The Benevolence of the Force by Spiritofthesky4 (WILL RETURN)

Chapter 9: Per Aquam

As they say, April showers bring May flowers. For the flowers to blossom in the field that the LAAT/i was currently laying in, it had to rain first. Which was exactly what was happening now.

I was awoken roughly around 6 A.M. to raindrops falling on my head. I blinked slowly, trying to comprehend why I was suddenly cold and wet.

The sky above my head was a soft, cloudy gray, not unlike the fur of a chinchilla, and it appeared to be dropping water on my face, much to my annoyance. I sighed. We should probably pack up and head back to the house... those clouds don't look like they'll be letting up anytime soon.

Kix stirred under me and his eyes fluttered open. I poked his cheek a few times, to which he responded by swatting me away gently.

"What?" He grumped.

"It's raining," I whispered loudly.

"I noticed."

"It's going rain more."

Kix groaned in annoyance. "So?"

"We should go back to the house."

"Do we have to?" Fives spoke up from where he was cuddling my legs, his voice rough from sleep.

"It's either that or get rained on," I said, gently petting his hair.

Kix hugged me tighter and put his head on top of mine. "Lemme wake up first," he muttered.

Rex struggled to push himself up onto his elbows. He'd been dogpiled on by Hardcase, Echo, Anakin, and Ahsoka during the night. I was surprised he could breathe under the weight of several people.

"I promise, they aren't normally this sluggish," he said wryly. "Normally they're awake, kitted-up, and ready to go within ten minutes. We've gotten a bit... slower while we've been here."

"It's cuz we finally get to wake up without the threat of being murdered by Seppies," Jesse said. "Or being yelled at to murder Seppies. So we can take our sweet time in the mornings. And in the showers." He'd shifted positions during the night, going from laying back-to-back with Tup to slinging himself over my torso, squashing his cheek against my stomach.

"You guys are so cuddly," I remarked, trying to hide my grin in Kix's arms.

"It's a clone thing," Fives said.

Rex nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'm certainly not against it," I said, pressing myself deeper into Kix's embrace.

Of course, though, that was when the skies opened up on us. Those who were still sleeping– Obi-Wan, Hardcase, Echo, Anakin, Ahsoka, Tup, and Dogma— were rudely awakened as the gentle sprinkle turned into an absolute downpour.

"Aw, man," Fives grumbled, covering his face with the one arm that wasn't trapped under my leg. Dogma let out an annoyed snort and tried to burrow into the space between my other leg and the blanket.

I scooted off of Kix's lap and to the edge of the truck bed. Kix, Fives, and Rex followed close behind, probably hoping to snag a seat inside the truck, out of the rain. Lula scrambled out from under the truck, where she'd apparently taken refuge from the downpour.

"Close the back!" I shouted to Obi-Wan, who did so. I hopped into the driver's seat, Kix beside me, and I called Lula to jump in. The dog jumped into the backseat, one paw landing directly in Fives's lap.

"Not again," Fives squeaked.

I saw in the rearview mirror that the group in the back of the truck had pulled the blanket over their heads to avoid the rainstorm. Hopefully, they're holding on tight , I thought as I yanked the steering wheel.