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Chapter Text

One did not have to know General Skywalker for very long to respect him. 

He was undoubtedly the fiercest Knight in the Jedi Order, and his eye for strategy made him a firm favourite in the GAR. 

Many people admired his sometimes-reckless methods of securing a Republic victory, whilst other military leaders were inspired by the compassion he had for his men.

Fives found himself attracted to the Jedi's casual manner of life. 

He was all furrowed-brow and set-frown in front of officials or during important briefings where Admirals were present, but when it was just the men, or when they were slaughtering droids on the battlefield, Anakin Skywalker was a very fun person to be around.

He had a larger-than-life personality. Every time someone made a joke, Skywalker was laughing the loudest. He liked being around people and was rarely alone- except for when he was working on his starfighter or fixing his droid. 

Fives stayed away from the Jedi for the first few days of being in the 501st. He and Echo had a rough start and were still mourning the loss of their squad on the Rishi Outpost. 

Captain Rex understood that they would need some time to settle in, and left them to lick their wounds. Besides training and mealtimes, the two brothers stayed in the barracks, talking quietly to each other about all that had transpired in the last week.

Rex must have spoken to the other men because nobody seemed to try to bother them. Clones would say hello in the corridors and give them nods as they walked into the mess, but besides that, they were relatively isolated- not that either man minded.

As long as they had each other, that was all that mattered.

The last person they expected to have a conversation with was Anakin Skywalker, General of the 501st Legion and Jedi Knight.

Only one of the most esteemed military leaders in history. 

No big deal.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

Fives whipped his head up, almost gawking. Their General was stood over their table, a tray piled high with food in his hand. He had an almost scruffy look to him- messy locks of brown hair and a lopsided grin. His presence was completely different to that of Shaak Ti's.

"General, Skywalker, sir!" Fives and Echo jumped from their seats to salute him, gaining some annoyed looks from the veterans at the other end of their table who had to grab their drinks to stop them from spilling.

"At ease," Skywalker said, almost looking embarrassed at the scene they caused. "You don't need to do that every time I speak to you. My ego doesn't need fuelling."

He gestured at the spot beside Echo, "May I?"

"Of course, sir," Echo replied, his muscles tense as he sat down next to one of the most famous Jedi in the galaxy. Fives sat down too, now face-to-face with nothing short of a legend.

"I'm sorry," Skywalker started, shovelling his fork high with food, "I didn't get the chance to formally introduce myself in the hanger during your medal presentation."

I'd be proud to fight beside you anytime, anywhere.

That's what he had told them after pinning a medal to Fives' chest plate. Then he and General Kenobi had bowed to them. Bowed- like the Jedi sign of respect. Fives wouldn't forget that moment until the day he died.

He chewed his food, and Echo and Fives waited silently for him to continue once he had swallowed. "I'm Anakin Skywalker. Echo and Fives, right?"

He pointed to them with the end of his fork, getting their names the right way round. Fives could only nod, dumbstruck.

"Good names," Skywalker said, gesturing to his temple when referring to Fives and then glancing at Echo, "Can I ask where you got yours from, Echo?"

"He repeats orders, sir," Fives answered, gaining a bit of confidence. Echo sent him an annoyed look for answering on his behalf. "It was that or Parrot, and another cadet had already claimed that name."

Skywalker's smile twisted like he was trying to stop himself from laughing. Fives had never seen Shaak Ti laugh before.

"I'm sure you're already familiar with Captain Rex." Skywalker continued, resting his fork on the edge of his plate to look around the room, "And my Padawan should be around here somewhere."

Fives frowned, "A Padawan, General?"

"My Apprentice," he clarified, looking at him again, "Commander Ahsoka Tano. You can't miss her- she stands out like a sore thumb. Cares for the men like they're her own blood, though I try to do the same.

Fives thought about what he said. On Kamino, they were taught to be seen but not heard by their Jedi leaders. They owed complete respect to their Commanders and Generals, but shouldn't expect so much as a glance in return. 

Skywalker had proved this expectation wrong in less than five minutes.

