#Crosshair's unimpressed

[alabyte]

Tech: Hello.

Crosshair:

Tech: You're probably wondering why my arms are up to the elbows in the carcass of a wild hssiss.

Crosshair: To be honest, I'm not even surprised.

[roxygen22]

He looks so unimpressed.

STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH | 3.08 BAD TERRITORY

[grayson1996]

"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.

[stellarbit]

Sniper's Revelation

1k words. Warning: We've all wanted to slap him, admit it.

Crosshair pushes you to the edge and it earns him a slap.

Had to get it out of my head. Enjoyyy

  You didn’t know Crosshair could laugh like that. Eyes closed, bent over, and gripping his stomach. It might’ve been beautiful if he wasn’t laughing at you.

While finishing a rendezvous, the Batch offered you the time to use the refresher with privacy. That is, they told you to stay at the ship as backup and you took some liberties. It didn’t take you long. The longest part was waiting for the water to heat and after that you were in and out in a few minutes.

An arm’s reach away, your clothes were slung over a nearby gun rack. The fabric caught for a moment but luckily came free with a good tug. The last thing you wanted was to be caught naked in the breezeway untangling some clothes.

Still dancing into your clothes, you stopped halfway to the cockpit and doubled back to a sliver of mirror. Twisting around you angled each leg side to side until you spotted what you thought you saw. Just as you feared, when you snagged your clothes free you tore some of them too.

You were barely inspecting the damage to your pants when something else caught your attention. Across the room, there sat Crosshair, arms crossed and feet propped up, his gaze fixed somewhere in the mirror. Following his line of sight, you noticed it landed on the rip in the fabric across the backside of your pants. The fabric snagged near the hip and tore across, exposing plenty of skin.

Crosshair's eyes remained fixed on the mirror with a smarmy as he chewed on a toothpick. You suppressed a snarl, waiting until he finally dragged his gaze up your body to lock eyes with you. His arrogant demeanor, knowing that you caught him staring and reveling in it, made your lip curl.

"Looks like you're a little out of uniform," he remarked, nodding towards the mirror.

"Looks like you're slacking," you retorted, biting back.

With a swift motion, Crosshair uncrossed his legs and sat up. He shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "Had enough of the regs," he replied, cocking his head to one side. "Looks like you were the slacker."

Crosshair’s jabs only made you bristle more. You cut right to the chase. “I catch you every time you’re staring.” You ground out. He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward.

“No, you don’t.” And there it was, that shit eating, ‘do it’ look that scrambles your composure.

You stomped your way over to him, his indifference infuriating you. As he flicked his toothpick away, you stood over him, unimpressed by his attempt to meet your challenge with half-hearted defiance.

"One more word, toothpick," you warned. His cocky expression set your resolve in stone. "And I'll knock your eyes into the next galaxy."

Something flickered in his eyes before his mouth twisted into a half-formed retort. Before he could finish, your hand lashed out, striking him across the face and snapping his head to the side. The room fell into an uneasy silence as Crosshair brought his hand to his face, rubbing his jaw. Surprising even yourself, you had finally done it.

Crosshair slowly looked back at you, his breath shallow, controlled and a look on him you’d not seen yet.

Your hand was still in position when he jumped to his feet and grabbed it before you could step back.

“Cross?” You asked hesitantly, using his short name in hopes to soothe his anger. His stare made you feel like prey.

Crosshair’s feet shifted, catching your eye for an instant. With a half step he brought his body within a hands distance of you. His usual steeley tone had remnants of surprise and a muscle in his jaw feathered.

Your eyes were searching his face for any hint of what was going on when, in a low voice, he said, “Do it again.”

Instinctively you tried pull back but Crosshair’s grip on your hand anchored you in place. His grip loosened as he pulled your hand between you to the other side of your body, his knuckles grazing your chest along the way.

He swallowed and repeated, “ I said. Do that again.” Slowly it dawn on you what he was implying. He’d never been slapped before and, judging by his reaction, he very much liked it. 

In disbelief, you looked between your hand hanging in his and his face. There’s no way. Sliding your hand out of his grasp, you pulled it back coyly. “Crosshair you can’t be -”

"Hit me," he growled, his tone leaving no room for argument. That was an order.

When his expression didn't change, you nodded, firmed up your grip, and slapped him again. This time with far less force, testing the waters, but still managing to push his head to the side.

Crosshair took a long, shaky breath, and you could've sworn a shudder ran through him. Those intense sniper eyes locked with yours, holding you in place. He angled his head back and loosed his breath.

He snickered, looking almost impressed, “And here I thought Jedi were opposed to violence.” 

“And I never realized you get hurt so much on missions because you like it.”

He almost got something snarky in when the Marauder’s door released and the landing steps began to extend.

You stepped back to take in the full view: his annoyed and incredulous expression, the red mark appearing on the side of his face, his body still a little stiff. You were almost proud. As a gaggle of voices and footsteps came up the steps, you brushed him off and turned around.

Until you heard a rip and felt more cool air hitting your ass. Your hands shot to the tear in your pants and whipped your head around. Crosshair suddenly coughed, which evolved into a chuckle. He folded into his stomach, bent over and holding his waist, clearly trying to contain himself. He was still snickering when he straightened up and shifted his weight onto one foot. 

With one hand holding the opposite elbow, he held up the missing piece of fabric between two fingers and then placed a new toothpick in his mouth. Passing you, he shoved the fabric into your hand. “Your move.” He mumbled as he walked by.

“Arrogant bastard,” You snapped under his breath.

Continuing to guard the hole in your pants you turned with him.

Echo’s eyebrows shot up upon seeing the red mark on Crosshair’s cheek. “What happened to you?”

“I got bit by a bug.” He hissed in his brother’s face.

Tech shot you an exhausted look, “I said do not rise to his every remark.”

Teeth clenched, you were seething. You were going to kill that sniper one day.

[archivistofnerddom]

This is hilarious and perfect!

Happy Halloween! I drew a haunted house reaction photo with the Bad Batch~ 😱💀

[zoeykallus]

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

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[multi-fan-dom-madness]

Hello

I would like to request a smut prompt for Sergeant Hunter. (Only if you’re up for it oc)

I had ❛ let me come in you, please. i want to fill you up. ❜ in mind. It’s fits him so well 👀

Or, if you’re in the mood for something else,

❛ you're mine, and i take care of what belongs to me. ❜

The choice is yours, cheers ^^

emerges from my cave, writes hurt/comfort instead of smut, disappears back into my cave. sorry nonnie, the smut muse didn't want to cooperate for this one

Tell Me

Summary: Hunter does his best to protect you, but feels he must prove it in more ways than one. Prompt in bold and red.

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: allusions to harassment, Hunter being bad at talking about his feelings, fade to black so nothing NSFW but this blog is still 18+, first kiss, hurt/comfort vibes

You've never experienced Hunter's anger like this. He usually doesn't let his emotions get the better of him and, no matter his own issues, ensures the squad stays mostly on task. Even when hiccups interrupt the plan, he rolls with the punches. The Bad Batch has a 100% mission success rate for a reason. 

But tonight the issue is so much more than a mere hiccup. No, the creep at the cantina was far more unpleasant. 

The squad can gather intel in its sleep; any of you could've staked the cantina out alone and been successful. Hunter had insisted everyone partake. In hindsight, you're glad he pushed for it, even if you and Crosshair both grumbled aloud at Hunter's mother-hennishness. You'd strode straight into the shithole bar, determined to get what you were sent for and get out as quickly as possible. 

Then that stranger got a little too friendly. He'd invaded your personal space and put his hands on you despite your very evident discomfort, reeking of cheap alcohol and bad decisions. 

Hunter had stepped in. Well... he'd done more than that. You're not envious of the stranger and his freshly broken nose.

The sergeant, glowering and shaking his hand out, had growled at the others to stay put and finish the mission. Then he'd all but ordered you back to the ship, giving you no choice but to follow or risk his wrath as well. 

Now, back on board the Marauder, you sigh as your irritation grows, prickly and uncomfortable in your chest. "Hunter."

"What," he snaps. 

"You don't have to babysit me." Crossing your arms, you lean against the bulkhead, fixing him with an unimpressed glare. 

"I'm not—" He turns away, jaw working. Shadows play over his face, backlit by the ship's control panels. His heaving chest gives enough indication that he's mentally working through something.

Softening, you take a step toward him. "Will you at least talk to me?"

His nostrils flare as you move closer. "You— You smell him now." 

"I'm sorry?"

"S'not your fault," he says, misinterpreting your words. His shoulders slump. "It's my job to protect you- you all. And I was so close to failing tonight." 

"Hunter," you say gently, holding one hand out. 

He looks down at your outstretched palm and tentatively reaches to hook your fingertips together. Even through the coarse fabric of his blacks, his warmth scorches through you. Though his nose remains scrunched, when his eyes find yours, he seems to finally step back from the edge of anger. But the emotions continuing to shine in his eyes give you pause. 

Swallowing down the burgeoning hope in your chest forcing out the irritation, you squeeze his fingers. "I appreciate you looking out for me. I really do. But is this about protecting me? Or is this something else? I- I can shower if it's a sensory issue—"

"No," he interrupts. Adjusting his hold, his fingers twine between yours. He tugs you closer. "I mean—it won't be an issue for long. Kark, I'm goin' about this all wrong." 

The sergeant sighs, pulling you in for a hug. While you've embraced him before, surprise hums along your veins. Tentative, you wrap your arms around his middle, and tuck your face into the crook of his neck, where his own scent is strongest, a unique blend of earth and musk and sweat that makes your insides stir. He tightens his arms. 

"Not that this isn't nice," you say, voice muffled, "but what're you doing?"

He's quiet for a moment. "Making you smell like me." 

You blink. "Oh." Without meaning to, you inhale a deep breath, his warm scent swirling within your lungs. "You do smell good."

Hunter chuckles. The sound vibrates against your chest. "That right?"

Humming in affirmation, you press the bridge of your nose to his skin. His pulse beats against your nose; its pace quickens. For a heartbeat, you manage to contain the response that leaps to the tip of your tongue. Is this really the time?

But then again, you've been waiting for the right time to broach the subject of your feelings for months. You've shared a few hugs, left countless lingering looks when you think he isn't looking, chased an orgasm or two in silence when he's not around. If you keep waiting, the right time won't ever happen. And you'll be left wondering.  

Throwing caution to the wind, you say, "Be easier if you take your armor off." 

"Mesh'la," he murmurs. The endearment somehow sounds like a warning. "I- Your heart is racing. You're not thinking clearly."

Gnawing at the inside of your cheek, you resist the urge to pull away at what feels like a rejection. Have you been reading all the signs wrong? Did you misread the situation earlier? You're relatively certain any of the squad would have jumped to your defense--but would the others have needed to be physically restrained from doing more damage? Would Wrecker have had to pry Tech, or Crosshair, or Echo, away from your assailant like he'd done to Hunter?

No, you decide, you've been reading the signs correctly. Stepping out of his embrace but not his orbit, you search Hunter's gaze. Threading your fingers together once again, you raise his hand to brush your lips over the knuckles surely bruising under his gloves. Hunter's lips part in surprise. 

"I'm thinking perfectly clearly." You hesitate, then forge ahead. "Tell me you don't feel anything for me, and I'll go back to pining in silence. Tell me I'm the only one who sees something here. Tell me... Tell me you broke his face because I'm part of the squad, and no other reason. Please."

Hunter inhales a shallow breath. His eyes, gray in the dim light of the Marauder's controls, sear into yours with an unidentifiable mix of emotions. "I can't." 

Relief floods through you. With a weak smile, you gesture to yourself. "Do I still smell like him?" 

He nods. 

"Do you care for me?"

Another nod, stronger than the previous. 

"Then do something about it, Hunter." Guiding his gloved touch to your face, you lean into his warmth. 

