripping down his /"This doesn't look good. We have to call someone."br /He didn't /"Sir. I'll call my medic. Hell be quick and discreet. You don't wanna lose that leg."br /He nodded /Rex pulled out his datapad, calling kix./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rex met him down at the /"It's wide open?"br /He nodded. "theres something off here. They're not allowed even the basics. The guy, he's" he shook his head. "You'll see."br /Rex entered first, followed by /"This is kix, my medic."br /He nodded his /"Normally I'd put you out for this big of a wound, so, I'll do my best with the topical."br /He bent down to touch it and it was swollen and angry. He sprayed it with numbing spray and took out his sewing kit. "It's gonna burn on entry and exit but if you're still I can move fast."br /He nodded curtly and Kix sprayed it once more before filling it with bacta and sewing. He was right, he moved incredibly fast with the still Jedi. Clones were strong, but this man was a statue, the reconstruction of his calf nothing to him. He was huffing by the time he was finished, however, but it was clean and /"You shouldn't walk at all, and it needs to be kept clean. You shouldn't be alone too much either. You cannot under any circumstances walk with that, you could destroy skin or spread the infection."br /He nodded. "Thank you."br /Kix nodded. "I'll come look at it in a few days."br /Rex stayed behind. "What can I get you to eat."br /He didn't /"You need nutrition to heal."br /He shook his /"Sir, with all due respect, you need to eat. You didn't eat yesterday either."br /He looked over at him. "I do not think I can, Captain." He stared at him, and his hands had a shake to them. He took his helmet off and began unclipping his armor. The guard stared at /"I'm gonna stay the night."br /"Captain-"br /"You can't be alone like this."br /"Captain, I cannot sleep with you here."br /"You can, I'll face the wall and close my eyes for kriff sake, but if I come back in the morning and you're dead I'll never forgive myself."br /He seemed to be in thought, and Rex pulled the rest of his armor /"If I close my eyes can I help you get out of that?"br /The guard sagged. "I am alright."br /"I'm happy to help."br /He was breathing heavily behind the mask, and Rex watched as he maneuvered out of the top half of the uniform. It was intricate and complex, hailing from ancient times and being of royal descent. He knew he would refuse help if he thought he could do it, so he waited. He saw his olive skin and his scarred forearms, the marks from the bracers angry and puckered. He moved to remove his pants but hissed, unable to do so without putting weight on his /He nodded to Rex and he took his pants at the knees and tugged. He lifted and pulled his pants from him, using the angle to keep it away from his calf. The guard was careful about keeping his underwear on, looking down at his /Rex pulled his boots off and rolled out a spare blanket the guard had next to the bed, facing the /He heard him take the mask off and lie down, and waited a few moments before he slowly turned. He had dark shoulder length hair and was facing the wall, his chest slowly rising and falling. He wouldn't betray him by sneaking over, and he'd probably sense him anyway. He just watched him before drifing to sleep./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rex woke before the guard, typing on his datapad facing the wall. His wavy chestnut hair has fallen over the edge of the bed. He stirred, turning back toward the /"Captain." Hearing the modulator he turned around. "Thank you."br /Rex nodded. "Do you want breakfast? Or a shower?"br /He looked away. "I decided last night that if I didnt improve by morning I would ask you for your medic, kix."br /"You feel terrible don't you?"br /He /"I'll page Kix. You have to tell him how you feel, though, or he can't help you."br /He /Kix came shortly after, more supplies with him. Rex didnt like the look of it. Kix suspected something /"Sir."br /The guard /"What's going on?"br /He shook his head. Irritation rose in Rex's chest, preparing to tell him off, but he shook his head again, trying to /"Captain?" Kix out his hand on his /"I can't breathe." he said it so quietly he thought he'd imagined it, but Rex and kix were on him in the same /"I'm gonna take this off." Rex said, grabbing the /He shook his head and Rex pulled his hand /"This isn't reflective of you, of your abilities or your connection to the force. You need help and you need to take it to survive. Your body is dying." Kix said, his eyes begging for him to /"Besides, we're only clones." Rex smirked, but his heart was pounding at the idea of seeing /He looked at them and nodded, Rex pulling it off. He took a sharp breath, his bright blue eyes finding Kix's. Rex took a step back. His face was sharp and angular, his eyes bluer and lighter than the sky in spring, stark against his tan skin. But his lips were white and torn, dark circles under his eyes. He took another sharp breath, fearfully looking at Kix for /"Slow, slow breaths." The captain took a deep breath, coughing and turning away. Kix listened to his breathing and pulled out a stim. Rex couldn't look away, the man like a light in the /Kix took a blood sample and ran it in