Back in the Game (COMPLETE)

9.11.2

"Sorry to barge in on you like this," he apologized, shifting to sitting and leaning up against the coffee table in the center of the room. "I was a little stressed, and you were the closest option."

"'A little stressed'?" she mocked, throwing away the last of the wipes and pulling out the stitching thread. "I could have felt you panicking from five systems away, much less a few kilometers."

He would have shoved her, but Ahsoka was threading the needle now so he settled for a glare. Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan, then sighed. "He's been a little off all night, it probably wasn't the best idea to let him go off on his own."

Ahsoka knew better than to ask about what had been bothering him. Chances were Obi-Wan hadn't told Anakin anyway, and she doubted he would tell her. "Maybe it's just a bad day. He can rest tonight though, and hopefully tomorrow, he'll be firing on all cylinders."

"Here's to hoping," Anakin agreed, and looked around the room for a little bit. "You've done some decorating since the last time I was here."

She spared a moment to glance around, and she smiled at how she had made it look. "Some people like to donate stuff every once in a while, just to say thank you for things like this. I've done a few renovation projects in the past few months."

"I can tell," he praised, scrambling to his feet to try out a chair in the corner of the room. He sunk into the cushions and leaned back, sighing as he went. "I think I might fall asleep too."

"Pull the lever," Ahsoka told him, and Anakin looked around for it. He found a black lever arm on the side of the chair, and he promptly pulled it. He nearly yelled out when the back of the chair fell and the bottom part kicked up. It was all Ahsoka could do to keep from bursting out laughing. 

Anakin shot laser eyes at her, but he quickly stopped when he realized how much more comfy the chair was lying down. He buried his face in a pillow and closed his eyes, sinking into the cushions. He was about five seconds from falling asleep when the bathroom door opened and Rex walked out, water still running down his head. 

He had changed into the clothes Ahsoka had set out, a tank top and athletic shorts, both thankfully in his size. He was holding his armor and the towel he had used, and at the sight of the sleeping Obi-Wan he whispered, "Is there somewhere you want me to put this?"

Ahsoka opened the door to the washing machine with the Force. "Set the clothes and towel in there, and the armor plates can go on the ground. I'll move them later." At that, she turned her full attention to her work. She needed to make sure these stitches went in correctly, since she knew firsthand how troublesome crooked stitches could be. 

Reluctantly, Anakin rose from the recliner and grabbed another stack of clothes. Rex took his spot on the chair and watched Ahsoka work while he took in the house. 

It was much more comfy than the harsh, off-white cruisers he spent most of his time in. Almost all of the furniture was plush and forgiving, and Ahsoka's decorative taste was slowly taking over the walls and surfaces. When he looked over to the kitchen, he saw a few random papers on the counter waiting to be dealt with, and dishes in the sink, rinsed and ready to go into the washer. Unless you knew Ahsoka, it was really easy to imagine this as a regular civilian's house. It seemed so simple, so peaceful. Rex was sure there were a few weapons hiding somewhere, but not out in the open.

And then there were the clothes she had given him. Compared to the tight suit that went under his armor plates, these were so loose and comfortable. He had gotten used to it, but he just now remembered how restricting his armor could be with movement sometimes. It was almost weird to not hear his armor hitting itself every time he took a step. 

Finishing the last of the stitches, Ahsoka cleaned off the needle and caught Rex looking around. "You've really settled into living down here, haven't you?" he asked, and Ahsoka nodded. 

"It's kind of nice, isn't it? After you get past the dark streets and whatnot, and actually take a look inside?" She smiled and looked out the window, which had the curtains drawn. "I've come to like it a lot more than I did two years ago."

"Definitely better than the barracks," Rex laughed softly, making Ahsoka smile. "We never get that hot of water."

"Welcome to civilian life," she told him, selecting a bandage from her medkit and peeling the seal off. "I figured if you guys are going to camp out for a while, I might as well make it worth it."

Rex nodded, and he curled up on the recliner. "Thanks, Commander," he told her, and he saw her grin and she rose up to her knees to place the bandage on Obi-Wan. 

"Anytime, Captain," she replied, in a soft voice. It didn't even feel like a rank anymore when Rex said it. It seemed more like her name, now. She had long since given up trying to get him to stop calling her by a rank she no longer had because it never worked. Even during their periodic calls, he still insisted on calling her by her non-existant rank.

Standing up, she pulled a long bandage out of her basket and looked up at Rex. "You think you can help me wrap him up? He's going to want some extra support when he wakes up."

Together, they managed to finish bandaging the sleeping Jedi. Rex held him upright and Ahsoka wrapped the bandage around his abdomen, trying to find a good balance between tight and comfortable. When she was satisfied, she helped him lay Obi-Wan back down and turned to the rest of the room. With a sweep of her hand, she piled all of the bloody towels and his robes into a pile next to the washing machine. Time to clean up.

With nothing else to do, Rex followed her, and sat down next to the pile when she did. Pulling out a spray bottle of stain remover, she showed him what they needed to do. "Spray this anywhere that needs it." She demonstrated, and Rex watched as the liquid fizzed and turned white. Together, they worked at bloody pile. When Anakin walked out of the shower a few minutes later in a short sleeve T-shirt and loose sweat pants, he joined in on the cleaning party, until everything had been sprayed, rinsed, and thrown into the washer, along with Anakin and Rex's suit. 

Ahsoka poured the detergent in and shut the door. Starting it, she told the others, "We'll start another load once Obi-Wan is moving again. The rest of it will dry while it runs."

"Thanks again, Snips," Anakin told her, shaking gout his damp hair so it would stick to his forehead. "I know this probably wasn't how you were planning to spend your night."

"Hey, I'm not complaining," she replied, smiling and walking towards the kitchen. "Come on, you guys can help me clean out my fridge. Hungry?"

She didn't really have to ask. Of course they were hungry, especially for something other than rations.