His throat bobs when he swallows. After another moment of silent indecision, Hunter steps into your personal space, gaze searching your expression. He must not find anything worth stopping for, because his grip tightens behind your jaw. The tip of his crooked nose slides along the side of your own nose, breath puffing warm and unsteady over your face. 

You close the gap. Your mouths slot together, and it's like coming home after a long time away. Humming in the back of your throat, you press closer, deepening the kiss without hesitation. Hunter follows your lead. His armor still blocks you from truly feeling him, but you don't care. His lips are on yours, and your heart is his. 

Your name slips from his lips like a prayer. Eyes fluttering open, you peer up at him from beneath your lashes. "Yes?" 

"A-Are you sure?"

"I am."

"Then let me prove that you're mine," he murmurs. His touch lingers along your waist before drifting towards your center. "Let me prove that I take care of what belongs to me." 

A shiver skates up your spine. "Show me."

Ragu list: to be added or removed go here!

@dystopicjumpsuit @littlemissmanga @anxiouspineapple99 @wings-and-beskar @sinfulsalutations

@523rdrebel @sev-on-kamino @starrylothcat @deejadabbles

@starqueensthings @idontgetanysleep @wizardofrozz @mythical-illustrator

@sleepycreativewriter @bobaprint @dickarchivist @a-single-tulip

@thorsterstrudle @droids-you-are-looking-for @goblininawig @cw80831

@mssbridgerton @isaidonyourknees @dreamie411 @jedi-hawkins

@dangraccoon @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @9902sgirl  @zenrobbins0021

[lunarw0rks]

something cute & wholesome for our chaotic bby soap <33 him and the reader being in a relationship whenever she has a mischievous idea, he supports it without thinking twice. mm and maybe one day she’s playing with this archery set and he’s helping her with her aim, she accidentally shoots an arrow wrong and it goes flying through the window of price’s office 🤣 price slams his door open and he just stands there with the arrow in his hat

☾𓂃❛🍰❜┊ run for your life

warning(s): fem!reader, a lil suggestive joke, just a crack fic, no use of y/n ♡ masterlist // requests // ask box

the most startling quality price possessed? how he never yelled.

at recruits, at his men, at anyone. not unless he was barking orders, and most fearsome — even when he was infuriated. his stare was enough to back the strongest of men into a corner.

the scot in front of you was focused for once - a truly rare sight.

❝johnny,❞ a smirk spread on your face; yet another dubious plan flooding your brain. paperwork was boring, and your daily chores were finished. ❝wanna do something?❞

the folder in his hand landed on the desk before he had jumped to his feet as if he had been yearning for a more stimulating activity. ❝aye, how could i say no? what is it this time? throwing little paper balls at simon?❞ he questioned, following you down the corridor to the mischievous location of your plan.

❝not this time. it's something i've wanted to play with for a couple days, just haven't had time.❞ you lead him to the common area, where you got an archery set.

soap's mouth contorted into a dirty-minded smirk, a cocked brow. ❝i knew this day would come, i'm irresistible.❞

that comment only earned an elbow to the ribs and an unimpressed glare, not you confessing your undying love for the former class clown. you scoffed and motioned to the bow, a widened gaze until he had the same amount of excitement as you.

now, instead of a lustful smirk, it was a deviant one. ❝you're saying you want to play with that here?❞ he questioned with some faux seriousness before the act ceased

❝i'm in.❞

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

after what seemed like minutes of bickering, you finally got the bow into the 'correct' position, though the form was questionable when you were too busy cackling.

❝alrigh' now... imagine the face of someone you hate. and it can't be me.❞ soap rasped into your ear, an uncomfortably close hold on you, purely to mess up your precision.

you tightened your lips into a line, shaking your head at his childishness. it was only because he didn't get to go first. ❝johnny if you make me miss, it will be your face in my crosshairs.❞

you pulled back the string with force, aiming for the line of plastic cups you had set up. it was a simple shot, but knowing the man you chose as your practice buddy — it would be anything but a simple task.

just as you released the string, soap poked your side, causing an instinctual flinch on your end. instead of a straight shot into the styrofoam cups, the arrow curved and went through the window overlooking price's office. the small shatter was enough to make you wince and drop the bow, and then him. it was the most terrifying sight of your life.

price, a small arrow that went through the fabric of his boonie hat. and that damned fatherly scowl.

johhny's eyes darted from you, to him, then back to you. unfortunately, this hadn't been a first for either of you. it had become a routine at this point. ❝i'll go left, you take right.❞

you nodded, bracing yourself to sprint the opposite of the direction soap claimed. ❝run.❞

[kybercrystals94]

Neon Warfare

Read here on Ao3!

Summer of Bad Batch 2024 | Week 1 | Main Prompt: Water Gun Fight | Alt. Prompt: "It's not what it looks like."

Rated: G | Words: 3109 | Summary: Wrecker buys two little water guns. What's the worst that could happen?

“Hey, look at this?” 

“How much do you think something like that costs?” 

“They call that art? I’ve blown up things that ended up looking nicer than that!” 

“If we could get one of those, would you want red or blue? I know red is part of our colors, but blue is nice.”

Crosshair tries to ignore Wrecker’s incessant commentary as they cut through a district of novelty shops. Keeping Wrecker on task during slow paced missions is like herding wild tookas: impossible and incredibly annoying. 

“We’re not here to sightsee,” Crosshair finally snaps. “Are you even watching for our contact?” 

“I thought you were watching,” Wrecker says, “I’m just backup.” 

Crosshair rolls his eyes. “So help me…” 

Wrecker gasps, and Crosshair turns to see what has distracted his brother now. Small, neon colored, plastic pistols. “What are these?” Wrecker asks the shopkeep. 

“Water guns,” the man says. 

“What do they do?” Wrecker asks before Crosshair can haul him away. 

The man looks unimpressed with the question. “Shoot water.” 

“They’re so tiny,” Wrecker croons. “You just fill ‘em with water? Simple as that?” 

“Simple as that.” 

“Wrecker, come on,” Crosshair growls. 

“They’re on sale, two for a credit,” the man says. 

“Sold!” Wrecker whips a credit out of nowhere, drops it in the vendor’s waiting hand, and snatches up a green and a pink pistol from the basket. 

It takes every shred of patience for Crosshair to keep his mouth shut until they move away from the cart. “Put your toys away, we’re busy,” he hisses. 

“We’re always busy,” Wrecker says, ignoring him as he fiddles with the tiny orange stopper at the top of the pink pistol. Once he dislodges it, he hands the green pistol to Crosshair. “Hold this.” 

“I’m not holding your toys!” Crosshair cries, taking the pistol anyway. 

Wrecker gets out his canteen and tries to delicately dribble a stream of water into the hole at the top of the gun. Most of the water ends up in a puddle on the ground. 

“I’m not sharing my canteen with you when you’re thirsty later,” Crosshair mutters. 

Wrecker either doesn’t hear him or doesn’t care. “There!” he says, triumphantly, poking the stopper back into place. Before Crosshair can react, Wrecker points the gun at Crosshair and pulls the trigger. A spurt of water splatters harmlessly across Crosshair’s visor. 

He’s annoyed nonetheless. “Ugh! Grow up, Wrecker!” 

“Here,” Wrecker says, unperturbed, reaching for the green pistol, “let’s fill yours up.” 

“It’s not mine!” Crosshair says, thrusting it into Wrecker’s hand. 

“Sure it is! I bought it for you.” 

“I don’t want it.” 

Wrecker’s shoulders slump. “Aw, c’mon, Cross. You’re no fun.”

“We’re not here to have fun. We’re here on a mission. Now, put your kriffing toys away.” 

Crosshair starts walking, and hears Wrecker start trundling along behind him. And then he feels it. Something wet on the back of his neck.

“Ha! That was a good shot!”

Crosshair sighs. This is going to be a long patrol. 

*

Surprisingly, Wrecker seems to lose interest in the water guns the moment they come within sight of the Marauder. He shoves them in one of his pockets and goes about his chores without a word about his newfound toys that he’d been harassing Crosshair with nonstop. 

Crosshair isn’t complaining. Maybe the stupid water guns will be forgotten, lost in a crate somewhere…or found by a certain sniper and shot out the airlock while in deep space. 

However, Crosshair’s hopes are dashed when he opens his firepuncher case the next cycle and finds that someone has put a neon green water gun inside. A torn piece of flimsi is folded beside it. Crosshair picks it up and opens it. Got plan. Practice. Secret. - W. 

Shaking his head, Crosshair picks up the tiny pistol. He can tell by the subtle weight that Wrecker has already filled it with water. With a scoff, he aims idly at a bolt in the wall and shoots. The spurt of water misses by at least nine centimeters to the left. Crosshair’s jaw drops. He missed? He adjusts the pistol in his hand. Shoots. Five centimeters too low. 

Crosshair swears under his breath. 

Squirt, squirt, squirt, squirt…

Miss, miss, miss, miss…

He’s about to throw the water gun across the ship when a rumbling voice says behind him. “Harder than it looks, huh?” 

Wrecker’s pink water gun appears in his hand, comically miniscule in his massive fingers. He aims for the exact bolt Crosshair was aiming for. 

Direct hit. 

Crosshair actually chokes on his gasp of shock. He’s coughing so hard that Hunter comes back to check on them, Wrecker slapping Crosshair on the back as if that’s gonna do anything to help.

“Everything alright?” Hunter asks. 

Wrecker grins. “Yeah, he’s just fine, sarge.”

Hunter quirks an eyebrow at Crosshair, and Crosshair can only nod. With one last bewildered look, Hunter retreats back to the cockpit. 

“That’s why you gotta practice,” Wrecker says loftily. “Otherwise, I’ll just be a better shot than you with a water gun.” 

Crosshair glares at his largest brother, seeing the shameless goading for exactly what it is. And yet, he will not be outdone by Wrecker, not even with a stupid little toy water gun. “Oh, you’re on.” 

*

Echo is tracking their flight plan when he hears Wrecker start sniffling behind him. He ignores it. 

“Sure is dusty in here,” Wrecker comments offhandedly. 

“Whatever you say,” Echo mumbles. 

More sniffling. “My nose sure feels funny. It’s like a sneeze is stuck in there.” 

Echo grunts in vague sympathy. 

Then comes the shuddering breath of an attempted sneeze, loud and exaggerated…and prolonged. 

“For force sake, Wrecker, if you’re gonna sneeze, sneeze!” 

“ACHOO!” 

Wet droplets shower the back of Echo’s neck. His reaction is immediate. “Wrecker! Did you just sneeze on me?” Echo squawks, standing and whirling on the giant. 

Wrecker doesn’t look the least bit ashamed. In fact, he looks alarmed and frantic as he tries to shove something bright neon pink in his pocket. Echo is faster when he’s annoyed or angry, and it pays off now. He snatches the mystery item out of Wrecker’s hand. A tiny, cheap water pistol. 

“You shot me with this and made me think you sneezed on me?” Echo demanded. “That’s disgusting!” 

“It’s called a prank,” Wrecker says, sounding offended by Echo’s evident lack of humor. 

Echo rolls his eyes. “A childish prank.” 

“It’s called fun,” Wrecker says, holding out his hand. “Now give it back. I still need to shoot Hunter and Tech with it.”

“Do you honestly think that’s going to end well?” Echo asks, deadpan. 

Wrecker smiles. “Not sure, but I’m willing to find out.”

Echo hesitates, weighing his options. If he returns the kriffing toy and Wrecker pranks Hunter and Tech with it, Echo risks being called complicit in the crime. 

If he keeps the toy…

“C’mon, Echo,” Wrecker whines, making a grabbing motion with his outstretched hand. “It’s water. It’s not like it’s gonna hurt them.”

The manchild does have a point. 

Echo sighs. “Fine. But so help me, you shoot me again with this thing, I’ll send it out the airlock.” 

Wrecker grins almost apologetically and snatches the toy up the moment it’s placed in his hand. “Ah, it was a good prank. You can’t actually be mad.” 