"We've been called to support General Kenobi's forces in the Mid Rim." Skywalker continued, "I'd like the two of you to be on my squad."

Fives thought he misheard him. There was no way that General-kriffing-Skywalker had just asked them to be on his squad.

"W-Wouldn't you want more experienced troopers covering your flank, sir?" Echo asked, just as shocked as Fives. They were still very much green and had only been part of one mission. They hadn't even been in a real battle yet.

Skywalker cocked his head, "Like Appo? He's about as interesting to speak to as a protocol droid. Besides, Rex spoke highly of you two. I know potential when I see it."

He looked between them, "What do you say?"

Oh, if Bravo Unit could see them now.

Echo still looked startled, so Fives leaned forward, "It would be an honour, General."

Chapter Text

It didn't take long for Fives to get used to Skywalker's loud and chaotic personality. 

As cadets, clones were taught that they would have an easy life if they answered every order from their superiors with clipped, ‘Yes, sir!’

They had to snap to attention every time an officer stepped into the room, and avoid bothering their Generals unless it was absolutely urgent.

Skywalker wasn't like that. He actively encouraged his men to make suggestions about his strategies, once joking that Rex had saved his shebs at least a dozen times by double-checking his plans.

He was clearly fond of the men under his command, and in Fives' eyes, that only made him a better leader.

His Padawan took after him. She was sparky and headstrong, which complimented Skywalker, though they often butted heads if one of their tempers grew short.

"Snips, chill out," Skywalker called out, causing Fives to glance up from where he was counting inventory.

Regardless of his quickly progressing skills on the battlefield, he tended to find himself getting into trouble frequently, hence he’d gotten used to completing extra inventory duty as a punishment.

The older Jedi was widening his strides to catch up with his Padawan as she attempted to walk away. "All pilots have to start somewhere."

Ahsoka whirled around, irritation etched onto her face that was just visible through her helmet. She'd been training with Gold Squadron today, and apparently it hadn't gone as well as she hoped.

"How am I supposed to improve when you-" she pointed at his chest, "can't give me clear instructions?" 

Skywalker gawked at her, "How was I not clear?"

"You were screaming conflicting orders at me!" Tano argued, her voice rising in volume and pitch with every word. "Push forwards- no, pull back! U-turn, U-turn! Why are you U-turning, Snips? Push forwards!”

It was quite amusing to watch Tano attempt to mimic her Master, even if she was furious.

"Come on, Ahsoka," Skywalker rolled his eyes, and Fives thought he might be attending his General's funeral by the end of the cycle, judging by the redness growing on the Commander's face.

"Just accept it, Master!" She growled, "I won't ever be as good a pilot as you! Togrutas weren't built for space combat!"

She tore off her helmet and threw it at her mentor's chest, winding him, "This stupid helmet messes with my echolocation!"

With that, the teenager spun on her heel and began to storm away, splitting through the sea of clones who had gathered to spectate.

Fives watched Skywalker closely. He almost expected him to chase the girl down and chastise her for storming away from him, or at least scold her language. He’d seen Kenobi lecture the pair of them enough times to know that Jedi didn’t permit that type of behaviour.

So he was surprised when Skywalker sat on the crate near where he was counting supplies, taking a small servodriver from his belt to begin fiddling with the Commander’s helmet.

Fives glanced around. He was alone, but he wasn’t sure if that gave him permission to approach the Jedi after such a heated exchange.

He paused when he was about halfway to the Jedi, contemplating if he should drop the entire idea. He didn’t know anything about the relationship between Jedi Masters and their Padawans, nor did he know the slightest thing about teenage girls.

“You’ll get used to that soon enough, Fives,” the General startled him, not lifting his head from his work. “She’s stubborn.”

Fives exhaled slowly, impressed that the Jedi had noticed him nearby even without looking.

“Pardon me, General,” Fives walked over to him, “Will she not be in trouble for speaking to you like that?”

To his surprise, Skywalker scoffed, “Compared to how I used to speak to my Master, she was very polite.”

He lifted the helmet to show Fives, pointing the servodriver at a specific component, “Once I get this fixed up, she’ll get over it. I can see what the problem is.”

