#but like WHY WOULD THEY GO BACK TO CID YOU IDIOTS

[bipidin]

.

[arctrooper69]

As Iron Sharpens Iron

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17

Beta-read by @dragonrider9905

Chapter 11:

Previous // Next

Warnings: Angst. Canon violence

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

Three days had passed since the argument with Hunter that sent you storming from the Marauder with anger blazing hot in your veins. Two days since you’d left the planet, intent on putting all your focus towards the job Cid had given you.

One day had turned your anger into a suffocating heaviness of guilt and grief. Now it was something else - it felt strange and unnatural - or maybe it was just nothingness. Whatever it was, you wished the anger would come back. Anger was tangible, it gave you something to hold onto. Anger had a conviction - a purpose. Whatever it was that you felt now, slipped numbly through your fingers, floating aimlessly and as silent as the vortex of hyperspace you currently traveled through.

They didn’t come for me.

---

You had waited around Cid’s for a full rotation - unsure what for.

Did you really think they’d come looking for you?

Did they even want to?

“Give it up, kid.” Cid advised as you’d found yourself glancing over at the door for the thousandth time, “Dark and Broody ain’t coming after ya.”

You looked at her sharply. How did she know?

Cid shrugged, “Don’t look at me like that, Hotshot. I’m not stupid, you know. I’ve seen the way you look at him.” She smirked, “It’s the same way he looks at you.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Then tell me why he hasn’t come.”

Cid threw down her washrag, looking annoyed. “You’re the idiot who ran away. He’s smart enough not to bother a woman who’s mad at him.” She scoffed, “Or he’s stupid enough not to go after the woman he obviously cares about.”

That’s when the anger came back, flashing brightly like the flame of a candle exposed to the air just before it fizzled out again. “You’re wrong. He’s not here because he doesn’t care. None of them do.” Disappointment settled like a boot on your chest.

Cid let out a bored sigh. “Then quit moping around and do something! I’ve got plenty of jobs around here and no one to do them. Might as well get paid if you’re just going to be miserable anyway.”

You looked at her quizzically then groaned. “Alright… where do you need me to go?”

---

The ship shuttered as it dropped out of hyperspace, pulling you back to the present as you came into orbit around the moon Cid’s coordinates had directed you to. You chuckled bitterly.

Well joke’s on them. I don’t need them either.

---

“Omega, come on! We need to make a supply run in town,” Hunter called down the ramp as he slung his pack over his shoulder. He frowned as she made no move to get up, though he was certain she’d heard him. He set his pack down and walked over to her. She sat on the ramp, resting her arms and chin on her knees, as she looked blankly out at the empty road.

“Omega..” he sat down beside her.

“It’s been three days, Hunter. Where is she?” Her muffled voice broke his heart. She’d been crying and he had no words to comfort her.

There had only been two times in his life that Hunter found himself with no idea what to do.

The empty numbness that dug its relentless claws through his skull screamed at him in an overwhelming self-hatred after their first real mission failure which left Wrecker clinging to life.

Failure. Coward. Pathetic.

It was the same feeling now that spread through his bones. I should’ve run after her. Now it’s too late. Mission failure once again.

The gut-wrenching flood of emotion that came with being a parent and falling in love was more unyielding than any enemy he’d faced before. It’s the one thing they didn’t train us for. At least when an enemy combatant refused to cooperate, there were many ways to get what you wanted out of them. Hunter didn’t know how to react when it was his own thoughts that refused to comply.

“I don’t know, Omega.”

“She’s coming back though, right?” She looked up at him but he couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eyes.

He spun his vibroblade anxiously. “I hope so.”

“Wrecker went out looking for her, you know.”

Hunter straightened in surprise, turning to look at her. “He did what?”

Omega wiped her eyes on her sleeve and sat up. “Yeah. He left this morning. He said he was gonna find her and make everything better again.”

As if on cue, Wrecker came barreling down the road, skidding to a stop just shy of the ramp panting and out of breath. Hunter stood up as Omega dashed to his side.

“What is it, Wrecker? Did you find her!? Is she okay?!” Her eyes were wide and Hunter was glad to see some of the hopeful spark return. He just hoped that whatever news Wrecker brought wouldn’t snuff it out again.

Wrecker collapsed onto the ramp. “Phew… I’m never running like that again!”

