#baby to be protected: echo and omega.

[stars-n-spice]

Ah yes, infamous Black Sun mercenary and former champion gladiator Tay'kaa Marr meets his most formidable foe yet:

Crosshair’s big, little sister.

Man's seen and done shit but nothing quiet scares him like Omega does. The others have already threatened him one way or another but Omega is by far the most terrifying.

All of Crosshair’s potential boyfriends are worried about Hunter (and they should be), but the real person they should fear is Omega. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[becauseicantthinkwritings]

Objects in Motion

Part 2

Alpha!Billy Russo x Omega! Reader

Part 1 here

You’re deep in sleep when a loud bang wakes you.

Bolting up with a gasp, your heart pounds in your chest for a few minutes. You’re not sure what the noise was- a door slamming shut, or maybe something falling in the apartment above you, but the echo of it in your head keeps you awake for a while, hating that your anxiety doesn’t let you sleep.

.

You go to another dry cleaners, you do your best to avoid going out. You go to work, and back home for a couple of weeks, worried that someone will find you and scold you for what you’ve done.

You think about being scolded by him, you doubt you’d be able to last a moment in his presence.

After you’d ensured the safe delivery of the coat, did you finally research the owner.

William Russo, his stoic, borderline angry expression staring back at you through your computer screen had only made you aroused all over again.

This, this was the Alpha with a scent so magnetic, you couldn’t resist it.

He was rich, a CEO, and you could only look around your threadbare apartment and sigh sadly, there was nothing you could offer him that would interest him.

So, you try to move on with your life, work hard so you can afford to buy alleviators for your next heat, and stay away from alphas that would no doubt hurt you.

The art museum was a big comfort. On a Friday evening, when it was at its emptiest, you’d go in, and stare at all the paintings. You’d study the brushstrokes till your eyes burned, items like Starry Night, and Street Light were beautiful works that always made you dare to dream of a life better than the one you were in. Today however, The Lovers was the one that kept you most occupied.

Two people, with white cloths over their heads as they lean into each other, kissing.  Hidden from each other’s sight, you wonder if the painting only holds its romance because of the seemingly anonymity of the subjects. If the mystery was removed, would there be more love, or less?

It was kind of how you felt right now, pained, searching for something that you weren’t familiar with. An alpha, to call your own.

None of the alphas you’d met had ever been right for you. There was an entitlement written into them, the belief that your station was lesser, so you were supposed to submit. Alphas constantly lived with that air of superiority surrounding them, and they were easily upset when you did not give them what they wanted. 

The alphas you dated were wrong to think that submission was something freely given, in reality, it had to be earned.

You wondered if the alpha on your mind would ask nicely.

Probably not. It was a good thing he existed only in your fantasies.

.

Your omega privilege means you get to stay a little after closing. You smile gratefully in the security guard’s direction when he comes to escort you out.

“We’ve got a new piece coming in tomorrow. You won’t be able to stay late anymore, but I’m sure you’ll like it.”

You smile in delight.

“Do you know which one it is?” You ask.

“Not really, not much of an art guy, but it’s a big deal, really expensive.”

You nod, enthusiastically.

“Well, I can’t wait.” You reply, wishing the beta a good night when you finally reach the exit, pulling your jacket tighter around you to protect from the cold.

.

Not for the first time in his life, he feels the loneliness. 

It’s only that he’s never felt it quite like this. Usually, people just didn’t want him, his mother gave him up when he was a baby, and he’d never really understood why. Through his life, people had assumed he’d present as a beta, because he’d been a scrawny kid. Things had only gotten worse when at ten, his alpha denomination had shown through.

Then, everyone had wanted a piece of him, an opportunity to say that they’d fought an alpha and won, uncaring of his age and size- the world had forced him to become ruthless very quickly.

He’d let the world’s rejection shape him, and he’d only realised that when he’d met Frank.

Frank had made him understand, that alphas were not supposed to be cruel, but rather the very definition of safety and security.

He'd tried his best to ignore the hollow feeling inside of him, and that had worked.

At least, it had, up until he'd smelled that stupid coat.

Now, it was like someone had taken a piece of him and ran off with it, ripped a carefully placed bandage off and left him with an open wound. He could feel the absence, like if it was a whole other person in the room.

He wanted his omega.

It was all he’d thought about now, as he pressed the coat to his nose every night, struggling to catch her fading scent, he wondered if he’d ever be able to sleep again when the scent fully faded.

He keeps going, maybe he even pushes himself harder, his work distracts him, helps him keep a clear head.

He’d even accepted a job to secure artwork for the museum, even though his specialty was protecting people, and Frank was usually the man that handled asset protection.

He’s following closely behind The Scream when he stops dead in his tracks.

One of his employees tosses him a confused glance, but he ignores it as he takes a deep inhale. 

He’d know that vanilla scent anywhere, the smell of apples mixed in and his heart gives an eager kick.

Surely not-

He turns his head, sees a painting of two lovers hiding from each other, kissing through a shroud of white cloth. He studies it for a moment, his mind racing at speeds he can’t fathom.

When the painting gets too far ahead, he turns and resumes his stride, thinking about all the ways he can do his best to get what he wants.

.

He gets permission to access the security footage of the museum.

Who’s really going to deny an alpha anyway?

Billy finds her, or at least the back of her head, and he can’t help the excitement that after weeks of searching, he’s managed to get lucky and obtain a lead on her.

He talks to the security guard that walked her out. With a sleepy voice over the phone, the man tells him that she’s a frequent visitor to the museum on Fridays, and she doesn’t cause any trouble so he lets her stay a little after closing.

“She just likes looking at the pieces, and I can’t be mean to an omega as shy as her.”

Billy’s mouth twitches upward, amused at the biological imprint inside everyone to protect omegas. The men who’d done her a favour to deliver his coat had said near the same thing.

It had made him fond, of a sweet girl, that would no doubt be spooked if he showed up at her home unannounced. Even if he now had the means to trace her back to her home, he couldn’t take the risk. He had to play this right.

.

When you hear Edvard Munch’s The Scream is on display, you vibrate with excitement. Instead of going the opening week, you wait till your usual time the next Friday, when hopefully there’s much less of a crowd to contend with.

It’s not completely empty, but you’re okay with the sparse crowd, you smile, tiptoeing to peek over shoulders so that you can catch a sight of it before you’re at the front.

You love everything about it, the colour and the expressionism of it, you wonder how much the paint has faded over time. The little paragraph beside the painting describes an infinite scream, a universal anxiety, and you think you can almost feel that as you stare at it, the idea that you’re being watched sending a nervous thrill down your spine.

When you move away from the painting however, the feeling lingers. You take a deep breath, closing your eyes to shake the feeling, you don’t understand how a painting can have such an effect.

To clear your head, you find an impressionist nearby, Monet’s reflections of clouds on a lily pond, and you stand in front of it, letting out a long sigh.

When the distinct smell of bergamot hits you, you stiffen. 

Your heart squeezes into your throat, and you try to look around as casually as possible, betas turn to look at you as they scent your distress in the air. 

Did you feel like you were being watched- because you were actually being watched?

You take in another breath, and this time, you’re sure.

Cracked pepper, citrus- 

The alpha was here.

Someone says your name behind you, and you turn in fright.

There he was. Dressed down in casual clothes, trying to blend in with the people around him- as if an alpha as handsome as him ever could.

Billy Russo was devastatingly gorgeous up close.

But you were fucked.

Your eyes widen and you take a step back, knowing that this was definitely about stealing his coat. He would no doubt try to make you pay for cleaning- or worse yet- a new coat entirely.

Your body flushes with fear as you back away from him on shaky legs.

His head tilts as he watches you go, dark eyes caught on your retreating form.

“Don’t run, omega.” He says easily, taking a single stride as you back away, his presence looming over you, igniting something in your stomach like a match being struck.

You make a small sound in the back of your throat, and you do exactly what he says not to.

You run.

Well, not exactly.

More like a quick walk, looking back to see if he follows, you beeline for the bathroom, hoping to hide in there for a moment.

You groan, splashing your face with water, internally grumbling over what you've gotten yourself into.

You should have never grabbed that stupid coat with your stupid omega senses always searching for the right alpha. What did you think? That just because he’d had an amazing scent meant that he wanted to take care of you? 

No, he was probably going to scold you, and force you to pay him back, and you couldn’t afford three thousand for a coat. 

Your throat tightens in panic, your body flushes with fear.

You couldn’t think too much on what he would do if he caught you, all you needed to focus on right now, was getting away.

So you take a deep breath and you shed your jacket, tucking it under your arm and stepping out of the bathroom behind someone. 

There’s not a lot of people, but luckily you know the museum, and you take the most secluded paths that you doubt anyone unfamiliar to the museum would know of.

You sigh happily when you see the exit door in sight, making large meaningful steps, looking back every now and then. Behind you is empty, and you think that you might have actually lost him.

It sends a pang of sadness through you, but you shake your head to shove it away.

You look back once more when you push your way through the exit doors, making sure the path behind you is clear of any six foot alphas.

And you walk right into him.

You’re not sure it is at first, but his size and smell give it away. Your face is pressed securely to his chest, and his hands come up to grip your upper arms firmly.

You raise your head in panic, trying to wrench back from him.

“Relax omega, you’re not in any trouble, I promise.” He says, something in his voice that makes his words sound believable.

You whine in distress.

“Please, I’m sorry, I can’t afford to replace your coat. I shouldn’t have taken it.” You plead, voice wobbling with the struggle to speak under duress.

“Shh, little one, I’m not here to ask you for money.”

His words don’t register in your head, and you begin to cry. Thick swells of tears fall from the corners of your eyes.

“I can’t pay.” You struggle out in a tiny voice.

He grunts, his hands move to cup your face, your tears spilling onto his fingers instead.

“Omega.” He says meaningfully.

The command in his tone makes you look up at him, brain going quiet, the power of his voice catching your attention easily. His stern expression softens.

“I’m not here to make you pay for anything, and I promise you’re not in any trouble.”

You make a little sniffle.

“ ‘M not?” You ask weakly.

The corner of his mouth curves up.

“No, I just want to talk.” 

“Talk?” You repeat dumbly.

His thumbs trace over your cheekbones gently, a soft tingling sensation swims in your head and settles at the top of your spine. Your eyelids flutter as you watch him nod.

“I’ve been searching for you for weeks, omega, since you left me that coat drenched in your sweet scent, I haven’t had a clear thought since.”

You gulp.

“I’m sorry.” You whisper.

“Don’t be sorry just-” He squeezes his eyes shut as if he’s looking for the right words, “Have dinner with me. Tonight. My treat.”

You take a deep breath, eyes widening.

“I’m not sure it’s such a good idea.”

He lets out a swift breath, you worry that you might be aggravating him.

“What aren’t you sure about? Your safety?”

You feel your heart pick up its pace beneath your ribcage, tormenting your body with the feeling of panic.

You reach up, cupping his hands in yours and peeling them off your cheeks. 

“Alphas are… notorious for getting angry when they don’t get their way.” You reply anxiously, your hands uncurling from his, filled with so much trepidation. 

“I understand, but give me a chance to prove myself. There’s something between us, omega, you just have to open yourself up to it.”

You blink, stomach flipping as you debate your options.

You eye him warily, too afraid to say no, too scared of how he would react.

You take another step back, and his face looks pained, his body tense.

You shake your head, scared, taking another cautious step away.

“Please don’t run.” He says softly, it makes you pause.

Maybe… maybe a chance wouldn’t be so bad.

“What about lunch tomorrow?” Somewhere bright and public that would make you feel safer about being around him.

He lets out a slow breath.

“Lunch is great. Where?”

You think for a moment.

“We can meet right here, there’s a place not far from here with nice sandwiches.”

He inclines his head.

“Sandwiches are great.”

You give him a soft smile of amusement, still a little unsure.

“Okay, we’ll meet here tomorrow? Around 12?”

He nods, digging into his pockets for a moment before pulling a card out and extending it to you.

You blink, a little cautious, reaching for the obsidian coloured paper in his hand. You study the raised silver lettering, his name, his job title, his company.

“The one on the left is my cell. Let me know when you get here. If you want, we can look around the museum too.”

Something flips in your chest at the thought. You wonder what he thought of The Scream.

“No,” You mumble, shaking your head, “The museum is packed on a Saturday. I hate crowds.”

He nods in understanding.

“No crowds then, maybe we can take a walk in the park.”

“Maybe.” You reply, still a little unsure of this entire scenario.

“You're safe, Omega, I promise.”

You offer a sad smile.

“That's what they all say.”

.

He was going to kill every Alpha that had ever made you feel unsafe.

He sits in his car, after you'd denied his offer to at least take you home. 

Your scent fades where he'd touched you, his body demanding more. Apples, so fucking sweet his mouth waters. 

Halfway to his home, a text comes in from you, shyly informing him that you'd made it home.

He'd asked, wanted to make sure that you were safe as the late evening had turned to night.

He keeps it simple, types out a small message to put you at ease.

Thank you. Sweet dreams

.

.

.

A/N: Pretty sure y'all are gonna hate this. Sorry.