Fives had no idea what he was looking at, “It messes with her…”

“Echolocation.” Skywalker said, “I should’ve known. It’s my fault.”

One of Skywalker’s- admittedly few- flaws was that he tended to place the blame on himself for things that were clearly out of his control. It seemed that nobody had been willing to point that out to him.

“I’ve been working with machines since I was a kid,” Skywalker explained, “Ahsoka’s different. She was raised in the Temple and only ever learnt important life skills by having a teacher explain it in a classroom.”

Fives wasn’t sure if he was about to cross a boundary, but he was curious. “You weren’t raised at the Temple, General?”

“No,” Skywalker furrowed his brow as he fidgeted with the helmet.

Fives supposed that was as much of an explanation as he was going to receive at this stage.

Based on the quiet discussions clones had in the barracks late at night, nobody knew much about Skywalker’s background.

Of course, the medics would know because they had access to his medical history, and Fives was certain that Rex knew more than he let on, but the Jedi was a complete mystery to everyone else.

“She’s still new to space combat, but she’ll get there eventually.” Skywalker continued to talk about his student. “She needs to get over her frustration. It doesn’t help that I don’t really understand what she’s not getting.”

Really, Skywalker was just venting to him, but Fives couldn’t help but believe that the Jedi was confiding in him.

“Well, you told her that all pilots have to start somewhere.” Fives shrugged, “Where did you start?”

Skywalker scoffed, “The first time I flew a starfighter, I accidentally joined the Battle of Naboo and single-handedly destroyed the Droid Control Ship. I was nine.”

Fives blinked.

His mind ran through the size and capacity of a Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ship. Taking one out wasn’t an easy feat for an experienced squadron, let alone a child on their own.

He knew that his General was an excellent pilot, but he hadn’t been expecting that revelation.

“That’s impressive, sir,” he breathed, feeling slightly flustered by the prospect of serving under someone who was so skilled that he could accomplish a feat like that at such a young age.

That was the first time Fives realised that as talented as Skywalker was, his abilities made him somewhat dangerous.

Aware that the tips of his ears were probably turning pink, Fives looked to where the Commander had stormed away to. The teenager was slouched on an ammo crate, her head in her hands.

“Do you think that the pressure might be too much for her?” He asked, “I mean, the pressure that she’s expected to be like you someday.”

“It’s a possibility; I remember feeling the same way when I was a Padawan.” Skywalker followed his gaze to the girl, “I don’t want her to be like me though. I mean, she’s amazing. She’s far more skilled in combat than someone her age should be, and she’s way more book-smart than I ever was. If I could just get her to understand space combat the way I do…”

The clone took a deep breath.

He hadn’t known Skywalker for very long, certainly not long enough to start giving him teaching advice, but he’d say they were well-acquainted.

If the Jedi didn’t appreciate his advice, then he’d gladly take whichever punishment Skywalker seemed appropriate.

If he did heed his advice, well then, Fives would brag to Echo all week.

“Sometimes, when I’m struggling to pick a new skill up, Echo breaks it down into smaller steps for me.” Fives said, looking back at Skywalker.

“He finds a way for me to understand it in my own terms. I do the same for him if he doesn’t get something. It keeps the playing field even; ensures that neither of us thinks we’re better than the other.”

Him and Echo had only learnt to do that after losing the rest of their squad on Rishi. They only had each other now, so they needed to make sure that the other twin survived as long as they did.

Skywalker hummed, turning the helmet over in his hands. He stared into the visor at his own reflection.

“So, I need to break it down into smaller steps that she understands?” He said, thoughtfully, “But you can’t teach starfighter combat in a classroom.”

Fives shrugged, “That’s how the clone pilots on Kamino learn. Maybe Axe has some resources that you can use.”

“That’s a good idea,” Skywalker put his servodriver away and glanced up at him, “But she needs to teach me something in return, so I don’t make her feel stupid?”

Those weren’t Fives’ exact words, but it made the same point.

He had a think before replying, “What do you call the way she holds her lightsaber backwards?”