his datapad before prepping a few /"I think you have a blood infection, sir." he said, touching his neck and finding his corated artery. He rested his hand on his shoulder while he checked the datapad, the guard watching his hand as if it were on /"Yeah the test agrees. I'm going to get some medication in you."br /He nodded, "thank you." He breathed /"Have you eaten?"br /He shook his head. "I cannot. I'll be sick."br /"Eat something small, I'll get you broth or something. You need something or you'll end up in the medical wing."br /"Ok."br /Kix left them and the guard averted his gaze. Rex scratched his neck, sitting back on his bedroll. He looked terrible, and his blues held secrets in their depths. He wouldn't meet Rex's gaze, and Rex knew his shameful slump. He wanted to comfort him, to say something to make him feel like less of a failure, but he wasn't sure how, or if he would even /Kix returned with broth and helped him sip it, Rex drinking his water just for something to do besides /"Let's get you in a shower."br /He shook his /"With all due respect, you haven't bathen in a few days."br /The guard reddened, "I apologize."br /Kix shook his head "Not for me, for you. You would feel better."br /"No, thank you."br /"I'm gonna get some air." Rex said /Kix gave him a thumbs up and Rex head out into the courtyard. Something about this man struck him, like an arrow to the heart. He couldn't stop staring infatuated, with the way he looked, his voice, raw and raspy without the mask. What was his name? Who was he? He needed to know. Rex groaned. He needed a drink and Cody to unpack all of this. He took a deep breath and head back inside. When he returned the guard was sipping broth, shaking like a /"I'll be back tomorrow to check your blood. Rex has two more hypos for tonight."br /He nodded. "Thank you."br /Kix turned to him, "a hypo every 4 hours, if he doesn't look any better he'll need the med bay for more aggressive medication. He's shaking because he's weak and trying to fight infection but if that gets worse bring him."br /Rex nodded. "Understood."br /He left them, and the guard had his hand on his /"Thank you, Captain Rex."br /"Just Rex." He said quietly. "But it was my pleasure."br /"Rex." He relished in the sound of his name on the man's /He nodded. Just Rex./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rex was up and at his apartment at 445, knowing he'd unlock the door with the force when he was awake. He did, and Rex swept in. There was an immediate change. He could smell blood, the bandage from last night on the floor, bloody handprints on the wall and mattress. There was blood on the floor, and It looked as if he'd crawled across the floor in the night. The captain was sitting in his chair, looking his /"Are you feeling alright?" he asked /He didn't reply, but he was /Rex knelt before him to look at it and sure enough, it was white, puss dripping down his /"This doesn't look good. We have to call someone."br /He didn't /"Sir. I'll call my medic. Hell be quick and discreet. You don't wanna lose that leg."br /He nodded /Rex pulled out his datapad, calling kix./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rex met him down at the /"It's wide open?"br /He nodded. "theres something off here. They're not allowed even the basics. The guy, he's" he shook his head. "You'll see."br /Rex entered first, followed by /"This is kix, my medic."br /He nodded his /"Normally I'd put you out for this big of a wound, so, I'll do my best with the topical."br /He bent down to touch it and it was swollen and angry. He sprayed it with numbing spray and took out his sewing kit. "It's gonna burn on entry and exit but if you're still I can move fast."br /He nodded curtly and Kix sprayed it once more before filling it with bacta and sewing. He was right, he moved incredibly fast with the still Jedi. Clones were strong, but this man was a statue, the reconstruction of his calf nothing to him. He was huffing by the time he was finished, however, but it was clean and /"You shouldn't walk at all, and it needs to be kept clean. You shouldn't be alone too much either. You cannot under any circumstances walk with that, you could destroy skin or spread the infection."br /He nodded. "Thank you."br /Kix nodded. "I'll come look at it in a few days."br /Rex stayed behind. "What can I get you to eat."br /He didn't /"You need nutrition to heal."br /He shook his /"Sir, with all due respect, you need to eat. You didn't eat yesterday either."br /He looked over at him. "I do not think I can, Captain." He stared at him, and his hands had a shake to them. He took his helmet off and began unclipping his armor. The guard stared at /"I'm gonna stay the night."br /"Captain-"br /"You can't be alone like this."br /"Captain, I cannot sleep with you here."br /"You can, I'll face the wall and close my eyes for kriff sake, but if I come back in the morning and you're dead I'll never forgive myself."br /He seemed to be in thought, and Rex pulled the rest of his armor /"If I close my eyes can I help you get out of that?"br /The guard sagged. "I am alright."br /"I'm happy to help."br /He was breathing heavily behind the mask, and Rex watched as he maneuvered out of the top half of the uniform. It was intricate and complex, hailing