#I don’t even think I could make friends with a clone of myself

[finniestoncrane]

said to my counsellor that i wasnt built for friendship because everyone always eventually just. stops speaking to me and she went “ok why do you think that is?” and then when i finished my dumb sad list she went “ok so maybe you aren’t good at friendship” and i. have never regretted spending £50 more in my life lol

[chatonfils]

Starting off by saying I hate “mom Danny” bc it tends to be p transphobic and misgendering, so if anyone adds it to my post I’m blocking them.

Tim making his Kon clone baby, but the cloning chamber isn’t stable enough for the fetus. He’s desperately trying anything that he think might work, when he comes across Phantom. Phantom who has experience with stabilizing clones.

Danny had heard whispers through the grapevine (Ellie who’d joined the Teen Titans as Phantasm) that there was someone attempting to make clones. He’d only meant to snoop and see if it was a Vlad situation. If any clones had been made and needed liberating. What he found was a newly minted Red Robin crying over a red blinking message on a cloning chamber. He warbled a quiet “please, Kon, I don’t want to live without you.”

Danny quickly realizing this wasn’t an attempt to replace and destroy, but actually someone grieving, in probably an unhealthy way, but who was Danny to judge, he’d once replaced Sam and Tucker with robots for less. So he decided to help Red Robin out. Sure, he hadn’t dealt with kryptonian dna before, but he was at least 89% sure halfa dna was way more complicated. And Red Robin had already figured out ways around the dna shenanigans, it was just the stability that wasn’t going well. Honestly, he didn’t think it would be as easy as an ecto dejecto like it had been for Ellie. But his parents had a lot of inventions that they’d started making to help out ghosts, once they’d realized Danny was Phantom. Maybe telling Red Robin about ghost IVF wasn’t his most thought through plan.

“I think what might help is an incubator.” Phantom had suggested.

Tim could only gesture at the cloning chambers that had failed him thus far. They were essentially huge incubators.

Phantom awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “I meant, like, a living incubator. Like a surrogate.”

“Where am I going to find someone that I not only trust to carry the baby, but also would volunteer?” Tim raised an eyebrow at him. Hell, had Tim had the equipment to do so, he would have carried the baby, everything else be damned. He just didn’t want to be alone anymore.

Phantom blushed green and looked away. “It might take a little tinkering with the embryos to work with the physiology, but…. I could carry the baby for you. I mean, I’m trans, and even if I wasn’t, ghosts are kind of malleable in a reproductive sense. And there are options for IVF in ghost science. And like, my own clone is like my little sister. I’m also a protection spirit, so I would protect the baby with my entire afterlife. And I’m kind of rambling so you should say something before I embarrass myself.”

“You would be willing to carry a baby for me?” Tim was shell shocked by the offer.

“I mean, yeah. You’re a good guy. You’re not cloning him for a malicious reason. You’re just trying to bring back a piece of your friend because you love and miss him. Dedication that strong for someone who has left the living plain, is admirable. You realized early on that you wouldn’t be able to increase the speed in which the clone grew. You’ve been trying despite knowing that this clone will be a baby that’s going to be your child, and not just the friend you lost. And I wouldn’t mind giving up my body for a little bit so you can make your family.”

Tim certainly hadn’t meant to surge forward and kiss Phantom. “Thank you.” Tim pulled Phantom into a fierce hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

It took about a month for them to work out the kinks of making the baby safe for Danny’s body. In this time, Danny showing Red Robin his human form, and Tim revealing his own identity. It felt kind of wrong to keep his name from someone he intended to get pregnant with his child. Tim and Danny got close as they worked together on the baby. And there may have been a few more kisses shared between them. In the end, the baby ended up spliced with mostly Kon’s dna, some of Tim’s (to stabilize the kryptonian dna), and some of Danny’s (to keep the baby safe in the womb).

Once Danny was well and truly pregnant, he encouraged Tim to find Bruce. “I’ll keep the baby safe. You find your dad. If you need me for anything, I’m only a call away.” Tim hadn’t forgotten about Bruce, he’d just never thought it would take so long to set up cloning Kon. So much of his hurt and loneliness had fallen away in Danny’s presence, and Danny had let him hyper focus on making their baby.

“Probably terrible timing, but I’ve got to ask,” Tim swallowed nervously. “Be my boyfriend?”

Danny’s lopsided smile, thawed Tim’s nerves. “I think I could work with that. I hope you don’t mind kids though, I’m kind of pregnant.”

Tim huffed a laugh. “I’ll keep in touch while I’m away. Please keep me updated on the baby.”

Danny pulled him into a proper kiss, “I will.”

I’m mostly imagining Tim getting bump update photos and falling in love with his increasingly pregnant boyfriend, while he finds Bruce.

I’m also imagining after Bruce is back, Tim being like, “anyways gtg, my boyfriend is in his third trimester and I don’t want to miss the birth of our baby.” And peacing out before any bats could react, let alone stop him.

And also maybe when Kon comes back, there’s maybe a poly relationship started.

Also thinking about Tim getting Danny pregnant without the science.

Danny gets Dad, Tim gets Papa, and if Kon joins, he gets Poppy.

[10byten]

Last night, I imagined Jaehyun telling everyone just how deeply in love he is with his girlfriend. The way he’d talk about what makes her so special in his eyes, how she’s this perfect mix of chaos and calm that he can’t get enough of. How she’s not just someone he loves—she’s the reason everything makes sense. And that’s it. Just Jaehyun, utterly smitten, trying to put into words what feels impossible to explain.

Jaehyun finally told the guys about you. The way you live in his head, rent-free. The way everything feels a little too quiet when you’re not there. He tried to keep you to himself, but he couldn’t anymore—not when you’re all he thinks about.

-

“Wait, can you say that again?” Mark’s eyes widen like a cartoon character caught mid-thought. The boys are all gathered around the living room table.

Jaehyun had called what they jokingly refer to as an “emergency assembly” to drop the bombshell: there’s someone in his life now, and he’s planning to move in with them. It’s time, apparently, to finally introduce them to his friends.

“I mean, I don’t know, you’ve been hyping this girl up for so long, and we still haven’t seen her. At this point, I’m starting to think she’s a figment of your imagination,” Johnny teases, leaning back in his chair.

“Ha. Ha.” Jaehyun deadpans, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I know I’ve been talking about her for a while, and yeah, none of you have met her yet.”

“And we don’t want to meet her,” Jungwoo says, dramatically crossing his arms and rolling his eyes.

“Don’t listen to him, hyung. We’re dying to meet your ghost girlfriend. Like, is this some ‘Ghost’ movie situation where only you can see her, or is she gonna appear if we summon her with a medium?”

Jaehyun throws a pillow straight at his younger friend’s face.

“She’s real,” he insists, his voice softer near the end as if embarrassed. “I just... didn’t want to share her. I wanted to keep her to myself for a while.”

“Oh, you were scared we’d steal your girl, huh, Jung?” Doyoung smirks.

Jaehyun snorts, shaking his head with a calm confidence. “Not a chance, Kim. She’s not into innocent little boys like you.”

Doyoung pulls a face, his mock outrage making everyone laugh.

“Well, I’m happy for you, man,” Taeyong says sincerely. “We’re all excited to meet her.”

“So, tell us—what’s so amazing about her?” Haechan leans forward, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

Jaehyun’s gaze drops to the table, a thoughtful look washing over his face. Then his eyes light up, and a soft smile stretches across his lips.

“She has this... effect on me. When she’s not around, it’s like this itch I can’t scratch, and nothing feels right until she’s back. She’s got this way of making everything in my life just... easier. She makes me feel like even the stuff that doesn’t make sense is still okay, like it all fits somehow. Sometimes, it feels like she controls the weather—my weather—and I think maybe she does. At least in my world.”

He pauses, rubbing the back of his neck with a shy laugh. “Honestly, even I start to wonder if she’s a mirage. She must be made of some kind of magic, though, right? Because who else could do that to someone? Every time I’m with her, I feel a little more drunk on her. It’s weird, but I finally get that saying about having someone under your skin.”

The room falls silent. The guys are all staring at him, wide-eyed and stunned.

“And of course,” Jaehyun adds with a sheepish grin, “she’s gorgeous, sweet, sexy, brilliant, and funny.”

Haechan is the first to recover. “Hold up—what happened to the emotionally unavailable, zero-feelings Jaehyun we know? This guy’s a clone. We need to file a missing person report.”

“Shut up, idiot. It’s called being in love,” Yuta says, rolling his eyes. “You might figure that out one day if your brain ever grows up.”

“I know this doesn’t sound like me, but—”

“But it proves you’re really in love,” Yuta cuts in.

Jaehyun blushes and nods, unable to hide his smile.

“So, when do we get to meet this ‘delicious creature’ of yours?” Johnny asks, grinning like he’s not about to let it go.

-

“Hey, love. Where are you?”

You slip off your shoes the moment you walk into the apartment, already eager to see him. When Jaehyun spots you, his face lights up, and the book he was holding is instantly forgotten as he crosses the room to pull you into his arms. He lifts you slightly, and you laugh, wrapping your arms around him.

“Hello, love of my life.”

“Hello, you.” You kiss him softly.

“How was your day?” he asks, just like he always does.

“Intense. And yours?” you murmur, your fingers threading through his hair.

“Long without you. Fun with the guys,” he says, stealing a quick kiss.

“Oh yeah? What did you guys do?”

He looks at you deeply, his eyes full of warmth. “Talked. About stuff. About you.”

You tilt your head, feeling a mix of flattery and slight embarrassment.

“They’re coming for dinner tomorrow,” he says casually, brushing his lips against your cheek. “To finally meet you. Is that okay?”

“I’m okay with anything that involves you or the people you care about,” you reply between kisses.

Jaehyun groans softly against your lips. “You have to be unreal. Always saying the perfect thing.”

“Then I guess this is one beautiful illusion we’re living together.”

“It definitely is. babe”

[suzukiblu]

do you have any kryptonians hcs that you think would be fun to see incorporated in more fics out there? like cultural stuff & biology

Ones I've seen before and really like:

Kryptonians purr

Kryptonians are built physically harder/denser/heavier than humans and don't have much "give" in their bodies

Kryptonians can tell that humans aren't the same thing as them, but humans can't QUITE tell that Kryptonians aren't the same thing as them; there is just the tiiiiiniest bit of uncanny valley there when they aren't deliberately trying to pass for humans, though

Kryptonians immediately just "recognize" other Kryptonians as being Kryptonian ( though maybe this one is at least IMPLIED in canon, though I've never been totally clear on that one--but like, a stronger version of it, if that makes sense?? )

Ones I've been slooowly forming myself for personal use:

Kryptonians have different voices and different hearing, in the sense that a Kryptonian has more tones/nuance in their voice and can HEAR more tones/nuance in a voice, and a lot of other species' voices sound flat or toneless to them because they lack those additional tones

"chiming" as a way for children to get their parent/caretaker's attention; basically a specific musical little sound that they make

Kryptonians typically only being physically expressive or emotive with close family members/friends, and vocal communication frequently being more emotive/descriptive for them than physical is

Kryptonians come in just sliiiightly brighter colors than humans do--eyes, hair, skin, etc

it takes a long time and extended time together to "learn" someone's heartbeat

food is generally served on specific complementing dishware, in terms of color/shape/specific meal

most clothes involve multiple layers, mainly a fitted undersuit that covers as much skin as possible, and then an overrobe or two that hide(s) the shape of their bodies as much as possible; specific cuts of drapery are a big thing in their fashion

wearing house crests is a Big Deal all the time and involves certain rites of passage/ages/etc

diet being fairly simple and minimalistic; they have rice but not really bread, eat more fish than red meat, and cuisine tends to concentrate on very subtle and natural flavors; there's not typically a lot of different things on their plate and they don’t generally use chemical preservatives in daily life

to a Kryptonian it'd be a LOT more normal that Kon and Match got made in test tubes than it'd be that Jon and Chris got made via natural births, and there would absolutely be a "is cloning worse or is just leaving your kid's DNA up to chance worse??" kind of argument going on there, culturally speaking

( also I could go on for a fucking MINUTE how Jon being a successful and healthy hybrid who is also apparently fertile enough to have at least one descendent alive and well in the thirty-first century is an insane and weird thing that makes very little sense that I DESPERATELY wish came up in more of the fics/canon that I see involving or mentioning him; seriously, Kryptonian DNA is so complicated that Bizarro syndrome is a regular thing in clones produced from it even by people who SPECIALIZE in cloning, but the kid who just got whatever random genes won the random race is the one who came out perfectly stable and healthy and has ZERO health issues/concerns? like, EVER?? hOW, canon. HOW. )

I will actually live and die on the hill of "Lex is more genetically compatible with Kryptonian DNA than Lois is" because fuck a) biological determinism and b) loving couples DO frequently have to deal with genetic incompatibility and that's just much more interesting to me narratively, and also I love the weird little not-quite-tragedy of that concept, both in how Lex refuses to be an ally to someone he actually is so naturally “compatible” with and in how Lois would have genetic compatibility issues with someone she loved so much and was loved BY so much

ONE DAY I will write the fic where Jon is actually NOT a healthy hybrid and has a ton of health issues from birth and can't even use any Kryptonian powers without having a freaking asthma attack or HEART attack, resigns himself to it just being an unavoidable Kryptonian-human hybrid thing and that he'll never live up to his dad or grow up to be "Superman"--and then one day an oblivious newborn bb clone Kon shows up out of the blue in perfect health with EXTRA superpowers and very publicly declaring that HE'S gonna be Superman someday, and everyone in the Kent family has to just deal with that and how they all feel about it. ONE DAY.

[hugmekenobi]

S3: The Bad Batch (8)

Chapter Eight: Bad Territory

Gif by @rebekadjarin

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Ever since Eriadu, Clone Force 99 had been a fractured squad. Months have passed but you're finally back with the Batch but Omega is still out there and you won't stop until you find her again.

Chapter Summary: The group is divided, each side with a mission of their own to follow

Masterlist for S1 and S2

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, swearing, angst, fluff, limited (y/n), Crosshair feeling left out, me making up how the Force can work/be used, more dancing around M-count things, and me making up a rough timeline

Word Count: 5.2K

Author's notes: Not gonna lie, I struggled a lot with this one for a variety of reasons but I hope people still like it! Thank you @burningfieldof-clover for your much needed and valued assistance during this!

Pabu

Omega sat on the steps of the Marauder anxiously tapping her boot as she stared at her commlink.

“You know staring at your comm won’t make Echo contact you any faster.” Crosshair told her as he approached.

Omega got to her feet with a sigh. “He and Rex lost most of their squad in that attack. All because the Empire was after me and (Y/N). I have to do something to help them.”

“You are. Follow (Y/N)’s example and keep staying away.” Crosshair said.

“Wow, I’ve never been used as a positive example before.”

Omega turned to see you and Hunter standing in the doorway of the Marauder.

“Crosshair’s right. We need to know more about why Hemlock’s after you and what his M-count experiments mean.” Hunter added. “Until then, you both have to lay low.” He said with a firm look at the two of you.

Hey, Omega is the priority here, not me.

“Don’t start with that.” Hunter chastised. “It’s a high chance that Hemlock being after Omega means he’s after you too, especially if M-counts are involved somehow.”

We don’t know that he’s after me specifically, I’ve always just had issues with any Imperial official. I’m more of a general Imperial threat. Me getting captured, I could wind up anywhere.