Skywalker’s expression soured, “The reverse grip? I’m trying to encourage her not to do that. I’m nervous she’ll cut off one of her own limbs.”

Fives resisted the urge to make a comment that she’d be following in her Master’s footsteps.

“Whether you like it or not, she seems pretty competent at taking down droids like that, sir.” He said quickly, “Besides, if you start to show an interest in learning why she favours that grip, she might put more effort into her starfighter lessons.”

“You really think so?”

Fives shrugged, “It would work on me.”

Skywalker looked at his student, then at Fives, and then back to his student.

“I guess it’s worth a shot.” He said decisively, tucking her helmet under his arm before standing up, “Thanks for the advice, Fives.”

Fives nodded respectfully, inwardly swooning that the General had thanked him for providing his input on something that the Kaminoans would consider a ‘Jedi matter’.

Beat that, longnecks.

As Fives got back to counting inventory, he glanced over at the Master and Padawan duo once more.

Ahsoka was wearing her helmet, seemingly happy with the adjustments Skywalker had made to it. The older Jedi had a grin on his face as he talked to her, probably bragging about his mechanical expertise, with one hand on the girl’s shoulder.

Everyone in the 501^st would willingly take a bullet for Tano, but it seemed Skywalker would burn the entire galaxy down for her if it came to it.

Skywalker may have been dangerous, but he was also gentle, especially towards people that he cared about.

Before Fives could look away, Skywalker met his eyes and nodded his thanks. The clone couldn’t help the pride swelling in his chest at the mutual respect that had been formed between them.

Chapter Text

When Fives woke up, the first thing he was aware of was pain.

It started in his head, a throbbing sensation at the base of his skull. His neck was stiff, his chest uncomfortably tight from what he suspected were a number of broken ribs. His legs felt oddly numb, like they had been submerged in an ice bath for too long.

Something must have happened to him for him to be waking in so much pain. Slowly and sluggishly, his soldier senses told him to get a grip of himself and wake up. If he had been captured by the enemy, he needed to be alert.

An inkling in the back of his mind told him that he had a job to do. He had to protect the Commander.

His eyes felt like they had been glued shut, his mouth full of cotton. Once he managed to peel his eyes open, he immediately squinted at the bright light over his head.

Ah, medbay.

At least he wasn’t in an enemy prison.

“Coric, the kid’s awake,” he heard a voice grumble.

Never mind, he would take the prison, especially when the sweet smell of bacta hit him, along with the droning noises of the various machines.

“Thanks, Zyme,” there was suddenly a face in front of him. Fives blinked to clear the blurriness, revealing the calm expression of the 501^st’s CMO. “Hey, Fives. How are you feeling?”

He had to wet his lips with his tongue, his mouth thoroughly dry. “Like I’ve been trampled.”

A piece of plastic was pressed to his mouth. He realised it was a straw, and at someone’s gentle suggestion for him to drink, Fives relished the stale taste of the Resolute’s water.

Coric chuckled, pulling the straw away, “Not far off, vod’ika. Do you remember the mission?”

Fives tried to recall what had happened for him to end up in medical. His head throbbed, as did his entire body, but he couldn’t remember any of the details.

Something about protecting the Commander.

Eventually, he sighed, “Not much.”

“That’s okay; you got hit pretty hard,” Coric’s smile was kind, “You and Commander got caught in a rockslide whilst on patrol. The pair of you fell to the bottom of the ravine, we had to dig you out.”

That explained the pain.

The memories were slowly filling in. Fives could remember being tossed like a ragdoll between rocks the size of tookas. He had tried to remember his training, but ultimately, his main concern was protecting the-

“Is the Commander alright?” He asked, feeling tired. His eyes kept drifting shut.

“She’s fine, just a few bruises and scrapes.” Coric assured him, “Had you not wrapped yourself around her to break the impact, she would’ve been a lot worse.”

Fives tried to not think about how Ahsoka’s body might’ve looked if he hadn’t done what he did.

“What did Brightside say?” He said, his words slurring from exhaustion and whatever pain meds they were pumping into him.