Also, just asking for more without leaving any kind of feedback makes me feel kinda used 😅

[kybercrystals94]

The Field Mouse

Read here on Ao3!

Whumptober 2024 - Day 24 - Alternate Prompt: Vermin

Rated: G | Words: 796 A/N: I imagine this story taking place early-mid season 1 ;-;

Hunter’s senses follow Omega as she wanders around the meadow a little distance away, humming and murmuring to herself. He and his brothers work to unpack the cargo hold and organize it, a task they’d been putting off since before the war ended. But now, with credits hard to come by, unless being undercut by a sleazy Transdoshan, it seemed high time to try and sell off anything they didn’t absolutely need. 

They had come across Crosshair’s crate of armor. Hunter isn’t even sure which of them managed to get it off Kamino; however, they wordlessly set it aside in the “keep” of the clearing. 

Originally, Omega had tried to help, trailing after each of them with endless questions about what she could do and where she should be. Under the circumstances, she became more of a tripping hazard than helpful. So Hunter gave her the crucial task of scouting the perimeter of their camp (which he had already thoroughly done when they arrived while she was occupied with Tech’s discourse about the planet’s atmosphere). 

And as Hunter hoped, Omega’s scouting has now evolved into aimless exploration. She is safe and she is happy, which is all he truly wants for her. 

Then Omega cries out, a sharp, panicked thing that drives Hunter’s blood cold. 

“Omega!” he calls out, dropping the crate of parts from his arms and running in the direction he knows she is. He hears his brothers behind him, keeping pace but letting him lead. 

It doesn’t take more than a minute to find her. She’s kneeling in the tall grass, little hiccuping sobs emitting from her shaking form. 

“Omega?” Hunter asks, kneeling beside her. “What happened? Where are you hurt?” 

Omega looks up at him, face tearstained and lower lip trembling. “I’m not hurt,” she tells him, her voice so grief stricken it breaks his heart. “The baby mouse is!”

That catches him off guard. “A baby mouse?” he asks. 

Omega points to the ground in front of her, and a small, round eared creature lies there on its side, tiny chest panting rapidly. 

“An animal came out and tried to catch him. I chased it away, but I think it still hurt the mouse,” Omega wails, balled fists coming up to scrub at her face. “Is he going to die?” 

“Uh,” Hunter says dumbly. He can’t lie. Well…no! He can’t lie. “Yeah, kid, it's not gonna make it.” 

Omega cries harder, voice warbling out, “He’s my f-friend! He was try-trying to find some seeds on the ends of the grass, and I gave him-him some and then he started following me–” A sharp intake of choked breath. “--and I didn’t protect him from that terrible thing that tried to eat–to eat him!”

Hunter looks up at his brothers, silently pleading for one of them to step in. They avert their gazes from his. Cowards.

“You did your very best, Omega,” Hunter says, reaching out and putting a hand on her back in what he hopes is a comforting gesture. “But things still happen. It’s not your fault.” 

“He trusted me!” 

“He saw you as a source of food,” Tech says. 

Hunter sighs. Maybe he doesn’t want his brothers’ help after all. 

“Isn’t there anything we can do for him?” Omega pleads, now lifting her eyes to all-knowing Tech specifically. 

The engineer sputters out, “Well, there is, uh, not anything to do. It appears the creature will succumb to its injuries in short order.”

“If the little guy’s dying,” Wrecker says, rubbing at the back of his neck nervously, “Least he’s got his friend with ‘im so he’s not alone. Sounds like you were a good friend to the little guy.” 

Omega nods and sniffs noisily, wiping her nose on her sleeve. 

Hunter catches Echo making a face, but the man doesn’t say anything. 

The little rodent only lasts another minute before going still. Omega sniffles, her breathing shuddering in quiet little sobs. Hunter is about to suggest they head back to the ship when Omega asks in a tiny voice, “Can we bury him?” 

It isn’t how Hunter expected their quiet afternoon organizing their ship would go, standing next to the miniscule grave of a field mouse, his brothers beside him while Omega puts a bouquet of wildflowers on the mound of dirt. 

“Did he have a name?” Wrecker thinks to ask. 

“I hadn’t decided yet,” Omega admits. 

“I think Whiskers woulda been cute,” Wrecker says. 

Omega offers him a wobbly smile. “I like that.” 

“Whiskers it is then,” Echo says. 

A few weeks ago, Hunter would never have dreamed of taking care of a child. This morning he would never have dreamed of having a funeral for a rodent named Whiskers. 

But life is full of strange surprises. 

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[archivistofnerddom]

The Batch + Life In Retirement On Pabu

Slightly AU: Tech lives, though he’s got a prosthetic leg as a result of his fall.

Hunter’s fashion sense swiftly nose-dives into that of every dad at an amusement park. Don’t ask why that happened so quickly. It just did. He’s rocking cargo shorts, corny shirts, and comfy shoes like they’re going out of style. (Crosshair gave him a tactical fanny pack as a joke. Hunter wears it all the time with all due seriousness.) It takes years for the rest of the Batch to get him to branch out from that.

Tech alternates between his space jeans and sweatpants, depending on his mood. The sweatpants were necessary when he first got his prosthetic leg during his post-Eriadu recovery process. He too starts wearing ironic shirts, but somehow makes them more fashionable than Hunter.

Crosshair has the widest selection of island-appropriate hats and sunglasses anyone has ever seen. No one knows how he gets so many, and he’s certainly not going to tell on himself. Omega is the reason why he has so many floral-print shirts though.

Wrecker discovers overalls and pretty much lives in them. No less than half of his overalls have the legs cut off at the knees. This is more practical than fashionable though. He’s just so big that he has a hard time finding pants that fit him at the waist and have a long enough pant leg.

Omega finally gets to decide on her preferred style now that they’re permanently in one place. She still wears a lot of hand-me-downs from her brothers though. Omega spends a lot of time helping out around the island, so she needs clothes that no one minds her getting dirty or ruined when she’s working on a project.

Echo has an extensive collection of sarongs he stores on Pabu that he only busts out when he’s visiting. Rex knows not to ask Echo to do anything if he sees him wearing one. (Visiting the family on Pabu is the only time Echo gets a break or a chance to relax and destress.)

Batcher gets a pretty collar and a massively cushy bed. Someone starts bringing her sweaters to wear when she gets cold. (Crosshair is the leading suspect. Hunter won’t confess to anything.)

Wrecker has an extremely extensive cookbook and recipe collection. He picks up cooking as a hobby post-retirement, and he is really good at it. Given the diversity of people and species on Pabu, Wrecker spends a lot of time learning different recipes from across the galaxy.

Crosshair and Wrecker go fishing together pretty regularly. They don’t say a lot during those times, but that’s okay. Crosshair enjoys spotting where the best fishing areas are. Wrecker just sits back and lets his baby brother take the lead on this. (He brings snacks and a cooler of drinks to keep them fed and hydrated when they decide to make a day of it.)

Tech upgrades the Archeum to improve how things are stored and protected. Omega helps out. They spend a lot of time adding details about the specific items housed therein, including any historical details, cultural relevance, and any notes about how best to handle the items. They’re working with Phee on an oral history component to the Archeum as well, so that the stories about the items in the Archeum and the residents of Pabu are preserved.

Crosshair makes hammocks and strings them up around the island in random places. He says it’s so that he can take a nap wherever and whenever. Really, it’s just his contribution to life on Pabu. (Plus, making hammocks were good physical therapy when he got his new prosthetic hand.)

Omega instituted regular family game night. (Echo is expected to be there as his work with Rex allows.) Depending on their moods, Batch family game night is either extremely chill or extremely cutthroat. There is no in-between.

Wrecker is the first one to “move out” of the shared family house. It’s only because he built an upgraded kitchen with a huge family room attached. The shared family home couldn’t accommodate those upgrades. His house is two houses down and is still where everyone eats dinner almost every night.

Tech moved out second. He moved in with Phee. It was a combination of their evolving romantic relationship and him wanting to be closer to the island repair shop that he runs in his spare time. (Tech became the island’s mechanic once he recovered from the injuries he sustained on Eriadu.)

Hunter develops a massive green thumb. The family shared house (which eventually is just him, Omega, and Crosshair full-time) is overflowing with plant life. He built and maintains a greenhouse for Wrecker to grow speciality plants for his cooking.

Echo usually crashes with Wrecker when he comes to visit. Wrecker renovated part of his house to be prosthetic leg friendly and got a really comfy recliner for Echo. Crosshair put in a hammock for Echo in the backyard.

Crosshair, Hunter, and Omega go on early morning runs together. It’s their bonding time.

Tech upgraded the whole family’s prosthetic limbs many times over the years. Hunter made a point of keeping the older models as a reminder of how far they’ve come since they retired.

Batcher is the most spoiled dog on the island. She adores the attention and winds up becoming the unofficial therapy dog for every new resident and refugee who finds their way to Pabu.

[green-eyedfirework]

The singing is louder when the sounds of fighting die.  Not loud, it's still quiet, barely more than a whisper, but in the absence of other sound, it's starkly evident.  Eerie, the way it echoes off the walls, not joy but grief.

Slade keeps his sword out as he advances further.  Six guards dead, because they wouldn't surrender, because they were loyal to Ra's al Ghul's heir and determined to protect him.  Slade can understand that loyalty—not condone it, but understand.  It's a pity that war draws lines between the like-minded.

The song grows stronger as he enters the cavern, his men at his back.  There's only one person inside, sitting against the cave wall, hunched over, and the rest of the men fan out to cover any possible exits and entrances as Slade heads for the figure.

The rug draped in his lap is thick and well embroidered, the shawl covering his chest fine and luxurious.  Slade can see movement behind the shawl—a tiny fist knocking at the cloth.  The singing is hoarse and melancholy.

Richard al Ghul, former Prince Consort of Nanda Parbat, does not look up.

Not when Slade crosses the stone floor.  Not when Slade stops in front of him.  Not at Slade's cleared throat.

The sword tip underneath his jaw makes him stop singing though.

Slade's first look at Richard is....underwhelming.  This is the omega that Ra's risked a war with Gotham to ensnare?  There are dark shadows around Richard's eyes, his skin is faintly gray, and his blue eyes are dull.  What little Slade can see of his skin between the blanket and the shawl is stretched taut across protruding bones.

"Typically," Slade says evenly, "A subject bows before their king to swear their fealty."

Richard's eyes are rimmed with red.  As Slade watches, a tear traces down a sweaty cheek.  Richard does not bow, or acknowledge Slade in any way.  He merely drops his gaze to the stirring movement underneath his shawl, and begins singing again.

The sheer arrogance freezes Slade for a moment.  To turn his back on Slade, as though Slade isn't a threat, as though Slade hadn't slaughtered his mate and taken his country and hunted him down—it renders him speechless.

The lullaby is the only sound in the cave.

"Prince Richard," Slade snarls once he finds his voice.  He supposes he should've expected Ra's' mate to show him defiance, but this was beyond defiance.  "Prince Richard."

The prince doesn't even lift his head.

Pressure on the swordpoint forces his head up, though, and further pressure breaks off his voice.  Richard stares at him with blue, glimmering eyes as Slade glares back.

Richard opens his mouth.  Slade expects further defiance, but what he gets is a cracking rasp.  "Please," Richard whispers, "Just end it."

Slade isn't fool enough to untense his grip, but he does narrow his eye.  "End what?"

Richard glances at the mouth of the cave—no, at the guards, at the bodies lying in spreading pools of blood.  When he looks back at Slade, Slade cannot see defiance or rage in his eyes.

Only despair.

Slade takes a step back, lowering the sword.  Richard screws his eyes shut, making a sound almost like a sob, before he begins to sing again, voice scratchy and weak.  Slade doesn't recognize the words, but the tone is one of mourning.

The unseen baby wriggles a little fiercer.  Slade can hear its muffled cry.

Slade sheathes the sword before dropping into a crouch.  Richard makes no move to stop Slade from yanking the rug away, or the shawl.  The baby—dark-haired, tanned skin, wrapped in a soft swaddling cloth—is busy drinking at its mother's breast.

Without the concealing blankets, it's evident how terrible Richard looks.  He's far too thin, especially for someone that’s just given birth, skin sallow and bones protruding.  He's dressed in silks too sheer for the chilly cave, but he makes no motion to cover himself.  Only raises his knees to curl around the infant as he keeps singing.

There's blood on the stone beneath him.

"Get up," Slade snaps.  Richard slowly looks up at him, but Slade is impatient, and a hand on the prince's arm yanks him upright easily enough.

Richard makes a startled cry, hands tightening on the newborn, and stumbles in place.  He's swaying in Slade's grip.  That is blood on the floor, fresh, not dried.

"Please," he says again, begging with his eyes.

"Move," Slade snaps in response.  He'll drag Prince Richard back to the castle if he must.

The scattered belongings in the cave are packed away and his men follow him out.  Prince Richard has stopped singing.  His breathing is harsh and choked.

~#~

Dick finds himself dizzy before they've even reached the woods.  The jagged terrain of the mountains is harsh on his feet, and most of his energy goes to holding Damian.  Luckily, Lord—King?—Wilson's pace isn't too fast, and in the brief halt to check the integrity of their path down, Dick managed to strip the outer layer of silks to form a makeshift sling.

