enigmaticexplorer

[enigmaticexplorer]

She always had a crush on a guy, and he never felt the same way, and she would just pine away until another guy came along to focus on instead.

That sound you just heard? That's the sound of my heart cracking.

"You don’t have to worry about whether we want you around or not. We do. We all do.”

Was he being convincing? He was trying.

I love how much Hunter is trying without being pushy. He's not making it overt, but he's also not giving up on her. He's a steady presence and I feel like that's good for Wren. To see someone consistently show up for her without being overbearing.

Hunter and the Librarian - Chapter 14

Ch. 14 Specific Author's Note: I know it might seem like I'm dragging this story out, but it's loosely based on true events, and those events took quite a while. I will be having things move a little quicker in the story than they did in real life, so if you've enjoyed this so far, please hang in there with me. The next chapter will be the group getting together to watch football, and then after that I might fast forward about a month, and there might actually be a one-on-one date at that point.

Summary: Set in a modern AU (an ambiguous year): Wren is a librarian who meets Omega, a twelve-year-old living with her five older brothers. Omega feels Wren and her oldest brother, Hunter, would be good for each other and tries to play matchmaker. Wren's anxiety and shyness coupled with Hunter's own struggles with depression make that more difficult than Omega hoped. Wren is based on me and my experiences with anxiety and how it affected the beginning of my relationship with my husband.

Pairing: Modern AU Hunter x F!Librarian OC, Wren

Word Count: 3126

Warnings: Talk of anxiety, shyness. Minimal swearing.

Author's note: This is my first attempt at a fanfiction. I thought it might be helpful for some people who also deal with anxiety to see how it affects relationships, especially early on when it comes to social anxiety, and see that there are people out there who can "put up" with you...that you aren't "too difficult or exhausting" for the right person. (In quotes, because those are all things I thought about myself for years.)

My modern AU was inspired by the amazing Modern Batch AU stories by kaydear (Illyria_Lives) on AO3. Not to sound overly dramatic, but they changed my life.

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Dividers by animatedglittergraphics-n-more

Wren woke to the sound of pots and pans quietly clanking together. She looked at her phone, and saw it was 7:30 am. Then she looked at the recliner that was to her left, and she saw Hunter still sleeping. He looked so peaceful. And handsome. This guy is really handsome. Plain and simple. And she still couldn’t grasp that he might be interested in her. Those things just didn’t happen in her world. But she remembered the way he touched her cheek earlier, when he thought she was asleep. There was no denying that. Unless she was asleep and dreaming? No. No, she knows that really happened. She reached up with her hand and felt where his hand had been.

She’d been trying to play it cool, since she didn’t really think Hunter could like her in the way Omega was trying to convince her he did. She tried not to think about how much she liked him, and how kind he was, because she just knew she would never have a chance with him, so why set herself up for more disappointment. This always happened. She always had a crush on a guy, and he never felt the same way, and she would just pine away until another guy came along to focus on instead.

She just laid there staring at him for a few minutes. She didn’t want to move and possibly wake him up. She wanted to stay like this for as long as possible. She assumed it was Echo in the kitchen, since he’d said he needed to get up early.

Finally after close to five minutes of Wren just lying there staring at Hunter, she heard footsteps coming from the kitchen. She turned her head to look towards the doorway, and Echo’s face popped around the edge. When he saw she was awake, he smiled and quietly said, “Good morning!”

Wren replied softly, “Hi, Echo.”

“Did you guys sleep out here all last night?”

“I did. Hunter went to bed for a while. But he got up around 6:30, not long after Crosshair had gotten home and was eating some breakfast out here. Then I fell asleep again, and when I woke up, Hunter was there in the chair.”

“Usually this much talking would have woken him up. He must be tired.”

“Or maybe I’m just ignoring you, trying to fall back to sleep,” Hunter said with a sleepy smile. He opened his eyes and looked at Wren, who smiled back. Then he looked at Echo, “Hey, Echo.”

“Hunter. Did you want some breakfast? I need to leave in a half an hour, but I am making myself some bacon and eggs, if you’d like some too?”

“Nah. Thanks, but I’m not quite ready to eat yet. Did you want something, Wren?”

“No, that bagel you gave me earlier is plenty.”

Echo said, “Ok, I’ll try to be quiet if you two want to go back to sleep.”

“Don’t worry about it, Echo. I should probably get going.” How many times had Wren said that since last night, but she really did feel like she was probably wearing out her welcome.

Hunter looked at her and said, “Do you have to hurry off? Maybe you could at least wait until the others are up.”

“Well, I’ll see how long that will be. Does everyone usually sleep in pretty late on Saturdays?”

Hunter shook his head and said, “It just depends. It’s not unusual for Echo to have somewhere to be. He does a lot of volunteering with the VA Clinic, and they have activities on many Saturdays. Wrecker and Omega are neither one very ambitious on Saturday mornings. And Tech is often up in his room tinkering with things. Crosshair will usually sleep until the afternoon if he worked the night before, which he usually does.”

Wren stretched and yawned. “Well, maybe I’ll stay here for just a little longer. This is a really comfy couch, and the blankie is very warm.” She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

“You can stay as long as you’d like.”

Wren wasn’t sure, but she thought she’d probably fallen asleep again, briefly, because the next thing she knew she heard Omega coming down the stairs, and when she checked it was 8:30.

Hunter was up and in the kitchen doing some dishes, and Echo was gone.

Omega looked around the doorway, seeing Wren on the couch, and went over to sit at her feet. She was still wearing her PJs and still looked pretty sleepy.

"Good morning, Omega. Again.”

Omega smiled a sleepy smile and said, “Hi. Did you get more sleep? I don’t remember going up to my room, but I must have.”

“Hunter carried you up.”

“Oh, yeah, I was still pretty tired.”

At that point, they heard footsteps coming from the kitchen, and Hunter walked into the living room.

“Hey, Meg. Did you want some breakfast? I can fix you some bacon and eggs?”

“Uh…I think I’ll just have some cereal.”

“Ok, I’ll let you get it yourself then.” At that he looked at Wren and said, “I think you got a little more sleep. How do you feel?”

Wren said, “I feel lazy and like I’ve inconvenienced you all too much already.” She started to get up.

Omega said, “Wait! You can’t leave yet!”

Wren looked at her and said, “Why?”

Omega was trying to come up with a reason, “Well…I don’t know. I just don’t want you to.” She had a sheepish look on her face.

Wren scooted over so she was sitting next to her and put her arm around her shoulders. “Omega, I’d love to hang out with you more, but I have some things I need to get done today. And I really do think I need to leave you all alone now. I’ve been hanging around long enough.”

“No she hasn’t, has she, Hunter?” Omega looked at her oldest brother.

“Meg, I’ve told Wren she can stay as long as she wants. But if she has things she needs to do, we shouldn’t make her feel guilty for leaving.”

“Oh, alright.” Omega sounded disappointed.

“Hey, I’ll see you again. We’ll get together and do more stuff. You can’t get rid of me that easy.”

Omega’s face brightened, and she looked at Hunter. He had a soft smile on his face while looking at Wren. Omega looked back at Wren and then suddenly hugged her.

Wren was caught off guard a little, but she hugged her back, resting her head on top of Omega’s. She looked over Omega’s head towards Hunter, and he was still watching her. She felt her face start to get warm, and figured she was blushing, so she gave Omega one last squeeze and stood up. She looked around for her purse, found it on the end table, and said, “Ok, that’s all, folks. Tell Wrecker and Tech I said good-bye. And Crosshair too."

Omega said, “Ok! Have a good day!” She started walking towards the kitchen.

Wren smiled at Hunter and said, “Ok, then. Thanks again for inviting me to family movie night, and for letting me crash on your couch when I fell asleep. I hope I didn’t cause too much upheaval around here.”

“No, you’re fine. We enjoyed having you around.”

As Wren walked towards the front door, Hunter moved ahead of her and opened it. But as he’d done before, he didn’t say goodbye and shut the door behind her. Instead, he followed her out. She glanced back at him. He said, “I’ll walk you out.”

“Ok, thanks.”

They walked down the front steps in silence and began walking down the sidewalk. Wren thought she heard Hunter sigh or take a breath, and then he spoke.

“Hey, Wren. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

Wren looked at him as she walked and said, “Ok. Shoot.”

He continued, “Well, most of us go out to watch football on Monday nights at a place not far from here. Do you like football? Or even if you don’t like football, would you want to go with us. They serve really good food there.”

She felt her face growing warm again, and she felt almost giddy. She tried to calm her voice and said, “I do like football. My brother got me hooked on it as a kid, and I always watch the Monday night game. I just usually watch it at home, because…well, because I’m me.” And she laughed quietly.

Hunter chuckled too and said, “So you’d want to go with us?”

“Sure. Yeah. If you don’t think the others will mind?”

“No, I don’t think they will mind. We like you, Wren. We ALL like you. We like hanging out with you. You don’t have to worry about whether we want you around or not. We do. We all do.”

Wren’s breath caught in her throat and she almost stumbled as she was walking. She stopped and looked at him. He was looking at her with what she thought had to be admiration? Or maybe even affection? That couldn’t be, but it sure felt like it.

She realized they were both standing there looking at each other. In the middle of the sidewalk. She shook her head a little bit, and said, “Ok. Ok, then. I’d be happy to go with you guys. Where is the place? I can meet you there?”

Hunter gave her the details, and then he said, “Oh, let me just text you, so you have it written down.” He pulled out his phone and typed a little bit. She heard her phone vibrate in her purse, so she pulled it out and looked.

Monday night, 6:00, The Ground Round, Wabash Ave. 😊

She typed back: I’ll be there. 😊

They smiled at each other and started walking towards her car again. When they reached the driver’s door, Hunter reached down and opened it for her, as he did the last time. She said thanks and got in. She started the car and rolled down her window.

“I hope you guys have a good weekend. And I guess I’ll see you on Monday. Unless you change your mind…you can change your mind, it’s ok, you can just let me know. After you talk to the other guys, if they don’t seem to want…” She was rambling at that point.

He cut her off politely and said, “Wren. We want you there. We all want you there.”

She laughed quietly and shook her head and said, “Sorry. Yeah, it’s not that I don’t believe you, I’m just…I don’t know. Me.”

“I know. But that’s why we like you. That’s why I like you.”

She didn’t know what to say. She probably looked like a deer caught in the headlights. So, she just said, “Ok…thanks.”

He lightly tapped his hand on the door frame and stood up straight. He stepped back a little and said, “Bye.”

She waved and pulled away from the curb.

Thanks? Thanks! She shook her head at her social ineptness. He said, “That’s why I like you”, and you said thanks. She was going to be reliving that one in a state of mortification for the next two days…probably longer.

Hunter watched Wren drive away, and only after she turned the corner at the next block, did he start walking to the house. He was glad she’d accepted his invitation for Monday night. He hadn’t talked to his brothers about it, but he knew they wouldn’t mind. He wasn’t sure what Crosshair’s schedule was for the coming week, but even if he did go with them, he thought things seemed a little better between the two of them, so he didn’t think Crosshair would mind either. He didn’t know what they had been talking about when Hunter first got up this morning, but it didn’t seem like there was a problem.

When he woke up, he’d heard muffled voices. He wasn’t sure who would be talking that early in the morning. He got up, pulled on the T-shirt he’d had on the night before and walked into the rest of the house. He could tell the voices were coming from the living room. It sounded like one male and one female voice…maybe someone was watching TV. Maybe Crosshair was watching TV after he got home from work, although he usually muted the TV.

He looked around the doorway and saw Crosshair sitting in a chair and Wren on the couch, with a blanket over her. That’s when he remembered what happened the night before. She’d been watching TV with him and fell asleep, so he put the blanket over her and went on to bed. Then Crosshair must have come home from work and woken her up.

He thought at first it looked like maybe Wren was having some anxiety. Hunter had been around her enough times now to recognize some of her behaviors and putting her hand on her chest as she breathed seemed to be one of them. As if she was having trouble breathing. Maybe it was more of a habit than her actually having trouble, but it’s definitely something he’d noticed. That’s why he asked Crosshair what was going on.

Wren had said nothing was wrong, that she’d just been startled awake. He believed that was possible. And even if it was something more than that, by the time he arrived, things seemed to be ok. So maybe Crosshair is coming around and trying to behave. That would be nice. He doesn’t need his little brother looking out for him in a situation that doesn’t need looking after.

Hunter sat down on one of the porch chairs when he got back to the house. He just wanted a minute more of quiet before he went in. He thought back to the night before. Going to the movie, coming back and playing cards, watching a DVD, then watching TV until she fell asleep. It was nice. He never once felt uncomfortable with Wren, and he certainly didn’t reach a point where he wanted her to leave. Any other time he’d had a woman at the house, he couldn’t wait for them to leave.

He remembered how peaceful she looked when she was sleeping. He remembered how her cheek felt after he tucked her in with the blanket and got some of her hair out of her face.

He then remembered what Omega had told him a few days ago. If he was interested in being more than just Wren’s friend, that it would take some convincing, because she thinks someone like him wouldn’t be interested in someone like her. Was he being convincing? He was trying. He hoped that asking her to stay longer might have been something. I guess the other stuff she didn’t really know about though…how he looked at her, how he tucked her in with the blanket, how he touched her cheek. But, hey, he asked her to go out with them on Monday night! Sure, it’s still a group activity, but HE is the one who asked her.

It's slow going, but slow and steady wins the race. Or something like that, right?

He just didn’t want to scare her away. He really got the feeling that if someone moved too fast, they might spook her. And he didn’t want to spook her. It’s ok, he’s a patient guy.

He heard the front door open. When he looked, he saw Omega coming outside, still wearing her PJs. She had a glass with a little bit of orange juice left in it. She smiled at him and went to one of the other chairs. She sat down, setting her glass on the little table between them.

“Hey, Meg, what’s up?”

“What are you doing out here?”

“Oh, just enjoying the nice weather. I’m moving slow this morning.”

“Yeah, me too. What are you doing today?”

“Not much. Someone needs to mow this yard, so I guess I might do that. There are a couple of little jobs that need to be done around the house, maybe I’ll do those. No big plans. You?”

“I have a little bit of homework I want to get done today. Other than that, I don’t know.”

They both sat in silence for a minute.

“So, Wren’s gone I see?”

“Yup.”

“Anything new with that situation?”

Hunter looked at Omega with a tired look. “No, not really. I did ask her if she wanted to meet us Monday night to watch football.”

“You what?!”

Hunter was taken aback at her reaction. Was she upset? “Is that ok? I didn’t think anyone would mind.”

“Yeah, that’s totally ok! Sorry, I was just caught off guard. I didn’t realize you were going to do that!”

“Well, I hadn’t really thought about it beforehand, it just came to mind as we were walking out to her car.”

“Good job, Hunter!” Omega had a big smile on her face.

“It’s just the group of us, Omega. It’s not a date.”

“I know. But it’s something! It’s more than I thought you were going to do!”

“You have no faith in me, do you?” But he said it with a small teasing smile.

“Hunter, I have all the faith in the world in you. For many things. But when it comes to Wren, I just don’t know…She takes some special handling, and I just think you could use a little help.”

“Oh, are you going to help me?”

She got a big smile on her face. “I thought you’d never ask!”

“No. No now. That’s not what I meant.”

She stood up quickly and went over to him, leaning down to hug him with no warning. Once he was over his surprise at her quick movement, he put his arms around her and squeezed.

“I appreciate you, Meg. I really do.”

She pulled back and kissed him on the cheek. No matter how many times she’s done that, it still catches him off guard. They were so lucky to have found their little sister. It’s only been a few months, but she’s brought them immeasurable joy, and they can’t imagine their lives without her.

She gave him one more quick hug, grabbed her glass and drank the little bit of juice left in the bottom.

“I’m going to go in.”

“I’m coming right behind you.” They walked into the house, both feeling pretty good about how things were going. Omega was convinced Hunter and Wren would actually become more than friends; she just wasn’t sure how long that would take. But she would do everything she could to help them along. She just knew they would be happy together. She had no doubts.

Next Chapter

Taglist (please let me know if you'd like to be taken off, no hard feelngs!):

@dystopicjumpsuit, @sverdgeir, @transactivecybermemory, @the-hexfiles, @ladysw01

@523rdrebel, @lightwise, @griffedeloup, @votedprettybythecommittee, @totallyunidentified

@frostycatblr-fandom-files, @delicioustacocollector, @soaringthroughthegalaxy, @ladysaturnsdust

@youreababboon, @huntershoe, @merkitty49

[enigmaticexplorer]

“I think everything you say is important.” It was out of Hunter’s mouth before he could stop himself. He couldn’t believe he said it.

