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lornaka · 8 months ago

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My five cents on Tech’s fate in TBB

It’s been over three weeks since the show ended and I’ve been writing this in my head ever since, mostly to have it summed up in one post for posterity lol. I considered letting it go at this point but I know it’ll drive me crazy if I don’t get it out of my system so might as well.

So here we go, some of my rambly post-finale thoughts on Tech’s death (and a few other issues) under the cut!

Disclaimer: while this post is in critical spirit (because that’s how my brain works), I want to make clear that I have nothing but respect and gratitude towards everyone who’s worked on the show. My criticisms are of the final story as a whole as I interpret it (art is art, everything is subjective, you know the drill), but one never knows what goes into the process of making it behind the scenes, so I’m not holding anything against the creative team. I love this show dearly and am in awe of how good it is at its best, despite certain things I wish they did differently.

To begin, if I had to sum up the biggest problem that TBB writing suffers from, it would be lack of closure, and too many red herrings. Not just for Tech, but many things. Major plot threads as well as little character moments are cultivated or thrown in just to never culminate in anything or to be immediately discarded after serving the plot, some of them incredibly misleading. Some of the top examples:

- Crosshair’s chip. We never get an exploration of how the trauma of his chip activating and being left behind not only affected his motivation and choice to stay with the Empire, but his relationship with his brothers. While it was made fairly obvious, if subtly, that Crosshair became free of the chip’s influence after getting hit by the ion engine on Bracca, the narrative treated this change as if it didn’t matter at that point, while it obviously mattered a lot within the context of Crosshair’s character. Add to that all these little details with him clutching his head in s1 finale, Omega expressing her disappointment in him, and Tech’s comment on how “it is just his nature” (as if it matters!!! See what I mean about the narrative treating Cross’s chip as if it didn’t play the key part in his trajectory? They throw in this line, like we are supposed to take away that it’s simply Crosshair being Crosshair and not like, the results of brainwashing and abandonment), Wrecker blaming Crosshair for not going back to them, all while we as the audience have been shown and told repeatedly how these chips work (and so were the Batch), we ended up with an incredibly confusing situation with lots of mixed signals from the writers. And once Crosshair makes his choice to stay with the Empire in s1 finale, his chip and the confusion it brought to his relationship with his brothers is never brought up again, because the plot simply moves on.

- Cid’s betrayal. After her being a major character for two seasons with a continuous relationship build-up with Omega in particular, she is discarded as soon as her betrayal serves the plot, with all that character development getting thrown out of the window. You can be mad at Cid all you want, but to me it’s incredibly weird and wasteful to end two seasons worth of build up on that note without it having any closure for the characters, especially Omega whose whole theme is trusting people and bringing out the best in them. It’s fine if they decided to make Cid exactly what she appeared on the surface (untrustworthy and self-serving) after playing around with her potentially growing through her fondness of Omega, but then at the very least the betrayal should’ve had an impact on the characters, Omega most of all. Even just one casual line from Omega in s3 about how Cid’s betrayal impacted her emotionally, however minimally, would have solved that problem. And no, CX-2 mentioning how he extracted info on Phee from her off screen absolutely doesn’t count as closure, because I’m talking about emotional closure for the main pov characters as well as the audience. Cid had a presence for two seasons, then as soon as she executed her role as a traitor to further the plot, she was discarded like she was a random extra.

- Emerie’s relationship with Hemlock. We are led to believe that he basically raised her, instilling in her the idea that she had no chance without him and owed her purpose and “safety” to him. You can’t tell me that this didn’t deeply affect her struggle and eventual decision to break away from all that and choose to help the kids, basically betraying Hemlock. I get that the show only had so much screen time and Emerie is a supporting character in season 3 at best, but common, she has more tension with Dr. Scalder than Hemlock while the potential for this rich deep conflict between them is right there.

I can probably list more smaller examples but this is getting long and I don’t want to go on any more tangents, so, finally, the biggest example of lack of closure and tendency of TBB writing to display foreshadowing that leads nowhere:

Tech’s death.

First of all, I’ll die on the hill that it wasn’t denial or delusion that led to such a big portion of the audience to believe that Tech didn’t really die in s2. If we look at the facts:

- there was no body

- it’s the finale of season 2 out of 3, pretty early for one of the main titular characters to get killed off

- the only/last character to allegedly see Tech after his fall is a villainous scientist who is known to experiment on clones specifically

- not a fact but: the whole scene with Hemlock presenting Tech’s goggles to Hunter was incredibly suspicious. In hindsight, I think the whole purpose of it was so that the Batch got Tech’s goggles back in their possession as a memento (and to show how evil Hemlock is to rub it into Hunter’s face like that) but it was executed in a way that read as something much more. It read as if Hemlock was going out of his way to convince us/Hunter of Tech’s death, but with us knowing who Hemlock is, his background in experimenting on clones, everything screams at us to not trust a word he says. Is it really so surprising that so many of the viewers immediately jumped at the conclusion that something more was going on there?

- Hunter’s (lack of) reaction/immediate narrative fall-out. More on that later as I address lack of emotional impact of Tech’s death in s3.

- it’s Star Wars. And there was no body.

So yeah, to me, it is completely justified that so many people read that whole thing as open to speculation at the very least, foreshadowing Tech’s survival at most.

Personally, I was 70% sure Tech was truly dead prior to s3, but not because the text told me so, but because at that point I was used to the show’s writing regularly sending out mixed signals, and a part of me was resigned to Tech’s death becoming another example of the writer’s intent clashing with their accidental empty foreshadowing.

As season 3 aired and the whole CX-2 plot was unfolding alongside continued lack of closure for Tech’s fate, my hope for Tech Lives reveal grew and grew, but in the end my initial doubt was proven right, unfortunately.

Oh, CX-2.. what a mess. You can’t tell me the creators went over all of these scenes, all of these lines, looked at the whole picture and *didn’t* see how it was incredibly easy to interpret CX-2 as potentially being Tech with all these little potential parallels. “Domicile” alone.

If they didn’t want us to entertain the idea that it could be Tech, they could’ve done it differently, but for some reason, they chose to leave that space for speculation. My question is, why?

If they truly wanted us to believe Plan 99 was it, Tech’s Noble End that we were supposed to take as this dramatic super emotional ultimate sacrifice and all that, then why would they not make it clear that CX-2 couldn’t be Tech? Why breed confusion? And breed confusion they did. It’s hard for me to believe they didn’t foresee the “ohh is it Tech?” speculation.

When so many members of the audience immediately and individually jump at a theory or have the same take away from the story they are being told, yet the authors say it wasn’t meant to be taken that way, something went seriously wrong with the writing.

I don’t like to speculate on such things because we will probably never know for certain, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had at some point considered CX-2 being Tech or at least something more for the whole CX plot thread, but changed and reshuffled things at the last minute for whatever reasons.

Which is fine and understandable. But it brings me to the heart of my biggest issue with how Tech’s fate was handled:

lack of impact and closure.

Let’s disregard all the Tech Lives theories for a moment and focus on what we did get: Tech, one of the main characters, getting killed off at the end of s2 out of 3, for stakes and consequences and NOTHING else. When I say nothing, I mean nothing.

Imagine, for a moment, he survived and stayed with the Batch. Nothing would have changed, in the grand scheme of things. Nothing. We wouldn’t have had a few obligatory “Tech mention, everyone feel sad now” throwaway lines/goggle shots and whatnot, sure, but that’s it.

Tech dying didn’t change the trajectory of the plot in any way, nor did it affect any of the other characters in a way that changed their trajectory. And anything less is simply not enough to justify killing one of your main characters. Stakes and consequences ain’t it.

Consider Mayday, for example: a supporting character, but his death in s2 affected Crosshair in such a way it completely redirected his journey, AND in s3 we got an episode that cemented the impact Mayday had on Crosshair and provided emotional closure for them. That’s a narratively meaningful death.

Tech’s death was not meaningful to the narrative beyond removing him from it. That’s why so many Tech fans insist he deserved better treatment: not only was he not present in one third of the show physically, but he lacked any sort of presence even in death. His absence was never processed or grieved by any of the main characters and so by extension by the audience.

And before anyone starts with the whole ‘they are soldiers/they had no time to grieve/etc’ arguments, it is the responsibility of the writers to provide the space for all of that emotional impact. It they don’t, there is no impact.

A few reactions here and there, moments of missing Tech as a person and a brother, not an asset, anything would have made this whole thing easier to accept.

The lines that we did get, from Omega mentioning the stuff Tech taught her to Echo commenting on how decryption would be easier if Tech was with them to “Clone Force 99 died with Tech” from Crosshair - each and every single one of those lines linked to Tech’s functions as part of the squad, his usefulness, but we didn’t get a single line in remembrance of him as a person of his own, no one missed or remembered him for himself or his personal impact on them.

Just one line from Omega about how he taught her about change being a constant part of life or whatever, or Wrecker making a comment on how Tech used to info dump about stuff, anything would have instantly provided that much needed sense of “he was here, he was a person and is still a part of us”. Instead, Tech was killed off to show that messing with the Empire is dangerous and risks are real, I guess, and immediately lost any and all presence within the story.

We never even got to see Crosshair’s or Phee’s reactions to losing him.

Speaking of Crosshair, that’s a whole other example of complete lack of closure: they never closed the loop on the family being reunited again after initially leaving Crosshair behind, and with Tech dead, it’ll forever stay broken.

They could’ve given this a bittersweet yet meaningful spin if they developed the angle of Tech dying on a mission to bring Crosshair home, making a sacrifice so Crosshair had a chance.

Instead, the moment Tech dies, we get Hunter (and through him, the narrative) immediately abandon the idea/plot thread of going to rescue Cross all while saying “let’s not waste Tech’s sacrifice”. Sacrifice for what? Clearly Hunter doesn’t see it as a sacrifice for Crosshair’s sake, so, what, to make sure the rest of them makes it from the mission? The mission to save Crosshair. That mission. Right.

I see people talking about Tech’s noble sacrifice that ensured his family got to live and eventually have their happy ending, but all I can think about is how the creators chose to have him die on a mission that was immediately abandoned and the only take away from that whole sub plot was Tech’s own demise.

And after Crosshair is back with the Batch, his reaction to Tech’s death is never explored at all.

So yes, to me Tech deserved so much better. If you are going to kill off a major character, it must be necessary to be compelling. The way I see it, Tech’s death was not necessary at all because it didn’t change anything. And if it was meant to, the creators failed to communicate that by choosing not to explore the emotional impact of it and not structuring certain story beats in a more precise manner.

To wrap this up, if the way Tech’s death was handled was satisfying for you, that’s valid and I’m glad for you. For me, unfortunately, it’s completely the opposite and will forever remain the biggest and most unfortunate low point in the story.

And while I welcome anyone to share their own perspective if they wish, please don’t take this post as an invitation for debate, since there is no one right or wrong way to interpret or be affected by art.

#tbb analysis #the bad batch #And I ask you to please not use this post as an excuse to hate on the show I love in spite of all the issues described above #you can make your own post to express your dislike of the show #especially for reasons not covered in this post #personally I consider TBB to have some of the deepest and most meaningful moments in all of Star Wars #at its best it is a masterpiece #the character writing is stellar and the subtlety of expression of certain moments is chefs kiss #it’s the story writing I have problems with #tech

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dindjarindiaries · 7 months ago

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Reckoning

summary: When you and Hunter are left at Hemlock’s mercy, you fight your hardest to avoid becoming the scientist’s cruel bargaining chip.

pairing: hunter (the bad batch) x reader

tags: angst, torture, injuries & blood, canon-typical violence, hurt/comfort

rating: T

word count: 3.620k

main masterlist • hunter masterlist

When you came to, your body ached with pain, drawing a breathless gasp from you that only made the pain worse. You ground your teeth and tried to hold a hand against the sharp pang in your side, but your wrists were cuffed together. At least one rib was broken, no doubt, and if you were lucky, it was just the one.

The only thing stronger than the pain was the rush of memories that hit you all at once.

You, Hunter, and Wrecker had been running at Crosshair’s demand, only to have your path cut off by a shuttle raining down blasterfire upon you. That had put Hunter out of commission—you still felt sick at the mere image of him lying there limp—and Wrecker had urged you to stay behind him while he grabbed Hunter.

But it wasn’t long before they stopped the three of you, and all you could remember was something hard hitting your side before things went dark.

Biting back your whimpers of pain, you forced yourself to sit up and look around. The cell you were in was small and fit with nothing to make it sustainable for a long-term stay. You were being kept here for a reason.

And worse, you were alone.

A thousand questions ran through your mind all at once, all too dizzying to sort through. The most prominent ones slammed against your temples repeatedly and worsened the ache that was already present. Has Omega been freed? Is Echo okay? What happened to the squad?

Did Hunter ever wake up?

You had no time to process these thoughts. You were still gathering your bearings when a series of shadows stood in front of your cell door. It was someone who was flanked by a clone commando and a group of troopers, someone whose face alone made your lips twist into a disgusted snarl.

“You’re finally awake.” Hemlock was just as smug as both you and your nightmares had remembered him. You lifted your chin as he opened the cell door and took the liberty of stepping even closer to you. “Now, you can at last do your part.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. Whatever he was planning on doing with you was hardly your biggest concern. “Where are they?”

Hemlock looked back to nod at two of the troopers, who approached you and grabbed your arms tight enough to bruise them. They forced you to stand on your feet, and you swallowed back a pained groan at the sharp jolt in your ribs.

“All in due time.” Hemlock smirked at you. If you weren’t cuffed, you would have smacked that grin right off his lips.

But there was another question he needed to answer. “Where is she?”

You were shocked to see Hemlock’s expression falter for a moment. A victorious amount of hope swelled in your chest as you laughed out an incredulous breath.

“You don’t know where she is, do you?”

The smirk was somehow back. “Like I said, all in due time. For now…” he turned back around and glanced at you over his shoulder, “you’ll serve your purpose.”

Hemlock walked ahead, and the troopers tightened their grasps even more to make you do the same. You fought them, but only for a moment, as your first jerking movement brought that sharp, breathless pain to your side. You wanted to curse your own broken body for putting you out of commission.

As Hemlock and his guards led you through the twisting corridors of Tantiss, you wanted to pester him about whatever “purpose” he had for you, but there was no point. His arrogant all in due time was already playing over and over again in your head, and that was exactly the response you would get. Instead, you dedicated whatever clarity your mind had left to making a plan of escape and rescue.

You eventually saw your destination down a longer corridor. It was a dead end, with only one door awaiting you. There was nothing around to help you identify what could be on the other side of it, with only more bland, gray walls closing you in.

But then you heard the pained screaming before you had even reached the door. No one else had to tell you whose it was.

You pulled back hard on the troopers’ grasps, your sudden adrenaline masking the stabbing pain in your broken ribcage. They shoved you ahead, and as hard as you tried to conceal the shaky panic in your voice, it was no use. “No. Take me back.” You sat back to no avail yet again. “Take me back!”

Hemlock chuckled as you closed the distance to the door. He was laughing.

“I won’t do it! Whatever you’ve schemed, I won’t do it!”

Hemlock stopped just in front of the door, forcing you to listen to the agonized wails from within as he looked at you with his usual smirk. “You’re not in a position to bargain.”

The door opened, and the screaming got louder. Your chest tightened so much that it stole the breath from your lungs as you saw the blue flashing light just ahead, and the person who was trapped at the center of it. Hunter.

Hunter, who had been named for the way he could sense everything—feel everything.

“Stop.” The desperate word left your lips before you could stop it. Your fight or flight had kicked in, and your rationality had vanished. “Stop it. You’ll kill him!”

You were forced down to your knees in the center of whatever kind of sickening lab you were in, and your pleas were unsurprisingly ignored. Your eyes squeezed shut and your chin stayed tucked into your chest as the screaming went on, and on, and on��

It was torturing you almost as much as it was torturing him, and there was no doubt Hemlock knew that.

Then, it stopped. You exhaled your own breath of relief as your head snapped up to observe Hunter. He was dazed at best, his brow lifted in an exhaustion you had never seen from him before. His gaze found Hemlock first before it lowered to you, and even amongst the unimaginable agony he was experiencing, it was easy to identify the bright light in his brown eyes.

“You’re… alive.” Hunter’s voice was light and airy, as if all the energy had been drained from him—but his relief was palpable.

You wanted to cry at your own relief and despair, but you wouldn’t give Hemlock the satisfaction. He had gotten enough from you already.

“That could change.” Hemlock delivered the threat as if it was nothing more than a simple fact.

No later did the troopers at your sides stick the barrels of their blasters against your neck, though you refused to waver. You kept your chain raised high, your stare remaining in Hunter’s even as his eyes widened in a panic that made you ache.

“You must choose carefully, Sergeant.” Hunter’s stare went beyond you as he no doubt focused his lethal glare onto the scientist. “The fate of your squad and…” a brief, amused chuckle, “your lover depends on it.”

Your own eyes widened at that. How could he have possibly known that?

“Last we spoke, I expressed my shock at a clone’s paternal nature. But I was missing the full picture.” A hand grabbed your head from behind and forced it backwards, making you gasp in surprise as it was held there. Hemlock’s voice was right by your ear, now. “You simply enjoy taking in strays.”

His words couldn’t, and wouldn’t, hurt you, but the hatred in Hunter’s eyes spoke for the both of you. “Choose… your next words… carefully.” He still wasn’t strong enough to speak normally, even though it was clear that he was trying to. His right hand was pulled tight into a fist.

Hemlock huffed and released your head, causing it to fall forward. You recovered quickly, sparing a quick glance around the rest of the room. Wrecker and Crosshair were there, too, but they weren’t awake and were being left alone—for now.

“I like your spirit, CT-9901.” Hearing Hunter reduced to his CT number made you want to spit at Hemlock’s feet, though he was still behind you, concealed from sight like the coward he was. “That’s why you’re still alive. But you’ll have to comply if you intend on staying that way.”

This time, his hands fell onto your shoulders. You jerked in a vain attempt to get them off, but he tightened his grip, only adding to the pained whimper you released when your ribs reacted to the movement. Hunter’s jaw tightened.

“You wouldn’t want to die in front of them, would you?”

Your breath caught in your throat at that. You lowered your stare, your mind once again flooded with the horrid image of Hunter lying limp outside Tantiss’ fortifications. But this wasn’t about you. Whatever Hemlock intended on doing with Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair… it was surely going to kill the part of them you knew and loved, anyway.

When your gaze met Hunter’s, it was clear he had reached that very same conclusion.

You finally spoke up. “Don’t do it.” Your words were aimed at Hunter and him only, a stern yet desperate order.

“No?” Hemlock was still amused. It seemed as if that was his constant state, looking down upon those who failed to see his twisted vision. “Oh, there’s more than his own death at stake.”

There was a brief pause, during which the troopers turned to Hemlock for direction. Then, in a movement too quick for you to process, the one on your left pulled their blade and swiped it across your bicep. You cried out in pain and instinctively went to grab it, but the cuffs kept you from doing so.

“There’s also yours.”

The sound of a struggle indicated that Hunter was trying to fight off his restraint, as impossible as that would be. He was acting as if all the strength hadn’t been drained from him, as if every last nerve ending hadn’t been frayed by Hemlock’s cruel torture, all for your sake.

You lifted your head to look at him. His expression was contorted in a type of rage you had never seen from him before. “I’m okay.” You pushed the words out between gritted teeth as the bleeding wound on your bicep throbbed. “Save your energy.”

You hated the idea of him being subjected to more of Hemlock’s torture, but if he was… you wouldn’t have him wasting all his strength on you.

“You would be wise to take that advice, Sergeant.” Hemlock’s voice was grating. “And to think, all of this could have been avoided if you had just left Omega with me.”

Both you and Hunter bristled at that. Hunter’s eyes somehow got even darker as he stared Hemlock down. “That was… never an option.”

“You think she’ll be safer with you? Once you’ve been conditioned, your first task will be to hunt her down, using those tracking skills they programmed you with. You’ll be the one to bring her back to me.”

Hunter frowned, his lines set in fierce determination. “I won’t… be conditioned.”

First, there was silence. Then, there was another quick flash at your other side, and another cut to match the other. You were caught by surprise yet again, which kept you from concealing your cry of agony.

Hemlock continued on as if it was mere business. “You’ll reconsider.”

You managed to lift your head up enough to gaze at Hunter. With a tightened jaw, you shook your head at him, reinforcing your words from before. He was getting more desperate, and you couldn’t let him give in.

So, you gave both yourself and him a fighting chance.

