Your writing is amazing-- the Kix series made me laugh, cry, and stole my freaking heart! If you're still taking requests, mayhaps something with our dear Captain Rex having a crush on the newly assigned jedi co-general (reader)!
Awww, anon! I love hearing that people are still reading Nobody Listens to Kix! I had such a good time writing it and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your request and I'm sorry it took so very long for me to finish!
Rex x f!Jedi!reader
Word Count: A little over 3,000
Warnings: Descriptions of past bullying, lots of awkwardness
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Fic Request: Rex with a Crush on Jedi!Reader
Rex had seen you around the Resolute, of course. New arrivals were rare enough to be a big deal, especially when the new arrival was a Jedi - one who had just finished the Trials and had newly been promoted to General.
And especially when the Jedi in question was attractive.
He tried to keep his mind on military matters, as he was supposed to, but Rex was only a man, and an observant one at that. He had seen you walking around the Resolute, your clothing practical rather than ornate, functional over fashionable. You hadn’t seen him, not that he knew of. Jedi were tricky that way, but you had seemed fully absorbed in your task.
He had heard plenty about you, too. Since you had just passed the Trials, you were waiting on the GAR and the Jedi Order to assign you a battalion. In the meantime, you had been assigned to shadow General Skywalker and the 501st. You had been walking around studying the men as they went through the processes and preparations necessary for a battle.
You hadn’t been shy about asking questions, either. Every day, some trooper or another had stumbled into the mess hall, looking more than a little starry-eyed as he told the story of your curious inquiries into his job. Everyone wanted to be next. If you had noticed more work than usual being done wherever you went, you hadn’t said anything about it.
The first time Rex interacted with you, though, was when the 501st had a rendezvous with the 212th. General Kenobi had asked about you and whether you were settling in okay.
“You know the general, er… General?” Rex asked, acutely feeling the ridiculousness of overlapping titles in that moment.
Kenobi smirked, eyes twinkling in understanding of Rex’s vocabulistic conundrum. Still, he took pity on the captain. “Yes, Captain Rex, I do. Did you know that Master Windu had every intention of taking her on as his padawan when the time was right?”
“Master Windu? Really?” Commander Tano interrupted. “But wasn’t Master Billaba still with him then?”
“No, she had passed her own trials by that point,” Kenobi told her. “He was looking for a new padawan and she made quite an impression on him. Master Windu does not take on a padawan recklessly - his practice of the Vaapad style could end in disaster with the wrong youngling as a padawan.”
General Skywalker and Commander Tano nodded sagely while Rex did his best not to look too obviously lost. A glance at Cody told Rex that his brother understood this comment too. With a tilt of his head, Cody indicated that he would explain later.
“So she was too reckless to be his padawan?” Commander Tano asked, sympathy in her voice. Rex vaguely remembered that similar comments had been made about her when she first became General Skywalker’s padawan.
“No, she was known for being one of the steadiest younglings in her age group,” Skywalker told her. “She’s a few years younger than me, but we were around the Temple at the same time.”
“Were you one of the steadiest younglings in your age group, sir?” Rex asked, fighting to keep a straight face. He was rewarded with a derisive snort from every other participant in the conversation.
“Quite," Kenobi said, trying and failing to hide his grin in his beard. "Well, anyway, he decided against taking her on in the end. You see, she had been having trouble with one of the boys in her group who teased her. She- ah, here she comes. Perhaps it would be better for her to tell you herself. Pardon me, General?"
To Rex's amusement, it took you a moment to respond to the title. When you finally glanced over, you gave a wry smile and approached the group.
"Sorry, Master Kenobi," you apologized as you drifted up to stand between Rex and General Kenobi. "I'm still not used to being called 'general’."
Your voice was dynamic and expressive, serving as the perfect match for your appearance. Unlike some of the Jedi, you didn’t seem hesitant to show that you did have feelings. They played out across every line of your face, broadcasting from every expression. Standing this close was like being out in the sunshine of an unfamiliar planet - warm, unexpected, and brilliant.