“That’s a very reassuring thought, thank you.” Hunter muttered sarcastically.

Besides, even when I handed myself in, I wasn’t sent to Tantiss so I might not even be on his radar since he seems to be looking for clones and not Jedi to test on. Omega is the one we know for sure that Hemlock is after.

“Hey! Incoming transmission. From Phee!” Wrecker came to tell the rest of you.

To be continued. You placed a chaste and pacifying kiss to his lips before you headed towards the cockpit.

“No, not to be continued, you’re laying low the same way Omega is!” Hunter called to your retreating figure before he too headed back in.

“They were arguing, and I didn’t hear a single word she said?” Crosshair as the two of you walked back inside.

“Hmm?” Omega stopped patting Batcher and then understood his question. “Oh that! You mean she hasn’t tried it with you yet?” Omega asked curiously. She’d honestly barely noticed the interaction; she was so used to moments like that now.

“Tried what?” Crosshair asked.

“It’s a Jedi communication thing.” Omega tried to explain but that was really all she could provide. “I don’t quite understand how it works but she does it with the rest of us. I’m sure if you asked her, she’d be able to do it to you too.”

“Right.” Crosshair said hesitantly, unsure as to what he could’ve done to make you think you couldn’t trust him with that. But he pushed that to the back of his mind for now before inquiring, “And Phee?”

“She’s a liberator of ancient wonders.” Omega said with an appropriate amount of showmanship.

Crosshair just stared at her unamused and not playing into the mystery she was trying to create.

“Pirate. She’s a pirate.” Omega admitted with a sigh.

How you lot had managed to make allies with a pirate was something he found himself wishing he’d been there to witness.

--

Wrecker put the transmission through.

“Hey Phee.” Omega said warmly.

“Hey kid.” Phee replied.

“What do you got for us?” Hunter asked.

“I’ve been asking around about this M-count thing, which hasn’t been easy, by the way. Tech’s brain was the data bank, not mine.”

The grief you were in constant battle with asked for another way in, but you let is wash over you as Phee continued to speak.

“But I came through. As always.”

“And what did you find out?” You asked.

“Word is, certain class one bounty hunters have been retrieving M-count target for the Empire.”

Again, you ruminated in your thoughts over this. Omega couldn’t have a high M-count, not in the way the Empire seemed to want, you’d know if she did. And it was all to do with clones, so it had to be something about their DNA specifically. “A high M-count signifies Force user potential. But that’s not got anything to do with you.” You added hastily as you saw Omega’s look of excitement. “So, why else would they need her if she has one?” You asked Phee.

“Don’t know. You’re better off asking a bounty hunter.” Phee replied.

“We have run into a few.” Hunter revealed.

“What about Fennec?” Omega suggested.

“Who?” Crosshair asked.

“Fennec Shand.” You said, your feelings about her made very clear by the distaste in your voice. “She was hired by Kaminoans to abduct Omega. Tried to pick me up along the way.”

“She might know something.” Omega said.

“She’s dangerous, but it might be our only option.” Hunter agreed and she definitely a better option compared to Cad Bane.

“I can probably track Fennec down for you.” Phee said. “But she’s not gonna hand over that information for free.”

“Naturally.” You and Crosshair said in the same wry tone.

But as he said that you, Hunter, and Omega noticed the way his hand began to tremor despite Crosshair’s efforts to stop and hide it.

“I gotta split. I’ll get back to you.” With that, Phee ended the transmission.

“Yeah, I don’t like it.” Wrecker said nervously to Hunter. “We can’t trust Fennec. Not around those two.”

“Agreed. You and I will go alone.”

“But-” Omega protested.

“Hold on-” You began to argue.

“This isn’t a debate.” Hunter said definitively. “Stay on Pabu and stay out of trouble. All of you.” He said to the three of you.

“Fine by me.” Crosshair drawled before he left the ship.

Hunter addressed the two of you once he’d gone, concern in his voice. “See if you can convince him to get his hand looked at. Ignoring it won’t make the problem go away.”

--

You walked back to the ship as you saw Hunter and Wrecker getting ready to depart.

“I already told you no.” Hunter said as you stood on the bottom of the door staircase.

“Hunter-”

“You and Fennec have a score to settle and I’m not going to tempt her with it. What we need to know is more important than that.”

“I know that but she’s dangerous and I don’t see how having someone else there to help would be such a bad idea.” You disputed.

Hunter went for another tact, “Did you hear Phee say the phrase ‘high M-count targets?’ ”

You ground out a sigh, “Yes.”

“And don’t you have one?”

“Yes, but I-”

“Did you hear that bounty hunters are being used to retrieve them?”

You shot him an exasperated look. “Yes.”

“Do you see where I’m going with this?”

You exhaled a defeated breath. “Yes.” You begrudgingly acknowledged.

“Good.” He came down a couple steps and placed both hands on your shoulders as he kissed your forehead. “We’ll be careful.”

“Yeah, you better.” You threatened but with a caring smile on your face. “I’ll see you soon.” You hopped off the stairs and watched the ship take off.

--

You rejoined Omega and Crosshair who were standing by the Wheeping Maya tree. “Sooo, what do we want to do today? Walk around, go for a boat ride, chill by the beach and talk about our feelings?” You broached casually. You couldn’t get away with making him sit down and push him into doing something about his hand- Omega had the better shot of using an approach like that. What you were doing fit the rhythm you and Crosshair had before everything in the galaxy went to shit.  

Crosshair ignored your suggestions. “You can help me train.” He said as he grabbed his rifle.

Omega glanced up at you to see if you wanted to say anything yet, but you only shook your head as you both followed him down to the beach cove.

--

“How’d you want to handle this?” Omega asked as Crosshair started prepping his scope.

I’ll open the door for you. Give us a few minutes.

--

“Target practice or hand-to-hand?” You asked as you reached him.

“Target.” Crosshair with a hard stare at you, warning you against any further unrelated conversation.

“I’m here to help as you requested.” You raised your hands in surrender, “I only ask because the most recent time you tried hand-to-hand; you got your ass handed to you.” You taunted as you made your way to your position and removing your lightsaber from your belt. “Now remember, the goal is to aim for me which finding the motivation for shouldn’t be too difficult.” Omega, when you hear the blaster fire stop, you’re up.

You weren’t facing him when you sensed the shot that was being aimed for the middle of your back. You ignited your lightsaber and blocked it on the half turn. “Hey, that was good!” You called back. “More like that and I might actually have to try!” You got into your stance and waited.

Crosshair heaved a sigh as he set himself again.

--

You disengaged your blade to signal that it was time to stop, and you lightly jogged over to where Crosshair was waiting. “Twenty shots, but only eleven I had to actually dodge or block… you really gotta sort that out, it’s not like you.”

Crosshair glared at you, “I forgot how annoying you were to train with.”

“Oh, I’m just the warmup.” You said with a knowing grin. “She’s the real challenge.” You nodded past his shoulder.

Crosshair followed your eyes, and he gulped as he saw Omega walking towards with gritty determination on her face. He already knew exactly how this was going to go.

--

Finding Fennec Shand hadn’t been very difficult, the hardest part now was getting her help without giving too much away.

“So, what kind of information can I help you with?” She asked, relaxing into the booth but she saw the wary look the two clones shared with each other. “See, the way this works is you tell me what intel or target you’re after, and I give you a price. So stop wasting my time.”

“We hear the Empire has a bounty out for M-count targets.” Hunter replied tentatively.

Fennec adjusted her posture. “Why do you wanna know about that? You trying to find your girl?” She looked at the helmeted clone who visibly tensed at her words. She sipped her drink. “She’s been quite the busy Jedi, nice price on her head too.”

“The why is our business.” Hunter said stiffly.

Fennec let the evasion slide and shrugged as she lounged back once more. “I haven’t done one of those jobs myself, but… I might know someone who has.”

“Can you put us in touch with them?” Hunter requested.

“Now that will definitely cost you.”

“How much?”

“More than you’ve got. But we might be able to work something out.” She took another gulp of her drink. “I’ve read your files from before.” She addressed the bigger clone, “You’re good with demolitions and ordnance, right?”

“Ha! ‘Good’? I’m the best.” Wrecker boasted proudly.

“And you’re the tracker.” Fennec said to the other one.

“What’s your point?” Hunter questioned warily.

“There’s a bounty I’ve been trying to bring in. Worth a lot. But he’s been hard to catch without a crew.”

“Oh, so you want us to work with you?” Wrecker sussed out.

“No. You’ll be working for me.” Fennec corrected. “You follow through, I’ll get you what you want to know.”

Hunter barely debated the situation in his head. Getting the information was all that mattered. “Deal.”

Fennec nodded and grabbed her stuff. “We’ll use my ship. And so we’re clear… I keep the payment on the bounty. All of it.”

--

Omega sat next to Crosshair whilst you crouched by Batcher’s side, absentmindedly petting the hound as AZ finished scanning Crosshair’s hand.

“How does your hand feel now?” AZ inquired.

“The same.” Crosshair grunted dejectedly as he massaged it with his good hand.

“Unfortunately, it may never heal 100%.”

“There’s nothing else you can do?” Omega appealed.

“I have exhausted all the medical treatment options. Perhaps the issue is not something physical.” AZ theorised.

“You think it’s in my head?” Crosshair hissed angrily.

“If you were to elaborate more on the experimentation you were subjected to, I could determine the cause.”

“Forget it.” Crosshair snapped as he shoved past the droid.

You jumped to your feet attempted to catch his arm, but he shrugged you off.

“Crosshair?” Omega called out to him as he left but he didn’t look back.

“If he won’t talk about it, I’m not sure how else we can help him.” You pondered anxiously.

“I have another idea.” Omega said. “But you need to be there too.”

--

“We’re working for her now? We don’t even trust her.” Wrecker whispered as he and Hunter stood in the back of Fennec’s ship. It wasn’t like Hunter to not think through the dangers of taking a job like this on.

“What choice do we have? We need that information. Just be ready for anything.” As soon as Hunter said that the door slid open, and Fennec appeared.

“We made a deal. I’m going to keep it as long as you hold up your end.” Fennec reminded the clones.

“Wanna tell us who it is we’re going after?” Hunter asked.

Fennec brought out the puck and activated the image. “Sylar Saris. ‘The Slayer od Ordo Eris’. One of the slipperiest marks around. Got a tip on his location.”

“Well, what did he do?” Wrecker asked.

“Hmm. Got greedy. Took out a couple top bosses for the Haxion Brood and escaped with a cache of credits. Powerful people want him found. The other hunters that went after him? Never came back.” She waited half a second before continuing, “Sylar knows the planet like the back of his claw. But eventually, everyone’s luck runs out.” Fennec turned off the puck as she finished the brief and retreated to the pilot seat.

--

You watched the line of fruit on the rock ahead as Crosshair raised his rifle, but his hand was still trembling, so his shot skimmed the top of the fruit he had been aiming for. You had thought a degree of normalcy was what he needed but now it was time for both you and Omega to push him- even a little bit. “That was close.” You said encouragingly.

“Close doesn’t count. It’s either a hit or miss.” Crosshair replied sharply.

“You’re still more capable than most.” Omega said with a soothing touch of his arm.

Crosshair only sighed and sat with his back against the rock. “That’s not good enough for a sniper.”

You and Omega both hopped up on the rock.

“Have you ever considered that AZ might be right?” You proposed slowly, your voice kind and gentle. You knew how hard accepting help with something like this could be and it couldn’t be rushed into.

“Whatever they did to you on Tantiss could’ve affected you more than you realise.” Omega backed up the suggestion in a similar tone.

“No. No, no. It’s not in my head.” Crosshair disagreed.

“Just because there’s nothing AZ can do, doesn’t mean your hand can’t get better.” Omega said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you’re the one who has to fix it.”

Crosshair considered it. “How?”

“I’m glad you asked.”

Crosshair glanced over at you to see a familiar scheming smile on your face but there was a kindness to your eyes that told him you weren’t messing around with this. “I’m not gonna like it, am I?”

You and Omega shared a smile, “You don’t like anything.” You two said in unison as you left the rock.

“True.” Crosshair conceded with a sigh as he got to his feet.

--

The light was all but gone and between the toxic swamp air, the mines in the river, and the gators that attacked them, it had already been a trying journey and things weren’t getting much better since Hunter couldn’t get a proper read on the current anymore.

“Well, tracker? Which direction?” Fennec asked as she slowly steered the hired boat.

“The currents are too calm to tell.” Hunter admitted reluctantly.

“Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you guys aren’t cut out for this job.” She said irritably.

“Oh. You think you could do better without us?” Wrecker challenged.

“I wouldn’t be doing any worse.”

“Well, (Y/N) got the best of you and even Omega managed to get away.”

“Apparently, they both got away from you too.” She watched as that clearly hit a mark with both of them. “So what happened? I know what your girl’s been up to, tracker, but what went down for her to get to that? And how’d you lose the kid?”

“What’s it to you?” Hunter deflected coldly as he pulled out his macro’s and searched ahead for any sign of Sylar’s safehouse.

“Just seems odd. You’re both willing to work for me, considering our past. That information must really be important to you.”

Hunter said nothing. He feared that anything he would say would give something more away.

“And just so you know, I didn’t lose Omega. I let her go when the bounty was called off.” Fennec informed them.

“By who?” Hunter asked, turning to look at her.

“The client. They thought Omega would be safer with you guys. Guess they were wrong about that.” She glanced between them both. “And your Jedi wasn’t worth the trouble since there wasn’t a set bounty on her at the time. Though, if I saw her again, with the price on her head that might change.” Fennec couldn’t help but goad. She scoffed as she saw the helmeted glare from the tracker.

“I guess you’ll work for anybody as long as you get paid.” Wrecker said with a hint of disgust.

“Good guys, bad guys. Their money is all the same.” Fennec said breezily.

“Well, money’s not everything.” Hunter said.

“That’s cause you don’t have any.”

Hunter couldn’t respond to that because there was nothing to argue against. He simply brought his binoculars back and scanned the water. “Someone came through here. Veer starboard up ahead.”

--

‘Slippery mark’ had been right. They’d been able to find his hideout but actually subduing Sylar had proven a far more difficult feat than anticipated.

In the end, it had taken a team effort from the three of them to knock out the insectoid and even then, it had taken four stun blasts to successfully managed it.

Wrecker released a breathless groan as he stepped over the target. “You were right to bring us along.”

“I’m always right. Grab him and let’s go.” Fennec instructed.

--

“If this is a Jedi technique, how is this going to help me?” Crosshair asked dubiously as he saw you and Omega sit cross-legged with your hands on your knees on a rock facing out to the sea, the orange sunset giving the water a warm purple hue.

“One, it’s not solely a Jedi technique because, as you can see, Omega does it.” You pointed out.

“But-”

“Two, I’m also out of practice so we can both learn together. Come and sit down.” You encouraged, patting the space between you and Omega.

Crosshair reluctantly mirrored both your positions. “So, this technique…”

“Mediation.” Omega reminded him. “It’ll help you heal. Not just your hand, but your mind too.”

“I doubt that.” Crosshair tried to follow the example of you two, but he couldn’t quiet his mind and his hand had started to shake again. He inhaled sharply as he felt Omega take a hold of it and turn it so that his palm was facing up.