Instead he stood up, took the throw blanket off the back of the couch, and laid it over her, being careful not to wake her.

YES. THIS IS THE GOOD STUFF.

He said, “What the fuck?”

I don't know why but this made me laugh. I'm imagining Crosshair being so caught off guard that his expression is comical.

“And I get a little protective of him." "He’s been through some pretty rough stuff in the past, and we don’t want him slipping back into a bad place. And I don’t know you well, so I can’t really figure you out. I know you’re quiet and shy, so maybe that’s all it is…I’d just hate for him to be disappointed or hurt.”

1) Love Crosshair for apologizing (even if it took a little bit haha). 2) Love that he explains how protective he is of Hunter. 3) Love that he doesn't want Hunter to be hurt or disappointed.

“See, that’s what I’m talking about. I don’t think you and Hunter are in the same place or feeling the same way.”

And then Crosshair goes and says something like this haha. I get it - he's protecting Hunter, and I see where he's coming from; it's not obvious that Wren has feelings for Hunter, too. But I also want to smack him upside the head 😂

He went over and picked up her empty glass and plate and took them to the kitchen. He then went back to her and pulled the blanket up over her again. He brushed her hair out of her face, like he’d done earlier.

Hunter and the Librarian - Chapter 13

Summary: Set in a modern AU (an ambiguous year): Wren is a librarian who meets Omega, a twelve-year-old living with her five older brothers. Omega feels Wren and her oldest brother, Hunter, would be good for each other and tries to play matchmaker. Wren's anxiety and shyness coupled with Hunter's own struggles with depression make that more difficult than Omega hoped. Wren is based on me and my experiences with anxiety and how it affected the beginning of my relationship with my husband.

Pairing: Modern AU Hunter x F!Librarian OC, Wren

Word Count: 4391 (got a little away from me, sorry)

Warnings: Talk of anxiety, shyness. Minimal swearing.

Author's note: This is my first attempt at a fanfiction. I thought it might be helpful for some people who also deal with anxiety to see how it affects relationships, especially early on when it comes to social anxiety, and see that there are people out there who can "put up" with you...that you aren't "too difficult or exhausting" for the right person. (In quotes, because those are all things I thought about myself for years.)

My modern AU was inspired by the amazing Modern Batch AU stories by kaydear (Illyria_Lives) on AO3. Not to sound overly dramatic, but they changed my life.

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Dividers by animatedglittergraphics-n-more

Wren walked in next to Omega, who was still holding her hand. As they got in the house and turned the lights on, she said, “Wren, do you want to play a board game? Or a card game?”

“Whatever you’d like to do, I’m fine with either.”

“How about Uno? Do you know how to play Uno?”

“I do know how to play Uno, and I’d love to do that.”

Omega looked at the guys and said, “Who all wants to play?”

“I will,” Hunter said. Wrecker and Echo also said they would play. They all went out to the kitchen table, Omega grabbing the cards off the shelves on her way.

“Hey, Omega, would you want to go see if Tech would like to play also?”

“Sure!” And she went running up the stairs. They heard a knock and then Tech’s voice saying, “Come in.”

Hunter was shuffling the deck while they waited. He asked Wren if she’d like anything to drink, and she said no, she was fine.

After a minute, they heard Omega running down the stairs and hurrying into the kitchen. “He’s coming!”

A short time later more footsteps on the stairs and then Tech was standing in the kitchen doorway. “Hello, everyone. How was the movie?”

“It was really good!” and “It was so funny!” came from the group.

“Excellent,” he said as he took the empty chair at the table.

Hunter went ahead and dealt the cards, and they began their first game.

They ended up playing a few hands. There was so much laughing and good-natured teasing when someone would have to draw a bunch of cards. The guys were a little ruthless with each other. Wren never cared much about winning, and she never wanted anyone to feel bad about losing. So she wasn’t cutthroat when it came to games. But these brothers were with each other. They took it easy on Omega and Wren, but if they could really stick it to one of their brothers, they would.

At about 10:00 Tech said he was going to bed. Echo said he probably should as well. He needed to be up early in the morning.

Wren started feeling like she’d been there too long, so she said, “Well I’d probably better go.”

Omega quickly said, “Can’t you stay a little longer? I have a movie I’d like you to see.”

Wren looked at Hunter as if asking if that was ok. “Since it’s a Friday and not a school night, you can stay up later and watch a movie.”

“Yay!! Come on, Wren! You’re going to love this one!” Wren got up and followed Omega into the living room.

As she passed by Hunter, he reached out his hand and lightly touched her arm. She stopped and looked at him, and he said, “Please don’t feel like you have to stay if you’d rather leave.”

“Oh, I’m fine. Unless you’d rather I leave so Omega might go to bed?”

“No, no! That’s not what I meant. She’s fine. I have a feeling she won’t last long once the movie starts, so she won’t be up that late anyway. I just mean I didn’t want you to feel like you had to stay if you’d rather not. That’s all.”

“Ok, thanks, but I’d like to stay. At least until Omega falls asleep.”

At that point, Hunter realized he was still touching her arm, so he dropped his hand quickly. Wren gave him a smile and then went on to where Omega had gone. She was at the bookshelves again pulling out another DVD when Wren found her.

“So what are we watching?”

“I was thinking we could watch Willow. Do you know it?”

“I do know it! It’s one of my favorites also. Your family has good taste in movies!”

Echo and Tech made their way to the stairs and both called, “Good night, Wren!”

“Good night, you two.” she replied. Then she realized she should choose where she wanted to sit before the others began sitting down. She decided she would sit in the spot on the couch where Omega was sitting the other night. That way if Hunter sat in the same spot he did, they wouldn’t be right next to each other. She didn’t think she could handle doing that again so soon, especially after sitting next to him at the movie earlier that night. She needed to be able to relax a little bit more and give her nerves a rest. She moved to the couch and sat down.

Wrecker came in from the kitchen and sat in the chair he sat in the last time Wren was there.

After Omega put the DVD in, she went to the couch and sat right next to Wren. She said, “Is this ok?”

“Sure, it’s ok.” Wren moved her arm so it was around Omega’s shoulders, and the girl leaned into Wren’s side.

Hunter came in and saw the two of them on the couch. He got a small smile on his face and looked at Wren. She smiled back at him.

Omega looked up at him and patted the couch beside her. “Do you want to sit here, Hunter?”

“Sure, Meg.”

At that point Omega got the movie queued up and said, “Are we ready?”

Everyone said yes, they were ready, so she hit play. Wren really did love the movie, so she was quickly engrossed in it, even though she’s seen it so many times before. But after about a half an hour, she felt Omega go a little limp next to her. She looked, and she could see her eyes were closed, and it seemed she was asleep.

Wren whispered, “Hunter.”

Hunter turned to look at her, and she motioned towards Omega with her head. “It looks like she didn’t make it very long.”

He laughed quietly and said, “I’m not surprised. She can rarely make it past 10:30.”

“Should I wake her up?”

“No, I think it’s best to let her sleep. But if it’s uncomfortable having her on you like that, I can bring her over here.”

“No, it’s not uncomfortable at all.”

Hunter’s face softened, and he smiled. “Ok, thanks.” Then he reached over and gently took the remote control out of Omega’s hand before it fell on the floor.

Wrecker, Hunter, and Wren watched the rest of the movie, and Omega didn’t wake up once.

After the movie ended, Hunter turned the DVD player off. Then he said quietly, “Hey, Wrecker. Would you mind to take Omega up to bed?”

Wrecker stood up and whispered, “Sure.” He walked back to the couch and bent down to pick Omega up. She mumbled a little but still didn’t wake up.

As Wrecker carried her towards the stairs, he said, “I’m going to bed also, guys, so g’night.”

“G’night, Wreck,” Hunter replied.

“Bye, Wrecker,” Wren said.

“Bye, Wren, thanks for going to the movies with us.”

“Well, thank you for having me.”

Wrecker gave her a big smile, nodded, and went up the stairs.

Wren wasn’t sure what to do, but she felt like she should leave. It was a little after midnight. So she started to shift to get up. She said, “I should probably go so you can get to bed too.”

Hunter looked at her and said, “I really don’t feel very sleepy yet, so you don’t have to go…unless you want to. I don’t want to keep you.”

“Oh, well, I don’t need to go yet.” She sat back against the couch cushions again.

Hunter said, “Did you want something to drink or eat? We have water and soda and some salty snacks.”

“No, I’m fine. I filled up on all that popcorn. It was so good. But if you want something, don’t let me stop you.”

“No, I’m fine too.” Hunter was tapping his fingers on the couch cushion, looking around the room a little bit. Wren was looking anywhere but at him as well.

“So-“

“Did-“

They both started talking at the same time, then stopped and both laughed quietly. Then they both said, “You go” at the same time.

They laughed a little more.

Hunter said, “You go ahead.”

“I actually don’t remember what I was going to say. It wasn’t very important, I’m sure of that.”

“I think everything you say is important.” It was out of Hunter’s mouth before he could stop himself. He couldn’t believe he said it.

Wren’s head came up quickly, from where she’d been looking at the floor. Their eyes met for a few seconds, and then Hunter looked down again. He still had the remote control in his hand, so he switched the TV from the DVD input to a channel that was playing The Great British Bake Off.

“Do you like this show?” he asked her, trying to ignore what he’d said.

She forced herself to look at the TV and said, “Oh, yeah! I actually really like this show!”

“Really? It’s Wrecker and Echo’s favorite, so they have it on a lot. Did you want to watch a little bit?”

“Sure, that would be great.”

They sat there, on the couch, watching GBBO for a little while. They didn’t say much, but now and then would make a comment about something that happened on the show. Wren could feel herself getting sleepier, and she knew she should leave. She didn’t want to be too tired when she was driving home. But she didn’t want to leave. Even if she wasn’t talking to him, just existing in the same space as him, just the two of them, was so nice. So she kept watching.

Hunter didn’t want Wren to leave, but he knew it was getting late, and he was a little concerned about her driving home at this hour. The next time he looked her direction, trying not to be obvious, he was surprised to see she’d fallen asleep. He watched her for a minute, she looked so peaceful. No sign of the anxiety she often showed. He hadn’t noticed that she had scooted down enough that her head was resting on a throw pillow against the arm of the couch, so she actually looked comfortable. If she hadn’t, he probably would have woken her up. Instead he stood up, took the throw blanket off the back of the couch, and laid it over her, being careful not to wake her.

He wasn’t sure if he should go to bed or stay in the living room with her. He was a little concerned if she woke up in the night and was confused about where she was. But he also didn’t want to seem like a creep and stay there watching her. He said her name quietly, to see if she’d wake up, but she didn’t. So he decided to leave her. He stood up, and without thinking reached over and smoothed some of her hair out of her face. He very lightly touched her cheek with the back of his fingers before pulling back. He went over and turned off the light in the living room leaving the hall light on, so it wouldn’t be totally dark if she woke up. He hoped even if she woke up that she would stay the rest of the night rather than leave when it was so late.

He checked the front door to make sure it was locked, looked at her one more time, whispered, “Good night, Wren” and walked to his tiny room off the laundry room. He changed into the sweat pants he wore to bed, took off his shirt and climbed into bed. He listened to see if he heard any sound from the living room, but he didn’t. He was tired enough that it wasn’t long before he fell asleep.

Wren woke up feeling very disoriented. It was dark except for a light in a hallway. She wondered where she was for a few seconds. As her eyes got used to the dim light, she realized she was still at the Fett house. She was on the couch with a blanket, but she didn’t see anyone else around. She didn’t hear anything either. She pulled out her phone to check the time…2:00 am. Oh no, she must have fallen asleep when she was watching TV with Hunter. And he must have put the blanket on her. But where was he…

She slowly got up, laying the blanket back on the couch. She walked quietly to the hall and turned towards the rest of the house. She wasn’t for sure, but she assumed the little room she’d seen off the laundry room belonged to Hunter. She wasn’t going to go in there, but she was curious if she could tell if he was in bed. She tiptoed further, and as she got to the laundry room, she looked around the corner to the tiny room. She could see the edge of a bed. She went a little further, and tried to peek a bit more. She could see a body lying in the bed with a sheet covering from the waist down. It was definitely Hunter, as she could see the back of his long hair. It was dark, of course, and the only light was what was shining in from the hall. She could tell he didn’t have a shirt on though. Right at that moment, he stirred and started to roll over. She hurried back where she’d come from, trying to be as quiet as possible. When she got beyond the laundry room, she stopped to see if she could hear if he was coming. She didn’t hear anymore from the room. Thank goodness, she would have been mortified if he’d caught her snooping around.

She walked back through the hallway to the living room, and decided to just lay back down on the couch and try to make the best of it. She was definitely too sleepy to drive home. She was embarrassed that she’d fallen asleep. That must have looked great to Hunter. Hopefully he wasn’t annoyed. She laid back down on the couch, brought the blanket up over her, and within less than a minute she was back asleep.

She didn’t wake up again until she heard something at the front door. It was starting to get light outside, and when she looked at her phone she saw it said 6:15 am. She watched the door as it opened, and in walked Crosshair. Oh, he must be coming home after working overnight. Wren was pretty sure he worked security somewhere.

She wasn’t sure what to do. Should she just close her eyes and act like she was asleep. Too late…he already saw her. She sat up a little bit.

He said, “What the fuck?”

She wished she could crawl inside the couch so he couldn’t see her. “Hi, Crosshair,” she spoke softly, hoping she wouldn’t wake anyone else up.

“Wren? Where is everyone else?”

“In bed, I assume. I fell asleep on the couch last night and when I woke up everyone else was gone. I was too sleepy to drive home at the time, but I should probably go ahead now.”

“Don’t let me run you off. I won’t be up for very long.” He moved on into the kitchen, getting in the fridge for something. She heard the toaster being pushed down. He came back out and said, “Did you want anything to eat? I’m just having a bagel…we have more if you’d like one? Or toast?”

“Oh, no. That’s ok. Thanks though, I appreciate it.”

He grunted as he turned around and went back to the kitchen. She stayed sitting on the couch, with her head propped against the back, closing her eyes. She still didn’t feel very rested.

She heard footsteps again and Crosshair came into the living room, sitting down in a chair. He had a glass of orange juice and a bagel with what looked like cream cheese. “Did you want some juice? There’s plenty in the fridge.”

“No, I’m really ok. I should probably go on home.”

“So what happened here last night? I’m surprised Hunter left you out here by yourself.”

“Well, we watched a movie with Omega and Wrecker. Then after that they went to bed, and Hunter and I watched some TV. Then the next thing I remember is waking up at 2:00 am here on the couch with a blanket over me.”

“My brother, always honorable.”

Wren wasn’t really sure what he meant by that, but she wasn’t going to ask.

“I’d say it’s probably best if you stay until at least one of the others is up. That way they know what happened, that you are ok and didn’t leave in the middle of the night.”

“You’re probably right. I feel silly…”

“Why?”

“I don’t know…like a little kid, falling asleep where I shouldn’t have. Omega had fallen asleep during the movie, and Wrecker took her up to bed. Then I ended up doing the same thing.”

He turned on the TV, muting it. He had captioning on so he still knew what was going on. He began eating his bagel. They sat in silence for a few minutes. When he was done with his bagel and had drunk all his juice, he turned to look at her.

“Wren…there’s something I want to say.”

“Ok…” She wasn’t sure what he could want, but she was afraid it wasn’t going to be good.

“Ummm, well, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for how I’ve acted towards you.”

“Oh, well I didn’t notice anything.”

He just shot her a disdainful look. “So that’s why you got so upset you had to leave?”

“I wasn’t upset, Crosshair. I just didn’t feel well.”

“Oh, ok. If you say so. Well anyway, there are things I said that I wish I hadn’t. I’m going to tell you something, and if you tell him, I’ll deny, deny, deny and issue counteraccusations. But Hunter means a lot to me. He means a lot to all of us. And I get a little protective of him. I know he’s oldest, and he thinks he is the protector of all of us, but we try to watch out for him without him really knowing it. He’s been through some pretty rough stuff in the past, and we don’t want him slipping back into a bad place. And I don’t know you well, so I can’t really figure you out. I know you’re quiet and shy, so maybe that’s all it is…I’d just hate for him to be disappointed or hurt.”

“I don’t understand…”

“Come on. Surely you can see that Hunter likes you.”

Wren was getting flustered at this point, and wanted to be anywhere but there talking to Crosshair about this.

“I think I’d better go.”

