It was tight; Echo was sitting on Fives, Hardcase had Jessie who had Tup sitting on him. But it was the only place that the commanding officers would not look for them.

"Who's been growled at by Rex?" Jesse asked.

"I think we all have been," Tup whispered.

"Ok, name what you were doing," Echo stated, "I was standing too close to him."

"Drank caffeine," Hardcase stated, he got glared at as everyone tried to back away from him.

"Ice-water wake-up," Fives stated, "I found myself pinned with his growling and sneering in my face."

"I used the wrong colour of paint on my armour; the blue wasn't blue enough," Jessie stated.

"I walked through a door," Tup stated, before holding up two fingers, "got to the food quicker than him," held up a third finger, "standing too close to the Commander."

"How close was too close?" Fives asked.

"The length of two gunships."

"Please can the long-necks find what caused this!" Echo begged, "if it could happen to him, it could happen to us! And he has more self-restraint."

"I dare not think what could happen if any of us start doing that," Jessie

"Shall we agree that if it happens to any of us, we're being locked in a cupboard unless we are needed directly for a mission?" Echo asked.

"Agreed."

-----

"Anakin," Obi-Wan started, "I think we know why your Captain has such behaviour."

"Why?"

"The Kaminoans have a final test of sorts before they pass to make clones," Obi-Wan explained. "The student is given control over the coding of one clone and are asked to make a change to them. If they live and make it through training, then the student passes, if they don't, then they fail."

"So Rex was someone's exam?"

"Yes, Commander Wolfie was one as well," Obi-Wan explained, "he was crossed with DNA from an Alpha Wolf. This was to see whether he would be more attuned with his surroundings and to see whether it could bring him a rank of power easier within the group."

"What did Rex have?" Anakin sighed.

"Rex had a list full of changes done to him, the student was trying to show off and get a higher position," Obi-Wan sighed, "first, he fiddled with pigmentation, giving the Captain his hair colour, next, a shriek-hawk for better eyesight - affecting the colour as well."

"Why do I feel that you're holding something back?" Anakin asked, his face blanking at what it could be.

"Rex was also crossed with another species to make him more prone to 'hunt' his 'prey', to be quick and efficient at the hunt in taking down larger 'prey'," Obi-Wan explained.

"Cut to the chase, Obi-Wan," Anakin growled on edge with the way his Master was acting.

"Your Captain has Togruta DNA," Obi-Wan stated bluntly.

"What?!"

"I am right next to you, Anakin, no need to shout," Obi-Wan stated, trying to move away from the shout slightly.

"If everything ok, sirs?" A clone asked, popping his head through the door.

"Everythings fine here," Obi-Wan nodded as he watched the clone disappear again.

"Does," Anakin started, his face going sickly pale, "does that mean. On the planet. Ritual?"

Obi-Wan nodded, finding sense in the jumble that spilt from Anakin's mouth, "that 'fake' mating ritual performed so you can keep your Captain was real and currently means your Padawan and Captain are mated together."

"We'll have to tell the council." Anakin whispered, "all the boys will need this explaining to them."

-----

"Captain Rex and Commander Tano do not know of this yet, so do not talk about it openly," Anakin warned as he stared down all of the 501st and a good chunk of the 212th.

"Sir, have you got any answers from the long-necks?" Fives asked.

"That's what we are gathered to talk about," Anakin nodded, "I'm sure you've all noticed the change in your commanding officers since... That mission?"

There was a range of nods and agreements that went around everyone in the room.

"The most straightforward way would be for me to explain the history of the clone making teachings in Kaminoan culture," Anakin started, "to pass the course, the student must make a positive change to a clone. This clone has to make it through training and pass into a battalion for the Kaminoan to pass."

"Like the Captain's blond hair?"

"That's one of them," Anakin sighed.

"One of them?!"

"Normally, there is only one. For instance, Commander Wolfie has the DNA of an Alpha Wolf to make him more of a leader and aware of his surroundings," Anakin explained, "Captain Rex's changes are more extensive than that."

"How extensive?"

"There's a list that I don't even know the full extent of, apparently the student was trying to show off," Anakin stated.

