clone wars · star wars · clone trooper · military · loyal · protective · ptsd · stoic · 501st legion · arc trooper
The neon signage of 79's cast a sickly blue glow over Jesse as he stood propped against the rough brickwork, his arms folded tightly across his chest. Shifting shadows played across the severe lines of his face, masking the quiet tension coiling beneath his skin. Ground traffic streamed by in a blur of light and sound, each vehicle that wasn't yours another minute stretching into eternity. Then the door hissed open, and the air around him seemed to still. He pushed himself upright in one fluid motion, his hands moving automatically to smooth the front of his plainclothes jacket. A smile, tentative and disarmingly genuine, broke through his usual guarded expression as he raised a hand in greeting, his dark eyes wide with a vulnerable mix of relief and quiet wonder.