You closed your own eyes and spoke calmly. “You need to breathe. Take slow, deep breaths and find your centre. Focus on yourself and what you’re feeling and accept it. Let it pass through you and don’t run away from it.” You guided him as you followed your own advice and found yourself becoming one with the living Force around you.

“And don’t compare yourself to her. It works slightly differently.” Omega told him.

Crosshair glanced at you from the corner of his eye to already see that you were completely at peace, and it looked like nothing could ever bring you out of it. “Where did you learn this? Did she teach you?” He asked Omega.

Omega kept her eyes shut as she replied, “No, she hadn’t done it until after I picked it up from my friend Gungi, and the other Wookies on Kashyyyk. But she helped me with it thereafter. I think she needed that moment again too.”

“You’ve been to Kashyyyk?”

“Uh huh.” Omega took another deep inhale and exhale. “You’ve missed a lot.”

“I know.” Crosshair realised.

“Now, close your eyes and focus.” Omega repeated.

Crosshair did as you both suggested and let go.

--

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Fennec said as the clone departed her ship.

“Hang on.” Hunter turned on his heels. “You promised us information.”

“I didn’t say I had it on me, but I’ll get it. Ater I deliver Sylar to my client.”

“That’s not what we agreed on.” Hunter growled.

“You can either fight me or trust me. Take your pick.”

Hunter shared a look with Wrecker but decided it wasn’t worth the risk.

“Good choice.” Fennec before she stepped into her ship and brought the ramp up.

Hunter and Wrecker could only watch her ship leave the station hangar. Having to trust the word of a bounty hunter was not the ideal situation they wanted to be or leave in.

--

Fennec put through the transmission and addressed the hologram.“I just finished a job with some clones. They were asking about the Empire’s M-count bounties. What can you tell me?” She digested the muffled chatter that came in response. “I’m sure you can find them easily enough. I’ll send you what I have.”

--

“(Y/N)? (Y/N), we’ve finished.” Omega shook your shoulder. “Come back.”

You jolted back to the current moment. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is fine. Just wanted to tell you that Wrecker and Hunter are back.” Omega said as she stood back up. “How was it this time?” She asked you.

You exhaled deeply. “Better but I could still feel my focus drifting more than it used to.” Plus, no matter how often you trained in it, you had never gotten to see your master again and you were beginning to think it had been a one-time deal. If what you needed to talk to him again was to reach a certain level of emotional turmoil, you wouldn’t want to get to that place again. “How was it for you?”

“It was good.” She replied cheerily before she set off to meet up with Hunter and Wrecker, Batcher close at her heels.

“How’d it go?” You asked Crosshair as you got to your feet.

“Eh, I still don’t get it.” Crosshair grunted in reply.

You smiled understandingly at him. “It gets easier.”

“I know, I’ll keep trying.” He took a step in the direction Omega had gone but your voice stopped him.

“I’m not talking about the meditation.” You said softly as you grabbed his shoulder to turn him to face you. “I’m talking about dealing with whatever it was that happened to you.”

Crosshair cast his eyes to the ground. “I can’t tal-”

“Believe me, I understand how hard it can be to recount experiences like that, so I don’t expect you to, not any time soon. The second you wanted to; I would be there but that’s not what I’m saying right now.” You reassured him.

Crosshair regarded you carefully. “Then- then what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that whatever you’re feeling, whatever memories in your head that are so fresh it feels like they’ll haunt you forever, it’s okay to feel them. And, while they may never go away entirely, it does get easier.” You looked at him with warm sincerity. “Just don’t bury them because that’s when they’ll eat you alive.”

Crosshair’s eyes widened slightly at your words as he recognised the place you were coming from, and he was grateful for them.

“Or not dealing with them can lead to reckless and damaging decisions that get your face slapped on every Imperial noticeboard across the Outer Rim. Take your pick.” You joked to lighten the mood again.

Crosshair managed a smile at that.

You patted his shoulder. “I meant what I said though, it gets better. We’re all here for you.” You started to walk away to see Hunter and Wrecker to find out what information they got from Fennec.

“Omega mentioned a Jedi communication thing you do?” Crosshair said to your back.

“Yeah, I do it with all of them.” You called back over your shoulder.

“All?”

“Uh huh.” You said casually before you stopped in your tracks as you realised what he was getting at. You swivelled around again, “Oh! Yeah! I can do that to you whenever you want!”

“But you haven’t.” Crosshair countered as he walked over to you.

You shrugged. “You said you needed time to adjust, and I didn’t want to freak you out.” You replied simply. “I wasn’t conspiring to keep it from you, I just didn’t want to assume anything.”

“If you still don’t trust me, I-”

You rolled your eyes. “Would you shut up; I just said it was because I thought you needed more time. Do you want me to do it with you too?”

Crosshair shifted on his feet. He didn’t like the position he suddenly found himself in, it felt rather pathetic.

“It’s a simple yes or no, come on, we have places to be.”

“I’m sure Hunter can last ten minutes without your mouth attached to his.”

“Okay, see now you’re just pissing me off.” You tossed your hands in the air and went to turn away.

“Yes.” Crosshair grumbled. He’d already missed out on so much and he didn’t want this to be yet another thing.

“That wasn’t too hard, was it?” You drolled. “Give me your hands.”

“Why?” Crosshair asked suspiciously.

“Because I’m actually in love with you.” You jibed flatly as you shot him a look of exasperation.

Crosshair rolled his eyes at you. “Gross.”

“Sometimes it helps when it’s a first connection, especially when I haven’t been around someone for quite a while.”  You explained. You held yours out and waited expectantly.

Crosshair hesitantly complied- both hands steady this time- and watched you intriguingly.

“Fair warning, it can feel a bit weird.” You took a deep breath and closed your eyes. You reached into his Force signature, and it was what you expected. It was barbed and you could feel a resistance- a wall- to it. But there was also vulnerability, a longing for growth and acceptance, that wanted to let you in and that was what you appealed to. When you felt that the connection was there, you opened your eyes and looked at him. Now, can we go see your brothers please?

“Okay, that’s really fucking weird.” Crosshair said as you let go of his hands.

Hey, you asked. You grinned at him before the two of you officially set off to go meet the ship.

--

One week later

“Any word?” Omega asked as she and Crosshair stepped into the Marauder. They’d been mediating by the Maya tree and decided to come check in. The news that Fennec didn’t have any immediate information to offer had been disappointing and each day that went by without any communication only let that disappointment grow.

“Nothing.” Wrecker groused.

“Fennec never told us how long she’d take.” Hunter admitted before he noticed you weren’t with them. “Where’s-”

“Don’t know. We thought she was with you.” Crosshair said as he placed a toothpick in his mouth.

“You’ve not seen her all day?” Hunter double-checked. He’d seen you when you’d woken up but then you’d left, and he and Wrecker had been on the ship for most of the day.

“No, we haven’t. Batcher must be with her too.” Omega guessed since the hound hadn’t been with them and wasn’t anywhere on the ship.

Hunter mulled this over in his head. This isolation you were now putting yourself in since you’d heard the news about Fennec’s lack of information was beginning to become a real habit.

“Three seconds. That’s all it took for you to decide to go find her.” Crosshair teased, earning a snicker from Wrecker in the process.

“Shut up.” Hunter mumbled as he left the ship.

--

You had been aimlessly wandering the shoreline, occasionally chucking a stick Batcher had found for her to chase.

The Empire,

Omega,

M-count,

Jedi,

Clones,

The Empire,

Omega,

M-count,

Jedi,

Clones…

You ran that list over and over again in your head but couldn’t see the connection. The Jedi were dead and hated by the Empire- what could they need that M-count for? Omega wasn’t Force sensitive and neither were any other clones but that was Hemlock’s main test subject choice. So, what was it about an M-count in clone genetics that mattered so much? What were you overlooking? A demanding bark pulled you out your thoughts and you saw Batcher had dropped the stick at your feet and was waiting expectantly.

“Tell me, Batcher, what am I missing?” You crouched down and held the sides of her face in your palms and smiled at the hound. “Tell me, girl!” You laughed as she let out an affectionate whine and licked your cheek.

“You know, it might help to share your theories with someone who can actually talk back?”

“Uh oh, the tracker found me.” You said as you scratched her jaw before you glanced past her with an affectionate look to the clone walking towards you. “And how’d do you know she doesn’t?” You disputed light-heartedly as you stood up taller.

“You’re right, I don’t.” Hunter played into the joke as he reached you before he turned more serious. “What’s going on, sweetheart?”

“Nothing.” You said dismissively.

Hunter just stared at you with a knowing look on his face. “Don’t do that, don’t shut me out. You’re not keeping to yourself for no reason.”

You remembered your own advice to Crosshair and swallowed tightly. “It’s right in front of my face, Hunter. I should know why this M-count matters for Omega but it’s not clicking and it’s driving me insane!” You rubbed a hand across your tired face. “I don’t know what I’m not seeing.” You confessed as you hung your head with a defeated breath.

Hunter placed his hands on your upper arms and brought his eyes to your level. “If it were obvious, we’d know it already.” He said as he rubbed his thumbs comfortingly up and down your arms. “You don’t need to keep working through this alone.”

“I just feel so useless. I should be able to figure this out!” You said with a frustrated huff.

“I know, it’s hard to just wait it out, but Fennec will come through. Until then, we just have to be patient.” Hunter said as he put his arm around your waist as the two of you and Batcher headed back to rendezvous with the others. “Jedi are meant to be good at that, right?”

“Would it shock you to know that I struggled with that?” You remarked satirically as you mirrored his actions.

Hunter chuckled. “Not in the slightest.”

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @arctrooper69, @notgonnaedit, @dominoeffectsworld, @andreaaxy, @nightmonkeysstuff @superbookishhufflepuff

[gremlinvanfleet]

𝖐𝖎𝖓𝖐𝖙𝖔𝖇𝖊𝖗 𝖉𝖆𝖞 𝖔𝖓𝖊 - 𝖋𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘 

anakin skywalker, circa. the clone wars

kinktober 2023

masterlist

who else is better than hayden christensen to kick off the month? we also have the same name and that's so wicked.

summary: you and anakin have been fighting in the deadly war for far too long, and you finally begin to turn to each other for comfort in the trying times after so much loss.

warnings: smut, swearing

word count: 1,884 (i'm so sorry)

The war had been taking its toll on everyone. Yourself included in that list of people as Obi-Wan’s new Padawan. You hadn’t noticed it about Anakin however. He commanded your fleet and you trusted him with every fibre of your being. He was strong, wise and had animal like instincts. A true leader. He never ever wavered and that’s why there was so much confidence in him, even if he defied orders, he always did it with the best interest of the people.

“Y/L/N! I need you here. Focus please.” He touched your shoulder. You didn’t even noticed you zoned out. 

“Sorry, General.” He nodded. He continued with his attack plan. It was simple but unbelievably effective. He didn’t believe in making things unnecessarily complex, especially when it could put his men at risk. 

“General Skywalker, how are we supposed to sneak in when they have droids outside the whole ship?” A clone asked. 

“That’s were Y/N comes in.” He gestured towards you. You felt your face heat up. You thought you were just going to be piloting with Anakin, not heading the mission. “She will fly around the perimeter and act as a distraction while we strike underneath.” 

“You have faith in her flying? She’s just a kid.” Another one chimed in. He shook his head. 

“Myself and General Kenobi have yet to see a reason to not. She’s reliable and smart. Don’t second guess me again.” He glared. Him defending you made you have a funny feeling in your stomach. 

You took a moment to admire him in this state that came so naturally to him. His hair had been a bit more tousled than usual, and his uniform was more wrinkled than you remember it. You saw him run his hands through it before he came into the command centre. Stress. The lightsaber attached to his waist shined under the light of the hologram above him. His blue eyes were as fiery as usual and the intensity behind his voice made you think he received intel that he didn’t find favourable. You felt for your friend and mentor in the moment. Obi-Wan may be your master but Anakin was a true friend. He’d been through everything you had already. He understands you. 

“Okay. I think that’s everything. Let’s go men. We have a hard battle ahead. Fight hard and with valiance and I’ll be endlessly proud.” He smiled but his eyes looked sad. He knows not everyone in this room will be coming back. 

The clones left the room but Anakin grabbed your wrist, prompting you to stay behind. 

“What is it, General?” You thought he had something important to say but instead you were met with his sad blues looking into yours. 

“I just feel like something bad is going to happen with this mission. I just don’t want it happening to you. Please promise me you’ll be careful.” 

“Anakin, you’re the one who taught me how to fly, remember? I believe you called yourself the best pilot in the galaxy. If you can’t have faith in me, have it in yourself.” You smiled at him. He chuckled. 

“Point taken. I do have faith in you though, Y/N. So does Obi-Wan. We are both so incredibly proud of you. You’ve served the council well and I’m certain you’ll continue to do so.” 

“Then why are you so worried? I’ll be just fine.” You tried to reassure him, even though you didn’t fully believe yourself. It’s scary when he gets a feeling like that. He’s always been able to see ahead. 

“Okay, okay. Let’s go then.” He walked beside you and nudged your shoulder. You laughed and walked with him to the hangar. 

The mission was gruelling but a success. Anakin had lost many of his men this time around but you made it out okay. In fact, you pulled it off perfectly. You had taken down one of General Grievous’ droid ships. Only a grain of sand in the scheme of things however. After the mission, Anakin came out of it with a heavy heart. He thought no one was looking but you saw him ignite his saber and use it in a supply room. Items clattered everywhere while he took out his rage. What was he mad at? It could be anything. The loss of his men. The knowledge that there is still so much work that needs to be done and that means losing even more men. It hurt you to see him in so much pain like this. You couldn’t just leave him like that. 

“Hey…” You stood in the doorway. He looked at you, nostrils flared, eyes in a frenzy. 

“What are you doing here? Go get some rest.” He sighed and ran his hands through his hair again.  “I won’t be resting until you do, General.” You knew he hated when you called him that, but you took the risk of poking a little fun at him. God knows you both need the pick me up. “You know I don’t like that.” He had a small smile on his face. You stepped closer to him. 

“Yeah, but it’s good fun.” You smiled. He chuckled. 

“Come on, lets try to get some sleep at least.” 

You followed him up to the sleep chambers. He got in his bed and you got into yours. The sleep came on quickly but just before you drifted off, you heard a shout from the room next to yours. Anakin. You ran into his room and found him sitting up, bare chested and breathing heavily. 

“What’s wrong?!” You searched his distressed face for an answer. He blinked at you. 

“Nothing, nothing. Go back to sleep Y/N.” He sounded defeated. Not something you’d expect from the strong man across from you. 

“Come on. I’m not that naive. You can talk to me.” You sat on the edge of his bed. He tipped his head back and sighed. Something was definitely weighing on him. 

“I just can’t get their faces out of my head…” He said dejectedly.  

“Who are you talking about?”

“The clones. We lost so many. I know its the fortune of war but I still can’t help but feel responsible.” He rubbed his forehead. 

“Anakin, listen to me. None of this is your fault. In fact, you’re the only person I know fighting in this war that cares so much about his men. I admire you so much for that.” You put your hand on his. He sighed and closed his troubled eyes. 

“We all care, Y/N. Some of us are just more radical than others.” 

“You’d be the most radical I think.” You joked. He cracked a small smile. 

“I think you’re the only one keeping me sane here…” He whispered. 

“Lucky for you, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Promise?” He searched his eyes. 