“See, that’s what I’m talking about. I don’t think you and Hunter are in the same place or feeling the same way.”

Wren was beginning to have a little trouble breathing and she was starting to feel really hot and lightheaded. She put her hand to her chest and tried to focus on her breath…in…out…in…out.

“Are you ok?”

“I…I just…”

At that point, Wren and Crosshair heard footsteps in the hall. They both looked up and Hunter was walking into the living room. If she wasn't having an anxiety attack, she would have taken the time to really admire how his hair looked after sleeping. Some had fallen in front of one eye and it all looked a little messy. But anxiety attack or not, she was aware enough to be disappointed he'd put a shirt on.

“What’s going on here?” He looked at Crosshair, then to Wren. When he saw her, he became concerned. “Wren? Are you ok?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Well you’re quite the flatterer,” she said, trying to laugh. But she was still having a little trouble breathing.

“Cross…what did you do?” Hunter’s voice had lowered to a menacing tone.

“Nothing!” he said.

“He didn’t do anything,” Wren said. “I just got startled awake, that’s all. I’m really fine.”

Hunter looked between Crosshair and Wren a couple of times. After that his gaze stopped on Crosshair.

Crosshair held up his hands as if to say, “I didn’t do anything, I don’t know what happened.”

Wren started to get up and said, “I should go home.”

“No, not until I know you’re ok.” Hunter wasn’t angry at Wren, but he was firm. He put his hand on her shoulder and lightly guided her back down. “Do you want something to eat? I can make you some eggs or toast.”

“I offered her a bagel and juice,” Crosshair spoke up.

Hunter quickly looked at him and said, “Thanks, Cross. Wren?”

She had to admit to herself she didn’t feel very well and was not in any condition to drive home yet. Maybe she should eat a little something after all. She was feeling shaky.

“Ok, if you insist. I’ll just have a bagel though. And some juice.”

“Good. You stay here, and I’ll get it.” He patted her shoulder and walked toward the kitchen, glancing at Crosshair as he did.

Crosshair looked at her and said, “I’m sorry if this is my fault. I didn’t mean to upset you. I never mean to upset you.”

“It’s ok, Crosshair. I have some problems with anxiety, and this is what happens.”

“I’m no stranger to anxiety. I know how difficult it can be. I'm very sorry for contributing to that. I’ll stay out of whatever it is that’s happening between you two. I really did just want to apologize for any stress I’ve caused you.”

“It’s really ok. It’s not your fault. I need to toughen up. But please know, I would never intentionally hurt Hunter. I honestly don’t know what’s happening, but I don't want to hurt him.”

At that, they heard Hunter walking in the hall. Crosshair just nodded at Wren and stood up. Hunter came around the corner of the doorway holding a bagel on a small plate and a glass of orange juice. He looked at Crosshair, then at Wren, and walked over to her. He handed her the plate and set the glass down on the end table. “Did you want anything else? You sure you don’t want any eggs?”

“No, this will be more than enough. I usually don’t eat breakfast, so this will fill me up.”

At that, Crosshair walked towards the hall. “Well, I’m headed to bed, so have a good day, Wren. I’ll see you around.”

“Ok, you too,” she replied. He turned and walked up the stairs.

Hunter sat down next to Wren on the couch. Not close enough that he was touching her, but closer than they had been last night. He looked at her face closely. She was uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her, so she concentrated on taking a bite of bagel, and then turning to get a drink of juice.

“Thanks again for this,” as she held up the plate with the bagel. “I guess I fell asleep watching TV last night?”

“Yeah, you did. I almost woke you up, but I thought it was probably too late for you to drive home anyway, so I just left you. I was hoping you wouldn’t wake up and be scared, not knowing where you were.”

“At first I was a little confused, but it didn’t take me long to figure it out. I thought about going home at that point, but I agree that I was too tired.”

“Then did Crosshair wake you up this morning?”

“I heard the door opening. That’s what woke me up.”

“And you’re sure he didn’t say anything to upset you?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

As soon as she said that, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Before long, Omega was standing in the doorway rubbing her eyes, still looking very sleepy in her pajamas with hair as messed up as Hunter's. Of course, Wren could just imagine what hers looked like.

“Hey, Meg. It’s kind of early for you.”

“I heard talking.”

“Sorry about that, Crosshair was here but just went up to bed.”

Omega looked at Wren and said, “Wren? Did you spend the night?”

Wren and Hunter looked at each other quickly. She said, “Well, it seems I fell asleep on the couch like you did!” and laughed.

Omega said, “Oh, did I fall asleep?”

“You don’t remember?” Hunter asked.

“Nope.”

“You made it through about 30 minutes of the movie before you zonked out,” Wren added.

Omega walked over to the couch and plopped down next to Hunter, leaning onto his arm and shoulder. He quietly laughed and moved his arm around her shoulders, pulling her further into his side. She rested her head on his chest as he leaned back against the couch. She closed her eyes.

“Hey, Meg. It’s only 6:30 on a Saturday, why don’t you go back to sleep,” Hunter suggested.

She made a small sound of agreement.

“Do you need me to carry you up?”

She made another small sound and burrowed further into his side. He chuckled and said, “Ok, I’ll carry you up.”

He stood up, bringing her with him. Then he picked her up in his arms, looking at Wren and said, “I’ll be right back.”

Wren said, “Ok.”

As soon as he reached the stairs, Wren laid her head back down, just for a minute she told herself.

When Hunter came back down a few minutes later, he saw Wren asleep on the couch again. He smiled. He went over and picked up her empty glass and plate and took them to the kitchen. He then went back to her and pulled the blanket up over her again. He brushed her hair out of her face, like he’d done earlier.

What he didn’t realize was that she wasn’t fully asleep at that point, and she felt him touch her cheek very softly. He whispered, “Get some more sleep, Wren. I’ll be here when you wake up.” She forced herself to not react, even though she wanted to smile. Maybe Omega was right after all, maybe he did feel just a little more than friendship.

Next Chapter

Tag list (Please let me know if you'd like to be removed, no hard feelings!)

@dystopicjumpsuit, @sverdgeir, @transactivecybermemory, @the-hexfiles, @ladysw01

@523rdrebel, @lightwise, @griffedeloup, @votedprettybythecommittee, @totallyunidentified

@frostycatblr-fandom-files, @delicioustacocollector, @soaringthroughthegalaxy, @ladysaturnsdust

@youreababboon, @huntershoe, @merkitty49

[enigmaticexplorer]

I love Mastiffs they’re just lizard puppies

[enigmaticexplorer]

Surprise self-rec time! Pick 3 of your favourite things you’ve written and share them here, then put this in the inbox (anonymously or not) of your fellow writers to spread the positivity and help celebrate already written fics 💞

Hi DJ - I'm so sorry I ignored this for so long! But thank you for thinking of me :)

My first rec has to be I Yearn, and so I Fear. I spent over a year writing, rewriting, and editing that fic, and seeing it come to its conclusion was bittersweet. As cliche as it sounds, it was a labor of love: long hours of pacing, nearly giving up because I couldn't see the end in sight, a couple (surprising) tears at the emotional parts. It was a healing fic for me. And it was the first long fic where I felt like I could explore my version of romance (hello trust and commitment issues) and sex, without feeling like I had to meet a standard or cater to other people. (The support from various people in that regard has made this fic even more special.)

The second rec is Let Me Love You. This was such a random burst of inspiration (that I owe entirely to you) and, like IYasIF, it was a story that allowed me to continue to write romance and sex in a way I understand and in a way I wish I had been exposed to as a teenager and early 20s adult. Men who know what they want, and are willing to be patient, are my favorite type of men. And Fox embodies that so well.

My final rec is I trust him, and he trusts me. This was the first fic I wrote that had sex I actually enjoyed writing. For a year or two, I had questioned whether or not I was asexual because my prior experiences were not enjoyable. At that time, I was writing my first two long fics. I didn't want to isolate my stories by writing "bad" sex, so I wrote scenes that I thought people would prefer. Eventually, I realized that enjoyable sex, for me, has to come from a place of emotional trust (and that my preferences in sex weren't "abnormal" lol), and so I wrote I trust him. It was my first time writing in nearly a year and it was so cathartic - finally being able to write romance and sex that spoke to me, that weren't exhausting or isolating. It was this fic that paved the way for my emphasis on writing romantic relationships that depend on emotional trust first and foremost, as well as sex scenes that explore intimacy issues. Without this fic, IYasIF and LMLY wouldn't exist.

Again, thank you for sending this my way! I appreciate the inclusion.

[enigmaticexplorer]

His German's as good as mine.

Joe Liebgott & David Webster in BAND OF BROTHERS (2001) ↳ Part Eight: The Last Patrol

[enigmaticexplorer]

Shout out to whoever looked at Quinlan Vos and thought 'what if Obi Wan had a friend who was way cooler and hotter than him and loved annoying the shit out of him?' and also 'what if he had an apprentice who was way cooler and hotter than Anakin?' Thank u for your service

[enigmaticexplorer]

bring them home to me please

[enigmaticexplorer]

Hunter said again, “No, please, let me.” Wren looked at his face, and he looked so earnest, she didn’t have the heart to tell him no again.

She doesn’t want to disappoint the other person, or make them mad by her choices.

Reading about Wren's toxic friendship makes me so sad. Constantly feeling like you might "mess up" something - constantly feeling like you're walking on eggshells - sucks. Those "friendships" are horrible.

He would never admit it to any of his siblings, but he was kind of glad Omega did what she did. He enjoyed having Wren next to him during the movie. He could smell her shampoo…it smelled like green apples. And the occasional brush of their hands or arms was something he didn’t mind either. He was actually feeling kinda good about the situation.

Let me just reread this over and over. I love being inside Hunter's head and seeing how he thinks about Wren. It's making me blush (in a good way). I've read so many books/fics where the male character is constantly thinking about the female character in a sexual way that it makes me uncomfortable; it comes across that men are these animals that only think about sex when thinking about women, and I really dislike it. So being able to read this story where Hunter has non-sexual thoughts about Wren makes this reading experience much more enjoyable.

Hunter and the Librarian - Chapter 12

Summary: Set in a modern AU (an ambiguous year): Wren is a librarian who meets Omega, a twelve-year-old living with her five older brothers. Omega feels Wren and her oldest brother, Hunter, would be good for each other and tries to play matchmaker. Wren's anxiety and shyness coupled with Hunter's own struggles with depression make that more difficult than Omega hoped. Wren is based on me and my experiences with anxiety and how it affected the beginning of my relationship with my husband.

Pairing: Modern AU Hunter x F!Librarian OC, Wren

Word Count: 3245

Warnings: Talk of anxiety, shyness. Minimal swearing.

Author's note: This is my first attempt at a fanfiction. I thought it might be helpful for some people who also deal with anxiety to see how it affects relationships, especially early on when it comes to social anxiety, and see that there are people out there who can "put up" with you...that you aren't "too difficult or exhausting" for the right person. (In quotes, because those are all things I thought about myself for years.)

My modern AU was inspired by the amazing Modern Batch AU stories by kaydear (Illyria_Lives) on AO3. Not to sound overly dramatic, but they changed my life.

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Dividers by animatedglittergraphics-n-more

As Wren drove to the Fett house, she tried to calm her nerves. This was the fourth time she would be spending time with the family, and there had been two other times when she’d talked to Hunter alone. She shouldn’t still feel this nervous! But of course she did.

She took some slow deep breaths. She listened to a couple of her favorite songs and sang along. That was always a good distraction for her.

When she pulled up outside the house, she turned off the car and took a few more breaths. She heard a door slam and footsteps. When she looked up and towards the house, she saw Omega jogging down the steps and sidewalk. She had a big smile on her face. Wren forgot her nervousness as soon as she saw her.

“Hi, Wren!”

Wren returned the smile and said, “Hey, Omega!

She got out of her car and said, “Are you looking forward to the movie?”

“Yeah!”

Omega gave her a big hug, and Wren returned the hug. Not long after, Wren saw Echo and Wrecker walking out the door. They came towards Wren and Omega and said hi. Wren returned their greetings and they all started walking to the driveway where their vehicles were parked.

Omega said, “Hunter will be out soon, and then we can leave.”

Wren just smiled and listened to the guys talking, laughing now and then. She tried not to look toward the house where Hunter must be, but she still turned just a little that way. Just at that moment, he came out the front door, and Wren felt like her jaw was probably on the ground. She had to make a concerted effort to close her mouth before anyone could see her (of course she didn’t realize Wrecker already saw.)

Hunter was wearing a t-shirt with an unbuttoned flannel shirt over top, and Wren couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He obviously didn’t realize, but flannel shirts are her weakness. She loves a guy in a plaid flannel more than in any other clothing item. She quickly tore her eyes away, and as she faced forward again, she saw Wrecker looking at her with a smile. When he saw her eyes meet his, he winked at her. She was sure her face flushed at that, and she quickly looked down again. She could hear Hunter’s footsteps on the sidewalk, because he was wearing some sort of work boots. But she still didn’t look up until he said, “Hi, Wren! How are you?”

“I’m fine, thanks. You?”

“I’m pretty good.” He smiled at her as she quickly looked down again.

Hunter then spoke to the whole group, “I thought we’d go in Tech’s car, because we can all fit in one vehicle that way.”

Everyone agreed and they all started walking that way. Hunter walked towards the driver’s door, and Wrecker went towards the front passenger side. Since he’s so tall, he needs to sit up front. That left Wren, Omega, and Echo to get into the backseat.

Omega said, “I’ll get in the middle.” Then she climbed in and situated herself on the middle part of the seat, buckling her seat belt.

Wren said, “Echo, I can sit behind Wrecker since you’re taller than me. That way he can push his seat back further if he needs to.”

“That sounds like a good plan. Thanks, Wren.” Echo then climbed in the back seat behind Hunter, and Wren sat behind Wrecker.

She said, “Wrecker, you can put your seat back a little further if you’d like. I still have enough room.”

Wrecker said, “I think I’m fine, but thank you. I’ll let you know if I need to adjust later.”

Hunter made sure everyone was buckled in before he started up the car, and then pulled out of the driveway. It was a fun trip to the theater, with the brothers talking and joking with each other. Omega was telling Wren about something that happened at school that day. At one point, Wren looked toward the front of the car and caught Hunter’s reflection in the rearview mirror. She didn’t realize she was staring until he moved his eyes from looking out the front window to looking in the mirror himself. He caught Wren looking at him, so she immediately looked away, out the side window. She could feel her face getting hot. She wasn’t going to look up there again, so she didn’t know how long he looked back.

It was only about a five-minute drive to the theater. They all piled out of the car and began walking in. Omega was still talking to Wren, so she didn’t notice Hunter maneuvering so he was walking very near her. As they got to the building, Hunter opened the door and held it open for everyone else. As Wren walked past him, she looked up and smiled and said a quiet “Thanks.” He just smiled at her and nodded.

As they walked towards the ticket seller, Hunter came up next to Wren and said, “Wren, I’ll pay for your ticket, since we’re the ones who asked you to come with us.”

“Oh, no, you don’t need to do that. I’ll pay for mine.”

Hunter said again, “No, please, let me.” Wren looked at his face, and he looked so earnest, she didn’t have the heart to tell him no again.

“Well, ok, if you insist. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Hunter gave her a big smile.

“But I’m going to pay for my own food, if I get any.”

“Ok, I won’t push on that one.” He laughed quietly.

Wren smiled and said, “Thank you.”

Omega said, “Hunter, can I get something to eat?”

Hunter turned to her and said, “You can get a drink and one thing to eat.”

Omega’s face lit up. “I know exactly what I’m going to get!”

It took a minute for everyone to get their tickets and move on through to the concession area. Wren went ahead and stepped up to the kid who was ready to take their orders. She wanted to go ahead and order hers before Hunter changed his mind about letting her buy her own food.

“I’d like a small soda and popcorn, please.”

“Butter, ma’am?”

“Yes, please,” Wren responded. He went to fill her order, handing her a cup to get her own soda and a bag of popcorn with yummy messy butter. Wren won’t splurge on things like this very often, but she can’t watch a movie without popcorn.

After paying, she stepped away to get her soda and wait for everyone else. One of the things she was most uncomfortable about when going to a movie with other people, was the anxiety of picking a seat. She didn’t have anxiety about it if it was just her. But when there are other people, she can’t choose the seats, because she’s always afraid the other person/people won’t like what she picked out. It’s the same when she goes out to eat with someone else, she can’t pick the restaurant. She doesn’t want to disappoint the other person, or make them mad by her choices.