Somehow, the ultra-observant Kenobi hadn’t noticed Rex’s awestruck expression. If that were the only lucky thing to ever happen to him, Rex would die happy. “General, can you tell Commander Cody and Captain Rex what happened between you and that boy in the Temple?”
You sighed, a small reluctant sound belied by the smile on your lips, and agreed. “Well, one of the boys in my group of younglings started to pick on me when we got to a certain age. It was mostly harmless - pulling my hair, poking my ribs, things like that. I ignored it, at the advice of the Masters. Then it got worse.”
Rex’s stomach tensed at the unease that crept into your posture. You smoothed it away in a moment, but it hadn’t gone unnoticed by anyone in the group.
“Things progressed to hits and shoves, occasional bruises,” you revealed, your expression serene in a way that seemed forced, even to Rex’s non-Jedi observational abilities. “I was asked to go to a meditation room one day because I shouted at him. Master Windu met me there and asked what had happened. When I told him, he advised me to keep my patience and be kind above all else.”
“Did you?” Cody asked when you paused. He sounded a bit derisive toward General Windu’s advice, but only because Rex knew him so well. To anyone else, he would have sounded like a pure professional.
“No,” you admitted with a chuckle, one echoed by Skywalker and Kenobi. “He pushed me again during a trip through the Hall of a Thousand Fountains and I used the Force to put him in one of those fountains.”
“And then?” Skywalker prompted, the expression on his face as close to outright glee as Rex had ever seen it.
“And then, when he got out of the fountain, he tried to push me into it.” You were trying to look regretful, but it wasn’t very convincing. “I hit him in the throat.”
“My memory seems to be failing me,” Kenobi said, his eyes dancing with scarcely concealed mirth. “What was it you told Master Windu when he spoke to you about it?”
You grinned, and Rex’s heart paused before beating double-time. “I told him that patience and kindness were all well and good, but the galaxy would be a better place if all bullies were given a swift hit in the throat.”
“Ah, yes, that was it,” Kenobi said while everyone else laughed.
Commander Tano’s eyes were huge. “That was you? We all heard you had gotten kicked out of the Order for violence!”
“Yes, I remember that rumor,” you told her. “The masters allowed it to continue because they didn’t want to encourage younglings fighting each other.”
“General, you said you wanted to learn more about the engine room?” a trooper called from behind you. Rex recognized Gear, the Resolute’s head mechanic, even from this far away.
“Yes, I’ll be right there!” you replied, apparently remembering that ‘general’ referred to you now. When you looked back to the group, you nodded your head at each of them in turn. “Excuse me masters, padawan, Commander, and Captain. It was lovely speaking with you.”
And, just like that, you were gone, leaving Rex feeling shell-shocked in a way he hadn’t since he was a shiny.
“I don’t understand,” Commander Tano said. “She defended herself. Why did that make Master Windu change his mind about taking her on as a padawan?”
“It wasn’t that she defended herself, Snips,” Skywalker explained. “It’s how she defended herself. If she had just hit him, that could have been forgiven, but her emotions got the better of her and she used the Force against another youngling.”
“Harmlessly,” Tano emphasized.
“Think critically, young one,” Kenobi encouraged. “What do you know about the Vaapad fighting style?”
“Vaapad is very physical, using fists and feet as often as lightsabers,” Commander Tano parroted. “Users often tap into the Force to augment their strength. But that should have made her the perfect candidate for Vaapad!”
“Not really,” Skywalker said. “Any time you use the Force against someone else in combat, you’re getting closer to the Dark Side. In this situation, she used the Force against someone because her emotions got the best of her. That’s a sign that she wasn’t ready to be Master Windu’s padawan. She needed to learn with someone else for a while before she could take the risk of working with Vaapad. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, Master,” Tano agreed eventually.
“Then whose padawan was she?” Rex asked. Cody’s eyes flicked to him immediately and he arched one brow a fraction. Rex cursed himself internally. He had given himself away.
General Skywalker, who didn’t understand the extreme nuance of clone behavior, replied, “Quinlan Vos took her on eventually. He heard the story and thought it was funny.”