Summoning all the strength you had left, you swung out your leg hard enough to take down the trooper at your right side. The momentum turned you around to face the trooper on your left, and your cuffed hands worked quickly in snatching his blaster from his hands and slamming it against his helmet. When he crumpled to the ground, it gave you a clear shot at Hemlock.

But Hemlock’s other countless guards were faster.

The blaster bolt hit your shoulder with enough force to send you to the ground. You cried out at the same time Hunter did, closing your eyes as the blazing heat of the painful wound overwhelmed you in sickening waves. You were left on your own to writhe around in agony as Hemlock exchanged some words with Hunter, but you couldn’t hear them over the sound of your blood roaring inside your ears.

When you had somewhat of a grip on the pain, or at least had your own shock working to mask it, you watched Hemlock nod at the guards that surrounded him. He gave them one last order. “Make sure they stay here.”

Hemlock then left without you. Good riddance. But one sound was getting louder, and with both your weakened and bloody arms now out of commission and unable to help you sit back up, much less stand, there was nothing you could do to get away from it.

It was Hunter’s agonized screaming, which was only becoming more and more pained, desperate, and horrified the longer it went on. You couldn’t even cover your ears to muffle it.

You wept. There was no Hemlock to hide from anymore, and these guards could have cared less what you were doing. The sounds of Hunter’s torture were no doubt keeping the sound hidden, anyway.

Eventually, it stopped. Only then did you gain the strength to at least lift your head and look in Hunter’s direction. Through your blurred vision, you could still see that Hunter was unmoving, his face paler in the chair’s lighting than you had ever seen it before.

It was either the sight of him so broken before you or the blood you had lost from your wounds that made your blurred vision fizzle out into black spots. They took over completely until they had pulled you under.

When you came to again, you were being lifted from the ground by an arm tight around your neck. You gasped, your weakened body somehow using the sudden adrenaline to lift your cuffed hands and attempt to fight the grasp off. Everything was still blurry, and the lack of oxygen was only making it worse.

The arm disappeared the moment you heard a crackling, whooshing sound at your side. You fell back to your knees, but before you could fall forward, someone else caught you. After a few coughs and whimpers at the pain it caused in your broken ribs and untreated wounds, you were able to blink a few times to clear your vision and look up.

“Hunter.” Your voice was nearly a cry.

Hunter’s hands cradled the sides of your face. He looked weary, but his gaze told an entirely different story, especially when he spoke. “You’re still with me.” He closed his eyes as his forehead leaned against yours. “Thank the stars.”

Your lips brushed his, but you didn’t have the energy to kiss him, and there were other more pressing matters on your mind. “What happened?”

“Omega found us.” Hunter nodded, though he took a worried glance over his shoulder. “But Hemlock’s getting away with her.” He turned back to you and gave you a once-over. “You need to stay here with Crosshair.”

“No.” You and Crosshair refused the order at the same time. Both you and Hunter looked at Crosshair as he added more. “Not a chance.”

You followed Hunter’s own gaze and then saw it, the absence of Crosshair’s right hand. Your heart plunged into your stomach and threatened to make you sick as you swayed into Hunter. He caught you again, his attention shifting back to you. “Can you make it?”

You focused hard, tightening your jaw. “Whatever it takes to save her.”

Hunter managed to display a small smile for you and nodded before he stood back to his feet. He couldn’t straighten himself all the way, and as he helped you to your feet, you noticed that Crosshair couldn’t, either—but Hunter still shouldered much of your weight. He bent down to grab two blasters and handed one to Crosshair, who he supported with his other side.

As if he hadn’t just been going through torture that fried every single one of his delicate senses.

You were going through the motions as you walked with them, pushing yourself to match their pace for the sake of rescuing Omega. Her fate depended on you, and you sure as hell weren’t going to be the reason why she was at risk yet again. This had to end, and it had to end now.

The group was just about to walk through the door that led to the outside platform when your knees buckled beneath you. Hunter and Crosshair stopped, but you shook your head and gestured to the door.

“Go.” Your demand was stronger than you had expected it to be. “I’ll be right here. She needs you, now.”

That was enough for them. You and Hunter had agreed long ago that Omega’s safety would always come first, and thankfully, he was acting on that now. She would be okay, she had to be okay, and although you weren’t awake long enough to make sure of it, you had a feeling it would work out that way.

The next time you woke was more peaceful than before. The dull, soothing thrum of hyperspace eased you awake, and your heavy eyelids blinked a few times before revealing the sight of Hunter sitting beside you. He was close enough for your cheek to be pressed against his thigh, though as you observed him, you saw that his eyes were closed, and he was slumped in his own slumber.

There was a presence at your other side, too, someone who was curled up next to you. You turned your head and saw her blonde hair before anything else.

The relief that rushed over you was beautifully overpowering, and you couldn’t resist lifting a hand to brush over her sleeping head. Your voice was a quiet whisper as you spoke. “Welcome back, sweet girl.”

Immediately, Omega’s head snapped up, and she stared at you with eyes that were wider and more excited than they should’ve been for someone who had just been sleeping. “Sunny!”

Omega wrapped her arms around your neck, and you caught her with one arm as you laughed in sweetness. You closed your eyes and ran your hand over her back. She was safe, just like you knew she would be.

“I was so scared.” Omega’s voice was muffled by your clothes before she sat back up. She wiped her wet eyes with the back of her hand. “We didn’t know if the bacta would work fast enough.”

“I’m sorry, Megs.” You took her free hand and gave it a squeeze. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Omega smiled at you. “It’s okay.” Her gaze flickered behind you. “We’re all safe, now.”

You followed her stare, turning your head back around to face Hunter. He had woken up at the sound of you and Omega, and his eyes were full of a relief so strong that it was bringing him to tears.

He wasn’t the only one.

You pushed yourself up and wrapped your arms tight around his waist, and he welcomed you into his embrace. Hunter’s hand secured your head against him as you held on tight, reminding yourself to take steady inhales and exhales as the terrifying chaos of the past countless hours began to catch up to you.

None of that mattered anymore. What mattered was exactly what Omega had said: that all of you were safe.

But when you gained the faith to lift your head and cup Hunter’s cheek, all you could picture was the expression of pain he wore under Hemlock’s torture.

“I’m sorry.” Your voice was shaking, but your resolve stood strong. “I’m sorry for what they did to you.”

Hunter furrowed his brow. “Don’t apologize for their actions.” He cupped your face just like he had on Tantiss. “I should be thanking you for your strength.” His forehead found yours as he closed his eyes in tangible relief. “Thank you for staying alive.”

You ran your thumb underneath his eye. “Thank you for giving me a reason to.”

Hunter let out a quiet exhale of disbelief at that, the sweet breath fanning over your lips. This time, thanks to his efforts and the squad’s, you finally had enough strength to absorb his breath with a deep, desperate kiss.

You clung to one another, exchanging each other’s anxious breaths for pure bliss. Forever would finally be yours, even if there was still much healing to do. But forever was when you could indulge in this moment, not when Omega was still present at your other side, and so you regretfully pulled away from him and offered a sweet smile in exchange for forgiveness.

Your arms tightened back around Hunter, and as you rested your head against him again, he pulled you closer. He invited Omega into his other side, and together, the three of you continued to do the one thing you never could before: rest.

And that was something the galaxy would never, ever take from you again.

main masterlist • hunter masterlist

hunter tag list: @zenrobbins0021 @cw80831 @yunggoblin @maddiedrmr @Molmcb @jellybeanstacey0519

#been wanting to write this one for almost two months now which is actually crazy to think about bc WHAT #hunter #hunter bad batch #hunter tbb #tbb hunter #hunter x reader #hunter bad batch x reader #the bad batch #dindjarindiaries

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theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction · 1 year ago

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Imagine chasing after Buggy when he attempts to flee…

“I’d love to make things right but it’s time to exit stage left.” The clown called out as he bolted almost immediately.

Your eyes widened and glanced at your friends.

“Fucking clowns.” Zoro grumbled not at all surprised by the betrayal.

Sanji caught your look and offered a small smile. “Can’t teach an old clown new tricks, right?”

Suddenly a new swarm of Alrong Pirates entered the fray and the boys readied their stance to defeat the enemy.

You frowned. No, he promised and you’d be damned if you let that Flashy Fool get away. Turning on your heel, you rushed after the blue hair and striped bandana currently trying to comically dodge as many attackers as he could.

Cutting down the few pirates in your way, you eventually called out for Buggy to stop which, to your surprise, he did. Despite bouncing on either foot impatiently.

“Listen, I’d love to stay and chat but this is a shitshow I’d rather not be part of.”

Crossing the empty ground, you stopped a few paces away from the clown. “You promised that you’d help us when we got your body back.”

“I’m a pirate? Pirates lie.”

You stepped forward and narrowed the space. “No, you promised me.”

Buggy’s expression fell as he pondered how to respond. Unfortunately, the small silent moment with the pirate captain proved to be more distracting when one of Arlong’s fishmen caught you by surprised and slashed at your arm with his spear made of sharpened scales.

Crying out angrily you engaged in combat, forgetting about Buggy for a minute. The pirate was strong so he was certainly more than a match.

But the Arlong Pirates didn’t play fair as the fish pirate quickly grabbed your wounded arm and dug his sharp finger into the injury. Blinded by the pain in your arm, you felt your feet being kicked from underneath until you fell back and hit the ground.

Raising your blade to deflect the pirate’s own, you strained and struggled to keep him at bay. Suddenly the pressure was lifted and you saw a blur of red, white and blue slamming into your attacker.

You rolled over and caught your breath for a few minutes. With a small groan, you sat up on your knees and raised your head to see the outline of Buggy using one of his Chop-Chop finishing moves, kicking the pirate to the far side of the East Blue.

You were watching the pirate disappear into the sky when you quickly realised that there was someone kneeling in front of you.

Now focusing your attention on the clown, you watched him tear off a piece of striped fabric and wrap it around your arm. Honestly, you were unsure if you should thank him, say something clever, or simply note that in the moment, he wasn’t throwing off a menacing energy.

“Don’t say I never did anything for you.” Buggy said quietly, his eyes catching yours.

Did they normally twinkle under the light? Was he… leaning in?

Before anything else could have transpired his eyes darted behind you to where Zoro and Sanji came stumbling into view. With no desire to be in their crosshairs, the clown took his chance and bolted out of sight again.

~ More imagines here ~

A/n: It’s been such a while since I’ve absolutely adored a gorgeous flashy villain. 🤡

#gif is not mine #theladyofmanyfandoms #theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction #opla x reader #opla imagine #opla x y/n #one piece x reader #one piece live action masterlist #one piece imagine #one piece live action imagine #buggy the clown x you #buggy x you #buggy the clown imagine #buggy the clown x reader #buggy x reader #opla!buggy imagine #opla!buggy x reader

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dystopicjumpsuit · 7 months ago

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Too Early

A/N: This is entirely the fault of @smw-on-kamino. We were chatting about Crosshair’s cuddling style (my personal HC: he’s very undemonstrative in public, but in private, he’s like Velcro), which led, inevitably, to thots.

Pairing: Crosshair x Reader (Fem, has hair and smaller hands than Crosshair)

Rating: M (mature contented intended for adult audiences; minors DNI)

Wordcount: 1.3k

Warnings and tags: fluff; SMUT; sleepy morning sex; fingering; nipple play; PIV; creampie; biting; no kissing on the mouth bc morning breath is a deadly thing, yo.

Summary: It's just smut. Soft, grumpy, morning smut. In the kitchen. Like you do.

Suggested Listening:

This fic smells like: ISO Gamma Super by Ellis Brooklyn (soft woods, crisp sheets, skin musk)

Masterlist | Sign up for my tag list

Your eyes adjusted slowly to the soft light that filtered through the curtains. Outside the open window, the only sounds you could hear were the quiet rustle of wind in the leaves, the distant crash of waves on the beach, and the chattering of countless moon-yos as they frolicked through Pabu.

It was early.

Too early to wake up on a Benduday, you thought.

You rolled over as silently as possible, trying not to disturb your bedmate: a task not easily accomplished, considering his tendency to sprawl across the entire bed, draping his long limbs over you like a blanket. A tiny smile tugged at the corner your lips as you watched him sleep, your gaze drifting over him in the dim light, taking in the contrast of the crisp white linens against his warm, brown skin. His silver curls were tousled and wild, and judging by the rumpled bedding tangled around him, he must have had another restless night.

The temptation to kiss him awake was almost overwhelming, but you didn’t want to rouse him now that he was finally getting some sleep, so after admiring him for a few moments, you slipped out of bed, pulled on some pajamas, and crept out of the bedroom, closing the door softly behind you.

Far too early to wake up on a Benduday, you thought again as you ground your palms into your eyes, then headed to the kitchen. You began to assemble the makings for caf and immediately realized you’d need to grind fresh beans. Maybe he won’t hear it? From my lips to the Maker’s ears, I suppose.

You winced at the obnoxious grating of the caf grinder, but mercifully, it was over quickly, and you thought perhaps you’d managed it without disturbing him. The water heated at last, and as you poured it into the caf press, you heard a soft footfall behind you, and then he slid his arms around you from behind. He grumbled quietly, burying his face in your hair.

A smile crinkled the corners of your eyes as you leaned back against him, resting your hands on top of his. You should have known better than to try to escape your bed without paying the cuddle tax. Crosshair liked his routine, and that routine began every day with holding you.

“Good morning,” you murmured as he continued to nuzzle your hair and neck.

“Mm,” he grumbled again, apparently not yet capable of forming words.

He pulled you tighter against his lean body, and his hands began to wander over you, tracing down to your hips, up your belly, between your breasts to caress the side of your throat, and back down again. The nuzzles turned to kisses, and he worked his way down from your hair, to your ear, down your neck, and across your shoulder, slipping the strap of your top off your shoulder and out of the way.

“That feels nice,” you whispered, closing your eyes and tilting your head back to rest against his shoulder.

His only reply was a soft growl as his left hand teased beneath the waistband of your pajamas and his right hand slid beneath your top to cup your breast and brush his thumb over your nipple. As his fingertips grazed over your clit and dipped into your pussy to find you already heated and slick with desire, he inhaled sharply. You felt the heat of his lips and tongue on the nape of your neck, the soft graze of his teeth on your skin sending shivers through your body and making your nipples harden against his palm.

He sank his finger into you and pulled your body more firmly against himself so you could feel the hard length of his cock grinding against your ass. A tiny moan escaped your throat as his long, lovely fingers played with your cunt, sliding languidly into your body again and again as he worked you open with a patience and skill that made you wonder just how long he’d actually been awake.

His breath was rough and warm against your skin; his kisses roamed over you, tasting and savoring with thorough and unhurried attention to detail. Your hands drifted back to slide up his thighs, and you eased his pajama pants down his narrow hips and wrapped your fingers loosely around his cock. He thrust subtly into your hand with a soft groan, and his hand on your breast tightened for a moment, then slid down your waist. A quick tug, and your pajamas slipped down to puddle around your ankles.

He traced his hand up your body to your shoulder, then down your arm, until he reached the hand you had wrapped around him. His hand closed around yours, and he guided you over his length with a slow, strong grip. He sighed quietly with pleasure, resting his forehead against your shoulder as he worked himself with your hand. You shuddered quietly, biting your lip at the thought of him using your hand like a toy, or an extension of himself, as his strong fingers wrapped around your much smaller hand. You could feel him growing harder, and his cock grazed against your ass, leaving a bead of thick precum on your skin.

“Please,” you whispered. “I need you.”

“Mhm.” The warmth of his breath ghosted on your back as he let out a quiet, lustful sound that sent chills racing across your skin.

He pulled your hand away from his cock and lifted it to his face, pressing his lips against your wrist, then guiding it to brace against the countertop. His fingers slid out of you, his knee nudged your thighs apart, and he leaned you forward just enough to slide his cock into your slick, desperate cunt. You gasped, pressing your ass back against him to welcome him fully into your body.

“Fuck—” he grunted against your shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around you again and hauled you upright against his body. He cupped your breasts in both hands, massaging and rolling your nipples between his fingers as he thrust deeper into you, over and over, each movement pushing the breath from your lungs and drawing soft whimpers and moans from your lips.

“I need more—” you whispered.

His teeth sank lightly into your neck, and he slid his hand from your breast down your belly, pressing his palm flat against you as his fingers circled just over your clit, working insistently as he continued to thrust into you. Pleasure shot through you, and you felt the tension begin to build in your body.

“So fuckin’ pretty,” he mumbled, kissing your ear. “Pretty fuckin’ girl.”

“Oh—” The sound tore raggedly from you, and his hips stuttered as he heard the note of desperation in your voice.

“Gonna come for me?”

You nodded, your eyes glazed and unfocused with arousal. “Yes, I’m close—FUCK!”

Your orgasm slammed into you, and your vision exploded into a thousand stars. When your body convulsed against him and your legs gave out, his arms tightened around you, holding you securely upright. With a few final, hard thrusts, he followed close behind you, grunting loudly as the hot spurt of his cum flooded deep inside your body.

He slumped forward abruptly, catching himself against the countertop so he didn’t crush you. His body was warm and heavy against your back as he leaned on you, pressing kisses to your neck and hair.

“Morning,” he mumbled.

You let out a quiet laugh and turned to kiss his cheek. “I think the caf’s gone cold.”

“Mm,” he grunted. “Too early for caf. Let’s go back to bed.”

---

Want more Crosshair? Here’s some hurt comfort and some fluff.

Taglist:

@secondaryrealm @sev-on-kamino @523rdrebel @wings-and-beskar @merkitty49

@anxiouspineapple99 @sinfulsalutations @arcsimper5 @starrylothcat @clio3kantarella

@cloneloverrrrr @goblininawig @ladytano420 @arctrooper69 @sunshinesdaydream

@littlemissmanga @stunkbiggu @starqueensthings @marierg @idontgetanysleep

@moonlightwarriorqueen @dudewhynotthis @sleepycreativewriter @tcwmatchmakingau @littlemissbshine

@multi-fan-dom-madness @heavenseed76 @wizardofrozz @bobaprint @sweetcream-coldfoam

@skellymom @pickleprickle @trixie2023 @mythical-illustrator @dickarchivist

@cw80831 @kimiheartblade @flyiingsly @lightwise @swcowgal

@reader6898 @cdblake1565 @epicy0n @starstofillmydream @msmeredithrose

@totallyunidentified @eclec-tech @euphoriacafe @hipwell @yve-barr

#crosshair x reader #crosshair bad batch #crosshair #the bad batch #star wars #tbb fanfic #tbb fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #dystopicjumpsuit writes #Spotify

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hugmekenobi · 6 months ago

Text

Heal

A Bad Batch Post S3 Oneshot

Gif by @barissoffee

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Summary: Shaking the effects of Tantiss is easier said than done

Warnings: Literally one use of (Y/N), swearing, hints of Tech/Phee, references to past pain and torture, angst, hurt/comfort, nightmares and trouble sleeping, descriptions of illness (headaches), reader is hard on herself, suggestive dialogue, light PDA (kissing, teasing touches), mentions of food, me making up what everyone is up to on Pabu, fluff and happy ending

Masterlist for S1, S2 and S3

Word Count: 7.2K

Rating: 18+

Author's note: Okay, not gonna lie, I struggled with this one. It was a last minute idea as I was rewatching and writing the final few episodes of season 3 but it worked and felt a lot better in my head and when it came to writing, my brain was not my friend lol. I hope it's still enjoyable! The next oneshot is the story I've had planned for months so that should be a smoother process haha

It had been a few weeks since you’d all taken up official residence in Pabu.

Shep’s offer of setting up homes for you all stayed true.

You and Hunter had been put in a hut perfectly designed for the two of you that was a short walk away from the water and there was even a spare room for Omega who alternated between sleeping in your home and the home Tech, Crosshair and Wrecker all shared.

The three other clones may have been grouped together but there was plenty of room, and not a lot of time was spent indoors anyway.

Wrecker had taken to fishing like, well, like a fish to water.

Crosshair did a bit of everything, helping out with tasks of whoever needed assistance but he mainly he kept up with practicing shooting with his left hand. He wanted the practice, and he genuinely enjoyed it. He didn’t miss being a soldier anymore but that didn’t mean he had to renege on his skills.

Tech spent much of his time with Phee or assisting Shep in rebuilding parts of Pabu that still needed it and upgrading equipment.

Omega often kept close company with Lyana and the other young reg clones or she went off with Tech to plan out a potential search for lost or salvageable pieces of the Marauder- the two of them had dreams of rebuilding new a ship with as many pieces of their old home as possible. It was yet to be undertaken but the vision was there.