It leaves him in less clothes than he's ever worn around Ra's' court—Dick has no doubts as to what Ra's' vicious vipers thought of him, and the only thing that saved him was that Ra's was a possessive man—but Dick can't bring himself to care about that.  There's only one thing in the world that matters, and he's nestled against his chest.

When King Wilson spots him, the alpha's gaze grows narrowed and tight.  Dick doesn't care about that either.  He doesn't understand why the man hasn't killed him already, unless it's to make a point.  Unless this is truly to be an execution.

Dick imagines a crowd of people baying for his newborn son's death, and suppresses the sob.  Damian isn't Ra's' son.  He's Dick's, and Dick wishes so badly that he can protect the innocent bundle in his arms.

He stumbles when the world goes shifting around him, and recovers.  The next time he stumbles, he falls to his knees, curving protectively around Damian.  The rocks are sharp and his knees are stinging.

He tries to get up, but his legs are trembling.  He doesn't entrust his weight to them.  Dick tries to take a breath, tries to calm down—the palace is a half-day's ride away, there's absolutely no way he can make it on foot, not a day after giving birth—and fails at both when he hears booted footsteps.

He doesn't need to look up to recognize King Wilson.

"Get up," the man snaps impatiently.  Dick hunches over further.  Ra's' favorite instrument was the whip, and several lash scars decorate his back.  It wouldn't make a difference if there were more.  "Get up.”

Dick cannot get up.  "Please," he repeats for the third time, looking up at the new king, "Just end it.”

King Wilson's countenance is forbidding.  "You want me to kill you?  The pup?"

"You won't let him live," Dick croaks out with cold certainty, "Please don't—if it's information you want, I will give it.  Please just end it now."  Dick strokes a hand over his baby's hair.  Damian is peacefully asleep.  Better if he never woke up at all.

King Wilson stares at him.  Dick cannot read the expression on his face.

"Give him to me."

Something in Dick's heart goes inescapably cold.  His chest tightens, his mind screaming as he stares blankly up at the alpha, trying to process what he just heard.

Dick begged, and the alpha answered.  That was all.

Dick considers begging to be killed first, so he doesn't have to watch his baby die, but he can't leave Damian alone in the world, not even for a second.  He carefully unwraps the sling, holding the pup like the precious, precious thing he is, and delicately scents the infant.

The last thing he does is press a kiss to his pup's hair before raising him up with trembling arms.

King Wilson takes the infant with a practiced hold.  Dick wants to look away but he can't, he's frozen in place as the alpha examines the sleeping newborn.

"What's his name?"

Dick stares before he realizes it's a question.  "Damian," he says hoarsely, "Damian Grayson."  Ra's is dead, Dick can have this one thing.

The alpha makes a displeased sound.  "No," he says, implacable.  He bends and Dick can see him bare his teeth.  "Damian Wilson."

The words take a moment to process through the fog of he's going to rip his throat out and the shriek of a displeased infant.  Dick doesn't fully understand what's happening even when a squalling, furious Damian is deposited back in his arms.

King Wilson crouches in front of him.  "I defeated Ra's," he says, slow and sure, "That means everything that was his is now mine.  Including you."

Dick doesn't have the coordination to jerk back before the alpha leans forward and sinks his teeth into Dick's neck.  The pack bond snaps into place, and the strength of it is overwhelming.

He doesn't remember closing his eyes.

[hannibals-favourite-meal]

.⋆｡Impeachment Part 2｡⋆.

Alpha!Rick Grimes x omega!reader x Alpha!Daryl Dixon

Everything was gone and destroyed but she was still theirs

Warnings: angst, death, presumed death of reader and unborn baby, walkers, violence, captivity, malnutrition/starvation, injury, guilt, sort of amnesia

WC: 4.8k

Minors DNI

Library- @hannibals-favourite-meal-library

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

“I just wanted to come see how you were settling in, I know that being in a new place can be jarring to those who have been on the outside.” As Deanna spoke, Carol slipped from Daryl’s hold and fell in line behind him, as if he was protecting her. 

In an unconscious move, Rick stepped forward, using his body as a shield to block the Alexandrian’s view of the group. “We’re just getting used to bein’ behind walls again. Tends to make us jumpy.” The alpha understood, nodding in sympathy. 

“You're safe now, both from roamers and other people. These walls are strong, nothing can get in.” Rick's hair stood on end. That's what they said about the prison. The air in the small house was tense as an awkwardness fell over the group.

Carol shifted then, the floorboards creaked loudly.

Deanna's brown eyes flashed, catching sight of Carol’s excited state, but said nothing. She walked back out of the house, glancing back only once with a silent warning to stay in the house. “Have a good rest of your night.”

As soon as the door shut behind her, Carol exploded. “Please, we have to go.” 

Rick sighed heavily through his nose. “First, you tell us what happened.” The other's attention flicked back to the omega who was now trembling with nerves.

She glanced around, searching for some sort of approval to take off again, this time with the pack alphas in tow but when she only received looks of confusion and general concern, her excitement died down to a simmer. “I was going to the armoury but something about that woman they had in the infirmary bothered me.”

The house was easy to break into given that there seemed to be no locks in the entire city. Darkness clung to every corner, creating an eerie air that set her on edge as she moved to the basement of the home.

The snarls coming from the back room were downright savage as Carol snuck closer, her shoes not making any sound against the cold concrete. The scent emanating from the room was sour but the undertones were incredibly familiar, like something nostalgic, reminding her of a better time. With a trembling hand, the omega twisted the doorknob, pushing the door open slowly.

Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the woman curled up in the corner of the room. A tattered shirt hung from her frame, the ripped cloth doing nothing to keep her warm or hide her distended stomach. It looked wrong, the way the huge bump was hanging off her frame, how skinny she now was. The natural softness she carried was now gone, the thick curves she was known for, had disappeared. Her eyes were a bright amber, a tell-tale sign of the omega having gone feral.

But beneath the dirt and grime, Carol could see that young omega they thought they lost, she could see the two claiming marks on opposite sides of her neck, each one with a bite radius matching the two men who had been desperately searching for her.

She gasped involuntarily and the omega's yellow eyes snapped to Carol and a growl echoed through her chest. It was so deep and so unnatural it legitimately frightened the unshakeable woman. A warning. 'Stay away, I will kill you to protect my pup'. 

She took a step back but didn’t leave the room. Her head was lowered, her eyes locked on the woman’s. “I'll be back ok. Stay here.” The answer came in the form of another growl as Carol turned and ran out, gunning straight back to her pack.

“Are you sure?” It was Carl that broke the silence when she finished speaking. His eyes sparkled with tears and stepped closer to her. “Is it really her?” 

“It ain’t her.” Daryl snapped. “She's dead.” Carl swallowed thickly, leaning into his father's side for some sort of comfort. He had lost two mothers less than 6 months apart from each other and he could hardly bear it.

Rick placed a hand on his boy's shoulder. “We don't know that for sure but Daryl's right, the probability that it is,” he tried to say her name but it caught in his throat, choking him, “it's incredibly unlikely.”

Carol snapped back. “I know what I saw and I was around her enough to have her scent permanently etched into my mind. It's her.” 

“No it ain't!” Daryl was red with rage but the tear that rolled down his dusty cheek told an entirely different story, one that everyone in that room knew all-too-well. If she was alive, they had left her behind to die, turning her savage in the process. 

Even before the world fell, there were cases of omega and alphas going feral, even some betas in rare instances. It was a survival tactic. With the brain reverting back to its primal self, anyone could survive the most dire of circumstances. It only usually happened with soldiers or people trapped in an abusive relationship.

But now, Rick supposed, it would be extremely common. “But if Carol's right, there's no telling if we would be able to bring Y/N back. Who knows how long she's been feral for.” Glenn pointed out, somehow managing to make everyone feel worse.

“I'll go back and check it out with Carol. If she's right, we can try to help her. We have both of her alphas and both of her pups, that should do something. And if it isn't her, we can move on.” Taking charge, Maggie spoke up but looked to Rick for approval given the severity of the consequences should two members of their group be found wandering well after dark.

His first instinct was to say no, there was no way he could risk all of their safeties for one person (even if it was his omega and unborn pup) but as he looked over his pack and watching how their eyes lit up with both despair and hope, he knew that he couldn't refuse. “If you're not back in 20 minutes-”

Carol had taken Maggie's hand and was out the door before he could finish his sentence. He huffed. “Y'all go get some more sleep, we don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow.” That appeased the others, especially since they had almost no clue who Y/N was save for some vague mentions of her.

Carl and Daryl stayed in the foyer. “It ain't her.” But Daryl's voice was broken and weak. Conflict swirled in the blue of his eyes. He wanted so badly for her to be alive but to be alive and in that condition because of his inability to protect her- it was killing him. 

“It's not your fault. Or my dad's. This could be our chance to get her back.” Carl almost begged the other man. “Just have hope.” Daryl scoffed and turned his back on them, storming off to a quiet part of the house.

“Go check on your sister, I'll deal with him.” Rick followed after, his own heart heavy with guilt.

Maggie kept her head on a swivel, watching for any movement from the empty streets and dark houses. Carol however, had her eyes locked forwards, speeding back to the infirmary. 

A light drizzle had started, cooling down the warm night air considerably but that wasn't the cause of Carol's goosebumps. They had lost too many already, whether it was from walkers or even other humans, so the prospect of getting someone back was overwhelming. She thundered up the few steps and threw open the front door, Maggie close behind.

Carol was so deep in her excitement that she didn't notice that the yowling had stopped, but the other woman did. “Carol-” She started but her warning went ignored.

The basement door was open just wide enough for the dull yellow light of a lone lantern to illuminate the hallway. The wood slammed into the wall as the door was thrown open by the older omega, making both women freeze.

The room was barren save for a ratty blanket on the concrete ground. “She was here! I swear!” Maggie cautiously inched into the room. She scooped up the torn fabric and brought it up to her nose. 

“I believe you, her scent is fresh.” The silent question was left hanging in the air, 'where did she go?'.

——————

It had taken less than 2 weeks for the relative safety of Alexandria to collapse. The first cracks had appeared on that first night. When Maggie and Carol returned alone but with a blanket that reeked of their lost packmate, Daryl had almost gone mad searching the town for her. He had caught her scent only once and it was outside the wall. It led them all to question the strength of the huge steel plates if a starved and heavily pregnant omega could scale it.

Then Noah was gone and the rift between the Alexandrians and them got even larger. It seemed like nothing could unite the two groups, especially after Rick became de-facto leader after Reg’s death. 

Everything felt so wrong and out of place. With the discovery of the herd in the quarry and the realisation that Y/N was still alive somewhere, those feelings only got worse for Carl. 

Chaos rippled through Alexandria, leaving deep panic and blood in its wake. People had somehow scaled the great walls of the city and had already killed so many of their own. A bulk of the fighters were gone, effectively leaving the women and children undefended and woefully underprepared for any attack. 

Adrenaline coursed through Carl's veins, sharpening his senses but his reactions were still a milli-second too slow. There was already a cut along his forearm that burned and his hands trembled. Enid was silent beside him, Judith pinned to her chest as the three of them darted into another house on the outskirts of town.

The image of that man with the 'W' carved into his forehead flashed behind Carl's eyelids, just the same as every other person he had killed. Enid began to speak but he turned his back on her, instead silently looking through the house for any unwanted guests.

This whole thing was so painfully reminiscent of the Governor’s attack and the only thing he could do was keep him and Judith safe. They would survive just like before.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the rooms turned up empty and quiet. “What do we do now?” Enid spoke up, her voice strained with panic.

“I guess we wait.” Dust floated up from the couch as the teens sat down, finally able to catch their breaths.

Judith cooed at her older brother before looking up at the ceiling and repeating the sound, this time even louder. “Is she seeing ghosts or something?” Edith attempted to joke but instead just got silence back and the baby taken from her arms. 

“She just likes making noises.” As if to confirm his theory, Judith chose that moment to squeal excitedly, wiggling in his arms without taking her eyes off of the ceiling. 

The wood above them creaked, sending a light dusting of plaster down onto the three children. Carl and Enid seized with fear while Judith continued to make noise. 

“Stay here.” With the baby quickly thrust back into her arms, Enid had no choice but to remain on the couch, watching with wide eyes as Carl drew his gun and cautiously climbed the stairs to the second floor. 

He was sure he had checked every room carefully. He knew he did. But as he got closer to the master bedroom and the noises got louder, he began to doubt himself. His steps were light, desperately trying to avoid any creaky floorboards that would alert whatever was hiding about his position. 

His knuckles were deathly pale as he tightened his grip around his gun, the barrel trembled only slightly with his nerves. Carl pushed the bedroom door open with the end of the weapon and once again was met with a completely empty room but the soft groaning was still present and he could now tell that it was leaking from the closet on the opposite end. 

A sudden shout from Judith made him jump but his attention snapped back to the closet when something slammed into the wood heavily. 