He’s not, but Echo narrows his gaze anyway. “You wanna bet credits on that?” 

“Fine! I won’t shoot you with water again,” Wrecker grumbles, folding his arms, hiding the water gun from view. Echo shakes his head and turns back to finish his calculations. He chooses not to react when Wrecker mutters, “Killjoy.”

*

Hunter is on the very cusp of sleep on one of the bunks when something hits the side of his face. Something cool and wet. He jerks awake with a gasp, hand flying up to touch where the attack occurred. His glove comes away damp. Turning, he sees Crosshair, polishing his rifle. 

“What was that?” Hunter demands. 

Crosshair looks up. “What?” 

“Someone splashed me with water,” Hunter says. 

“Someone splashed you with water,” Crosshair echoes. He rolls his eyes. “Sure they did.” 

Hunter glares at him. “You did it.” 

“How?” Crosshair asks. 

“Easy. You threw water at me.” 

“Where did I get this water?”

“Your canteen.” 

“Does it look like I have a canteen on me?” Crosshair asks, glancing around himself pointedly. “Maybe you’re just imagining things.” 

“My glove is literally damp!” 

“Maybe it’s sweat. Between that mop you call hair and that bandana, you must be roasting alive.” 

“I’m not sweating!” 

Crosshair shrugs, returning to his task. “Whatever you say.” 

Hunter watches him a few more moments before he closes his eyes, keeping his head turned toward his brother, and tries to resume his nap. 

Another water strike, square in the middle of his forehead. Hunter’s eyes fly open, and Crosshair is still there, not looking at him, polishing his rifle with the same leisurely ease as before. 

“You did it again!” Hunter cries, sitting up. 

Crosshair meets his gaze. “What are you on about? I didn’t do anything!” 

“Yes you did! You’re the only one in here! There’s no other explanation!” 

“How the kriff did I do it then? Explain it to me!” 

Hunter grits his teeth. He can’t explain it. But he knows it’s true. “You’re the one doing it, so you tell me!” 

“I’m not doing anything! I’m cleaning my rifle. Maker!” 

Hunter stands up. “You know you’re the worst sometimes?” 

“So I’ve been told,” Crosshair muses, going back to his task.

Hunter starts to storm to the cockpit when something hits the back of his head. He whirls around and Crosshair is still at work, an almost imperceptible smirk twitching at the edge of his lips. Hunter growls a curse under his breath before making his retreat. 

*

“What are you doing?” 

Wrecker and Crosshair startle and look up to find Tech standing over them. The casings of two water guns are on the floor between them, taken apart, amongst a plethora of spare parts from Tech’s stash for his projects. A stash he has very deliberately told his brothers not to touch without express permission. 

And neither of the clones in front of him had any such consent.  

“It’s not what you think,” Wrecker says. He has the decency to sound guilty.

Tech frowns. “What I think is that you are modifying toy pistols using my personal collection of parts.” 

Crosshair shrugs. “Then it’s exactly what you think.” 

“Put the parts back immediately! They are meant for serious projects, not hobbies.”

“Ah, c’mon, Tech,” Wrecker complains, “this isn’t just a hobby. It’s for science.” 

“How so?” Tech asks, unimpressed. 

Crosshair holds up a data pad with crudely designed schematics. “We’re going to increase the weapons’ accuracy by approximately one hundred and five percent.” 

Tech takes the data pad and examines the modifications. “No you are not.” 

“Why?”

“Because I am not giving permission to use my parts for these modifications. Give them back.” 

“Maker, Tech, don’t be stingy,” Crosshair protests.

“It is not being stingy to say that these parts are for specific purposes. Not a single one of those purposes include water guns. Put them away.” 

“Or what? You’ll tell Hunter on us?” Crosshair snarks. 

Tech glares. “You are being immature.” 

“Fine!” Crosshair says, “We’ll put your precious parts away. We don’t need them.” 

Wrecker frowns. “Yeah, we do.” 

“No, we don’t,” Crosshair says. He scoops up the spare parts and dumps them back in their box. He hands the box over to Tech, now a jumbled mess to be sorted. 

“You are behaving like a juvenile,” Tech says irritably. 

Crosshair smiles, but there is no friendliness in the gesture. “Oh, you haven’t seen juvenile yet.” 

“Is that a threat?” Tech asks. 

“Of course not,” Crosshair says, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “Just something to think about.” 

*

Tech calls a meeting between himself, Echo, and Hunter, closing the cockpit door while Crosshair and Wrecker are distracted with cataloging inventory. At least, that is what they said they were doing when they disappeared into the upper hold. 

“Something has to be done about Wrecker and Crosshair,” Tech says. 

“What do you mean?” Hunter asks. 

“Are you talking about their stupid little water pistols?” Echo asks, rolling his eyes. 

Hunter’s jaw drops. “That’s how Crosshair got me!” 

“And Wrecker got me,” Echo says. 

“I caught them trying to modify them to have better accuracy,” Tech says. “I stopped their attempt, but it is only a matter of time before they find alternate means.” 

“I told Wrecker if he shoots me with water again, I’ll send his water gun out the airlock,” Echo says with a shrug. “I say we follow through.” 

Hunter shakes his head. “No. We should fight fire with fire.” 

“Water with water, as it were,” Tech chuckles. 

“Please no,” Echo entreats. “Let’s end this before it gets out of hand.” 

“I’ve been doing some research,” Tech says, bringing out his data pad. “I believe I have found the perfect solution.” 

****

“We have four standard hours of shore leave,” Hunter says, “That means you’re all back to the ship in three and a half. Got it?” 

“Yes, sir,” Crosshair snarks with a lazy salute. He and Wrecker saunter off, leaving Hunter, Echo and Tech without a backwards glance. 

Once they are out of earshot, Hunter turns to Tech. “You got those coordinates?” 

“Affirmative,” Tech says, pulling up the directions on his data pad. 

“Are we really going to spend hard earned credits on water guns?” Echo asks.

Tech frowns. “These are not simply water guns, Echo. They are classified as super soakers.” 

“Cross and Wrecker won’t know what hit them,” Hunter murmurs almost gleefully. 

“Do you even hear yourselves right now?” Echo cries. 

Hunter ignores him. “We need to head out. We have to be back here and in position before the targets return.” 

Echo rolls his eyes, but follows Tech and Hunter anyway. 

*

They turn more than a few heads when they walk into the toy store; however, Crosshair ignores the incredulous stares of the other patrons. He walks straight to the counter, Wrecker at his shoulder. “We had an order for pickup,” he says.

“Sure, what’s the name?” the clerk asks. 

“Crosshair.” 

The clerk disappears into the back room and returns with two packages. “Two special order water guns?” 

The burning sensation of embarrassment creeps up the back of Crosshair’s neck. “Yes,” he says. 

“Aw, yeah! I can’t wait to try ‘em out,” Wrecker crows. 

“Can you be quieter,” Crosshair hisses at him. 

The clerk rings up the order and accepts the payment before relinquishing the packages to the soldiers, fully armored sans helmets. Wrecker takes them both eagerly, tucking them under one arm. They leave the shop and nearly collide with three more armored figures about to walk in. 

“What are you doing here?” Hunter demands. 

“Nothing!” Wrecker cries, sounding panicked, shoving the packages behind his back. 

“We could ask you the same thing,” Crosshair counters. 

Hunter crosses his arms. “We were following you.”

“Why?” 

“We’re suspicious.” 

“Of what?” 

“Of what you’d be getting from a toy store.” 

“How did you know we were coming to a toy store?” 

Hunter doesn’t have a comeback for that, and changes the subject. “What did you get?” 

“Nothing,” Wrecker reiterates guiltily, “It’s a surprise.” 

Tech adjusts his goggles. “Which is it? Nothing or a surprise?” 

“How about,” Crosshair says, stepping in front of Wrecker, “none of your business.”

“This is ridiculous,” Echo grumbles.

Crosshair reaches back and grabs Wrecker’s arm. “C’mon. We’re leaving.” Dragging Wrecker behind him, he shoves through the suspicious trio. 

“See you lot back at the ship,” Hunter calls after them. 

“Not if we see you first!” Wrecker hollers back. 

“Shut up!” Crosshair growls. “This is bad enough as it is.” 

*

They watch until the suspicious duo disappear into the crowd. 

“Those packages were definitely within the dimensions of super soakers,” Tech says. 

Hunter nods. “We should have known they’d do something like this.”

“We’re doing something like this!” Echo exclaims. “I never asked to be part of this. I’m never going to be dry again!” 

“Stop whining, Echo,” Hunter says, opening the door of the shop. “It’s three versus two. We’ve got the advantage. They might have started this, but we’re going to end it.” 

*

When they return the Marauder, the ramp is down, but it is quiet. Too quiet. Hunter holds up a fist, and Echo and Tech immediately stop short. Hunter’s eyes rove over the ship’s exterior. 

“Are we within range?” he asks Tech, a whisper over his shoulder. 

“If Crosshair is positioned on top of the ship, affirmative. He will have gravity on his side.” 

Echo groans. “Need I remind you all that we are in public?”

“We split up,” Hunter says, voice low, gripping his colorful weapon and holding it in ready position. “Circle the ship.” 

Echo sighs and takes the left side while Tech goes right. Hunter bravely takes center. He barely makes it four steps forward before he is hit in the face with a stream of water. 

And that’s when all hell breaks loose. 

*

No one says anything until the Marauder is settled in a hyperspace lane. The only sound is the hum of the ship and the faint sound of water dripping off five drenched commandos. 

Until… 

“They had no right to confiscate our weapons!” Wrecker grouses. 

Echo huffs. “It was that or the city putting in an official complaint with the GAR.” 

“I find it a little extreme to be prohibited from an entire planet. No one was injured,” Tech says. 

“Crosshair shot a child point blank with a super soaker and made them cry,” Echo points out. 

Crosshair chuckles darkly. “In my defense, I thought it was Hunter. They were similar heights.” 

Hunter scoffs. “You are such a liar.”

“Wait, who was it that then shot an officer sent to investigate the disturbance?” Crosshair asks, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Oh, yes. It was Hunter. That’s what got us in real trouble.”

“Now wait a minute,” Hunter starts indignantly. 

Echo stands up. “I just want to go on the record and say I didn’t want to be involved in any of this!”

“This is true,” Tech agrees, “Although you are the one who soaked the second officer.”

“That was an accident.”

“That’s not how the officer saw it.” 

As the bickering escalates, Crosshair catches Wrecker’s eye and holds out his hand, mostly fisted, but open enough that the demolitions expert sees a glimpse of pink and green. He grins, looking back at Crosshair. Crosshair puts a finger to his lips. Wrecker nods. 

The war is far from over. 

END

Finally got my first prompt fill done for my own prompt event 😂 It's been an absolute joy and delight to see all the fills so far! I dedicate this story to @just-here-with-my-thoughts' kiddo 😉 A lot of work went into getting this prompt in the top 13 🤣

12 more weeks of Summer of Bad Batch!! Can't wait!!

✨Let me know if you'd like to be added to my tag list!✨

Tag List: @followthepurrgil @amorfista @mooncommlink @arctrooper69 @nagyanna424 @proteatook @ezras-left-thumb @maeashryver

[alabyte]

Crosshair: There's an important briefing in the morning, we need to go to bed.

Tech: I agree. The consequences will be unfortunate for us if our sleep patterns undergo critical changes.

[APPROXIMATELY FOUR HOURS LATER]

Tech & Crosshair, both greeting the sunrise at the window: Fuck.

[yoitsjay]

Heard you were looking for requests. *places down manilla folder* If you're comfortable with it. Male Reader x Crosshair on Pabu before the timeskip after Crosshair lost his hand, trying to have a "normal" day out going to the farmers market or whatever the star wars equivalent of them are.

Have a good day *slides off while shooting finger guns*

I love you.