Zyme snorted near his head, “She used a lot of colourful words to describe your heroic act.”

Coric looked like he was trying to hold in his laughter as he shined a torch into Fives’ eyes.

“He’s slipping back under,” Zyme muttered, now standing at the foot of his medcot. The man’s braid had got so long since Fives met him, it fell over his shoulder now.

“Yep,” Coric gave him a reassuring smile, “Night, Fives.”

He spent the rest of the day in and out of sleep.

Fives could hardly stay awake long enough for the medics to ask questions about how much sensation he had regained. He woke up to Rex doing some datapad work in the chair next to his bed, but the next time he opened his eyes, the Captain was gone.

Tilly brought him so food around mealtime, but took it away after Fives dosed off for the third time with half-chewed rations still in his mouth.

It took several more hours of rest until Fives could hold a conversation longer than a few sentences.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else I can get you?” Echo fussed over him in the middle of the night, straightening his pillows. “Some water, some food? Are you comfortable?”

“I’m fine,” Fives replied, only partially lying. It was hard to get comfortable whilst it still felt like his chest was tightly wrapped in chains. “You need to go and sleep, or Rex will yell at you for nodding off during drills.”

Echo smiled, worry for his brother evident in the lines across his forehead. Apparently, he had stayed by Fives’ bed almost constantly whilst he was unconscious. “I suppose you’re right. You’ll use your call bell if you need anything though, yeah?”

“Of course,” Fives said, “Thanks for sitting with me for a while.”

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Echo squeezed his hand before heading for the exit. Fives waited for the doors to slide shut behind his brother, then let his eyes close.

He wasn’t tired, especially after sleeping all day. It was more so that being alone in the dimmed medbay was making him feel uneasy.

Fives was a sociable clone. He knew that Echo felt bad for leaving when he so desperately wanted the company, but there would be hell to pay if he fell asleep during training.

Fives wasn’t some needy shiny, but he was still in pain and now lonely. It was far too quiet in the medbay with him being the only patient awake.

His eyes opened at the sound of a door opening.

Across the room, the medic on shift left the office. Brightside had a beeline for his bedside, datapad tucked under her arm.

Fives felt his anticipation soar.

The first time he’d met the woman was immediately after his and Echo’s investiture into the 501^st. They had scheduled medical examinations, as was procedure for any new personnel on the cruiser.

Brightside let them do the exam at the same time, claiming that they had already been through enough without needing to separate for a check-up.

Since that day, Fives had been completely enamoured with the only female non-Jedi who served on the front lines alongside the men.

“Would you like some company?” The Kiffar asked, standing a few feet away from his bed. “I remember you don’t sleep well in medical.”

Fives nodded his head towards the chair that Echo had been occupying, gesturing for her to sit down.

Whilst Brightside had already made it blatantly obvious that she had zero romantic interest in him, he was still going to shoot his shot at any given opportunity.

After all, ARCs never gave up.

Rex hadn’t actually signed the forms for him and Echo to go to Advanced Recon Commando training, but Fives knew it was coming. No matter how many times he was called a shiny, there were scuffs on his armour now.

Well, actually his armour had been thrown out because of the state it was in when they pulled him and Ahsoka out of the debris, but the point still stood.

“Are you comfortable?” Brightside asked as she got settled on the chair, placing the datapad on her lap. She brushed her many braids over her shoulder. “I’m surprised you’re not in more pain. Not many people survive those types of injuries.”

“I’m fine,” he said, which was an extension of the truth considering how much his body ached. He couldn’t help the flewts in his stomach when she implied that he had survived something that many others wouldn’t.

“It’s because I’m basically pure, solid muscle,” he lifted his arm that didn’t have wires and tubes sticking out of it and flexed.

Brightside raised an eyebrow, “I’d give more credit to your armour than your physique. You are consistently getting your shebs handed to you by the veterans in the gym.”

“You’ve watched me spar?” He asked, somewhat surprised.

Brightside tended to train solo in the middle of the night to avoid socialising. Besides mandatory drills and her shifts, she was practically impossible to find on the cruiser.