“Just a walker, it’s just a walker.” He murmured to himself. His left hand dropped from the butt of the pistol and he gingerly grabbed the doorknob, ready to turn it and then immediately back off to give himself some room for a clean shot. 

Taking in a single deep breath, he steadied his gun and refocused his senses. Then he turned the knob. 

Silence overtook the room but only for a few seconds when the sound of chains shifting emanated from the small dark space. Then a foot stepped over the threshold, and a hand curled into the doorframe as whatever was trapped inside finally pulled itself out. 

The first thing Carl saw was her eyes- bright yellow with the pupils near the size of pin drops as they locked onto him. They weren’t the eyes of a walker. Even fresh, the ghouls supported milky white irises. 

She did not snarl at him nor lunge, instead her head tilted and she sniffed the air. She took another step forward and finally Carl could see her two claiming marks, and more importantly, her pregnant belly. 

“Mom.” The word slipped from his mouth before he could stop it. She froze and a purr rumbled through the room. “Yeah! You know me, it’s Carl. And Judith is downstairs. You remember Judith don’t you?” She blinked at him, there was no comprehension behind her eyes. 

Carl sighed. “We’ll work on it.”

It was only then that he noticed the heavy chain around her neck. There were spots of blood along her collarbone from where the metal had pulled at her skin. “Shit.” He muttered. 

The gun slid easily into the waistband at his back and with his hands now free, he carefully approached her. She watched him but didn’t move which he took as a good sign. 

From what he could tell, the chain had been looped around her neck a couple times and then locked to a hook haphazardly drilled into the side of the closet. He was confident that he could pull it straight out of the wall if he got enough leverage. 

As he moved closer, Y/N shifted to the side, allowing him to slip into the closet behind her. 

The small space was absolutely rancid but he continued forward, albeit holding his breath. She blocked out the light some but he was still able to see where she was bound to the wall. Already one of the screws on the anchor was gone so gathering up some of the slack from her chain, he wound it around his hands and with an almighty tug, it came loose from the drywall. 

“See, that was easy enough.” She stood stock still as he delicately lifted her bounds from around her neck, letting the metal drop to the hardwood with a clatter. 

Her eyes looked down at it then back to him. “E-e-e-zzz-ee.” She repeated, her voice broken and raspy from disuse. 

Immediately Carl lit up. “That’s right! Easy!” The corner of her lip turned up into what he thought was supposed to be a smile but looked more like a grimace to him. 

“Carl? You’ve been up here for a while, is everything ok?” Enid called out and just like that, Y/N was once again hunched over and snarling aggressively. 

“Stay there!” He called out but he was too late. The teen stepped into the bedroom, Judith still in her arms. She froze, her eyes going wide. 

“Who- who is that?” She asked, almost in disgust. She tried to turn away, to somehow shield the toddler in her arms from the sight of the feral omega but as soon as Judith disappeared from Y/N’s eye-line, she let out a deep warning growl. 

“Give me Judith,” Carl urged, “right now.” 

“Are you crazy?” She hissed, clinging even tighter to the unbothered toddler. 

“Trust me.” As soon as Judith was in her brother’s arms, the growling stopped. And when he walked closer, the scent of milk and flowers filled the room. Y/N reached for the pair of them with shaky hands, her fingers just skimming the soft chubby cheek of her daughter. 

“That’s why Judy was making so much noise, she could smell her.” Said girl giggled and tried to launch herself at the omega but Carl held tight. As much as he would love to have them properly reunited, he doubted she could support Judith’s weight in her arms after not eating properly for god knows how long. 

Y/N looked at Carl while grabbing his wrist. He let her pull his hand away from his sister and closer to her belly. She laid his palm flat against the top of her bump.

The baby moved under his hand, softly kicking at his fingers. Relief washed over the boy and he felt a massive weight lift from his chest. “Dad's not gonna believe this.” 

It took some coaxing (ie Carl using Judith like a carrot on a stick) but he was able to lead Y/N out of the master bedroom and down the stairs. He let her cradle Judith's head between her hands as he looked outside, watching for any of those freaks that had attacked them.

Only when he was sure that the streets were properly empty did he carefully open the front door. “Come on. Enid! Let's go!” He called back but the house was silent save for Y/N's purrs and Judith's coos. 

“Goddamnit.” He knew he should go look for her but he also wanted to get his mother to safety and she would not be safe in the house where someone had kept her trapped. So, he walked away, heading back towards the centre of town, hopeful that his father and Daryl had returned.

Her bare feet scraped against the concrete as she trailed behind him. While her eyes were fixed on him and the baby, Carl could see the way her nose scrunched and her head tilted, alert for any sign of danger. 

“Carl!” Rick's voice echoes through the street, panicked and strained.

He looked back at Y/N who had perked up slightly, the yellow of her eyes now holding flecks of its natural colour. He chanced it. “Dad!” Rick rounded the corner, gun at the ready and with a fire in his eyes but as soon as he saw the trio, he stumbled.

Even from a distance, Carl could see the way the breath was knocked from his lungs. Like Daryl, Rick blamed himself for their omega's disappearance. He felt the weight more heavily because he was not only responsible for her but also for the whole pack, his guilt ran deep, infecting every choice he made and slowly driving him mad.

When Daryl would leave Alexandria to search for her, Rick would stay behind, forcing himself to focus on the rest of his pack. He thought that if he could protect everyone else, the guilt would wane, but it never did.

“Omega!” His voice thundered down the street making Y/N freeze. There was some sort of recognition in her posture: her head bowed, shoulders slack but her lips still curled into a snarl and she attempted to snatch Judith from Carl's arms. She only succeeded in tugging both of her pups closer to her body.

“Omega.” He repeated, this time softer and offering her his empty hands. “It’s ok, I won’t hurt you or the pups.” He bowed his head and dropped his eyes to the ground in submission. 

She growled again but it was softer and more confused. “I’m your alpha.” As slowly as he could, Rick extended his left arm and presented her with his wrist. While not as prominent as his neck, his scent still bled from his skin. Her nose twitched and as she leaned forward to sniff at his offered limb while keeping her eyes locked onto him. 

Her brows furrowed and she took a step closer, her hand darting out to grip his wrist. Her cold nose rubbed against his cold skin as she inhaled even more of that intoxicating scent that tugged at part of her mind. 

Carl beamed when she dropped his father’s hand in favour of burying her nose into the crook of his neck. Judith gave a chirp as she was squished between the two grown-ups, still partially in her brother’s arms and her mother’s. 

Rick’s eyes fluttered shut as her own scent washed over him for the first time in almost 2 months, thick with fear and apprehension but it was hers all the same. Her bump pushed into his stomach and he felt like he could cry. She was safe, she was alive and she was back in his arms. 

Warmth flooded their bond, bringing a smile to his face. She licked at the mark she had left on his scent gland months ago so Rick placed his hand on her hip, gently pulling her even closer. He winced as he realised just how malnourished she was. “Let’s go get you and the baby checked out and maybe some food.”

Her eyes remained uncomprehending but she followed after him anyway, his hand held tightly in hers. 

Bodies lay in the streets, both enemies and friends alike as the moans of the undead just outside the walls form a macabre symphony. Y/N snarled under her breath and cupped her stomach while Carl glanced at his father, panic colouring his features.

“Is that the herd?” 

“The plan went sideways but we'll think of a new one.” Rick promised, laying his free hand on the teen's shoulder.

“Enid's gone.” 

His face hardened as he replied sternly. “As soon as we have a clear path out, we'll search for her. Daryl's still out there too.” His eyes flicked back to the omega who currently had her teeth bared at the solid walls. “We'll get them all back.” And he didn't just mean those trapped outside the city.

——————

There was a haze wrapped around Y/N's mind. It was like walking through a dense fog right as dawn broke- the light just barely strong enough to let her see a few inches in front of her but every step she took forward, the world that she knew was swallowed up and forgotten. She had no idea where she was going or where she had been but the tugging in her chest pulled her ever forward.

She had brief moments of clarity, snapshots in time that only materialised for a second before the fog descended once more.

The pop of gunfire and the smell of smoke as she ran barefoot into the woods.

Blood pouring from cuts on her hands as she scrambles up a crumbling lattice, the dead reaching for her, their rotting fingers only inches away from her feet.

Feeling the babe inside her belly kick for the first time. She cries.

Two men corner her in an abandoned warehouse. Their tone is comforting but their words are garbled. She tries to speak but all that comes out is a growl.

Another man, this one bigger and meaner looking, wrapping something cold around her neck. He spits on her face before sealing her into darkness.

But none of those snapshots compared to this moment. 

Reality slammed into her chest like a freight train. Y/N gasped for air as she desperately looked around. She was in a house, a nice house by the looks of it and surrounded by people she didn't recognise.

The smell of copper and death fill the cramped room as people scream at each other, their voices like nails on chalkboard to her sensitive ears. She winced and attempted to curl into herself but was stopped by her huge belly. 

Something about it isn't right but before she can recall why, her attention shifts to the form on the bed next to her. He's no older than 14 but he's tall and his brown hair is long. A white bandage covers half of his face. She knew that face. 

Her hands trembled as she cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing against his skin. He did not react at all, just remained deathly still before her, the only movements of his body was the steady and too slow rising and lowering of his chest.

“Carl.” The name came to her and a second later, so did everything else. “Carl?” He was so big now, already growing into his features. He looked so much like his father. 

His father.

Her head shot up, eyes scanning the now mostly empty room for her alphas. The front door was wide open, letting in the grotesque sounds of flesh being sliced open and bone shattering. The darkness from outside seemed to grow with each passing second as the moans grew louder.

Y/N leaned over Carl's body as if to afford him some protection if the walkers made their way inside but deep down she doubted that she could do much besides buy him a couple extra seconds. She felt weak, she was tired and her entire being ached.

“It's ok baby, I'll keep you safe.” 

Suddenly, bright light streamed through the doorway and an explosion rocked the house. Y/N whimpered and cradled her boy as the sounds of celebration overpowered all else. 

“They actually did it.” A plump woman wearing glasses murmured in shock. “I can't believe it.” 

As an optimistic mood filled the room, the fog began to descend once more and Y/N could feel herself slipping away. “You!” She barked at the woman who quickly turned around, her eyes wide. “T-tell my alphas that I love them.” Her words slurred and jumbled together but the woman nodded anyway.

Y/N smiled in relief. “Tell 'em to be safe.” She looked down at her boy one more time and then everything disappeared once more.

The smell of gasoline and burning bodies only seemed to add to Daryl's frustration. The past few days had been absolute hell- he was tired, hurt and so strung out he felt like anything could set him off. And that's not to mention the weird feelings that constantly flowed into him through his bond.

Fear, relief, anger, love. 

All of it was just too much.

As he watched the horde of walkers burn in the lake, he was consumed by his thoughts. Nowhere was safe, death constantly followed right behind them and some part of him knew that it would always be like that, no matter how hard they tried to change things.

His thick fingers pulled at the fraying threads of the bracelet around his wrist as he thought of his omega. He pictured that she was safe somewhere, holed up in some isolated cabin that had a garden full of food or in an abandoned apartment building that she could scavenge. Carol kept reassuring him that she was alive and ok but each day that passed without him finding Y/N, he believed his friend less and less. Even the blanket they had discovered was quickly losing her scent.

He wanted to get back out there, to keep searching but he was just so tired.

“Daryl!” Rick called over the din. His voice while strained from exhaustion still carried the power of a true alpha. The younger man ignored him though as he continued to watch the slowly dying fire from atop the truck, his hands supporting his weight as he leaned back against them.

Vaguely, he could feel frustration leaking through the bond. “Y/N's here!” That snapped him out of it.

“Wha?” But before Rick could repeat himself, Daryl had jumped down, landing heavily on his already sore legs. “She's?”

His brother nodded. “With Carl but she's feral so we have to take it slow.”

“But she's-” Suddenly he felt like he couldn't speak, his guilt and relief wrapping around his throat in a tight grip.

“She's safe, the pup's safe.” Rick gestured to the infirmary and before he could think, Daryl took off running.

50 days. It had been 50 agonising, tortuous days of unknowing, of guilt and fear. Of imagining the hell which she experienced since the moment that the chain fences of the prison fell.

50 days of self-hate, of knowing he wasn't enough- not strong enough, not fast enough, not brave enough- to save her and the pup. 

50 days of her haunting his every thought.

50 days.

And as he ran into the infirmary, all that time, all that fear disappeared the second he saw her again. The clock reset the moment he stepped over the threshold and her golden eyes locked with his blue ones.

He didn't care that she didn't recognise him, he didn't care that she snarled and planted her hands down around Carl's body as if he was a danger to the boy who was almost like his own. 

She was alive, she was here. And that's all that mattered.

For the first time in 50 days, Daryl smiled.

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Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

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Bad batch season 3 reaction

Episosde 6 - Inflitration

I'm kinda giddy for this one lol

Chuchi baby girl you're back I love you

Rex in his poncho era

'Public opinion could turn on him quickly' how hasn't it he's so obivously evil lmao

Irs so DARK let me see!!