Cody frowned. “I didn’t know Vos had a padawan.”
“He did for a while,” Kenobi explained. “He taught her for years, but when the war started, he went into covert operations. He believed - and the Council agreed - that it would be too dangerous to bring a padawan along on such dangerous missions.”
“So what did she do?” Rex asked.
“She went on missions with Aayla Secura for a while,” Skywalker mused. “And spent a few months working with the Coruscant Guard, then shadowed Jedi Masters who didn’t have padawans of their own. She went on a few missions with you and the 212th, didn’t she, Obi-Wan?”
“Oh, yes,” Kenobi affirmed. “She worked quite well with us. Isn’t that right, Cody?”
“Yes, sir,” Cody agreed, shooting a smug look in Rex’s direction. “The boys are very fond of her.”
“And between missions, she studied at the Temple under Master Jocasta Nu’s supervision,” Kenobi finished. “She’s quite a well-rounded Jedi, all things considered. You’re lucky to have her with you, Anakin.”
“Temporarily,” Skywalker reminded him. “I look forward to seeing how she does with her own battalion.”
“Yes, the Force most certainly will be with her,” Kenobi said, folding his arms together comfortably. “But it will not be with us if we don’t finish those preparations.”
“I know, I know,” Skywalker grumbled. “C’mon, Snips. Let’s get to work.”
When the Jedi had left, Rex rounded on his closest vod. “So, you’ve worked with the General?”
“When she was a Commander, yes,” Cody said, looking satisfied. “Why do you ask?”
“Cut the osik,” Rex growled. “Tell me about her.”
Cody tilted his head, amusement in every movement. “I think you just heard plenty about her.”
“Cody…”
“Cody.”
The second entreaty had come from the Marshal Commander’s comlink. Cody lifted it to his mouth with relish. “Yes, General?”
“I forgot you had the data chip we need to plan the next mission,” General Kenobi admitted. “Could you meet us on the bridge?”
“Of course, General,” Cody agreed. “Does Rex need to be there, as well?”
“No, that won’t be necessary,” Kenobi said after a pause. Rex was willing to bet that he had asked Skywalker in the short span.
“Understood, General. I’m on my way to the bridge now.” Cody cut the communication and shrugged at Rex. “Sorry, Rex. Duty calls.”
“You’re such a-”
“Listen,” Cody interrupted before Rex could say something that would be fully disrespectful to a commanding officer. “If you’re so interested in her, you should go talk to her. After all, you’re the captain of the battalion she’s helping to lead. You should at least introduce yourself.”
Rex had no reply to that, even as Cody walked away. Left with no other option, he decided to take the Marshal Commander’s advice. The first place he looked for you was the engine room. Unsurprisingly, he found you there with more than a few troopers gathered around, watching your every move.
“If I understand correctly, the bridge has access to the controls, but only in a remote format,” you summarized, looking at the troopers around the room as you spoke. “If the ship were ever to lose all electronic power, those controls wouldn’t work, but the machinery down here would still be functional?”
“In a sense,” Head Mechanic Gear told her. “These pieces would work with some manual interference. Once they worked long enough, they would generate their own electrical current and could bring the rest of the ship back online.”
“So you all are the last line of defense if we were to be shut down by some kind of surge.” You sounded impressed, and more than one man straightened his spine at the inherent praise in your tone. “You’re the ones we would all be counting on to get us out of a bad situation alive.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Gear confirmed.
“Then I’m glad we have such brave men working in the engine room,” you said graciously. “Thank you for your hard work and dedication, and thank you for allowing me to ask so many questions.”
“Our pleasure, ma’am,” Gear assured her, nonverbally echoed by nodding heads across the machinery-filled space. “If you ever need any more questions answered, come find any of us.”
“I appreciate that, Gear.” Your confident use of his name impressed Rex even further. The Jedi had been good about their treatment of clones as a general rule, but there was always a chance. “Thank you gentlemen. I’ll be on my way.”
You turned to leave the engine room, and almost bumped into Rex on the way. “Captain! I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were behind me.”