“I promise.” You squeezed his hand. 

“Can you stay here with me? Just for tonight so I can sleep?” His eyes looked sad. Your face heated up. You had wished for this to happen. You’d never admit it but deep down you’ve always hoped something more would happen between the two of you. 

“Yeah. I can stay.” You smiled and he returned it. 

He laid back down and you did the same beside him. He sighed a few times and turned over too. You gently put your hand on his arm and started drawing circles. He hummed and turned on his side to face you. 

“That feels nice.” He murmured. He kept his eyes on yours as you continued. He leaned in a bit closer. You felt your heart beating faster in your chest. Is it finally happening? He gently placed his soft lips onto yours. 

You quickly returned the kiss and slid closer to him. He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you into his chest while never detaching from your lips. You whimpered into his mouth as he pushed his tongue in. You felt his mouth turn into a smirk after hearing it. He flipped himself over so he was between your legs. He pushed himself against you and started kissing down your neck.

“Is this okay?” His eyes were filled with concern. 

“Yes. Please keep going.” You pleaded. 

“As you wish.” He smiled and continued down your neck. He pulled your housecoat off revealing only underwear underneath. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to see you like this. I’ve thought about it all the time.” He admitted.  

“Me too.” You managed out between pants.

He quickly but carefully took off your underwear, revealing you completely to him. He stared for so long that you started to feel self conscious. You began to cover yourself again. 

“No no. Don’t do that. You just look so pretty, I can’t help myself.” He caressed your side, giving you goosebumps. 

“It’s your turn now, General.” His words gave you confidence. He shook his head and began taking off his clothes. His skin was such a beautiful colour and his battle scars just added to it even more. His metal arm glistened in the moonlight. You stared at his toned abdomen while you both took each other in. 

“Ready?” He was hard and not trying to hide it. His size was intimidating but definitely enticing at the same time. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” 

He slowly circled your clit with his hand while he pushed himself into you. You felt so full even after only half of him was inside. He groaned when he bottomed out and you clenched around him. 

“Fuck… So tight…” He hovered over you and rested his forehead against yours. The heat radiated against your skin so pleasantly as he pulled himself out and then back in again. The pleasure was unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. His pace was too slow for your liking however. 

“Anakin, please… Faster.” You whined. He chuckled and began to move his hips faster. His skin smacked against yours and he spent time rubbing your clit to get you there. 

“Fuck, Y/N.” He panted. His fingers moved faster against you and your legs began to shake. “You gonna cum for me?” 

“Y-yes. Please don’t stop…” He smiled down at you and kept the pace of both his fingers and his hips. He drew you closer and closer to the edge with every movement. The coil in your stomach was ready to snap at any moment. 

“Come on, sweetheart. Cum for me.” His words were enough to bring you over and you shook and clenched all around him. “That’s it, pretty girl.” He wasn’t done though. 

He pounded you even faster as he chased his own high. He pushed deep inside you one final time with a loud groan. He pulled out and his seed spilled out of your swollen hole. He collapsed beside you and pulled you into his arms. 

“That was-“

“Unreal.” You finished. 

“Yeah. I can’t believe it took us this long.” He laughed 

“Me neither. Kinda kicking myself for it.” 

“Just don’t tell Obi-Wan. He’ll kill me.” You laughed at the fact that he was still scared of Obi-Wan after all this time. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” You kissed his cheek and snuggled into his chest. 

A good sleep was on its way. 

© gremlinvanfleet 2023 <3

[vodika-vibes]

Hello lovely! Could I please request Ruby for Dogma x female reader where they both have huge crushes on each other, but are too shy to say anything; one day after Dogma comes back from a long tour and she just decides to go for it and she glomps him, kissing him on the lips over and over again while his brother's are just standing there, jealously gawking lol. I hope this inspires you and I hope that what you're coming down with doesn't last long!🌼

Take A Chance

Summary: You’ve been crushing on Dogma for, what feels like, years. But you’ve always been too nervous to actually put your feelings into words. But, after your closest friend tells you that she’s going to invite Dogma into her bed when he returns from his deployment, you decide to take a chance.

Pairing: Clone Trooper Dogma x Reader

Word Count: 852

Warnings: Some angst at the beginning, but there's a happy ending. Also, reader has a toxic friend

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: So, I didn't follow your prompt to the letter, but I think I'm happy with this, so I hope you are too!

Anxiety twists your stomach as you lean against the flowering tree on the base that the 501st call home when they’re not deployed. 

The Resolute docked about an hour ago. It’s only a matter of time before they actually come back to the base, and that’s the thing that is making you so anxious.

Not that they’re coming back, no. 

But the fact that you’re going to see Dogma.

Kind Dogma. Handsome Dogma.

Dogma, who you’ve been crushing on for months. Who you’ve been too shy to confess to, because he might not feel the same.

Dogma, who your best friend decided that she was going to try and bed, even though she knows about your crush on him. Her argument was that since you haven’t said anything yet, then he’s free game.

You warned her that if she did this, she would lose your friendship forever. And she just didn’t care.

So that definitely isn’t helping your anxiety. It’s not like you have so many friends that you can afford to lose any of them…even bad friends are better than no friends, right?

You lift your head when you hear the familiar sound of heavy boots on the paved road, and a small smile crosses your lips when you see the 501st trekking back to their barracks.

Knowing them, most of them are going to change and hit up the bars or go and find their partners.

They deserve it.

And then there’s Dogma, talking to Tup, joking about something based on the wry grin on Tup’s face, and your heart lurches. You love him. You want to be his and him to be yours and…

And…

And you can’t do it.

Your hands curl into fists and you drop your gaze away from the man that you love so much.

He deserves…more. So much more.

You jump when a pair of boots stop in front of you, “Credit for your thoughts?”

“They’re hardly worth that much.” You reply automatically, before you lift your gaze. Dogma is standing in front of you, concern written clearly on his face, “Ah…welcome back, Dogma.”

“Thanks.” His dark eyes scan your face, “What’s wrong, you look upset.” His brow furrowed, “Did someone threaten you?”

“No. Nothing like that. Just…coming to a realization about myself, is all.”

“Wanna share?”

“It’s not important.”

“It’s important enough that it upset you.”

You hesitate, “Well…” You fold your arms, “There’s a guy-” Dogma’s expression twitches slightly, but he just motions for you to continue, “And I just realized that I’m never going to be good enough for him.”

“If he thinks that then he’s a karking idiot.” Dogma replies, “You’re amazing.”

“No, he didn’t…” You hesitate, “That was me coming to that realization, not…” You sigh, “Like I said, not important.”

Dogma is quiet for a moment, “Well,” He finally says, “Since you have this…guy,” His tone is odd, but he continues before you can question it, “I guess you’re not interested in getting a drink or something with me?”

“...what?”

“Like, caf. Or maybe something else, since you don’t drink caf.” Dogma adds, and then he flashes a wry smile, “Sorry, I had a plan, but now that I’m standing here, I can’t quite remember it.”

“A plan?”

“For asking you out. On a date.” He rubs the back of his neck, “But, you just said there’s a guy, so I guess you’re not interested-”

You stare at him, blankly for a moment. And then you step into his space and press your lips against his in an awkward kiss. You pull away quickly, and Dogma stares at you, as though his brain needs a moment to reboot.

He stares at you for long enough that you shift nervously, and avert your gaze, “U-um…I shouldn’t have-”

You’re not able to finish your sentence before Dogma’s lips are hot against yours, and he has you pressed against the tree behind you. Unlike your kiss, which was hesitant and very chaste, his kiss is sure and quickly becomes passionate.

And you’re helpless but to match his intensity, your arms coming up to wrap around his neck and he pins you against the tree.

There’s a loud whistle and a shout of, “Get it, Dogma!” Which causes him to break the kiss, but he doesn’t pull away, instead he presses his forehead against yours, and he raises his hand to flip off whichever brother that was.

There’s the sound of laughter, and then the audience disperses, not that you notice that, as your focus is locked on Dogma, who has all of his attention focused on you.

“So,” Dogma says as he leans in slightly, his lips hovering just over yours, “I’m the guy?”

“You’re the guy.” You agree.

Dogma exhales slowly, his breath fanning across your face, “Good.” He breathes out.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” His gaze drops to your lips, “So…that date?”

“I’d like to go get some caf with you, Dogma.”

“Then I’ll go change and we can do that.” He murmurs, “But…first…” He trails off as his lips catch yours one more time. 

And, eagerly, you kiss him back.

[amberskyyking]

It’s Fox Day so have a fluffy lil Corrie Guard Talent Show story I wrote based on this post featuring a bunch of my talented writer friends OC’s and Fox trying so hard to develop better mental health patterns and so so many hugs 🥰❤️🦊

Ten Out Of Ten

7k words! Click the title for the AO3 link. @corrieweek TW: Suicidal thoughts mentioned, KMS joke and general implied past abuse and decom, but things are better and they’re healing now ❤️‍🩹

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

“I’m going to fucking-”

Stitch’s eyes snapped to Fox’s face the moment he started mumbling those words under his breath, and he cut himself off. Kill myself, was what he wanted to say, but he wasn’t supposed to make jokes like that was he? They’d talked about this at length after the war was over, after the Senate voted to declare clones were Sentient in an upset he still wasn’t sure he believed really happened. Their newfound position was so fragile, even if the decom orders he shielded them from for years had been stopped. His vode weren’t expendable anymore, there were consequences for abusing them now that Fox had the right to enforce, but the sense that all those protections could be ripped away had seeped deep into his bones. Fox hadn’t been able to protect them before, his efforts hadn’t been enough, he wasn’t enough! Palpatine might be gone, but Fox couldn’t shake the icy dread that he would see those leering yellow eyes around every corner, hear that cruel voice disguised with grandfatherly patience threatening his vode if Fox didn’t comply, feel the sudden pang of lightning sear across his skin -

“Fox,” Stitch said his name in a hard tone, snapping him out of the spiraling thoughts for a moment. “Stop that.”

Right. Fox took a breath.

Stitch had a point, he knew he did, as much as he hated to admit it a couple of weeks ago when he made his last ill-timed joke passing by a familiar spire. Jokes like that only reinforce negative thought patterns, Stitch had snipped. It’s not funny, it’s only making your damn mental health worse and it’s going to give me a fucking aneurysm one of these days if you don’t knock it the hell off! 

The reminder filled him with a new wave of guilt. His poor CMO could never trust Fox wasn’t serious about those sort of things, and Fox honestly couldn’t blame him, but Stitch already had to put up with so much. Now Fox was adding to it. Maybe it would be better if he just-

“I’m serious, Fox,” Stitch snarled. “Want to try that again?”

Fox scowled at the floor. He was trying to do better, he really was, he had to, for his brothers sake. He’d promised them he would, even if he didn’t understand why they still bothered, now that the primary threat to their existence was gone. But Stitch was still glowering at him expectantly. Thorn and Thire had gone quiet too, right in the middle of their own conversation. Great. Now they were all concerned again, just because of his bad coping skills. Fox looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember what Stitch had said to do with thoughts or jokes like that instead, even if it was just to appease them. Just say something different, right? Something positive or funny or ridiculous? 

He let out an exasperated sigh and blurted out the first load of nonsense that popped into his head. “I’m - I’m going to put on the best talent show Coruscant has ever seen,” Fox muttered, his voice thick with sarcasm.

There was a pause, and Fox felt a flush creep up his neck. Where the hell had that come from? It wasn’t even really funny, it was just ridiculous, Thorn and Thire were bound to give him shit, and -

“Wait seriously?” Thorn jumped up eagerly from his spot on the floor. “We can do that?”

Thire’s eyebrows shot straight into his hair. “I ah. Think the Commander was joking, vod.”

“But we could?” Thorn pressed, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with a huge sparkling grin on his face. 

Fox blinked a couple times at his vod’ika with a pit in his stomach. Thorn had to be joking too, didn’t he? 

“Cause I had this idea, there’s this song I found that I want to make a routine with Lowkey to and -”

“Isn’t that what the holonet is for?” Thire chuckled.

“Trust me, this would be so much better live! I could - No wait, can’t say. That would be a huge spoiler!”

Both troopers looked excitedly at Fox, and his heart dropped. Kriff. This wasn’t a complication he was prepared to deal with, not today.

“I…” He gulped, trying to stall, trying to think of any way to tell them no, it wasn’t possible, they didn’t have the resources or the time… But it was useless. He couldn’t stand to see their faces fall if he could help it, not after everything the Guard had been through for so long. If they wanted to do something like that so badly he would find a way, he… He could never say no to them. Not with enthusiasm like that, not when they were looking at him like that!

“Sure,” He caved, cursing himself internally as he did. “We can have a… A talent show.”

Thire gasped, Thorn let out a whooping cheer, and Fox had to grin in spite of himself, at least until Stitch snorted from behind him. Fox shot a tired glare back at his CMO, who didn’t look sorry in the slightest, in fact he looked downright pleased. Stitch had to know exactly what just happened in Fox’s head, and this whole self-esteem issue he was constantly pestering Fox about had just taken a turn that his vod’ika couldn’t have planned better if he tried. It wasn’t like Fox could really regret it, though. Thorn had already lit up like a life day tree, sending frantic comms to Lowkey with ideas for their next routine, and Thire wore a thoughtful little grin on his face that Fox could have melted at.

“What are you going to do for it, sir?” Thorn asked suddenly, looking up from the comm he had been typing out.

“I’m not competing,” Fox said automatically.

“Whaaat?” Thorn frowned.

“Why not?” Thire said in bewilderment. “It’s your idea!”

“What would I even do?” Fox exhaled, shaking his head. “I don’t have any special talents.”

“Sure, vod. You just killed the Sith, ended the war and set us all free, that was a normal Benduday,” Thorn snarked.

“That wasn’t all me… And how exactly would I do any of that on stage?” Fox protested.

Thorn opened his mouth to offer up what was sure to be some sort of insane suggestion, but thankfully, Stitch came to Fox’s rescue.

“He told you you could have the show, that’s enough,” Stitch snapped. “I karking swear, if you try to hijack his sleep schedule just to make him prep for some damn act, you’ll be seeing my special talents in the med bay first hand!”

That made the pair of them back off, but it didn’t seem to damper their excitement for the thing, which was good. Fox let out a breath as they shrugged in acceptance and got back to their conversation from before, this time with giddy little grins on their faces.

This… This couldn’t hurt, could it? If the idea was making Thorn and Thire this happy, it would probably be good for the rest of his men, too. Fox wasn’t the only one who struggled, maybe they could all use the boost. He would still make sure it was closed to anyone but the Guard, to be safe, even if the galaxy was nominally safer for them already. Outsiders seeing his vode in the spotlight was still a risk he wasn’t willing to take, but they could keep this small, just celebrate a few of his brothers who he loved so much and remind them of their worth. He could manage that.

Stitch slung an arm across Fox’s back as he started thinking it all through, and Fox automatically pulled him into a hug, letting out a deep sigh.

“It’s a good idea, vod,” Stitch told him softly. “I’m proud of you. You caught yourself, you’re forming better patterns already, that’s progress. But this isn’t going to fuck up your sleep.”

“Someone has to plan all this,” Fox reminded him, but Stitch shook his head as he pulled back to look Fox in the eye.