A Little Bit Of Normal

Pairings: Crosshair x Male!Reader

Summary: trying to live normally now was harder for Crosshair after all that happened... at least he has you by his side, the only normal thing he needs.

Warnings: a bit of angst, ptsd probably, crosshair loves you and won't admit it. Gay

Word count: 1,271

It had only been two days

Two days of nightmares, seemingly endless.

Two days of crosshair waking up in bed with bloodshot eyes and deep bags underneath, showing the signs of zero sleep.

Two days of Crosshair leaving his room in your hut, slinking into your bed to find comfort in your warmth.

He hadn’t left your bed since the middle of the night last night, and now it was edging on the afternoon of the third day. But he was sleeping, that much you counted. Hunter, and the rest of his brothers were worried.

Echo had sent you messages asking about Crosshair because he had left again to do missions with Rex, and Tech (who’s thankfully alive in all our minds) was doing research on what could be the issue.

However, you and Hunter settled on one thing. So after making something to eat for yourself and Crosshair, you bring it into your bedroom, setting the meal on the table before you gently tug the blankets, which stirred Crosshair awake. Waking a man with what Tech diagnosed to be PTSD was a difficult task, and when you did wake up Cross you would always take two steps back, waiting until he registered where he was before you took two steps forward and sat beside him on the bed.

“You slept for longer today Cross, I'm proud of you.” You spoke softly, offering him a glass of orange juice. He reached out for it with his right arm, quickly realizing that he had no hand to grab it with. Crosshair frowned for a moment, using his left hand instead to grab hold of the glass. “I have a little plan for us today.” You started, standing from the bed to open the curtains in that room, turning your head to look at Crosshair, who was now picking at the food on the breakfast tray you brought him.

“Oh yeah?” he drawled out, sounding unimpressed but you knew better. “Yeah, you're going to accompany me to the market today. I just noticed that I'm out of fruit, and I should also pick up some fish while we’re there too.” You replied, turning to look at him fully now.

“So get dressed, and if you need my help-”

“I don't.” Crosshair cut you off with a firm tone in his voice, before offering you a silent apology. You smiled, and cleared your throat. “IF you need help Crosshair, I'll be in the kitchen.” You finished, walking towards your bedroom door. “Enjoy your breakfast.” You added before walking out.

It didn’t take crosshair long to emerge with the empty breakfast tray, however his shirt was hiked up to his chest, and he stared at you expectedly. “I uh… couldn’t get it down all the way.” He muttered as you approached him, staring anywhere but at you as you swiftly tugged the shirt down the rest of the way.

“Don’t worry hun, Tech got the last piece he needed to build you a metal hand, so you’ll be handless no longer in a week or so.” You encouraged, moving to stand on your tippy toes as you gave Crosshair a light kiss on his chin, since he was unfairly taller than you, considering you were taller than Hunter and Echo.

“Now, to the market we go. I’ll need your help with carrying some of the bags I'm sure.” You grinned, lacing your right hand with Crosshair’s left one, giving it a gentle squeeze when you felt him flinch back just ever so slightly.

“You’re going to be okay.” You whispered, before leading him out of your house, and up to upper Pabu where the market stalls were. Taking these little trips to the market was always fun, and you’d typically always go with one of the bad batch if they were around.

When you had first met them you were the only one to offer up your entire house for them all to stay in. And when they got Crosshair back from the Empire, you were again, the only one who gave him a temporary home until they built one for him… But he eventually settled on just living with you, especially when your relationship began… Now that was a day you wouldn’t forget.

After the imperial attack on Pabu, you had gotten hurt, not severely but hurt enough to where you needed assistance walking for a couple weeks, so that's when the bad batch started coming with you on your market trips. And then Crosshair fully took over that duty.

Eventually, you and Crosshair arrived at the markets, which were quite busy with the influx of all the new residents. You hummed, scanning the area as if you were setting a course to take. “Alright this way my love.” You spoke softly, your words catching Crosshair off guard for a moment, but it wasn’t unwelcome. He squeezed your hand and then followed close behind as you led him through the stalls.

You knew exactly where you needed to go, and at every stall you would have crosshair hold open the bag with his hand and arm as you put in whatever produce or meats you bought. You never mentioned if he needed a hand with the bags, you just treated him like you would with a hand, and if he needed a bit of help he would gently tap your shoulder and you’d take one handle while he had the other.

Your actions, they made him feel… normal… as normal as he could be anyway. You were his normal. His perfect, normal boyfriend that didn’t judge, or say anything harsh or teasing. You made Crosshair feel stronger than how he felt about himself on a regular basis… and he wouldn’t ever tell you in public, but he was grateful for everything you did for him, even though he felt as if he didn’t deserve it.

“Alright Cross, I think we got everything we needed. You got all the bags? are they too heavy?” You asked, worried about the weight, not if he could actually carry them… again, another small thing he was grateful for.

“I’ve got it, doll, let's go home.” He replied, carrying the bags in the crook of his elbow, using his left hand to hold yours as you both made your way out of the crowded market, and back down to your home.

You and Crosshair maneuvered around the kitchen like a well oiled machine, putting away the produce and meats in their designated places. And soon all the bags were empty, and you were tucking them away in their designated drawer.

As you were turned away, Crosshair took the chance to sneak up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist which caught you by surprise. “Oh! you startled me, love.” You chuckled, leaning into his chest as you looked up at him.

“Thank you.” He whispered, and you almost didn’t catch it. “For what?” You asked, resting your hand on his forearm, rubbing your thumb along the bare skin. “For making me feel… normal… despite it all.” He replied hesitantly, staring down into your eyes. “You’re perfect.” He muttered, kissing your forehead gently as you chuckled again.

“I’m nowhere near perfect Cross… but if I'm what you need to get better, then I will always be right here.” You muttered, reaching up to his cheek, pulling him down a bit as you pressed your lips to his, feeling him smile against you before he pulled away.

“Now… I say we should go to the beach.” He spoke up, making you laugh, but agree nonetheless.

“To the beach we go.”

[dindjarindiaries]

Senator's Shadow - Chapter 3

summary: Things get interesting when Hunter is assigned to escort the senator during the welcome banquet on Eirus.

pairing: hunter (the bad batch) x fem!reader

rating: mature (18+)

tags: bodyguard romance, forbidden love, fluff & angst, emotional & physical hurt/comfort, canon-typical violence, injuries & blood, trauma, eventual/mild smut

word count: 7.610k

chapter 2 ⟸ series masterlist ⟹ chapter 4

chapter 3 ⟹

Hunter was ready for what awaited him when the double doors opened up. Rather than retreating to their rooms, his squad was standing there to greet him, their helmets removed as every single one of them wore a smug grin. Hunter heaved a sigh and gestured with his head to the suite behind him.

“We’re taking shifts on watch.” He looked around the group with severity. “With potential assassination attempts in order, it’s vital that we do so while the senator rests.”

“I bet you’ll want the first shift,” Crosshair teased, tucking a toothpick between his smiling teeth, “won't you, Sarge?”

Hunter raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, even as the other boys snickered. “We’re going according to our usual schedule, which means that Tech has first watch.”

“That is acceptable,” Tech was quick to respond. “I was already planning on staying awake to run an analysis on the senator’s diagram of Eirus as soon as possible.”

Echo gave him an incredulous look. “How did you get that data already?”

Tech blinked at him. “I scanned it while she had it on display. How else would I have gotten it?”

Echo raised his hand defensively. Hunter resisted a sigh and went on. “That’s fine, Tech, but make sure you can still keep an eye out. This is different from keeping watch in hyperspace.” He gestured to their surroundings. “There are some real, dangerous threats after the senator. We need to stay vigilant.”

Crosshair huffed and lowered his voice towards Wrecker, but kept it loud enough for Hunter to hear. “Protective.”

Hunter’s head snapped towards him. “Yeah, and I expect that from the rest of you, too.” He recalled the desperation in your eyes during your private conversation, causing his chest to tighten underneath his armor as he went on. “The senator chose us for this mission because she trusts us. Her fate, and that of this planet, rests with us just as much as it does with her.”

That seemed to straighten the shoulders of the squad. Even Tech finally got his nose out of his datapad as he looked upon Hunter. A small smile of satisfaction took over his lips.

“That being said, we all need rest. Tech, keep an eye on the chrono so you can get your rest in, too.” Hunter’s gaze found Wrecker before he nodded in his direction. “You too, Wrecker.”

Tech nodded while Wrecker offered a salute. “You’ve got it, Sarge!”

Hunter smiled at him and stepped away from the group, his silent signal for them to disband. Each member of the squad, aside from Tech, headed for their rooms—though Hunter still felt a presence behind him as he approached his own door. He turned and saw Echo trailing him, a concerned knit wrinkled in his brow.

“Hunter,” Echo began in a low tone. He tossed a quick look over his shoulder to make sure that no one was watching them. “Is there actually something going on between you and the senator?”

Hunter fought off the initial rush of panic and managed a genuine chuckle. “No, Echo. That’s all in the squad’s heads.”

Echo’s brow shot up. “Are you sure about that?”

Hunter turned to fully face Echo. “Come on, I barely know her.” He gestured with his eyes to the squad’s doors. “The jokes are getting you all carried away.”

Echo raised the corner of his mouth in a smile and nodded. “That’s fair.” He steadied himself with a breath. “All right. Sorry for that. I just…” he chuckled to himself, “you know how I feel about the rules.”

“I do.” Hunter clasped his hand on Echo’s armored shoulder. “Even if we still break them.” He nodded. “We’ve worked with politicians before, Echo. This time won’t be any different.”

Echo returned his nod. Hunter was pleased to see the light of concern fading from his eyes. He had to give it to Echo; the ARC trooper was never afraid to keep him and the others in line.

“Now get some rest.” Hunter jerked his head towards Echo’s room. “I have a feeling we’ve got a big day ahead of us.”

Echo huffed. “I agree.” He then obeyed Hunter’s gentle order, turning away from him to head towards his room. Hunter watched him for a moment before he turned back to his door and opened it.

Inside was quite a generous setup, certainly larger than any room Hunter had ever called his own. With a large bed, refresher, and plenty of storage space for his gear, Hunter had no reason to protest the senator’s kind arrangements for him and his squad. But the silence in the absence of his squad was about to do him more harm than good, especially with Echo’s worries floating around in his head.

Had he lied to Echo about you?

Hunter set down his helmet and ran his forefinger and thumb along the bridge of his nose. It had only been a matter of hours since he met the senator, and he was still low on sleep, despite the rest he had tried to get on the Marauder. Of course seeing someone like you would cause him to be so confused about his own feelings, especially when you were so desperate for his help.

But there was another truth to face, because Hunter observed faces and gazes as well as he did electromagnetic frequencies. That wasn’t the only desperation you had shown. Leadership roles were extremely isolating, and that was something Hunter himself was still coming to terms with. To see someone else struggling with it, and to find some kind of genuine understanding…

Well, it was nice. No matter what it meant, or where it would lead to.

That wasn’t Hunter’s concern. He was already thinking ahead to the welcome banquet tomorrow, which would be a prime opportunity for potential assassins or attackers to strike. It reignited his worry for you during the night, though he could at least trust his squad enough to take care of any threats that might arise while you slept.

Hunter stripped himself of his armor and kept it safely tucked away with his gear, though he kept his blaster and his knife in close reach. He did the same with a comlink, all of which stayed on his bedside table. He considered the temperature of the room before taking off the top half of his blacks as well. Hunter then settled into the bed, willing himself to have a less fitful sleep than before.

Thankfully, his wish was granted. Hunter was actually well-rested when it was his turn to take over the watch, the comlink’s chiming waking him from his deep slumber. He was quick in freshening up and re-dressing himself in his gear and attributed it to his desire for Crosshair to get his necessary rest.