Not Omega copying Crosshair's toothpick

Echo's poses are so sassy so good to have you back king

Echo and Omega are my fave duo easily

Rex's clones are soooo cunty I looooove their mean side eyes

So M-count isn't common knowledge you're burying George Lucas's dreams

Rex is so earnest oh my god his expressions

Oh so one noticed this dude enter bitch please

Wolffe noooooo

Episode 7 - Extraction

Still can't believe they just let this guy run in unnoticed lmao

Oh my God I get Crosshair has shaky hands lol

'Oh I'm much worse' Crosshair is fr unhappy that this child is just out here in shenanigans

Deal with him later? Bro deal with him now he's just out doing whatever keep your mans in line

'I head it too' yeah it's a giant fucking ship Hunter you're not special

Crosshair is such a girl dad

Wrecker protecting Batcher godddd

Oh Wolffe of course they're doing those things

'Open your eyes' that's just straight up fucking rude Rex

[maeleelee]

Chapter four

Twilight Memories

Hey my pretties. Hope you like this next chapter. We're adding the vampires. They will have their own series coming soon.

TW: flirting, the baseball scene from twilight, dad's highly drunk in this, dad is a big asshole, name calling (whore), "running" away, vampires, werewolves, glaring, growling. Protectiveness by both Chan and Chip. If I have missed any, please please let me know.

Hongjoong smirked as he looked up at the sky and then back at the batters box. "Here we go." He hummed, listening to the thunder start up. Yunho nodded at the batters box and pointed the bat at Hongjoong before putting it put to his shoulder.

Hongjoong threw up his leg and threw the ball at Yunho. Yunho swung, hitting the ball out towards the forest and smirked as he started running, the thunder roaring to life when the ball connected to the bat.

San smirked, jumping and running at the ball, getting to the forest in seconds, but Yunho didn't stop. Just kept running. San threw it to Wooyoung, who threw it into Yeosang. Yunho slid at the plate, as Yeosang touched the boys leg. "OUT!" Chip shout, smiling as she did, hearing a cheer from the field.

"That's my girl." Wooyoung shouted from in-field, making her rolling her eyes.

"I call paid caller." Mingi shouted from the side of the field, making Chip flip him off. Yunho laughed and shook his head at the two. "Hey. Be nice to my boyfriend."

Chip smiled and looked at him. "And yet I still get kisses." She winked, watching Wooyoung make a face in the field.

"PDA." Wooyoung called out, making Seonghwa laugh at the boy.

"No kisses for you tonight." Chip called out to Wooyoung.

"I'll take them!" Kalina giggled, skipping to the base, looking at Hongjoong. "Let's go Sir." She told him, getting the bat ready.

Hongjoong took a deep breath at the name and went back into pitchers mode. He threw the ball, Kalina hitting it hard, right as the thunder went off, making it echo. She ran off, moving fast. San was running after it, as was Wooyoung. They hit each other, making the ball off behind them. Kalina laughed as she hit the home plate.

Chip picked up Kalina and spun her around, making the girl giggle and squeal. "Oppa! Oppa! I did it!" She giggled as Chip put her down and she skipped over to Seonghwa who smiled brightly.

Seonghwa kissed her cheek. "You did it!" He chuckled, holding her as she wrapped her legs around him. "Now, lets head out before the rain starts." He told everyone as he headed to the car, Hongjoong was putting things away in.

Wooyoung walked over to Chip and picked her up, running them to their car, San following close behind them.

Once they all made it back to their place, they all went to the living room. "So Wooyoung and I will be gone for a few days. I'm going to go see my sister. I haven't talked to her in a minute. She kinda disappeared so I'm starting to get worried."

"You do what you need to do baby." Seonghwa smiled as he sat on the couch with Kalina in his lap. Hongjoong next to him. San was pacing the room in very slow manner. Yunho was at the dinner table in the wide open floor plan, Mingi next to him. Yeosang and Jongho were laying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

"I'll make sure to keep you all updated." Chip smiled. "Thank you. I'd like that." Seonghwa said.

Chip pulled into the house she once, a long time ago, called home. She went to the door and knocked. When she saw her dad, Marcus, she stuck up her nose from the smell. "Fucking hell dude, you buy the liquor store down the road." She said as she push her way into the house. "Where's Evelyn?" She asked her father, who stumbled into the living room and onto the couch. "Hello?" She questioned again.

"Don't know. Don't really care." Marcus stated, making Chip growl. "Listen, Charlie, I don't know where the whore ran off too, but she was with the omega from the huge pack." He waved his hand at her. "Now leave. I don't want you here. Martha will be home soon."

Chip growled and pulled Wooyoung out the door with her and back into the car. She drove over to the pack house and pulled into the front of it.

The wolf standing at the gate growled. "I'm looking for Evelyn." She glared.

The wolf raised an eyebrow and smirked. "And you are?"

"Her older sister." Chip growled at him. "Is she here or not?" She grumbled to the wolf. "Yeah. She's here." He smiled. "However, are you a human drinking or animal?" he questioned Wooyoung.

Wooyoung tilted his head. "Human's mostly, Chip here and there." He smirked, winking at her.

"Good. This way." He nodded towards the camp site where a bunch of boys sat around it. She followed, her eyes landing on Evelyn, who was with another omega, giggling.

"Evelyn." Chip called out. Evelyn looked up at the name and her eyes grew wide and she stood up, running over to her, tripping over her own feet before getting to her sister.

"Oh Chip." Evelyn cried as she wrapped her arms around Chip's neck. "I missed you." She mumbled into the older girls neck.

One of the other wolves stepped up making Wooyoung hiss. "No." Chip growled at Wooyoung. "We're on their land." She told him, setting Evelyn down, only for her to wrap her arms around Chip's waist. Wooyoung backed down, stepping closer to his girlfriend.

"Evelyn, what's going on?" Chan asked, taking a small step closer.

Chip took a step back, growling some. "Linnie. Tell me who they are."

Evelyn looked up at her sister and smiled. "They saved me from dad." She told her. "Jisung saw me at school and we became instant friends. He brought me by the car shop and I met Alpha Chan and Alpha Minho." She pointed the each Alpha. Chip sniffed Evelyn sneakily and hummed when she didn't smell Chan on her yet.

"So what happened with dad?" Chip questioned as turned the younger girls face and growled. "Oh, I'm going to kill him." She mumbled.

"I am happy here. I got a new phone and Sungie got me a bunch of stuff for my room and Lixie helped me set up my room." Evelyn smiled. "Chan's my mate." She whispered. "But he won't say anything." She pouted up at her.

Chip chuckled and nodded towards Wooyoung, "That's my mate." She smiled. "That's Wooyoung. He's a vampire." She winked. "Wooyoung, this is my little sister, Evelyn."

Evelyn smiled and hugged him. "Welcome to the family."

Chan growled softly, watching Evelyn move away after a second. "Are you staying?" Evelyn asked her sister.

"Maybe for the night." Chip smiled.

"Yes! Stay and then hang out with me tomorrow. We haven't seen each other in forever." Evelyn stated, Chip knowing she was right.

"Alright, alright. We'll stay." Chip laughed and watched Evelyn jump.

"You can stay in my room!" Evelyn smiled, looking at Jisung and Felix. who nodded.

Everyone got settled for the night and they were all around the campfire, the snow slowly falling, hot chocolate in the hands of a few of them. Evelyn sat by Jisung, Chip on the other side of her, who had Wooyoung's arm around her waist, a blanket around them.

Minho and Chan stood together, talking. Jisung was talking to Felix and Seungmin across the fire, making the two girls giggle. Two other people joined, Evelyn smiling and waving at them. "That's Alpha Changbin and Beta Hyunjin but he trains." She told her sister. "And that," she pointed to Jeongin, "is Innie." She smiled.

Chan looked at Minho and tilted his head. "Why do you think she never said anything?"

Minho shrugged. "I mean, she was beaten and I'm sure she wasn't allowed to say much." He told the older boy. "But she's opening up and that's good."

Evelyn smiled and looked at them. "Chip, how did you two meet?"

Chip smiled and looked at Wooyoung. "Well we met at a coffee shop, running into each other. We talked for a little bit. He got my number. Texted me to go to the fair with him. We got funnel cake and he won me a stuffed animal and we kissed and yeah." She blushed.

Wooyoung smiled. "I still thank Yeosang everyday for demanding coffee that day." He hummed.

"Did he know about you being a wolf?" Jeongin asked.

"We both knew we just didn't say anything until later into everything. Just kinda didn't care in a way." Wooyoung stated with a smile.

Evelyn smiled brightly, happy that her sister was happy.

"Is your name really chip?" Seungmin asked her.

"Don't-"

"It's okay." Chip whispered to Wooyoung. "We don't like my real name." She told them.

Evelyn yawned and smiled. "Bed time." Minho smiled, watching Jisung and Felix both starting to fall asleep. Minho grabbed Jisung and Changbin grabbed Felix. "I got her." Chan whispered to Chip.

masterlist

taglist: @estella-novella @mxnsxngie @imagine-a-life-like-this @cadenonlinelive @acrylishly @hobasimp89 @babyboyquokka @juskz @kitkat1sstuff @boo-ven9eance

[stars-n-spice]

TBB s/o Headcanon:

Why do I feel like once the members of the Bad Batch get significant others, Crosshair is always in the background of their dates in Sniper mode like ready to pull the trigger if anything goes wrong?

I can see him definitely tailing his brothers and spying on their dates through his scope because he's protective like that.

He probably also takes Omega with him and they'll spy on their brothers to see what's going on.

Especially with TechPhee, Crosshair is always looking out for his twin and he and Wrecker are always in the background of all of Tech and Phee's dates.

I think he also keeps a close eye on Echo as well, even if he knows Echo can handle himself. However, it's probably only because he holds Echo is such high regards as an older brother that he feels the need to spy on him.

Then with Hunter and Wrecker he's just watching to see if they make fools of themselves (and they usually do) when they're out on dates with their partners.

THEN!!

When Crosshair ends up with a significant other his siblings are protective as HELL over him.

Yeah it's karma for all the times he was spying on them and would scare dates off, but it's also because he's the baby brother so they're all going to look out for him (even if he can handle his own).

So they're constantly tailing him on dates, threatening and intimidating his dates, and so on.

He pretends to hate it, of course, but it's not all that bad.

Catch him being like, "You want to cheat on me?? Well, these are my siblings. Good luck."

[starwarsbundle]

Pt. 6. TBB Headcannons they probably deserve.

Today!

Last but nowhere near least, is our little girl Omega.

For as much as I’ve observed, I quite like Omega, both as a person and as a character, particularly as (despite our *hugely* different situations) I empathize with her as being grown ahead of her time due to the ways in which she was raised.

Let’s go!

Omega has the equivalent of a nat. 20 in perception, and so is able to tell both when people are lying and telling the truth. This includes lying to protect. Also, she can absolutely lie convincingly - after all the time she’s spent around Nala Se, she knows a thing or two about talking to “important” people.

Sleeps curled up, and has several pairs of the biggest, fluffiest bed socks you’ve ever seen. One pair was knitted for her by Tech - and they’re her favourites.

Has a tendency to reach for and hold onto the nearest hand in the vicinity when scared. This also has a tendency to activate Protective Dad Mode(tm) immediately in any of the Batch she grabs onto.

White chocolate is her favourite chocolate. Of course Tech told her it wasn’t true chocolate, but that doesn’t stop him or Hunter or any other member of the Batch from buying it for her anyway.

She is a hat-wearing kinda girl and would absolutely wear matching cowboy hats with Hunter.

Omega likes to shadow each of her brothers and will imitate them occasionally. Which the Batch finds terribly endearing but also frightening by how accurate she is.

She witnessed the creation of the Batch and even watched over them for a period as babies. She was heartbroken when they were taken away from her. Adores and would do anything to help her brothers, and is determined not to lose them again.

Knows how to dance, and how to dance in several different ways (because her brothers have different dancing styles and they absolutely taught her how to dance).

Echo taught her how to shoot. Wrecker wanted to teach her how to use a knife. Hunter wouldn’t let him.

Hunter is always the first person in the Batch Omega will go to; but second to him, she’s happy to hang out with any of them.

Omega definitely reconnects with Hera after the finale. She also reestablishs contact with Rex, and gets to meet Ahsoka and Luke. She also eventually meets Boba - and the pair of them bond over genetically identical father-figures.

BONUS: Fennec is absolutely like: “do I know you?” And Omega’s like; “yeah, you tried to kidnap me several times, and the first time my brother took you out with only a speeder.” And Fennec’s like: “KID?!”

Omega is the chaos-sunshine kid with 5-we’ll-kill-you-if-you-harm-her Dads.

Let me know if you want a series 2 of these Headcannons! Or any specific Headcannons. :)

[lost-in-fiction-like-ur-mom]

Masterlist

Request Guidelines

The Bad Batch

Crosshair

You're Different- Ever since Crosshair made a snide comment about leaving a team member to die, you’ve had a lingering thought. Even though you knew he loved you, doubts rose. Okay Again- After spending months on Pabu recouping from the Empire, Shep gets under your skin. You blow up at the unfair treatment, and Crosshair helps you calm down. Forgiven- You reminisce on the first time Crosshair fought against you and his brothers. He thought you'd never forgive him, but he is surprised when you reunite. Dog Days- You met Crosshair while he was taking Batcher for a walk. Passing your house quickly became a daily task you all looked forward to. Is it wrong to say you caught feelings for him? And was Crosshair really jealous of the attention you gave Batcher?