“Well?” prompted Hunter, still nervously twiring the blade through his fingers.

“Huh? Oh yeah! I found out from some scumbag that Cid sent her on a mission. Said it was real dangerous.”

“What.” Hunter tensed. Suddenly that pitiful feeling of futility was gone, replaced by something he was all too familiar with. He slid the vibroblade back into its sheath with a deadly click, mouth set in a fierce line of determination.

“Did he say anything else?” Omega asked.

Wrecker laughed. “Yeah. When I hung him upside down from the roof, he cried.” He turned towards Hunter and his smile faded into a growl. “Hunter, he said it was a suicide mission. He said nobody gets outta there alive. That’s why I ran all the way here.”

Omega gasped, “Hunter we have to go after her! She might not know it’s a trap!”

Hunter had already strapped on his pack and secured his blaster.

“Tech, Echo! Start the ship.” He called out. “I’m gonna go have a little chat with Cid.”

Loosened by the adrenaline as he ran, a sudden moment of clarity fell upon him. He’d been thinking about this all wrong.

You were not a mission in which to succeed or fail. You were a part of him - the missing link in his short mess of a life - and he would do everything it took to get you back.

The door to Cid’s Parlour opened with a slam. Cid nearly dropped the glass she was cleaning as she looked up to see Hunter striding over to her, fire in his eyes. The only two patrons in the room fled, feeling the mood of the room sour almost immediately. Cid set the cup down in obvious annoyance. “Hey! You can’t just storm on in here, scaring away my customers like that! I’ve got bills to pay here.”

He didn’t seem to hear her as he pointed a sharp finger in her direction.

“Where is she?”

Cid smirked, deciding to play coy. This could get interesting, she thought as she dried her hands, making sure to look as unbothered as she possibly could.

“Where is who? You gotta be more specific.”

Hunter narrowed his eyes, “You know exactly who I’m talking about.”

She tapped a finger on her chin, pretending to think. “Hmm… I really don’t think I do.”

Hunter sighed, exasperated. “I don’t have time to play your games, Cid. Tell me where you sent her.”

Cid sighed, suddenly bored of whatever ruse she’d cooked up to mess with him. “Fine.”

Hunter clenched his teeth. “I need to know, Cid. Now.”

“Cool your jets, Dark and Broody.” Cid rolled her eyes. “Your girlfriend’s fine. She asked me for a job and I gave ‘er one.”

Hunter’s face darkened. “Where. Is. She.” His white knuckled fist slammed down on the counter. “I promise you I won’t be so nice if I have to ask you again.”

Cid raised her hands in a mocked surrender. “Look, I promised her that I wouldn’t tell any of you lot where she went. She obviously doesn’t want to talk to you.”

Hunter's hands shot across the bar, vibroblade suddenly poised in a violent threat at her throat. His voice was dangerously low. “She could be in real danger. Tell me where you sent her. Now.”

Cid gulped, backing into the wall, knocking a bottle onto the ground where it shattered. She glared then raised her hands in surrender. “Alright, alright fine! Put the knife down and I’ll tell you!”

Hunter lowered the knife. Cid nervously rubbed her throat. “Geez… I can see why she likes you so much. I sent her to a small moon in the Sullest system. Doesn’t even have a name. Hardly anybody goes there at all.”

Hunter glared daggers.

“Relax, Dark and Broody. She’s not in any danger. It’s just a simple snatch and grab. The mines over there are full of stuff worth a ton to the right people.”

Hunter narrowed his eyes. “Just give me the coordinates.”

Cid sighed, “Already done. Get outta here, lover boy.”

Hunter rolled his eyes as he turned to leave.

“Hey!” Cid’s voice called after him. “You owe me for that bottle. Corellian Whiskey is hard to come by these days!”

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

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[hugmekenobi]

The Bad Batch (10)

Chapter Ten: Common Ground

Gif by @kamino-coruscant

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: You joined the Batch 8 months ago and everything was going well. But then, Order 66 happened and suddenly the galaxy around you changed. Now, not only do you need to be careful given your new 'social status', but you also need to navigate your feelings towards a certain Sergeant.

Chapter Summary: Your road to recovery begins and a mission has the Batch seeing their ideology challenged.