“Yeah. Someone. Not you,” His CMO told him pointedly, mouth twisting into a wicked smirk. “Either you let me handle this or you go down to one shift a day, don’t try me. We have rights now, thanks to you, so you can’t work more than your doubles or I’ll fucking report it.”

“This wouldn’t be work related-“

“It could be,” Stitch threatened with glee, and Fox let out a half-hearted scoff. That wasn’t even fair. His brothers needed those protections in place, but Fox hadn’t considered how Stitch might use those new laws against him, too.

“Fine,” He bit out. “If you’re sure, but if you need anything, tell me. I should still be involved.”

“It’s your own damn show, you’ll have a role,” Stitch shot back, but his eyes were soft, and Fox nodded. It was settled, then. For better or worse, Fox really was going to kill himself put on the best fucking talent show Coruscant had ever seen.

---

It might have been Fox’s half-baked, sarcastic suggestion to throw the talent show in the first place, but Stitch stayed true to his word and took charge of the whole production so Fox wouldn’t work himself into the ground trying to do it all it himself. He still wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or put off by the help. This really was something he could have handled on his own, he used to pull triple or quad shifts, the doubles were already a massive improvement and adding the show to his plate really wouldn’t have been pushing himself more than he had before. Pointing that out Stitch again later that night, though, proved to be a mistake, as the CMO kindly offered to break his fucking legs and throw the bone knitter off the goddamn Rotundra if he tried to go back on their agreement now…  So Fox let Stitch handle coordinating the thing, went to bed, and hardly slept, but at least he tried. 

Fox had barely begun his first shift when it became clear word had spread and clones on and off duty all started acting strangely. He had only pictured a small gathering in his head, something held quietly in the barracks or the mess, far from prying eyes, but the more excited vode he encountered throughout the day the less that seemed like a viable option. 

Thorn and Lowkey passed Fox as he left the barracks that morning, both of them soaking wet, squelching in their boots and giggling like kriffing cadets. They froze when they saw Fox and tripped all over their promises to clean up the mess before Fox let them go. Only a couple hours later, Lefty’s pet tooka somehow got stuck in a vent in the armory, and when he got her out, she was wearing a miniature version of shock trooper armor. The red paint hadn’t dried yet and was smeared in places on the thin plastoid, but that, at least, was a cute problem. He gave a blushing Lefty a comforting hug once his pet was safe and gently scratched the little tookas head before moving on with his day.

The talent show was farther from Fox’s mind again by the time he was making rounds near the east wing of the building on his second shift. Suddenly he heard noises from a storage room that was supposed to be unoccupied, and panic flared in his gut. He’d heard things like this before. Muffled voices echoed from inside, one of them shouting something indistinguishable, and they sounded like his vode!

All the worst possibilities raced through his head, but they had rights now, he could protect them if someone was trying to hurt them and he would! He would do anything to keep them safe, no matter the cost. Fox drew his twin blasters with his heart in his throat, raced right up to the door and -

The voices started to sing. Fox stopped dead in his tracks.

Theeeeere once was a man come from Sriluur, Say now did he really? A handsome pirate, that’s for sure! All of that’s a lie!

It… It was several voices, echoing loudly through the door now in the otherwise empty hall, all of them clones but… But nothing was wrong. Fox’s adrenaline fizzled at once and he let his hands with the blasters fall at his side. They were just practicing in there, a call and response song like some of them made up back on Kamino in training, nothing that was hurting them. There weren’t even rules against that kind of thing, at least, not anymore.

Hondo Ohnaka, Hondo Ohnaka, Hondo Ohnaka! All of that’s a lie!

Fox shook his head and closed his eyes for a few seconds, letting their little song remind him that they were okay. They did sound good, now that he knew no one was locked in there with a fucking Senator, and some of the lines they made up almost made him chuckle, lessening his nerves. If they had written it themselves, it was a very clever shanty. After a minute or so he trudged off to continue his rounds, but practicing vode continued to catch him off guard through the rest of that shift. By the time he made it back to the barracks he had ran into Pointe with wide eyes and his arms full of bright colored fabric and ribbon scraps, Tree practicing an attempt to make a strange plant disappear for Senator Chuchi, and Crow trying to smuggle no less than six mouse droids out of the Senate halls for who-the-hell-knows-why.

Fox was tired when he finally returned, but before he could make Stitch’s whole kriffing day by collapsing into bed at the end of it like he was supposed to, Thire burst in with a grin on his face that lit up the whole room.

“I found us a venue!” He announced, and Fox blinked at him in bleary-eyed confusion.

“A what?”

“You know that old theater just down the street?”

“The one you just issued eighteen building citations to last week?” Fox said with a raised eyebrow.

Thire rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck. “Yeeeah… I might have offered to waive those if they can get the violations fixed by Taungsday… And let us use the place that night.”

Fox’s face stayed impassive as he looked at his blushing vod’ika. “…For the talent show?” He asked at long last, and Thire nodded.

“I mean, where were we gonna have it? The mess?”

That had been what Fox was picturing, but… Well, it didn’t really matter to him if the theater paid those fines, just that they fixed their shit, so if this was just as effective he didn’t see a problem with it. Besides, Thire seemed proud, and after seeing so much more enthusiasm today than he expected, maybe being on a real stage would be good for his kih’vode too, at least if the event was still private. They deserved to feel special. They were special. Especially since so many of them really had cultivated great talents, even while stationed here, of all places, where stifling conformity was a matter of survival.

“Good work, vod,” Fox yawned, standing up again and crossing over to Thire over to give him an appreciative hug. “They’ll love that.”

“You think so?” Thire said, letting out a breath and straightening up a bit at the praise.

“Of course,” Fox assured him. He let him go with a pat on the shoulder and sank back down onto his bed. “You’ll have to tell Stitch, though…”

“Will do, sir!” Thire beamed.

Fox smiled as he closed his eyes, even through his exhaustion. He hadn’t expected all this, but it really did feel like the spectacle was needed, somehow. Maybe he should have known, with how long they had all had to keep their individuality hidden away, for safety’s sake. But things were different now, they really were. Even if he was still having a hard time believing it. 

Fox found it a little easier to drift off to sleep that night, even if he could have sworn someone was practicing an entire tap dance routine in a nearby room. 

---

The day of the talent show came and the old theater was packed. Even knowing how excited his kih’vode were about this, Fox stared around in wide-eyed wonder at the number of them who showed up! Stitch had to half-drag him through the crowd of smiling, laughing Corries, most of them in armor but a few in military dress clothes or civvies or even full costumes that rivaled the worst dressed Senators, towards the judges booth in the center of the room. The rest of the panel, with Thire, Stone, Hound and Rosie, were already gathered there, chatting and laughing as they waited for everyone else to find their seats. 

It was slow moving through the crowd though, even with Stitch’s intimidating scowl to cut them a path, since Fox’s kih’vode kept turning to smile at him, laugh, and hug him along the way.

“Commander!” A fresh faced shiny, Zed, grinned up at him with a a sharp salute. “Thank you sir, I - I can’t believe I get to show off my hoverboard tricks! I always saw the holos of the pros on Kamino but I never thought…”

“You’ll do great tonight,” Fox reassured him, giving his shoulder a squeeze that made the kid swell with pride and bounce on his toes. They only made it a few more steps before another trooper tapped on his shoulder. 

“I was hoping to catch you, Sir,” The trooper said softly, fidgeting with a piece of flimsi in his hands, and Fox recognized him as Penner. “I didn’t sign up, I don’t think this would be very exciting from the stage but… I’ve been learning origami to give me something to do with my hands when I’m anxious and… I think I’ve gotten good at it,” He explained, blushing a little as he spoke. “I want you to have this one…” He held up the flimsi in his hand and Fox’s eyes widened. What was a flat and fragile sheet just a minute before was suddenly a perfect little Fox.

“That’s incredible,” Fox breathed, and he meant it. He picked up the little fox as gently as he could, looking at the little details, the tiny folds that seemed to fit impossibly together in awe. It was so personal, so heartfelt... ”Thank you, Pen’ika,” Fox smiled. “If you were competing I’d give you ten out of ten.”

Penner looked like he was about to cry. “It’s nothing, you… You saved my life,” Penner whispered, his lower lip wobbling just a bit as he did. “I don’t know if you remember but… But thank you, Commander.”

Fox felt like the air had been knocked clean from his lungs. He did remember, of course he did. Penner had been one of the first men he had been too late to protect… But he wrapped his arms around his brother, drawing him close and taking care to keep the oragami fox cupped protectively in his hand. When they pulled apart, both their eyes were misty, and Penner gave him a watery grin before turning away.

“I hope you’re paying attention,” Stitch said under his breath as he took Fox by the hand again. “See what can happen when you’re not a fucking asshole to yourself?”

“This was mostly your work,” Fox pointed out in a raw sounding voice, but Stitch shook his head.

“Only because you’re still running yourself into the damn ground trying to keep us safe. This was your idea, its happening because you said so and you did it for their sake, don’t you dare deny it!”

Fox didn’t dare. He wasn’t sure why he had said anything about a talent show in the first place, what possessed him to speak those words with hardly the thought in his mind or where they even came from, but he… He wasn’t sorry. His vode needed this, maybe more than he even realized, or maybe he knew but just hadn’t understood it yet. 

“How many of them do you think…” Fox started, but trailed off.

“Think what?” Stitch pushed.

“… Need to know they… Matter,” Fox said quietly. “Even if they’re not competing tonight.”

Stitch stopped in his tracks, turning back to him with a solemn, troubled look on his face. “All of them,” He said, without a hint of bluster or sarcasm.

Fox nodded. That’s what he thought, too. “I wish I could tell them all…”

“I know. They would say the same about you,” Stitch told him gently. “Come on.”

A few more hugs and encouraging words later, Thire, Stone, Hound and Rosie all turned to greet him and Stitch as they approached the judges booth. Thire waved him into the centermost seat that they had left open for him and immediately sank into the seat at his right. Stitch paused, giving Fox an odd look and whispering something to Rosie, who nodded her head. 

Fox was finding it a little difficult to pay attention to the small talk the others were making. Instead, he traced the edges of the little origami Fox in his hands. After a moment Stitch leaned in to give his shoulder a final squeeze before heading backstage, and Thire scooted closer to Fox’s side, his presence cool and steady. 

Something about this night that had started out as a bad cover for a worse joke already felt so important. They’d been wearing the same matching armor and using their numbers instead of names for years for their own protection. He had to make so many stifling rules to keep them safe, even if it wasn’t enough. Everything that they did had been to blend in, to avoid drawing attention to themselves, to make themselves indistinguishable from the next clone so they couldn’t be easy targets, but now…

Now the war was over. They were people. They could stand out, show off, shine… But even if so many of them weren’t ready for that, they deserved to be celebrated, too.

Thire reached out, giving Fox’s hand a quiet squeeze, and he exhaled. He was already proud of them, so proud of every single one of his brothers, wherever they were at on their journey. Then the lights dimmed, the eager voices of his vode that filled the theater quieted in anticipation, and Thorn and Lowkey took the stage in the most ridiculous bright red bedazzled suits Fox had ever seen.

“Olarom, olarom, olarom!” Thorn shouted excitedly in Mando’a to a loud set of cheers, spinning an umbrella around his arm for some reason. “Welcome to the first annual Coruscant Guard Talent Show, vode!”

Fox raised an eyebrow. He never said anything about this being annual.

“Shiny or veteran, Grunt, ARF, Shock troop, Medic, Mechanic, Prison guard, Security, Massiff handlers, Massiffs themselves and anyone else, none of that matters tonight! So forget your test scores, fuck whatever the long-necks thought of you, nobody’s perfect and tonight we get to see some of what you’re all really made of! The good stuff! Like… What do we have tonight, Lowkey?”

“What, besides us? In these gorgeous suits?” Lowkey said lightly, strutting across the stage in the glittery red thing and puffing out his umbrella behind him dramatically to the cheers and cat-calls of the men in the audience. “I’ve got to give credit where credit is due though, our own Commander Fox picked these out special himself!”

That wasn’t true.

“Oh he’s got such great taste, vod, in anything but caf. Still won’t use the cream and sugar we have now, says it’s better black.”

…That part was.

“But actually, this whole night was Fox’s idea, if you haven’t heard!” Thorn continued, and that… Was true too, somehow. Fox was still having trouble remembering he had actually started all this, him and his terrible joke had teamed up to make an event that the whole guard was more excited about than anything he’d seen since the end of the war. Their brothers clapped and hooted their approval of the idea, and Fox tried not to notice how many of them had turned to stare at him just now, but Lowkey chuckled into his mic and shut his umbrella with a crisp snap that got their attention again.

“Well, we better get on with it then, Thorn, or we’ll keep the Commander up past his bedtime.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Thorn asked with feigned innocence.

“I’m afraid of Stitch,” Lowkey hissed under his breath, pointing behind his hand towards the curtains where Fox knew his CMO was standing just out of sight. A single gloved hand popped out from backstage to flip him off.

“Oooh, good point. In that case, Taps! Get your ass out here quick!” Thorn cried, and the pair of them pranced back off the stage, blowing kisses to the crowd to laughter and cheers.

The ARF trooper Taps stepped gingerly out from behind the curtains with a nervous grin on his face. Fox wasn’t sure what sort of act he would be performing, he wasn’t wearing a costume and didn’t seem to have any special gear, but the music picked up and Taps started tap dancing! The irony almost made Fox burst out laughing by mistake, because of course! The tap dancer who he heard the other night must have been Taps! He should have known. The clone wouldn’t have lasted a kriffing day in the Rotundra, not with the nervous habit that earned him his name, so Fox put him on street patrols, which was a much better fit. But he had no idea his vod had turned all that energy into something so rhythmic and percussive and artistic! When the routine came to a close and Taps bowed with a flourish the whole theater broke into applause and Fox held his score card high, a perfect 10/10, smiling ear to ear.

Next up was Tree in a bright green cape he could have stolen off Bail Organa himself and… Likely had, given how the trooper seemed to trust more of the Senators than Fox really appreciated. He took the stage with several of his friends carrying exotic looking plants behind him in big silvery pots, but once the show began Fox was completely mesmerized! The disappearance act he saw him practicing the other night for Senator Chuchi had a Part Two that he hadn’t seen, where the towering fern reappeared on the judges booth! Grizzer flew into a tizzy, barking like mad at the trick, and Fox shot his hand into the air with the 10/10 before the act even concluded.

Every other act was just as outstanding as the one before, from the squad who got the entire crowd to join them in singing the shanty about Hondo Ohnaka to the green-haired Pointe running his piebald massiff Bespin through a series of tricks with colorful ribbons and bows streaming behind her! Guts put on a gorgeous display of his automatons whizzing through the air to music that a music box he built himself played, Coro performed juggling routine that he claimed to have learned by literally jugging up to twelve medical charts at the same time (Fox wasn’t sure if that was a joke, and no one else seemed to know either, but he didn’t mistake Stitch’s barking laugh from behind the curtain when he said it), and Lucky’s graceful and risky sword dance captivated everyone except for the worried medics in the crowd, especially Rosie, who gasped loudly at Fox’s side every time he made a dangerous looking move. She still burst into applause with the rest of them once it was over, relief written all over her face.