from ancient times and being of royal descent. He knew he would refuse help if he thought he could do it, so he waited. He saw his olive skin and his scarred forearms, the marks from the bracers angry and puckered. He moved to remove his pants but hissed, unable to do so without putting weight on his /He nodded to Rex and he took his pants at the knees and tugged. He lifted and pulled his pants from him, using the angle to keep it away from his calf. The guard was careful about keeping his underwear on, looking down at his /Rex pulled his boots off and rolled out a spare blanket the guard had next to the bed, facing the /He heard him take the mask off and lie down, and waited a few moments before he slowly turned. He had dark shoulder length hair and was facing the wall, his chest slowly rising and falling. He wouldn't betray him by sneaking over, and he'd probably sense him anyway. He just watched him before drifing to sleep./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif, 'GNU Unifont'; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rex woke before the guard, typing on his datapad facing the wall. His wavy chestnut hair has fallen over the edge of the bed. He stirred, turning back toward the /"Captain." Hearing the modulator he turned around. "Thank you."br /Rex nodded. "Do you want breakfast? Or a shower?"br /He looked away. "I decided last night that if I didnt improve by morning I would ask you for your medic, kix."br /"You feel terrible don't you?"br /He /"I'll page Kix. You have to tell him how you feel, though, or he can't help you."br /He /Kix came shortly after, more supplies with him. Rex didnt like the look of it. Kix suspected something /"Sir."br /The guard /"What's going on?"br /He shook his head. Irritation rose in Rex's chest, preparing to tell him off, but he shook his head again, trying to /"Captain?" Kix out his hand on his /"I can't breathe." he said it so quietly he thought he'd imagined it, but Rex and kix were on him in the same /"I'm gonna take this off." Rex said, grabbing the /He shook his head and Rex pulled his hand /"This isn't reflective of you, of your abilities or your connection to the force. You need help and you need to take it to survive. Your body is dying." Kix said, his eyes begging for him to /"Besides, we're only clones." Rex smirked, but his heart was pounding at the idea of seeing /He looked at them and nodded, Rex pulling it off. He took a sharp breath, his bright blue eyes finding Kix's. Rex took a step back. His face was sharp and angular, his eyes bluer and lighter than the sky in spring, stark against his tan skin. But his lips were white and torn, dark circles under his eyes. He took another sharp breath, fearfully looking at Kix for /"Slow, slow breaths." The captain took a deep breath, coughing and turning away. Kix listened to his breathing and pulled out a stim. Rex couldn't look away, the man like a light in the /Kix took a blood sample and ran it in his datapad before prepping a few /"I think you have a blood infection, sir." he said, touching his neck and finding his corated artery. He rested his hand on his shoulder while he checked the datapad, the guard watching his hand as if it were on /"Yeah the test agrees. I'm going to get some medication in you."br /He nodded, "thank you." He breathed /"Have you eaten?"br /He shook his head. "I cannot. I'll be sick."br /"Eat something small, I'll get you broth or something. You need something or you'll end up in the medical wing."br /"Ok."br /Kix left them and the guard averted his gaze. Rex scratched his neck, sitting back on his bedroll. He looked terrible, and his blues held secrets in their depths. He wouldn't meet Rex's gaze, and Rex knew his shameful slump. He wanted to comfort him, to say something to make him feel like less of a failure, but he wasn't sure how, or if he would even /Kix returned with broth and helped him sip it, Rex drinking his water just for something to do besides /"Let's get you in a shower."br /He shook his /"With all due respect, you haven't bathen in a few days."br /The guard reddened, "I apologize."br /Kix shook his head "Not for me, for you. You would feel better."br /"No, thank you."br /"I'm gonna get some air." Rex said /Kix gave him a thumbs up and Rex head out into the courtyard. Something about this man struck him, like an arrow to the heart. He couldn't stop staring infatuated, with the way he looked, his voice, raw and raspy without the mask. What was his name? Who was he? He needed to know. Rex groaned. He needed a drink and Cody to unpack all of this. He took a deep breath and head back inside. When he returned the guard was sipping broth, shaking like a /"I'll be back tomorrow to check your blood. Rex has two more hypos for tonight."br /He nodded. "Thank you."br /Kix turned to him, "a hypo every 4 hours, if he doesn't look any better he'll need the med bay for more aggressive medication. He's shaking because he's weak and trying to fight infection but if that gets worse bring him."br /Rex nodded. "Understood."br /He left them, and the guard had his hand on his /"Thank you, Captain Rex."br /"Just Rex." He said quietly. "But it was my pleasure."br /"Rex." He relished in the sound of his name on the man's /He nodded. Just Rex./p