The task of reuniting the children from Tantiss with their families had been successful but with that final mission complete, you and Hunter were also in the same boat as Crosshair and still yet to find your official niche on island. For now, you both were just relishing in the peace and each other’s company.

One thing you had managed to achieve was finding a way to finally get in touch with Lyra again, who- despite being filled in on everything that had happened since you parted ways on Christophsis- still managed to scold you for the lack of communication. But after hearing you all were alive and settled, she’d sent you all packages of more suitable island clothes with promises to visit soon.

Everything was coming together and so you were feeling one with the island life.

However, life here was not without its challenges.

The impact and aftermath of Tantiss remained a constant shadow that would still find ways to rear its ugly head. Something you and Hunter in particular found yourselves dealing with.

“I figured we could have the party in the next couple of weeks right here in the colonnade and, I don’t know, you could slip away or…” Shep trailed off as he saw the way Hunter’s brow furrowed in pain.

“Uh huh.” Hunter agreed distantly. He didn’t want to ignore Shep, especially when he was doing him the favour, but fuck had the sun always been this bright? The blinding pain behind his eyes and throbbing in his skull was getting harder to dismiss.

You were a casual observer and listener to the conversation between the young reg clones and the adult clones that had remained on the island- Deke, Stak and Mox had no shortage of questions for them. But you sensed a rising discomfort and then you caught the way Hunter kept pinching the bridge of his nose and squinting to get away from the glare of the warm sun. “Excuse me.” You politely removed yourself from the conversation and hurriedly walked over to where Shep and Hunter were conversing. “Shep, I’m sorry to interrupt but do you mind if I steal him away for a moment?”

“Not at all.” Shep bid the two of you farewell with a smile.

You lightly rested a hand on his upper arm. “Hunter? Another flare up?” You figured, keeping your worried voice quiet.

Hunter just about managed a nod and said through gritted teeth, “But I can wait it out. Shep-”

He would attempt to come up with an excuse every time and every time you wouldn’t even entertain it. “Come on.” You carefully wrapped an arm around him and guided him back home.

You opened the door and carried on through to the bedroom. You gently prompted him to sit on the bed as you knelt down and took his shoes off before you shut the bedroom window to cancel out the noise outside and closed the blinds to keep the sunlight out. You kept your voice low and monotone as you instructed him, “Lie down.”

Hunter did as you said and rested on his back.

The routine was second nature to you. He hadn’t had headaches like this for a while but since Tantiss and because of what he’d suffered there, they’d become more frequent. His senses hadn’t quite readjusted back to what they used to be.

You moved silently throughout the house as you went to the freezer and came back with the cold compress you stored specifically for these moments and placed it over his eyes. “I’ll just be in the living room if you need anything. Try to sleep.” You whispered caringly before you lightly squeezed his hand and made to leave. However, you had barely stepped away from the bed when Hunter’s hand caught your wrist.

“Stay.” He requested through a wince.

“I don’t want to overwhelm you.” You cautioned quietly. You had remained a couple times before, but it had never been a certainty that he wanted you to stay when he was going through this. You always waited for him to give the okay.

“You can’t.” He murmured. He needed you here to ground him in a way the usual methods could never do.

You removed your own shoes and supported his back as you sat him up and slotted yourself behind him.

Hunter rested his head against your chest.

You readjusted the compress slightly once you were both in a comfortable position. “This okay?” You asked as you softly massaged each of his temples.

Hunter let out a tranquil sigh and he could already feel the discomfort receding. You always knew just what it was he needed from you in these moments. “Perfect.”

Hunter wasn’t the only one still feeling the lingering toil of Tantiss. Your screams of terror and the way you thrashed next to him woke him up. He called your name and shook your arm to wake you up. “Hey, hey. Easy, easy. It’s alright.” He assured you as he saw your eyes widen in fear.

You shot awake and hastily sat up, your breathing hard and uneven.

“You’re okay. I’m here.” Hunter whispered soothingly as he sat up alongside you.

You closed your eyes and let his voice be the only thing you focused on.

“You’re alright. It was a bad dream.”

Right yes, a bad dream.

“Hold on.” Hunter pressed his lips to your clothed shoulder before he got out of bed and ran a cloth under some cold water.

You worked on getting your breathing back under control. You ran a hand over your face and felt the beads of sweat dripping down your temples and down your neck and back. Your sleep top was sticking to you uncomfortably. But you forced yourself to concentrate on anything that didn’t remind you of the nightmare you’d just escaped. You took in your secure and familiar surroundings of your bedroom to calm yourself down. You weren’t back there. You were on Pabu with Hunter. You were safe here.

Hunter slid back in bed beside you. “Arms up.” He prompted delicately. When you did that, he carefully removed your sweat soaked top and tossed it to the side of the bed– he’d deal with it in the morning- and placed the cool cloth to the back of your neck and spine before he tenderly dabbed at your temples. He then put a replacement top back over your head and continued to press the flannel around your forehead and neck.

“I’m sorry.” You rasped as you hid your face in your palms in embarrassment. You hated this. He would already have tough days and you couldn’t even offer him any relief in the evenings. The two of you had gotten into a rather unfortunate ritual where you would comfort him during the day and then the roles would switch as soon as night fell.

“You’ve nothing to be sorry for.” Hunter reassured you lovingly. He placed the cloth on the bedside table and rubbed his hand up and down your back to ease away the lingering tension and to help settle you back down. “Same one?” He guessed.

You nodded but kept your face hidden from him. “I’m just standing there. I’m watching him hurt you over and over again and I’m not doing anything to stop it.” You said, your voice cracking with each word. “Then he goes to the rest of you- to Omega. I’m completely frozen and all I can do is watch you all writhe in pain. I keep fighting to move but nothing happens. I’m just so useless and I stand by and let it happen. You’re crying out for help, and I just stand there.” You whispered with plenty of self-loathing behind your words.

Hunter shushed you consolingly. “But that’s not what happened. It’s just the nightmare talking.”

“Is it? Because it feels an awful lot like that’s what I did.” You said with self-directed disgust.

““You didn’t do nothing. You didn’t give up. You did what you thought you needed to do to get us out of there alive.” Hunter reminded you.

“Imprisoned.” You corrected.

“Alive.” Hunter countered.

You knew there was no sense in arguing with him over it. “I should be over this by now. I coped after Christophsis. I don’t know why this is sticking with me so much.” You said critically instead.

Hunter was all too familiar with this line of argument. As soon as you admitted to the nightmare and the fear it brought, you started looking for ways to berate yourself for feeling the way you were. “You couldn’t process Christophsis on your own time. You were in a position where you were forced to carry on. And I don’t think going through and being impacted by torture has a time requirement.”

You finally half-turned to face him. “Do you really believe that?”

The doubt in your voice made his throat constrict and chest tighten. “I know it.”

“But dealing with this is annoying.” You mumbled self-consciously and you averted your gaze once more.

“Do you get annoyed when you’ve needed to help me?”

You lifted your eyes back to him. “No, of course not.”

“Exactly. You help me through those episodes. Why do you think I’d treat you any differently?” He rubbed his thumb along your cheekbone. “You still need to give yourself the same treatment you give other people.” He said caringly.

You leaned your head against Hunter’s shoulder and just gave a series of reluctant but agreeable noises to signal your acceptance of his statement.

“You’re talking to me though. That counts for something.” Hunter praised, angling his head so he could kiss your forehead.

“Yeah, I’m a work in progress.” You managed to say with some light-heartedness before your voice went solemn again. “Just don’t give up on me… please.”

“Never.” Hunter promised with steadfast seriousness.

Your eyes flickered shut and you snuggled closer to him as he ran his hand up and down your arm in soft, delicate patterns.

“Want to sleeping try again?” He suggested after he felt your breathing and pulse settle back down.

You gulped but agreed to give sleep another go. “Okay.” You laid back down readjusted the covers you had kicked off in your sleep-panicked state. You breathed deeply as you closed your eyes and willed yourself to at least get a couple uninterrupted hours. But the darker part of your nightmare, the part you couldn’t vocalise, lingered with you and you didn’t know how to get past it.

Hunter wrapped his arm around your side and pulled your back tight to his chest, but despite all you opened up about, he knew you were holding something back. It was the same every night and he knew sleep would continue to elude you.

This new day was nearly over. Dusk had come and gone but the concept of night and sleep filled you with a deep anxiety. You needed to clear your head before you even thought about winding down for the night. “I’m going for a walk; I’ll be back soon.” You said, giving Hunter a chaste kiss to his lips before you exited your home.

Hunter gave you a slight smile as you parted from him, and he could only watch you leave. He had never felt so helpless.

He knew he couldn’t quite help you in the way you needed but there might be someone else who could.

“Hey there, Hunter.” Phee greeted cheerily as she opened the door to greet the clone.

“I’m not interrupting anything am I?” Hunter asked apologetically.

Phee rolled her eyes, “Pfftt no way. He’s been at this for hours, if you can get his attention onto something else, be my guest.” She led him through to the living room.

Tech grunted his greeting as he sought out the tool that he needed for the task he was completing for Shep. The island had a healer- Dalia, but she mainly operated out of her home because, until recently, that suited just fine. But when the attack on Pabu occurred, Shep and Dalia had found themselves ill-prepared for accommodating the seriousness of the injuries that followed so Tech was assisting in expanding and updating her equipment and resources. AZ was already a big help with that, but more was needing done. It was a longer but important project that Tech was taking very seriously.

“Sorry about the mess.” Phee said with an annoyed yet affectionate stare in Tech’s direction, but she was not surprised when the clone did not appear to even register that she’d spoken. She had stopped trying to get Tech to tidy as he went about altering this latest piece of machinery since he’d insistently claimed there was an order to the chaos around him. The entire area in which he was working was covered with random tools and intricate pieces of machinery. Phee struggled to see how this all equalled a system since all she saw was an array random pieces of metal taking up her living room floor. It didn’t truly bother her though; it was just another quirk she was fond off. Her appreciation for his intelligence and passion outweighed a little untidiness.

“Don’t worry, it’s something I’m very used to.” Hunter said lightly as he carefully stepped over some discarded screws.

“Sit down.” Phee encouraged, gesturing to a spare chair as she took a seat on the couch across from where Tech was working in the middle of the floor. But when Hunter made no move to do so, Phee properly looked at him and she noticed the distant and slightly nervous expression Hunter donned. “Everything alright?”

“I need your help, Tech.” Hunter said in answer.

Tech spoke for the first time since Hunter arrived as he found the spanner he needed, “I’m not yet finished with this. Once I’m done-”

“I don’t need you to fix anything, Tech. It’s about (Y/N). She’s struggling right now and-”

“Well, we know that she has a habit of taking things on by herself. A habit both of you have shared for quite a while.” Tech said plainly, not taking his eyes off the medical equipment he was fixing up. “I wouldn’t take her refusal or dismissals personally.”

Hunter bit back his frustrated huff. He knew attempting to get his brother’s focus when he was so absorbed by a project was always going to be challenging. He went to speak again but Phee beat him to it.

Enough was enough. Phee firmly nudged Tech’s good thigh with her boot, “Would you stop playing around with that and actually pay attention to what he has to say?”

Tech snapped out of his intense concentration. “Right, yes. Sorry, Hunter.” He started officially packing up. Once he was done, he gave his brother his full attention and it was then that he saw the genuine worry on Hunter’s face which told him it was more important than any mechanical repair. “What’s going on with her?”

“She keeps having nightmares from her capture on Tantiss. I can’t remember the last time she slept through the night.” Hunter took a ragged breath. “And it’s not like she’s keeping them to herself and that’s why they’re so bad. She’s doing everything we’ve worked on. She talks to me; she lets me in and help her, but I know there’s something else she’s keeping hidden. And it’s because she knows I can’t offer her the right words, or she wants to protect me from whatever it is she’s not telling me. I’m stuck and she’s not getting any better and I can’t offer her anything more than what I’m currently doing.”

“So, how exactly can I help?” Tech asked, rather puzzled as to why his brother had come to him with this dilemma. He wasn’t exactly known for providing helpful assistance for this type of issue. It wasn’t that he never wanted to, it just always didn’t come easily to him and usually you and Hunter would always be able to work through it yourselves.

Hunter began tentatively, “Y-your experiences were- were similar. I’d thought about Crosshair but what he went through was a bit different and from what you’ve told us, it sounds closer to what she’s been through. I hate to ask it of you but-”

“Where is she?” Tech asked, getting to his feet.

“If you’re not comfortable doing this I understand. It’s a lot to talk about and-”

“Hunter, just tell me where she is.” Tech interrupted with a firm reassurance to show that he truly didn’t mind.

“Down by the shore.” Hunter told him through a grateful sigh.

Tech nodded and got ready to leave for the beach.

You breathed in the fresh and clean sea air, a gentle breeze wafted through your hair. The moonlight cast the water and sand in a luminous white glow. It offered you a peace you were yet to find in your own mind. The faint but demanding whines of the hound you’d acquired on your walk down had you smiling to yourself as you focused on the sounds of the waves lapping on the shore.

Tech saw you seated on the sand, Batcher waiting for you to throw a stick for her. “Did you know that gravity and the gravitational pull of the moon creates a phenomenon called tidal force, which is what causes the ocean tides to change?”

“I mean… I knew it was something like that.” You straightened your shoulders and managed a tight smile in his direction. “Hey, Tech.” You hoped you didn’t sound as exhausted as you felt.

Tech picked up on the heaviness in your voice despite your attempts to conceal it. “Also, did you know that water absorbs the red light of the colour spectrum, leaving the blue for us to see.” He added as he threw the stick for the hound.

You hummed out your acceptance of the fact as a reply whilst Batcher returned the stick but- after greeting Tech- decided she’d had enough and curled up beside you. “You didn’t come here to share ocean facts, Tech.” You said after a moment. “What’s going on?”

“You’re right. I have another purpose in joining you.” Tech admitted as he sat down on your other side.

“Which is?” You asked leadingly.

“Hunter asked me to. He’s worried about you.” He gave you a chance to speak but you offered nothing, so he carried on, “From what I hear, you’re having difficulty sleeping due to nightmares. They are based around your confinement on Tantiss?”

You cleared your throat to buy yourself some time before you answered, “Yeah.” You brought your knees to your chest.

“Can you tell me more? Whatever you’re comfortable sharing is fine.”

You breathed deeply and peered up at the starry night sky. “Well, you know about Christophsis.”

Tech nodded. That was something he’d been told about on the shuttle back.

“Tantiss… Tantiss was different. I took beatings but they were a treat compared to that fucking droid. Hemlock did a much better job of getting the most out of that damn serum. It got harder and harder to fight it. He knew exactly what buttons to push.”

“I’m afraid I had a helping hand in that.” Tech said sheepishly.

You placed your hand on his shoulder. “I don’t blame you, Tech. Not at all.” You reassured him earnestly.

“Regardless, his methods would’ve been that effective because I told him what would work.”

You patted his shoulder to indicate that you really didn’t hold any of that period against him before you removed it and placed it back across your bent legs. You surprisingly found that you kept wanting to talk so you carried on, “I’d never be able to ignore him, he’d always be able to get in my head so, instead, I’d would look for things to take me out of it.”

“A reasonable response.” Tech agreed. The times when he’d resisted, he’d acted similarly.

You felt irritation rise in you. You’d been weak, how could he not see that? “He told me you were alive, and I used it as a way to keep pushing back against him. Omega didn’t doubt it and she only heard him say it once.”

Hunter had warned him about this before he’d left. He expected you to say things designed to make him reprimand you instead of sympathising with you. The part of ‘no emotion’ element of the Jedi Code was deeply engrained in you. Despite your affinity for handling attachment and genuine love for them, when it came to your own emotions, you had gotten a bit too good at supressing or dismissing them. “Years fighting in a war has a way of creating a certain cynicism- or realism- depending on your point of view. It helps with survival and enduring each battle. I may have gotten out of it but even I have to admit that the odds were slim. I called out the plan. I knew what I was doing, I didn’t expect to live, and I didn’t expect you all to assume that I had.” Tech easily explained away the argument. “I’m grateful for Omega’s optimism and hope- it is a wonderful quality of hers and it got me out of there and brought me back to you all-, but I never expected you to believe I lived.”

You couldn’t accept the fact that the people around you were okay with how you’d acted. Every night was a painful reminder of how you’d failed them. “What I don’t understand is why Tantiss is still affecting me in this way. I got over Christophsis just fine.”

“No, you didn’t process Christophsis. You were thrown into mission after mission and were left with no choice but to keep going. It is highly plausible that Hemlock’s own similar torture was harder to get through because it was a reminder of a traumatic time that you’d already experienced but not healed from. Plus, I don’t believe feeling the effects of torture has a time requirement.”

You sighed heavily, “You’re the second person to tell me all that.”

“Does that not tell you something?” Tech prodded but he did it gently.

“I guess.” You said through a weary sigh as you ran your hands through the sand to distract yourself. “I handed myself over to Hemlock though. I gave up.”

“The guilt you’re experiencing over agreeing to Hemlock’s terms is natural. You-”

“It wasn’t guilt. Not wholly.” You said, your voice so quiet it barely registered over the rhythmic lull of the waves.

Tech glanced at you in surprise, but you were keeping your head down, stroking Batcher’s snout- the dog seemed to sense your distress and had nuzzled closer to you. He allowed the silence to grow as he patiently awaited further explanation from you.

You swallowed thickly as you went to speak again. “I was relieved.” You admitted, it was the first time you’d ever said the words out loud, and you instantly wished you could take them back. You wrapped your arms around yourself as you awaited the disappointed and shameful remarks from Tech.

“What were you relieved about?” Tech asked calmly.

That hadn’t been the response you were expecting. “Um-” You searched for the words to answer him. “When I was-” You broke off and started again and you found yourself being more honest than you’d anticipated. “When I was in that training room watching Hunter be tortured and I heard Hemlock say that he was going to do the same conditioning to Crosshair again and to Wrecker too… I gave him what he wanted. Throughout my time there, he wanted me to join him and that’s what I was prepared to do. But as I said it, there was a sense of relief. Finally, I could stop fighting him. The torture he put me through would end. And in the dream- nightmare- I keep having, as much as I hate what’s happening, part of why I can’t move to help any of you is because I’m just relived it isn’t me.” You visibly tensed as you finished speaking. Saying that last part out loud caused you physical pain and your stomach churned nervously as you waited for judgement. There had been a reason you couldn’t share this with Hunter. It sounded so selfish, so pathetic.

“I understand that.”

You angled your head to face him. It was your turn to wait for him to talk.

Tech took a grounding breath before he elaborated, “In my time imprisoned there, Hemlock wanted to know all he could about you all. He knew there would be a time where he’d have to face you all again. I didn’t quite experience the same beatings you took; it was always psychological. But whenever I showed willing to give him information, all I felt in that moment was a profound relief that the torment and pain would end. Granted, that swiftly became guilt as soon as he left but I couldn’t deny the respite those few minutes of me telling him about you all gave me. Now, did you only feel relief at it being over? Or was it relief that you could join him and do his bidding?”

You thought back to that time and realised what he was getting at. “No, it was because I knew if I gave him what he wanted, then at least they wouldn’t have to go through any more agony. At the time, imprisonment felt like the better option than becoming one of his operatives and experiencing that level of hurt.”

“Precisely. Your sleep is being haunted by the worst outcome. It’s praying on the flash of relief you felt and twisting it into something more than what it was. If you accept what happened and stop fighting it, it loses its power. You didn’t do anything wrong, you acted how you needed to. The only person that has the power to blame you is yourself. No one here does, sometimes it just helps to hear it out loud once in a while and it’s true. You resisted him for as long as you physically could. Those circumstances would’ve cracked anyone.”

You looked at him thoughtfully. “Is that how you did it?” You asked quietly.

“Well, I didn’t. Not always.” Tech reminded you, assuming you were referring to how he resisted Hemlock’s torment.

“No.” You released another deep sigh. “You seem to have settled here. You’re coping with it, and you were there for a long time.”

“I was in hell on Tantiss but not so much anymore. Being reunited with you all has really helped. Though I think if I had to watch any of them get hurt the way you had to, it would be different.” As he spoke, Tech realised why Hunter had come to him for this. He was sharing this part of him with you because he knew you were the only one that would truly get it. There was no worry of judgement, no worries of saying something too jarring. You would understand him just as he understood you. “I’ve accepted what happened to me and how I reacted to it but you’re the only one that knows those particular details of my experience. Phee and my brothers do not. Family helps with some of the burden but until you’ve had the unfortunate time of living it, their support can only do so much. We need each other it would seem.” Tech said with a kind look in your direction.