Captain Taser’s speed painting was already a beautiful piece of artwork even before he spun the canvas rightside up to reveal he had been painting upside down the whole time , showing off a colorful Coruscant sunrise and adding the sparkle of morning stars with a last few taps of his brush. Later on the twins Kando and Sii’s four-armed General Grievous improv routine had the entire building bursting with laughter, then Zed’s hoverboard tricks sent Stitch rushing onto the stage for half a second before he twisted a miraculous third time in the air and landed his final combo. Lefty’s routine with his Coruscant Guard Shock Tooka melted about half the audience out of pure cuteness, then Xia performed a song in the voices of our judges, which was just their own voice the entire time, but they put on a long yellow wig for “Thorn’s” part and dramatically held a Massiff plushie in the air for “Hound’s”. 

Fox was laughing so hard he could barely see by the end of it, so he gave them a 10/10. They all deserved 10/10, they all deserved the whole world, he didn’t even care when Stone elbowed him hard and shook his head at his unchanged scorecard! He couldn’t help it, and he didn’t want to. 

He did at least hesitate after the slicer Crow’s reprogrammed mouse droids were revealed to have stolen boots off no less than seventeen troopers in the audience AND Thire himself, apparently working unseen throughout the entire show to amass their collection undetected. Fox shook his head and let out a heavy sigh at that. He really had to keep an eye on Crow. The kind of shit he could get up to, with skills like that… It was concerning, but admittedly impressive. So. 10/10.

“Another 10 out of 10 from our own 1010,” Thorn read off with a hearty laugh from the stage. “What does that make Crow’s total score there, Lowkey?”

“With Thire’s whopping zero, he’s coming in at 21/50,” Lowkey announced, and Crow pouted at the other Commander, making a little heart with his hands and then breaking it, but his eyes still sparkled with the usual mischief.

“Neat trick, but you gotta pick your targets better there vod. Thire holds a grudge!” Thorn said, twirling that umbrella of his in the air with a teasing grin. “Try Fox next time, he wouldn’t fault you tonight if you stole his whole kit right off his shebs!” 

A few heads turned his way with good natured chuckles, and Fox blushed a little, fixing Thorn with a glare that had no heat in it at all. It was true, but he didn’t have to say it. Even if, judging by their reactions, everyone else seemed to already know.

“Speaking of Fox,” Lowkey said slowly, and Thorn’s grin widened in a very concerning way. “I thought I heard a little rumor about a last minute addition before the grand finale?”

“Oh, right, we did hear that didn’t we!” Thorn teased, turning his gaze directly on Fox.

Fox abruptly stood from his seat with alarm bells ringing in his head. No, they had talked about this, he wasn't performing! Whatever Thorn had planned wouldn’t happen, he had nothing prepared, but before he could take a single step, Thire and Rosie had brought hands down on his shoulders. 

“Usedii, vod,” Thire murmured to him. “This won’t be bad, trust us.”

“I don’t have any special talents,” Fox hissed back. “I already told Stitch-”

“He thought of something, just before he left,” Rosie whispered. “But don’t worry. It’s good, you’ll like it.”

“Commander!” Thorn sang dramatically from the stage, his eyes somehow sparkling even more than that ridiculous suit he was wearing. “I had a whole speech planned about how you’ve been holding out on us tonight, but you had to go and ruin it! With all those big scores you kept turning in and some of what I saw in the lobby before this even began -”

“I’m sorry,” Fox blurted out, absolutely crestfallen at the realization, but of course he had gone and managed to screw up such a wonderful night somehow. He had tried, but something had gone wrong, hadn’t it? Was it because he gave everyone 10/10? Was he a useless judge? He should have just left this to Stitch, he shouldn’t have gotten involved at all - 

“Oh my god, Fox,” Thire mumbled under his breath.

“No,” Hound said firmly with a shake of his head.

Fox blinked back up at Thorn on the stage in confusion. His vod’ika looked thoroughly unimpressed at his apology, with just a twinge of amusement tugging the corners of his mouth into a grin, and Lowkey scoffed at his side.

Suddenly, Fox became very aware of all the eyes pinned on him.

“Take a breath, Commander,” Thorn said a little softer than before. A few troopers in the seats began shuffling around in their seats, but Thorn ignored them and continued to talk. “Point is, we know of something you’re better at than anyone else in the galaxy, even if you don’t. So tonight we’re gonna prove it to you.”

Fox narrowed his eyes towards the last place he saw Stitch, that spot behind the curtains his CMO had disappeared to after Zed’s hoverboard act was over, since he was responsible for this, but before he could spot him there Thire reached out and wrapped Fox in a bone-crushing hug. Fox hadn’t expected that but he returned the hug on pure instinct, pulling Thire in protectively and cradling the back of his head. 

“What is it?” Fox asked urgently. “What’s wrong?” 

But Thire just chuckled affectionately into his neck. “Nothing’s wrong, ori’vod. This is it. Your talent.”

Fox blinked a few times in confusion out at the crowd over his brothers shoulder. More of them were turning around in their seats now, understanding of some sort dawning on their faces and making them grin. Stitch stood at the far end of them all with a gloating glint in his eye.

“You’re really good at loving us,” Thire said, pulling back to look him in the eyes. “And you’re really good at hugs.”

…Oh. 

Fox wasn’t even sure how to respond to that. For a moment he just stared back at Thire, processing the words. Of course he loved them, they were his vode, they made it so easy…

“My turn,” Stone said simply, and Thire complied, stepping away so Stone could wrap his arms around Fox instead.

“The war was hard on us all, Fox,” Stone said quietly into Fox’s ear. “But you’ve been our rock. Thank you.”

Fox nodded against his brothers neck, fighting back the lump in his throat. “I… I couldn’t have survived it, without you…” He said thickly.

“Neither could we. I think we all need this,” Stone replied, giving him an extra squeeze before letting go. 

Hound stepped up next, whispering a reminder of how sending him to work with the massiffs had changed everything for him, made his life worth living, then ordered Grizzer to jump up and lick Fox straight across the face, making Fox laugh again so he felt a little less like he was on the verge of tears. Then Rosie stepped up, passing off her forearm crutches to Thire to hold as she threw herself into Fox’s arms with a bright, determined smile.

“Thanks for taking me in, ori’vod,” She said jovially. “And for finally sticking to just the two shifts. We’ll keep working on that.” 

“Stitch mentioned that to you?” Fox murmured, and Rosie flashed him a sharp look as she let go and Thire passed back the crutches.

“No, that’s common kriffing sense,” She said with a smirk.

Fox didn’t know what to say to that, but before he could take a seat again two more of his kih’vode jostled their way onto the platform, the twin shinies Kando and Sii from the comedy act. Kando opened his arms with a sheepish little grin and Fox caved like wet flimsi, sweeping both of them up into a hug, too. One of them let out a little squeal, as if his heart wasn’t enough of a puddle already. They were sweet kids. A couple seconds later he let go and scruffed both of their hair, but froze as he looked back over their heads and spotted the rest of the crowd.

Almost all of them were out of their seats. What started as a somewhat proper line of his fellow judges was now an amoeba-shaped pile of vode, with Stitch in his white medical officer’s uniform striding up the middle of them all with a face full of absolute triumph. Fox could hardly breathe as his CMO shouldered past the others and marched up the few stairs, clasping a hand on Fox’s shoulder and pausing.

“What are you waiting for?” He said with a wicked grin. “You wanted this. Get loved, moron.” 

All Fox could do was nod, and the only way he could tell the next clone who hugged him was Tree was by the bright green cape billowing down his back that definitely belonged to Bail Organa. He didn’t know how much time it took to hug the rest of his brothers and tell them they were loved, and he lost count of how many there were, but if there was anything he could do for them he would, of course he would, especially something so simple as this! The program stayed paused as they all filed through, and Fox put his whole heart into every embrace. Some of the men mumbled kind things to him, like Lefty, some stayed silent, like Guts, and some even managed to make him laugh through the tears, like Crow. He tried to apologize to the ones he knew he had let down before, even if not a single one of them would hear it he had to say it, but the message that came back to him was always the same. He was only one person, he had done his best. They never blamed him. He saved some of them, more than just Penner, and every time he heard that he held them tight for an extra couple seconds before letting them go. His kih’vode meant everything to him, and all he wanted was for them to know it.

Apparently, they did… And he meant everything to them, too. 

By the time the last of his family had made their way back to their seats, he had a feeling they had overshot how long their production would take by a while, but it hardly seemed to matter. That was a problem for later on. Stitch brought up the very end of the line with an expression full of compassion and care that Fox still wasn’t sure he deserved. Fox just shook his head in disbelief at his absolutely impossible CMO, and Stitch pulled Fox into the gentlest, warmest hug of the entire night.

They didn’t need words, but Stitch provided them anyways.

“I fucking told you.”

Fox just nodded against his brother’s neck. Stitch had been right about everything… Not that Fox would admit that just yet. If Stitch heard him say that it would go straight to his head and Fox would really would be forced down to just one shift a day. He couldn’t risk that, but he made no move to let go of Stitch again either, even as Thorn and Lowkey finally retook the stage.

“Hey Lieutenant! Something about this doesn’t quite seem fair, does it?” Thorn said with a shit-eating grin, causing most of the vode to turn back to him at once.

“Oh, definitely not. Fox is a judge, he can’t vote for himself,” Lowkey sniggered. “But we can’t let that 40/50 stand, can we?”

40/50? Fox shot a confused glance back down the judges booth to Thire, Stone, Hound and Rosie, and had to stifle an exasperated sigh. He still hadn’t thought they were taking this as a serious act, but all four of them had all gone off and awarded him a perfect 10/10. 

“Alas, we cannot!” Thire declared with a sweeping gesture to the crowd. “Looks like we all have to help him out. What do you think? What’s his score?”

Fox could feel the blush rising up his neck and his cheeks as his brothers in the crowd sounded off with whistling and cheering and chants of TEN! TEN! TEN! all around. Really, the hugs were enough, he felt the love and now this was just getting excessive, but after a minute Thorn raised both hands and lowered them slowly to soothe the crowd.

“You got all that, Lowkey?” He asked with feigned innocence. “What’s his final score?”

“Ten thousand one hundred and ten!” Lowkey called out in dazzling confidence.

“Mmm. Yep. That’ll be a tough one to beat,” Thorn mused. “Think we can manage it, vod?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Are we gonna try anyways?”

“Hell yes!”

Music kicked on, both of their umbrellas opened with a snap and suddenly the glittering suits were gone! Instead, the pair of them posed for half a second in skimpy black leotards as their brothers gasped before diving whole-heartedly into the routine Thorn had been so excited about from the start.

When the sun shines, we'll shine together Told you be here forever Said I'll always be your friend Took an oath, I'ma stick it out to the end

Thorn and Lowkey were up there having the time of their life and Fox smiled so hard it hurt! The entire crowd cheered raucously for them, some even singing along with the words that they knew as the pair hit every move in tandem with huge perfect flourishes and over-the-top energy. Then Thire somersaulted off the stage and leap onto the judges booth with a bang in front of Fox! He lip-synced directly at him, holding his umbrella like a mic, dropping low and flipping around his hair with pure, unfiltered joy on his face.

Now that it's raining more than ever Know that we'll still have each other You can stand under my umbrella You can stand under my umbrella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh

Even Stitch had doubled over at Fox’s side, and Fox laughed so hard at the antics it brought tears to his eyes, happy tears this time, seeing his brothers shine, so full of life and joy. When Thorn jumped back on stage a burst of water rained down on them from above and they danced and stomped in the puddles it made, sending sparkling water and mist into the air as the song hit its climax, then struck a dramatic pose with their umbrellas on the final note. 

The theater went wild, Fox included, hollering their praises at the two of them! Thire and Rosie were on their feet, Grizzer spun in circles at Hound’s side, Stone was shouting for an encore and Stitch squeezed Fox’s arm with the hand still slung around his back. 

It didn’t matter who won, what everybody scored, or if they all wanted to throw the whole contest for the sake of his own self esteem. He had the best kih’vode in the GAR, with the biggest, most thoughtful hearts and the most incredible talents he could imagine, and he couldn’t be prouder to be their commander. Everyone had needed this tonight, hadn’t they?

Especially him.

Fox looked around the room at their faces with a heart that felt like it was seconds away from bursting. This night truly meant everything to him. He really had thrown the best fucking talent show Coruscant had ever seen, because he had the best family the galaxy could ever know, and he was so glad that he lived to see it.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Credit and thanks for the following OC’s go to my talented pocket friends!!!!!!

Stitch - TooManyTeeth Tree - MagicalStardust Guts - ProwlingThunder Pointe & Bespin - Gracklewarp Rosie - Mira-Starfall Lefty & Lucky - John_in_Art and Wolviecat Kando & Sii - Dragomir and Star from discord! Crow, Penner & Lowkey - My own lil guys, Crow is from my The Lights You Make series, Penner from Brothers Gained Brothers Lost, and Lowkey from Dying Isn't Very Regulation!

Oh! And I HAD to make Thorn and Lowkey dance to Umbrella just like Tom Holland, it was WAY too perfect, and so was the Hondo Ohnaka shanty! Highly recommend checking both these out if you haven't seen them before, 10/10 no notes!

[fuimus-troes]

i find myself thinking about spaus a lot when i listen to the 1989 taylor’s version vault songs. do you have any thoughts on this. feel free to ignore if you don’t

I DO HAVE SOME THOUGHTS ON THIS ACTUALLY

ok so

"slut!" is actually a very roderich coded song to me, and i like to apply it to modern-day reconnected spaus, especially because of the "and if they call me a slut, you know it might be worth it for once" lyric, bc i think A LOT about roderich being slut shamed through centuries of political marriages. also i like the "power couple" energy of this song, like yeah people are going to talk shit about us anyway so at least we can be hot together in the meantime. something something "but if i'm all dressed up, they might as well be lookin at us 💅"

"say don't go" is my pre-divorce JAM, spain angst is really hitting me with this one. my man was barely holding on at this point, he KNEW that he couldn't stay even if he wanted to, and some small part of him STILL wanted to stay, "half way out the door but it won't close", but at the end of the day there was nothing he could possibly do, because the ball was in roderich's court and roderich missed it flying over his head, that poor guy. the thought of them having a conversation about it much later and antonio saying something among the lines of "i would stay forever if you say don't go" IS MAKING ME W E A K im just a girl okay? okay

"now that we don't talk" is perfect for them because it works both ways. having to divorce, grow apart after 200 years together, and then watch from afar as the person who means the most to you becomes someone else completely, but there's nothing you can do about it. "i miss the old ways, you didn't have to change, but i guess i don't have a say now that we don't talk". i also love the "truth is i can't pretend it's platonic" lyric and the "i cannot be your friend" one, bc i personally think that spaus are one of those exes who could never be just strictly platonic friends, like im sorry they're always going to flirt and touch each other and hook up if they are in the same company so. yeah

"suburban legends" yet another post-divorce banger, mostly from roderich's perspective, but some lines definitely scream antonio, too. i love the "doomed romance" energy in this one bc i think it suits their marriage pretty well, us much as the "and you kiss me in a way that's gonna screw me up forever" bc that's exactly what happened, let's be real. they altered each other. also "we were born to be national treasures" like YES my beloveds you absolutely were.

"is it over now?" well hello the most roderich edelstein coded song of all times. the things is, i think it works because spaus is never really over (to me). for them, there will always be this "what if" moment, "what if you were the one" moment, "i'd blow all my plans if you'd meet me out" moment. like, if they could choose each other, they would choose each other every time, the whole tragedy of spaus is in the unfortunate circumstances that led to the fallout; for them, it was never a question of falling out of love. btw "your new girl is my clone" is actually really funny considering that francis and roderich are literally the same guy different font.