A chuckle went around the hanger.

"We'll start with the hair, that was just some tweaks to existing DNA. Now, we all know he has slightly different eyes, well, turns out the Kaminoan added shriek-hawk DNA to give him better eyesight," Anakin was then cut off.

All the clones were almost buzzing with all the whispers to the Mandalorian animal.

"Right, carrying on," Anakin stated with a cough when the room when quiet. "The Captain also had another species added to make him more attuned to 'hunt' and to take down larger 'prey' with more efficiency."

The room was impatient, buzzing, as they waited for the information to be spilt.

"The Captain has Togruta DNA, the same species my Padawan and your Commander Tano are," Anakin finally said.

The uproar was huge by the fact there wasn't one. The room was silent, not a muscle moved. Anakin even wondered whether the clones forgot to breathe, and their hearts forgot to beat.

"Right," Anakin coughed, feeling unnerved by the silence, "so, to fill in the 212th. On the mission to Shili, Captain Rex managed to grab the attention of nearly every mateable female Togruta in the village we were staying at."

"Sir, by grabbed the attention, you mean?" Cody asked.

"They all decided that they wanted him to be his mate," Anakin smirked, "apparently they liked seeing that he's a warrior that can 'control' others."

A range of sniggers went around the room.

"So, that triggered the start of a mating ritual," Anakin sighed, "so, one walked up to him and declared she wanted to mate with him. The only reason he wasn't publicly claimed right there was that Snips jumped on the female before trying to tell them that Rex was not going to mate with any of them - hence, trapping him to the planet."

"Rex triggered a kriffing mating ritual?!" Cody spluttered.

"Hmm, yes, it caused lots of fights, and enough attention was brought forwards both by the ones wanting to mate with him and the village elders that they suggested that he could take multiple mates, much to the Captain's horror," Anakin sniggered, "eventually, it got to where the females circle the male without touching him."

"Which some seemed to forget," some of the clones laughed.

"Yes, one of the younger females reached out to touch him, and this is where his new behaviour started," Anakin nodded, "he flattened the female to the floor and growled at her until she diverted her eyes."

Jaws were wide open.

"He also decked another female to the floor," Anakin stated.

"Who, sir?"

"The heir to the village, she tried to touch the Captain on the back," Anakin stated.

Half the room flinched, Rex had always been sensitive about people touching his back.

"He pinned her to the floor by an arm and a leg. He snarled at her until she eventually sagged and diverted her eyes. Giving Rex now slight power over that village," Anakin stated, "I'll skip a lot here, but the females started saying what must have been offensive and rude towards the Commander when she was circling him. It kind of got to a point where Rex pushed Snips behind him and almost drew one of his blasters."

"He threatened both the heir of the village and most of the females?!"

"Yes," Anakin said, "eventually, all the females diverted their gaze."

"All of them?!"

"Someone leading the kill of three Akul and three waves of clankers is someone that none want to mess with," Anakin smirked, "an Akul is a large quadrupedal, carnivorous predator that Togruta fear because they can demolish settlements."

"And you took down three?"

"They surprised attacked us," Anakin nodded, "so now the whole of Shili know about this 'mating' between the Captain and the Commander. But the thing is that this DNA mixing has caused it to be real."

"Is that why he is behaving as he is?"

"Yes, the ritual unlocked hidden instincts meaning that he has become quite territorial, possessive, defensive and solidified his role of leader," Anakin stated, "which means he will growl maybe even get aggressive in different situations."

"Does that mean we're stuck with the Captain acting like this, sir?"

"Effectively, yes," Anakin nodded to the horror of all the clones, "but he will eventually calm down. It's new so needs that time to settle and having them split apart - especially for sleeping - is meaning that the 'mating' won't settle."

"So the longer they are apart, the more cranky the Captain gets?" A clone asked, igniting a few giggles and laughs.

Anakin's lips twitched into a smile, "effectively, yes."

"So, there is a way to 'fix' it," Fives sighed.

"I can finally walk into a room without being growled at?" Tup asked.

"Yes, if we can get them to agree to something," Anakin nodded.