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, swearing, mild hurt/comfort, infected wound descriptions, mild illness, Star Wars cleaning supplies being what I require, (most likely inaccurate) Star Wars first aid and it being what I need, the clothes hyper fixation continues (I wish I knew why my brain thought this so crucial)

Word Count: 6.7K

Rating: 18+

Author's notes: Pretty much follow the plot of the show here, not a whole lot extra going on but I'm excited for you guys to read this one cause then we have my favourite chapter next lol. Any new readers, please see Ch8 for explanation of certain warnings that aren't included in every chapter warning because they appear a lot. Enjoy!

“You ready to go?”

You glanced up to see Hunter, armour all back on, looking down as you finished tying the laces to your boots. “Yup.” You grabbed the bag with your ruined clothes and got ready to get up.

“You sure you don’t want my help?”

“Yes, thanks though.” You stood up but put a bit too much weight on your injured leg, much to its protest, and you felt it start to collapse beneath you.

“Easy.” Hunter said as he caught you by the shoulders.

“Okay, so I may need a little bit of assistance.” You admitted begrudgingly as you straightened up, only applying weight on the toes of your left foot.

“Come on.” Hunter tucked his arm around you, making sure to avoid your side injury and acted as a support for you.

Leaning against him (and finding it quite a nice arrangement), the two of you walked down the steps of the ship to join the others as they waited for you. As you all started to walk, you chucked your clothes into the first dumpster you could find before continuing to walk back to Cid’s parlour. You weren’t sure how your debt with Cid was going to be settled but you were sure she would think of something.

--

“How’s the Mantell Mix, kid?” Wrecker asked Omega who was perched on his shoulder.

“Better than ever.” Omega said, dropping a few pieces into his mouth.

“Yeah, it is!” Wrecker said with a laugh as he swallowed it.

“So, when’s our next mission?” Omega asked, with a mouth full of mix.

“With two bounty hunters after you, it’d be wise to keep a low profile.” Tech said, glancing up at her.

“Tech’s right.” Hunter stopped walking just before they reached the entrance to Cid’s and turned you both around, making sure to do it gently, and directed Omega to come down off of Wrecker. “There’s too much heat on us right now.”

“Ha! That never stopped us before.” Wrecker said.

“The kid’s been through enough. She needs a break.” Hunter muttered to him.

Wrecker looked over to where Omega, Tech and Echo were. The latter inspecting the Mantell Mix with suspicion. “She seems fine to me.”

“A break wouldn’t hurt her.” You agreed. “It was pretty rough for her, even if it doesn’t look like it was.”

Hunter nodded at you and made the first move to step down into the parlour, making sure he took his time so you wouldn’t have to strain yourself too hard.

“Time to face my favourite person.” You grumbled as you limped down the stairs.

“Be nice.” Hunter chided playfully.

You snorted just as you all entered the parlour, and you walked over to the bar.

“I got a mission for you boys.” Cid revealed. “What happened to you?” She asked as she saw how you were situated. You were missing a layer and the presence of bandages was evident, plus you were being propped up by the sergeant when you came in and now the bar counter was acting as a means to hold you up.

“I made a friend.” You replied sarcastically.

“Hmph. Well, don’t go dripping blood on my floor.”

“Like it would make it any worse.” You mumbled under your breath.

“What did you say?” Cid narrowed her gaze at you.

Before you could reply, you felt Hunter lightly nudge his hip into you, so you held back your comment.

Hunter coughed. “What’s the mission?”

“A simple extraction on Raxus.” Cid responded.

“Raxus?” You repeated, a hint of disgust in your tone.

“That is the former centre of the Separatist government.” Tech said. “It has since become an Imperial outpost-”

“I’m not interested in a history lesson, Goggles.” Cid said dismissively. “You’re being hired to locate and free Senator Avi Sing from his confinement.” She brought up an image of the senator on her datapad. “My client will meet you at the given coordinates to brief you. Details are on this.” She held up the chip. “Now get going.” She threw it in the direction of Tech, but Hunter intercepted it.

You found the simple action more attractive that you should have but you brought yourself back to the moment at hand which was you were being asked to assist a Separatist. The very concept left a bad taste in your mouth.

“Help a Separatist?” Hunter said, uncertainly as he caught it. “Not gonna happen.” He chucked the info chip back at Cid and left your side to step in front of her.

“Your debt’s still not paid, remember? A job’s a job.” Cid said.