“I’ve patched you up afterwards,” she reminded him. “Remember, when Appo gave you a concussion?”

Fives grinned, “I remember you yelling at him.”

Something akin to a blush appeared on the woman’s cheeks, and she diverted her gaze. Fives took it as a victory that Brightside obviously cared about him, even if she didn’t think of him in any romantic capacity.

Fives supposed there would have been a lot of implications in the relationship. Brightside was the second oldest person on the cruiser after Admiral Yuleran and had decades of combat experience. Compared to her, he wasn’t just a shiny, he was practically a cadet.

Another reason why things wouldn’t have worked was blindingly obvious as the woman suddenly went completely stiff at the opening of the medbay doors.

Fives squinted at the approaching figure. Decked in a dark cloak and his metal prosthetic on display, Skywalker did admittedly look menacing as he crossed the medbay.

Brightside stood up, and Fives didn’t miss the way she positioned herself in front of his medcot, like a nexu protecting her cub.

“General,” there was a tremor in the woman’s voice, the fear of the Jedi that many of the 501^st talked about on display. “Do you need something?”

Skywalker stopped a few feet away, offering a gentle smile, “I just wanted to see how Fives was doing, that’s all.”

If Fives was some sort of shiny, he would’ve gawked at just the prospect of Skywalker making a trip to the medbay to see him, but he was familiar enough with the Jedi to not completely freak out at the request.

Brightside looked over her shoulder, scanning Fives. He felt like she was trying to assess him, attempting to determine if he would be able to defend himself in his condition.

Her worry didn’t make any sense, but then again, a lot of the actions of her superiors during the Kiff Civil War didn’t make any sense either.

Fives wondered how many times she’d regretted leaving a patient’s side, only to find them dead after their leaders deemed them a waste of resources.

The woman met his eyes. Fives hoped he managed to convey reassurance through his gaze.

She turned back to the Jedi, her tone cautious. “I’ll be checking on my other patients. Call if you need me.”

Skywalker nodded politely, “Of course.”

She gave him a wide berth as she stepped away, giving Skywalker the chance to move forward. Fives shifted in his medcot, prepared to at least look like he was trying to move to attention.

“Relax, Fives,” Skywalker put up a hand, “At ease, I don’t want to get on the medics’ bad side by agitating your injuries.”

Oh, there would be hell to pay.

Coric might act like a chilled CMO, but he could be just as ferocious as Kix when it came to his patients.

“Do you mind if I sit down?” Skywalker gestured to the plastic chair that Brightside had vacated.

“Sure thing, sir,” Fives said, “How come you’re awake?”

It wasn’t unusual for the Jedi to be up at this hour. Sometimes, if Fives slipped out of his bunk to get a snack from the mess hall, he’d spot his General pacing up and down the corridors, hunched over holomaps on the bridge, or training in the gym.

He never wanted to pester the man who got as little sleep as it was, so he would silently slip away. Admittedly, he’d once stayed out of sight to watch Skywalker practice with his lightsaber, which left him completely unable to get to sleep because all he could picture was his General’s shirtless body as he-

Enough said.

“Uh, I struggle to get to sleep sometimes,” Skywalker admitted, fanning his robe out before sitting down. “I just wanted to check on you. Rex said you were asleep all day.”

“Yeah,” Fives looked up at the IV stand next to his bed, “They’ve been pumping me full of sedatives and painkillers.”

Skywalker snorted, “The medics finally got sick of all your yapping, huh?”

Fives laughed, which he immediately regretted because of the shooting pain it sent through his ribs. He placed a hand against his side and grimaced.

“Careful,” Skywalker frowned, stretching out his flesh hand.

“It’s fine,” Fives wheezed, “Just need to… not make me laugh.”

“I’ll try my best,” Skywalker said, attempting to hide a smile. “I didn’t just come to put you in pain. I came to thank you.”

As the pain eased, Fives frowned. “For what, General?”

The Jedi’s face went somewhat devoid of emotion, “When we pulled you two out of there, Ahsoka was able to walk. She had a few cuts and bumps, but no major injuries. You were… well, you looked mangled.”