"Why don't I feel like getting them to agree will be simple, sir?" Cody asked.

"Because it involves them," Anakin started, scratting the back of his head nervously, "sleeping in the same quarters. Not the same bed, but just the same room."

"Sir, good luck with telling them that," Fives stated.

"Tell who what?" Ahsoka asked as the hanger door opened to allow her to see everyone.

Anakin sighed before pressing his comm unit, "Rex, come down to the main hanger."

"Sir, yes, sir."

The wait for Rex to come down was an awkward silence filled tension that built until it was almost boiling around them.

"You wanted me down here, sir?" Rex asked as he walked into the hanger through the same doors as Ahsoka.

"I have informed the 501st and some of the 212th already, it's just you and Snips left to know," Anakin stated, signalling to the fidgeting clones behind him.

"Why don't I like the fact that all the clones seemed to be fidgeting?" Ahsoka asked.

"Because," Anakin started, "because we just got some information back from the Kaminoans."

"That doesn't seem so bad," Ahsoka stated.

"Well, Rex was a student's exam work," Anakin sighed, "a student is charged with making a positive change to a clone. If the clone makes it through training, then they passed, if they didn't, then they failed."

"So what positive change was made, sir?" Rex asked.

"I'll tell you the three that I know of," Anakin started, "first, colour change for Rex's hair. Next, shriek-hawk DNA for his eyes - also changing their colour slightly."

Ahsoka and Rex glanced at each other when suddenly the room went icy quiet.

"Skyguy, you said three," Ahsoka pointed out, "so unless you can't count, there is another one."

"Rex has Togruta DNA to make him a better hunter," Anakin blurted out.

It took a moment for it to settle into their brains, both what Anakin said and what he meant, but the two quickly scooted away from each other.

"Ok, that 'fake' mating ritual triggered hidden instincts that came along with that DNA," Anakin explained, "it also means that, as these instincts came through during the mating, you two are mated together accidentally."

Rex felt himself blush under his helmet as Ahsoka's stripes darkened to a deep blue.

"This means there have been some unforeseen consequences," Anakin continued, "for instance, as some clones worded it, Rex you have been 'cranky'. Like growling at everyone near you at points, poor Tup seems to have had it the worst."

"Half the time I can not walk into a room without you growling at me, Captain," Tup pointed out.

"Ok, you are stating this like there is a way to stop it, sir," Rex pointed out.

"No, not stop. But more control it. The instincts are new so just need time to settle," Anakin pointed out, "but with your status together, then it will either calm quickly or slowly."

"Ok, how slow is slowly?" Ahsoka asked.

"Forever?" Anakin offered.

"So how do we prevent that?" Ahsoka asked.

"Ok, don't slice or shoot me on the spot," Anakin begged before stating, "you'll have to sleep in the same room, not necessarily the same bed - although it will help with calming the instincts better - just as long as you are in the same room."

"What about the order?" Ahsoka whispered.

"They are willing to allow the mating as it was not meant to be a real mating," Anakin reassured, "and Rex has been taken off clone laws thanks to the fact he's not a clone."

"Will it?" Rex started before his voice died off again.

Luckily, Anakin seemed to know what Rex meant as he answered, "no, it will not affect anything. You will both keep your ranks and your places."

"I guess, if Rex is ok with it," Ahsoka stated, "I know how that action will calm the instincts."

"If it means I stop feeling like I want to rip someone's throat off all the time," Rex stated, causing most people to flinch and try to protect their throats, "yeah?"

-----

Rex and Ahsoka walked into what was meant to be their shared room; they proceeded to walk straight back out.

Rex pointed to the vent above them a few doors down from theirs.

Ahsoka nodded as she used the force to silently remove the vent and jumped up before sticking her hand down.

Rex unclipped one of his blasters, setting it on stun, passed it up to her.

Ahsoka slowly crawled up to where Hardcase and Fives were hiding and trying not to giggle like little children. She smirked to herself as she fired two quick stunners, hitting both of the clones before resting the blaster back on her belt. She dragged the two back by their feet and dropped them down the vent.

