(Clone Wars/Rebels) Rebels!Rex x Reader: Hope
(Author’s Note: Sooo this is a neat request I got! I REALLY hope you don’t mind that I tweaked it a tad!!!! And I hope you like it!!!! Highkey this almost had me crying at the end, oh my. It’s tough for me to write Rebels era Rex because in my mind he’s forever young ;^; But I really did enjoy this request, and thank you!
OG Request: What about a Rebels Rex x reader reunion where the reader died during order 66, but became a ghost. So she sticks with Kanan and the ghost crew, when they get Rex back she stays invisible so that he can't see her because she thinks that he moved on. Something happens and he sees her, she hides and he has to hunt her down and convince her that they could make it work.)
“_________,” Kanan said gently. He stood at the doorway to your quarters, eyes full of concern. “I know this is hard for you. Believe me, I don’t like it any more than you do, but...you can’t hide forever. The others are worried about you.” You materialized in the middle of the room, eyes downcast and arms wrapped around your form in an attempt for comfort. Kanan stepped inside the room, allowing the door to slide shut behind him. “The clones took everything from us. They betrayed the jedi and killed so many…” The bridge of his nose crinkled as the rest of his face twisted with pain at the memories. Bitterness came off him in waves.
“Kanan, you misunderstand,” you whispered, walking over to take a seat at the edge of your bunk. “That’s not why I’m hesitant to reveal myself to the men who we’ve teamed up with. The truth is...I don’t entirely blame them.”
“What?” he asked in disbelief. “How could you not?”
“Remember, Kanan, I was a jedi knight when Order 66 went through. You only remember part of the story because you were so young. The men were under Sidious’ control. We can’t hold that against them.”
He folded his arms, as if his point still stood. “Then why are you hiding?”
At that, your eyes returned to the floor. “Because I know those men. I knew Captain Rex quite well back in the day.”
Kanan’s eyes widened. “You mean…”
“I know. It was against my code and his regulations, but we were together. I...I loved him. I was off on another mission when Order 66 was given. The troops I was working with fired at me, and that’s when the accident happened.”
“The accident that left you a ghost. But it wasn’t an accident, _________. Your soldiers betrayed you and shot at the energy field behind you. They-”
You sighed. “Kanan, I’m not a force ghost.” When he gave you a skeptical look, you continued, “I can walk through walls and vanis, but think about it. Have you ever seen a ghost stick around this long? Or actually have the ability to materialize a physical form like I do?”
“Can’t say I’ve had too many encounters with them in the first place,” he mumbled.
“The accident turned my body into energy. They didn’t take my life.”
“__________.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “That doesn’t excuse what they did, and I don’t blame you for not wanting to face them.”
“Rex didn’t do this to me anyway. He’s a good man, and I never stopped loving him. I just don’t want him to see me this way. He has probably been moved on for some time now, and he’s going to be upset.”
“He should.”
“Kanan!” you scolded. “That’s enough. I get that you’re still hurting. I understand. Really, I do. I just don’t need to hear this right now.”
He released a sigh, resting a hand on your shoulder. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Just then, the door to your quarters slid open. You vanished on instinct, but it appeared that you hadn’t gone quickly enough. A familiar pair of eyes stared wide at the spot you had previously sat beside Kanan. Though you recognized them instantly, they belonged to an aged face.
“___________? I knew it. It is you.”
Kanan glanced around awkwardly while you remained invisible. “Um…”
“I thought I saw ___________ earlier. I thought that maybe it was just all in my head, but she’s here, isn’t she?”
“Look, Rex…”
“Please,” Rex pleaded. “Please tell me where I can find her. I never knew what happened to her after the Republic fell. I know you don’t like me but-”
“I’m right here,” you said, materializing. Rex’s eyes widened and mouth fell open. “I didn’t want you to see me this way.”
“___________, what happened to you?”
The sympathy and in his voice caused you to feel a familiar ache in your chest. It was overwhelming. For years you had wondered, just as he did, what happened. For years you tried to come to terms with never seeing him again. But there he was standing in front of you. In fact, he was walking over.
“Wait,” you said quickly. “I...I can’t.” You vanished again, this time hearing him call out,
“No!” You hurried past him and ran straight through the closed door. You heard him on the other side. “I’m going to find her.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
“___________,” you heard Rex’s voice pant. “There you are.”
“Rex, I’m sorry about earlier.”
“Don’t worry about it.” A strained groan escaped his lips as he lowered himself to sit beside you. “I just don’t want to lose you again.”
You hugged your knees to your chest as you gazed out at the setting sun from the roof of the ship. The sky glowed a variety of lovely colors; orange, pink, and even a little purple. For the first time since seeing Rex again, you felt at peace. Sitting beside him felt normal even after all that time. “What do you mean?”
“After Order 66 was given, I had quite the adventure. Ahsoka helped me get the chip out of my head so that I would no longer carry out the order.” He sighed. “I looked everywhere for you after that. Even some of my brothers told me that the worst may have happened, but I always had hope. I never stopped looking. I never stopped- I never stopped loving you.”
“Rex,” you whispered. “What we had was great, but it was a long time ago. So much has changed since then. We were young, and we had no idea what the galaxy would become.”
“What are you talking about?” He gave a hearty laugh. “We’re still young, and there’s a new hope.”
You looked over at him, meeting those eyes that held so much warmth in them. Even with the crinkles around his eyes and the white beard, in your eyes he was the same Rex you knew back then. Memories began to flash across your mind like a holovid playing in front of you. Memories of stolen glances across the strategy meetings and debriefings, secret kisses when no one was looking, and many battles fought side-by-side.
“What happened to the serious captain I knew?” you smiled.
“He lightened up a bit.” Rex chuckled. You ventured to reach out a hand to rest its palm on his cheek, and he instinctively relaxed into the touch, closing his eyes and exhaling. “__________, do you still love me?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then we can make this work. Like I said, I don’t want to lose you again. Ever.” He reached up to gently place his hand over yours, opening his eyes to gaze at you with determination. Your breath caught in your throat.
“A-alright.”
His eyes glinted then, the same way they used to when you’d look at him from across a briefing, and he leaned in to wrap his arm around your form and pull you against him. He tipped your chin up and captured your lips in a kiss. You giggled, and he pulled away. “What?”
“Nothing, it’s just,” you giggled again, tears spilling from your eyes. “The beard. It tickles.”
“Oh yeah?” he laughed, leaning in to playfully swipe his beard across your cheek, sending you into a fit of giggles as you tried to break free from his embrace. Then, he let you catch your breath. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” You pressed a kiss to his hand. “And you’re right. There is hope.”