You widened your eyes at his openness. You were incredibly touched by that, and you didn’t take the lightly. “Thank you, Tech.”

“You asked a question, I merely answered.”

You shot him a look, “That’s not the only thing I’m thanking you for.” After speaking to him and fully unburdening yourself to someone who could only understand where you were coming from without the worry of saying the wrong thing or being too much, you felt like a weight had been lifted off your chest. You weren’t plagued by all the horrible and conflicting feelings that had followed you since Tantiss. You could breathe. You were free. You gently squeezed his hand as you said, “Thank you for what you’ve done tonight. For all of it.”

Tech shrugged off the thanks but smiled at you all the same. “We’re family, it’s what we do.”

You walked through the door to your home and took your shoes off.

Hunter walked out of the bedroom as he heard you come through the door. “Hey, how was your walk?”

You didn’t answer immediately. Instead, you just drank him in. You took in the way he leaned against the doorway, the book he was reading dangling from his hand. The way the soft linens of his sleep clothes framed his body. The way he’d still kept and worn the necklace you’d given him all that time ago. And the way he was looking at you with such deep care and affection, it made your heart clench and emotions clog up in your throat- you didn’t trust yourself to speak.

Hunter took your silence for upset. “I had to tell him. I thought-” But he didn’t get to finish his sentence as you strode towards him and embraced him.

You hugged him tightly. “Thank you.” You whispered.

Dropping his book and wrapping his arms around you instantly, Hunter rested his cheek on top of your head. He didn’t need or expect you to share the details of the conversation with Tech, he’d realised that you needed a different kind of comfort and that was okay. All that mattered to him was that it helped you.

You let the warmth of his soothing hold flow through your body, and you kept your voice hushed as you said, “I want you to know that it’s not that I didn’t want to tell you it all.”

“I know.” Hunter replied softly as he caringly caressed your back. He would not break away until you wanted to.

You pressed your face into the crook of his shoulder. Even though he had sent Tech your way, you didn’t want him to feel like he’d let you down or anything along that vein. “You did everything right. I needed you there… I still need you there. I can’t get through it without you but…” The words to describe just what it was Tech gifted you got lost and you frantically searched for them so he would know why you hadn’t just come to him with it.

The last thing Hunter needed or wanted was you feeling like you had to reassure him on the issue. “Sweetheart, all I wanted was for this to get easier for you. I know that there are emotions and parts of that experience on Tantiss that I will never fully understand- as much as that kills me, I wish none of it had happened to you or Tech in the first place but that doesn’t change the fact that it did. You needed more than a shoulder to lean on, and if Tech gave you that, then that’s all that matters to me. I won’t stop being there, whatever it is you need, I’m here.”

The wave of emotion came rushing back and tears threatened to spill from your eyes, and you found yourself pressing yourself tighter to him still so there were absolutely no gaps between you. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

“I love you, giving up is never an option.” Hunter murmured as he kissed the crown of your head.

“I love you too.” You croaked as you fought through the lump in your throat.

You stayed like that for a couple more minutes before you finally pulled away.

Hunter wiped away a few stray tears that had escaped your eyes. “Fancy an early night?”

“Yeah.” You said through a deep exhale as the exhaustion you’d been fighting with came crashing into you. “That sounds good.”

3 weeks later.

“How’s your pain? Anymore headaches?” You asked Hunter as the two of you wandered arm in arm through the main square. You had been keeping a watchful eye in the time that had passed but he hadn’t had any bad episodes of late.

“Everything feels back to normal.” Hunter replied. “And you? How are you sleeping these days?” From what he could tell, you were sleeping through the night but that didn’t necessarily mean they weren’t still there.

“No nightmares at all.” You said with a relieved sigh. The weight of what you’d endured was no longer keeping you down. It had no control over you anymore. You’d thrown yourself back into mediating again and that also seemed to help a lot.

You both walked in easy silence, smiling at the clones from Tantiss who had stayed and at the merchants shouting out enticing deals and offerings from their stalls as you passed by.

“Although, there’s one thing I need…”

You glanced at him expectantly.

“Can you try it now? I should be fine.”

You hadn’t done it since settling down here in case it was too much. “You’re sure?” You double checked.

Hunter nodded. It was the final step to the normality that he craved.

You both paused and headed over to the side walkway of the colonnade that offered shelter from the open area. You reached out into his familiar Force signature, the connection you formed with it giving you an extra sense of security and warmth. How does this feel?

Hunter closed his eyes and breathed out a serene sigh as he heard your voice in his head, but it felt like everything finally clicked back into place. Then, he felt the gentle press of your lips against his. He reacted automatically and placed his hands on your waist as he returned the embrace.

“What was that for?” He whispered against your lips as you parted.

“It’s part of the check up process.” You murmured before you took half a step back to look at him properly, but you kept your arms looped around his neck so that he was still close to you.

Hunter gave you a fond smile. “Ah, of course.” He sweetly stroked his thumb along your jawline.

You shut your eyes and leaned into his touch.

“Are you happy?” Hunter asked after a few beats of silence.

You dropped your arms and looked at him in surprise. “Yes, of course I am!” You looked at him, worry furrowing across your brow. “What brought that on?”

Hunter awkwardly ran a hand through his hair. “I know things haven’t been easy since we arrived here. It didn’t get off to the peaceful start that I’d hoped for. I just want to make sure it’s still what you want and that you’re definitely feeling better.”

You were caught off guard by the emotions that caught in your throat. What did you do to deserve such a man? “I am very content and happy here; Hunter.” You took a hold of each of his hands. “I’m very content and happy being here with you.” You let out a faint, slightly embarrassed laugh, “I am very much in love with you, you silly man. Every day that I wake up beside you, every day that I get to come home to you and every day I just get to be around you is a day that reminds me that how lucky I am.” You removed your hands and lightly followed the lines of his face tattoo. “Are you happy?”

“Completely.” Hunter murmured as his eyes fluttered shut as he fell completely complaint under your touch.

“Good. Settling down here is what exactly what I want, things just weren’t settling down as quickly as I would’ve liked but it’s different now. We’re both doing much better, it’s a good thing.” You kissed his cheek and delicately brushed your fingers through the shorter strands of hair at the front of his head. I love you, that’s never changed, and it never will. Does that about cover everything?

“Almost.” Hunter said huskily as his own love for you overcame him.

Before you could question what he meant, he tugged you in tight to him and kissed you passionately. You felt him cradle the hinge of your jaw, silently asking permission to deepen the kiss and you granted him access without a second thought. You tangled your fingers in his hair and pressed yourself close to him. You allowed yourself a few minutes to just get lost in the pleasure he was giving you, but you remembered where you were and with a groan, you withdrew from his embrace.

It hurt you to pull away and from the way Hunter just insistently pushed you back against the stone column and carried on kissing and raking his teeth along your neck, he wasn’t impressed with stopping either. “We- we came here for groceries.” You hummed distractedly as you found yourself titling your head to give him easier access.

“So, we’ll get them tomorrow.” Hunter responded simply as he kissed behind your ear and brushed his fingers under your shirt and along the soft skin of your stomach.

“We have- have no f- food and-” You attempted to protest but now his mouth was doing wonderful things along your pulse point that was making you feel very lightheaded.

“That’s fine. What I’m in the mood for, only you can give me.” Hunter teasingly dipped his fingers just under the waistband of your leggings.

You forced yourself to get a grip before you were too far gone. “Get off.” You playfully shoved at his chest with an exasperated shake of your head.

Hunter inclined his head in surrender, “How about you shop, and I meet you at home?” He offered as he stopped his teasing and removed himself from you.

“Is this your bizarre way of just wanting to get out of a chore?” You joked, crossing your arms and feigning irritation.

“No, I just think that if I stay, we’re going to wind up getting done for public indecency and it would be entirely my fault.”

Despite his admission, you still saw a faint but lustful glint in his eyes and you knew he was envisioning precisely what would happen if the two of you remained by this column. And you knew both of you would decide it was worth the risk. You gulped as you hastily said before you lost control of yourself, “I’ll see you at home.”

Hunter released a low chuckle before he kissed you softly once more, the promise of what was to come still lingered behind the action despite his best attempts to keep it brief.

You took a few hesitant steps away him and then gathered yourself and went about your task- your walk brisker than before.

Hunter watched you before he moved out from the shelter of the pillar. He spotted Omega sitting with Lyana by the Maya tree. He called over to her.

“What’s up?” Omega asked breezily as she jogged over to him.

“Can you round up the boys and meet me at home? I’ll get Echo on comms.”

“How come?” Omega asked curiously.

“There’s a mission I’m gonna need all your help with. But it needs to just be the five of us.” He indicated to where you were making a purchase. “Think you can get Lyana to delay her return?”

“A mission? Then why can’t-” An excited gasp left her as she saw the silent but confirming look that Hunter gave her. They’d all been eagerly waiting for this. “Yes! I’m on it!” She sprinted off back to Lyana, chaotically relaying the instructions before she ran go find the others.

Hunter laughed to himself as he saw her enthusiastic departure before he hustled off back home and readied the comm channel for Echo. It didn’t take long for the clone to answer.

“You better be calling for the reason I hope you’re calling for.” Echo said by way of greeting.

“Think you can help me out?” Hunter replied with a validatory nod at the holoimage of Echo and he saw the way Echo’s shoulders lifted as he realised it was finally going to happen. Hunter had talked to them all about it in the days after arriving on Pabu and it had been met with an enthusiastic yet somehow still teasing response. It reminded him of how he felt back before the two of you officially got together, with the others just waiting for it to happen. He’d wanted to do it sooner, but your circumstances changed, and so he wanted to wait until both of you were recovered. And, whilst they’d all accepted his decision to hold off, they had been impatient for this day for both genuine well-being purposes but also because they wanted it for the two of you- his family were very supportive and insistent on him doing this. With things faring better, he felt comfortable doing it now. “I don’t want to take you away from anything urgent or-”

“Name it!” Echo said with a pleased smile.

Before he could get into what he needed Echo to do, he heard the door open. Hunter half-turned to see the crowd of eager and motivated faces made up of Omega and his brothers.

All of them gathered round him and Echo’s hologram.

Hunter took a deep inhale and exhale. In a strange way, this was going to be one of the most important yet daunting missions he’d undertaken. “Alright, we don’t have long before she gets home. Here’s what I need…”

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @notgonnaedit, @arctrooper69, @andreaaxy, @dominoeffectsworld, @allthingsimagines , @nightmonkeysstuff , @jellybeanstacey0519 , @callsign-denmark , @superbookishhufflepuff , @qvnthesia @justsomerandompersonintheworld

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grayson1996 · 8 months ago

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"Master Dick has left."

Bruce didn't respond, not that Alfred anticipated he would. The man had been infuriatingly quiet the last few months. Never saying more than a few words at a time to him, and never the one to initiate the dialogue.

Alfred hadn't been surprised, when Martha and Thomas passed Bruce had become mute for months. Alfred had been beside himself with concern, dragging the young boy to child psychologists and specialists. Certain he was already messing up this tremendous responsibility he had been given.

It made sense that Bruce would revert back to the bad habit with Jason's death.

It had almost been a relief when Richard arrived and he could hear the familiar melody of the two of them arguing, floating up the cave stairs. It was some sign that Bruce was still there, buried behind layers of grief and guilt.

He hadn't thought the fight would end in a punch, it never had before. But as soon as Alfred heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh and Richards body crash to the floor he had bolted downstairs. Just in time to hear Bruce destroy any goodwill that remained between him and his only living son.

Despite popular belief, Alfred hadn't been the butler for decades. He was the guardian of Wayne Manor and his protection of it did not stop at Bruce. This was why his first step had been to ensure that Richard was alright as his oldest stomped away, most likely to skulk in the study.

The younger man was so far from fine it only served to further fester the disappointment he felt in Bruce. A disappointment that made way to determination. Alfred had allowed Bruce to destroy everything around him after his parent's death, he had assumed the boy had needed to to move on. He was still paying for that choice every time he saw one of them don a mask and go out into the streets of Gotham.

He would not stand for it now.

Not now that there was more than just Alfred in Bruce's line of attack. Who would feel the reverbs of destruction.

Ms. Troy picked Dick up, and Alfred got the sense that the only reason she herself was not heading up to ream into Bruce, was because she could see a rare fire of rage reflecting back in his eyes. The two left, leaving Alfred with some relief knowing that Dick was out of the crosshairs.

When he finally made his way to the Manor he was right, Bruce was sitting in a high-backed armchair in his study. Face blank, and gaze looking unseeingly out the window as the first rays of dawn poked over the horizon.

Alfred was tired.

"Master Dick has left." Bruce didn't respond, not that Alfred anticipated he would. The man had been infuriatingly quiet the last few months. "Master Dick has left." He repeated, unwilling to let the man get away with silence this time.

For a moment Alfred could read the barest hint of guilt before it was buried under a veneer of indifference.

"What do you want?"

Alfred raised an eyebrow unimpressed, oh absolutely not.

"I would like many things Master Bruce, most notably for you to remove your head from where it's been so thoroughly put up your own ass." That at least got a reaction, since the arrival of the kids Alfred had preferred more subtle ways to admonish Bruce. But that was a kindness reserved for men who did not hit their sons.

"Go away Alfred."

"I will not." Alfred closed the study door behind him with a sense of finality that made Bruce shift slightly in his set. "I would like to understand what the hell it is you think you're doing?" The guilt was back but Bruce again hid it, this time with a snare.

"If you're talking about Dick, I was only telling him the truth. I don't need a partner, I don't need him, and I certainly do not need to be chided by you."

Anger was Bruce's defense mechanism and always had been. Alfred did not have the patience to humor it.

"In all the years I've known you, Master Bruce, you have never been cruel. It is unbefitting and frankly undeserved." Bruce's eyes flared at that.

"I lost my son!" I have lost so many, and yet I have never used it as an excuse to harm the ones I have left.

"I know.... You don't get to decide what happens to you in life. But you do get to choose how you will react to it and you're choosing wrong."

"Batman doesn't need-"

"I don't give a damn what Batman may or may not need!" Alfred felt his cool dissipate, leaving with it a weariness and a rage years in the making. He hated Batman, and hated it when Bruce hid behind him. "I don't give a damn about that mask of yours. Any and all of my loyalty and love has only been directed at you Master Bruce, not him. But you're quickly destroying it."

Bruce opened his mouth as though to argue, but perhaps seeing the ire held within Alfred decided against it. The fist crack in his stoic mask was showing however, as Alfred could see his eyebrows furrow deeply in some unexpressed emotion. Alfred continued,

"As soon as you brought that boy into this life his needs trumped yours and I refuse to stand here and watch as you treat him like the scum of the earth. As you verbally berate and physically demolish him just because you cannot cope. I stood by for too long but I will not stand for this. You've already lost one son and you're dangerously close to losing another if the damage is not already done. And mark my words Master Bruce, if you decide this is the path you're determined to go down, this path of cruelty and spite and solitude, I will stand with Master Dick and not you." This seemed to surprise Bruce, but Alfred didn't know why, he was many things but a pushover was not one of them. "I will not stand with you. Not this version of you who lacks any empathy and thinks he's the only man in this godforsaken family with any right to grieve." His voice broke on that last word, which seemed to spear through Bruce as he flinched at the noise.

"Alfred-"

"I've grieved with you Bruce. Lord knows I've grieved with you. But I refuse to grieve for you, not while you're still alive and still have the chance to fight." He walked over to Bruce, the man watching him warily from his seat as Alfred took his face in his hands. "My dear boy, you need to fight."

"I am fighting Alfred, everyday, I am fighting. But you don't understand what its like to lose a son." Bruce's words weren't mean, were all but desperate, but Alfred still received them like a slap in the face. He tightened his grip on Bruce's face.

"I loved Jason, I loved you, I understand all to well what your going through. I know your pain my boy, I have it, in the whole of my soul I feel it. But your cruelty is something I can't understand. Why you've decided that the best way to express your own pain is by inflicting it on others I can't understand. How you continuously do everything in your power to make Richard feel like nothing, that I can't understand..."

Finally, Alfred let go, standing up he ran a hand down his shirt, as though he could smooth out the flusteredness he was feeling.

"I don't mean to."

Alfred let out a sigh, once again feeling unbelievably exhausted.

"I know Master Bruce, but somehow that makes it worse." The sun was continuing to wain over the horizon, and Alfred thought maybe, just for today, he would sleep in. He started walking to the door, however before he could cross the threshold, he looked back at Bruce. Whose face looked both ancient and unbelievably young under the golden glow. "I have raised three boys Master Bruce. Three sons. I love you, but Richard is just as much mine as yours and I will not let you hurt him. Not again."

He turned and left the room. Hoping that he would not once again prove the Sisphysis to Bruce's unmovable rock.

#batman #dick grayson #batfamily #jason todd #bruce wayne #nightwing #robin #batfam #dc comics #alfred pennyworth #death in the family #batfamily fic

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tangents-within-tangents · 11 months ago

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The Bad Batch as Penguins of Madagascar Quotes

Bc I’ve seen a few posts making this magnificent comparison and both of these squads are near and dear to my heart and bc I need a distraction from the s3 premiere ahhh

Tech: *mission relevant info* Hunter: Tell me something I don’t know! Tech: Without mucus your stomach would digest itself Hunter: … Hunter: Tell me something else I don’t know…something less disturbing

Hunter: (to Caleb) It's okay, kid. We're not going to hurt you Crosshair: *cocks his gun* Not true, Hunter, they did authorize lethal force

Wrecker: *absolutely decking his bros* You pillow fight like a bunch of little girls!

Crosshair: What part of "zip it" eludes you?! The "zip" or the "it"?!

Echo: I don't mind saying it, that guy vexes me. *narrows eyes* He's a vexer.

Hunter: Boys, no training tonight. It's game night! Tech: Trivia! Let's play trivia! I dominate trivia! Omega: Oh! Can we play Simon Says this week? Tech: Yes, Simon says we play TRIVIA!!

Crosshair: I find reason tedious and boring. We'll use force.

Echo: I'm sorry, boys. I sometimes resort to sarcasm when facing the unknown Tech: No doubt

Hunter: Oh I’ve seen accident prone, try Wrecker and Crosshair! With a Chandrilan lantern! And SIX BOTTLES of rocket fuel!! Tech: Worst talent show ever

Hunter: There's no such thing as too paranoid, Omega. Remember that, and forget you ever heard it!

Tech: SCIENCE! WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?!?

Omega: I have an idea! But I'm not sure how safe it is Wrecker: I like it already!

Crosshair: *while fighting* You cannot win, Hunter! I am fueled with a boiling hate! A raging fury! Hunter: And a babbling mouth! *slaps him*

Omega: No! I swore I’d never use my adorability as a weapon again, and I meant it!

Echo: Wrecker, cover Omega’s ears, I intend to use my angry words

Tech: This red line shows the frustration level of a really smart person forced to take orders from some dunder-brained boob. As you can see the frustration just keeps rising and rising and rising. I mean, why don't they put the smart guy in charge, huh? IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE! SOMETHING HAS GOT TO GIVE, PEOPLE! AM I THE ONLY ONE SEEING THIS?!

Wrecker and Omega: *run in making incomprehensible panicked noises* Hunter: Anyone catch that? Echo: *nonchalantly interprets it exactly* The Batch: … Echo: What? I’m fluent in panic

Tech: Cool cars go faster. That's a scientific fact.

Cody, in his one episode: I believe now I know why “volunteers” ends in “tears”

Hunter: No batcher gets left behind, that’s why! Wrecker: What about Crosshair? Hunter: Okay, one batcher gets left behind Omega: and Echo? Hunter: Maybe two batchers get left behind Tech: Um… Hunter: *groan* Comparatively few batchers get left behind, okay?!

Omega: I thought you agreed this was a dangerous weapon! Wrecker: Which is the best kind! What good is a safe weapon?! Tech: He has a point

Hunter: Avert your eyes, young Omega, you’ll never be able to unsee this! Tech, recording bc that’s his freaking hobby: Don’t worry about it I’ll burn you a dvd!

Crosshair: *standing outside the Marauder* Hunter! I have brought you a hand drawn greeting card! It says “Roses are red. Posies are green. Sorry about Bracca, I was too mean. Your pal, Crosshair” :) Hunter: *walks out and shreds the card*

Hunter: Get up here. That’s an order! Tech: *salutes* Permission to defy order? Hunter: Permission denied! Tech: Then I deny your denial (sorry)

Echo: *watching Hunter and Wrecker, captured and surrounded by stormtroopers* Well this hardly seems fair Echo: *jumps in a walker and defeats them easily* Told you it wasn't fair

*Phee and Tech kiss* Omega: *eyes being covered by Hunter* awww Wrecker: Finally!