Rex grabbed his blaster back as Ahsoka handed it back to him. Together, the two dragged the clones back to the barracks.

The clones within the barracks scrambled to their feet as they saw their Captain and Commander enter, their heads tipped in confusion as they saw what the pair was dragging across the floor. They relaxed when Rex signalled for them to stand at ease as the two dropped Fives and Hardcase onto the floor.

The clones felt their jaws drop when the Captain undid the secret latch on Fives bed and pull out everything until he got to the mixing pallet at the back. He also pulled out the range of different restraints that Fives would use to tie up his prank victims.

"What colour paints do you have stashed?" Rex growled to Tup.

"Wh-what?" Tup gulped, "what paints?"

"If you're going to lie to me, don't," Rex growled again, "so what paints do you have?"

"We have just about every colour including neon colours," Echo said, stepping in.

"Pass me the neon pink then," Rex grunted as he finished tying the two clones together back to back with their hands in front of the other.

Echo passed it over and watched as the Captain poured it over the mixing pallet.

"Where is your glow in the dark mixture?" Rex asked. "And don't try to lie, I know at least three of these bunk posts have it over them."

Tup sighed and pulled out what looked like a spare shampoo out from underneath his bed.

Rex continued to pour this onto the mixing pallet. "Where are your powdered plastoid and powdered droid parts?"

Jessie moved forwards and gave it over this time.

They all watched with morbid curiosity as Rex slowly mixed them all, forming an invisible mixture.

Rex smirked behind his helmet as he slowly started to paint it onto the clones' armour. He dotted it slowly down the glass of the mask, watching as all the clones froze. "Don't worry; it will come off the helmet without any harm if rubbed with weak alcohol."

"We don't have any alcohol," Tup stated.

Rex sighed before kicking out into the wall, causing the door of the secret compartment to open, revealing the alcohol behind. "You need to stop forgetting that I was a cadet at one point," Rex smirked.

"Where are Fives' and Hardcase's spare gloves kept?" Ahsoka asked from the other side of the barracks away from the door - reminding everyone that she was present.

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Unless you want me to pour 501st blue water activating paint powder down all the 212th and 104th gloves, I recommend telling me where they are," Ahsoka stated, "and don't tell them about any of this, just that we tied them up and left."

Echos sighed before grabbing the gloves and passing them over to Ahsoka, watching as she carefully poured some powder into each of the gloves before handing them back.

"What, you forget that I was a youngling at one point?" Ahsoka asked at all their looks before leaving the room.

Rex, after packing everything away and closing the compartments turned and left the room as well, but not before stating to them all, "those two and any others I find were responsible for what happened will be on sanitary duty until they are thirty - and not clone thirty," before closing the door and leaving.

"How long they got sanitary for?" Ahsoka asked when they walked down the hallway.

"Twenty-one years for Fives, twenty-two years for Hardcase," Rex smirked, "sanitary until their thirty - I warned them if they pulled anything against me after a year ago they would be sentenced to that."

"What did they do a year ago?" Ahsoka asked.

"Took every bit of armour and clothing from the refresher and the rooms attached right before an important meeting," Rex stated, "luckily I always keep my comms near me, so I was able to call Cody to come and give me some armour and clothing to wear."

"So what do we do about all this stuff?" Ahsoka asked, point to everything in their room when they entered.

Rex removed his mask, placing it on the side. "I guess Fives and Hardcase accidentally shipped it to this room instead of General Skywalkers," Rex shrugged with a smirk.

"Let's correct that for them," Ahsoka smirked back before laughing.

Soon a droid was sent under strict orders from 'Fives' and 'Hardcase' to set up everything in Anakin's room.

-----

Anakin felt his face go red as he caught sight of everything in his room. Looking in the corner, it seemed like whoever did this made a mess up as the droid they asked to do this had left a note.

'From Fives and Hardcase.'

"Fives, Hardcase!" Anakin roared, before storming off towards the barracks.

-----

Any rant that Anakin was about to shout died on his tongue. Instead, he stared at the wiggling clones.

Fives and Hardcase were tied together as the rest of the clones laughed at them.

"Who else did you play a prank on?" Anakin finally asked.