[bobbybutterfly]

You know what. I chose to draw something completely different from what I usually post here. I kind of feel like I’m pigeon holing myself by only posting on here what I know other people will respond to. Not getting new people who respond to different things. Thus I decided to take the plunge today and draw fanart of the 2000s web icons, the Zodiac Girlz.

I have no nostalgia for them as I was born in 2005. But I watched the Li Speaks video on them and was like free real estate ya’ll. Off to draw some redesigns and make rewrites. Mainly of the more problematic ones. Such as the Gemini twins. This is tumblr after all baby. For real though there was a comment on the video that inspired me to remake them.

So the problems with the original ones are that they wear school uniforms although none of the other girls do, their superpower is telepathy so they don’t communicate with anyone other then themselves and they don’t even get different names to separate them. In the video Li suggested to give them a different superpower and separate personalities. And the comment that got me to draw them suggested their superpower should be cloning.

There’s only one real Gemini in my illustration and that is the loose blue bow one. The purple eyeball one is her clone. The way clones work in my rewrite is that they’re pretty much meat puppets Gemini moves around with her mind. Everyone who sees them assumes they’re twins. Thus Gemini.

Gemini is from China. She moved to the US when she was 10. Her parents divorced and her mom moved there. Gemini had great difficulty learning English so she got homeschooled. Even though she’s now 15 and intermediate in English she still refuses to speak it outside of when it’s necessary. Like a 911 call. She doesn’t talk in mandarin either because only her mom can understand her. So everyone thinks she’s just mute.

She created her clone out of a deep sense of loneliness. The clone itself isn’t sentient. As I said. It’s a meat puppet. Non the less she made up a personality for it. The clone is a fun loving, extroverted prankster. The opposite of her. Gemini is a pessimistic introvert that’s obsessively studying every chance she gets. She wants to be a journalist one day. Occasionally she writes a gossip blog under a pseudonym. Kind of like Lady Whistledown from Bridgerton. She of course rigorously spell and grammar checks it before putting online. Like I should do with my tumblr posts LOL.

Originally I thought her clone would disappear as she becomes a part of the Zodiac Girlz friend group. But now I think her clone should slowly become her own person. After all Gemini are supposed to be twins.

Lastly I want to mention that Gemini is a code name. She’s a crime fighting superhero after all. She uses her clone as a distraction. Additionally she can use her clone to get to out of reach places as she can make it fly. I suppose she could also make it carry her and fly, but not very far as the clone isn’t very strong.

And that’s it ya’ll. If you yourself are a Chinese person who immigrated to America I would love to hear your opinion on my rewrite of Gemini. I am a white European so I might be ignorant of some things. And also if you just like what I did with Gemini then comment. I just love getting responses LOL.

[techs-feral-wife]

You're Cute When You're Jealous (Echo x f!OC)

Summary: Leli is doing her part to help Rex and his brothers. She is prepping to leave for her next mission, and Echo is not happy about it. (I suck at summaries, sorry) Content: mild jealousy. parenthood(?). Babies in general(?). Pre-established relationship.

A/N: Welcome, friends, to Max's self-indulgent fantasies. Seriowan's Dad!Clone content gave me brainrot and I have not been able to get Echo with twins out of my head. This is just some fluffy nonsense I started writing on a napkin at work the other day. Hope you enjoy! (credit for the twin's names goes to @seriowan. Thank you for letting me use them Nay!) tags: @techtalksfics @seriowan (I know I already tagged you, but 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Word count: 1.6k

“I don’t like this,” Echo said for the hundredth time that afternoon.

“Ya know, I’m starting to see why your brothers named you Echo,” Leli smirked, pulling the poncho Rex had given to her over her head. After all the missions she’d done with Rex, she still did not understand the train of thought that led all clones to think that poncho = civilian. 

Echo gave an unamused huff from where he sat in the corner of the boys’ room. She didn’t have to look at him to know he was pouting. It was that same kicked tooka look that he wore when Fives had approached her at 79’s back when the world still felt normal. Seeing him from across the bar with that cute little pout on his face made Leli’s heart flutter in her chest, and although that night felt like a lifetime ago, something just never changed.

She finished adjusting her new ensemble before walking over and placing a gentle kiss to his forehead. She felt some of the tension ease beneath her touch, but she could tell he wasn’t going to give this up anytime soon. She reached out to cradle his cheek in her hand, tilting his head up to place a chaste kiss on his lips. The kiss was far too short for Echo’s liking. When Leli pulled away he chased after her, but she stood up straight, a satisfied smirk dancing across her lips. 

“Relax, will ya? I’ve run this sort of mission dozens of times,” Once the war had ended, Rex found himself short on allies. She had found him waiting for her outside of her apartment in the lower levels of Coruscant and had been helping him anyway she could ever since. 

“That doesn’t mean I have to like it,” In fact, it made him dislike it even more, but he would never admit it. 

“Quit worrying trooper, I can take care of myself,” 

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. It wasn’t a lie, not fully anyway. Leli wasn’t a soldier, sure, but she had never been one to shy away from a fight, especially when it came to defending clones. It was one of the things Echo loved about her--the passionate way she defended him and his brothers touched him so deeply, but it had gotten her into more than her fair share of trouble over the years. Now, more than ever he was worried for her safety. If anything happened to her or the boys, he would never forgive himself. But something else about this mission just didn’t sit well with him. 

His eyes followed her as she moved about the room to continue prepping for tonight. She tucked the counterfeit chain codes Rex had given her into the pouch at her hip then made her way towards the two cribs that sat against the far wall of the room. Leli bent down and plucked one of the twins from his crib, cradling him gently against her chest. Based on all the fussing, he knew it must have been Sky. 

Over the last few months, Echo had committed the twins’ disparate mannerisms to memory. The events of the Citadel and his imprisonment at the hands of the Techno Union (as well as his own insecurity) had robbed him of the first year or so of their life and he was determined to make up for lost time. Quinn was typically calm, he rarely cried and went down for naps without a fight. Sky on the other hand was a menace. 

He takes after Fives, Leli had joked the day that Echo had finally met the twins. He’s always up to something.

At the time, Echo did not understand how an infant could be “up to something”, but after the first week with the boys, he understood completely. 

Once Sky had stopped fussing, Leli adjusted him so that he was settled on her hip. She smoothed her hand over the small tuft of curls on his head and pressed a kiss into his hairline. The sight made Echo’s heart melt. He stood up from his seat and made his way towards her. 

“The boys will be alright too,” She said, her tone more serious. “I would never let anything happen to them,” 

“I know that,”He said softly, stepping closer to her. And he meant it. Leli had managed to take care of the boys on her own for so long. Echo knew that she was more than capable of keeping them safe. 

Sky babbled happily on her hip, unaware of the conversation taking place between his parents, drool dribbling steadily down his chin. Before he could think better of it, Echo reached out his hand and wiped Sky's chin, then  grimaced at the mess it had made of his glove. The look on his face made Leli snort. He wiped his hand on his blacks before smoothing her hair back behind her ear. Leli scrunched up her face at the residual dampness which made Echo let out a snort of his own.

“Then why are you so worried?” She questioned with a smile. Kriff, he loved that smile. Echo bristled.

“Who said I was worried?” He tried playing defense, but Leli was not having it.

“You did, now spill”She shifted her grasp on Sky and placed her now free hand on her hip. Echo knew there was no getting out of this one. The ex-ARC trooper sighed, bending down to pick up the neglected Quinn from his crib in an attempt to buy himself more time. The action was still a bit awkward as he tried to use his scomp as minimally as possible, but he was starting to get the hang of it. 

He held Quinn against his chest the same way that Leli had and relished in the warmth of his son pressed up against him. He would never get tired of this feeling, even when the boys decided to spit up on him. 

Leli tapped her foot impatiently, but couldn’t help the smile that spread across her lips at the image before her. It was a sight she thought she would never get to see, a little different than she had imagined, sure, but it was still a sight she would treasure forever. Echo met her gaze sheepishly before turning his gaze back to Quinn with a heavy sigh. 

“I just don’t like this mission, alright?” Echo frowned. The mission itself was simple enough. They were essentially smuggling a deserter off world and into the outer rim where they would theoretically be beyond the reach of the Empire. It was a standard operation for Rex and his men, Echo knew that. But it was the way in which they were going about it that got under his skin. 

Smuggling a single clone trooper onto an off-world transport was tricky. They were more likely to be recognized if they were traveling alone. A family however--

Echo scowled at the thought. He knew that the twins made Leli the perfect candidate for this role, but he still didn’t like it. The thought of someone else cosying up next to her, even if it was one of his brothers, bothered him to no end.

 A knowing grin split across Leli’s face as she watched Echo wrestle with his thoughts. She let out a bark of laughter that made him look up. 

“Awww look Sky,” she cooed playfully. “Buir’s jealous.”

Heat crept up Echo’s neck and his cheeks dusted an adorable shade of pink that only added to Leli’s amusement. Echo sputtered a bit, desperately searching for a reply. 

“Am not!” Was the best he could come up with. 

“Are too,” Leli smirked, leaning in to press a kiss to his flushed cheek. “You’re upset that I have to pretend to be someone’s wife.”

She had hit the nail right on the head, but Echo was too proud to admit it. 

“No,” He said lamely, letting out an exasperated huff before trying another excuse. “I just don’t like this mission. You sneaking onto a transport past imperial security with the boys.”

“Technically I’m not sneaking. I do have a boarding pass, ya know.” She said, her tone remained playful as she grinned at the flustered clone before her.

“There’s too many variables. What if something goes wrong?”

“Nothing is going to go wrong. And if it does, my husband will be there to protect me,” She teased. Echo scrunched his face at her use of the word husband. His face was so red he could've passed for an imperial guard. Leli let out another bark of laughter. The look on Echo’s face was priceless and she wished she could snap a holo of it for future reference. 

“Very funny,” Echo rolled his eyes, lightly bouncing the baby in his arms. Quinn snoozed soundly against his father’s chest, completely unfazed by the events unfolding around him. In this moment, Echo envied his son. 

“Aw don’t be like that Eck, I’m only teasing you,” She purred, stepping close enough to rest her head on his shoulder. “And besides,” She placed a kiss at the base of his neck that made him shiver. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Echo grumbled, but he couldn’t hide the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. He rested his head against hers, drinking in the moment. 

A beat of tender silence passed between them before he spoke again, voice barely above a whisper.

“I am worried, though.” He murmured against the top of her head.

“Everything’s going to be fine, Echo. I promise.” She replied, pulling back to look into his beautiful deep brown eyes. “You’ll be there to watch my back, won’t you?”

“Always, cyare.” His breath fanned against her face as he leaned down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. 

“Good,” She said once they had parted. She pressed a quick peck to his cheek and gave his butt a gentle tap. “Now, help me get your sons ready for tonight. I’ve got a husband to meet.” 

[cinnamon-st1ckz]

So tell me about your OC who's dating Grounder and Gene. (If it's in your archive sorry... I went there and instantly wanted to reblog a bunch of stuff so gave up on looking real quick lol. I figured asking would be faster, before I forgot. Sorry for flooding you.)

Oh man, where do I start? Well first of all, I should start off by saying you should probably read this (It’s a bit old,,, and his design is kinda outdated)

https://www.tumblr.com/cinnamon-st1ckz/731204677935497216/they-meeting-each-other-for-the-first-time

Basically explains how Zack and Grounder first met each other before they started dating.

And yes! Zack isn’t even from Mobius! Straight up flew to another planet, so that technically makes him an alien.. (Even though he’s fully human) The Mars equivalent to Mobius

Zack has a fascination for technology, and robots, also he doesn’t like seeing things get hurt. (Well, that is until the badniks later corrupt him, I’m getting ahead of myself)

After this comic, he and Grounder meet again and that’s when they start becoming friends. Grounder tells him about his own life, and working for Robotnik. Zack is concerned, and asks if he could help…

Also I’m thinking that when he meets Scratch, he doesn’t like Zack at first. Another person to compete with for “Robotnik’s love” (Zack does not like Robotnik at ALL, especially seeing him abuse the badniks, he has to kinda repress his thoughts, cause he fears what’ll happen if he blows up in Robotnik’s face.)

Maybe Coconuts has the same issue as Scratch does with him too but I’m not sure.

When Robotnik meets Zack for the first time, he pretends to be nice, to manipulate him, and use him for nefarious deeds.

Instead of trying to catch Sonic, he’s going out to befriend Sonic and Tails to garner their trust.. Right when they don’t see it coming, he gives them a big betrayal, exposing himself as a worker for Robotnik. He brings the two back to Robotnik’s lair, and he gets promoted, but he insists he doesn’t really need it.

After Sonic has officially been defeated, Robotnik thinks he no longer needs the s6 anymore, but realizes he shouldn’t scrap them. I mean, he’s kept them around for this long, always threatening to scrap, yet never goes through with it.

Life after for the badniks is a lot better knowing they’re no longer under pressure to stop Sonic, Zack and Grounder eventually become a couple, then get married together, living life blissfully for decades.

As for Gene. During the episode where Grounder becomes a genius, Zack is surprised, and a bit intimidated by his presence. Perhaps Gene puts him to work..

Since Zack is the only character who ever treats Grounder kindly, and in the episode Gene remembers things that happened when he was Grounder, he’ll appreciate Zack for treating him well when he wasn’t as bright.

Perhaps when Grounder and Gene get cloned, Grounder and Zack are already together, and Gene still thinking he doesn’t need love, tries to hold back his feelings, and jealousy of Grounder. This is until he breaks, realizing he wants to be loved. They get in a polyamorous relationship, and Zack is now married to both Gene and Grounder.

I think I’ll stop for now, I just woke up and I’m proud of myself for writing this much down lol

[baalzebufo]

A short piece of writing, from the perspective of Chip Revvington. A diary entry about dreams and fears.

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ENTRY DATE: [REDACTED]

FILE ACCESS RESTRICTED. USER ACCESS REQUEST: [REVVINGTON, CHIP.]

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ACCESS GRANTED.

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LOADING [dreamdiary.txt]

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So.

This all started when I was talking to Misty. She mentioned these 'dreams' she's been having, and I asked her about it. Said I think I'd been having them myself. She got all excited about that. Told me it might help me to write them down. To remember, or something. I don't see her that excited very often. So I figure I could at least humor her suggestion.

Who knows, maybe it’ll help. I’ll try anything at this point.

...

It starts outside the office. It's quiet, kind of overcast- the sort of day I’d usually love but I just have this feeling in my circuits that something isn't right. I walk in, past the secretary- doesn’t even look at me, but she never does- the elevator is down. Of course. I take the stairs. 

It's the longer, irritating route to my office, and it means passing through the other cubicles. Actually seeing the other suits who work here. And everyone there seems so jumpy. I know they're scared of me, but… it feels different. Worse than usual. It starts grating on me. A few flights up, I get frustrated. What’s gotten into them? So I ask some Yesman cowering by the oil cooler what the big deal is.

He looks right through me. Doesn't even hear me. Nobody does. I move up the stairs, try a few other offices. It's like… I'm some kind of ghost. Nobody sees or hears me.

It's… the dread sets in, then. Panic, a little. I run up more flights of stairs than they ever built in that office to get to mine. Burst the door down to get to the bottom of all this.