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gardens-light · 1 year ago

Text

In The Name Of Love

Believing that chaos had settled down, you and the Autobots decide to hit the road again. Leaving the abandoned cathedral behind, and moving on- to where? Neither of you knew. For the next plan of action hadn't been thought yet. But chaos never rests. For little did any of you know, that something else was brewing- a danger so much bigger than yourselves was coming after you.

Content: Events takes place in Transformers- Age of Extinction, (Minor spoilers). Mild coarse language. Reader insert. Optimus Prime x F/Human Reader.

Sparkmate Series: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 7 (End)

A small hiss escaped your lips, feeling Tessa's confused stare as you wiggled into a new pair of jeans. Rubbing your behind and upper thighs, as you attempted to soothe the bruising that began to form.

“What happened to you last night?"

"Nothing." You simply spoke, avoiding your sister's gaze as you packed your bag. "I uh... got up to get a drink. Must've lost my footing while going down the stairs."

"Oh really?" Tessa raised a brow, while crossing her arms. "Because I thought you told Dad, that you fell in the pool next door, and Optimus caught you."

A small chuckle left her, as you tried to hide your blushing face. Simply turning your back on Tessa, adjusting the backpack upon your shoulders.

"Th-That's what I meant." You lowly spoke, trying to hide the embarrassment within your tone.

"Here's a tip, Sis." Tessa teased, while patting your shoulder. "One, if you're gonna lie. Stick to one story."

You tilted your head a little, "and the second?" you questioned. Slightly hearing that there was more to your sister's statement.

But all she did was turned and faced you, giving you a cheeky smile. "And two... you're not as quiet, as you think you are..."

---

A sudden screech of Optimus’ wheels filled the air, as he swerved from an oncoming attack. Avoiding a missile, by entering the left lane of the highway.

“What’s happening?” Tessa asked, as her body slid into you. Both of you pressing against the driver's door.

Innocent bystanders blared their horns, as the Autobot cut them off. Causing his passengers to slide against his passenger door, dodging another attack from an unknown enemy ahead.

The roaring sound of Drift’s and Crosshairs’ engines caught your attention, watching them overtake their leader with effortless speed. Returning fire at the enemy, while Hound and Bumblebee escorted cars off the highway and into the field upon the left.

“What the fuck is that?” Shane’s voice yelled.

Your heart raced a little quicker, breath getting stuck in your throat as your wide eyes gazed at the road ahead. Casually strolling towards the Autobots, an unknown Transformer of gun-metal silver caused your hair to stand on end. From what you could tell, no clear sign of Autobot or Deception marked their mechanical body. The two cannons adorning the metal plates of their forearms, caused your stomach to twist in a sickening knot, as the weaponry put Hound’s to shame.

A scream escaped your lips, as Optimus harshly drifted towards the left. Tires screeching more and smoke emerging from the back of the truck, as his brakes pressed against the floor. Optimus’ plates began to shift and change, as he slowly rolled out of his altmode, causing Shane and Cade to fall out of the passenger side. Luckily having a somewhat soft landing as their bodies rolled against the grass.

A low growl escaped the Autobot’s lips, as he clutched you and Tessa against his chassis’ with his free servo, Optimus tore up the tar road as his grip dug into it. Slowing him down just a little, leaving Cade and Shane a few meters behind.

Kneeling against the torn-up road, Optimus looked down at you and Tessa, as he carefully placed the two of you onto the ground. “Are you girls alright?”

“Look out!” but your warning came too late, as a missile from the unknown enemy ripped through Optimus’ shoulder. Green energon seeped from his wounds and onto you, as he tried to use his large mechanical body to shield you from the blast.

“Prime!”

Fear erupted through Optimus’ Spark, his optics widening in disbelief, as a familiar voice boomed from the unknown enemy ahead. Pain clutched onto his wires, as the sound of your sobbing voice called out to him. A scream escaping your lips, as your terrified gaze watched the Autobot take another hit.

“Optimus! Optimus, get up!” You pleaded, reaching out for him. The ground trembling as he landed upon his back. His helm crushing the hood of the white SUV behind him.

“I-I can’t... get out of here. Both of you.” His voice spluttered, groaning in pain as Optimus’ body had trouble moving.

Looking over her shoulder, Tessa saw Cade waving his arms. Gesturing for you and Tessa to come back to him. Her heart ached from racing, breath stolen from her lungs, as her father’s panicky words filled the air. With tears streaming down her face, Tessa wrapped her arms around your waist tightly. Hugging you from behind.

“We need to go, Sis!-”

“I won't leave him!”

With great struggle, Tessa started to pull you backwards. Forcing you towards the direction of the SUV behind Optimus.

“We need to hide!” she protested.

Pushing you into the back passenger seats, Tessa closed the door. Quickly wrapping an arm around your waist, while placing her free hand over your mouth. Muffling your cries.

“Hello Prime.”

“L-Lockdown?” Optimus’ worried optics gazed up at the bounty-hunter. Watching his old foe lower himself to the Autobot’s level. “What are you doing here? Who sent you?”

But Lockdown just gave him a smug expression. “Collecting you... our creators want you back.”

“Cr-Creators? What in Primus name-”

“Haven’t you ever wondered where you came from?” a small scoff escaped his lips. “Did you honestly believe you were born? No, Prime. You were built! Built for a purpose. A purpose you’ve strayed from.”

Lockdown’s green optics narrowed onto the SUV, raising a metal ridge as Optimus tried to discreetly push the veicheal away.

“I feel sorry for you, Prime. Your allegiance to these humans. The trouble with loyalty to a cause, is that the cause will always betray you...”

---

Cade’s worried gaze helplessly watched Lockdown return to his full height. The bounty hunter’s plates shifting and churning, retracting the cannon upon his forearm and revealing a holo-pad. Cade’s pounding heart jumped into his throat, as a daunting UFO emerged from the overcast sky. Hovering over Lockdown, as a small escape pod broke away from the ship.

“No... No! Girls!” Cade screamed running down the road, as fast as he could.

---

You and Tessa frantically watched a net deploy from Lockdown’s escape pod. Covering the SUV and Optimus. The pair of you holding tightly onto one another, both of your voices calling out for Cade.

“Girls! Girls! Get out!” Cade’s voice yelled, his hands slamming against the passenger window.

“Dad! Help us!” your sister pleaded. Tears streamed down her face.

Another slam met the back windscreen. Your wide eyes helplessly witnessed Shane’s bloody knuckles smear against the window.

The engines of Lockdown’s pod fired up, dragging the net upwards. Causing you and Tessa to roll into the SUV’s trunk.

“Girls! Girls! Break the window!”

“I’m trying, Dad!” you spoke. Kicking the rear windscreen as hard as you could.

As the net lifted higher, pain etched throughout Cade’s fingers as he tried to hold on.

“Girls! Keep breaking the glass!”

Tessa’s scared expression witnessed Cade’s sweaty hands. “No! No!”

“I-I can’t hold on!” the burning caused him to hiss. His clutch begging to be released.

“No! Dad don’t leave us!” Tessa pleaded.

“Break! You fucking piece of shit!” your demanding voice roared. As you began to take out all fear and frustration onto the rear windscreen.

“Break the glass, Y/N!-”

“Dad!” you and Tessa screamed. As the pair of you watched Cade fall back down...

In The UFO

“Take those humans to the trash!” Lockdown ordered his small robotic minions.

“No!” Optimus protested. Trying to struggle against his restraints, as the bounty-hunter dragged the Autobot by his pedes. “Lockdown! If you harm them, I’ll-”

“You’ll do what, Prime?” he mocked, barely looking over his shoulder. “Besides, don’t you remember this ship?”

Optimus took a slight look around. Strange prisons held other lifeforms, their snarls and groans filled the air. Parts of the ship looked broken- or more like torn apart. Gun-metal gray covered everything, like it was Lockdown’s signature colour.

“It was built for all you Knights. The ‘Great Crusaders’ to explore the universe. But, as you can see I’ve commandeered it! Made it my own personal prison.”

“Welcome back to the Knights Temeos, Prime.” Lockdown gestured at the center of the ship.

Optimus barely recognized the once great hall, instead of impressive weapons of old. Circular cages and solid prisons with barred doors took their place. The ancient text long stripped away, allowing room for the decapitated heads of Lockdown’s past foes.

“Y-You... You have disgraced it.”

A scoff escaped Lockdown’s lips, as he approached one of the solid prisons. Turning a crank, making the metal bars raise and lock into place.

“You should be grateful, Prime. This is only for the rarest of specimens.” Lockdown spoke with a smile. “The worst of the worst. It’s taken centuries, but I’ve collected all of the Knights. Including you.”

Optimus struggled against Lockdown’s vice grip, as the hunter forced the Prime into the prison. The Autobot groaned in pain, as the hunter forced his arms above his head. Inducing further injury to his damaged shoulder. As the chains harshly nestled against Optimus’ wrists, the Autobot’s optics widened as Lockdown tilted his helm to the side.

A low growl came from the Optimus, as he attempted to shift his body weight away from Lockdown. Trying to stop the hunter’s digits from playing with your iron ring.

“Don’t touch that!”

Lockdown examined Optimus’ course expression. His sly smile widening, as the hunter fiddled with the item. Finding pleasure of how much it annoyed his prisoner, “now why would you have something like this?”

A dark chuckle escaped Lockdown’s lips, “don’t tell me... you’ve interfaced with a human!-”

“Stay away from her!-”

“Oh Prime... wait till your Creators hear about this.” Lockdown teased. “All this species mixing with species. It isn’t right... isn’t normal. It upsets the cosmic balance, and the Creators don’t like it-”

“If any harm comes to Y/N, I’ll have your head!-”

“You were built to do as you were told, Prime!” Lockdown snapped. “The Creators wants to wipe their chessboard clean and start a new. Beginning with you!”

Lockdown’s digits wrapped around your iron ring, ripping it away from Optimus’ wrist and throwing it against the floor.

“No!-”

“You should be ashamed of how far you’ve fallen, Prime!” the hunter spat while exiting the prison. Turning the crank, causing the metal bars to fall down and lock into place. “For she’s just a human!”

“She’s more than that to me.” Optimus lowly spoke, his optics watching your ring roll along the floor. Stopping against the barred door, “but I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand such thing...”

---

You and Tessa remained hidden in the truck of the SUV. Slowly peering over the back passenger seats, frightened eyes looking out the windows. Trying to find some form of familiarity in the alien surroundings.

Small robot minions dragged the vicheal into a circular room, the space of metal walls and floor was tight and small. As the large furness in the middle took up the space. Mechanical tendrils grabbed parts of random metal and junk, effortlessly pulling them apart and throwing them into the furness.

“What the fuck is this place?” you whispered.

“I don’t know.” Tessa climbed over into the back seat, “but I’m not waiting around to find out-”

“Tessa! Wait!”

She slowly opened the back passenger door, once the SUV stopped moving. But her scream filled the air as the sight of Lockdown’s robotic minions greeted her.

A echoey but mechanical scream erupted from the minions, using their claws to try and grab Tessa.

“Tessa!”

She tried kicking one of the minions off her leg, as you clumsily climbed over the back seat. Grabbing a crowbar and smashing the minion's face.

“Get away from my sister!” You yelled.

Finally, achieving some distance between yourselves and the robotic minions, you grabbed Tessa’s hand and ran towards the nearest exit.

“Optimus?”

“Optimus? Where are you?”

Your voices echoed throughout the large hall. Tessa’s grip refused to let your hand go, as your fingers wiggled. Trying to loosen your sister’s grip, as your palms felt hot and sweaty.

Your worried eyes scanned your surroundings, trying to sense your way through strange halls and which direction would be best to follow. Please be alright...

Back On The Ground

“Come on! Come on!” Cade hurriedly spoke to Shane, as Bumblebee’s tires came to a screeching halt.

Both exiting the Camero and running towards the railings of Mehigan Avenue's bypass. People abandoned their cars, as their yelling and screaming voices filled the air. The Autobots changed out of their altmodes, following Cade and Shane’s lead, while Lockdown’s ship hovered above the river nearby.

“This is a bad idea.” Hound grumbled, shrugging his shoulders. “But hey, I’m all for bad ideas.”

Drift helped give Shane and Cade a boost, climbing onto the roof of the ship. As its thrusters slowly picked up speed. All shakily making their way towards an opening within the ceiling of the ship.

“This is crazy.” Shane breathed, slightly peering down into the ship’s metal interior.

“Look.” Cade caught Shane’s attention, “you wanna cut and run? Now’s the time to do so, Lucky Charms.”

“I’m not here to help your get your daughters.” Shane spoke, finding his confidence, “you’re here to help me rescue my girlfriend, and future sister-in-law.”

Cade raised an eyebrow. Cocky bastard...

---

“We’re behind enemy lines now.” Hound lowly warned, as he helped Cade and Shane onto the main platform of the ship. “Lockdown’s ship is bound to have booby traps. So eyes open!”

“Beware of his bone grinders, brain blinders, flesh peelers.” Crosshairs flat tone sounded almost admirable, rather than a warning. As his green optics scanned the main bridge, “also chromosomal inverters, catatonic sludge, black hole trapdoors, and of course, radiation.”

“We must be quick.” Drift encouraged, “we have the element of surprise. Let’s try and use violence as a last resort.”

Most of the Autobot’s silently nodded, but a heavy sigh left Crosshairs. “Well, we looked. They’re not here. Let’s go-”

“What?” Cade challenged, his eyes giving the green Autobot daggers. “Hey! I’m not going anywhere without my daughters-”

“I’m unclear. What’s in it for me?”

“What’s in it for you?!-”

The whirling of Hound’s cannon interrupted Cade, causing him to fall silent and back away from Crosshairs. As the gray Autobot placed the barrel of his weapon, into Crosshairs’ neck.

“Easy. Let’s use words.” Crosshairs spoke, holding his servos up in the air.

“What’s in it for you, is that I don’t kill you.” Hound boldly spoke. “We’re getting the boss back, and the girls. Copy?”

“Okay, okay.” Crosshairs watched Hound slowly withdraw his weapon, “very persuasive. Textbook machismo... well then. We’re going to need to sabotage something.”

“Better hurry.” Drift warned, “because the dark-matter drives are preparing to take off. I give us... ten minutes.”

“Is that what that sound is?” Shane’s panicky tone questioned. “The engines filling up? Are you telling me, that this thing is going to be taking off in ten minutes?”

“Could be nine...” Drift shrugged his shoulders, “worst case... seven-”

“Cade, Shane. Search the cell blocks.” Hound instructed, “we’ll find Optimus.”

“Let’s stop this nightmare ship...”

---

“Optimus?... Optimus?”

Your voice echoed throughout the large hallway, the walls and floor looming over you and Tessa, making you both feel smaller than you already were.

“Where are you?”

“So... how did it start?” Tessa randomly questioned.

You gave Tessa a little side glance, seeing the corners of her mouth turn up a little. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Right...” her teasing tone mocked, “because most people totally go from, ‘I’m going to take this alien apart’ to ‘I’m going to fuck it-”

“Tessa! What the fuck?” you questioned between coughs, as you choked on your own breath. “What on Earth are you talking about?-”

“Y/N, I’ve been sneaking around with my boyfriend for months.” Her tone teased, “plus, you’re my sister. I can tell when you’re lying.”

Tessa lightly chuckled, as she watched the blush form across your features.

“But seriously... how did it start?”

A heavy sigh left you, knowing that she wouldn’t stop until you answered her. “I... wouldn’t be able to describe it.” You lowly admitted, trying to avoid Tessa as you felt her smiling gaze. “At first, all I wanted was to figure out how he worked. How I could use their technology to help with Dad’s inventions. Then Optimus came to life, and my thoughts kept reverting back to the reward money you spoke of. So as I begun fixing him, my mind thought that we could gotten more money by handing over a working Transformer, rather than a dead one.”

“What changed?”

“I did.” You simply answered, “the more we talked, the more I realized how wrong I was. The Cybertronians, they’re not simple-minded machines that the government would make us believe. They’re living beings with souls, life, dreams. You should have seen how Optimus spoke about his home world, the hurt and pain I saw within his eyes, as he told me about how their war tore it apart. And the joy that just... just radiated from his Spark as I fixed him. It was like, it had been a very long time since Optimus felt such happiness. Such peace...”

“Kinda sounds like love at first sight.” Tessa spoke.

A small chuckle left you, “I guess you could say that... kinda like you and Shane being Romeo and Juillet.”

Tessa gave you a playful nudge, “I can’t wait to see Dad’s face when he finds out-”

“He’s not- wait. Did you hear that?”

Both of you stopped in the middle of the hallway, the low sound of growling coming to your ears. Hearts slowly picking up rhythm, as your hair stood on end. Eyes widening as the sight of four, mechanical dogs prowled towards you.

“Oh shit-”

“Run. Run!”

Grabbing Tessa’s hand, almost dragging her as you both ran in the opposite direction. Yelps and screams escaped you and Tessa, as you ran from one hallway into another. The sounds of the dogs snarling indicated that they weren’t far behind.

“Quick! Through this way!”

You shoved Tessa through the bars of a cell, following just in time as the dogs tried to bite their way through the bars. The pair of you backed away into a corner, while the dogs continued to bark and snarl. Alerting the minions of your location.

“What we do, Y/N?”

“I’m working on it.”

Both pressed yourselves into the corner, as your terrified expression helplessly watched one of the dogs squeeze itself through the metal bars. The others backed away, allowing the minion to shoot through the bars. Slapping a hand over Tessa’s mouth, muffling her screams as you shoved her into the wall. Using yourself as her shield.

You closed your eyes tightly, preparing to feel the beast’s claws pierce into your back. As you placed a free hand over your mouth, trying to muffle a high pitch scream that slowly began to bubble in your throat.

‘Bang!’

A gunshot echoed throughout the cell, followed by the sound of a canine whine. You and Tessa froze, breaths trembling as you nervously waited for what followed...

---

“They could be anywhere.” Cade muttered. Looking around at his surroundings, as he entered a chamber just outside of the Knights Tomeos. Climbing over the center piece, weaving in and out of the swords that stuck out, as he tried to get a better view.

“It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”

“We need to find them- whoa! Shit!”

Losing his footing, Cade quickly grabbed the center sword. Slightly pulling it to the side, trying to stop himself from falling any further.

Shane gazed at the floor, as a low rumble echoed beneath them. Cade glanced around as the metal plates of the chamber began to shift and change, walls caving in on themselves and statues of armored knights rose from the floor. The large feature wall behind them revealed an array of weapons.

“Come here! Help me!” Cade shouted, jumping off the center piece and approaching the feature wall. “Grab something that we could use!”

“Ahh... Cade?” Shane whispered after a while. Wide eyes looking at the red lasers scanning the room. “What’s that?”

Strapping an unusual looking cannon to himself, Cade peered over his shoulder. Seeing the minions slowly approaching the entrance to the chamber. “I don’t know. But on my signal, run behind that center thing.”

Silently counting to three, Cade quickly leapt away from the wall. Grabbing Shane and pulling him behind the center piece.

“I’m not going down without a fight!” he groaned, holding the weapon and placing a free hand upon Shane’s shoulder. “They’re going to turn that corner, and we’re gonna take them! You ready, or you gonna bitch out on me?”

“No! I’ve got your back!” Shane bravely spoke.

“Are you ready?”

“Absolutely!”

The sound of the minions' footsteps came closer. Causing Shane’s already fast beating heart to pulse a little more rapidly.

“Don’t bitch out on me, Romeo! Are you ready?”

“Yeah! Yeah!” Shane hurriedly spoke. Waiting for Cade’s count down from three.

“Two! One!-”

“Wait! Wait!” Shane cried, jumping out of his hiding spot. His terrified expression gazing at the minions who aimed their weapons at him. “I surrender! I surrender!”

Fucking knew it! Cade’s thoughts hissed. Still hiding behind the center piece.

Adrenaline running through his veins, Shane threw the weapon onto the metal floor. Quickly hiding for cover again, as the weapon fired. Causing a bullet to ricochet off the walls, and into the minions.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!-”

“What’d you do?” Cade asked, cutting off Shane’s frantic apology. “How’d you do that?”

“I have no idea!”

“What my daughter sees in you is beyond me!”

After fidgeting with the weapon for a moment, Cade’s eyes lit up in excitement as the cannon whirled to life. Lighting up with a purple hue.

“Stay here, Lucky Charms!”