Fives snorted but tried not to laugh, “Thanks for the compliment.”

Skywalker surprised him by putting a hand on his shoulder, “Coric said that if you hadn’t taken the brunt of the impact, Ahsoka would be in a similar state that you’re in now. It was already a miracle that you survived. So, thank you, for saving my Padawan.”

He looked at Fives, dead in the eyes. “I owe you one.”

Fives had to get a hold of himself. It was bad enough that he could feel the heat of Skywalker’s palm through his medical gown, and that the Jedi was staring straight into his soul, but he needed to compose himself before he melted into the medcot.

“Sir, I think anyone in the 501^st would have done what I did.” He said carefully, “Whether the Jedi Order approves of it or not, we all care about the Commander, more than we care about our own lives.”

Skywalker drew his hand away, and only then was Fives able to take a full breath.

“I’m aware, and I know that anyone would’ve done the same.” The General said sincerely, although he would never fully understand the fondness the men had for Tano. “But I’m glad it was you, Fives.”

The clone managed a smile, “Glad it was me who almost got squashed like a bug between falling boulders?”

Skywalker matched his expression, “No, I’m glad it was you because I’ve been looking for a reason to recommend you to Rex for ARC training.”

Fives blinked.

He hadn’t been expecting that.

“Seriously, General?” He exclaimed, “I’m still a rookie.”

Skywalker made a confused face, “Says who?”

“Everyone.”

Shiny, rookie, vod’ika, it all meant the same thing: inexperienced.

“I don’t.” Skywalker argued, looking somewhat unsettled, “I wouldn’t even consider you to be a- never mind.”

He stopped himself from venting and composed himself, “What do you say? I could get you on the next shuttle to Kamino once you’re cleared from medical.”

Fives took a breath as deeply as he could manage without causing pain in his ribs.

This had been his dream since he was a cadet. Every mission he went on, Fives used as a mental countdown to the day when he would finally be presented with his new rank and kama.

Every clone wanted to be an ARC. Those who did complete the training walked with an air of superiority that Fives salivated over. He wanted to be one of them, and he was prepared to do whatever it took to change his designation to ARC-5555.

“Not without Echo, sir.”

It was Skywalker’s turn to be caught off guard.

“What?”

Fives felt a sudden twinge of regret. Skywalker was presenting him with an opportunity that very few clones would receive. Anybody would call him a di’kut for refusing such an offer.

But he and Echo had made a deal after Rishi, and before everything, Echo came first.

“Echo and I only have each other.” He started slowly, “I know the 501^st is our family, but we’re all that’s left of our old squad. We’re twins. We train, fight, and die together.”

Skywalker’s expression softened, like he’d heard this a hundred times from other clones.

Or maybe he’d heard similar words from his own student’s mouth.

“You know how unpredictable this war is, Fives.” He said gently, coaxing him to understand that the expectations he and Echo had set were highly unrealistic.

There would come a day that he or Echo would die, whether it was during the war or after. Hell, one of them might die on their next mission, although Fives always tried to not think about those possibilities.

Fives nodded, “I’m aware, but this is something that you and the Captain have control over. I want to go with Echo.”

He knew it was a big ask. Clones were raised to never voice their desires to their superiors. Squads could be separated, twins could be split up, and they could be punished for disputing it.

But Fives hoped that Skywalker liked him enough- respected him enough- to allow him this.

And if he didn’t, and he was court martialled for making such demands, then he would expect Echo to get himself into a similar level of trouble so they could be decommissioned together.

“Okay,” Skywalker said after a few seconds of thought, “When you’re both ready, then.”

Fives could’ve cried with relief.

“Thank you, General,” he ushered, “And don’t think I don’t appreciate the opportunity. It’s just that-“

“Some things are more important than ranks and promotions.” Skywalker finished for him, “I get it, I understand.”

He was probably making the link to how he felt about Ahsoka, or maybe even his own Master. Not many people were more important in a Jedi’s life than those in their lineage.

Surely.