She was in a friendship for a long time that was very toxic and unhealthy. She usually tried to block everything out from that period of time, but some of her more anxious behaviors stemmed from then. And this was one of those…she was never comfortable choosing anything she did with this other person, because she was always afraid of upsetting her.

Wren was lost in thought, falling back into bad memories, when she heard Omega’s voice, “Wren, are you ready?”

Wren shook her head as if she was shaking the memories away and looked at Omega. “I’m sorry, yes, I’m ready.” She noticed a look of concern on Hunter’s face, but she just ducked her head and followed Omega towards their theater.

Echo and Wrecker were already inside, and Omega, Wren, and Hunter walked in and looked for them. They were at the top row already sitting down. Omega said, “We usually sit in the top row, so that no one has to sit behind Wrecker. Otherwise he feels like he has to scrunch way down in his seat, and it’s not comfortable for him. Plus at the top there are a few seats that don’t have seats in front of them, so he can stretch his legs out as well."

The three of them began walking up the steps. Hunter was in front, followed by Omega and then Wren. As they got to the row with the other two, Hunter started to walk in to sit next to Wrecker. But Omega suddenly said, “Hunter! Wait!” Hunter stopped and turned around with a confused look on his face.

“What?”

“Can I sit next to Wrecker?”

“Uh, sure, if you want.”

She said, “Thanks!” Then she scooted by him to sit next to Wrecker.

Wrecker looked at Omega with slight confusion. She turned to look at him so Hunter and Wren couldn’t see her face. She gave him a look and tried to motion towards the two of them with her eyes. He stared at her for a few seconds, looked at Hunter and Wren, back at Omega, and then he realized what she was doing. He smiled real big at that point. Echo was observing all of this happening and had to smile to himself at Omega still trying to play matchmaker even though Hunter had asked her numerous times to stop.

Hunter and Wren neither one saw all of this going on between Omega, Wrecker, and Echo, because they were busy getting seated.

After Omega had moved past Hunter and sat down next to Wrecker, Hunter turned to look at Wren. He said, “Did you want to sit next to Omega?”

She said, “It’s up to you. Would you rather sit on the end here?”

“Well, I don’t need to sit on the end. It’s up to you what you’d prefer.”

Wren could feel her anxiety rising.

Omega turned to them and said, “Hunter, why don’t you sit next to me. Wren has popcorn, and if she wants to get a refill at some point, sitting on the end would be easier for her. Since you don’t have popcorn, you don’t need to worry about that.”

Hunter said, “Oh, that’s a good point. I knew I kept you around for a reason, Omega.” He laughed and ruffled her hair, which he remembered after-the-fact she hates. “Sorry,” he whispered. She fixed her hair again and said, “That’s ok.”

Then Hunter looked at Wren and said, “Is that ok, Wren?”

“Yeah, that’s perfectly fine.” She was just so relieved someone else made the decision, and she sat down immediately. Hunter sat in the seat between her and Omega, who was looking very proud of herself.

Wrecker tried to whisper, “Good job, Meg.” But of course it was a loud whisper and she gave him a look like “Shhh.” He whispered, “Sorry.” She gave him a big smile and whispered, “It’s ok, Wrecker.”

Wren missed all of the looks and comments between Omega and Wrecker, because she was so engrossed in what she was doing and how close Hunter was to her as they sat down. She put her drink in the drink holder on her left, and Hunter put his in the holder to his left, which was between the two of them. He opened his Twizzlers and asked Omega if she wanted one. She said, “No, I have my Milk Duds.”

Then he turned to Wren, holding out his Twizzlers and asked, “Did you want some?”

Wren said, “Oh, that’s ok, I have popcorn.”

“Are you sure? This is a lot of Twizzlers.”

Wren smiled and said, “Ok, just one.” She reached for the Twizzlers, but then realized she didn’t know how to get just one. She took hold of the end of one, but as she started to pull, a bunch started coming with it, since they're always stuck together.

“Oops, sorry…I don’t know how…”

Hunter chuckled and said, “Here, let me…” He took hold of the other pieces and held them while she pulled the one piece she was trying to remove.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this would be so difficult.” They both started laughing, but she was finally able to remove one of the Twizzlers from the rest. “Thank you,” she said, starting to eat the candy.

“You’re welcome.”

“Hey, did you want some of my popcorn? It’s only fair.”

Hunter smiled and said, “Ok.” She held the bag out to him, and he cupped his hands as if asking her to pour some in. She obliged. “Thanks,” he said.

“Sure.”

Omega looked over at the two of them and said, “Wren, do you want a Milk Dud?”

Wren smiled and said, “Well actually, I don’t think I can turn that down. Milk Duds were my favorite Halloween candy as a kid.”

She held her hand out to Omega, who dropped a couple of pieces of candy from her box onto Wren’s palm. She then held the box out to Hunter, but he just motioned with his hand that he didn’t want any.

They ate their popcorn and candy and drank their sodas in silence for a minute. Then the lights dimmed, and they started showing trailers.

The movie they were watching was a comedy, and they all laughed much of the way through.

Now and then, Wren would look at Hunter or vice versa, but they never happened to look at the same time. But their looks didn’t go unnoticed by Omega. She felt pretty proud of herself at that point.

As the movie ended, everyone began to stand up and gather their trash. Since Wren was on the end, she turned and started to walk into the aisle first. She threw her trash away and continued to move to the exit. She looked back, and the rest were following her. The exit door led to the outside rather than back into the theater. It was dark by this point.

Once they were all outside, the guys were talking about the movie, and Omega came up next to Wren and grabbed her hand. “Did you like the movie, Wren?”

“I did, yes. I thought it was really funny. Did you?”

“Yeah, I thought it was great.” She then looked back at the guys who were dropping further back, not really paying attention to how slowly they were walking as they were talking. When she realized they were probably out of earshot, she said, “Did you and Hunter enjoy sitting together?”

Wren turned to look at her, realization dawning. “Omega, did you plan that?”

“Well, I didn’t plan it ahead of time. But just as we were getting ready to sit, I thought about it.”

“You just can’t help yourself, can you?”

“Well, I just think you two seem to get along really well, so I just want to help out.”

Wren shook her head a little bit, but also put her arm around Omega’s shoulders and pulled her closer to her side as they continued to walk to the car.

Hunter happened to be watching the two of them as they walked ahead. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could tell they were smiling about something.

“So, Hunter…how were things down on the end of the row?” Echo asked.

Hunter slowly turned to look at Echo with a disapproving look. “They were fine, Echo. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I just saw you and Wren talking some, sharing some snacks.”

“Yes, that’s all it was. Talking a little and sharing snacks. You saw the extent of it.”

Wrecker smacked Hunter on the back lightly, and said, “Omega worked the seating arrangement pretty well, I’d say.”

Hunter just rolled his eyes a little, “I figured she had something in mind when she asked to sit next to you.”

“What, she can’t just want to sit by me? I’m the most fun of her brothers!”

“It’s not that, Wreck, it just seemed a little suspicious the way she went about it.”

Echo said, “Her heart is in the right place. She really does mean well.”

“I know she does, and that’s why I’m not going to say anything to her about it.”

Wrecker said, “Well, did you enjoy yourselves down there?”

Hunter shook his head, “I guarantee nothing happened or was said that you guys didn’t see or hear. It was not a big deal.”

Both of his brothers had big grins on their faces, and Hunter kinda wanted to smack ‘em. But he was actually in a good enough mood that he wasn’t as irritated with them as he sometimes gets when they are being this way.

He would never admit it to any of his siblings, but he was kind of glad Omega did what she did. He enjoyed having Wren next to him during the movie. He could smell her shampoo…it smelled like green apples. And the occasional brush of their hands or arms was something he didn’t mind either. He was actually feeling kinda good about the situation.

They all piled back into the car and Hunter drove back to their house. Wren was already wondering (worrying) about what she should do when they got back. Should she just immediately say goodbye and leave? Should she wait and see if they were going to ask her in for some reason? It would be nice if she wasn’t nervous about every little thing when she was with them (specifically him), but she just couldn’t help it.

They pulled into the driveway and Hunter turned off the car. Wrecker, Echo, and Hunter started getting out, and Wren opened her door as well. Omega followed out her side, and as soon as she was standing again, she said, “Hey, Wren, did you want to come in for a while?”

Wren quickly looked at the guys and then back to Omega. She said, “I don’t know, Omega…I don’t want to overstay…”

Wrecker interrupted, “You won’t be overstaying anything, right, Hunter?!”

Hunter shot his brother a look. He had been thinking about asking her inside the whole drive back to the house, but he wasn’t sure if she would want that, and he didn’t want to push. Maybe she’d already had enough of them, and she might not feel comfortable saying no, even if she just wanted to go home.

“No, of course she wouldn’t be overstaying. But I think we need to let her decide.” He looked at Wren and said, “Wren, you’re welcome to come in and hang out with us. But don’t feel pressured.”

She looked around at everyone. Wrecker and Omega had big smiles on their faces. Echo’s smile was more of a “this whole situation amuses me” type of smile. And Hunter’s face was unreadable. He wasn’t really smiling, but he didn’t look unhappy at the prospect.

“Please, Wren?!” Omega asked, grabbing hold of her hand again.

“Ok, if you’re sure you don’t mind. I thought maybe you all just wanted to relax without company when you got home.”

She heard, “No, we’d love to have you” and “Don’t be silly.” She wasn’t sure who said what. She looked at Hunter who was looking intently at her. He gave her a small smile.

“Ok, then. I’ll stay for a little bit longer,” she said, returning his smile.

Next Chapter

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[enigmaticexplorer]

“The right thing? It’s not a matter of right and wrong. It’s a matter of do you want to go out with her. If so, then asking her out is the right thing to do."

Hunter having doubts about himself is so sad. But I'm so glad that Wrecker offered some words of wisdom, and frankly, a new perspective. Wrecker is so emotionally intelligent; seeing him step into this vulnerable place with Hunter and remind Hunter that he's gentle with Omega, and he can be gentle with Wren, was beautiful to see.

but when Wren talked, Hunter didn’t take his eyes off her face.

“I cannot think of a time when we needed him, and he was not there for us.”

This conversation between Crosshair and Tech was so good! I love that Crosshair is being protective of Hunter in his own way; but Tech is also protective. They show their love in different ways. They both want the best for Hunter, but they have different opinions of how that should come about. I like the different opinions. But Tech reminding Crosshair that, this time, they should be there for Hunter was so sweet. You write this family dynamic so well.

Hunter and the Librarian - Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Author's note: This is not how I thought this chapter would go at all!! I had every intention of writing about their night at the movies, but Crosshair kind of took over. Wren only makes an appearance from a distance. Sorry, if this isn't interesting, but there is a scene I might write down the road, and this chapter would help with that one. The next chapter will definitely be their night at the movies.

Summary: Set in a modern AU (an ambiguous year): Wren is a librarian who meets Omega, a twelve-year-old living with her five older brothers. Omega feels Wren and her oldest brother, Hunter, would be good for each other and tries to play matchmaker. Wren's anxiety and shyness coupled with Hunter's own struggles with depression make that more difficult than Omega hoped. Wren is based on me and my experiences with anxiety and how it affected the beginning of my relationship with my husband.

Pairing: Modern AU Hunter x F!Librarian OC, Wren

Word Count: 2433

Warnings: Talk of anxiety. Brief mention of death. Minimal swearing.

Author's note: This is my first attempt at a fanfiction. I thought it might be helpful for some people who also deal with anxiety to see how it affects relationships, especially early on when it comes to social anxiety, and see that there are people out there who can "put up" with you...that you aren't "too difficult or exhausting" for the right person. (In quotes, because those are all things I thought about myself for years.)

My modern AU was inspired by the amazing Modern Batch AU stories by kaydear (Illyria_Lives) on AO3. Not to sound overly dramatic, but they changed my life.

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Dividers by animatedglittergraphics-n-more

Hunter was sitting on his bed with his elbows on his knees, head bent over looking at the floor when Wrecker came to his door. “Hey, Hunter, watcha’ doin’?”

Hunter didn’t look up, and instead just kept looking down. “Nothin’.”

“Well, yeah, I can kinda’ see that. I guess I meant, why are you sitting there staring at the floor, doing nothin’? It’s about time for us to leave, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

Wrecker didn’t know what was up with his oldest brother. Hunter had never been the most vocal of his brothers, but he’d been a bit quieter than usual the past couple of days. He wasn’t really sure what was going on, but from the little bit Omega said, it seemed to have something to do with Wren. He knew she was going to the movie with them, so he thought that was a good thing. But Hunter didn’t seem to be looking forward to it at all.

Wrecker walked the short distance to the bed and sat down beside Hunter, who scooted over a little bit so Wrecker would fit easier.

“Is somethin’ wrong? You don’t seem like you’re looking forward to the movie.”

“It’s not that.”

“Well, are you looking forward to Wren going with us?”

Hunter finally looked up at his brother. “Yeah, I am.”

“You don’t seem like it.”

“I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“Wanna’ talk about it?”

Hunter was ready to say no, but then he paused. Out of all of his brothers, Wrecker is the one who’s had the most experience with dating and relationships. Maybe it would be good to talk to him.

“Well…about Wren…I had been thinking about stuff. And her. And…well…”

“You like her.”

“Well, sure I like her.”

“You know what I mean, Hunter. You like her enough that you want to ask her out? On a date?”

“I’m really not sure, that’s the problem.”

“You’re not sure if you like her, or if you want to ask her out?”

“I know I like her well enough that I’d like to get to know her better. And maybe spend some time with her, just the two of us. But whenever I think of actually asking her out or us going out, I can’t seem to decide if it’s the right thing to do.”

“The right thing? It’s not a matter of right and wrong. It’s a matter of do you want to go out with her. If so, then asking her out is the right thing to do. You’ve been out with girls before, what’s so hard about it this time?”

“Well, if you remember, Wreck…I didn’t date in high school or while I was in the Army. I didn’t date until I came back here. And then it was just a couple of women I met at the bar. And we never really did anything other than hang out at the bar and fuck around after. We didn’t really date. And we definitely weren’t in a relationship.”

“Do you think Wren would say yes?”

“I don’t know. She’s really shy. Like, really shy. And I’m afraid I’ll scare her off if I ask her out. Plus, I’m not sure she’s really interested in going out with me, even if she was able.”

“I can’t say if you’d scare her or not, or if she’s too shy or not, but one thing I do know is she likes you. A lot. I can tell by the way she looks at you and the way she acts around you.”

“’Mega told me that Wren doesn’t think I like her in any way other than as a friend. Because guys like me don’t like women like her, except as friends.”

“Awww, she shouldn’t think that!”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve never met anyone more anxious and…scared. I just don’t know if I’m the guy for her. I’m not the most emotionally open person. I’m not sure I’d be what she needed.”

“We’ve all seen how you are with Omega. You’re very caring and gentle with her. There’s no reason to think you couldn’t be that way with Wren also.”

Hunter looked up into Wrecker’s mismatched eyes and he saw genuine support there. He knows Wrecker wouldn’t say those things if he didn’t really believe them.

“Thanks, Wrecker. You’ve definitely given me a lot to think about it.”

“No! No more thinking. Doing!” Then he lightly punched Hunter on the shoulder.

Hunter laughed quietly as he was almost pushed over with Wrecker’s light punch.

“I’m not sure if I’ll say anything tonight though.”

“If you don’t ask her out soon, I might have to.” He had a mischievous look on his face and a small smirk on his lips.

Hunter’s head snapped up to look at him.

Wrecker said, “Maybe I could help her forget about you…”

“Wrecker…”

“I’m just kiddin’. If I didn’t think she was interested in you, maybe I would. She’s really kind and is so nice to me. She never stares at my scars or looks away either one. And she doesn’t make me feel dumb like some people try to do.”

“She is really nice, I agree, Wreck.”

“Ok…well, we’d better finish getting ready, right?”

“You’re right.” Hunter lightly smacked his hand on Wrecker’s shoulder, and they both stood up.

They walked out of Hunter’s room, and he grabbed a flannel shirt as he walked past his closet. He put that on over his t-shirt. It’s good enough, he thought, I don’t want to look like I’m making a big deal out of tonight. Of course he didn’t know flannel shirts were Wren’s weakness.

When they got to the living room, Omega was there with Echo and Crosshair. Tech wasn’t going to the movie with them, he had an online gaming session planned. And Crosshair had to work, so he wouldn’t be going, but he was hanging out with them before they left.

Hunter said, “Are you all ready?” Just as he said that he saw Wren’s car pull up outside. “Wren’s here, so let’s start making our way out.”