Moving away from the center piece, Cade unleashed a wave of gunfire upon the minions. Standing his ground, as his adrenaline beating heart surged excitement through his veins. Allowing the bullets to pierce into the mechanical beings, tearing them apart.

“I’m so gonna patent this shit!”

---

“That was Dad!” Tessa whispered.

Tessa quickly maneuvered around the mechanical dog, its whines echoing throughout the cell. It tried to nip at your ankle as you stepped over it. But as you looked down, your heart ached a little as energon pooled beneath its body. A mixture of snarls and whines escaped its throat, orange sparks zapped out of its mechanical joins, causing the creature to wince in pain.

The glowing of the Matrix caught your attention. Carefully pulling out the pendant from under your collar, eyes shifting between the pendant and the injured beast.

Sensing your hesitation, Tessa looked over her shoulder. Pulling a confused expression, as she watched you kneel beside the creature.

“What are you doing?-”

“Hang on for a sec.” You whispered, “I just wanna try something.”

Your hand hovered over the dog’s forehead, flinching a little whenever it tried to bite you.

“That thing isn’t like the Autobots!” Tessa hissed, “Dad’s trying to find us!”

“I just need a minute.”

Your fingertips quickly scratched behind the beast’s ear, before bringing your hand back to hover above its nose again. Allowing the dog to catch your sent, between each testing pat.

“You’re alright, boy.” You cooed, while scratching lightly behind its ear. Using your free hand to remove the necklace, allowing The Matrix pendant to carefully hover over the wound upon its belly. “Let me help you.”

The Matrix glowed brightly, small blue sparks clashed with the orange ones, that zapped out of the dog’s wound. The beast continued to whine, its body twisting in pain.

“Good boy. Good boy.” Your voice hummed, gently scratching underneath its chin.

The Matrix hummed, spinning rapidly causing the chain to twist in your hand. Before a blue flash burst over the beast. A low pant escaped its mouth, as you watched the dog struggle onto its feet. The red glow in its optics fading and changing to a brilliant blue.

You smiled at the creature, its mechanical tail wagging while barking happily at you.

You turned back to Tessa, her dumbfounded expression gazing at you as her jaw hung low.

“What? I’ve always wanted a dog.” You spoke with a smile, placing the necklace around your neck again. “Come along, Torgal.”

---

“Dad!”

“Girls! Girls! Over here!” Cade yelled, quickly approaching the entrance of the chamber.

A huge smile spread across his features, as Tessa ran into the chamber. Opening his arms wide, preparing to embrace your sister.

“Shane! I love you!” her voice cried, flinging herself into Shane’s arms. While Cade stood beside them with an unamused expression, “I love you! You saved me! You came back for me!”

“Of course, I did.” Shane cooed into Tessa’s ear, running his hand through her blonde locks. “I will fight to the ends of the Earth, just to bring you back.”

“Oh, yeah. He saved you. Sure.” Cade muttered, a small smile teased the corners of his lips, as your sweet chuckles came to his ears. “Y/N...”

You wrapped your arms around Cade, feeling him embrace you tightly. “I’m so sorry, Dad-”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Sweetie.” He cooed into your ear. “I’m just glad to have my girls back-”

“Optimus!” You cried, catching a glimpse of the Autobot in his cell. As you looked over Cade’s shoulder.

Cade winced as you accidentally shouted into his ear. Pulling away from his embrace and running into the Knights Tomeos.

“Can’t you girls be happy to see me for once?” Cade sighed, raising an eyebrow as his eyes watched the mechanical dog follow you.

You approached the bars, banging your palm against the metal. “Optimus! Optimus, it’s me!-”

“Y/N?...” Optimus’ optics needed a moment to focus, before realization sunk in. “Sweet Spark!”

“I’m here! Just hold on!-”

“Big boy coming through!” Hound’s voice boomed from the hallway, “move! Move!” the Autobot demanded as he stormed through the entrance. Causing Tessa, Shane and Cade to scatter out of the way.

“Boys! Boys, over here!” you shouted, banging your palm against the cell. As Torgal tried to claw and bite his way through the bars.

“Nice find, Y/N!” Hound complimented, quickly approaching your side, as his optics roughly studied the barred door. “Alright, Little Lady. Back up-”

“Hold on, boss! We’re coming!” Crosshairs called out.

Letting out a grunt, Hound forced the door open. Allowing you to enter, as he quickly got to work of releasing Optimus from his restraints.

“The arms of this Knight Ship detach.” Optimus spoke. “We can break fee. It’s a separate ship-”

“Where’s the cockpit?” Crosshairs asked, “right or left?”

“Right.”

“I’m on it-”

“Y/N.” You looked up at Optimus, his helm lowering as he tried to rest against your forehead. “Are you hurt? Did Lockdown do anything?”

“No.” Your calming voice soothed his aching Spark, “I’m alright. I’m not hurt in any way.”

“Not knowing what happened to you, my Sweet Spark... I feared the worst.”

You placed your hand upon his cheek, caressing Optimus’ faceplate with your thumb. “Hopefully this would wipe away any fears.”

A loving hum vibrated through Optimus’ Spark, as your lips softly enclosed over his. Both closed your eyes, as Optimus finally felt his arms fall free from his restraints. Wrapping his servo around your waist, as you melted into his embrace.

“Break it up lovebirds.” Hound interrupted, “we’ve got a ship to catch.”

“You’re right, Hound.” Optimus spoke, breaking apart from your lips as his servo lifted you up. Gently holding you against his chassis. “Lockdown would be in Deep Space before he realizes I’m gone.”

Torgal sniffed at your iron ring upon the floor, barking at you as he got yours and Optimus’ scent.

The Prime smiled down at the dog, as Torgal carefully picked up the item with his mouth. Dropping it into the palm of Optimus’ free servo.

“Would you do me the honor of placing this back on?”

You smiled, reaching for the iron ring and threading it through the cables of his wrist. “Of course, my love.”

Tag List

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queenariesofnarnia · 8 months ago

Text

the rescue

tech x f!jedi reader

wc: 1,552

tech lives au, i was a tech is cx-2 believer

warnings: some spoilers if you haven't finished season 3, mentions of grief, hemlock, and brief violence

You knew this was going to be risky but it was your best shot. You stood with Crosshair doing your best to take out the assassins. Until you got distracted by a pull in the force. A familiar pull you haven’t felt since Eriadu. Collapsing to your knees at the overwhelming feeling, blasters dropped to the floor as a painful scream wracked through your body. Darkness took over your vision as a blaster bolt stuns you.

The only feeling you can make out is him. You were too overwhelmed by grief following his fall, the day Hunter restrained you from jumping after him. From that day on you’ve beaten yourself up over not saving him. You felt like the force abandoned you that day, the pain was enough to anger you. But you put the effort into finding Omega, working through the grief was hard but you got her and Crosshair back. That’s something Tech would’ve wanted.

“A glaring weakness in clones is their loyalty to one another. Thank you for proving my point” a voice you’ve only heard once before tonight reaches your ears as you stir awake. You try to free your hands but it doesn’t work. “Their efforts have failed. Predictably so.” Hemlock adds.

“Sir there’s been an explosion in the central lab. It’s been destroyed” a trooper informs.

“You failed too. Your data’s gone” Omega says.

“But I have you” Hemlock retorts. You glance over to see Wrecker has woken up.

“You’re forgetting one thing” her tone proud, as Wrecker breaks loose. “I have them” she adds. She runs to your side freeing your restraints then Hunters. Before Hemlock cuffs her to him and runs out.

“Get the kid” Wrecker says before tackling an assassin through the window. Hunter picks up the electric staff one of the assassins was using. Stumbling through the small area. You notice the assassin that has been on your tail ever since Omega has come back to you going for Hunter. That’s when you feel the force pull you again. You see Crosshair aim a blaster at the assassin and it misses. As Hunter gets ready to throw the spear you force it from his hands.

“Crosshair drop the blaster” you demand through gritted teeth. He looks at you like you’ve gone crazy. “Cross please” you plead with him. The assassin makes a move towards you. You push him back into the wall. “Go to sleep” using a mind trick on him. He collapsed against you, taking you down to the floor.

“Why?” Hunter begins to question. You wave your hand at him instructing him to go after Omega. You free your hands from under the assassins weight reaching for his helmet. Pulling it off slowly. Auburn curls fell in his face at the removal of his helmet. Auburn curls that you recognize from the late nights of playing with them until he fell asleep. Curls that he always kept slicked back during his soldier days. You lift him up slowly, placing your hands under his arms you begin your drag him out to the shuttle. Using any strength your body had to get him there alive was your objective. Acquiring a blaster to stop anyone who got in your way. The one time you wish you brought your saber along but you knew the risk. Not many of Hemlock’s troopers stayed behind or many have already been dealt with as you trudged through the hall nearing the hangar. Hearing your name being frantically called over the coms of an unconscious trooper leaning down to pick it up.

“I’m almost to you” you grunt out as you pull Tech’s body along trying to minimize the amount of bruises he’ll have when he wakes up. As you make way through the doors of the hangar, you see the shuttle, relief washing over you. Your body may be exhausted but you weren’t giving up. Echo runs to meet you, a look of disbelief as he sees who is in your arms. “Help me please. He’s heavier than he looks” you joke. Echo chuckles but grabs a hold of Tech’s left arm as you drag him up the boarding ramp.

“How did you know it was him?” Echo asks as you strap him into a seat.

“I felt him. It was like feeling his signature for the first time all over again” you explain plopping into the seat next to him. A look of sympathy flashes in Echo’s eyes.

“Thank you for bringing him home” he says squeezing your shoulder. “Now let’s get out of here” he adds leaving you to go pilot the shuttle back to Pabu. You’re surrounded by other clones that you’ve rescued, some you’ve seen before during the war. They all greeted you with respect. A soft smile on your face as you greeted them back before telling them to try and rest.

Once in hyperspace the rest of the batch made their way to you. Echo told them the news, and they rushed down to see for themselves. There he was asleep with you at his side.

“She felt him” Omega quietly says. “She told me she can feel all of us in the force, regardless of the fact we’re clones. We still have a unique force signature” she adds.

“She sent us out to make sure she was right” Crosshair tells Hunter specifically. If anyone knew you best when it came to your emotions it was him. Wrecker grins before he sits on the floor in front of you leaning back to close his eyes as well. He’s taken many hits today, and the adrenaline has finally worn off. Omega and Crosshair sit in the empty seats next to you. Omega holds your hand as she rests her head against your arm.

“I’ll go sit with Echo for now. It’s too much to stay down here” Hunter tells them. They nod in response knowing that his senses are still extremely sensitive after Tantiss. He smiles softly before heading back to the cockpit with Echo.

-On Pabu🌊🏝️-

A few rotations later, you were still unconscious which didn’t surprise the batch. You rarely slept since Eriadu. Tech was still unconscious as well and bound to the bed with binders. Echo got his lenses in his goggles fixed for him. Placing them on the bedside table. They each took turns rotating between your room and Tech’s. You woke up first, while Omega sat with Batcher.

“Mom!” Omega yells throwing herself on the bed. She’s been calling you mom since the mission on Ryloth, and you cried the first time she said it. Batcher joins her, as her tail wags in excitement. Your arms wrap around her tightly as you press a kiss into her hair. Hunter enters the room his eyes meeting yours. You could feel the relief wash over him. He joins your side placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Good to see you awake” he says with a smile. You smile back at him before letting Omega go so she can tell the others you’re awake. Your head rest against his shoulder, taking in the silence. You could tell what he was feeling without you having to communicate.

“You’re worried about when he wakes up” you whisper. He briefly tenses before nodding. “I can help with his memory but that means I’d have to go into his mind” you tell him playing with your hands.

“We can show him all his recordings. He’s documented everything since we were cadets” he tells you before getting up as Wrecker and Crosshair enter. A small smile is on Crosshair’s face as your eyes meet, you flash him one back. Wrecker comes over kissing the top of your head letting you know how happy he is to see you. You hear Omega and Echo yell from the next room that Tech has woken up. You spring out of bed dashing down the hall. His honey eyes meet yours, he looks confused but you slowly approach him. Despite the others protesting. You reach for his repaired goggles placing them on him. Your hands slide down his face gently cradling it. He relaxed into your touch to your surprise. You wrap him in your force signature, to make sure he stays calm. His eyes closing briefly enjoying your touch. Before that open abruptly.

“Cyar’ika” his voice was low and hoarse. Tears fill your eyes, hearing his voice from him instead of an old recording. Your arms wrap around his neck as you begin to cry into his shoulder. Omega quickly goes over releasing him from his binders so he can wrap his arms around you.

“Ner kar’ta” you manage to get out in between your sniffling. As you pull away he grabs you by the back of your neck pulling you in for a kiss. Pulling apart at Hunter clearing his throat.

“Welcome back Tech” he says smirking, knowing his brother normally kept physical affection private.

“I am glad to be back. However can anyone tell me what has happened to my ship?” Tech inquires.

“About that..” Wrecker starts, Crosshair covers his mouth before he can continue. You try to hide your laughter as Tech keeps asking about the Marauder. No one had the heart to tell him he destroyed his own ship, at least not yet.

🩶

Mando'a Translations: Cyar'ika: Darling

Ner Kar'ta: My heart

Tags: @bad4amficideas

#tech x reader #the bad batch #the bad batch x reader #tbb tech #tbb crosshair x reader #tbb hunter x reader #crosshair x reader #wrecker x reader #tbb omega #echo x reader #tbb echo #queenariesofnarniawritings

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inquisimer · 1 month ago

Note

Loving the rook and viago dynamic, chefs kiss 🤌.

If your taking requests, I love the idea of rook slowly becoming more angry or snappy after the regret prison. Thought the "I've been taking care of myself for a long time and don't need your help" prompt would be perfect for an angry rook to their bro. viago

YESSSS I love them so much, Crow Dad makes me [screeches unintelligibly]. And yes, I always take prompts, thank you for this one!! It had me looking at Arlow & Viago's relationship through a different lens, which was great 💜

Arlow de Riva & Viago de Riva | 680 words | endgame spoilers, referenced major character death

Arlow’s fingers slipped against her armor’s leather straps again and she huffed, frustrated. It was a buckle, it shouldn’t be so damn hard—

“Need a hand?”

She stiffened, fist clenching around the strap instead. “No. I’ve got it.”

Viago stepped into the meditation chamber anyway, the door shutting with a deafening click behind him. The blackout curtains over the windows kept the room dark, save for a few clusters of candles that flickered over the sharp, familiar planes of his face. Arlow stared pointedly down, cursing under her breath when the strap slipped from her grasp again.

“Yes, clearly,” Viago said dryly. He leaned against the buffet at the back of her couch and folded his arms. “The offer stands, if at any point you’d like to be less stubborn about it.”

Arlow ignored him. She wasn’t going to tell him that dregs of Solas’ Fade prison lingered on her, a numbness in her fingers and toes, a persistent chill that no fire or blanket could ward off, an unmistakable sense of being watched and judged and found wanting. He didn’t get to kick her out of the nest and expect things to be the same once she’d found her wings; she’d gotten this far and she would get through this, too.

Her fingers slipped once more. “Cazza,” she muttered.

“Arlow—“

“No, Viago,” she snapped. “I just need to—“ She pinched the strap between her nails this time and pulled it through the buckle. It left a little half-moon indentation in the purple leather, but it was fastened and it would fade. Much like she assumed the bitter coating on her teeth when she looked at Viago would fade… eventually.

She knew he was proud of her. She knew that he cared, in that closed-off, brusque way of his. But her heart was only getting about two-thirds of the way to letting him back in, because Solas’ trap finally had her dwelling on the way this contract started.

If Viago were caught in a prison of his own regrets, would he see her, leaving with Varric? She’d told Lucanis that she knew he didn’t have a choice, with the other Talons out for blood. And she did believe that. But the job had finally scraped her too raw for that to be anything other than a cold comfort.

He could have saved her. And someone else might have tripped into Varric’s crosshairs—someone who might have saved him. And Davrin. And Bellara.

Guilt and regret crept up her throat. They curled around her neck and trailed after her like a smoky shadow she just couldn’t shake. So she clung to the anger instead and let it shield her from the breakdown they threatened.

“Did you need something?” she asked, pulling on her gloves and flexing her fingers. “I should go check on my team.”

“Look at me.” His stern, quiet voice brokered no argument; it never had. Reluctantly, Arlow put the wardrobe at her back and did as he ordered. Her eyes were steely and the hard line of her jaw invited no comfort—not that she expected he would have offered, anyway.

His own expression was as inscrutable as always, almost foreboding in the odd shadows cast by the half-melted candles. For a moment, Arlow had the sense of how everyone else must see the Fifth Talon—terse, unyielding, the quiet threat of an expert assassin without any of the care that she was accustomed to.

It almost chilled her enough to make her relent. Almost—but her hands were still numb, and her heart still hurt. She still needed the anger, or she was going to get someone else killed.

“No, I—“ Viago cleared his throat. “No. You should go.”

Before we say something we both regret, Arlow thought. She knew what it would be for her. As he glanced away—he never looked away first—she wondered what he was afraid of letting slip. And she wondered, as she gave him her back, if he, too, felt the painful echo of watching her walk away.

She left.

#my writing #dragon age #da4 #viago de riva #veilguard spoilers #viago & rook #rook de riva #oc: arlow de riva #arlow & viago #dragon age fanfic #dav #dragon age the veilguard #something something arlow was in the fade prison for weeks and even though that's condensed for her while she's in the fade #when she gets out and reality reasserts itself I think she would experience all of that time in a condensed brick and it would fuck her up #so it's going to haunt her for a bit 😌#and viago is the most emotionally constipated father figure how did this happen I love him

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leapingbadger · 1 month ago

Text

Withdrawal

Summary: – Crosshair runs out of toothpicks on a mission and the rest of the Batch must feel his wrath.

Read on AO3

“Hunter, we’ve got a problem?” Tech said as he approached Hunter, sat at the communications array or the Marauder.

Hunter sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was not what he wanted to hear after the last mission went awry, causing delays.

“Is there something wrong with the ship?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“No,”

“Are they fighting again? Just tell Wrecker to stop hitting him with Lula,” Hunter said as his hands prodded the keys on the console.

“No, it’s not that,” Tech said, shooting a worried glance behind him.

“Tech,” Hunter said, spinning his chair to face his brother, “I am good at many things, but mind reading isn’t one of them.”

“It’s Crosshair,” Tech whispered, “he’s on his last two toothpicks,”

Hunter stood up, shoving his brother into the cockpit, looking around for his severe brother. He lowered his voice, “how is that possible? What about the backup pack?”

“He lost it on Felicia” Tech said matter-of-factly.

“What about the one in the med kit?”

“He used it when Wrecker was piloting the Marauder.”

“Kriff it,” Hunter said under his breath. “Well, you said he had two left, right? Maybe he can make those last.”

“I suppose so,” Tech said, “we’re heading home soon, correct? maybe we won’t have to worry about it.”

Hunter looked shifty, “Actually we just got new orders. We’ll be gone another few rotations.”

A loud argument sounded from the steps of the ship.

“Wrecker, you made me break my toothpick.”

“Karabast!” Tech said.

“All I’m saying is, if we hadn’t dropped the explosives, we would have had a cleaner exit, and I wouldn’t currently be fixing blaster holes in the side of my ship.” Tech spat.

The fire crackled in from of them, the embers drifting steadily up into the dark night sky. Hunter heard strange noises emanating from the woods and was only partially paying attention to the argument in front of him.

“If we hadn’t dropped the explosives, you wouldn’t have a ship at all,” Wrecker growled, waving his ration stick threateningly at his brother.

“That is wholly inaccurate,”

“The Kriff it is,” Crosshair said, taking his toothpick out of his mouth and prodding the air between them with it.

Hunter and Tech exchanged a glance, “It doesn’t matter how we did it. It was another win. No matter how messy. The next one will be better,” Hunter said confidently, trying to cool the tempers. He took a bite of his ration stick and gave Tech a pointed look.

“I…I will yield in this particular case,” Tech said reluctantly.

“What?” Wrecker said dumbfounded, “that’s never happened before, has it Cross?” He hugged his stern brother before beating him in the face with his favorite tooka doll.

“Dank ferric, Wrecker. You made me drop my toothpick again,”

Tech caught Hunter’s eyes and shook his head slightly. The Sergeant ran his hands over his face and took a deep breath. It was going to be a long couple of days.

Crosshair had developed a fixation on his toothpicks thanks to a particularly surly bounty hunter during training. Frustrated with his penchant for sticking his tongue out as he took a shot, he gave him a toothpick to chew on and the rest was history. Hunter couldn’t remember a time when the floor of the barracks wasn’t littered with Crosshair’s discarded wooden shards, usually flicked in a moment of anger or for emphasis.