As soon as Hunter stepped out into the corridor, Crosshair was ready to greet him outside your doors. “Morning, Sarge,” he greeted in his usual cool tone, though there was also an evident inflection of amusement. “You look excited for a person who’s about to stand outside some doors for a while.”

Hunter gave his helmeted head a tilt and resisted the urge to sigh. “Get some rest while you still can, Crosshair.”

Crosshair snickered even as he obeyed Hunter’s order. Hunter watched him as he entered his room, and after releasing a heavy breath, he tuned his enhanced senses into all of his surroundings. The first hour or so wouldn’t be so exhausting, but it would take a toll if he had to go on much longer than that.

And he would, because he knew what was at stake. Sleep was your most vulnerable state, and he was the one in charge of making sure no one would take advantage of that.

Hunter tried to keep his mind quiet focused, but the task proved difficult, especially as it wandered to the day’s events. He wasn’t sure what you would have in mind for the welcome banquet, but he was already beginning to put his own pieces in place. They would have to have eyes everywhere, and he would have to get Tech to look up more on Lii Alvani and his former allies so they could recognize any one of them if they tried to work their way inside.

It wasn’t unusual for Hunter to plan ahead like this. As the squad’s leader, it’s what he often had to do. What was different this time was the fierce panic that came with the idea of his plan not working. He would have to leave the calculation of their odds to Tech, if only for his sake.

With his focus diverged in two important directions, Hunter lost track of time until he heard the doors open behind him. He nearly jumped at the sound that roared against his eardrums, thanks to him still being so attuned to his senses. Hunter blinked a few times behind his visor to re-center himself as you stepped through the doors.

You were in a simpler dress than yesterday, no doubt favoring something more comfortable before the formality of the day would begin. It was a simple green, this time with gold embellishments rather than silver. It still framed you in a way that brought a flush to Hunter’s face beneath his helmet before he could stop it, especially as he caught your gaze that glowed at him.

“Good morning, Sergeant,” you greeted, bowing your head at him.

“Senator.” Hunter returned the gesture and tightened one of his fists at his side.

“I hope you haven’t been out here too long.” Your brow furrowed in genuine concern before you gave him a once-over.

“Not at all.” Hunter didn’t bother checking the chrono to see how long it had actually been. “I’m the last rotation in our watch shifts.”

You smiled again at that. “Good.” You held his gaze through his visor for a few distinct heartbeats before exhaling a soft breath. “There’s a lot to attend to today, so I hope you were all able to get some proper rest.”

The corners of Hunter’s mouth began to rise at that. “We were. In fact…” He paused, raising two of his fingers to the side of his helmet and activating the squad’s main comm. “Rise and shine, boys. The senator’s ready to get the day started.”

Almost immediately, the door to Tech’s room slid open, and he walked through with his nose practically buried in his datapad. There was still a slight limp as he made his way over, but Hunter was pleased to see that it had improved even more from the day before. Tech only looked up when he was closer to you and Hunter.

“Good morning, Senator,” he greeted with a nod. “I’m glad to see you are awake and ready. I have been going over the schematics you created, and there are quite a few interesting threads I have pulled together.”

Hunter caught the impressed light in your gaze as you returned Tech’s nod, but he still rolled his eyes at Tech underneath his visor. “Maybe we should let the senator enjoy her morning before we start bombarding her with plans and data, Tech.”

“That’s quite all right, Sergeant.” You lifted your hand to Hunter’s armored shoulder, an eyebrow raised and a small smile pulling at your lips. “I’m just as eager to get down to business.” Your gaze lingered on his visor before you dropped your hand and returned your attention to Tech.

Hunter tilted his helmet, unable to stop looking at you. There had been another light in your eyes he couldn’t quite interpret, and as someone who had mastered the art of studying others, he was itching to identify it.

The sounds of other doors opening brought Hunter out of his brief yet focused reverie. Echo and Wrecker were the next ones to emerge, with Wrecker entering the scene as enthusiastically as ever. “That was the best sleep I’ve ever gotten!” He nodded at the senator with genuine gratitude. “Thank you for the nice rooms, Senator.”

You beamed at Wrecker as you returned the gesture. “I’m very glad to hear that, Wrecker. It’s truly my pleasure.”

Crosshair was the last to join the group, and as he made his way over, Hunter spoke up on behalf of everyone. “Well, Senator, it looks like we’re all ready to report for duty.” He raised his helmet in your direction. “What’s our first order?”

You smiled at him before looking around the group. “Every good soldier needs some nourishment before really starting the day, right?”

Wrecker let out a victorious chuckle and shouldered Echo, who tripped a step at the sudden movement. “I like the sound of that!”

You softly laughed, the sound a beautiful melody to Hunter’s sensitive ears, and began to lead the way ahead. “Then let’s feast.”

Wrecker’s eyes doubled in size. “Feast?”

“Save some for the rest of us, Wrecker,” Crosshair joked as he fell in step alongside his brother.

“There will be plenty for everyone,” you assured them, your voice as warm as the smile you continued to wear.

Hunter couldn’t stop the smile of his own that was growing underneath his helmet. You were treating his squad like they were the high-class diplomats, certainly much better than anyone else had—even those who had created them. There had to be a way to repay you for such kindness.

Succeeding in the mission would no doubt be the most efficient way of doing so. That only made Hunter dwell more on the plans he had been crafting in his mind for hours.

After enjoying the heartiest meal any one of them had no doubt ever had, the group reconvened back at the senator’s suite, where your personal guard waited outside your doors. The squad was gathered around your holotable much like the night before as you brought up new projections, this time the faces of various diplomats and fighters. Each of the squad’s helmets was tucked underneath their arms as they viewed the holoprojections up close.

“These are the main faces we need to be on the lookout for,” the senator instructed them all. “This goes beyond tonight’s banquet. These individuals have long since become leaders of these attacks and are no doubt conspiring directly with Alvani.”

Hunter studied them faithfully, committing each of their images to memory. He silently thanked Tech for making his own copies of the data to reinforce his initial observations.

“Unfortunately…” you let out a defeated breath that created an empathetic ache in Hunter’s chest, “many of them are people who once fought alongside me.”

“How’s that possible?” Hunter couldn’t keep the question to himself.

“They see the Republic as another version of the same evil we defeated.” Your shoulders tensed as you carried on. “They don’t understand that it’s the Separatists who plan on bringing such oppression back to Eirus.”

“Yeah, that seems to be their favorite kind of deception,” Echo muttered.

Hunter raised his brow at you. “They really believe that when you’re the one who’s representing them?”

You gave your head an aimless shake. “Apparently, they do.” Your gaze met Hunter’s and it wasn’t hard to decipher all the darkness hidden within it. He wondered how long you had been holding it all in. “They were the same ones who elected me as senator and sent me away to Coruscant, but… the distance must’ve been enough for them to forget what I once fought for.”

You paused for a moment and shrugged. The gesture did nothing to erase the pain that Hunter had already seen within you.

“Or maybe I made a mistake agreeing to my appointment in the first place.”

“It’s not your fault.” Hunter’s reassurance was out before he could hold it in, as was the hand he lifted to your shoulder. The burning gaze of his squad, however, urged him to lower his hand a few heartbeats later. “The reason why this war’s still going on is because of how good the Separatists are at winning people over.”

“And because of their impressive droid army,” Tech chimed in. “Which only seems to be growing even more advanced as the war goes on.”

Hunter turned his head towards Tech and circled his jaw. “Thanks for that, Tech.”

“We can take ‘em, Senator,” Wrecker offered you his own comfort. “Don’t even worry about it.”

Hunter’s senses picked up on the deep breath you had finally taken, with an exhale that was much lighter than before. “I appreciate it, Wrecker, but it’s more challenging than that.” You gave the squad a serious look. “I don’t want any of them hurt.”

Crosshair took his toothpick between his fingers. “What’s your definition of ‘hurt?’”

“No critical injuries, which means no live rounds.” You gave Hunter a quick look. “I’m sure your sergeant already told you about that.”

“Oh, yeah, you did, Sarge.” Wrecker took his blaster and toggled something on it. “Stun only. Right?”

“Right.” You nodded towards the holographic images. “Not only would injuries sway people away from our cause, but I also still care for them.”

“Even when they’re trying to kill you?” Crosshair clearly couldn’t help himself from asking.

You remained firm as you responded. “Even then.”

Silence sat amongst the group for a long moment. Hunter watched you switch the projection over to a single large room before you continued.

“As for tonight’s banquet, this is the ballroom where it’s taking place.” You pointed at the red circles decorated along the edges of the hologram. “These are all the exit points. People can come in and get out through these doors and windows.”

Hunter fit the diagram within the plans he had already started crafting. “How’s your faith in the security detail?”

You huffed. “Not great.” You flashed him a smile. “That’s why I’m bringing your squad along.”

Hunter let out a low chuckle. At least you were finding some humor in all of this.

“Here’s what I need from all of you.” You pointed at one of the red dots. “Wrecker, I need you to stand post at this entrance. The more we can deter right away, the better.”

Wrecker nodded, an eager light dancing in his gaze as he did so.

“Tech, I need you to monitor the comms. I have no doubt that you can tap into their channel if they’re actively using it.”

“That would be a well-founded conclusion,” Tech agreed.

“Echo, I need you to guard the power room.” You pointed along the outside of one of the rooms. “It was an old tactic of ours to go for the lights and other power fixtures, and I need someone posted there to make sure they don’t resort to that tonight.”

Echo nodded dutifully. “You’ve got it, Senator.”

“Crosshair, I need you to keep watch. You’ll be the first to notice if any one of these faces steps anywhere near the capitol or the ballroom.”

Crosshair put his toothpick back between his teeth and offered a two-fingered salute.

“And Sergeant Hunter.” You turned towards Hunter as you addressed him by name for only the second time. The heartbeat that roared in his ears was solely his own, though he kept himself as composed as ever on the outside. “I need your senses to catch any direct threats in the ballroom.”

Hunter began to reach the conclusion on his own. “So, my position will be…” With the eyes of his squad watching, he couldn’t finish the sentence.

“With me.” You nodded to confirm his unspoken thoughts. “I need at least one of you to escort me to continue the illusion of you serving as my protection, and your senses will no doubt allow you to pick up on anything abnormal that’s happening around us.”

“Convenient,” Crosshair snickered.

Hunter ignored him and nodded at you. “Then I’ll be there.”

Your gaze brightened at him. “Great.” Your eyes lingered on him even as you turned to face the rest of the squad once again. “I have some diplomatic business to attend to for the rest of the day leading up to the banquet, so I’ll leave it to all of you to plan the finer details while my guard escorts me there.”

Hunter’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure you can trust them?”

You tilted your head at him. “For now, yes. I have to give them at least some sort of power to keep them from catching on.”

Hunter exhaled, even if he wasn’t convinced. “Fair enough.”

“I think the senator can handle herself even if things do go sideways,” Echo added.

“Exactly, Echo.” You gave Hunter another one of those quick once-overs that set him and his armor on fire. “Though I do appreciate the concern.”

“That’s good, ‘cause you’ll get a lot of it from him. Hah!” Wrecker walked over to knock his shoulder against Hunter’s. He tried to fight the flush that attempted to overwhelm his face without the refuge of his helmet to hide it.

Tech pushed his goggles further up his nose. “That is certainly one of his specialties.” He pointed at Hunter with a small, knowing smile.

Hunter narrowed his eyes and gently swatted Wrecker’s hand, which had wrapped around his shoulders, away from him. “Glad you’ve all noticed.”

“Well, you are a sergeant. It is only sensible that you have a heightened sense of protection.” Tech paused and let out an amused huff. “Huh. ‘Heightened sense.’ That was not intentional.”

Hunter raised an eyebrow and didn’t bother coating his sarcasm. “Nice one.”

You laughed alongside Hunter, and all his frustration towards his teasing squad melted away as he looked over at you. “As much as I’d love to stay to hear the rest, I’m about to be long overdue for my first meeting.”