CX-2 (Clone Assassin)

Does the End Justify the Means?- CX-2 never planned on forming a relationship, but once he did he had to protect it. Even if it meant killing hundreds to keep you away from Hemlock. MENTIONS OF BURNS AND TORTURE!!

Echo

Confessions on the Marauder- You and Echo finally have a moment alone on the Marauder. Of course the pressure gets to one of you, and confesses. Worst Case Scenario- After an ambush from the Empire, you, Echo, and Omega must escape by yourselves. Hunter and Wrecker sacrifice themselves to let you three live. Based on Season 2, Ep. 16 One Day- Echo is, understandably, not taking Techs death well. Comfort ensues!

Hunter

Knight in Rusty Armor- After a bad run-in at a market, Hunter has to save you and Omega. You can't help but feel like a failure for not being able to protect Omega by yourself... Marry Me?- After an insufferable separation from you, Hunter realizes his true feelings. That he never wants to be apart from you- that he wants to spend the rest of his life with you. Wedding Planning- Now that Hunter has popped the question, you and Omega start planning the wedding! Little do you know, Hunter overhears and falls a little more in love. Part 2 to 'Marry Me?' I Will Protect You- As a defective Jedi you are reassigned to The Bad Batch. How can you resist Hunter? Especially when he confesses after seeing how good you are with Omega. Calming Waves- After finding out Omega has been taken for the third time, you and Hunter must comfort each other. Set at the end of s.3 ep.11

Tech

Absurd Thoughts- During a regrettable moment of insecurity, you think Tech considers going off with Phee. Assurance pursues, Tech only wants you. Familiar Faces- Tech's death was not a reality you were ready for, you relied so much on his love. After months of grief, you find he might not actually be dead. Bookworm- You and Tech have a moment alone on The Marauder. What better way to spend it than reading! Accompanied by Tech on his datapad, of course. By Your Side- During an escape from the Empire, you break your arm. Tech is quick to be at your side, fixing you up. At the intensity of the situation, feelings are revealed. Warning for descriptions of broken bones!

Wrecker

Headaches- Wrecker always goes to reader for help with his constant headaches. Based on S 1, Ep 5-7 when Wreckers inhibitor chip was giving him bad headaches! Back Home- After searching for months, Wrecker is finally reunited with you. You couldn't be happier. Bundle of Joy- Wrecker is scared he might hurt your newborn baby. You reassure him he won't, and that he is a good father. Warning for descriptions of birth!

Clone Force 99 (Platonic)

Winning Approval- You felt as if you were living a purpose-less life, so when Hunter asks you to join his crew, you say yes! Not everyone on the force is as happy though... Takes place during and after Season 1, Ep. 2.

Game of Thrones

Brandon Stark

Following you to the ends of the earth- Your time with Bran, Meera, and Hodor in the Three-Eyed Raven's cave. Unsaid feelings become said. PART TWO

Avatar The Last Airbender

Zuko

'Fake' Feelings- In a pinch, you have to pretend to be in a relationship with Zuko. Little do you know it was never pretend for Zuko.

[skellymom]

"Vagabonds" Chapter 20

"DIFFICULT CHOICES"

Ongoing fanfic Hunter x Reader/Fem Reader/OC

Hunter meets a smuggler Nomaadi Star Woman with a powerful force sensitive teen who changes the trajectory of CF-99's lives...as they ALL try to escape from The Empire together.

To read Chapter 19 - "HEART OF THE MATTER"

https://www.tumblr.com/skellymom/761182994193154048/vagabonds-chapter-19?source=share

Word Count: 2.3 K

Background: The crew discuss what the new discovery means and how to proceed. Some angst, plenty of differing opinions from the crew, bickering (some of it comical-my favorite way of writing tension, without making it too intense). Echo is the grumpy voice of reason. Omega drops a surprising bombshell. And, I forgot to have Mad apologize for beating Echo up when she first met him...so sneaking that in this chapter instead of backtracking to fix my mistake.

For anyone new to this series: "LOVE" is the nonbinary/genderfluid neurodivergent/nonverbal Force sensitive kid of the main OC of this series named Mad. Mad is an older single mother, close to almost 50 years of age (not many older female protaganists in stories, so I decided to make one.)

Warning: Commentary about babies and the reality of raising them, age, and relationships. Some swearing. Some discussion of body parts (very clinical, not graphic).

(Credit: Cool dividers by @plum98 @strangergraphics-archive)

Everyone BARELY fit into Mad’s stateroom.  A murmur of excitement rippled through the group. 

LOVE placed their hand on Mad’s belly, then the other against Hunter’s temple.  While Hunter could hear SOME of what was going on in Mad’s abdomen, LOVE allowed him a front row seat. 

For Hunter, it was like slowly being immersed in a watery environment.  The feel of floating in a calm pool, surrounded by the hum of sounds muffled from the outside world to the inside world.  Five little aquatic beings swam around him inside that uterus.   

There was a feeling of...familiarity.  Like seeing his much younger reg brothers in their tanks.  He swam and swirled about with them.  Feeling warm, protected, nestled in the safety and comfort of that womb. 

In the background of his consciousness...and the ears of his physical body Tech’s voice appeared...questioning...pulling Hunter out of this comfortable place... 

“What did IT appear as?” His brother inquired. 

“They...” Hunter smiled. 

“Please REPEAT...” Tech pushed closer, as if his ears failed him.  

“There are FIVE of them!”  Hunter murmured...pleased.  “And... they look healthy.  All their limbs...and everything else...accounted for.” 

“What is their approximate size?”  Hunter held his hands out to the appropriate length.  His mind is still reeling from the shared Force experience. 

“It would seem...” Tech addressed Mad “You are well into your second trimester.” 

“WHAT!”  Mad blurted out.  “It’s been just shy a WEEK since implantation!!!” 

“Well, according to my calculations...” Tech rambled “The ovum was fertilized AFTER implantation and BEFORE the other night you and Hunter...coupled.” 

“NO!  That’s NOT now babies work.”  Mad shook her head. 

Tech pressed on.  “THAT is how Kaminoan CLONE BABIES develop.  Their growth is accelerated.  Hunter is the father and OUR aging was accelerated.” 

“Ok...but the timeline is off.” Mad shook her head. 

“Clone trooper sperm can stay alive in the right environment up to and slightly over a WEEK.” Tech calmly added.  “The Jedi ovum was indeed fertilized approximately 24-48 standard hours AFTER the doctor implanted it.” 

Mad’s jaw dropped. 

Hunter smiled proudly; he couldn’t help himself. 

“Congratulations.  You are OFFICIALLY pregnant...” Tech genuinely and warmly nodded to Mad.  Then turned to his brother.  “Hunter, you are a FATHER.” 

EVERYONE cheered out of relief and sincere happiness. 

Mad stared incredulously at Hunter. 

She was silent. 

“She’s NOT lookin’ so happy. “Wrecker leaned over and whispered to Hunter. 

“Mad...?” Hunter took her hand. 

“I... I NEVER expected...” She was flabbergasted. 

“Mad...?” Hunter repeated...now concerned. 

She lay there on the bed shaking her head. 

Hunter’s smile faded. 

“They weren’t mine to keep.  Technically they aren’t MINE at all.  I’m a surrogate.” 

“Aren’t you HAPPY?” Hunter was disappointed in Mad’s response. 

“Hunter...even IF the Jedi who this genetic material came from are long gone and can’t claim their kin...have you EVER seen a woman carry to term?  Or give birth?” 

“No, but I’ve seen clones decanted...” 

“NOT the same!  Not even close.  And with accelerated growth...”  Mad motioned to the red angry stretchmarks on her sides “Women AREN’T meant to carry something growing THAT large so fast...then birth them.” 

Tech butt in “Technically the vagina can stretch...” 

“TECH!  DO YOU OWN A VAGINA???” Mad cut him off. 

“No...”  He pressed on “But as I was relating to you...” 

“Ever been constipated TECH???”  Mad snapped back. 

“I... don’t see how that is relevant as babies are born from the birth...” 

“I KNOW WHERE BABIES EXIT FROM!” Frustration clouded Mad’s face.  “The POINT I am making is most of you in this room DON’T own a vagina.” 

The point Mad was attempting to make dawned on Hunter...and Echo. 

“SO... tell ME again how it FEELS to pass something very large quickly???” 

“IT HURTS!!!” Wrecker shouted out, pained expression on his face. 

Mad snapped her finger and pointed at him “Someone gets it!  And...it absolutely can RUIN the body without proper medical intervention.” 

“The Rebel Base at the extraction point should be of assistance.  Of course...you may have to deliver via c-section.” Tech mused. 

“Oh...I’m sure Mad is absolutely excited to go through that!”  Echo grumbled. 

“As long as they give me ALL of the pain meds.” Mad shot back. 

“But...” Hunter sulked.  “They’re ours.” 

Hunter’s right Love signed. 

“GUYS...” Mad rubbed her head, frustrated and sighed.  “They’re...Hunter’s, and I carried them.  Surrogates DON’T contribute ANY genetic material to the offspring.” 

MOM!  The Nomaadi family isn’t always blood... Love signed heatedly, then glanced at Sil for support.   

“Nah Couz, not gettin’ involved in this one.” Sil shook his head, petting Tiggy to help his stress level. 

“But I didn’t plan for this and it’s MY body!”  Mad hissed.  “Listen I DON’T hate children.  Hell, I’ve made my life about saving children...but...Hunter needs to make a case for HIS children.” 

“OUR CHILDREN!”  Hunter raised his voice. 

“Hunky, we all collectively don’t have a... excuse my language” eyeing Omega “a pot to piss in. We have a ship that isn’t in working condition to even fly, and it needs A LOT of repairs.  The ship that does work is tiny.  We have EIGHT people and a DOG living together in a shared space with a very limited number of resources.  The only money I have is the original credits from the implantation job, and now I don’t even know if I will receive ANY credits at the extraction point since we will be delivering to them babies instead of the original cargo they agreed to.  Do YOU guys have ANY credits?” 

“NO!” Echo chimed in.  “She’s got a REAL good point there.” 

“Not you TOO!” Hunter was disappointed in Echo. 

“Hey, can’t even imagine how much work five babies are...soon to be five TODDLERS.” Echo remarked. 

“Well, as far as feeding them, Mad can breast feed.”  Tech added. “It will save on the cost of formula.” 

“I have two breasts and five mouths to feed.  Rotating them to feed will be an almost round the clock thing, and it’s exhausting.  And that’s if both are fully functional” Mad pointed to her chest. “Besides, if they continue to grow at the rate they did inside my body...they’re going to have teeth almost immediately...” 

“AAAwwowww!” Wrecker held his chest in fear.  “NO!” 

“Besides...” Mad shot a look at Tech and Wrecker “YOU gonna change any diapers?” 

Wrecker grimaced. 

Tech found his sass “I noticed you did NOT include Echo in your inquiry.  Is it because he is missing one hand?” 

“Alright then...pick on the handicapped guy...” Echo smirked. 

Hunter lost his patience.  “I’LL DO IT!  Why even ask them?” He nodded to his brothers. 

“Because IF they have an opinion on what I do with these children, then they can HELP take care of them!” 

Hunter nodded in a way Mad could see he agreed. 

“Hunky...listen...I understand this is a wonderful moment for you.”  Mad glanced at Omega...who was listening intently to everything “Clearly children are a passion of yours.  But...babies...they’re a whole different ballgame than a ten-year-old.  Trust me.  Been there once before.” 

Hunter and Tech were about to interject... 

“SHE’S RIGHT!”   

EVERYONE’S head pivoted to Omega. 

“Mad knows what she’s talking about.  I took care of ALL of you when you were babies.  You don’t remember, do you?” 

The Batchers were speechless.  Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker just nodded dumbly.  Echo sat down in the overstuffed chair opposite the bed, then kicked his feet up on the ottoman.  He was VERY interested in hearing more. 

“Nala Se made sure to keep you away from the regular clone population.  But she needed a caregiver when she was busy...which was often.  I diapered, fed, and kept you ALL from trying to kill each other...at least until you started to bond closely...with me.  Then she took you away...” Omega eyed Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker. 

Hunter face fell.  “Omega...we NEVER knew...” 

“Yeah, why didn’t ya tell us?” Wrecker asked. 

Tech stood still, shocked, but listened intently. 

“Well...we’re together NOW.  I... didn’t see the need to.”  Omega shrugged. 

“Wow...” Mad quietly remarked “...that’s...I don’t even know WHAT to say...” 

Sil and Love glanced at each other, then back at the Batchers. 

“No wonder you felt a kinship.” Echo mused “Unconsciously, you knew she was family.” 

Omega shook her head with a serious face “But...the POINT I was trying to make...Mad isn’t WRONG in asking these questions.  She didn’t CHOOSE to have...MULTIPLE children.  She was just trying to help save any future remaining Jedi.” 