He had run out a couple of times over the years. Once when they were still cadets, and he’d only recently started using them. The somber mood that followed still gave Wrecker the occasional nightmare.

The next time was during one of their early missions as they were stuck behind enemy lines, unable to get to his backup on the Marauder. He had done his personal best during that mission. Taking out more droids than the rest of them combined. Hunter thought if he could have stabbed each droid in the eye with a toothpick he would have.

They were only a few hours into a toothpickless Crosshair, and the strain was already starting to show. He had pulled off his right glove and was gnawing on his fingernails. His thumbnail was already down to the quick.

“We have to do something, or he won’t have any nails left,” Hunter said to Tech quietly.

“Perhaps we could distract him. A game of Sabaac or some combat training?”

Hunter was already exhausted from the mission and had no desire to enter into hand to hand combat with a cranky Crosshair. He may lose a hand.

“What if we try to teach him other things? Maybe you can show him your datapad…”

“Crosshair had shown no interest in procurement of information or the datapad itself,” Tech said

“Kriff it, Wrecker, could you breathe any louder?” Cross snapped as Wrecker looked up alarmed.

Tech sighed, adjusting his goggles and walking to the back of the ship. “Crosshair, would you be interested in learning more about my datapad. It had the most up to date…”

“No…” Crosshair said sulkily, arms crossed over his chest.

Tech turned around immediately, “I tried,” he said to Hunter, nose buried in the datapad as he sank into the pilot’s seat.

Wrecker was bench pressing Gonky in the middle of the ship.

“Hey, Wreck. Maybe see if Cross wants to join you?” Hunter said encouragingly. Wrecker’s eyes lit up.

“Hey Cross, you wanna…”

“No,” The sniper said, feet dangling off the stairs to the gunner’s mount.

The next few days were tedious and long. Crosshair couldn’t interact with his brother’s without snarling but refused to admit to the reason. The mission was a success, almost an afterthought. Hunter wasn’t worried about surviving the Separatists and much as surviving his brother. A cloud followed Crosshair around wherever he went, and he was desperate to share the rain with the rest of them.

The night before they were set to leave, Hunter had had enough. Wrecker had made the fire three times larger than necessary. Flamed shot high over their heads into the starry night. He again heard rumblings in the forest at the edge of the clearing, but this time wasn’t able to tune out the bickering occurring around him.

“No cheating, Wrecker,” Cross hissed at his brother.

“I wasn’t,” Wrecker cried sounding wounded.

“You were trying to look at my cards,”

“I was not, Hunter was…”

Hunter took a deep breath and stood up, "enough of this. Crosshair, cover me. I’ll be right back,”

Crosshair looked questioningly as Hunner strode towards the tree line.

“What exactly are you…” Tech started but Hunter strode right past him, unsheathing his vibrokife as he did so.

Once at the trees he examined the bark, running his gloved hands over a couple before pausing. The bark on the tree in front of him was loose and peeling away. He pulled it off carefully revealing virgin wood underneath.

Hunter carefully cut a small section of the tree with his knife before barrel rolling out of the way of an unsee assailant, knife raised.

Pew! A single shot rang out from Crosshair’s firepuncher, scaring the creature away. Hunter nodded his thanks to his brother and continued to work before finally returning to the campfire.

“Thanks Cross,” he said as he sat down.

“Are you going to tell us what you were doing?”

“In a minute,” he said, still working his knife through the wood. “Did he stick his tongue out?” Hunter asked his brothers with a smile.

Tech and Wrecker laughed as they nodded their heads.

Crosshair growled but stopped as Hunter sat up straight and passed something to him.

“What’s this?” he asked, clearly already knowing the answer.

“Toothpicks. At least, makeshift ones until we get back to Kamino,”

Crosshair glanced down at the pile of misshapen wooden shards in his hand and nodded his thanks to his brother. He picked one up, tentatively placing one between his lips.

“I’m probably going to get a splinter,” he said, with a slight smile.

“You’re welcome, Crosshair.” Hunter said.

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zoeykallus · 10 months ago

Text

TBB x Gender-neutral Reader (Extended) HCs – Lost Something? Part 2/3/4/5

(Echo/Wrecker/Tech/Crosshair)

Warnings: Partly Slightly Suggestive/Mostly Fluff/Tiny Bit Angsty

This is the continuation of this request:

Reader stole the batcher's weapon. Let's see how they get it back.

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

Echo

Echo runs through the Marauders like a startled chicken, followed by the confused looks of his team. "Has anyone seen my blaster?" Hunter, who is putting on his gloves, looks over at him. "You lost your blaster?" Echo sighs annoyed and says, "No I haven't" Wrecker says with a raised eyebrow, "But you can't find it" "Yeah" Tech shrugs his shoulders without looking up from his holopad and says, "Sounds to me like you lost it" Echo waves it off in annoyance and insists, "No I haven't. I never lose parts of my equipment" It annoys him that he doesn't know where his blaster is, he was sure he'd left it with the rest of his gear when he went to bed that night and he says so. Crosshair leans out of his bunk, rolling a toothpick from one corner of his mouth to the other before saying. "You didn't go to bed alone last night I take it"

Echo's ears turn red. He pauses briefly in his movement, then turns to the Sniper. "What makes you think that?" Crosshair smirks, takes the toothpick out of his mouth and says, "You were alone on the Marauder for most of the night, I assume you took advantage of that fact." Wrecker asked excitedly, "Ooooh, Echo has a lover? Instead of answering, Echo rushes out of the room, locks himself in the cockpit and immediately starts a holo-call. His heart is pounding in his throat as your face appears on the holo, not just because he's upset and excited, the sight of you alone is enough to raise his pulse. "Took you long enough," you say with a cheeky smile. "You've got my blaster" It's not a question, it's a statement. Inwardly, he's annoyed that Crosshair thought of it before him. You lift the blaster into the holo for him to see. Echo lets out a deep sigh, relieved, a little annoyed. "I need it back," he says sternly.

You smile unperturbed and say, "I thought so. Then come and get it" "But-" You hang up before he can finish the sentence. A little stunned, Echo stares at the spot where the holo with your face used to be. When Echo comes out of the cockpit, he literally stomps through the main room towards the ramp. Hunter asks him cautiously, "Where are you going?" "Spanking someone's ass," Echo growls. "Kinky." Echo's eyes spark as he snaps, "Shut Up, Crosshair" The Sniper leans back in his bunk, unimpressed, chuckling softly.

You've been out all day, had some things to do. Echo didn't try to call again. But as you land your shuttle at the usual landing spot and open your ramp, you hear his footsteps on the ramp and in the ship before you even leave the cockpit.

He stops in the doorway to the cockpit, his gaze so serious and stony that at first you can't help but gulp. After a few seconds, you find your voice again. "Have you been waiting on the landing pad all day?" "Yes" The answer is very curt, a little abrupt. He stretches out his remaining hand, challenging you with a steely gaze. You feel yourself shrinking under his gaze as you pull out the blaster and place it in his hand. Echo holsters the weapon directly, still staring at you. "I should spank your behind" You say cheekily, "Okay. Do you want me to take my clothes off first?" Echo raises a brow in confusion, but he doesn't stop you from unbuttoning your flight suit. "Somehow I imagined it would be different," he says, a little beside himself. "Disappointed? Should I stop?" Echo licks his lips and shakes his head.

"Uh, no it's okay, we'll see where this takes us" You laugh softly, kiss his heated cheek and say, "Well, I was hoping to my bunk"

Wrecker

It's a beautiful evening. The weather is warm, but not too hot. The dinner was delicious, and the atmosphere great. A perfect moment to pass the time with Wrecker. The nice thing about Wrecker is that he's up for any kind of nonsense and is anything but a party pooper. You've been fooling around for a while now. You've managed to take his blaster out of its holster and to get it back, Wrecker has been chasing you around the massive dining table on one of the terraces on Pabuu for a few minutes now. The others have long since left the scene, some laughing or grinning, others (Crosshair) rolling their eyes. You giggle happily and change direction every time he tries to trick you. A little out of breath, you tell him, "I won't make it that easy for you!" Wrecker lets out a cheerful laugh that almost sounds like thunder. "I'll get you one way or another, just wait and see" As he changes direction again, you do the same, squealing happily.

"We'll see about that," you answer cheekily. You have to hand it to Wrecker, as impatient as he sometimes is, when it comes to fun and games, he usually has the patience of an angel. You've been running around for so long, your lungs are starting to burn, your faces are flushed with exertion, but you both grin happily when your eyes meet. But then something happens that you don't expect. With a cheerful exclamation, Wrecker grabs the massive table and throws it behind him, removing the barrier between the two of you. He suddenly stands very close to you and grins down at you. You look up at him, still holding his blaster. "Told you I'd get you," he says, amused. "What the hell.... what happened to my table?" You both look to the side, startled, to where an exasperated Phee crosses her slender arms in front of her chest. "Uh," Wrecker begins, "We were just fooling around a bit."

Phee rolls her eyes and asks, "And you had to destroy my table to do that? Who's going to replace it for me?" A sigh is heard from the other direction, followed shortly by Hunter's unmistakable voice. "Wrecker. Care to explain that to me?" The giant shrugs his shoulders and says with a sweeping gesture, "We were fooling around and then things went off the rails" "So nothing new," Hunter sighs, "Do me a favor and go fool around somewhere you can't destroy anything" You look at Wrecker and ask, "Beach?" Wrecker grins broadly at you. "Beach!" he confirms, nodding and running after you. Phee and Hunter look after you both. The squad leader sighs again, whereupon Phee says amusedly, "Those two will be your downfall one day" Hunter laughs softly, "I know"

Tech

Tech is obsessively rummaging through his things in his bunk. "That's not possible..." Crosshair has been watching his brother in silence for a while now, but finally asks, "Did you lose something?" Tech grinds his teeth before answering, "My blasters are gone" Crosshair frowns. "Both of them?" "Both of them," Tech confirms, vigorously adjusting his goggles. "You're a slob, I wouldn't find anything in this mess either," the Sniper grumbles dryly. Tech takes a deep breath, straightens up and looks at his brother seriously. "I'm not a slob," he replies critically "Yes you are, you're a total slob, you hardly ever put anything away. Your bunk looks like a garbage dump" Tech touches his forehead as if he has a headache, then raises his finger in the air and says, "I don't need order to find my way around. I don't have to obsessively tidy everything like you do, no matter how messy my stuff and my bunk are, I always know exactly where my stuff is" Crosshair smirks and teases, "Then you certainly know where your blasters are"

Tech's ears turn red, he turns away and rummages around in his bunk for a while, sighing again and again in frustration. "Didn't you have a visitor yesterday?" Crosshair asks meaningfully. Tech turns back to him. "Yes, I did have a visitor. And?" Crosshair shrugs his shoulders suggestively. "If the blasters are suddenly gone, maybe someone took them." Tech frowns. "No, that can't be. They wouldn't do that. Why would they do that?" Crosshair shrugs again, leans back in his bunk and says, "How should I know? It's not my love interest." With a bright red head, Tech leaves the Marauder to make his way to you.

You are looking out of your window when you see him walking across the courtyard. He seems to be deep in thought and keeps shaking his head. You smile, apparently he has noticed that his blasters are missing. Shortly afterwards, you hear your doorbell ring. Tech keeps his finger on the bell for longer than necessary, a very energetic ring. You press the door opener without using the intercom. When he arrives at your apartment, he has already raised his finger. "How many times do I have to tell you not to just press the door opener? You have to make sure who's at the door, it's dangerous!" You say calmly, "I saw you at the window. But it's sweet that you're worried about me" Tech sighs softly, straightens his shoulders and straightens up a little. "I'd like my blasters back" "That's what I thought. But I want something in return" Tech frowns and asks, "So you stole my blasters to extort something from me?"

Now you frown, "Well, when you put it like that, it sounds so crude and unromantic" His eyebrows move upwards in surprise. He asks confused, "Stealing my blasters was a romantic gesture?" You laugh softly and say as warmth rises in your cheeks, "I was going to ask for some of those sweet kisses you gave me yesterday in exchange" The corners of Tech's mouth twitch, his ears turn red, and he nervously shuffles his foot on the floor. "I only gave you one kiss yesterday. That was our first kiss," he corrects. When he thinks about it, his pulse starts to race again, his heart beats wildly and his body is suddenly filled with this incredible lightness again. "That's right. But now I want more," you say, biting your lower lip. Tech, steps closer and says, "A kiss for every blaster?" "Two per blaster," you say hastily, your ears already glowing hot and your puls racing through you. Tech smirks. "Okay, I think we can do that"

Crosshair

"No" "But-" "No," the Sniper repeats seriously, "This is not a weapon for beginners. You'll learn with the training rifle first and when I think you're ready, I might let you shoot with the Firepuncher" You sigh and roll your eyes. He has just turned his back to you and is putting the training gun away, but still he says, "Stop rolling your eyes. You're learning from me because I'm the professional, so trust my judgment too" "You're stupid," you say, pouting. Crosshair chuckles softly, turns to you and asks, "Then why do you keep coming here to train with me?" You point at his gun and say, "Because I want to shoot that thing someday" His eyebrows move upwards, and he asks, "So you only come here for the Firepuncher?" You shrug your shoulders and say cheekily, "Mostly" "You're a bad liar," Crosshair says, amused. You laugh and ask, "Why? What do you think I came here for?" Crosshair spreads his arms and strikes a pose. "To use my brother's words - isn't it obvious?..."

"You think I'm here for you?" you ask with a grin, "Well, maybe a little, but I think the Firepuncher is hotter" Crosshair laughs and continues packing. "Can't say I blame you" You watch him pack up the gear, then you hear his brother call out to him from the shuttle. "Excuse me a moment," Crosshair says, and disappears up the ramp inside. Your eyes fall on the case with the Firepuncher. You can't help yourself, you can't resist. You open the case, grab the gun and close the case again. You know he'll be angry, but the temptation is just too powerful.

When Crosshair comes out again and sees that you've already left, he sighs softly. He likes your visits, likes talking to you. Whenever you part ways, he feels a certain longing to have you with him for longer. He comforts himself with the thought that you will come back, if only because of the Firpuncher. He smiles and reaches for his weapon case, but his smile freezes. The case is clearly too light. He hastily puts the case back down and opens it. Empty. "You lousy little..." With a growl, the Sniper sets off. He already suspects where you might be.

The rifle is heavier than you expected, just aiming it properly is a challenge. "Maybe I should lie down," you mutter quietly to yourself. "And pull your pants down while you're at it, so I can spank your ass!" Crosshair's smoky voice startles you so much that you hastily turn around with an already embarrassingly high-pitched yelp and drop the gun on the grass. You stumble backwards as he comes towards you and almost fall, but the Sniper grabs the collar of your jacket just in time to hold you steady. "Not only are you stealing my gun, now you're dropping it!" "Not on purpose!" you say hurriedly and adjust your jacket as he lets go of you with a snort. His serious eyes bore into yours, and you don't even dare to blink for a long moment. Cautiously, you ask him, "How upset are you?" Crosshair crosses his arms in front of his chest and sighs heavily. "Very, to say the least." You smile wryly and say, "But you stopped me from falling down, so you don't hate me too much" He rolls his eyes, unknots his arms and picks up the Firepuncher from the grass. "Lie down," he grumbles. "What?" you ask, perplexed.

Impatiently, he snaps his fingers repeatedly and grumbles, "Do you want to learn something or not?" You hastily lie down on your stomach in the grass, Crosshair lies down next to you, presses the rifle into your hands and shows you how to use it properly. "How did you actually find me?" you want to know. Crosshair snorts softly and says almost gently, "This is where we practiced for the first time." "You remember that?" He rolls his eyes and says, "I never forget anything" You take a few practice shots and it goes well. Satisfied, you turn your head in his direction and smile. His expression doesn't say much, but he says, "Not bad for an amateur" As you look at him a little longer, studying the lines on his face, unable to help but admire his face, Crosshair suddenly snaps, "Stop staring at me like a love-struck dove, look at your target" As you hurriedly look forward again, your ears getting hot, a smile twitches at the corners of his mouth. He likes you too, very much so, but he won't tell you anytime soon.

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

@rintheemolion

@andyoufollowyourheart @clone-whore-99

@brynhildrmimi @kaliel2310

@misogirl828 @tech-deck

@meshla-madalene

@chxpsi

@thebahdbitch

@nahoney22 @ladykatakuri

@darkangel4121

@ttzamara

@arctrooper69

@padawancat97

@agenteliix

@allsystemsblue

@palliateclaw

@either-madness-or-brilliance

@ortizshinkaroff

@andy-solo1

@hunterssecretrecipe

@heyitsaloy

@greaser-wolf

@extrahotpixels

@hated-by-me

@hunterxcrosshair

@malicemercy

@bebopsworld

@echos-girlfriend

@cpnt616

@dangraccoon

@jediknightjana

@pb-jellybeans

@antishadow2021

@sleepycreativewriter

@projectdreamwalker

@1vlouds

@clonelovr

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dindjarindiaries · 7 months ago

Text

In Peace, There Is Love

summary: Months after Tantiss in the peacefulness of Pabu, you find it impossible to ignore the feelings you’ve always had for Hunter.

pairing: hunter (the bad batch) x reader

tags: friends to lovers, references to trauma, confessions, fluff with light angst

note: This is inspired by a prompt request from @ladysw01—thank you!

rating: T

word count: 2.846k

main masterlist • hunter masterlist

It was hard not to catch the warm chuckle that tumbled from Hunter’s lips from further down the dock. You looked up from where you’d been watching your feet kick up beads of water to see him smiling and nodding as he engaged in conversation with one of the fishers he was helping. The breeze coming off the water rustled through his hair that was beginning to curl thanks to the island’s humidity.

But what really caught your breath were the golden flecks in his brown gaze as his stare found yours for a moment, his eyes creasing as he returned the smile you hadn’t realized you were wearing.

He focused back on the crates he was lifting, and you couldn’t look away. You still hadn’t gotten used to seeing him so much more relaxed, having long since exchanged his tactical clothes for those more fit for island life. It let his skin breathe, and for you, well… it meant the scenery was only getting even better on this beautiful island.

“You should tell him.”

Crosshair’s cool tone startled you, making your head snap towards him. He was sitting next to you on the edge of the dock, smirking as he set a new toothpick between his lips. Island life had started to change Crosshair for the better, too, from his slowly growing hair to his relaxed attire. He was definitely becoming more like himself again, the man you had known back before the end of the war.

You blinked a few times to silence the musings in your mind and focus on his words. When you did, your eyes widened at him. “What?”

Crosshair huffed and gestured with his eyes behind you. “Hunter.”

You glanced over your shoulder, catching Hunter’s gaze again before he looked away. Your heart told you the flush in his cheeks was for you, but your rational mind reminded you of the activity he was doing in the hot sun. “Tell him what?”

When you looked back at Crosshair, you were met with a raised eyebrow, and he had even plucked the toothpick between the fingers on his left hand. “Sunny.” He set the toothpick back down. “You know what I’m talking about.”

You sighed in defeat, tucking your hands underneath your thighs and setting your gaze back on the water again. “I don’t know, Crosshair. That’s probably not a good idea.”

“Why?”

You paused to listen to the droplets of water splatter around your feet as you sifted through your thoughts. “We’ve all found such peace here. Everything is perfect just as it is. If I’m honest with him, and I’m wrong…” you shook your head, “I would feel horrible ruining that peace.”

Crosshair snickered. “You’re not gonna be wrong.”

You furrowed your brow. “What makes you so sure?”

Crosshair said nothing at first, though his gaze yet again gestured to Hunter behind you. His voice lowered even more as he spoke to you. “He’s been staring at you ever since I sat down.”

You shrugged, even as a smile started to tug at the corners of your lips. “Well, I was staring at him too, to be fair. Maybe he thinks something’s wrong.”

Crosshair shook his head. “You’re helpless.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “I’m not!” You crossed your arms and lowered your stare as you searched for a response. “I’m just… careful.”

Crosshair chuckled. “Sounds like something Hunter would say.” You huffed and jostled his shoulder with your own. He kept his smirk. “You’ve been ‘careful’ for years.” You shot him a look, but he continued before you could say anything. “I didn’t need to be here for all of them to know that.”

“You sure are talkative today.”

“Don’t get used to it.” Crosshair’s features returned to his usual severity. “Listen. We’re all at peace, but we’re also all living with a lot of regrets. There’s an absence that’s… heavily felt.” He paused, and you were right there with him. No one had gotten the chance to say goodbye to him, but Crosshair especially. “Do you really want to add another regret to that list?”