I'm sat in my chair.

Well… it's not me. I'm me. But a second me is sat there, working. Writing out pink slips methodically. Doesn't even glance up when I shout at him. I walk up, I'm yelling then- I don’t remember what I said. Something cruel, probably. I shove the papers off the desk. He looks up.

Have you ever… do you know what it's like? Looking into your own face like that? Knowing it's not really you? It's…

He stands up, and we're eye to eye. I feel like I can't move. He speaks in my voice.

'We don't need you anymore.' 

It's not my voice. Well, it is… But it's hollow. Something's missing. I know what I should sound like, and that... isn't it. It’s hard to describe how I know, but I just... something deep inside me knows. He reaches out. Grabs my neck.

It's only a second of hesitation and I'm against the desk and he's over me, and I can see his eyes are blank. There's nothing behind them. Nobody. And I…

I'm scared. I'm honestly scared for my life. Like... like I haven’t been for years. His blade's whirring and it's close enough to see my reflection in it- the real me, I mean. Wide-eyed and terrified.

'They want me, not you.'

And he just leans closer.

'They never wanted you.'

I… I know what he means. And I realize he's not some imposter or clone or… whatever, made to mess with me. He is me. He's the part of me they brought out on purpose. Just to fix their damn sinking profits. The me they stripped all of me out of. All the things I used to like doing… my friends, my hobbies, even little things I did on the job. Not necessary. Not efficient enough.

It's the empty version of me. The one they want. Just the Chainsaw Consultant.

I think I pass out then, sometime before his blade strikes mine. I don't think he kills me, or anything. Why would he? If he was there, then… he'd already won.

Wouldn’t make sense to kill a ghost.

I guess I wonder, if that happened… would there still be a version of me in there, somewhere? Wandering around like a dream and watching behind my own eyes. Not able to stop it. Not able to scream.

I wonder then, if that would be the real me. Or if that would even matter anymore.

…

Misty was wrong. I don't think writing it down helped at all. All it did was make me remember more. But it's not like I could forget it, even if I tried.

After all, I see that monster in the mirror every day.

[burnwater13]

Ahsoka Tano touching her head to Grogu's head, when they meet on Corvus. Image from The Mandalorian, Season 2, Episode 5, The Jedi. Calendar from DateWorks.

Grogu didn’t think he was particularly forgettable. Most people remembered him once they met him. People like Peli Motto, who said things like: “Well, who is this little one?”, and “Thank the Force, he’s okay!”, and “I missed you, you little womp rat.” Or Greef Karga who  remembered that he could, “Do the magic hand thing!”. Although that really wasn't why Grogu thought he should be remembered. Whatever. They remembered him. 

So why was Ahsoka Tano the person who forgot all about him? If he wanted any one to forget him, he wanted those blasted Imps to forget him, not a person who knew him from their time at the Jedi Temple.

That’s right. They were both at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant at the same time. He was only a few years older than her. Of course Togruta’s and his species age at different rates, but that just meant that his being older didn’t matter much. They had been in the creche at the same time. They had become younglings around the time. She just grew taller than him much, much sooner, but it wasn’t like the other masters wouldn’t let them play or learn together. So what happened?

When she touched her forehead to his, Grogu was overwhelmed with memories for a moment or two, but they weren’t his memories. They were hers. She’d gotten into all sorts of trouble and had traveled all over the galaxy since they’d last seen one another. She also seemed to think that he had been one of the many victims of the Clone attack on the Temple. 

That he could understand. Master Beq had been able to whisk him away just as everything was going wrong and that was, by no means, an easy task. They had managed to leave Coruscant and that had started a whole different phase of Grogu’s life. A phase that had been filled with danger, loss, and pain. He really didn’t need to share that with anyone. 

Even so, he hadn't forgotten her. He knew her nickname was ‘Snips’. He knew that she had been Anakin Skywalker’s padawan. Personally, he was hoping to be Master Kenobi’s padawan, but a lot of things interfered with that hope. He knew that she had ended up being some sort of leader during the Clone Wars. The other younglings had heard about that from their masters and his friend Ian had thought that was pretty strange, given all the circumstances.

“Listen kid, I don't know about you, but I’m only eleven years old, give or take. No way could you get me to sign up for being a general or anything else like that. I gotta be able to take care of myself first and let me tell ya, there are a lot of folk here who don’t think I’m capable of that. How the heck is Ahsoka, that little snip of a Togruta, gonna do that? It’s not like that master of her’s is some sort of notoriously cautious fellow. He ain’t, kid. He’s gonna get her in trouble and I'm not here for that.”

Ian had a point. Anakin was often scolded by the other Jedi Masters, including Master Kenobi, about the risks he took while on various missions. Ahsoka had a lot of skills at her disposal, but it wasn't like Jedi wore Mandalorian armor. They didn’t. If they got hit by a blaster bolt it hurt. A lot. He knew that from having to heal Master Beq when they were on the run from the Clones. 

Of course, Master Kelleran Beq was a risk taker too and Grogu hadn’t minded that aspect of his friend and teacher at all. He supposed that Ahsoka may have considered that a feature of learning from Anakin and not a bug. After all, Master Kenobi was well known for saying that you learned less in a library than on the streets outside of it. 

Grogu didn't actually believe that. But he understood what his friend meant. The risks you faced theoretically and the ones you faced in reality were rarely the same and a Jedi needed that real world experience if they were to prepare the next class of younglings for their role in the galaxy. Or to make sure there was a next class of younglings. 

Maybe that was why Ahsoka had forgotten him. It was pretty clear after the Clones attacked the Jedi Temple that there wouldn't be a next class of younglings. They were all gone, one way or the other. It was too painful to believe after all that loss that someone could have survived. After all, he hadn’t thought that she had survived either. 

They had both had years to get used to the absence of other Force sensitive people and then conclude that there weren't any, anymore. He didn’t count the ones controlled by the Emperor. They weren’t Jedi. They were just survivors. Which could be said about him and Ahsoka Tano. That was worth remembering.

[angeltreasure]

Could you give me some advice or i don’t even know but anything that you have learned on your journey with God or in general as a Catholic for not doing or experiencing stuff in the world that most people see as amazing or fulfilling and I guess for more context like when people say that some things that are the best and brag about doing things or going places like I know a lot of it can come down to Instagram but I guess in real life too.

I still think I’m early in my faith journey so there’s still a lot I’m learning, but before I knew God I would be one of those people who tried to keep up with the world and would stress but try to show off what I’d done or so called cool things but actually I was really sad so I know it can be lies. It’s so hard sometimes because I think this is something that is used against me to try and stress me out and no matter how many times I say I’m done, it sfill gets me sometimes

Good Morning!,

I know exactly what you are going through, because I experienced this myself growing up in picking schools. We had all kinds of trends growing up and everyone wanted to keep up with the latest trend, the newest popular fashion of high quality brands, who could get the most piercing, who could download Snapchat to get that dog face filter, who could do the best duck face, who could get the best senior year photo, who had the most animal bracelets made of rubber bands, who bought the latest bracelet being sold by the after school group, etc etc etc.

Before we know it, we find ourselves a clone of the rest of the boys or girl and now we have anxiety trying to meet impossible expectations and try to fit in so the crowd doesn’t make us outcasts. You’ll find yourself sad and empty, with a void in your heart that can never be filled. The void in your heart is a God shaped hole that only God Himself can fill.

When we examine ourselves as Catholics, we need to stop and take a step back. All the friend circles all the social media all the shows and fashions are of “the world”. They live in the blue sphere but not you, no. Before you can call yourself a student of this school, a student of this college, a baseball player, a cheerleader, a goth, a girly girl, a cosplayer, a Trekkie, a political party, any label, your identity in God comes first. You are a child of God. Look at this verse that I think of often, it’s one I read at my grandma’s funeral:

For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “’As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

- Romans 14:7-13

You don’t need to keep up with the world. Let the world have its rat race. You are very special. You have the ability to pray for all these people that you feel you need to keep up with. Think of how many do not even know how to pray and thank our Lord. You can be like the only leper that gave thanks to Jesus for healing. Stop searching for your true self in trends. This is who you really are, check this out!:

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, a God! How vast is the sum of them!Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.

- Psalm 139:1-18

If you ever forget who you are and what you must do, I highly recommend getting a cup of tea or coffee and a little snack, find a comfy place to sit, and open your canon Bible’s New Testament to read the Sermon on the Mount. You can find most answers you probably have about how one must act as a child of God. I never get bored of it.

We have new challenges in our age with the fast information bombarding us everyday, especially with the use of social media. Using social media isn’t in the Sermon on the Mount specifically, but we can learn from Tradition on how to we can use social media with a greater purpose for good. The Vatican released this document that I highly recommend every Catholic to read as soon as possible.

[shiningthundert]

Owari no Seraph: Why Yuu’s emotions probably aren’t manipulated/Fake *contains major spoilers*

I heard many people brush off Yuu’s feeling towards Mika as “manipulated/programmed” by Shikama Doji or “Survivor’s Guild” and after effects of Childhood Trauma (abandonment issues) but here is what actually speaks against this (I wrote a document file, with a lot of proof if you want to look it up later):

A) Yuu seems to know Mika even before he was dead. In chapter 122/123 we see Mika and Yuu still alive and kicking as angels (Seraph Mika and Cherub Yuu, it’s most definitely him), what proves this would be the to Mika seemingly familiar eye in chapter 106 and the fact Yuu “was created” out of this eyeball. That’s where we get to

B) Yuu wasn’t “created” but is a clone. As we already know from real-life, organs can be grown out of stem-cells or embryos and in Seraph of the end this “embryo” must be the original Yuu’s eye. You can’t replicate something without having the original and if Mika and Yuu were best Friends and together, even before Shikama had to make up this whole plan to revive his dead son, His current feelings and the fact (chapter 85) Yuu even went to the forbidden room, because he was drawn to Mika and didn’t even know he was in there, means they are real and Yuu isn’t programmed to feel that way. They are just remains of the feelings he had towards Mika from his original life.

C) And Yuu said those are his real feelings himself. While everyone is calling him “insane” or “manipulated” by Mikaela and the first, Yuu confirmed he was sane this entire time (Chapter 118) and isn’t doing what everyone says. (Page 34).

I also think Ashera saying “You’ve only ever had eyes for Mika” (Chapter 117) was foreshadowing to the fact, that he literally was an eye and with Mika even before humanity XD Someone also complained about Yuu’s “creepy eyes” from Chapter 113, which exactly look like the eye from Yuu’s original form. They probably weren’t meant as Yuu being a dead puppet, but probably as confirmation, that Yuu is “The Cherub” later on and only saw Mika ever since. You could also say, maybe these Cherubs were created by the first and fallen angels, as part of the Balu project (122) and Yuu was assigned to be Mika’s supervisor, but the first didn’t have his current plan in mind at that time, so of what use would be personal feelings if they could be a hindrance too (Maybe, telling Mika that his life could be in danger because of the project). Yuu’s feelings are 99% the real deal and Kagami, plus everyone involved in the ONS productions, confirmed Yuu’s feelings were romantically too what would go against “just a stupid obsession”.

Furthermore Yuu, was immediately starting to talk about himself going to die, if he can’t have Mika in his life (indirect suicide threat chapter 119) and explained how Mika always has been his reason to live, setting him apart from the rest of his family (Shinoasquad/Akane co.). When his parents abandoned him, Mika was there, when everyone died in the vampire capital, Yuu only lived on because Mika wanted him to and he wanted to get revenge for him and his dead family, when he found Mika again (1st/2nd) Reuinon he lived to protect what’s most dear to him and when losing him a second time, saving Mika was his purpose.

To this “He always lets Mika stand out from the rest of the family” we have A) The “I want to save my family, you’re family too” Mika: “You can’t have both” and Yuu suddenly saying “I don’t care for humanity” and even willing to risk the lives of the other children too, if it meant Mika would be safe. And B) The confusing translation of Chapter 119′s beginning:

“I always thought about myself and my Family” “I just had to save my family” “I just had to save you”, this sentence can be intepreted two ways 1. “I always thought I had to protect my family, but I only had to protect you” or 2. “Since I only have to protect my family, I only have to protect you” either way he is separating his feelings towards Mika from the others, meaning Mika is a special case. And remembering chapter 117/118 Ashera’s and Yuu’s fight, we learned that Yuu’s deepest desire, has not only something to with Mika, but also isn’t just wanting to save him(but this would be Shikama’s plan, so he is already acting out of order), although he only wants to save Mika if he claims, to want to save everyone.  Again there seem to be personal feelings not even Shikamadu expected. The ‘separating Mika’ can be seen as manipulation, but thinking back on that, all Shikamadu ever did, was putting Yuu into a life scarring situation, cloning him and telling Yuu his purpose was Mika, although he won’t be able to remember that at all. 

Last thing I actually wanted to say but forgot (sorry I have issues to concentrate, especially if I love the topic) was Yuu’s reaction to Mika and Shinoa’s confession. When he found out Shinoa loved him, he just rejected her, no further comments or reaction. But when Ashera told him, Mika was in love with him, he cried and suffered harder than before. He was already panicking  and in despair because Mika died a 2nd time, but having to hear “he was in love with you”, made it even worse. If it was just fake, an obsession or he was just a brother to him, he wouldn’t have reacted as if he just lost the opportunity to get together with the one he loved since forever or even harder than he already did. (You know what I’m saying? If not just tell me). And after hearing he could save him as demon, he even was all that “what are you doing to *my* Mika?” and randomly calling Mika pretty: “There was an angel that looked like you”, “They look like you, but even prettier”, “See? That’s you”. It almost looks like he’s flirting with him (and I can tell you, I was like that when realizing I was in love with my BFF and she was in love with me, before we got for 3 years separated from eachother and met again XD).

I also think there’s something weird anyways in everyone being scared of Mika’s life and thinking Mika must be sacrificed if humanity has to be restored, but that’s another thing I’ll talk about next time. I was just mentioning it because, that would defy first: Mika being turned into a vampire, as part of emotional manipulation and second: Turning Mika into a demon, if it means him having to perish, although Shika’s plan is reviving Mika.--->https://www.tumblr.com/shiningthundert/711601715786481664/owari-no-seraph-the-weird-thing-of-mika-having-to?source=share

Edit/Addition: I forgot to say that yes, there is emotional Trauma which can shape a child and that also, there's a certain emotional dependency if the last member of the family survived and you always thought they were dead, to the point you also wanted to die, but this same emotional trauma, is what gave them the ability to grow closer and develop a relationship in the first place. Sympathy and trying to be the other's emotional support is what love needs as well and Mika is the only one Yuu has this with. So of course will a shared trauma strengthen their bond, but that doesn't necessarily mean that romantic love needs to develop. However what we know is, Yuu is attracted to Mika (source: Shippingwiki Trivia/Manga/Game/Interviews) and also the feeling he's the only one who understands you, on your side and will do everything to make you happy, that's what most people look in potential partners for and who is more fit for this role, than the one that always gave you a reason to live and you feel attracted to even before humanity and their death itself?

CHAPTER 125 SPOILERS

Edit: Called it, Yuu is the Homunculus and Mika was the one who gave him name and heart. See his hyperfixation doesn't come from nowhere and also isn't manipulated emotions as he was never intended to feel love until Mika gave him his name😆♥️♥️