Omega jumped up and moved quickly out the door. When she got to the sidewalk, she jogged out to Wren’s car. Hunter could see Wren getting out, and then he saw a big smile as she saw Omega coming towards her. She really is good with Omega. And good for her. Omega has a lot of men around her most of the time, she could use a female presence now and then. One to negate the awful example their mother had shown her up until this point.

Crosshair said with exaggerated shock, “Wait! I’m not going to get to see her? You’re going to leave this minute?”

“Yeah, it’s time to go, Crosshair. Sorry, you’ll have to see her another time.” Wrecker said with a laugh and a punch to Crosshair’s shoulder. Crosshair scowled at his brother, rubbing his shoulder.

“Cut it out, Wrecker. I’m not your punching bag.” Wrecker just laughed again.

Hunter wasn’t paying attention to his brothers’ argument, as he was focused on what was happening outside.

Echo walked close to Crosshair and said, “What are you going on about? You’d better not be planning something obnoxious.”

“I’m hurt that you would think that. Honestly, I just thought I’d say hi. But that’s fine, I’ll just watch TV.” At that he flopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote Echo had set down.

Echo gave him a suspicious look, and Crosshair just made a motion at him like, “What?!”

Hunter finally pulled his attention away from Omega and Wren and looked at Crosshair. “Ok, Tech is still here, he’s up in his room.”

“Yes, Hunter, I know.”

“Ok, I just wanted to make sure you were aware of what’s going on. I wouldn’t want him coming out of his room and scaring you.”

“Hunter, please leave.”

Hunter laughed and said, “Fine. Have a good night at work.”

Crosshair just rolled his eyes and said, “Whatever. Have fun on your date!”

Hunter turned back quickly and almost made a remark but thought better of it. Instead, he flipped him off and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Crosshair waited until he was sure Hunter was down the steps, then he got up and walked to the window. He stood off to the side looking out. That way he could see them, but they wouldn’t be able to see him if they looked toward the house. He saw Wrecker, Echo, Wren, and Omega in the driveway talking. They were all laughing, even Echo. As Hunter got closer to them, he could see Wren turn slightly towards him and her face suddenly changed. Her look could only be described as shy and hesitant, her eyes immediately dropping to the ground. It seemed like she’d been fine with the rest of them, but Hunter definitely had an effect on her.

He could tell Hunter was saying something to her, but he couldn’t tell what it was. But Wren smiled at whatever he said and responded. Hunter smiled in return. Crosshair had to admit he’d never seen Hunter look at any other woman the way he did Wren. Not even the women at the bar. He always seemed only half-interested in them and what they were saying, but when Wren talked, Hunter didn’t take his eyes off her face. It seemed like she had trouble making eye contact with him when she talked, but it didn’t stop him from looking at her.

Hunter was talking to the whole group then and was pointing at the vehicles in their driveway. There was a little discussion, Crosshair assumed about who would be riding in which car. Then they all walked to Tech’s car, which he allowed his brothers to use when he didn’t need it. Hunter got in behind the wheel, with Wrecker getting in the passenger seat. The other three went to the backseat, Omega sitting in the middle with Echo behind Wrecker and Wren behind Hunter. Then Hunter started the car and backed out of the driveway. He turned in the direction of the theater and drove on down the road.

Just as Crosshair was turning around, he saw Tech standing a few feet behind him and startled. “Jeezus, Tech! Warn a guy next time!”

“Oh, I am sorry. I assumed you knew I was here.”

“Well, I knew you were in the house, I didn’t realize you were creeping behind my back!”

“What were you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing, huh? So you weren’t standing at the window watching everyone get in the car and leave?”

Crosshair just gave Tech a dirty look and went back to the couch, turning on the TV.

“I was not criticizing you for it, Crosshair. It is perfectly natural to be curious, especially when it comes to family members and their relationships.”

“There is no relationship to be curious about.”

“Well, maybe not at this moment in time, but I have a feeling there will be. It is obvious that Hunter and Wren have feelings for each other.”

“Feelings? They barely know each other.”

“You do not have to have known someone a long time to develop feelings. There is even such a thing as ‘love at first sight.’”

“Whoa! You believe in love at first sight?!” He couldn’t help letting his voice raise a bit as he got up and walked towards Tech.

“Well, I would probably refer to it more as ‘crush at first sight’, but it’s very similar. I do not believe they know each other well enough to consider love. But I see in their faces interest beyond just being friends. I noticed it the first time Omega introduced us to Wren at the festival. And it has only gotten more evident the other times they have been together.”

“Look at Tech being an expert on relationships now.”

“I know you are just teasing me, Crosshair. But obviously I do not think I am an expert in anything to do with relationships. But we both know our brother. We have been around him our whole lives. I have studied him enough to know when there is something going on, and there is definitely something going on in his mind, and it has to do with Wren. And I, for one, would like to try to help him in this situation, not antagonize or hinder him. I would hope you would be willing to help him as well. I cannot think of a time when we needed him, and he was not there for us. Not as long as he was available and not halfway around the world, as he had to be after Fives was killed. And even at that, he called and emailed us as often as he possibly could. I still remember the pained looked in his eyes when he had to leave for the airport the day after Fives’ funeral. When he had to leave us and Ninety-nine. You might not think so, Cross, but we owe Hunter. He has always put our family above his personal needs or wants.”

“I know that. You don’t think I know that?! But what are we supposed to do? He’s a grown-ass man. They’re both grown-ass people.”

“I did not say you had to do anything. I just suggested that maybe you could try to not make the situation worse with your attitude.”

At that Tech turned around and went into the kitchen to get a drink and a snack. Crosshair just stood rooted to the spot for a minute, with his hands on his hips, scowling at the floor.

As Tech came back through and began to climb the stairs to his room, he noticed Crosshair still standing where he left him.

“Cross? Are you ok?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” But he didn’t look up at Tech.

Tech said, “Ok, well have a good night at work.” He then went back up to his room and shut the door.

Crosshair rubbed at a spot on the floor with his foot. He went up the stairs to his room, shut the door, and laid back down in the dark. He didn’t have to leave for work for another hour. Maybe he could get a little more sleep. But instead he just laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling, Tech’s words kept playing over in his head: “I cannot think of a time when we needed him, and he was not there for us.”

“I know!” he whispered. He wouldn’t give Tech the satisfaction of knowing he is right. Not yet anyway.

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[enigmaticexplorer]

That had been what made Eos’ focus slip on Rhen Var, what had helped the creature overpower her as they had been escaping. The feeling of hundreds of Jedi dying almost all at once, it had been too much for Eos to understand what had been happening to her.

Well this is devastating. I've never thought about if other Jedi not on Geonosis could feel what was happening. I do have to ask, does Eos have a similar connection to the Force as Avar Kriss? It reminds me how Avar can connect to the song in the Force and feel other Jedi; Eos seems to be similar, especially with her reaction to the Jedi dying. Then again, Yoda had such a similar reaction during Order 66. I guess that means Eos is more powerful than I'm giving her credit for!

You can handle running for your life, you can handle disappointing people.

This entire scene, watching Sadhbh decide whether or not she'll stay, watching her deal with the knowledge that there will be a galactic war is so good. I've always wondered how your average citizen would react to the news that the Republic would be going to war, especially when this type of large-scale war hadn't happened in centuries (?). I would've been terrified. I would've been confused. All of Sadhbh's feels are valid, but her decision to stay - because she wants to help people - makes me like her even more.

No turning back now.

Oh look at that! The title makes its first appearance! And boy does it weigh heavy!

You’re just some pawn of the Republic.

I feel so bad for Sadhbh - wanting to be disowned, but when it happens, feeling so empty and abandoned. My heart breaks for her. But I'm so happy her squad mates (can I call them her friends?) came for her, and comforted her, and reminded her that she's not alone. It was such a touching scene - all of them together - and I think it really shows how much they love each other.

Pride certainly isn’t what she feels when she looks in the mirror. So she avoids her reflection when possible.

Knife to the heart.

The introduction of your OC clones was so fun! From Sadhbh recognizing them because she once worked with Jango, to their individual personalities shining through in such a short amount of time, I love it! (Pan being smug about his appearance made me chuckle.) I'm really interested to know more about ARC-7100. I like how quiet he is. (And so what if I said that I would like to possibly marry all of them? What then?)

Cobalt snorts, “Don’t mind him, he’s limiting his attachment to us.”

The way my jaw dropped - I feel bad for laughing, but it caught me off guard.

Pan is Pan because he has the tendency to unleash Pandemonium in simulations, and Cobalt rolls his eyes at how proud Pan is of that.

I can't help but like him. (Please don't hurt him.)

The ending! The matching tattoos! Omg I love the camaraderie already building between them! I want to know everything about everyone, but I'm also very, very scared.

Chapter 1: Agitation

W/c: 8.5k Warnings: Tense Family Dynamics, Alcohol Summary: The Clone War has begun and Sadhbh has to make a decision. Her choice has a high cost but as they say, when one door closes another opens. Note: This is the proper beginning of the story and so has a lot of set up, including introducing you to a couple of my Clone OCs! From now, the rhythm will start to pick up and who knows maybe you'll see Wolffe soon ;) If you would like to be tagged in this series just send me a message :)! [Crossposted to Ao3][No Turning Back Masterlist][Blog Masterlist]

The first night of the Clone War || Sadhbh || Jedi Temple, Coruscant

The faint glow of the clock on Sadhbh’s nightstand reads 2am and the night lights of Coruscant streams into her room through the open curtains that clack in the breeze. Sleep eludes her still despite her exhaustion, and she tosses about her bed thinking about what she’s now faced with.

It’s only now, as Sadhbh lays in her bed alone attempting (and failing) to sleep, that she can try to process everything since leaving Rhen Var. She doesn’t even dare try to think hard about what had happened on Rhen Var, somehow the bigger problem at hand feels more tangible and easier to deal with.

The galaxy is at war.

The Separatists’ move on Rhen Var hadn’t been simply a rogue Lucrehulk trying to muscle in on an unclaimed sector. It had been a calculated manoeuvre to spread the Separatist army as far as possible when the war had ignited.

And Dorn Squad had almost been trapped behind enemy lines.

They hadn’t known just how lucky they had been until they arrived back on Coruscant to utter chaos. The Jedi Temple on Coruscant had been in complete disarray even when they had disembarked and had tried to make sense of it all.

Members of all Service Corps had been scrambling about the hangar, almost knocking Sadhbh off of her feet at one point. It had been so busy that as soon as the stone-faced medics had taken the Rhen Var survivor from them, they had been immediately swallowed up by the crowd.

Sadhbh rolls onto her back staring up at the ceiling as she grinds her teeth remembering.

No one had known anything. Not even Bee-Ar bwooping at the passing droids had been able to find out more. Everyone had been in the dark, the only thing to guide them had been everyone’s comm chirping at once calling everyone for an emergency meeting.

Sadhbh wriggles on her back pushing her head back into the pillows beneath her as she fidgets trying to get comfortable. A waft of bacta hits her as she moves, the sterile smell sharp in her nose. Her back and chest are on the mend now, merely a dull ache if she breathes too deeply. The hit she had taken on Rhen Var is now merely a note in her medical file; at least physically.

Her back had hurt when she had sat down in the meeting hall that had been close to bursting with Service Corps personnel. An impromptu meeting in the largest available hall hadn’t meant anything good and Sadhbh remembers how her stomach kept twisting the longer she had sat there waiting to hear anything.

She couldn’t find a comfortable position to sit even when she had leant forward to rest her elbows on her knees. The pain had been a distraction if she’s being honest, unable to properly focus on the Masters of the Council of Reassignment when they had finally entered the hall.

“The CIS has declared war on the Republic.”

The declaration reverbs throughout her mind still.

That had gotten her attention. It had gotten everyone’s attention, the whole meeting room had been stunned into silence. Sadhbh remembers thinking that she couldn’t hear people breathe, like all sound had been sucked out of the room. No one had ever expected it to happen, no matter how bad the negotiations had been going.

Sadhbh sits up in the bed, curling herself around her bent knees as she starts to focus more on the meeting. Conceding defeat against sleep, she shifts to sit up straight against the headboard and runs a hand through her hair.

“Many Jedi were lost.”

That had been what made Eos’ focus slip on Rhen Var, what had helped the creature overpower her as they had been escaping. The feeling of hundreds of Jedi dying almost all at once, it had been too much for Eos to understand what had been happening to her.

Sadhbh grimaces at herself; she should have been more understanding on Rhen Var instead of chalking it all up to Eos simply being cryptic. In the meeting, Sadhbh had wrapped her arm around Eos at the news, had held on tight while Eos had tried to keep up a brave face. But Sadhbh had seen the signs clear as day, signs that had still been there when the squad had finally retired to their rooms.

Sadhbh huffs, twisting in her sheets to look out at Coruscant through the gap in her curtains. There’s one thing still gnawing at her, as her eyes dart between the speeders that come and go through the curtain gap.

When the fuck has the Republic had an army? A clone army at that.

She had many questions earlier, none of which she had been able to ask when the meeting hall had erupted in confusion. Most of the others had been asking the exact same questions she had.

Clones of who? Where are they from? They couldn’t have just appeared from thin air. Where in the Republic’s constitution does it allow for this?

Sadhbh’s stomach twists again. There’s no way an army like that is above board. They aren’t hired mercenaries or from an established faction that’s for sure, and what that implies is extremely troubling.

It goes against everything the Republic stands for, what the Jedi stand for.

Which brings Sadhbh back to what she has been trying to ignore since she had gone to bed hours ago.

“The Clone Army was commissioned by the Republic, who have tasked the Order with leading said army.”

The Jedi Order, a symbol of peace for over a thousand years, after losing so many Jedi already, is now drafted into the war, the Service Corps along with it. The Order, a beacon of hope right across the Galaxy, now oversees an army allegedly grown to fight for this exact war.

Sadhbh continues to stare outside, but now the dim light of her room feels claustrophobic. Like a blanket weighing down on her while the gap in the curtains feels like it’s moving away from her.

She takes a deep breath. And another. And another.

She can’t panic.

Stumbling, Sadhbh gets out of the bed and throws open the curtains. It’s not enough, the room is too warm and stifling, so she pushes her window out as far as it will allow.

The cool air hits her face, a welcome balm compared to the weak draft that been flowing in through the curtains. It’s a dry, clear night on Coruscant, the heat of the day has long melted into a cool summer night. There’s no wildlife on the upper levels, and instead of crickets chirping in the background like Pantora, the silence is punctuated by the drone of speeders in the distance that begin to ground her.

Sadhbh stays standing by the window. It’s easier to think now.

“Auxiliary positions will be needed to support this army and help restore peace to the galaxy. Therefore, the MedCorps will bolster the medical stations across Republic space and the AgriCorps will be needed for relief missions. Finally, the Explorcorps will be split across navigation and reconnaissance.”

Sadhbh’s orders had come through after the meeting. Search and Rescue for the Service Corps. The exact same job she has been doing with Dorn Squad for the past year. It should have been a relief, to know what she will be doing, to have that certainty in amidst a galactic war.

It hadn’t been.

Somehow, it had felt worse. To keep doing the same job while so many people have been moved into more dangerous positions on the frontlines. To know that she had been spared because she happened to be in this job already.

Tena’a had told Sadhbh to chill, to accept her luck and to be glad for it. That had ragged Sadhbh, and Eos’ calm supposed acceptance of everything hadn’t helped either. The team had just escaped death only to then be signed up for a war no one wanted, and they had been calm?

Sadhbh leaves her post at the window to grab her water on her nightstand. She chugs it, ignoring how the water spills out around her mouth and trickles down her neck. Since when did her room feel so warm? She heads back to the window and leans on the window frame.

I didn’t leave Pantora for this.

Sadhbh sighs. It’s childish but Sadhbh had hoped that her life would get better after leaving. Now? She doesn’t know how she’s going to stay alive in a full-scale war, and keep her friends alive at the same time.

There’s no way they’re escaping this unscathed.

As soon as she thinks it, Sadhbh wishes she hadn’t. In her line of work, she could have died on any mission, anywhere from Coruscant to Bakura over the past few years. Fuck, she had nearly died on Rhen Var only yesterday.

It never helps to think about it, the topic is always terrifying even with her experience, but sometimes it creeps up on her. Sadhbh releases a breath that she hadn’t realised she had been holding.

She knows that she has a choice though.

She can leave.

Technically the draft isn’t going to be enforced for three days. To allow people to object and leave, albeit with none of the (very generous) severance as that fund has already been funnelled into this new clone army. But it’s still possible.