“AND, they're going to have Jedi powers too.”  Echo chimed in “Can’t imagine THAT’S going to be easy to deal with!” 

“Do you want them???” Hunter pressed, looking intensely into Mad’s eyes. 

She sighed, then glanced around at everyone in the room.  Hunter realized the pressure he was putting on her with EVERYONE else present. 

“Apologies...we should ask them to leave, then we can dis...” 

“No. They can stay.  We’ve discussed everything else with them.  And... whatever happens going forward may affect them too...it’s not just you and I anymore.”  

Hunter nodded.  He respected Mad for this decision. 

“I...” Mad stopped, overwhelmed suddenly.  Hunter squeezed her hand.  She could see while disappointed, he still cared for her.  “I think we should speak to the people at the Rebel Base tomorrow.  See what they say.  I don’t know what they had planned for these little lives.  Maybe they found some grown Jedi who haven’t been killed off.  Maybe they were planning to start an underground covert Jedi sect....I don’t know...just feel that this could be something SO MUCH BIGGER than just the two of us suddenly having a family.” 

“My head agrees.”  Hunter sighed.  “My heart...well, I think you know where it’s at.” 

“Hunky...we’ve only known each other just shy a week.  Barely enough time to get to know one another.  This is all too much too fast.  I’m...sorry.” 

“Well, I’VE heard enough!” Echo got up from the armchair.  And attempted to leave the room.   

Tiggy, popped up from the bed, and playfully grabbed Echo’s scomp. 

Tech chimed in “Echo’s correct.  Besides, we have MUCH more to repair on the Beldame before our rendezvous tomorrow.  Hopefully, we can at least get the propulsion fully operational by then.” 

“Come on Couz.” Sil gently pulled on Love’s tunic. 

But...I’m NOT done!  I wanna say... 

“Nunya, Couz”   

Nunya??? 

“Nunya bizness.  Come on, let’s go and leave them alone.” Sil actively grabbed a handful of Love’s tunic and pulled them, still levitating, out of the room. 

Echo attempted to yank his scomp from Tiggy’s mouth.  It didn’t budge.  Then he lifted her off the bed as she held on.  He went to pull her off with his hand, and she growled. 

“Uh...someone wanna help?” 

Wrecker laughed “She’s messin’ with ya.  Not gonna bite.” 

“TIGGY, MAV!” Tech instructed.  Tiggy immediately let go and dropped to the floor. 

“Olaror” Tech patted his hip as he left the room, and she obediently followed. 

Wrecker picked up Omega as he walked out “So, was I the PRETTIEST baby of the Batch?” 

Omega giggled and hugged him.  “You ALL were pretty.” 

Echo, the last to leave turned to Hunter and Mad “Listen, whatever you BOTH decide, your brothers and Omega will support you.  Can’t speak for the kids, though.” 

Hunter nodded respectfully to Echo. 

“Thank you, Echo.”  Mad replied “Really appreciate it...never apologized for the rocky introduction...” 

Echo chuckled and waved it off “Getting kicked into a wall by Hunter’s girlfriend.  Honestly don’t know what else I could’ve expected.”  He winked as he left, and the door slid closed behind him. 

Mad and Hunter watched him go, then sat in silence together on Mad’s bed. 

Finally, Mad broke the silence.  “I’m sorry to disappoint you.  But I stand firmly on what I said...really mean it.” 

“And...I respect you for it.  Even love you for it, too.” Hunter 

“Love me?  Did Omega accidentally drop you on your head as a baby?” Mad quirked her eyebrow seriously at Hunter. 

“If it helps me navigate this relationship, she was right in doing so.” Hunter attempted to crack a slight grin. 

“You’re upset with me, aren’t you?” 

“I can be angry and still care deeply.” 

“Where have you been my whole life...and are you even FOR REAL???” Mad was incredulous. 

“Well...since I’m only 13 and just defected from the Republic...uh, Empire...” 

“Wut???” 

“Heh...” Hunter grinned.  “I’m only 13 standard years old.” 

“But...” Mad’s brain broke “You look to be...at least a 30-something year old...” 

“The accelerated aging.  Yeah, I look old for 13.  You look young for almost 50...” 

Mad stared a hole though Hunter. 

“Hey.” He lightly bumped her shoulder.  “Talk to me.” 

“Listen...Hunter...IF we wind up parenting these children...we GOTTA work on US first.  These kids won’t stand a chance if their parents don’t have their shit together.” 

“Agreed.” 

“So, we have A LOT to discuss.  I was hoping we would have more time to just BE US.  More time to discover who WE are...” 

“Oh...so you WERE planning on US to be something MORE...long term?” Hunter bumped Mad’s shoulder again. 

“I HOPED.  But honestly...admittedly...I kinda thought US wouldn’t last long.” 

Hunter cocked his head “Because of your first partner?” 

Mad nodded, ashamed.  “And...so MANY after him...I just...became cynical.  Raising one child on my own was...lonely and SO difficult.  I’m grateful to have LOVE.  Would never change that for the galaxy.  But...” she sighed tiredly.  “I CAN’T go through it all over again.  Not with one or five children.” 

“I’m NOT going anywhere.”  Hunter gripped Mad’s shoulders firmly.  “Take my responsibilities seriously.  Only be absent if I died...” 

“PLEASE don’t say THAT.  Call me superstitious...” Mad warned. 

“Even IF our relationship didn’t work out, I PROMISE to take care of OUR children.  I would NEVER leave them behind...and...I still wouldn’t leave you either.” 

Mad burst into tears “PLEASE...DON’T YOU FUCKING LIE TO ME!”  She sobbed.  “If you break my heart...I don’t think I could take it...” 

Hunter hugged her fiercely “Would NEVER do such a thing.” 

“I’m in love with you too, Hunky.” Mad sniffed.  “But...being in love early in a relationship...and the kind of love in a long term one...two different things.  Takes a lot of work...and...” 

“And?” 

“I’m ONE crazy BITCH!” Mad laughed while she cried. 

“Well, I’m 13 and kinda dumb...we’ll be fine...” 

Mad smacked Hunter as he hugged her tighter. 

To Read Chapter 21:

https://www.tumblr.com/skellymom/762676548240277504/vagabonds-chapter-21?source=share

Please let me know if you wanted to be added to my taglist or removed! Thanks so much for your support!!!

[soaringthroughthegalaxy]

Wash Away the Pain #2 - Hunter

Fleeing Kamino, Hunter knows they’ve made a mistake, but he isn’t sure how to fix it. Could they even fix it? Who knows. All he does know is that he’s way out of his depth.

Pairing: Hunter x gn!reader (can be seen as platonic or romantic)

Word count: 1.5k

Warnings: whump, guilt, hurt and comfort, brief mention of order 66, hopeful ending.

A/N: I was heavily inspired by these gorgeous drawings by @thattoothpick.

This is part of a mini-series where each of our boys will get their sad/angsty shower time, but they can be read as standalone's.

Check out others in the series: Echo, Tech, Wrecker, and Crosshair.

ps; don't care what's canon or not, the Marauder has a fresher 😂

Sign up to be tagged in my future fics.

It’s late, but Hunter can’t sleep.

How did things go so sideways?

They never leave their own behind, and yet…

He sighs, head thunking back against the shower wall. There wasn’t much room in the small fresher on the Marauder, but it was the only space he could be alone with his thoughts. Guilt churns in his gut. What the hell had happened to his baby brother? Why had he fired at them?

Crosshair’s demeanour had changed ever since the order on Kaller. His brother would’ve never fired on a child in the past; he would’ve listened – albeit with a snarky comment – when told to stand down. It was as if Crosshair had been replaced by someone else.

But rather than getting to the bottom of it, they’d left him.

He’d left him.

So much for being a good leader. A good brother.

The quiet click of the fresher door doesn’t even register to Hunter as his thoughts spiral, clutching the bandana wrapped around his fist.

The touch of your hand on his tattooed cheek rips him from his thoughts, head tipping forward to look at you standing before him under the shower spray.

You’d heard Hunter get up and had heard him head to the fresher and turn on the shower. Tech, Wrecker, and Omega remain asleep. Echo is on watch as you travel through hyperspace. As the squads nat-born medic, called in because of the inability of your boys to get along with regs, it was your job to look after their wellbeing. And now it felt like Hunter needed some care.

“Hey, H.” You greet him softly once he looks at you. Living in such close quarters had desensitised you to nudity – you’d seen all the boys in varying states of undress over the years and had even ripped blacks from them when they’d been injured to give you more room to work.

Hunter doesn’t bless you with any words, just a tiny nod of his head in acknowledgement. He doesn’t need to say anything for you to understand what’s going on in his head.

“It’s not your fault.” You whisper, fingers smoothing down his face and neck, pushing back wet strands of dark hair plastered to his skin until your palm presses against his chest. 

Hunter’s gaze lingers on yours, searching for reassurance that you may hold the answers he desperately seeks. The steam from the shower swirls around both of you.

“I should’ve done something,” Hunter mutters, his voice a low rasp. The guilt in his eyes mirrors the storm within him. “I left him behind. Left my own brother.”

Your fingers smooth over his collarbone, a gesture of comfort. “You did what you had to do to protect the rest of us. Crosshair wasn’t himself. You couldn’t have predicted it.”

Hunter’s jaw tightens, and his gaze drops to the swirling water pooling at his feet. The Marauder’s constant hum provides a backdrop to the heavy silence between you.

“He’s my responsibility,” Hunter admits, a raw vulnerability in his voice. “I should’ve found a way to save him.”

Your fingers tilt his chin, forcing him to meet your gaze again. “Hunter, you’re only human. You can’t control the choices others make. All you can do is protect the ones who are still here.”

He closes his eyes briefly as if trying to shut out the haunting images that plague his mind.

“You’re not alone in this, H.” You assure him. “We’re a team, and we’ll figure this out together. Whatever happened to Crosshair, we’ll find a way to bring him back.”

Hunter’s shoulders relax, if only slightly, under the weight of your words. The subtle touch of your fingers against his chest feels like an anchor, grounding him in the present moment.

A mixture of gratitude and anguish plays across Hunter’s features. He opens his mouth to respond, but no words come out. Instead, he steps forward, his wet skin meeting your soaked clothes as the shower’s spray cascades around you both.

Without a word, you wrap your arms around him, pulling him into a gentle embrace. A hand cups the back of your head, the other around your waist, holding you close. The water from the shower mingles with the tears that escape his closed eyes. You hold him, offering solace in the only way you know how. Hunter’s breath steadies as he clings to the lifeline of human connection.

As the minutes pass, the weight on Hunter’s shoulders seems to ease. The guilt doesn’t vanish entirely, but it becomes a shared burden. You pull back slightly, holding him at arm’s length. Your eyes lock onto his. “We’ll find him, Hunter.” You affirm, your voice unwavering. “Whatever changed him, we’ll get to the bottom of it. And if there’s a way to bring him back, we’ll find that too.”

Hunter’s expression softens, a mixture of gratitude and determination replacing the turmoil. He nods a silent agreement that resonates through the small fresher. The two of you stand there for a moment longer, the steady hum of the Marauder and the pattering of the shower the only sounds in the room.

You reach for his hand, unfurling the bandana wrapped around it. Quietly, you wrap one end around your hand, too. “We’re with you, Hunter. No matter what.”

Hunter’s grip tightens on his end of the bandana, the physical connection serving as a tangible reminder of the support he has. “What do we do about the kid?” He asks softly, thrown so far out of his element.

You shrug, not having thought that far ahead. “We figure that out, too. You said it yourself: she’s one of us.”

“Never raised a kid before.” Hunter murmurs, brows drawing down into a frown. He could remember himself and his brothers at Omega’s age, but that was his only reference point.

A soft laugh leaves you, echoing in the fresher. “And you think I have?” You tease, delight flaring in your chest as Hunter’s lips pull up slightly into a smile. That was more like it.

Silence lingers between you both again, comfortable as always, but you watch as Hunter’s eyes glaze over a little. “He’ll think we abandoned him in favour of her.” He swallows, jaw clenching as the earlier guilt rears its head again.

“Perhaps, but we know that’s not the case.” You reassure him, hand shifting from his chest to smooth across his bicep, across the dark ink that shades it. “We were kitting up to go and find him, to break him out of wherever he’d been taken.”

Hunter knows you’re right, but pushing away his thoughts is hard. “Should’ve stunned him. Should’ve…”

“Hey. We’re not falling down that ash-rabbit hole, okay?” Your voice is more assertive this time, though still laced with care. “There’s a lot of ‘should’ve’ in life, but if that’s all we focus on, then we miss out on the here and now and forget to look to the future. What’s done is done, how we survive this…takeover…of the Empire, and how we get him back are all matters.” You insist, both hands rising to cup Hunter’s face to draw his focus to you.

It works. Hunter’s eyes find yours as he leans into the comfort you willingly give him. “Think we’ll survive?”

“I’ve spent three years with you. I’ve seen you guys pull off the impossible before.” You point out.

