Rex didn't come back that day. Or the next. All she got was a comm that there was something going on at the barracks and he'd be away for a while. On the second day Fives managed to roll onto his side and curled up in a ball around the wound in his stomach, his blacks dirty against the white bandages. She knew she would have to scrounge up some clothes for him, as well as give him a bath. For now she settled for washing the old ones. 

She helped him sit up enough to ease the top part of the blacks off and put them in the small wash machine and let it run. She then got a bucket of warm water and a rag. Fives raised an eyebrow. 

"Gonna wash me like a dirty dish?" He rasped. Ahsoka pressed her lips together. 

"Since you're too weak to walk to the refresher, yes. I don't need you getting another infection." She sighed. "Please don't fight me. It'll be better in the end for you if you just let me get you cleaned up." She waited before he relaxed before gently helping him turn over so he was on his back and staring at the ceiling again before she started to scrub at his slightly sticky skin, washing away layers of sweat and dust as carefully as she could. 

"At least it's you and not the monster you live with." He mumbled, turning slightly so she could get at his back and neck. 

"Yeah. I think she'd just dump the bucket on you and call it good." She chuckled, patting him dry with a towel and pulling the blankets up to his chin as he relaxed again with a soft exhale. He tensed up again after a second and muttered an oath. 

"Think I'm bleeding again." He sighed. Ahsoka stiffened as she grabbed new bandages and the bacta jar. They were almost out. She unwrapped the layers of white that covered his lower stomach as fast as she could with out hurting him. She finally got them off and relaxed a little after surveying the damage. 

"Just a burst blood vessel. Nothing too bad." She pulled out the bacta and gently applied it to the wound and the area around it, being mindful of his flinches and muffled yelps. At a particularly bad jerk that almost caused a catastrophe, she sighed and looked up at him. 

"Yes, I know it's tender. I know it hurts. I've been shot before too. And unless you want to be stuck on my couch for the rest of your life, which will shorten considerably if you make me mess up, I suggest you let me help." She growled, using the force to hold him down as she finished up and rewrapped the wound. As she let up he coughed a little. 

"I take back what I said earlier. I'll take the harpy." He grunted as she hit a particularly sore spot while she was rewrapping the ugly thing. The wash chirped and she collected the top part of his blacks and eased them on, feeling his pain as he sat up too much or tried to use what was left of his abdominal muscles. 

She sat back and hesitated. "Do you want to wait for Rex to get back so he can do... uh... the lower half?" She stuttered, her lekku visibly darkening at the thought. 

"I have my briefs on. I'm not that brash." He gave her a sideways glance, his eyes big and pleading. Ahsoka's shoulders slumped in sympathy. He probably felt disgusting and having to have somebody else manually bathe him was adding insult to literal injury. Ahsoka nodded after a second. 

"If you're sure that's ok with you." She relented after a second. He nodded, and she lifted the blanket. She worked the skintight layer off of him, the material stiff with blood, sweat, and probably urine as well. She stuffed them into the small machine and started it up again as she set back to washing his legs, not lingering too long on any place before she finished and pulled the blanket down to cover him until the lower part of his blacks were dry. 

She keyed up Rex's number on the comm, half expecting it to go to recording like it had the last few times she had called. It lit up to the familiar shape of her husband, and tension visibly drained from his shoulders when he saw her. 

"I was just about to comm you. I'm sorry for not picking up. I saw you called." He said, rubbing at the back of his neck nervously. She smiled a little.

"It's ok. I know stuff happened and you were busy. When will you be able to be back?"She asked. 

"A couple hours. How's Fives? Do I need to bring anything?"  He glanced at his wristcomm for the time. Ahsoka nodded. 

"A change of clothes for Fives if you please, and some more bacta." She glanced over her shoulder at the clone on the couch. "He's... well, he found his sense of humor again." She rolled her eyes. "Still in pain. Bored out of his mind and in need of a proper shower. He'll need to eat too, but I'm not sure..." She trailed off. "I really don't want to have to deal with a case of sepsis right now."

"Gocha. I'll see if Kix will let me get some of those protein powder things. Would I be ok if I said it was for you? Not that you probably need them too."  She rolled her eyes. 

"I probably couldn't have them anyways. Carnivorous, remember? But yeah, that would be helpful. Hurry, love." She smiled. Rex nodded. 