Sadhbh snorts, the noise lost to the wind outside.

She’s not going to take that offer. Not in a million years. The decision to stay is obvious to her despite everything.

Leaving doesn’t guarantee survival, nowhere will be safe. More importantly, she wouldn’t be able to look herself in the mirror. She’s not going to leave her friends behind to save her own skin, and Sadhbh knows she can do some good for the Order and civilians by staying.

Somehow, through the maelstrom of her emotions swirling inside her like a vortex about to spin out of control, that is what anchors Sadhbh. Knowing that whatever happens, at least she knows she will be with her team doing their best. The family she has found out of the trillions of beings in the galaxy. She’s going to hang onto them. Two beacons in a galaxy disrupted to its very core.

She can’t end a war or even begin to fix the problems that has led to it. But she can help people and that will make all the difference to Sadhbh.

After all, where would she be if the Jedi hadn’t put their lives on the line to secure peace on Pantora during the Separatist unrest all those years ago?

A speeder with a rattle whirs past her window catching Sadhbh’s attention. It’s old, the engine chugging much like the speeder her family has back on Pantora.

Sadhbh’s last conversation with her family flits back into her mind, the argument that had erupted at Sadhbh’s stubborn defence of the Jedi. It had only been a couple of days ago, but now it feels like a lifetime. Sadhbh had argued that the Jedi aren’t the Republic’s pawns. Ironic given that the Jedi have been drafted to lead the Republic’s army.

She’ll have to tell her family soon that she’s staying with the Jedi.

She grimaces to herself.

They’re not going to like this.

Her comm chimes, startling her out of her thoughts. Sadhbh knows who it is before she even looks at the comm screen, no one else disrespects time zones quite like her family, and she sighs.

Were their ears burning?

This isn’t going to be pretty. Sadhbh has made her decision and if the previous argument had been anything to go by, this choice is not going to go down well with them.

The very best scenario is that her family will begrudgingly accept her decision and everything carries on like normal. At worst, it’ll lead to more arguments with every call and she’ll probably get called a disappointment again. But Sadhbh can handle it, she knows that.

You can handle running for your life, you can handle disappointing people.

Taking a deep breath, Sadhbh accepts the call.

No turning back now.

Ten minutes later || Sadhbh || Jedi Temple, Coruscant

The comm clicks off leaving Sadhbh in silence again.

Her room is still, the air stagnant despite the open window, and she distantly feels herself sit down on the rug.

There had been no screaming or yelling or anything akin to an argument like last time.

The beginning had felt anti-climatic, all things considered.

Sadhbh’s choice hadn’t even been a surprise to them and she can’t help but feel disappointed in that. Had she really been that obvious? She supposes it doesn’t matter now.

Sadhbh hadn’t expected there to be cheering and acceptance, yet she feels totally blindsided by their choice.

There is to be no begrudging acceptance or more arguments.

Because Sadhbh is now on her own. Disinherited from everything and the only part of them she has left is her name. She had been naive all this time to think that she would be the exception to her family’s dislike of all things Republic.

Sadhbh doesn’t want to remember their final words, trying to push and squeeze them into the furthest recesses of her memory. But snippets keep whispering in her mind as if to taunt her.

You’re just some pawn of the Republic.

Sadhbh closes her eyes, squeezing them shut as a distraction, but the holo of her family, appearing forcibly indifferent, is burnt into her retinas.

You’re on your own.

She’s making the right decision.

Remove your tattoos.

She’s still making the right decision.

Sadhbh realises that she’s crying, tears streaming down her face as she gazes back out to look at Coruscant’s blurry skyline.

The realisation sets in that the decision has been made and she bites her lip, closing her eyes again, willing the tears to stop but they just keep coming. She sobs, the sound coming in gasps and she chokes on her tears as she tries to steady herself.

She can do this. She repeats it over and over in her head. There had even been times Sadhbh had wanted to be disowned, a want borne out of frustration that had quickly fizzled out each time. But the reality of it and what it means, the sudden withdrawal is a shock, and she begins to question every decision she has ever made.

Berating thoughts pick apart her defences and opinions. One inner voice tells her she is an idiot, another inner voice pleading for leniency. She can’t change her decision, can’t change their minds, can’t change what has happened. Maybe this has always been going to happen to her.

Her door swooshes open and two hurried sets of footsteps sound behind her.

Fuck.

Of course, Sadhbh can’t get disowned in the vicinity of two Force sensitives and expect them not to pick up on her emotions. She’s too far gone to be embarrassed about her crying, letting the tears keep falling. Sadhbh doesn’t trust herself to speak, fearing that if she tries everything will fall apart, so she stays silent.

A hand under each arm and around her waist, and Sadhbh is lifted up from the floor into her bed. The tears blur her eyes and all Sadhbh can see is magenta, yellow, and blue.

Sadhbh finds herself in the middle of the pile, Tena’a laying before her with concern written across her face, and Eos at her back throwing a lek over Sadhbh to hug her.

A boop-bwoop noise sounds at the bottom of her very crowded bed and there’s a scuttle on the floor as Bee-Ar runs to climb up on top of Sadhbh to complete the pile. Bee-Ar doesn’t make a comment on what has happened, despite how he’s a grumpy little droid thanks to Sadhbh, but instead he folds himself up on her side and grips her tightly with his feet.

The weight of Bee-Ar on top, the weight of Eos’ lek over her arm, the heat from Eos and Tena’a surrounding Sadhbh. It all mixes together and eventually Sadhbh can feel her jaw unclench for the first time in days. She’s too exhausted, running on too little, her life altered too much too fast.

Engulfed by the squad, Sadhbh finally sleeps, an escape from the nightmare of the past few days.

Five days later || Sadhbh || Jedi Temple, Coruscant

Sadhbh stares down at the water circling the drain in the shower. She focuses on the motion and sound of the water, watching how it swirls on the tiles, listening to the rhythmic patter change as she moves under the stream.

The stream hits the back of her head, the tapping of the water soothing as it sends tingles across her scalp.

She keeps her head down, protecting her face from the pressure of the water. Her face feels tight and itchy, the skin stretching painfully every time she moves her face. Her skin is going to heal well apparently, the bacta salve she had been given is accelerating the process drastically.

The tattooist had proudly declared last night that she would never appear to have had the tattoos in the first place.

Pride certainly isn’t what she feels when she looks in the mirror. So she avoids her reflection when possible. The fog from her shower clouds the mirror, a relief as she steps out on the shower mat.

She knows she is making the better choice for her. To stay and help the Jedi instead of going back to Pantora to do what? Sit there? Regress? She knows she wouldn’t have been happy if she had gone back, leaving her squad after so many years.

But that choice has a cost: she’s now on her own. Clanless. She has no familial support to fall back on when needed. A disgrace. She no longer has a right to the facial tattoos she had worn since she was a young child.

So they’re gone. Just like that.

When Sadhbh looks at her face she feels detached, like it’s not real. A different person looks back at her. She still has her other tattoos, but their presence aren’t enough to counteract the loss.

The bacta salve given to her by the tattooist sits on the counter by the sink and she tries not to think about what she’s doing when she massages the gel onto her skin. Instead she faces the fogged up glass of the shower and pretends it’s moisturiser.

Like everything is still the same.

It doesn’t work.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tena’a and Eos sit eating in the common area, and Sadhbh can’t stand to look at the expressions of sympathy on their faces when she enters.

Tena’a slides Sadhbh a mug with tea. Sadhbh’s stomach twists, she must look bad if Tena’a is still being this gentle with her. She makes herself nod in thanks and Tena’a slides her some toast, lips pursed in concern. Sadhbh hates it, she’d rather Tena’a act normal, maybe give her a pointed dig about her fashion choices or a snarky comment.

Anything that isn’t this hushed silence.

Eos is no better. One of her lightsabers is floating deconstructed beside her, the kyber slowly rotating and sparkling in the morning light. Sadhbh knows Eos is directing feelings of serenity into the kyber, the matching kyber shard hanging from Sadhbh’s neck pulses with tranquillity into her chest.

Yet, all Sadhbh can feel is guilt from all the attention.

She doesn’t deserve this, they have more important things to think about. But what she wouldn’t give for it to be a normal day, with just the three of them about to head out to an excursion somewhere on Coruscant. Like a trip to Umate. Even better, that outdoor garden near the Temple.

“How are you feeling today? Any better?”

Sadhbh forces herself to look at Tena’a and does her best not to quirk a brow. Tena’a knows damn well how Sadhbh is feeling with Tena’a’s emotional connection to the Force and Sadhbh tries her best to reel her emotions in a bit.

“Yeah, a bit better.”

A lie and they all know it, but no one contradicts her. Sadhbh sips her tea and takes the opportunity to change the subject and focus on what’s in front of her.

“So. What’s the plans for today.”

Eos sighs as she brings up her datapad, “Well… we’re heading to the medbay first, then we have a meeting on the other side of the Temple. Seems like we’re getting new team members.”

Sadhbh perks up at the news and Eos drums her fingers on the table as she reads more of the notice, her talons clicking on the wooden surface. Bee-Ar turns to narrow his optical sensors at Eos, the vibrations from her tapping irritating him again.

“We’re getting a team of clone troopers for security,” Eos nods to herself, “Three ARCs… whatever they are.” She pushes herself back from the table.

“But first, the medbay.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Airmid sits silent in the bed, her complexion sallow, her eyes a flat colour. Sadhbh can’t blame her and passes her a glass of water only to be met with an apathetic gaze. The glass’ rattle as Sadhbh sits it back is harsh against the muffled sounds of the medbay outside of the cubicle.

Airmid hasn’t said a word since Dorn Squad’s arrival, which from the squad’s experience in rescue missions is incredibly common, so they don’t take it personally. Tena’a stands closest to the door, a slight tremble in her hands, a tell that inside Airmid is in turmoil.

Airmid is the sole survivor from Rhen Vhar, the one they had almost missed with how weak her lifeform signal was. In six days she’s lost her original team, Enth Team, survived a horrific attack, spent time in a bacta tank, and woken up to a Galaxy at war.

Now she’s to be the new medic for Dorn Squad.

The medics had told her about the reassignment only a couple of hours ago. It’s a lot to take in and Sadhbh feels uneasy at how fast Airmid is going to be discharged and deployed. Once again, Sadhbh is reminded of how grim the Masters of Reassignment had looked when they had given the news of everyone in the Order being necessary.

A couple more stints in the bacta tank and Airmid will be joining them on missions. Stitching people up mere days after she herself is to go through the same thing. The galaxy has a sick sense of humour if you ask Sadhbh.

Eos places her hand on Airmid’s shoulder and Sadhbh can see Airmid tense. Sadhbh’s kyber trembles in response to Eos’ attempt to help Airmid until Eos moves away.

Sadhbh clears her throat and flicks her eyes to the door. Airmid’s exhaustion is apparent on her face, the very least they can do as her new squad is to let her rest. Eos glances down at Airmid, giving her best reassuring smile, teeth hidden.

Sadhbh shifts so she’s in Airmid’s line of sight and gives a quiet reassuring that the squad will visit again tomorrow. Sadhbh doesn’t bother to smile, it would fall flat and feel fake, she knows it. Airmid’s eyes refocus and for the first time Sadhbh thinks Airmid is seeing the squad in the room with her. Airmid nods, a blink-and-you-miss-it movement, but they all see it and Sadhbh finally quirks the corner of her mouth up before turning around.

The corridor outside is a refreshing break from the ward with its steady beeping and quiet atmosphere. A low drone of many conversations floats down towards them from the main area of the Temple, a tether to normality that the med bay severely lacks.

Tena’a is the first to say what’s on everyone’s minds, the emotions she had sensed in the medbay evidently on her mind.

“Should she be joining us so fast?”

Sadhbh grimaces and shakes her head. “Definitely not. Eos?”

Eos closes her eyes, “Agreed. We’ll need to look out for her, this is much too soon. Keep her in the back as much as possible, although I don’t know how much good that will do.”

The trio sigh in unison.

Sadhbh stretches and her shoulder joints pop satisfyingly to Tena’a’s blatant disgust if her twitching lekku are anything to go by. It feels good, not just the stretch, but maybe Tena’a is finally done walking on eggshells around Sadhbh and she begins to feel a bit more normal.

Tena’a turns to Eos, the ends of her lekku still jabbing in Sadhbh’s direction. “Where to for the others?”

Eos doesn’t get to answer, for a medic heading back into the medbay behind them stops suddenly and strides over to Sadhbh. The medic doesn’t touch her, but squints and peers at Sadhbh’s face. It’s disarming, the way the medic assesses her and Sadhbh has to fight her every urge to turn away.

“That’s a better job than some of the others I’ve seen this week.”

Sadhbh’s brow shoots up at their forwardness, but the medic is already strolling through the doors and out of sight. Eos is simply baffled but Tena’a chuckles, “Is it too soon to say at least you’re not the only one here who got disowned?”

Sadhbh rolls her eyes, “What do you want me to do, have a fucking party with them?”

Tena’a simply shrugs, “It could be a conversation starter.” Sadhbh gives her a deadpan look as Tena’a wraps her arm around Sadhbh’s shoulders and drags her down the corridor until Eos yells that their meeting is in the other wing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

An ExplorCorps representative stands talking to a soldier in stark white plastoid armour by the holotable in the briefing room. Behind the holotable, three more soldiers stand still and stiff. Their armour is more scuffed than the one in white, and they each have designs painted in deep blue. The three at the back all stand at the same height, taller and wider than the one in white.

The Grand Army of the Republic.

One of the soldiers in blue, with diagonal blue lines etched into the thick black leather kama hanging from their hips, tilts their head at Dorn Squad when they enter. The soldier’s gaze leaves Sadhbh feeling exposed to the outside, like she’s being examined instantly, and she gets the impression that she is being judged if she’s a threat.

The soldier stands back to attention but not without a slight huff.

Sadhbh’s mouth twitches on one side. She supposes they don’t look like much right now. Dorn squad never wears their armour in the Temple, only on missions, and she realises that might have to change.

The soldier who had looked at them turns to the other two and points their thumb at Dorn Squad as if to say Get a load of them. Sadhbh snorts and crosses her arms across her chest, looking at the ExplorCorps rep.

She regrets doing that, the snort must have pulled her facial muscles weirdly as her skin tightens again and Sadhbh groans internally at the pain. She should have put another layer of bacta on at the medbay.

Thankfully the rep is done talking and turns to them. Eev, his name is, Dorn Squad have met him before. He smiles tightly at Dorn Squad, it’s so forced Sadhbh thinks his skin might crack and for a second his eyes drift over Sadhbh’s face. She narrows her eyes at him not wanting a repeat of the medic from earlier, and he at least has the decency to look away without commenting.

“Dorn Squad, meet your new team members.”

Eev points to the soldier in white, “This is Advisor… I’m sorry… 01/524?” The soldier nods abruptly and turns to Dorn Squad, snapping to attention.

“Advisor Oh-One-Five-Two-Four. I’ll be assisting yourselves, ARC-7100, ARC-27, and ARC-3323. They are some of the best Advanced Recon Commandos in their cohort.”

Sadhbh tries not to look taken aback but she’s pretty sure she’s failing miserably. She had known they were going to be assigned security but actual commandos? They’re no ordinary soldiers. This is going to be a harder change of pace than she had thought it would be.

Another wave of realisation hits her, one of many over the last few days. They’re going to be sent into warzones, more deadly than anything they’ve ever faced before, and weirdly Sadhbh doesn’t think she still fully grasps that despite the fact that four strongly built soldiers all standing over six foot are right in front of her.

Eos finally is the one to ask, sounding more unsure than Sadhbh has ever heard her, “You are our new squadmates?”

“Yes sir.”

Deep voices resonate from the modulators in their helmets. They all have the same accent, one that is slightly familiar, but for the life of her Sadhbh can’t place it.

“Lovely to meet you Oh-One-Five-Two-Four, so well uhh…” Eos trails off evidently forgetting what she’s meant to say and Sadhbh can see Eos start to blush.

Sadhbh looks between the troopers and the ExplorCorps rep, a multitude of questions forming on her tongue. Eev tries to anticipate Sadhbh and he holds his hands up, “Clones have numbers not names, I don’t know anything else.”

Thought that was a call sign, but now that’s the most insane thing I’ve heard today.

Sadhbh is pretty sure her jaw is on the floor, numbers but not names? She looks at the soldiers, all still at attention as if this was a normal part of their day. They don’t offer clarification but the soldier on the end, who had pointed at the squad when they had entered, looks like they’re holding back laughter. It doesn’t look like they’re going to help anytime soon.

