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~*~
It took ages for them to both be back on Coruscant at the same time when Teeubo the tattoo artist had two back to back appointments available, but eventually everything aligned as needed and it happened.
Komad greeted them as they entered the tattoo shop, just as he had the first time.
“Teeubo will be ready for you two in just a minute,” he said. “She’s just making sure she has everything. I will say, she thinks this is adorably romantic and is very excited to do these for you.”
Rex smiled. “Glad she approves.”
Not that she had seemed to disapprove when the tattoo in question was Cody’s handprint on his ass. He had the feeling she saw plenty of things in this line of work.
Komad grinned. “The only thing she actively tries to get people to reconsider are names unless it’s a memorial tattoo. She gets far, far too many people in here wanting names covered up not to try to dissuade those. But tattoos that you two designed for one another is very sweet.”
With a grimace, Cody said, “The holonet is full of horror stories of people getting a romantic partner’s name tattooed on them only for things to fall apart spectacularly. Not sure why anyone would chance it.”
Laughing, Komad shook his head, blue lekku twitching in amusement as he did.
“The cover ups certainly make us plenty of credits, so I have to hope people keep doing it, but I don’t disagree with you,” he replied.
A few moments later, Teeubo poked her head in from the back of the shop.
“You boys ready?” she asked, green lekku flicking a little in excitement and anticipation.
Cody and Rex shared a smile.
Turning to her, Cody replied, “We are!”
Teeubo grinned.
“Let’s do this!”
~*~
The sunbeams over Rex’s heart shimmered thanks to the gold-colored ink that Teeubo had managed to find for them. It was an expensive ink, but Cody and Rex had opted not to question where Jesse had procured the credits that he gave Teeubo to buy it. They were all calling it his wedding gift to Cody and Rex, and they just weren’t going to talk about it beyond that.
“It looks perfect,” Cody said, awe in his voice as he stared.
Teeubo giggled.
“You two are so karking adorable,” she declared. “Its so, so sweet to see people so in love.”
Cody smiled at the tattoo artist even as Rex flushed a little at her words.
“You ready for your turn?” the Twi’lek asked.
Nodding, Cody said, “I am.”
Gesturing towards the design, Teeubo said, “I will admit this one amused me.”
Cody snorted and Rex winced. The outline of the shriekhawk wearing a crown and holding a blaster really was something.
“Think he was in a snarky mood,” Cody teased. “But I like it.”
Teeubo nodded, still looking at the pair of them as if they were the cutest thing she’d ever seen.
“That’s what matters!” she assured.
~*~
Keeping his hands off of Rex’s chest while the tattoo healed was harder than Cody anticipated. With the handprint tattoo, he’d had the assistance of being away from Coruscant. This time, they were on planet for a multi-day strategy conference so the chances of that were significantly smaller.
Rex smirked. “I can see how badly you want to run your hands over it.”
With a sigh, Cody admitted, “Not just my hands.”
Laughing, Rex nodded.
“I feel the same,” he assured. “It won’t be too long though. Then you can touch all you want.”
Cody grinned. “Oh, I will.”
~*~
After what felt like an eternity but was really just a few days given their healing and the specialty tattoo healing patches, they were healed enough that Cody could touch. His fingers itched all day long during the conference, eager for the day to end. He was a professional, so he was able to keep his focus, but it took every ounce of his control not to run for the barracks when they were finally dismissed for the day. It helped only a little that Rex was in no better shape than he was.
The moment the door to the quarters they were sharing in the Coruscant barracks slid shut, Cody crowded Rex against the wall and kissed him hard.
“Let me see,” Cody rumbled.
Rex panted, nodding frantically. He wanted this as badly as Cody did.
They both stripped out of their armor with great speed, pausing only long enough to stack it up carefully.
The moment Rex had his top blacks off, his back hit the wall again and he let out an oof.
Cody’s lips devoured his hungrily as his hand came up to stroke over the tattoo.
“Mine,” Cody murmured in between kisses.