"I will, Cyare." He cut the connection. 

It was nearly three hours before the knock at the door came. Ahsoka bounded across the room and threw it open, waking up Fives in the process. She wrapped her arms around him, and he almost dropped the bags he was carrying with a laugh as he hugged her back, pressing a kiss to the crease of her montrals. 

"Missed you." She muttered into his chest. 

"Missed you more." His voice rumbled in her montrals. "Wish you were with the GAR. We need your calm."

He followed her into the area. Fives gave a slightly sleepy half wave from his position on the couch as Rex set the bags down on the counter. Ahsoka gave him a smile. 

"Can you help get him changed? I'll mix up a drink." She said turning away from him. Rex put a hand on her shoulder. 

"And food for yourself?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. She pouted. 

"I ate this morning." She grumbled. "Fine. And food for myself." Rex grinned at her. 

"There you go." 

"Hello, dying man here." Fives called as loud as he could. Still not very loud. "Get a room." Rex sighed. 

"Do you want better clothes or not." He said, turning to glare at his brother. Fives closed his eyes, a pained expression written across his face.  He looked as beaten down as Rex had ever seen him. 

"Please." He whispered. Rex opened his mouth, and shut it again. He grabbed the bag containing a set of his sleep clothes, gently dressing his little brother in something more comfortable than forcibly altered blacks. Fives winced and slowly turned onto his side, pulling his knees to his chest as Rex covered him with the fluffy blanket, rolling the thinner one up under his side so he wasn't putting pressure on the burn. Rex sat by his brother's side and Ahsoka glanced back over her shoulder at the two. She nodded at Rex, passing him the glass of water and protein mix before disappearing into the bedroom to eat, letting the two of them have their moment. 

Rex leaned his head on the couch. "Kriff, Fives. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't do more." He whispered. 

"From what I heard, I owe you my life." Fives rasped softly. "Not sure how, but that bolt was coming at my chest when it lurched in the air and hit my stomach. Heard something about you diverting the energy. Or maybe it was Skywalker. I was kinda out of it." 

Rex pressed his lips together. "Didn't think you were awake for that." 

"I'm not sure I was. Probably most of it was a fever dream." He coughed a little and groaned softly as a dull spike of pain rang up from his belly. "I should have died back there. I almost wish I did." He mumbled. "I can't even sit up by myself, Ori'vod. I pee in a bucket because standing risks tearing it all open again. I have to rely on kriffing Ventress and Ahsoka for everything." A tear slid sideways down his cheek. 

"I know. I know Fives. That feeling? Of being utterly defenceless? It's the worst one in the kriffing galaxy." Rex held up his hand, letting him see the fine tremors in his fingertips that had never quite gone away. "If I could trade places with you I would in a heartbeat." He promised. 

"You already have." Fives closed his eyes and didn't open them while he spoke. "Here I am whining when you've literally gone through hell and back." Rex shook his head. 

"I had Ahsoka by my side through all of it. Without her I would have curled up into a ball and cried until I melted away into a ghost a long time ago. And here you are without somebody like that by your side. You more to complain about than I ever did." On impulse, he started to scratch softly at Fives's arms the way Ahsoka had. His little brother relaxed. 

"Echo used to do that. The arm thing. Said it was a sensory relief, good for nightmares. I don't think either of us slept much after Rishi." He muttered into the pillow, his eyes opening half way before sliding shut. Rex moved his hand up to his shoulder and squeezed in some odd parody of a hug. 

"Rest, vod. Heal. That's all you can do for now is heal." 

A/N - Another day, another chapter. For the record, it's been four-five days since Fives was taken to Ahsoka's apartment. And because of the research I have done, my google history now looks like a serial killer's. I'm rewatching the bad batch ark, and I can't kriffing wait to write it. This is going to be fun. This book will probably end a couple months after order 66 is executed, with a rebels era epilogue. Then I have other books planned, at least two duologies in the works:

When the Cavalry Comes: Focuses around Cavalry, spans from umbara to just after order 66
When the War is Won: Focuses on Cavalry, picks up five years after the end of WTCC

Monster: Kenobi/Caedus duology part one, takes place after order 66 but ends before rebels.

Warrior: Kenobi/Caedus part two, Not quite sure on timeline yet, but takes place after the first. 

What do you think? Is there any other character I should follow with a spinoff that you'd like to see?