She feels her face flare up as she scrunches it in confusion and distantly she thinks of the bacta salve sitting in her fresher.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

She must have been sharper than she had thought because the soldier on the end breaks and laughs loudly under their helmet.

The soldier points, specifically at Sadhbh this time, and declares, “I get the salty one.” They sound delighted and saunters over to her. Sadhbh frowns, for once not caring about how it causes her skin to tighten and itch. First the medic, then Eev, and now this soldier is acting as if it’s all a game. She’s close to losing her temper, the frustration of the past few days simmering just under the surface.

Behind this cheerful soldier, the other three relax their stances. The soldier looms over her and blocks out the light on the ceiling leaving their figure silhouetted like a celestial object in front of its star.

Sadhbh stares up deadpan, “You clearly don’t have common sense if you think that’ll put you in my good books.”

They chuckle and stoop down to pull off their helmet. Eos and Tena’a lean into Sadhbh, almost squishing her trying to get a look at this guy. Even Bee-Ar stretches up over her shoulder, from his hiding place in her backpack, to see what has everyone’s attention.

The helmet comes off and Sadhbh’s jaw is now somewhere in the lower levels of Coruscant. Tena’a wolfwhistles and Sadhbh hears Eos slap Tena’a on the back of the lekku.

He’s young, she puts him in his early twenties if she has to guess. His deep umber eyes spark with amusement and his mouth splits into a grin. His black curls are mostly cropped save for a few strays that spring down to his forehead. He’s attractive and he knows it.

That’s not what she’s gawking at.

If she made him more wrinkled and scarred, and far less friendly, she would be staring into the face of Jango Fett, a bounty hunter whose ship she had worked on a couple of times almost ten years ago before she had left Pantora. It didn’t matter how little she had actually interacted with him, but he and his unique ship had been memorable to her.

He had clearly made quite the impression on someone else too.

“See something you like?” He winks, actually winks at her, as if this is the most casual thing to have happened.

“I know your face.”

It’s stupid, she knows that, but Sadhbh can’t move past it. Fett had been quiet, stern, deadly. He would be perfect for the job she supposes. She wonders if he’s now a part of this army, or if he’s back to bounty hunting again.

The soldier in front of her bellows laughing and she can see the shoulders shake on the other soldiers. Finally, they take pity and each pull off their helmets revealing identical faces.

A clone army. How had she forgotten that important part? Sadhbh makes an amused ‘ah’ sound now truly understanding.

Clones. Enough clones to make an army.

“Pan.” The soldier in front of her jerks a thumb at himself before pointing to the other two soldiers in blue, “That is Cobalt, and spoil-the-balls over there is ARC-7100.” Cobalt and ARC-7100 nod at them in turn. Lastly he looks back at the soldier in white armour, “Just call him Advisor.” Advisor nods, but otherwise says nothing.

Sadhbh splutters out her name, still a bit shell shocked, and she introduces the others. The other ARCs close in on them, eyeing up the squad. They’re far less outgoing than Pan, letting him do the talking, and Sadhbh gets the feeling that Pan is the de facto leader of the group. Bee-Ar makes a timid bwoop to Pan who immediately flashes a toothy grin at the little droid, but Bee-Ar climbs down to hide in Sadhbh’s backpack again.

Advisor clears his throat and Sadhbh looks over to see his cool disinterested expression. She flicks her eyes from him to the other three, noting how different they act, and she feels a bit surreal.

Looking back she sees Advisor studying her, his gaze still aloof, before he starts the briefing without any preamble. The three ARC troopers immediately shift into parade rest, suddenly serious, and Dorn Squad exchange glances at the quick change in their behaviour.

The briefing is as Eos had said earlier, the three ARC troopers will be their security while they run the same type of missions as before; a team from the Service Corps is in trouble? They’ll be sent in and the ARCs will eliminate threats to their success while Dorn Squad continue with the objective.

Sadhbh asks why they of all squads get so much security. Surely other squads will need some support like Dorn Squad, she proposes. That’s not the case according to Advisor. There aren’t as many rescue squads as the navigation and recce teams, and Dorn Squad are the most likely to be operating in more stressful situations.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sadhbh notices Pan smirking at stressful and she groans internally. Just like the first night of the war, she starts a mantra telling herself that she can do this, she can survive. It’s fine, it’s another day on the job, just swap shadows in the dark for metal and blasterfire, it’s fine.

Over and over she thinks it until at last she manages to half-believe it.

All of a sudden, Advisor stops talking about how the squad will operate and gives them a farewell nod, striding out of the briefing room without a further word. He’s succinct, Sadhbh will give him that.

Tena’a remarks to the silent room, “Love us and leave us, I guess?”

Cobalt snorts, “Don’t mind him, he’s limiting his attachment to us.”

That doesn’t make Sadhbh feel any better.

Pan turns to them, a curl falling carelessly onto his forehead as he smooths his hair back.

“Forget all that. We’re heading to a bar tonight. A clone bar,” Pan wriggles his eyebrows, “Come along and we can get some team bonding in before we’re tossed out of a burning ship.”

Great.

Pan speaks so confidently, as if he expects them to just obey and Sadhbh rolls her eyes. Nothing like a night of partying to bring the group together and then get sent hungover on their first mission. She feels a nudge to her shoulder and she frowns up at Pan again, who’s smirking.

“Easy there, salty. It’s just a few drinks and then you’ll be home early to practice your frowny face in the mirror.”

Sadhbh tries hard, she really does, to frown even harder at Pan. But she finds herself laughing at the absurdity of it all. It starts as a chuckle, building in her chest until she feels the laughter hurt her ribs. She can’t stop and to her side she hears Eos giggling, high-pitched like when she’s nervous. The two of them hang on to each other, using each other as support, as they keep laughing and Sadhbh is crying but she still can’t stop.

Hiccups force their way out of her, painfully wracking her chest, and that brings her back down to Coruscant. Sadhbh blinks, trying to rid her eyes of the tears but they keep falling as she another wave of reality hits her.

Tonight, she and her squad are going out for drinks with a clone of a guy whose ship she fixed a decade ago, while they’ve been assigned to work together in a war stretching across the galaxy. Where they might die at any point. Oh and the guy she’s going to drinks with has millions of twins.

Pan claps her right shoulder proclaiming loudly, “That’s the spirit.”

That night || Sadhbh || Clone Bar 79s, Uscru Entertainment District, Coruscant

The clone bar 79s is loud. And jam packed full of patrons, mostly clones, however Sadhbh spies beings of all types flitting in and out of the shadows of the strobelights. The war is five days old and yet here it feels like it has always been happening.

It’s still strange for Sadhbh to see so many different versions of a face she had seen before. An odd case of deja vu.

But the more time she spends in this club, and the more she watches everyone relax, the more she sees their differences. These clones may have been created from Jango Fett’s DNA, but they’re certainly their own people. Some sit in a circle in the corner playing cards and hollering at tense moments. Some sit and drink quietly watching the boloball. Others are on the dance floor giving it all they’ve got.

They’re a far cry from solitary Jango who had watched everything from the nearest corner like a nexu. And Sadhbh bets that even if she comes across a clone like Jango, they won’t exactly be the same.

Individuality within their collective appears important to the clones. Be it, hairstyles, tattoos, piercings, posture, or the way they paint their armour. Each clone in the bar that Sadhbh can see has something to set them apart from each other.

And now Sadhbh is eager to figure out her new squadmates, to see what makes them tick, to find their uniqueness. She has a headstart already from the briefing, but she wants to know what they’re like outside of work. She looks around the dancefloor from her position by the front doors until she finds them.

Pan, Cobalt, and ARC-7100 sit in a booth near the dance floor, and for a moment, Sadhbh thinks she sees relief pass across Pan’s face as he sees Dorn Squad approach them.

Sadhbh throws her arms out wide with her best cheerful smile. Her cheeks sting despite the fresh layer of bacta. “Well, we’re here for some team bonding.” Cobalt snorts and shuffles further into the booth to make room for the three newcomers while Pan gets the attention of a droid.

Pan is Pan because he has the tendency to unleash Pandemonium in simulations, and Cobalt rolls his eyes at how proud Pan is of that. Something tells Sadhbh that Cobalt has seen a lot of this before but he declines from confirming when she asks. Cobalt’s less chatty than Pan, preferring to interject here and there but he lets Pan carry the conversation. ARC-7100 keeps quiet, staying to himself and not taking Sadhbh’s conversational bait or even responds to Tena’a’s flirting.

Already prepared for the evening, Cobalt pulls out a flimsi printout of team building questions he got from the holonet and turns it into a drinking game. They’re terrible questions, but everyone laughs instead of cringes, the awkwardness melting away the more they get to know each other. It’s a fun, yet effective, way to get to know them. Tena’a plays into it and answers everything in her best imitation of the Coruscanti corporate grunts, which Cobalt loves.

ARC-7100’s attention meanwhile is focused wholly on Eos’ drink. It’s a strong clear spirit that she loves and what Sadhbh jokingly refers to as Rhydonium. Eventually he opens up and asks her about it, but keeps his questions short, as if cautious.

Pan on the other hand asks questions about everyone’s favourite combat types, worst mission, best mission, and finishes by asking how Dorn Squad came together. He’s focused more on what Dorn Squad brings to the team, but every now and then he’ll throw in a random question about life on Coruscant.

At first Sadhbh had thought that it was to break up the work questions, but now she realises that Pan hasn’t had much interaction with people who aren’t clones – natborns, he calls them. There’s so much he hasn’t experienced and when Sadhbh asks him about it he tells them of Kamino. A planet covered in rainy storms where it had just been clones, Kaminoans, and their trainers. No one else. No contact with the galaxy and certainly no holonet.

That’s when Sadhbh finally understands it. The clones have been working towards this war for their entire lives and now as the war is finally here, they’re just as overwhelmed by the change as she is. Everyone is blindsided in some way and oddly it comforts Sadhbh that she’s not the only one trying to figure it all out.

She doesn’t verbalise it, but Pan can read her already and gives her a one-shouldered shrug in response to the question she hadn’t needed to ask.

Three hours later and Sadhbh’s head is reeling with information when Pan asks her if she had any questions for them. Only one hasn’t been pre-emptively answered.

“Yeah, tell me this. Why Jango Fett of all people?”

That gets a laugh from them all.

“The way he told it, it was a job plain and simple.”

Sadhbh raises a brow, “And the way he didn’t tell it?”

Cobalt smirks, “He took a clone to be his son for a start. And he argued with the Kaminoans more than I would if it was just a job to me.”

“That’s… warmer than what I had thought of him.” Sadhbh hums thoughtfully, more to herself.

Pan looks at her surprised, the alcohol from the night catching up and preventing his face from staying neutral. “You knew him?”

Sadhbh shakes her head, “No, just fixed his ship a few times. Long before my time here.”

Pan grins, “Was this before you were salty?”

Sadhbh rolls her eyes again, “Have you thought that I’m only salty with you?”

Pan laughs again. He does that a lot she notes. He shrouds himself in cheer and sound, but it doesn’t quite get rid of the underlying seriousness to him, like he’s ready to snap into action at the drop of a hat. But right now his laugh feels genuine, that maybe he’s starting to warm up to her. After the week Sadhbh has had, it’s a nice change.

Pan doesn’t get to answer before another clone, in unpainted armour, sits on the edge of the table swaying a lot as he tries to squint at Sadhbh. She swears internally.

Don’t tell me that my tattoo removal is still obvious.

“S-sayyyy, pretty lady. Where’d your tats go?” Sadhbh raises a brow, “Huh?” Okay, this isn’t what she had been expecting. She sees in her periphery that Pan is staring at the other clone with a mixture of glee and a little bit of suspicion.

“I just saw them an hour ago? They were,” he points to his cheeks, “here… and here. Maybe?”

Sadhbh shakes her head, “Wrong person.” She really doesn’t want to explain herself in front of her new squadmates.

The clone frowns at her, “I don’t think so, they were,” he points now to her cheeks as if to jog her memory, “there and…” He trails off again.

“Nope.” And she holds her hand up when the clone goes to speak again, and she slowly shakes her head.

Pan gently prods the clone, “Move along, vod. Nothing to see here.” He’s gentle but there’s an undercurrent of an order to his words. Pan is starting his security duties early apparently. The clone drunkly nods, eyes glassy, and if Sadhbh has to guess, she would say he’s forgotten the whole exchange already as he stumbles into another booth along the dancefloor.

Pan’s voice brings her attention back to the table.

“Why don’t you have them?”

Pan looks serious now and Sadhbh doesn’t like it. She huffs a laugh and shakes her head, “Not now.”

He assesses her, eyes calculating as he decides what to say. She’s right about him, the jovial nature is what he likes to project but he’s all business when he needs to be.

“I’ll drop it. For now.”

Sadhbh nods, grateful, but she has no doubt that he’ll bring it up again.

Pan leans back, amusement in his eyes again, “Alright, but I have one last thing.” Sadhbh gives him a hopeful look, maybe he really is going to drop it but she can’t be sure.

“Do you like dancing?”

Sadhbh grins and Pan grins back at her. She scoffs, “It’s the only good thing about being in a club.”

She’s still speaking when he stands up and offers her his hand. Sadhbh accepts and he hauls her onto the edge of the dancefloor.

“Good. Now, frowny, you’re a natborn, tell me about this slut drop that I’ve been hearing about…”

The next day || Sadhbh || ????

An alarm is ringing in the background of Sadhbh’s consciousness.

Loud, grating, ringing over and over again.

A groan sounds from somewhere near her and there’s a loud slap. The ringing stops.

Sadhbh sighs in her sleep and feels herself being pulled back under.

Seconds or hours later, the alarm rings again and Sadhbh groans out loud in frustration. It feels far too early to get up.

She rolls over onto her side and she’s hit with the distinct smells of Tena’a’s perfume and… is that armour polish? Sadhbh wrinkles her nose at the pungent combination but it doesn’t go away. It’s a nasty addition to the dry furry sensation in her mouth and the awful headache now pounding away in her head.

Someone’s whispering her name.

Sadhbh groans again and wishes she hadn’t as soon as she does. She can feel the blissful nothing of sleep slip further away from her with each second and the more awake she feels the more she realises that she has a rough day ahead of her.

Someone’s poking her in her back, right on the spine where it’s the most uncomfortable. Whoever this is they clearly want her awake.

She keeps her eyes closed, her last stubborn defence.

“SADHBH.”

Sadhbh flinches and sits up only to whack her head off of Pan’s who grimaces in pain. He’s on his hands and knees on one side of her, with Tena’a curled up on the other. Sadhbh looks back at him to see that he’s missing his armour, left only in his black compression suit. Looking him up and down she starts to laugh at how hungover he looks, stubble lines his face and his eyes are bloodshot with shadows underneath. She briefly wonders if this is his first time being hungover and that makes her laugh even more.

“You’re one to fucking laugh.” There’s no bite in his voice, Pan’s already chuckling and he hangs his head down while he gathers the strength to lift it again.

Sadhbh looks around at the bedlam in the… barracks, she thinks. Rows and rows of bunks line the room, neglected empty bunks that apparently hadn’t been good enough for any member of Dorn Squad. Things and outerwear are scattered all over the floor and there are mattresses are shoved together in a makeshift bed.

Eos is still asleep and laying stretched out over Cobalt and ARC-7100, where Cobalt is on the floor, but ARC-7100 looks to have fallen asleep while sitting up. Tena’a, who must have been roused by Pan waking Sadhbh, is on the brink of falling asleep again. Sadhbh can tell by the way she shifts her lekku around her ear cones to block out everything. Sadhbh leaves her be for the time being, if Sadhbh is bad at dealing with hangovers, Tena’a is even worse.

Checking herself, Sadhbh wrinkles her nose. She stinks of alcohol and sweat, and she wonders just how much she had last night. Pan sits back, flopping heavily beside her, and he closes his eyes.

“You look how I feel.” Fuck, even her voice is scratchy and hoarse. And her head is still pounding.

Pan scoffs and shoots her a flirtatious grin, “Like hot stuff then?” Sadhbh tuts good-naturedly and bodily shoves him but he barely moves and just keeps laughing.

Wait a moment.

Sadhbh’s skin itches and burns. If it had been her face she wouldn’t think anything of it, apart from regretting how she had left her bacta back in her quarters.

No, this is itchy skin somewhere else.

It’s the inside of her right forearm and when she looks, Sadhbh snorts laughing.

