Chapter Text
Fives knew, when Rex came to get them from the brig, helmet at his side, that nothing good was coming. His face was grim, the pain and indecision in his expression evident.
“Fives, Jesse,” Rex said. “I’m sorry. General Krell has ordered your immediate execution.”
“What? But how?” Jesse demanded. “He can’t do this!”
“He has authority to render punishment during combat,” Rex explained, his voice gentle. Fives watched silently as Jesse continued to argue with the Captain, already resigning himself to his fate.
“I can understand a court-martial, and locking us up in the brig,” Jesse responded furiously. “But executing us?”
“I tried to convince him that it’s my fault, but he wouldn’t let me,” Rex responded, the regret and bitterness clear in his voice.
Fives snapped then.
“Rex, you have to face it, he’s been using you,” Fives growled, stepping forward to stand at Jesse’s shoulder. “He needs your loyalty to control the others.”
Rex didn’t respond, simply shook his head and sighed as he stepped back, deactivating the ray shield on the cell. Their vod’e – all helmeted, unlike their alor’ad – stepped forward to escort them. To their execution.
They were going to be executed.
“I won’t let him get away with this,” Rex promised, his voice lined with determination. Fives almost believed that he would avenge them, if given the chance.
“Ah, don’t beat yourself up about it,” Fives groused as he and Jesse were led from their cell. “We made our choice. We knew what the price was.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jesse grumbled bitterly. Fives chuckled at that, clinging to his sense of humor like a lifeline.
“Still got your sense of humor, I see,” Fives joked with a smirk. Jesse didn’t take the bait, his face wrapped in hurt and anger.
“Who said I was joking?”
As Jesse spoke, the floor beneath them began to rise, drawing them ever closer to their execution.
They were going to be executed.
“Well,” Fives murmured. “I guess this is it.”
As they walked to the execution block, falling into step behind Rex, Fives heard Dogma’s unmistakable voice ahead of them.
“Line up the prisoners!” the younger clone ordered. Behind him, their vod’e were prepared for the execution, rifles in hand. Fives’ heart clenched when he saw Tup among them, his top knot easily recognizable.
Well,” Fives said, his voice deadpan. “I’ve officially lost my sense of humor.”
Fives and Jesse lined up silently, shoulder to shoulder as they faced their vod’e. Fives looked into Tup’s eyes, trying to convey his forgiveness without words. At least he would die at the hands of the man he loved, rather than to some faceless clanker.
“Would the prisoners request to be blindfolded?”
Fives didn’t answer – couldn’t – his mind reeling too quickly to form words.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Dogma said when neither Fives or Jesse answered him.
The man he loved.
He loved Tup.
“I hope you can live with yourself, Dogma,” Fives snarled at last, even as his mind reeled.
It was a damn fine time to realize he loved Tup, as he stared down his vod’e at his own kriffing execution.
“Ready weapons,” Dogma said, and their vod’e did as instructed, bringing their blasters up.
Fives simply stared at Tup, desperately wishing he hadn’t wasted the time they had had together.
“Never thought we’d go out this way,” Jesse murmured beside him.
“Aim,” Dogma called.
Fives broke.
“Wait, this is wrong and we all know it. The general is making a mistake, and he needs to be called on it. No clone should have to go out this way! We are loyal soldiers,” Fives argued, his voice desperate. He couldn’t die without telling Tup how he felt. “We follow orders, but we are not a bunch of unthinking droids! We are men! We must be trusted to make the right decisions, especially when the orders we are given are wrong!”
“Fire!” Dogma called.
The blasters fired simultaneously, and Fives flinched.
But miraculously, he was still alive. Every single one of his vod’e had missed. Fives straightened, looking into Tup’s eyes, incredulous.
~~~
“Remove their binders,” Rex ordered, and their vod’e moved forward without hesitation.
Kix went straight to Jesse, murmuring softly to his cyare as he gently removed his binders, cupping his chafed wrists with the utmost care. The two leaned their foreheads together – it was as much affection as they could risk showing here, what with Krell watching from above.
Tup came to Fives, his face lined with concern. Another vod’e removed Fives’ binders as Tup cupped his face, his eyes searching the ARC trooper’s own.
“Me'vaar ti gar?” How are you? Tup breathed, and Fives nodded, leaning forward to rest his own forehead against Tup’s, in a semblance of a Keldabe. Tup pressed back. The two stayed like that, pressed against one another, sharing breath, space, and body heat, until Rex and Dogma returned from wherever they had gone.
Rex’s face was grim.
“Krell has ordered Fives and Jesse returned to the brig for the time being,” Rex explained. “The rest of us have another battle to get to.”
Jesse and Kix abandoned all semblance of discretion at their alor’ad’s statement, embracing passionately until other vod’e pulled Jesse back into binders, dragging him away.
“K'oyacyi, cyare,” Stay alive, my love, Jesse called over his shoulder. Kix tried to respond, but all that came out was a strangled sob. Coric pulled Kix into a hug, holding him tightly so he didn’t have to watch Jesse being led away in binders a second time.
When they came for Fives, he was ready.
He brought his hands up, gripping Tup’s head tightly, pressing his forehead more firmly to his own.
“Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Tup’ika,” I love you, Tup, Fives whispered, his words for Tup alone. As they grabbed his wrists and bound him, pulling him away from Tup, the younger clone merely stood in place, frozen, his eyes wide with shock.
~~~
The next time Rex descended to the brig, he was in full armor, extra blasters in hand. Behind him, Kix and Tup waited, arms crossed, bodies tense.
Fives and Jesse accepted the blasters without a word.