“No problem, General,” Rex stammered out. “I was coming to find you, anyway.”
“Of course,” you accepted with a demure nod, waving a final time to the troopers in the engine room. “Do they need me on the bridge?”
Rex frowned. “I don’t think so, General.”
“Oh,” you said simply, relaxing from the power walk you had started toward the bridge. “What can I help you with, sir?”
With a wince so pronounced it was almost a flinch, Rex shook his head. “You can just call me ‘Rex’, ma’am. And I just wanted to make sure you knew who I was in case you needed something.”
You stared at him blankly, the confusion in your bright eyes so pronounced that Rex almost winced again. “Of course I know who you are, Cap- uh, Rex. You’re… You’re difficult to miss.”
Well. That was… so much worse, really. “Um. Okay. Thanks?”
“It was a- compliment,” you told him. It was hard for him to be sure, but it seemed like neither of you believed that.
He nodded anyway, continuing to walk by your side in complete silence. Internally, Rex was cursing himself for ever following Cody’s advice.
When you laughed, the sound was abrupt and joy-filled, completely mismatching the surroundings and situation. Rex’s questioning gaze whipped to your face, but an answering smile was already sprouting on his mouth.
“I’m sorry, Rex,” you apologize sincerely. “I don’t mean to be so awkward. You’re just… very intimidating.”
“Me?” Rex asked, aghast and startled into blunt honesty. “I’m not the one raised in a fancy temple by Force-users. And I’m not the one the generals spent the last twenty minutes raving about. If one of us is intimidating, it isn’t me.”
Your cheeks darkened in an intense blush. “I was wondering why they wanted me to tell that story. I’m honestly shocked you aren’t running from me after hearing it. No one wants to work with a Jedi who misused the Force.”
Rex snorted. “Like you’re the first soldier to overreact to a situation? When I was in training on Kamino, I stunned another clone in my class because he wouldn’t fix his shooting stance.”
“You didn’t,” you denied, grinning up at him.
“I did,” Rex confirmed, smiling back. “I ended up on KP for a month for it.”
“And that’s… a bad thing..?” you guessed.
“KP is kitchen patrol,” Rex explained. “That’s a very bad thing, especially on Kamino. And when you age at double speed, one month feels like two, so it was a pretty impactful experience.”
“I bet you never did it again.”
“The week after my KP ended, actually,” Rex admitted.
You laughed up at him, shock mingled with humor on your face. “I don’t believe you.”
“Are you implying that I would lie to a superior officer, ma’am?” Rex asked, trying to make his voice sound stern and a bit offended, but he was openly laughing, so there was a chance you wouldn't believe him.
"Lie? Never," you reassured. "But tease? Absolutely."
"Trooper's honor," Rex swore. "It was the same cadet and he would have been a risk to the squad, so… I made a choice. I like to think it was the correct one."
"I have to agree," you said, surprising him. "I get the feeling you don't make many incorrect choices."
"That so?" Rex asked, watching you with open curiosity.
"Yes," you confirmed with a sage nod. "The Force told me."
"I'm sure," Rex snorted. He had seen that same glint in Commander Tano's eyes too many times to fall for it now.
You chuckled again and Rex didn't think he could ever get tired of the sound. "You're good. Commander Cody fell for that every time."
Rex could only laugh helplessly at that, already plotting ways to bring that revelation up later and mock Cody with it. When he had regained some control over himself, he found you beaming at him. “I don’t know why I was so scared to talk to you. You’re a delight.”
“You too, General,” Rex replied, without stopping to think better of it. “I look forward to serving with you.”
“I hope we get the chance to have more of these chats, Captain,” you told him, sincerity shining from your face.
“We will, I’m sure,” Rex promised. Kriff, if there was a fraction of a chance you would keep looking at him that way, there wasn’t a thing in the galaxy that could keep him away.
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A/N - I definitely didn't mean for this one-shot to be entirely from Rex's perspective, so oops. The reader's character in this is actually based on a Jedi OC I've been thinking about for a while, so extra apologies for the complicated backstory.
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