Your gaze scanned the squad but, in a way that was becoming quite natural, caught Hunter especially. 

“I have an activated comm on my person so that you can keep track of where I am. I’ll use it in case of an emergency, but I’m not expecting anything to happen now when they have a better opportunity to strike later.”

Hunter tightened his jaw and looked away from the senator. That was a thought he didn’t want to dwell on. He loved seeing action as much as the next person in his squad, but not in this way. Not with the threat of an assassination attempt on someone who was already putting their neck out for the sake of their people. As a leader himself, albeit to a much smaller group, it made him sick to think about.

You didn’t deserve any of this, and Hunter would do whatever he could to help you make it right.

“We’ll reconvene here just before the banquet’s due to begin.” The senator’s voice earned Hunter’s attention again. “Until then… I suppose you have a chance to explore.” You waved a hand towards the door. “I’ll lead the way out.”

You deactivated the holotable and started to head towards the doors. Hunter slid his helmet over his head as he followed you, and the rest of the squad fell in step behind him. He managed to make it to your side as he spoke to you in a low voice. “We won’t be going far, Senator. Don’t be afraid to comm if something feels off.”

You gave him a warm glance, your gaze glimmering as you did so. “There’s that sense of protection your squad was speaking about.” The quiet words were filled with nothing but a sweetness that Hunter was quickly getting addicted to. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, Sergeant, but… I can’t begin to tell you how much your reassurance means to me.” You gave him a subtle nod. “Thank you.”

Hunter returned the gesture. “No need.”

You looked as if you wanted to say more, but you were already at the doors. Hunter watched you transform into your diplomatic image as the doors opened and led you out to where your guards were keeping watch in the corridor. Hunter kept himself and the squad back as you continued on, silently encouraging your guards to follow you. He didn’t miss the pointed look the captain gave him as he walked ahead.

Hunter spoke up before anyone else could. “We’re doing a perimeter sweep, getting a lay of the land.” He spun around to face his squad and nodded. “We have to know what’s out there so we can combat it later.”

Wrecker groaned and threw his hands in the air. “Why can’t it be tonight already so we can see some real action?”

Crosshair snorted in agreement and crossed his arms. “I’m starting to miss the clankers.”

“I’m sorry, boys. I know it’s hard not to be as active as usual.” Hunter allowed himself to agree with them. “But this mission’s important. Like I said last night, the fate of this entire planet is resting on our shoulders.”

“And the fate of the senator.” Tech lifted a finger as he added the thought Hunter wasn’t brave enough to say aloud.

Hunter began to turn back around, but he still managed to respond. “Right.” He gestured with his helmet to the corridor. “Let’s get going. There’s lots out there for us to see.”

The rest of the day, aside from another period of refreshment given at the senator’s request, was spent exploring both the exterior and the interior of the capitol. Tech had scanned as much as he could to make his own diagram, and Crosshair had kept his gaze high to scope out potential sniper spots—for both himself and others. Hunter’s senses were working overtime yet again to make himself more familiar with it all, though he forced himself to stop when he came too close to the edges of an overstimulation migraine.

The squad waited along with your guard outside your doors that evening, ready to escort you to the banquet. Hunter was buzzing with the same kind of adrenaline he always had on high-stakes missions, but he was hit with a whole new wave of it when the doors opened.

You had traded your gown from before with something much more formal. Its colors were the exact opposites of the other’s, trading the gold for green and vice versa. This gown was much more fitting to your form, though there was a slit in each of your legs to allow you more freedom to move around.

It was—no, you were—beautiful in every sense of the word. And there was just no getting around that fact, not even for a Republic clone sergeant.

The senator faced Hunter and his squad with the mask of diplomacy still engaged, thanks to the presence of your guard. Still, there was a light within your eyes that Hunter enjoyed seeing, especially as it shined at his visor. “Thank you again, Clone Force 99, for reinforcing my guard tonight.” You gestured to your guards as they stood on your other side. “It’s appreciated more than you know.”

Hunter bowed his head. “Just doing our duty, Senator.”

You raised your brow and the corners of your mouth at him. “This is above and beyond your usual ‘duty,’ Sergeant, especially your willingness to help the captain escort me.”

“She didn’t have to ask him twice,” Echo muttered to one of the boys from behind Hunter. He rolled his eyes underneath his visor at their snickering.

“It’s no problem, Senator.” Hunter nodded to affirm his words. “Really.” He gave his helmet a fond tilt. “Gives me a bit of a change in scenery.”

You chuckled and gave your head a shake, but Hunter caught the shyness you attempted to hide. “Well, don’t thank me yet, Sergeant. Politics are a whole different type of battlefield.” You broke your gaze with Hunter to glance over at the captain. “We ought to get going, Captain. Would you lead the way? Clone Force 99 will bring up the rear.”

The captain nodded, directing his men as they began to walk down the corridor. The squad fell in place behind you, as the group made its way to the ballroom, each member began to split off. Crosshair was the first, and then Echo as he snuck away to the power room. Tech found a quiet yet nearby place to monitor both the comms and the cams, leaving just Hunter and Wrecker as the group came upon the ballroom.

As the captain turned to face the senator, his brow knit together in confusion at the lack of soldiers behind you. “Sergeant, where are all your men?”

Hunter no doubt had a smile in his voice as he responded. “Covering all our bases. I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you, Captain.”

The captain looked as if he were about to speak, but paused when he caught your gaze. Hunter nodded at Wrecker to dismiss him. He walked off to stand alongside the entrance you had assigned him to earlier that morning.

Your eyes found Hunter’s visor, and he offered you the reassuring nod you needed. “We’re ready when you are, Senator.”

You returned the gesture. “Thank you, Sergeant.” You turned to the captain. “Captain?”

The captain took his place at the front and led the small group through the main entrance. Hunter was quick to observe the ballroom and everyone within it. It had already been packed full of various diplomats and other high-ranking citizens of Eirus. He recognized many of the diplomats from the group that had greeted you during your arrival onworld, particularly the Rodian Prime Minister who had Hunter’s anger spiking just at the sight of him. The room was decorated in the same shades of green, purple, silver, and gold that you often wore, but your golden figure was the one at the center of his vision as you continued your stride inside.

The group hadn’t made it more than a few steps inside when Hunter caught your head turning towards your shoulder, in his direction. Hunter took the cue and stepped closer to you, even though his sensitive eardrums still could have heard your hushed voice from his previous place. “Stay close, Sergeant.” Your words weren’t an order; they were a plea.

There was a tug on each of Hunter’s heartstrings as he stepped close enough to set his hand over your lower back. “I’m right here, Senator.” He lifted his visor to your surroundings as he surveyed the crowd. There was an array of piercing gazes looking your way, and Hunter couldn’t imagine how that made you feel. “I’m watching them. Don’t worry.”

You took a deep breath, a steady inhale and exhale that brushed across Hunter’s soundscape like a sweet caress. He lowered his hand from your back only when you were settled and followed you and your guard to wherever you were heading.

When Hunter realized who you were approaching first, he didn’t bother holding back his annoyed sigh, even if he did keep it to himself. The Prime Minister turned to look at the group with a hospitality so fake that even someone as politically unseasoned as Hunter could recognize the mask he was wearing.

“Senator! Ah, you’ve made it at last!” The Prime Minister reached for your hands and gave them a squeeze.

Hunter took a step closer to you with his hand hovered over his blaster before he could stop it. The movement caught the Rodian’s gaze as he huffed with both indignance and amusement.

“That one behind you is quite jumpy.”

You didn’t miss a beat as you responded. “He’s just doing his job, Prime Minister. Typically, you ask for permission with such a gesture.” Still, you let him off the hook much easier than Hunter would have. “But on account of how lovely you’ve made this gathering for me… I forgive you.”

The Prime Minister dropped your hands and opened his arms in a victorious type of gesture. “I’m very glad you noticed, Senator! I spent a lot of time putting this evening together.” He gave the room an admiring glance. “Only the best for our wonderful senator.”

Hunter narrowed his eyes. His hand was still positioned over his holster, and the hint of sarcasm in the Prime Minister’s voice didn’t motivate him to move it away.

“Did I miss something?” Hunter nearly jumped as the comm went off inside his helmet, alerting him to Crosshair’s cool tone. “Hunter looks ready to fight already.”

“From what I can tell, that is simply his reaction to the Prime Minister,” Tech answered. “Given how… unimpressive the Prime Minister is, I cannot blame Hunter for such a reaction.”

Oh, Hunter didn’t like this. Having to listen in on his brothers’ commentary without him being able to answer, at least not as freely as the rest of the squad could, was going to be a new type of torture. But remembering that frightened look in your eye that you tried to suppress as you pleaded for him to stay close made it more than bearable.

“Aw, man!” Wrecker grumbled. “I’m gonna miss all the interesting stuff, aren’t I?”

“You and me both, Wrecker,” Echo added. “Crosshair, Tech, we’re gonna need some good descriptions.”

Hunter tightened his jaw and lifted his fingers to his helmet. “What you’re gonna need is to focus. Cut the comm chatter. I can barely concentrate on my surroundings.”

He was satisfied when his order was met with silence. It allowed him to focus back on the senator and the other diplomats, who were taking turns exchanging fake pleasantries. Hunter focused less on the words they spoke and more on the other sounds around you. There were many heartbeats and heavy musks to sort through, but Hunter knew what he was looking for. Thankfully, he wasn’t finding it—at least, not yet.

The banquet was pretty uneventful, but Hunter was grateful for that. Tech chimed in from time to time to update the group on any comm activity, but it was usually the security detail that was already working to defend the politicians, diplomats, and other individuals inside the ballroom. Crosshair shared his temptation to shoot down one of the chandeliers just to make something exciting happen, and Echo agreed that it would at least short out something in the power room that he could fix.

You were thankfully unoccupied by company, halfheartedly sipping a libation, when Hunter heard one of the sounds he was listening for: a holster strap. Immediately, his visor scanned the room, each one of his senses reaching out as if they were physical hands pushing people aside to identify the source. It was much too close to be anyone on the other side of the room, but all the people in their immediate vicinity had their hands otherwise occupied.

Then, his gaze slid over to you. One restless movement from your dominant leg proved that it was, in fact, your holster strap he had heard. It had unfastened. If he didn’t alert you to the loosened strap soon, then it would very likely unveil your hidden weapons to the entire room.

The captain and his guard were at a comfortable distance when Hunter approached you. He rested his hand on your back to alert you to his presence before he leaned over to speak to you in a low voice. “Senator, you might want to check your holster.” His gaze flickered over to yours, watching as your eyes widened ever so slightly in silent alarm. “I heard the strap loosen.”

Rather than looking, you moved your leg, and Hunter yet again heard the sound just as you sensed the loose strap against your skin. “Thank the stars for your senses, Sergeant.” You managed a smile, but still let out a stressed exhale. “I have to fix it.”

Hunter gestured with his helmet to the nearest exit point. “I can escort you out.”

You shook your head. “That’ll be too suspicious.” Your gaze scanned the busy crowd. “I have to fix it here.”

Hunter furrowed his brow. “How? That’s not exactly a subtle adjustment to make.”

Your own brow knit together as you considered his words. Your eyes then rose to his visor, and they were filled with an amount of trust that left him breathless. “It has to be you.”

Hunter blinked a few times in surprise before he stammered out his response. “Me?”

You nodded, your voice dropping to a whisper as you went on. “If you stay against the wall and I stand in front of you, it could look like you’re briefing me on something.” Your eyes looked beyond him. “There’s a pretty private corner there.”

Hunter followed your gaze and let out a soft breath before he nodded. “Yeah, that’ll work.” He couldn’t begin to think of the implications of the action yet. All he could focus on was making sure your secret wasn’t revealed.

You turned to the captain and began to address him, causing Hunter’s hand to slip from your back. “Captain, the sergeant says he has an update for me from Clone Force 99. If you could watch our backs while I attend to it, that would be much appreciated.”