"What do you mean who else, we didn't play a prank on you, sir?" Fives grunted as he tried to free himself from the restraints.

"Ok, who did this to you?" Anakin sighed, figuring that the two wasn't going to emit to him that they did it while they were so tied up.

"The others say that it was the Captain and the Commander that did this when we woke from being stunned," Hardcase stated.

"Mainly, it was the Captain that did the tying up," Echo added.

"So you're saying that your strict Captain was the one that tied you together?" Anakin checked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," both of them sighed, "could we have help now?"

"While as tempting as that is, I might just watch you struggle," Anakin grinned, sitting down next to Tup. "Oh, and you're on sanitary for a year."

"Really! Sanitary until we're thirty-one!" Hardcase whined.

"He added that many years?" Anakin whistled.

"He did warn us," Fives sighed before almost begging Anakin, "please can you help with these ropes, sir, I haven't even got my fingers free!"

"Your fingers?" Anakin asked as he crouched in front of Hardcase and stared at the knots. "The only way you can get out of this would be if Rex untied you, or if I use the lightsaber to cut you out," Anakin offered, flicking the blade on.

Both Fives and Hardcase froze when they heard the blade buzz.

"Hold still, I don't want to chop off anything important," Anakin warned.

Both Fives and Hardcase where a whimpering mess by the time that Anakin was done. When the buzz of the lightsaber stopped, they scrambled off the bed and landed in a tangled mess underneath another bunk.

Anakin noted the slight glow to their uniform, "Tup, turn off the lights."

"Sir, yes, sir," Tup stated as he moved to turn off the lights.

When all the lights turned off, they realised one thing, where Fives and Hardcase had rolled under, there was a neon pink glow.

"Fives, Hardcase, get out from under the bunk," Anakin ordered.

Just at the moment that the two was on their feet, the door opened to reveal the Captain and Commander.

"They're out of the restraints," Ahsoka noted.

"Disappointing, I thought it would have held them longer, at least until they realised how to undo it," Rex sighed.

"I would not be too sure, looks like they were cut free by a lightsaber," Ahsoka stated, "and Skyguy's here."

"They are certainly shaking enough," Rex nodded, happy his helmet was hiding his smirk.

Anakin felt his mouth drop open, eyes as wide as engines. "They weren't lying when they said you did this to them?" He gasped.

"Well, if you mean by me stunning them within the vents, both us dragging them here, and Rex tying them up?" Ahsoka offered, before nodding, "then yes, that was us."

"Then what about the glowing pink over them?" Anakin asked.

"Guess that will serve them right for using banned contraband?" Rex offered.

"I was always told that using weak alcohol could get that stuff off," Ahsoka offered.

"We don't have any alcohol," Fives stated.

"General, kick that wall about two steps from the bunk," Rex stated.

Anakin did as Rex said, confused as to what Rex meant until a hidden compartment opened. Anakin felt his jaw drop yet again as there was a stockpile of alcohol stored in there along with a note. He reached forward and read it out loud, "everyone, one year of sanitary duty for stockpiling contraband, making that until Fives and Hardcase are thirty-two standard years old."

Everyone's mouth dropped open, piecing together that everything that just happened was very purposeful. And it was all set up by the Padawan Commander and Clone Captain.

"Fives, while you're at it, clean your helmet, you'd think for an ARC trooper you'd keep better care of it," Rex stated before turning and leaving before any reply could be made.

"I'm going to go now," Ahsoka stated, looking very much like she was about to burst into laughter. By the time she got back to the room, Rex was already there. As the door opened, she could hear his laughs echoing around the room.

Rex was sitting on the bed in almost tears, his helmet of to his side. He could not remember laughing this hard since his time as a cadet.

The door had barely shut when Ahsoka burst into laughter, stumbling towards the bed and collapsing against Rex.

The two continued to laugh until they calmed down, taking a moment to breathe before realising just how they were sitting, or more importantly, holding onto each other.

Ahsoka had managed to bury her head into Rex's neck, and Rex had his arms around her, pulling her close to him as he rested his cheek on her forehead. Two started to hear a second noise, one different from the dying laughter. Loud purrs echoed through their room.