You focused on the water again and took a deep breath. It was maddening how right he was. “You’re too much like him sometimes, you know.” Your tone was playful, despite the unspoken sadness of your words.

“Oh, I’m being much nicer about it than he would’ve been.” Crosshair was smiling even if you could still spot the dullness that sat within his gaze for a moment. He then stood, and you were pleased to see that he was getting used to pushing off his left hand. Crosshair raised his brow at you before he walked off. “The longer you wait, Sunny, the harder it’s gonna be. Trust me.”

You heaved another breath as you heard him walk off. Your gaze fell to the water, but this time, you watched it gently ripple over your feet. Crosshair had made it sound so easy to do, as if you hadn’t been mulling over these feelings for years—just like he had said. At least the war, jobs, and brief fight against the Empire had kept you busy enough to make it less of a priority. Now, it was even harder to hide it.

“Hey, Sunny!” You smiled before you even looked up at Omega, who was taking Crosshair’s previous place beside you with a bowl of fruits in her hand. “I brought you a snack.”

You beamed as you took one from the bowl. “Thanks, Megs.”

The two of you ate a few bites in pleasant silence together until Omega was ready to speak again. “You’ve sure taken an interest in the water today.” She wrinkled her brow, unsure. “Or the fish.”

You laughed and shook your head. “No, I’ve just been thinking.”

Omega’s gaze became more curious. “About what?”

You stayed silent, though the guilty smile that started to stretch on your lips gave you away.

Omega let out a quiet yet joyful gasp. “Is today the day?”

You sighed and closed your eyes. “I don’t know. Crosshair’s trying to talk me into it.”

Omega playfully rolled her eyes at you. “Of course you’ll do it when it’s Crosshair.”

You chuckled and set a hand on Omega’s shoulder. “No offense, Megs, but I’m a lot more scared of him than I am of you.” You stole a look at Crosshair, your brow furrowing as you realized he was talking to Hunter. “He’d actually do something to me if I didn’t take his advice.”

Omega’s eyes narrowed. “And you think I won’t?”

There was some kind of mischief in her gaze that you didn’t like. You lifted your hands in surrender as she set the bowl of fruit aside. “What are you scheming?”

Omega looked beyond you, catching someone’s gaze before she nodded and set her attention back on you. “Sorry, Sunny, but you’re gonna want to hold your breath.”

The apology came just before Omega’s leg wrapped around yours and gave it a hard tug. At the same time, her arm gave you a subtle shove, but it was just enough to set you off balance. You slipped off the edge and fell into the bright blue water, disrupting its peaceful surface with a splash that was no doubt much bigger than the ones your feet had been making before.

As soon as you resurfaced, you coughed a few times, having failed to heed Omega’s instructions. You wiped your eyes before you found her, her expression masterfully crafted into one of genuine surprise as she played her part. But she wasn’t alone.

Hunter already had a hand outstretched to you. “You okay?”

You nodded, taking his hand and letting him pull you back up onto the dock with ease. He kept a hand on your back as you coughed a few more times. Hunter only leaned away to accept a towel one of the fishers had handed him, and he was quick to ease it over your shoulders.

“Got a little close to the water there, Sunny.” Hunter’s tone was laced with amusement, but you didn’t miss the concern hiding there, either.

“Yeah,” you responded, your voice slightly hoarse as you narrowed your eyes at Omega. “You can thank Omega for that.”

Omega was so good at acting you nearly felt bad at the way her brow furrowed in genuine worry and regret. “I didn’t think you’d actually try to get that close! I’m sorry, Sunny.”

You smiled at her. You could never stay mad at her for long. “It’s okay.”

Once your breathing was even again, Hunter helped you to stand, despite the fact you didn’t really need his assistance. You beamed as he set his hand on your back again and gestured with his head towards the island. “C’mon. Let’s get you some dry clothes.”

You nodded, letting him lead you away. You spared a look over your shoulder to find Crosshair and Omega, who smirked and waved at you respectively as you walked away. You shook your head at them and faced forward. They were becoming a seriously troublesome duo, even worse than her and Wrecker.

Hunter started to lead you to the stone stairs, but you composed yourself with a careful breath and spoke up. “Can we take the scenic route?” Hunter turned to you and raised an eyebrow. Your stare gestured to the sand. “Along the shore?”

It wasn’t hard to convince him. Hunter smiled and nodded, using his hand on your back to steer you towards the shore. You looked down in shyness, composing your thoughts as you did so. This was such an impractical route to take, and yet Hunter hadn’t hesitated in saying yes. Maybe Crosshair had been right, after all.

But one of you was going to have to be brave enough to speak up, and Crosshair and Omega had deliberately given you this opportunity to do it.

Hunter walked between you and the water, no doubt on the lookout for threats even as he studied you. His gaze was warmer than the sun on your skin. His voice, however, was softer than ever as he spoke. “Sunny?”

You met his stare and let it relax you. “Yeah?”

There was a knit in his brow as he brought himself closer to your side. His voice lowered even more than before. “Your heart is beating really fast right now.”

You laughed and broke your gaze, nodding as you watched your feet tread over the sand. “There’s no hiding from you, is there?”

Hunter’s arm brushed yours. “You don’t ever have to hide from me.”

You beamed and met his stare again. “I know.” You released a steady exhale and looked beyond him for a moment, studying the gentle crashing of the waves on the shore. “That’s why I think it’s time I finally tell you something.”

Hunter softened before his own gaze fell to his feet. There was no mistaking the flush on his cheeks that time, even with the tattooed side facing you. “I have something to tell you, too.”

You slowed your pace. It would have been impossible for him to miss the skip in your heartbeat as you processed his words. “Yeah?”

Hunter stopped, turning to face you fully as he nodded. “Yeah.”

You searched his eyes, watching the golden flecks grow even with his silhouette casting them in a shadow. “Should I go first?”

Hunter was clearly giving you the same assessment. “If you want.”

“I think you already know what I’m gonna say.”

“I’d really like to hear you say it.”

You chuckled and looked down in shyness once again. Hunter’s hand rose to your chin, gently easing your head back up to face him again. He offered you a small smile and a nod.

“You can do it.”

You, however, were utterly lost in him. With the sun at his back, it was as if there was an angelic kind of glow around him, highlighting the curling ends of his hair that were either falling out of his bandana or resting on his neck. His brown gaze was so utterly devoted to you that you forgot anything except the words you managed to form on your tongue. “You’re so handsome.”

Hunter’s eyes widened in surprise before he let out a huff of sweet disbelief. His stare broke away from yours as he looked to the side for a moment, and his jaw circled as he found the faith to face you again. “Is that really what you wanted to say?”

“I had to tell you that first.”

His gaze flickered to your lips. “Did you?”

You nodded.

He was getting closer, and you didn’t stop him. “What else?”

You hummed, a substitution for words that wouldn’t come. He knew. Of course he knew, and you did, too.

“You said you had to tell me that first.” Hunter stopped when his forehead was just about to meet yours, his brow raising before he went on. “What’s the second thing?”

It was your turn to steal a look at his lips. “I’m not really good at explaining.” The corners of your mouth began to rise in a sly smile, one that was hopefully more confident than the incessant pounding of your heart against your chest. “Can I just show you instead?”

Hunter nodded, and that was all it took. The longing and tension of countless years came over you, bringing your hand to the back of his neck and closing the distance that had been standing between the two of you for way too long.

It was impossible to make sense of anything around you the moment your lips met his. He was sweeter and softer than you could have ever imagined, especially as he drew you in closer with a firm yet respectful grasp on your waist. Both your arms clasped around his neck, keeping him as close as you could have him. After all these years of unnecessary distance, you weren’t taking the chance of keeping any space between you.

But then a voice managed to break through your blissful ignorance, whooping with the same amount of joy that was burning your chest. “Yes!”

You and Hunter broke apart and turned your heads to find the source of it. Omega was covering Wrecker’s mouth with his hand as she stood between him and Crosshair on one of the nearby stone staircases, allowing themselves a clear view of the two of you.

It was impossible to stay serious. You laughed and hid your face in Hunter’s chest, and he used his hand to welcome you there as he chuckled with you. It seemed like you two weren’t the only ones who were seeking this relief, after all.

“Let me guess.” You grinned at the mere thought of it and lifted your head to face him again. “Crosshair?”

Hunter nodded before his stare flickered to the three of them. “Omega?”

You lifted your brow. “And Crosshair.”

“Both?” Hunter gave his head a fond shake. “They’ve really outdone themselves.”

You shot them a look over your shoulder. “We really need to stop letting them spend so much time together.”

Hunter reached a new conclusion as his brow furrowed. He gave you a concerned once-over. “Did she push you in?”

You had to keep yourself from laughing for the sake of his genuine worry as you nodded. “Does that surprise you?”

Hunter tightened his jaw, despite the new light of amusement in his eyes, as he looked off to Omega and raised his voice. “Omega!”

Omega’s squeal echoed off the stones as you looked to see her running off with Batcher. Crosshair and Wrecker followed, though they didn’t match her quick pace. You laughed before you shivered as the cool ocean breeze rippled across your wet clothes. “So, about those dry clothes?”

Hunter amusement was traded for severity as he nodded and settled into his caretaker self. “Yeah, we’ll get a move on.” He stole one more breathtaking kiss that felt so much more natural than you could’ve ever expected before he reached for your hand. “No more scenic routes.”

You giggled and nodded to agree. “Unless…” You swung your hands between you.

Hunter gave you a warm look. “Special occasions.” He gently pulled you closer and used his free hand to tighten the towel that was still around your shoulders. “This is an emergency.”

You gave your eyes a roll, despite the way his genuine protectiness warmed your entire being. Crosshair had, of course, been right before: nothing was as sweet as embracing this truth and abandoning all regret. Now, you would never have to imagine a life without having him the way you’ve been wanting for so long.

main masterlist • hunter masterlist

hunter tag list: @zenrobbins0021 @cw80831 @yunggoblin @maddiedrmr @molmcb

#finally something cute from your local angst and hurt/comfort writer #hunter bad batch #tbb hunter #hunter tbb #hunter bad batch x reader #hunter tbb x reader #tbb hunter x reader #the bad batch #the bad batch fanfiction #dindjarindiaries

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squad-724 · 4 months ago

Text

Behold! More mer batch! Part 1 out of 3

Crossshair’s first day in the Pabu Sea Sanctuary

Warning for blood and heavy skin burns

This time with a snippet provided by @pinetree-tbb who did an unbelievably fantastic job at writing this three parter!

Crosshair woke up slowly, taking a few deep breaths and letting the cool water flow through his gills. He felt weird, like something was missing. Did his brothers let him oversleep? He made a small move to straighten out his tail, a sudden jolt of pain waking him up instantly.

With a gasp he raised up, eyes open and watching the room around him. He wasn’t on the ship deck anymore, but it didn’t look like underneath it either.

No, the room was stationary and clean. The lights were all turned off, but a smell of antiseptic and medicine lingered in the air. Instead of wet wood he was curled up in a sort of small pool with a weird aftertaste to it, fresh instead of salty. The last thing he remembered clearly was Hunter reaching for him while the imperial humans tossed him overboard into the ocean, the face of the man who tortured him and took his brothers. He had to find them!

He pushed himself up on his skeletally thin arms that almost gave up under his weight to look around. The pond he was placed in was below the floor level, covered under a dome made of a construction similar to lobster trap, but much bigger. Crosshair narrowed his eyes and went underwater again, then he looked at himself. The net was gone and was replaced with bandages in all the places the nylon broke through his skin and scales. All the wounds got dressed, but because of the wet environment the blood was still flowing, although slowly. Mer blood clots much quicker than human.

It would have to do. With one wave of his tail he was at the wall of the pool and trying to haul himself up to reach the metal bars that covered his prison. It took him a few tries, but he was able to hang on one of his elbows and rest before trying to reach the locking mechanism. Unfortunately that’s when the doors to the room opened and the outside illuminated the room. Crosshair hissed, shielded his eyes from the sudden light, dropped back into the pond and retreated into the opposite side of the pond.

"Well look who’s up, Kix! He's awake!" A female voice rang out as she entered the room and looked through the metal bars, dim light burned now and Crosshair could see the shape of a human, distorted by the water. He flicked his tail and bared his teeth as a warning.

"I think he's in a bad mood." She said to the man coming up to her, much taller and wearing a white coat. "Let's leave him alone for a bit longer to get used to the medical pond, then we can see if we can communicate in some way." He noted and with that the humans walked out, leaving the room in the darkness once more.

If they think they can just keep him here, they have another thing coming! Crosshair waited for a while after they left, then went to the edge of the pond again. He pushed himself out of the water. With the same technique as the previous attempt he hung off of his good elbow and pushed the lock of the metal dome open. It took some effort but he was able to drag his whole tail up and through the newly opened hatch.

With a wet flop he landed on the cold ground and hissed in pain, then propped himself up on his once again bleeding arms and crawl-slithered to the door. He tried the handle but it refused to open. Frustrated, he scratched at the door frame, leaving behind a few marks. After a few deep breaths he looked around but there was nothing else in the room. He growled, flicking the tip of his tail in annoyance. He had to get out of there. But how?

The only ones that knew how to open the doors were- the humans! The same ones that had a weird obsession with fixing his wounds. He now had a plan.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

Kix decided to come back in an hour, long enough for their new friend to get more comfortable with the pond and the room. He asked Phee to bring the soundboard, courtesy of the twin in providing sound samples of common phrases in the mer language for arrivals that did not know English. They hoped the eel friend did not come from afar, or the dialect could prove different enough for the tablet to become useless. He did not know of any pod, neither having a territory nor traveling through nearby, with similar features as the new patient.

However, all of his positive approach popped like a balloon when he turned on the lights of the emergency pool room, his horrified gasp making Riyo and Phee rush in too. The eel mer was floating unmoving on the surface of the water, face down.

“Oh no, is he?-” The pink haired woman didn’t get to finish her question before the doctor rushed towards the pool, the latch undone in one good yank and the man rushing to the mer. If it happened recently they still had the chance to help him.

His state was dire but non life threatening, did the starvation make the blood loss so much severe-

His colleague ran a step behind him, ready to assist. Phee stayed out while the two adults raised the patient out of the water, Kix lowering his head to listen for heartbeat.

Fast. Very fast. Same as breath. The eel mer wasn’t unconscious. He was waiting.

Before Kix could run the mer opened his eyes, and with a yelp the doctor was pushed underwater by his long, white tail. Bloodied water rushed into his nose and mouth.

As he choked, Riyo was faced with a snarling mer, blocking his leap towards her neck with her arm. With a strong shake he pushed her to the side and slithered towards the open latch of the pool.

"Don't- cough- let him out!" Kix called, Phee rushed the door, unfortunately not fast enough to outrun the mer, who pushed her to the ground and smashed his shoulder to fully open them. He let out a painful hiss but did not slow after pushing and crawl-slithered out of the room.

"Oisk!" Kix cursed and ran after him, Riyo close behind, grasping her bleeding arm. Phee jumped up to her feet and followed.

"Let's herd him to the Twins!" She called after them.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

He was out! It worked! Now he just had to get out of the building! Crosshair crawl-slithered as quickly as he could, biting down the groans which wanted to come out of him with every move. He didn't know where to go but he kept moving and hissing when someone got into his way. Crosshair heard his blood rushing in his ears and heart beating against his ribcage.

There! That must be the door to go outside! It was a glass door with two wings, fragile, so he threw himself at it trying to make it shatter. He growled and looked around for something heavy but when he turned around he saw the man from before in front of him, holding his hands up, coming slowly closer.

"Easy boy easy, we want to help you."

'Help? Yeah, not falling for that you fishhead!' Crosshair thought. He drew his shoulders up in a threatening manner and let out a deep slow hiss, flicking his tail in. He pushed against the glass behind him, trying to get it to open.

"Easy. Stay calm." The man whispered and came closer.

"I don't think he can understand you Kix." The short, pink haired woman beside him noted.

"Well, I hope he understands my tone and body language."

'Well you obviously don't!' Cross thought and slammed his tail against the glass, letting out another growl. The Kix guy took another step closer and Crosshair lashed out at him with his claws, which made him step back again.

"We have to get him secured before he hurts himself more." The dark skinned woman said, putting a hand on the man's shoulder. When his eyes moved to look at the gesture Crosshair spotted a chair to his left, so he slowly edged closer to it, without looking at it to give away his intention. He just stared down the man, the biggest danger in his current situation. When the chair was within reach he grabbed one of its legs and swung it behind him at the door, the glass shattering into a thousand tiny shards and rattling to the ground. Crosshair turned and rushed through the broken door, ignoring the pain as the pieces pierced his body.

"After him!" He heard the man call behind him but he kept crawling. The rocky concrete under him scrabbed up his hands and tail, and he felt the bandages around his body come loose. A quick look confirmed that his motions on the ground roughed up the bandages and made them tear apart. He had to get into the water. It was noon and the sun was burning from the peak of its travel across the sky, Crosshair running on the fumes of adrenaline, but he couldn’t give up now, he had to go back and find his brothers!

He sniffed the air, his nose filled with the metallic scent of his own blood, but underneath it he was able to smell the salty water of the ocean, in which direction he slithered towards.

Suddenly, a shape blocked his path, the man from the inside, this time a blanket in his hands. Crosshair made a sharp turn, avoiding the piece of cloth as it was thrown towards him, but not slowing down even for a moment, even as the burning concrete ripped a few of his scales. He made another dodge, this time to the left as the pink haired woman made her attempt at blinding him with her blanket.

He ignored the shout made by the man, sounding weirdly delighted, to finally see the shimmer of his destination, water! With a few more pushes forwards he reached the sand and then the blessed ocean. He was out!

FInally able to open his gills he took a deep inhale, letting the cold water flow through them as he swam further away from the humans.

Cross felt a sense of triumph, managing to escape from that place and darted through the currents, but then was abruptly stopped when he slammed into an invisible, no, glass, wall in front of him.

What?! No! No nO NO!!! He swam up to the surface, looking at the wall in disbelief. He turned around and saw the people from before at the beach and realized what they had done. Now it made sense what they wanted with the blankets! They shepherd him into this pond!

Crosshair growled deeply and looked back at the wall, he could easily jump over this. So he dived deeper and rushed upwards gaining speed. In his horror as he sprung out of the water he felt something grip his tail, instantly losing momentum for the jump. Crosshair slammed into the upper edge of the wall, crying out in pain. He tried to hold onto it, but slipped and fell back into the water. He looked around but could not find the reason for his failure of escape, so he quickly tried a second time, but he used up all of his strength he had in the first jump. He slammed into the wall, slipping back down, leaving claw marks on the clear surface. He tried another jump but the adrenaline that kept him going the past few minutes began to wear off, leaving him behind tired and exhausted.

As he slumped back into the water he just went limp and let himself sink. He watched as the surface became more distant and fogged with the slowly seeping blood from the wounds he reopened and obtained in the last few minutes. He looked at his hands, scratched up from the concrete ground and missing two claws which he must have ripped out while climbing. He watched his blood come out of his wounds, mixing with the water in tiny swirls. He was hurt, and tired, he didn't know what to do... He fought to keep his eyes open, but unconsciousness called to claim him...

No. Not here, not out in the open.

Slowly he flipped his tail to make himself turn around and look, spotting a few rocks at the bottom of the pond, in between the sand, corals and seaweed. He inspected it to see if there was enough space, then started to dig. Every move hurt, but he refused to stay out in the open like that. He made himself a hollow in the sand under the rocks and got in, and with his tail he pushed the overstanding sand back to the entrance to make it smaller. With his hand he shoved more ground up to close the entrance and his little shelter turned dark. Crosshair wrapped his long tail around himself and settled down. The hole wasn't big, but that made him feel safer... for now... The sand he laid on was soft, much softer than the sand in the open waters, so he burrowed a bit in with a few wiggles. Now, laying there in his burrow, Crosshair began feeling everything that hit him today. The pain of his wounds has doubled, each and every scab and missing scale sending jolts of stabbing pain. The blood finally stopped flowing when he stayed still, but now the sand got into the cuts caused by the net, and stung horrifically. He was scared. Alone, for the first time since his original pod abandoned him. He wanted Ninety Nine. And Hunter, Tech and Wrecker. He wanted to go back home to the bay. He wanted… to… sleep…

Part 2

#gore #burns #sunburn #warning gore #blood #whump #tbb mermaid au #mermaid au #tbb crosshair #riyo chuchi #phee genoa #clone medic kix #Kix

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