The captain bowed his head at you. “Of course, Senator.”

Hunter steadied himself as you turned back to him and followed him over to the corner. He stopped when his back was about to hit the wall and faced you. The proximity was dangerous, but he fought through the haze to follow his own order from before: focus.

Hunter’s hands started to reach out for the slit in your dress, but he was quick to stop himself as his visor found your gaze with ease. “May I?” He gestured to the long strip of exposed skin on your leg.

You smiled at him, and it was the first real one he had seen from you since you had entered the ballroom. “Please, Sergeant.” He caught the hard swallow you took with both his eyes and his ears. “You have full permission to touch me.”

Damn, your choice of words was making it even harder for him to focus the way he intended to. Hunter just nodded and continued, pretending the task was akin to helping Tech and Echo with the wiring on the Marauder. But the hull of the attack shuttle was nowhere near as soft and smooth as your skin, nor as rich as the silk he gently pushed aside to get to it.

It wasn’t your skin he needed to focus on. He found the hanging leather strap and identified the empty buckle that had come undone. Carefully, and while keeping his helmet level so as to not give his gaze away, he began to string the strap inside the buckle, his gloved fingertips brushing your skin.

The action brought an inhale to your lips that made Hunter pause, but more overwhelming was the sudden hammering of a heartbeat that, for once, wasn’t his own. His gaze secretly flickered up to you, just to find that your eyes were on his hands, as if he truly was holding something between the two of you. Even sweeter was the exhale that fell from your parted lips, because it wasn’t one of pain, worry, or anything Hunter was used to hearing as a result of his actions.

No, that was an unmistakable breath of pure pleasure. And he wanted to hear it again, and again, and again.

But this wasn’t the time nor the place, and this wasn’t a moment that was supposed to be happening, anyway. Hunter didn’t let himself get used to it. While he enjoyed the rush of whatever coursed through his body, he focused fully on fixing the holster, taking care not to pull it too tight even as he double checked its security.

Hunter’s words were spoken through a tight throat as he broke your silence. “How’s that?”

You nodded, another genuine smile overtaking your lips. “Perfect. Thank you, Sergeant.”

Hunter returned your nod before he fixed the skirt of your dress back in place, properly concealing your holster from view. His touch lingered before he could stop it. When he dragged his gaze back up to yours, he found that your eyes had been following his own the entire way. His senses should have been attuned to that entire room, but he was tunnel-visioned onto you and the glow of your gaze as you openly admired him.

That’s what it had to be, right? Surely, he wasn’t making that up, but it was the thing he was having trouble identifying. No one else had ever looked at him like that. No one else had ever raised a hand to press against his chestplate the way you were, now.

The moment vanished just as quickly as it arose. “Hunter, if you and the senator are done staring at each other, you’ve got a hostile inbound,” Crosshair warned.

Hunter instantly snapped back into action, and you took notice. He lifted his fingers to his helmet just as you took a step back. “Description?”

“Klatooinian. Making his way in from the east entrance.”

Hunter focused all his senses on that part of the room. Sure enough, he could hear the snarling breath of the Klatooinian, as well as the unmistakable movement of concealed weapons on his person.

“Give the order, and I’ll stun him now.”

Hunter tilted his helmet. “No. We can’t act before he does.”

Your brow furrowed in concern. “Who?”

Hunter remained gentle as he pressed a hand on your shoulder and eased you to the side, stepping in front of you. “We’re about to find out.” He gave you a quick glance. “Keep your hand near your holster, just in case.”

You nodded, allowing Hunter to focus fully on the approaching Klatooinian once again.

“Tech, do you have anything? Comms, cams?”

“It seems he is making use of neither,” Tech answered. “I’m not certain how he avoided the cams, unless he is somehow aware of where each one is placed. No unfamiliar comm channels are being used at the moment.”

“At least he’s alone.” Hunter’s fingers tapped along his blaster before he spoke again. “Echo and Wrecker? Anything?”

“I haven’t seen anyone suspicious,” Wrecker insisted. “Can I come in to help?”

“Negative. Stay at your post for now.”

“No action in the power room,” Echo informed him. “Guess they’re really just sending one tonight.”

Hunter didn’t like the conclusion he was reaching. “He’s their warning.”

He abandoned the blaster to reach for the hilt of the blade on his arm. Hunter waited, listening for the telltale groan of leather on the Klatooinian’s holster. As soon as he heard it, he acted.

One throw was all it took. His aim didn’t let him down as the quick toss of the blade disarmed the Klatooinian across the room, raising sharp gasps from the unexpecting politicians and diplomats. Even the senator let out a breath of surprise, your hand falling on his armored shoulder as you stepped out from behind him.

“Hold on, Senator,” Hunter warned you, using his arm to block you. “He might not be done yet.”

The Klatooinian huffed and attempted to make an escape. Hunter stayed with you and raised his fingers to his helmet.

“Now’s your chance, Wrecker! He’s getting away!”

“Oh yeah!” Wrecker came barreling into the room without hesitation, and it was only a matter of seconds until he had taken the Klatooinian to the ground. The blow alone was enough to knock the Klatooinian out cold, allow Wrecker to toss the man over his shoulder and carry him over to Hunter. “That was a lot easier than tackling a clanker, honestly.”

Hunter huffed at that. “Good work.” He then turned to you, his chest pulling tight at the concern in your eyes. “Are you okay, Senator?”

You nodded, portraying an image of strength as you straightened your shoulders. “Yes, thanks to you and your squad.”

Hunter grimaced underneath his helmet. “Don’t thank us yet.” He activated his comm yet again. “Tech, Crosshair, do a quick surveillance of what’s going on beyond the capitol walls.”

It was mere moments until Tech responded. “Wait. I’m just now picking up on a distress signal from one of the villages. They’ve been attacked.”

Hunter exhaled deeply. “That’s what I thought.” He prepared himself to give you the news, and the deflation of your shoulders already pained him before he did so. “Senator, there’s been an attack on another village.”

Your eyes widened, and as Hunter studied them, he saw you approaching the same conclusion as himself. “That’s why they only sent one person here.”

Hunter’s fists tightened at his sides. “It’s a warning. They can do both at once, and they want you to choose between your safety here and the safety of your people.”

You let your defeat show, if only for a moment. It was enough to make Hunter step closer to you and set a hand on your shoulder.

“You won’t have to make that choice, Senator.” He gestured with his helmet to Wrecker, who was still standing with the Klatooinian nearby. “Not as long as we’re here.”

The look you gave him said everything you couldn’t, especially with your guard quickly coming over and the guests scattering at the sudden chaos. Things were quickly getting even more complicated—for you and Hunter especially.

chapter 2 ⟸ series masterlist ⟹ chapter 4

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

senator’s shadow tag list: @violetlilly2020 @jellybeanstacey0519

[ilcuoreardendo-fic]

I think we can crown Crosshair King of the "this is my unimpressed face."

[clownery-and-fuckery]

Scraped up a WIP

"What'll it be, clone?" The smuggler asked. "'Cause I dont have a problem blowing your head off right here."

Echo struggled on the floor, fighting against the hold as he looked between the smuggler, his brother's across from him, and Tech.

The splicer kept his gaze steady, staring across at the smuggler. Hunter thrashed against their captors as he spat an order at Tech.

"Don't do it, Tech-" Hunter growled. "Get out of here, that's an order—!"

Tech's gaze hardened. "What do I get?" He asked lightly, startling the room into silence.

The smuggler paused. "What?"

"What do I get out of this?" Tech repeated. "I want compensation."

Hunter's eyes widened. Beside him, Crosshair's eyes narrowed. "Tech, what're you doing?" The sniper hissed. "You're not seriously considering this–?"

"Are you going to offer me anything for them?" Tech asked sharply. "Or am I wasting my time trying to sell you them?"

Echo winced. "Well- well—" The smuggler stammered.

"They're very valuable." Tech spoke down to the smuggler. "So if you're going to sit here and give me nothing, I'll take them somewhere else."

"We can pay you-" The smuggler offered hastily. "Double the fee for the droid," He pointed to Echo. "And whatever these three are worth."

Hunter looked from Echo to Tech. The splicer hummed, considering it.

"No," He shook his head. "No, triple." Tech nodded to himself. "That should be sufficient."

"Triple?!" The smuggler repeated. "Where do you expect us to get—"

"I don't expect you to even have double," Tech interrupted. "So I would watch it. Triple, and I get to keep the big one." He pointed to Wrecker.

"Tech!" Hunter snarled.

"Ugh," The smuggler sighed. "Double, and the big guy. How about it, clone?"

Tech raised an unimpressed brow. "Do you understand their value?" He asked the smuggler seriously.

"Of course!" He answered shortly, snapping.

"Then you understand my hesitation to hand them over to the likes of you," Tech said simply. "Double, and I keep the big one, and the sniper."

Crosshair looked livid, but he kept silent. The smuggler squirmed.

"Well?" Tech asked, mockingly.

"How about this–" The smuggler threw up his hands. "We match the price for the droid, and forget about those three," He pointed to the others, and Echo's chest lightened. "You can keep 'em."

Tech rubbed his chin, as if in thought. "Tech!" The sniper hissed.

"Fine," The splicer crossed the distance, hand outstretched. "Release them, and I'll give you the access codes to the droids central system."

The smuggler lit up, and Echo's stomach dropped. "You have 'em?" The smuggler asked.

"Obviously," Tech rolled his eyes. "Do we have a deal?"

The smuggler gripped his hand tight. "You've got yourself a deal." He confirmed.

Hunter felt them dragging him outside, and he watched Tech turn briefly towards him, hands moving behind his back, and Hunter's eyes widened.

"Under control," Tech signed. "Meet you soon."

Hunter breathed a breath of relief as he let them drag him out.

[zoeykallus]

Aloha,

First I want to tell you I love your works and how much work you put into your writing. I can't imagine how much effort goes into them!

If you are taking requests, how do you think the batchers would react to receiving naughty pictures of from SO? Maybe their meshla took the pictures themselves, or got boudoir style pictures? Did they get them in person, or maybe they got sent to them during a mission? And anything else you think would happen in this scenario?

If you're not taking requests don't worry about it, I just thought I'd ask 🤣

Aloha!

So sorry for the long wait! Finally, I'm here 😅 I think I got some ideas for this one 😁😁

"And anything else you think would happen in this scenario?"

So far it was tasteful, now you gave me ideas 😋

Now, as always, I remind you, if no gender is mentioned, I'm assuming a female reader.

The Bad Batch x Fem!Reader HCs (Shorts) - Picture Perfect

Warnings: Strongly Suggestive/Mentioned Nudity/Mentioned Masturbation/ Humor/Fluff/A Little Angsty (I guess)/18+

________________

What's Happening: You have been separated from each other by work for a long time. You come up with a salacious, wild idea. Sexy photos, from elegant to more than just charming, so that your lover can in no way forget you. Sent as a message, this erotic gesture makes for interesting events. "Hey darling, I miss you. I know you miss me too. That's why I have a surprise for you in the attachment. I love you!"

_________________

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

>MASTER LIST<

Hunter

You are away on business for a long time, and he is currently on a mission with his squad and a few men of the 501. You promised him a surprise, for which he is already waiting impatiently, something to sweeten the waiting time until you meet again. On the new comm that Tech developed, he would receive a message. The men have set up a couple of tents that they share two at a time, with him lies Crosshair grumbling, "When are you going to stop staring at that thing? She's not getting back to you today" Hunter says unimpressed, "Yes she does, she promised. Just sleep." Then the comm beeps, finally. Hunter excitedly opens the message, it's a short voice message. "Hey darling, I miss you. I know you miss me too. That's why I have a surprise for you attached. I love you!" Hunter's heart beats faster, just hearing your voice releases tons of endorphins in his brain and gives him a deep sense of comfort. Automatically, he has your smell in his nose and his heart beats faster.

