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Ahsoka wheezes as she just inhales more dust, her ribs getting closer to crushing as her hold weakens on the pillars of stone above her. They had fallen in the siege they’d started, directly on top of her. She had pushed Anakin out of the way, that’s all that mattered. She hadn’t reached Rex. The Captain lays near her, less wounded and more mobile. He had crawled out from under the metal beams that had crashed over him but hadn’t hit his torso like the pillars had to Ahsoka. Just his legs. He was trying to push the stone off of her, his attempts futile.
“Rex,” she rasps, wheezing again as the pillar begins lowering faster now as her hands shake. “It’s fine.. It’s fine. Just get help.”
“No- No, I am not leaving you, Commander,” Rex tried to lift the top pillar, resulting in a bit of movement. “You’re too important.”
“Rex.”
“You’re gonna be fine, and I’m gonna be fine, okay?” He continues pushing, finally the top pillar crashing to the side of Ahsoka in the rest of the rubble. Dusty sunlight streamed down from cracks far above in their pocket of area. “We’ll be fine.”
“Rex.” She sniffles, whimpering as the invisible hold over the pillar falters and presses down into her chest before she restores the space between her and the stone.
“No, no, you’ll be fine. You’ll be fine, okay?” Rex begins pushing on the second one, throwing his cracked helmet aside and just trying.
“Rex,” she whispers, her hand reaching and grabbing his wrist. He looks at her, tears gathered in his eyes and ready to fall. She stops her lip from quivering. “You have to get help.”
“I can’t..” His voice falters and begins to crack. His body lowers down closer to her as she pulls him down, hand wrapping around his shoulders. “I can’t leave you here. I won’t.”
Ahsoka sets her lips in a fine line as she tugs him down and into a cramped hug, the pillar’s weight finally pressing into her fully as it dropped down the last two inches or so. She groans loudly as her arm is trapped between it and her own body, a pop ringing out.
“No,” she mumbles as Rex tries to pull away to look at what happened. “Just.. just stay here. Please.”
Rex can only nod, holding her.
He holds her up when her hand slips down off of his shoulders and her head rolls down. He lifts his head up, fear plastered on his face as he studies hers. Her eyes hung half-open and her breath was only noted because dust moved at her parted lips with a slight bit of wheezing. Her back was pressed into one of the metal rods that had landed over him, keeping her a foot or so off the ground, her feet pressed to the dust and dirt below. Her hand hung limp in the air, smeared with blood. He lets her go instantly, working to push the pillar off and away. It doesn’t work.
“Move, damnit!” He shouts, punching the stone, with regret. “Move!” He keeps pushing, hitting it with his shoulder, to no avail. “Move!” He yells out again, looking up at the cracks of the rubble above with tears cold on his face. “Please.”
“Please.” He hits the pillar again, crying as he presses against it, feeble attempts at getting it off of her.
He falls to his knees slowly, his leg hitting something as he sits onto the dirt below. He ignores it, trying not to think about Ahsoka’s hand as it hovered in the air, limp and bloody.
He opens his eyes, vision blurred as he finally looks at what he hit his leg on, the armour having clattered on it. One of Ahsoka’s hilts lay there in the dust, just.. waiting.
He wipes his eyes, picking it up. The green blade ignites and illuminates the area. He stares at it, standing slowly, as tall as he could. He lowers the blade down onto the pillar, cutting through the stone with ease. He sinks it down, kneeling to know where to stop. The moment the pillar is barely held together by what remains in the middle he pushes his hands under the almost-two pieces, lifting one with all the strength he could get. The stone cracks and he pushes it away, away from her head, off of her chest. The other one he quickly pushes as well. Then his hands move quick, grabbing her as she slips off the metal beam. He brings her into his arms, sitting back against some rubble.
He looks down at his Commander, at the blood and dirt smeared over her.
He looks up, inhaling in the dusty ruins of what had once been peace.