There in deep blue ink unlike all of her other tattoos, which are gold, is a stylised explosion that is oddly reminiscent of the Jedi Orders’ emblem. Currently it’s inflamed, the irritation making her skin around it appear purple instead of the usual cerulean, but it’s beautiful. Once it heals the deep blue will sit well against her complexion.

Pan looks down at her arm and makes a noise of dawning understanding. He doesn’t give Sadhbh an answer when she tilts her head at him in question. But he detaches his glove and rolls up his right sleeve to show a matching tattoo in cerulean surrounded by his own inflamed brown skin.

They match and complement each other. Sadhbh’s chest squeezes but in a good way.

Pan’s eyes flick up to the others, and he focuses on something. Not taking his eyes off of it, he jerks his head in its direction for Sadhbh to look.

There on Tena’a’s sprawled out arm, Sadhbh can see the same tattoo peeking out in the same deep blue as Sadhbh’s. She’s willing to bet that everyone has one.

Something triggers in her memory from last night. Shots at the bar, late night food. She remembers the tattooist from her tattoo removal waving at her and the whole squad. The sunrise peeking through the skyscrapers.

Sadhbh smiles, truly smiles for the first time in a week.

Taglist: @cloneflo99

[enigmaticexplorer]

Girlies will look at the most powerful, most feared by their enemys, most talented, strongest, bravest and basically unbeatable warriors known to mankind in full armor and will go like:

My 🎀babygirl🎀 my cute little pooksie wooksie baby bear🎀💞🌸🎀

[enigmaticexplorer]

commander cody probably says “not my circus, not my monkeys” a couple times for self affirmation before he goes to the 501st barracks send tweet

[enigmaticexplorer]

The way that Bail will force every person in the galaxy to see the truth behind Palpatine’s plot, to acquit the Jedi of the guilt Palpatine and his hive-minded followers have placed on the Order, because he refuses to raise Leia—his daughter—in a world where her people were slaughtered mercilessly and barbarically—in a world where their genocide was not only brushed aside as a necessity of war but even applauded and celebrated.

He loves his daughter so much that he has to do this. Because what kind of father stands by while the memory of his daughter’s people are defamed and ridiculed and spat on? 

But his fight will never be actualized.

To protect Leia, to protect Breha, to ensure that he can continue his fight against the Empire, he has to give up defending the Jedi’s legacy. And the galaxy will continue to believe Palpatine’s spoon-fed lies about Jedi treason and deception. 

And Bail will die believing he ultimately failed his friends, his heroes, his daughter. 

And he will die never knowing that one day the Empire will fall, and the Jedi will return, and his daughter will not only come to know the truth about her heritage but that she and her brother will train in the ways of their people, without fear of persecution.

[enigmaticexplorer]

It's about time Khaled Hosseini dropped another book and saved all of humanity

[enigmaticexplorer]

snow was the person pushing the initial rule change to allow two victors (*fight me*). well aware that he would change it at the end.

but it was him. the more i get to know snow, it seems to be clearer that he was the one to suggest the change. all he wants is to prove his thesis. that anyone -- children, the righteous, lovers -- will turn on others when it comes down to it. when their lives are on the line. especially covey women. and now he has the perfect opportunity. a boy with blonde curls, professing his love. all for a girl who is a whisper of a songbird from long ago. one who blushes at him. who holds his hands. who kisses his cheek. and now snow has his chance. a chance to finally prove things right. to prove his entire existence. to see the face of another boy's face as a covey woman betrays them. snow is more than happy to agree to a suggestion. he's already getting his popcorn out.

[enigmaticexplorer]

"I ran." (The Kite Runner, 371) "One last time, Mariam did as she was told." (A Thousand Splendid Suns, 371)

It's the way Hosseini writes, how he summarizes an entire character arc or the main thematic point of his books into a single, simple sentence that makes his writing some of the most profound storytelling I've come across.

Such simple sentences, and yet they stay with you, months later, years later, always sitting in the back of your mind, reminding you of these very real yet fictional stories and characters and life.

[enigmaticexplorer]

"But I know me. I’m used to me and how guys react to me." Why even bother, why even make them have to deal with her. They’d have a better time without her, she was sure. She wasn’t fun, she wasn’t cool, she’s just Wren. And Wren isn’t someone people want to hang out with. Especially not guys.

Oh Wren... If only she knew what Omega and the others thought about her. If only she knew what Hunter thought about her.

Over the years, this is how she’d learned to protect herself against disappointment. Just avoid any situation that might lead to disappointment.

Hahaha (I'm laughing through the pain once again).

“Even if I do, I don’t want you talking to her about it! It’s embarrassing! Having my little sister talk to a girl for me? Come on!”

I'm both chuckling and wincing. The conversation with Omega was funny with her meddling and Hunter's exasperation. But I also feel bad for Hunter because that is embarrassing, and he keeps asking Omega to not interfere.

Hunter and the Librarian - Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Author's note: This chapter didn't advance the storyline very far, but if I continued on with them going to the movie, then it would have made the chapter a lot longer than I wanted. So I just stopped. Sorry if it's not worth the extra wait! Things have been a little busy.

Summary: Set in a modern AU (an ambiguous year): Wren is a librarian who meets Omega, a twelve-year-old living with her five older brothers. Omega feels Wren and her oldest brother, Hunter, would be good for each other and tries to play matchmaker. Wren's anxiety and shyness coupled with Hunter's own struggles with depression make that more difficult than Omega hoped. Wren is based on me and my experiences with anxiety and how it affected the beginning of my relationship with my husband.

Pairing: Modern AU Hunter x F!Librarian OC, Wren

Word Count: 2255

Warnings: Talk of anxiety and spiraling thoughts. One swear word maybe.

Author's note: This is my first attempt at a fanfiction. I thought it might be helpful for some people who also deal with anxiety to see how it affects relationships, especially early on when it comes to social anxiety, and see that there are people out there who can "put up" with you...that you aren't "too difficult or exhausting" for the right person. (In quotes, because those are all things I thought about myself for years.)

My modern AU was inspired by the amazing Modern Batch AU stories by kaydear (Illyria_Lives) on AO3. Not to sound overly dramatic, but they changed my life.

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Dividers by animatedglittergraphics-n-more

The next day at work, Wren was at her desk and her coworker, Marie, stopped by.

“So…what’s new with you, Wren?”

“Not much.”

“Oh, really? Nothing new with that guy with the face tattoo?”

“Hunter?!” Wren asked.

“Do you know two guys with face tattoos? Yes, Hunter. I see his sister come in here and talk to you. And did I hear that you went to their house?”

Wren liked Marie well enough. She’s a really nice woman and a good coworker. But she wasn’t comfortable talking to her about personal stuff.

“Where did you hear that?”

“Amanda told me. So how was it? Are you guys gonna go out, like on an actual date?”

“No. It’s not like that. I’m just friends with the family. Omega is the one who has been inviting me to places with them. Not Hunter.”

“But he did come in here one day, didn’t he? And then he stopped and talked to you at the park?”

“Yeah, but he was just talking details about me going to their house. Since Omega invited me.”

Wren really wasn’t sure what Hunter was thinking or what his feelings might be. Sometimes she thought there might be a little interest there, and other times it just seemed like he was being friendly for Omega’s sake. She still couldn’t imagine someone like him being interested in someone like her.

Marie continued, “When are you going to see him…I mean Omega...next?”

“Well, she might be coming in this week to study after school.” Wren didn’t want to tell Marie about going to a movie with the family on Friday. She wasn’t ready to share that much yet.

Their boss called Marie over to her office at that point, so Wren was off the hook. She hoped that Marie got the hint that she didn’t really want to talk about this with her. It made her wonder how much her coworkers had been talking about her. She’s too uncertain about what is actually going on to want to talk about it with coworkers.

Wednesday came, and Wren wondered if Omega was going to stop by the library. She hoped she would. She was wondering if she’d mention anything about Hunter or Friday.

At around her normal time, Omega and her friend, Hera, walked into the library, big smiles on their faces, laughing at something. They saw Wren behind the desk and waved at her, and she waved back. They went to their usual table and set their backpacks down. Hera started unpacking her books while Omega went to the desk to talk to Wren.

“Hi, Wren!”

“Hey, Omega. How are you?”

“I’m great! We’re just going to do a little studying. But I wanted to ask if you were still planning on going to a movie with us on Friday?”

“I plan on it, unless something comes up. But I can’t imagine anything will.”

“Good! We’re looking forward to having you with us.”

Wren just smiled at her.

“Hunter has been talking about it quite a bit.”

Wren gave Omega an incredulous look. “I have a feeling you’re exaggerating…”

“No, I’m not! I swear.”

Wren’s smile got even bigger. “Ok, if you say so.”

“Wren, why don’t you think Hunter likes you?”

“It’s not that I don’t think he likes me. I just have my doubts that it’s in the way you mean. I know he’s your brother, and you know him much better than me. But I know me. I’m used to me and how guys react to me. I’m pretty sure he just wants to be friends. Which is fine, really it is. He’s a really nice guy, and it’s always good to have a nice guy as a friend.”

Omega pouted a little bit in a good-natured way.

She said, “You’ll see I’m right. You just wait and see.”

Wren gave her a small smile. “Well, no matter what, I’m looking forward to going with you and your brothers to the movie.”

Omega went back to the table to start studying. They didn’t talk anymore while she was there, except when she was leaving, she waved at Wren and said, “See you on Friday!”

Wren waved, and said, “Ok, see ya!” She hoped Marie hadn’t overheard them, but luckily she was in the back of the library and wasn’t paying attention.

Whenever she would talk to Omega, Wren became hopeful about Hunter. But then by the time she would get home, she was doubting again. This was really starting to stress her out, and she was falling back into her old mindset of “is it really worth the trouble.” If she was this stressed out at the prospect of a possible something with him, not even a for-sure thing yet, how would she be able to handle it if he really did want to go out, just the two of them. She didn’t think she would probably survive.

Then her mind and her anxiety would start spiraling and she would wonder if she should cancel going to the movie. Why even bother, why even make them have to deal with her. They’d have a better time without her, she was sure. She wasn’t fun, she wasn’t cool, she’s just Wren. And Wren isn’t someone people want to hang out with. Especially not guys.

Over the years, this is how she’d learned to protect herself against disappointment. Just avoid any situation that might lead to disappointment. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Sure, she would be miserable thinking about the “what ifs” for a little while, but that would pass. It always did.

She wasn’t sure what she was going to do. She still had a day to think about it. And worry about it.

Hunter knew that Omega was going to the library after school today. He assumed that’s why she wasn’t home yet. He also assumed Wren would be there at the same time. She usually worked weekdays. Or from what he knew anyway. Which really wasn’t a whole lot. But he still hoped to learn more. A lot more. He just needed to be patient.

He was sitting at the small desk in the corner of the living room, going over some paperwork and bills.

He heard footsteps running up the sidewalk, pounding up the front steps, and then the door was flung open. Omega was home!

“Hey, Omega! You seem excited.”

She had a big smile on her face. “Guess who I saw?”

“Who?” He knew who she was probably going to say, but he was going to act like he hadn’t been thinking about it…her.

“Wren! I was at the library.”

“Oh, that’s right, it was study at the library day. Well, that’s nice.”

“Do you want to know how she was?”

Hunter gave Omega a look and sighed, “I know you’re dying to tell me, so go ahead.”

“Well, she seemed really good. And she looked really cute.” Hunter chuckled and rolled his eyes. “And she said she still plans on going with us on Friday.”

At that, Hunter’s head popped up. “Really?” He realized he sounded a little too eager, so he cleared his throat and said, calmly, “Well, that’s good. I know you’ll enjoy having her along.”

Omega just stood in front of him, with her hands on her hips, and looked at him. “Hunter, do you like Wren?”

He gave her a slightly exasperated look, “Omega, I don’t want to keep having this conversation with you.”

“Well, it’s just that she really doesn’t think you do. I told her you do-“

“You what?! You told her what?”

“Well, I told her you like her-“

“Omega!”

“What?! You do, don’t you!”

“Even if I do, I don’t want you talking to her about it! It’s embarrassing! Having my little sister talk to a girl for me? Come on!”

“Oh, Hunter! Don’t be silly. It’s not like that. I just asked her if she was coming, and she said she was still planning on it. And I told her WE are looking forward to it. And then I added that you’d talked about it...”

“Omega…” He put his head in his hands as his elbows leaned on the desk.

“…more than once.”

He looked up again. “Really? Really. You had to add that?”

Omega was ignoring his tone and just kept talking. “All I’m going to say is, if you do like her, and are interested in her, it’s going to take some convincing. She doesn’t think someone like you would be interested in someone like her.”

“She said that?”

“Yeah. I asked her why she doesn’t think you like her, and she said she just thinks you like her as a friend, because guys like you don’t like girls like her in any other way.”

Hunter looked down at the desk and was quiet.

“So, I’m just saying, if you just want to be her friend, then you’re good to go. But if you are thinking of anything more than that, it will take a little convincing.” He had his back to her, but she went over to him and put her arms around his shoulders and gave him a quick hug, resting her head against his. He reached up and patted her hand. She walked into the kitchen to get a snack.

Hunter sighed. And he wasn’t even sure what he was sighing about. He didn’t know if he was sighing because of Omega’s meddling, even after he asked her more than once not to. Or if he was sighing because obviously any sort of hints he’d tried to send Wren’s way were totally missed. Not that he’d done much, but he thought walking her out to her car twice and telling her he thought she was sweet might have been enough of a hint to make her consider he might be interested. Or when he stopped to talk to her at the park. Or at the library. He realized they might have been subtle. Or now that he thought about it, he realized they could have been interpreted as just being friendly. Well, shit. He’s not good at this. Not good at all.

He hated to admit it, but maybe he did need Omega’s help. But there’s no way he was going to tell her that! He had a little over a day to try to think of something he could do or say when they went to the movie to make her realize he was interested in getting to know her better, one-on-one, without being too forward and scaring her away.

At work on Friday, Wren realized she didn’t know what time they were going to the movie that night. That’s one of the reasons Hunter wanted to exchange phone numbers, was to communicate about the movie night. Of course, he hadn’t reached out to her…but maybe he thought Omega would have talked to her about details.

She decided to bite the bullet and text Hunter.

W: Hunter? This is Wren. I was wondering if you all were still going to the movie, and if so, what time? Should I meet you at the theater?

And then she waited. And she waited. And she was getting more nervous with every minute that passed. She logically knew he was probably working, and he might not even be able to have his phone with him when working. It might be too easy for it to get damaged. She decided to go to the stacks to do some shelving and leave her phone at her desk. That way she wouldn’t keep looking at it every minute.

She was gone for about thirty minutes, and when she got back to her desk there was a flashing light on her phone indicating she had some sort of notification. Then when she picked it up, she felt a slight vibration. A text!

She looked at the phone and saw an unread text. She opened it up, and it was from Hunter.

H: Hey, Wren! Thanks for checking in! We thought we’d go to the 6:00 showing, if that’s ok with you? You’re welcome to come to our house and we can take a couple of cars together. Or if the theater is closer to where you live, and you’d rather just meet us there, that’s fine too.

Ugh, decisions. She hated having to make decisions.

With her anxiety, she’d really rather go to their house first and ride with them. Otherwise, she’d have to meet them at the theater, and standing around in a theater lobby waiting for people is one of the things she feels really awkward about. Well, standing around waiting for people anywhere. She feels like she sticks out. Plus, she thinks their house is very nearly on her way to the theater anyway. It would just make sense to go with them.

W: If it’s ok, I’ll come to your house and go with you all. What time will you be leaving?

H: We usually leave around 5:30.

W: Ok, I’ll be there no later than 5:30. Thanks!

H: Ok, sounds good. Bye!

Ok, she got that sorted out. She wanted to pat herself on the back for that one, because that wasn’t easy to do. Much easier than calling though! Thank goodness for texting!

Wren would have just enough time to change clothes when she got home from work, and then get over to the Fett house. It’s probably best she wouldn’t have extra time…she would just sit around fretting.

Next Chapter

Taglist: @dystopicjumpsuit, @sverdgeir, @wings-and-beskar, @moon-wrecked, @transactivecybermemory

@the-hexfiles, @ladysw01, @523rdrebel, @lightwise, @griffedeloup

@votedprettybythecommittee, @substantial-exposure, @totallyunidentified, @frostycatblr-fandom-files, @delicioustacocollector

@soaringthroughthegalaxy, @ladysaturnsdust, @youreababboon, @huntershoe

As always, thanks so much for reading. If you'd like to be removed from this tag list, please let me know! If you'd like to be added to this tag list, please let me know!