He can't wait to see you again, but he'll have to be patient. He opens the attachment and freezes for a moment as a picture of you pops up on the holo image, one of many you've taken. Very revealing, very raunchy, incredibly sexy, tastefully erotic, at least most of them, some even go a little further and Hunter feels himself getting hot. He licks his lips, already thinking about you, when he hears a blanket rustling next to him. He had completely forgotten about Crosshair for a moment. "Holy shit," the Sniper mutters, "Not bad." Hunter hastily turns away with the comm to hide it from him, a reflex reaction where he accidentally presses a wrong button. The next moment, the comms in all the other tents beep. Clearly he hears your voice repeatedly from the other tents, your message. Hunter has accidentally sent your message to everyone else, a newsletter to everyone present. He gets ice-cold, nauseous. Then he clearly hears Wrecker's voice, "WOAH!"

Hunter crawls out of the tent, accompanied by Crosshair's sneering giggle, and shouts in a panic, "DON'T OPEN THE ATTACHMENT!" From most of the tents he hears a "Too late" or "Woah" or some other astonished exclamation, of course no one has been able to resist opening the attachment. The men crawl out of the tents, some laughing, some blushing. "You're a complete idiot," Echo says dryly to the sergeant. Hunter's heart races in panic. He raises his hands and says urgently, "No one breathes a word about this, she can never know" Tech sighs and rolls his eyes like he's surrounded by idiots. He collects the comms without being asked, even against a protest or two, and deletes the message on all comms except Hunter's. Hunter feels a small surge of relief and says wearily, "Thanks Tech." This incident will be on his conscience for a long time. Sooner or later, he'll confess to you what happened.

Echo

He has locked himself in the refresher after receiving your message. He is standing in the shower with the comm on one of the trays in the shower directly in front of him. He knows that his brothers will only eavesdrop or spy if he doesn't retreat. He listens briefly to the message and smiles dreamily. Echo misses you very much, your voice, your smile, your touch, just everything. He misses spoiling you and cuddling with you. It seems to him as if you haven't seen each other for ages. He has undressed and turned on the water in the shower, starts to wash himself and opens the attachment on the side. Why not kill two birds with one stone? But he stops abruptly while soaping up when the first image of you appears on the holo imager. "Oh," he says softly. He blinks, slowly realizing the nature of this surprise. He glances around as if someone might have snuck into the locked refresher, then a grin appears on his lips.

Echo is excited, his pulse begins to race as he slowly clicks through the images. "Damn lady, now I miss you even more". He pauses at a picture he particularly likes. Your lips are slightly parted, a gorgeous bedroom look in your eyes, your hands on your breasts. Almost automatically, his hand moves to his swelling cock. His gaze jumps back and forth between your lips and your breasts as he begins to pump his hard length. Echo curses softly, in his mind he shoves his cock alternately into your mouth and between your breasts. It's not long before his hard length is pulsing, spurting his seed into the shower unit. Echo hastily makes everything clean, suddenly he is ashamed, somehow it seems dirty to him. But then again it doesn't. The next time you see each other in person, he confesses to you what he has done, as if he had committed a crime. Amused and flattered at the same time, you make it clear to him that you had hoped that your pictures would have this effect.

Wrecker

"Yeah, I miss you too, little lady!" he says to the message, even though he knows you can't hear him right now. Wrecker is not alone, though; communicative and cheerful as he is, he trumpeted loudly that he had received a message and opened it before anyone else. "Wrecker," Crosshair says quietly but admonishing, "I don't think you should open the attachment in public." It's too late, Wrecker has already opened the attachment and the first image appears on the Marauder's holoprojector, almost life-size. "Never mind," Crosshair murmurs, eyeing the holo-projection interested. For a long moment, the men stand around the projector, staring at your very salacious image. As if spellbound, all pairs of eyes are fixed on your exposed body. But finally Echo clears his throat and turns off the projection. "Wrecker", he says calmly, "I think this is only meant for you".

"Uhu," he says, still a little shocked. Of course, he's looking forward to seeing the other pictures and having fun with them, but he's worried that you might find out that his brothers all know what you look like naked. He has the data stick with your message in his hand, is about to pull back and stops once again. He turns around, looks into the round. All eyes are on him, as his brothers already sense he's about to tell them something. "Guys, can this stay between us? I mean, that she doesn't find out what just happened here?" Approving murmurs fill the small room. Wrecker smiles gratefully, then grins mischievously and says, "Well, I'm going to retire to the refresher for a while." Crosshair says sternly, "Please clean up properly afterward." The rest agree again, muttering. Wrecker rolls his eyes, "Don't worry, I'll clean up, but I'm not getting out of there anytime soon."

Tech

He is so excited when your message arrives that his hands shake. You haven't seen each other in over a month. Tech is alone on the Marauder and busy with repairs when the message reaches him. He sits down in the cockpit, puts the comm on the console in front of him and listens to it. "Hey darling, I miss you. I know you miss me too. That's why I have a surprise for you in the attachment. I love you!" Just hearing your voice makes his heart race and triggers a swarm of butterflies in his stomach. Expectantly, he clicks on the attachment and the first picture opens. A beautiful picture, elegant, in beautiful underwear. Tech takes off his helmet, places it on the ground next to him, and examines the picture more closely. He smiles dreamily, with slightly heated ears and cheeks. Then he sees that it is only the first of a whole series of pictures. He clicks further, another very nice picture in underwear, in a different pose this time. In the next picture, you are no longer wearing a bra. A soft "Oh", comes across his lips. Tech slides around on the pilot's chair because his cock is getting hard and the posture uncomfortable.

He continues to click through the pictures, fascinated. Until you are finally naked and the poses become more and more salacious. By now, he's so hard that he automatically takes off his codpiece because it just gets too uncomfortable. Absentmindedly, his hand strokes the bulge in his Blacks. Finally, he reaches under the waistband, pushes the pants down a bit and his fingers embrace his cock. He's so starved for you, hasn't touched himself once since you left. But here and now, he can't help it. You know exactly what he likes and have saved the best for last. Naked on all fours, you stretch out your ass towards him, casting a ravishing bedroom glance over your shoulder, one hand on your buns, like an invitation for him to take you from behind. And in his fantasy, that's exactly what he's doing as he starts pumping his cock, moaning and shaking with tense arousal. It doesn't last long, it's built up too much, too long. Tech cums so hard, so much so that his whole body jerks for a moment, his thighs quiver, and a thick load spurts onto his comm and the console.

It takes him a minute to come to and realize what a mess he has made. Hastily, a little panicked, he turns off the comm and the holo-projection, straightens his clothes and quickly cleans everything up properly. Not a second too late, because in the next moment he hears his brothers coming back.

Crosshair

You've been away for a long time, and today you finally meet Crosshair again. You can't wait to hear what he thinks about the little surprise you sent him a few weeks ago. You are all tingly, all excited. Your eyes keep wandering back and forth to the passersby looking for him. You are too early at the agreed meeting point, actually he still has time, but you are still nervous, can't stop looking for him. But suddenly you hear his voice behind you. "Hey Kitten" You should have known he would sneak up on you. Beaming with joy, you turn to him, fall around his neck and kiss him. He returns the kiss, but finally breaks away from your lips and says, laughing softly, "Slow down, save some for later". "How did you like my little surprise?" you ask with a grin. "Surprise?"

You blink and say, "Yes, my surprise, the message with the attachment." He looks at you blankly. "What attachment?" Slowly, panic rises in you. Did you accidentally send it somewhere else? "The pictures I took for you," you say, a little breathless with shock. "Pictures?" You ruffle your hair and say, "Yes, pictures." Slowly a smile creeps onto his lips and you realize he is teasing you. You sigh in relief and annoyance at the same time. "Cross, don't scare me like that!" He laughs softly. "Did you like them?" you finally want to know. "I love them, Kitten. Very appetizing, had a lot of fun with them. In fact, I don't think I need you anymore. I have the pictures and can do the rest on my own." You box him playfully and say, "Stop teasing me". He laughs again, then kisses your neck, his lips move up to your ear, and he whispers, "Actually, the pictures have given me a lot of ideas. Do you want me to show them to you?" Your ears and cheeks get hot, and you say with a grin, "Absolutely." He smiles with satisfaction and says, "Good, because I've reserved a hotel room for us."

@rintheemolion

@andyoufollowyourheart @clone-whore-99

@brynhildrmimi @kaliel2310

@misogirl828 @tech-deck

@meshla-madalene

@chxpsi

@thebahdbitch

@nahoney22 @ladykatakuri

@darkangel4121

@ttzamara

@arctrooper69

@padawancat97

@agenteliix

@allsystemsblue

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[samcurrentlywriting]

"You really think you’re going without me? Not going to happen."

Summary: Tech gets injured just before a new mission, and refuses to be left behind.

Word count: 567

Prompt: "You really think you’re going without me? Not going to happen." (alt prompt)

Notes: extra short and light, with some typical Bad Batch banter. Enjoy! (banners and dividers by @summer-of-bad-batch)

“Stop looking at me like that. I am perfectly alright.”

Tech receives four unimpressed glares in response. 

“You almost died, Tech.”

“And now I am alive. There is no reason to be worried.”

Crosshair rolls his eyes before exchanging a glance with Wrecker. 

“You should probably get some rest.” Hunter kindly says, before guiding the three others out of the room. 

They walk in silence in the corridors of Tipoca City, back to their quarters. They barely have the time to sit before they receive a transmission. A clone battalion, trapped by clankers inside a republic outpost, requests their assistance. 

Hunter absently taps his datapad as he reads the message. 

“What should we do?” Echo asks. 

“I’m not carrying around Tech strapped in a gurney.” Crosshair snarls. 

“I can carry him!” Wrecker retorts.

“Stop, we are not carrying Tech anywhere. He’s injured. He needs rest. We’ll have to go on this mission… without him.”

“Hunter…” Echo starts, but the sergeant cuts him off with a firm hand gesture. 

“We’re all the reinforcements this battalion will get. Four is not as good as five, but it’s better than zero.”

“Can’t argue with that logic!” Wrecker bellows. 

Echo doesn’t seem convinced. Hunter looks at Crosshair, but it’s hard to know if their youngest member is scowling because he doesn’t like the plan or if it’s just his resting face. Hunter steels himself:

“We don’t have time to argue. We need to go, now.”

They get ready, packing rations and extra ammunition before going back to the marauder. When the doors of the hangar open, they all stop in shock. Tech is standing there, leaning over the ramp of the ship. 

“You really think you’re going without me? Not going to happen.”

Hunter inhales deeply before saying:

“One, how did you know we were leaving? Two, no, you’re not going with us, you need to heal from your injuries.” 

“Three, are you out of breath because you hurried to ensure your dramatic entrance?” Crosshair adds snarkily.

Tech and him glare at each other, until Hunter stops them. 

“And who do you think is going to fly my ship?” Tech asks.

“The marauder is our ship, and everyone here knows how to fly, Tech. Look at you, you can barely stand! Your injuries will never heal if you don’t rest.”

Tech opens his mouth to retort something, but Echo chimes in:

“We don’t have time for that! The clone battalion needs us, and since Tech won’t be left behind, they’ll get all five of us.”

Hunter mumbles something as he gets inside the ship. 

“Isn’t five better than four?” Wrecker asks in a whisper that somehow manages to be louder than a regular voice. 

“Your math is blowing my mind, Wrecker.” Crosshair retorts. 

Echo helps Tech to his seat as the pilot. 

“I won’t be much help to you in combat, but I can still fly, and my brain is intact. You will need my skills for this operation.”

“Are you calling us brainless?” Echo replies with a small smile.

“I am merely stating…”

“I think you got the idea across, Tech, now, get us out of here.” Hunter sighs. 

They all strap in and Tech engages lightspeed. Hunter cannot blame him for his persistent nature, when he knows they all share it within the squad. He cannot change that about them, but he can make sure they stay safe, together.