*
Rex exhales as Kix hooks him up to a monitor. The infirmary was the same as usual if not more busy. Rex’s leg was in a sort-of-cast-sort-of-boot, as Kix had said. His other wounds had all been cleaned and bandaged. The most notable wounds after the broken leg were his fractured fingers and bruised shoulder.
He sat shirtless on the infirmary bed while the medic works on him, silently. Kix was dealing with a lot and didn’t have the energy for his usual banter and remarks. Rex didn’t push or question it.
His eyes slowly trail across the room, studying all the wounded. He finally rests his gaze at the bacta tanks. Ahsoka floats softly in one in her old chest wrap and shorts, hooked up to all the usual cords and devices. His brow furrows and he lets his head fall back on the pillows that prop him up. He sighs, eyes closing at the sight of the florescent lights.
“Vod?” Kix prompts quietly, a hand placing on Rex’s unbruised shoulder.
“I’m fine, Kix.. I’ll be fine.” Rex shifts.
The doors to the med hall open loudly.
“General!” Kix jumps in surprise, looking over at Anakin as he marches in.
“Where is she?” Anakin asks, his voice hoarse from yelling commands.
Kix hesitates, but looks over at the bacta tank Ahsoka was in.
Anakin rushes over, stopping in front of the tank. He lifts a hand, placing it on the glass, Ahsoka’s own hand floating softly near it on the other side.
Rex, despite Kix’s complaints and verbal disagreeing, gets up off the bed. He limps his way to his General, lifting his heavy hand and letting it fall onto Anakin’s shoulder. The Jedi doesn’t react at all. Rex exhales softly, letting his hand slide across his superior’s shoulders to wrap around them in a semi-hug from the side.
“It should’ve been me.” Anakin whispers, his voice dripping with guilt just like the tears dripping down his chin.
“General.. She made a choice. She saved you, and you were already hurt.” Rex spares a glance down at the bandages tucked under Anakin’s tan tunic he usually slept in but also wore for comfort or casualness. “You would have died.”
“But she would be alive!” Anakin snaps, voice raising slightly.
“And she is alive!” Rex whispers, squeezing Anakin’s shoulder lightly.
“For how long?!” Anakin shouts, body snapping away from Rex’s attempt of comfort. The rest of the room goes silent as those who were awake looked over. “For how long?” He repeats. “How long until my Padawan dies?” Anakin points to the tank, ungloved fingertip tapping against it. “How long?!”
Rex stares with what he knows is fear on his face, because it’s how he had stared at Ahsoka when she fell unconscious in his arms. His foot slides back an inch or so, gaze averting from his General’s as his vision blurs once more with tears he thought he’d dried out.
“How long until my daughter dies?”
Rex looks back up at Anakin, the fear being replaced with instant concern and shock. Anakin stares at him with the expression of a broken man, tears welled in his eyes, face lined with sorrow. His brows were knit together roughly and Rex knew it must of been hurting Anakin’s head.
Anakin lays his hand flat on the glass again as he turns toward it, head angled down while the tears just keep flowing. Rex can’t do anything.
All he can do is exhale slowly.
An orange hand places against Anakin’s from the other side, one finger softly tapping on the glass.
Anakin looks up, eyebrows raising in surprise. Ahsoka blinks at him from inside the bacta tank, tapping her palm on the glass twice. She moves her other hand slowly, what Rex recognises as Basic Sign Language, something many Jedi learned.
Anakin shakes as he lets out the most trembling sigh Rex had heard from the man. He brings up his gloved hand, signing something back to Ahsoka slowly, lips moving as he mouths it.
Ahsoka nods along to let him know she understands it, then brings both her hands up to keep signing. She signs out a lot, Rex catching “would talk” and “hurt”.
Anakin nods, stepping forward and placing his forehead against the glass, taking deep breaths.
Ahsoka taps on it, signing out one more thing as he looks up. He laughs weakly, shaking his head.
“You didn’t.” He whispers while signing it out, smiling at her as strong as he could.
Rex can only watch. His lips tug up slightly, the soft smile he rarely let out aimed at the two of them.