Rex whined and clutched at him. “Yours.” He pawed at Cody’s top, wanting to touch skin too. “Take it off.”
Cody laughed into the kiss before pulling back and removing the top of his blacks.
Rex reeled him in for another kiss and his hand came to rest over the shriekhawk on Cody’s chest.
“Perfect,” Rex murmured.
They traded kisses for long moments, gentle hands stroking over the new tattoos, over the visible marks of the commitment they had made to one another.
“I need you,” Rex gasped.
Grinning, Cody said, “Rex’ika, I would never say no to that.”
Later on, a thoroughly sated Rex rested his head over the shriekhawk on Cody’s chest.
“Yeah, I like it,” Rex declared.
Fingertips brushing over the sunbeams on Rex’s chest, Cody had to agree.
~*~
The war was over.
It was really, truly, over.
The Chancellor and Count Dooku both died when Coruscant was invaded, despite the best efforts of Cody and Rex’s generals. That left only Grievous, who was finally defeated by Cody’s general a short time later. Evidence of Palpatine being a Sith, and playing both sides of the war, were discovered in the aftermath, leaving the Republic reeling as badly as the Confederacy of Independent Systems was.
Either way, the war was over.
“We made it,” Rex gasped as he pulled Cody to him.
Rex and his men had been with Ahsoka defeating Maul on Mandalore when everything went down. It meant Cody had been practically vibrating with anticipation to see him again now that there was peace.
“We did,” Cody said softly.
Newly elected Chancellor Organa had succeeded in getting a clone rights bill through a matter of days after the war’s end, using many politicians’ frantic need to distance themselves from Palpatine to garner enough support for it. So not only was the war over, but they had choices now.
“I don’t know what happens next,” Rex admitted quietly, “but I know that the only thing that really matters is that you’re there with me.”
Cody smiled. He felt the same way.
“Alderaan is offering to issue marriage licenses to clones,” he said.
Rex’s eyes went wide.
“So, when are we going to Alderaan?” he asked.
They both knew the odds of the vows they had sworn being recognized were slim, but a marriage legally performed on Alderaan would be recognized the galaxy over.
“Was just waiting on you,” Cody declared.
~*~
The first anniversary of the end of the war saw a large group of the former 212th, 104th, 501st meet up on a rebuilt Kiros. Some of the survivors had opted to return and rebuild their home, while additional Togruta opted to join them. They welcomed those who had once searched for and rescued them gladly. Considering what Rex had suffered at the hands of the Zygerrians, Cody had offered to skip the celebration. Rex, however, was determined.
“If those people can go back to Kiros and rebuild their colony after what they went through, I can visit them,” Rex said firmly.
Cody didn’t argue.
After a long day of festivities, they returned to their guest rooms.
Cody watched as Rex stripped off his shirt, enjoying the fact that a year of peace and steady meals meant that Rex, like most of them now, looked healthier. His eyes lingered on the tattoo over Rex’s heart, as it often did.
“I love the way you look at it,” Rex said, putting one hand on his hip and grinning.
Cody crossed his arms but smirked.
“It’s gold. Of course, it draws my eye,” he teased.
Rex snorted.
“Of course, that’s all it is,” he retorted.
Uncrossing his arms, Cody closed the distance and drew Rex close.
“Ok, so maybe it’s a little more than that,” he allowed.
Leaning in for a kiss, Rex murmured, “I thought so.”
Letting his hand come to rest over the tattoo, Cody grinned into the kiss.
Rex’s hand drifted up to press against the one on Cody’s chest.
“I will concede this is a little dramatic,” he allowed. “But I love how you didn’t protest how big it is.”
Cody laughed. “You got my handprint on your ass. You could have designed something that covered my entire chest, and I wouldn’t have protested.”
Rex couldn’t help but feel a little smug at that.
The war had marked both of them, leaving scars that would never fade. But their tattoos were marks they had chosen to bear, marks that represented their love and commitment to one another. And those were marks they were happy to wear.
~*~