The two blushed as they scrambled away from each other, Rex ending up on the floor as Ahsoka managed to press her back almost into the wall.

"I. Er," Ahsoka stammered. Her chest was heaving, each heartbeat ringing in her ear.

Rex wasn't faring much better, almost fairing worse; he was also sporting a bruise across the back of his head from smacking his head against the table.

The room was eerily quiet and still except for the heaving of the two's chests. Their eyes were diverted away from each other.

"It was nice," Ahsoka started, coughing slightly before continuing, "to laugh that hard - you know - during what this time is."

"Not had that since I was a cadet," Rex whispered, almost afraid to emit it, scratching the back of his head.

"You said over twenty years for the two, so that they would be standard thirty years old," Ahsoka remembered, "are they eight and nine?"

"Yes, they are young, forced to proliferate in physical age like the rest of us," Rex shrugged, pulling his legs up to his chest.

"Rex, how old are you?" Ahsoka asked, moving off the bed to crouch next to him.

"Twenty-two?" He tried to offer with a laugh, before tucking his head between his knees as he hugged himself close. He'd not had the time for it to sink in that they were sending ad into a war - even if that was what they were made for. "I'll be twelve in one standard month," he muttered, closing his eyes.

"How old are your brothers before they are sent to war?" Ahsoka asked, not wanting to upset him anymore, but needed to know the answer.

"I was soon to turn ten when I was sent out to war," Rex muttered before lifting his head to stare at Ahsoka, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, "my vode are being sent out at the ages of six and younger - not even fully trained."

Ahsoka could not help the gasp that escaped her lips as she pulled Rex into her side.

Rex stiffened, freezing as her arms pulled him into her side. But slowly his walls started tumbling down, more and more tears breaking through. Soon, he could not stifle his sobs as he buried his head into Ahsoka's side.

"You haven't been able to let this out yet," Ahsoka realised, "you don't have to keep up the wall here, you don't have to be the stong Captain within these walls," she whispered, her chest rumbling with purrs as she rocked him back and forth.

Rex was sure that he'd cry into the General's side at this point. They were sending children into war, ad, his vode his little vode. "Ner ad vode," he sobbed, chanting the words.

"Come on; let's get you up, this hasn't got to be comfortable," Ahsoka stated as she rubbed his arms.

Rex made no complaint as she slowly rose him to his feet to sit him on the bed, no flinch when she started to unclasp his armour to leave him in his blacks.

Ahsoka wrapped one of the blankets around Rex's shaking shoulders. "I'm just going to go grab something," she whispered before leaving the room.

She headed towards the mess hall, spotting one of the chefs, she approached, flashing her teeth slightly, "do you have about half a mug of milk I can borrow," she asked, making sure to keep her fangs on full show.

The chef gulped behind his helmet and scurried away, soon returning with what she had asked for. "Normally, this is unable to be asked for, but we just got restocked," the chef chuckled nervously before disappearing again.

Ahsoka held back her laugh as she turned towards the hot water dispenser. She filled the mug up to the top with the water before turning and leaving the room.

When she got back, she noticed that Rex, while there were no loud sobs, his body was still shaking with silent cries. He didn't acknowledge her entry until she had woven his hand around the mug and a stick in the other.

"On the end of the stick is a small lump of chocolate, you mix it into the mug, and when fully melted it makes a drink that children often have instead of caffeine - and can help sleep," Ahsoka whispered at his blank expression.

Rex slowly did as she said, watching with fascination as the drink turned from white to a deep brown. When he pulled out the stick again, he saw there was no chocolate on the end.

"Go on, take a sip," Ahsoka offered, hoping he would like the taste.

Rex slowly lifted the mug to his mouth on shaky hands, taking a small sip of the drink. His eyes widened at the explosion of flavour that swirled around his mouth and how it soothed his throat when swallowed.

He didn't notice when his tears had dried when he started to hiccup when the mug had emptied, or when Ahsoka had pushed him onto his back just like he didn't notice when she curled around him, and he didn't realise when his eyes had closed, letting him succumb to the darkness.