As the floor rose once again, Fives found himself pulled towards Tup, their helmets rattling together as the younger vod’e all but headbutted him.
“Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Rayshe'a,” I love you, Fives, Tup said, his voice firm. Fives didn’t know what had happened since he’d been dragged back to the brig in binders after the failed execution. He didn’t know what they were up against. But he was glad that he would have Tup by his side.
~~~
Krell was dead, killed by Dogma for his betrayal of the clones – and the Republic. Fives, Jesse, Kix, Tup, Wooley, and Rex stood quietly on the tarmac as they watched Dogma being led onto a waiting transport, hands cuffed behind his back. Dogma looked back briefly, eyes locking onto Rex. The Captain nodded once – as much support as he could risk showing for Dogma’s choice. Dogma nodded back; his own face was grim.
After Rex left them on the tarmac – called back inside by a trooper who had managed to make contact with General Skywalker – Fives, Jesse, Kix, Tup, and Wooley (one of the few survivors from the 212th) stood in place, unsure what to do. Without a commanding officer, they were adrift.
Kix, at least, still had a job to do, and after giving Jesse a quick kiss, he headed towards the medical tents that had been erected on one of the landing platforms.
“We should rest,” Jesse suggested after Kix disappeared from view. “No telling what’s coming, and I don’t know about you, but it’s been days since I’ve had any decent shut eye.”
The other clones mumbled their agreement, making their way towards an unclaimed stack of shipping crates. When Wooley didn’t immediately follow, Tup grabbed his hand, dragging him along with them. Fives smiled slightly at that – his cyare was forever caring for those around them, it seemed. It was why he could often be found helping the medics – not today though. No one had dared suggested separating Fives and Tup yet, and Fives genuinely hoped that they wouldn’t.
Fives hopped up on one of the crates, quickly discarding his helmet. The moment Tup set Wooley down, Fives reached out to him with a hand. Tup took it without hesitation, letting the ARC trooper pull him between his legs.
Fives pulled Tup as close as he could get him, his knees bracketing Tup’s hips. And while Tup hesitated, Fives didn’t, yanking his helmet off before pulling him into a desperate kiss – the kind he had wanted to share with his cyare since the moment he had realized the depths of his feelings on the executioner’s block.
Thankfully, neither Wooley nor Jesse said a word.
Fives and Tup only pulled apart when they had no more breath left to give, panting slightly as they pressed even more firmly against one another.
“Rayshe'a,” Tup breathed, the Mando’a sliding off his tongue with a practised ease. It sent shivers down Fives’ spine.
“Tup’ika,” Fives breathed back.
“What – what changed?” Tup asked quietly. Fives shook his head against Tup’s.
“I don’t know,” Fives admitted. “Nothing, really – it was just, when they lined us up for execution, I was glad that it would be you – the man that I loved – and not some faceless clanker on some backwater planet. I thought – at least I would get to see you as I died.”
Tup leaned in for another kiss – gentle and chaste this time – before pulling away.
“I never could have done it,” Tup said quietly. “Shot you, I mean. I think that’s why Rex asked me – Kix too. Because he knew we wouldn’t do it.”
“I’m glad that you didn’t,” Fives replied. “I thought I would die, never having told you how I felt. And now –”
“Now we’ll make the best of whatever time we have, rayshe'a,” Tup said gently. Fives pulled him back in for another kiss. They kissed like drowning men, clutching at one another, hands roving over one another’s bodies, barely breathing – until Jesse cleared his throat.
“Captain,” Jesse greeted. Fives and Tup pulled apart at last, the latter turning to face Rex while still bracketed between Fives’ legs. Said ARC trooper pulled his cyare more tightly against him, until Tup’s back was flush with his chest.
“General Skywalker and Ahsoka will be planet side within the hour,” Rex said by way of greeting. “He’s not happy.”
Fives’ arms tensed around Tup at the Captain’s statement. Surely –
“About what Krell did,” Rex hurried to explain, seeing the sudden tension in Fives and Jesse. “I suspect that if Dogma hadn’t killed the demogolka already, he wouldn’t be long for this world once the General got his hands on him.”
Fives relaxed, breathing an audible sigh of relief against Tup’s neck. He wasn’t about to be thrown back in the brig, wasn’t about to be court martialed, or executed.
“Wooley, I made contact with Cody and Obi-wan as well,” Rex said, turning to the trooper in 212th gold, who had settled against a crate a slight distance from his vod’e in the 501st.
“Do – do they know about Waxer?” Wooley’s voice was small, wavering slightly as though he was holding back tears. Rex nodded.
“’Lek, verd’ika, they know about Waxer,” Rex said gently. “Cody and Boil will be here to get you and the rest of your vod’e as soon as Obi-wan can spare them.”
“Vor entye, alor’ad,” Wooley replied. “I don’t think – I couldn’t be the one to tell them.”
Rex nodded, his expression understanding. He looked to Jesse, Fives, and Tup briefly before turning to leave – headed towards the airstrip, where he would likely remain until General Skywalker and Ahsoka arrived.
Tup settled on the ground between Fives’ legs, moaning slightly as Fives freed his hair from his topknot to play with it. Fives smiled at the sound, carding his fingers through Tup’s hair with purpose, relishing in the small sounds Tup made in response.
Jesse let his head fall against Fives’ calf as he dozed, not quite asleep, but too tired to stay fully awake any longer. Meanwhile, Wooley stayed where he was, his face a picture of heartbreak and devastation, as he waited for his own vod’e.
Against all odds, they had survived Umbara. Together, they would rebuild what they had lost, and figure out a way to move forward. Figure out a way to win this war. And Fives fully intended to do it with Tup by his side – to whatever end.