Captain Rex is standing in the hanger waiting anxiously for the ship to arrive. He bites his lip compulsively as he watches the sky. The ship should be returning to Coruscant soon, and he's missed his dear friend greatly while they were away. His feelings for them remain a secret he shoves down as far as he can internally, but the sirens call of them is loud and getting harder to ignore every day.

The distant hum of an incoming starship grows louder, and Rex straightens his posture instinctively, forcing down the butterflies in his stomach. This is no time for sentimentality—he's a soldier first, a captain of the Republic's finest. Yet as the ship docks and the ramp begins to lower, he feels his resolve wavering.

He takes a deep breath, adjusting his pauldron as he prepares to greet them with the professionalism expected of a 501st officer. But in his heart, he's already imagining what it would be like to bridge the gap between friendship and something more, if only for a moment.