Hunter’s lips quirked into a half-smile, a glimmer of hope breaking through the clouds of doubt that had shrouded him. “Yeah, well, we have the best medic in the galaxy on our side.”

You playfully roll your eyes at his attempt to lighten the mood, but it does its job. “Flattery won’t get you out of the next round of physicals, Sergeant.”

He chuckles, the sound a welcome reprieve from the heavy atmosphere that had lingered moments before. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Let’s get some rest.” You suggest, the exhaustion evident in both of your eyes. “We’ll face whatever comes next with clear heads and a plan.”

With a nod, Hunter switches off the shower, and the two of you step out to towel off, changing into clean blacks stored in the only locker in the room. As you return to the racks, you glimpse Omega, still curled on her makeshift bed. She stirs slightly but settles quickly. Hunter places a hand on your shoulder, a silent expression of gratitude.

As you settle into your bunk, you glance at Hunter, resting in his bed across from you. His eyes meet yours, and an unspoken promise is made in that shared gaze. The journey may be arduous and treacherous, but together, as a family, you will face it all. The Marauder hurtles through the star-studded void, a small vessel carrying the hopes and dreams of those who refuse to be crushed by the weight of a galaxy in turmoil.

Tag list: @clonethirstingisreal @littlemissmanga @starrylothcat @cw80831 @dreamie411 @issa-me-bry-blog

[squad-724]

ALL THAT'S STAR WARS MASTERLIST

Hi hello on my Star Wars blog. You can call me Moss or Kosh, and I'm here to deliver all the weird aus I make for this fandom

'*' means I am not proud of the drawing and it's old :>

(+snippet) means there's an additional piece of fanfic to match the artwork

THE BAD BATCH

Hybrid Bad Batch: Clone Force 99 are hybrids of Jango DNA and another sentient species. Trandoshan Hunter, Chiss Tech, Zygerrian Crosshair, Lasat Wrecker, and Diathim Omega -all that's chibi <3 | a peaceful nap | and a Bookmark -original (old) designs* -baby batch sleeping pile* -Baby batch squad photo -Baby Wrecker in Lula onesie -Wrecker's a show off (cadets)* -The Batch all grown up -nap in the sunlight -Crosshair got put in the air jail for scratching pilot seats -S1ep1 screenshot redraw -mission going wrong page 1 -Zygerrian mission going awful -Wrecker's bo-rifle -A nap after Wrecker got blown up -Hunter's chest scars -Crosshair vs the red dot -Tech and his pillow Wrecker -Tech helps Hunter with his molt -Snowy day with Omega and Hunter -Hunter protective over Omega -Crosshair's murder mittens and Wrecker's murder mittens

Mermaid AU: Four mers raised by a fisherman called 99, Lionfish Hunter, octopus Tech, Whale shark Wrecker, eel Crosshair. There are also the betta twins Fives and Echo, and manta ray Omega, but these three the batch meets after being captured by Admiral Rampart Ref Sheets: Tech | Omega | Hunter | Crosshair | Wrecker | Domino Twins and CHIBI BOOKMARK -How does Tech's underside look? -Baby Wrecker and 99 and part 2 (+snippet) -Doctor Nala Se and Omega -Kiddos Tech, Hunter and Crosshair -Wrecker meets Tech -Teens resting and 99 fishing on a warm afternoon -Hunter teaching Omega to swim in open waters -Crosshair in trouble + Mayday finding him -Hemlock and subject 9902 -An unrelated food pic and Hemlock eating it

Centaur Wild West AU: (i'll add explanation later) -Ref sheet for the Batchers -Wrecker vs Zygerrian hunters -Wrecker nad Lula napping

The Bad Batch x Detroit: Become Human: Android Force 99 is a team of four specialized androids that hunt down deviants -Ref photo -Wrecker saves Echo from humans -WR-993 protects TH-992 from bullets -Crosshair CS-994 kills his brother Tech the deviant TH-992 -Crosshair and Tech getting out of the Cyberlife building

Tantiss Batch: Hemlock once visited Kamino before the war, finding himself curious about four defective clones slated for decommissioning, all young and easy to mold. He took them as his side project, transporting the batch to his lab on Tantiss, where he raised them -Kiddos Wrecker and Tech -Wrecker and Tech, their brothers the night after rescue (+ snippet)

Fairy Batch: Fairies are born from normal insect eggs infused with a special elixir, their wings match whatever egg they hatched from Fairies that are born on the same day treat each other like brothers Each fairy picks a job in their community, hunters gathering food, defenders fighting birds and other dangers, and engineers creating new tools and other stuff -Ref sheet for the Batchers -Eepy batchers -Phee finds a surprise in a lab

Coraline AU: Omega and her family arrive at their new house, where she meets her other Brothers with buttons for eyes -Omega and other Tech (+ snippet)

LULA in all the AUs

CLONE WARS

Dragon Jedi AU (Fantasy medieval setting) The United Kingdoms of the Republic own all the dragons on their territory. When the Confederacy of independent Kingdoms began a war against the Republic, the Kingdom of Mandalore provided their soldiers; the princes of the house of Mereel being the leaders. Every battalion was given a dragon to fight alongside them, and during the time spent together the soldiers realised that the creatures were as smart as humans and kept against their will Which one can you pet? ANAKIN Ref sheet | and Fox | in harness | OBI-WAN Ref sheet+ Ahsoka | and Cody | PLO Ref sheet | and Wolfee | AAYLA Ref sheet | and Bly | KIT Ref sheet | and Monnk | MACE Ref sheet | and Ponds | QUINLAN Ref sheet | and Fox | QUI GON Ref sheet | MAUL, ASAJJ, and MOTHER TALZIN Ref sheet other dragons

Mecha AU: Kaminoas created an army of droids for the Republic. 10-15 meters tall, perfect in combat, and have suspiciously advanced AI. It is located in tubes filled with thick, red liquid, which, if not cracked or destroyed, can be transported into a new metal body. Some of the mechas are modified so that the Jedi can pilot them from the inside, with the commander and the general working together. -Rex and Cody* -Anakin and Rex -Blank trooper design

Non-connected Rexwalker drawings

Medically mandated comforting pressure Rexwalker week 2023 Vampire AU Vaderkin exchange: Massive Mer Ani and Rex

[writingforfun0714]

I think the problems of TBB started in the Bad Batch episodes of TCW if I’m being honest, because of their treatment of Echo. While CF99 might’ve been planned characters (I remember reading somewhere that GL wanted a ‘unique’ clone squad in TCW), the fact is that Echo is a fan favorite and to treat him with such disrespect definitely rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way.

In TCW, CF99 learn that Echo is alive and not actually a traitor and eventually accepts him into their squad as they learn that ‘not all regs are bad’. That’s all well and good but wouldn’t it have been nice if, I don’t know, CF99 actually fucking apologized? Like yeah, adopting him into the squad is a nice gesture, but by not apologizing, it’s like they avoid taking responsibility for thinking ‘all regs are bad’. CF99 see Echo as different like them, they don’t see themselves as one of the ‘regs’, which is a problem in a clone-centric show like what many fans claim TBB to be. This problem of not taking responsibility and actually apologizing for wrongdoings continues in TBB show and is especially noticeable in S3 with Hunter and Crosshair and even with Crosshair and Howzer. I noticed it in S2 as well with that Omega/Tech episode (2x9). Like yeah it confirmed he’s autistic but in that situation Tech is the adult and should’ve apologized to Omega for how he talked to her. Having autism doesn’t excuse being rude, especially when the dynamic is one of an adult/child.

Then all through TBB S1 Echo continues to get sidelined (along with Tech) up until S1 ep10, when the problems of the show compound. Echo should have been the focus for 1x10 Common Ground. The basic plot is that CF99 are hired to rescue a Seperatist senator from Raxus while Omega has to stay at Cid’s bar for her ‘protection’. Hunter leaves Omega behind but expects her to be a member of the squad and is surprised when the others have to remind him that he left her behind. I can understand what the writers were going for but the execution of that small line of dialogue was wrong (the wording and placement in the scene). Personally I’d prefer a sort of lamenting inner monologue with each member instead, reflecting on how they each miss Omega in different ways or something. They did a POV change in 1x9 so I think an inner monologue moment would’ve been a cool choice. That whole time on the mission the Batch question Echo when it really should’ve been Echo grappling with his trauma regarding Seperatists and his torture. This whole episode really doesn’t make sense due to the ‘S1 reset’ TBB go through. You’d think after their TCW arc that there would be no need to question Echo, that they would understand why he has such grievances. But no, TBB ‘resets’ the whole squad (aside from Echo) and makes them almost completely different from their Clone Wars counterparts (hence the memes of frat boy Hunter vs dad Hunter).

Another issue is the marketing and how the creators/people that worked on the show interacted with the fans. From what I can remember, TBB was never a ‘spin-off’ of TCW but more of a ‘successor’ mostly due to the use of the same animation. TBB was always marketed as a ‘dark’ kids show despite showing things we’ve already seen before in SW animation. We’ve seen Force sensitive babies being taken, we’ve seen clones realize they are little more than property, we’ve seen kids having to grow up faster due to their situation, we’ve seen child slaves, and even death on screen (Echo, Fives, Gregor, Savage Oppress, Satine, etc). All within TCW and Rebels (Disney’s first SW show). TBB is extremely tame compared to what we’ve seen previously. To make it worse, those that worked on the show would post ‘teasers’ online, trying to engage with the fans. I always had a strange sense of disappointment after every single episode due to how people like Jennifer Corbett or the Kiners ‘tease’ fans by posting ‘relevant’ memes or hints about an upcoming episode and after each episode, I remembered thinking ‘so they lied’. Teasing a winter soldier arc for CX-2 is definitely my top grievance with this particular problem. A red herring is supposed to make sense. CX-2 could’ve been anyone else besides Tech if they wanted to keep him dead (Dogma, Cody, Kix, Slick, etc).

The last main issue TBB has (that isn’t the blatant racism) is how ableist the show is. I don’t care if it was not intentional because honestly 3 whole seasons consisting of about 15-16eps is more than enough time to fix this problem. Now this show was already on thin ice for me, but to gloss over Echo so hard in S1 definitely put me off of this show. The way Echo is written in S2, as if he’s wrong for wanting to help Rex (how many times does Hunter ask him ‘when will it be enough?’ ‘You know it’s not worth the risk right?’ Seriously fuck Hunter for that especially). Then sidelining him again in S3 to focus on Crosshair (which is a whole other post). In S3, we get to learn Crosshair has to deal with his trauma, isn’t that an interesting concept—ooh-wait no let’s just cut off his shaky hand after spending an episode of ‘meditating’. It was like Hunter/Wrecker/Fennec go off on side mission while the b-plot is Crosshair/Omega meditating. This episode was frustrating but this whole show is made up of frustrating writing decisions that quite frankly, I had gotten used to by S3.

[aaaaawolfquarters]

Tech and Omega Swap AU : EPISODE 5

s1ep5 changes/notes

(baby boi Tech doesn't have his name yet, but I'm using his name for simplicity)

Similar to the show, Tech is given Crosshair's old comlink. He fiddles around with the buttons and settings and Echo tells him it is not a toy, to which he replies, that of course it is not a toy, and lists some of the specs

When the Batch get to Ord Mantell, and go to find Cid, Omega comments on the less-than-sanitary conditions of the bar. Tech stares at Cid for a while before stating that she is who they are looking for. The batch bargain with Cid, like in cannon, and when Cid says Tech is the brains of the operation, Tech responds that he is quite intelligent, but is by no means the leader of the team

While on the mission, Tech asks about the slave traders, and Omega explains that slave traders treat people like property. Tech is confused, as it neither legal nor morally correct. Omega and Echo try to comfort Tech, promising that they're going to rescue Muchi. Omega and Hunter survey the terrain, noting the entry points and lookouts. Tech is upset when he is told to return to the ship

On the ship, Tech modifies the trooper doll (like Omega does in cannon) and it looks similar to Tech's s1 armor from cannon. He mentions to Gonky that he would like to modify some actual armor for himself, but this was good practice. Tech hides and then slips out of the ship (like Omega does in cannon). He sneaks over to look for his siblings

When Hunter says they need to contact Tech, and when Echo is grumpy about not having their comlinks, Omega replies that the won't need a comm, gesturing to Tech. Hunter tries to signal to Tech to escape, but Tech cocks his head to the side and throws out some hand signals. "He... just signed [plan #]**?" Hunter is confused. Omega laughs, "That would work here. When did he learn our plans?"

Tech successfully makes it to the crate and unlocks it before being captured. He does state "I wasn't sneaking, I was unlocking."

Tech and Omega help the slaves escape before returning towards the battle. A slaver or two jump out at them, and after dealing with them, Omega offers Tech her D-17 blasters for protection, saying they were a good size for him. He asks what she will do, and she responds that she'll find something. As Tech runs ahead to the squad, Omega smiles and takes a bow from one of the slavers

It is Echo who tells Wrecker that rancors have a hierarchy, and maybe challenging Muchi would work. After Wrecker tames Muchi, Tech states that the creature is fascinating

They return to Cid and the rest of the episode would be pretty similar to cannon

**whatever number, this plan means release the cargo