Hunter gestured for them both to move away from the group. “I am not bringing Omega or (Y/N) to a planet swarming with Imperials.”

“So, leave them here with me. I’ll keep an eye on them.” Cid offered.

“I don’t exactly trust you either.”

“Good. You shouldn’t. But if keeping the kid and your girlfriend safe means more money in my pocket, it’s in my best interest to do so, isn’t it?” She said, jabbing him with her clawed finger.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Hunter objected tiredly.

“Right, and I’m not green.” Cid said, rolling her eyes.

Hunter let out an exasperated sigh. He was not getting involved in this with Cid of all people. “If anything happens to them-”

“Yeah, yeah, Bandana.” Cid said, flippantly as she handed him back the chip. “Just get outta here, would ya?” She walked away from him.

Hunter headed over to let Omega know the plan first. She was already geared up, so he didn’t think this was going to go down too well.

“Ready when you are, Sergeant.” Omega said cheerily.

Hunter kneeled down in front of her. “Not this time, Omega. You’re staying with (Y/N) and Cid.”

“But th-the mission. I’m part of the squad too.” Omega said, a tad irritated.

“Then following orders shouldn’t be a problem.” Hunter said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Stay close to (Y/N) and Cid and don’t leave this parlour.”

“I heard my name.” You called over.

“I’ll deal with you in a minute.” Hunter replied.

“Gee, am I in trouble?” You called back light-heartedly.

Hunter gave you a small smile before focusing back on Omega. “Got it, soldier?”

Omega groaned. “Yes, sir.”

Hunter nodded at her before getting up to walk over to you. He figured you weren’t going to take this well.

“Am I in trouble?” You asked genuinely as you saw the slightly more serious than normal expression on his face.

“No, no.” Hunter assured you. “You’re just uh staying here with Omega and Cid.”

“You wanna run that by me again?” You said, eyebrows raised.

Hunter sighed. Yeah, he’d expected as much. “You’re going to remain here until we get back.”

“Give me one good reason as to why.” You argued.

“I can give you two.” Hunter countered.

“Enlighten me.”

“One being this place is being controlled by the Empire and is filled with people that would love nothing more than to kill you if they found out what you were.”

“The key word being ‘if’.” You disputed.

“Two, and perhaps the most important one, you almost died. If you say, ‘the key word being almost’ I’ll bench you for more than one mission.” Hunter warned as he saw you go to open your mouth.

You held your hands up in mock surrender and pushed down the fact that the demanding tone his voice took was a lot more attractive to you than you cared to admit. “Carry on, Sergeant.”

“You need time to recover, and to pull this off, we need everyone at their full strength that’s not you right now. You’d hold us back.” It was blunt but he figured it would be the only way you would listen to him right now.

You let out a low whistle. “Harsh.” You said, your tone mildly conveying your frustration. “And if I told you being a Jedi meant I could push through and manage it?”

“I’d tell you that if you could hold yourself up, your full weight on your injured leg, without the support of the bar counter then you could come.”

You glowered at him. “Fine.” You pushed yourself off the countertop and applied full pressure on both your legs. “See?” You breathed out, ignoring the fact that your brain was screaming at you to ease up.

“Great. Now try it without Echo’s hand on your back.” Hunter said, crossing his arms.

In your desperate state, you hadn’t even noticed Echo had lent you a helping hand.

“Sorry.” Echo muttered, stepping out from behind you.

As soon as he left you, you felt your leg start to shake so you sat down before it collapsed from under you.

“Well, I think that concludes that.” Tech said.

The look Hunter gave you just screamed ‘I told you so.’ “Don’t say it.” You grumbled at him.

“Sorry, but you’re staying.” Hunter said, decisively.

“Ugh fine. Get out the lot of you.” You waved them away. “But I’d like the record to reflect that I think it’s ridiculous that you were shot too but apparently you’re good to go.” You said to Hunter.

“At least I can stand on my own.” Hunter joshed back.

You stuck your tongue out at him. “Away with you and good luck you guys. Be careful.” You said sincerely.

They all nodded at you before turning around to leave.

You noticed Omega as she watched them leave and it was clear she wasn’t too happy about being left behind either.

“Hey, Tiny, I got a mission for you.” Cid said to her, wagging a sponge in her direction.

“They’re not even two minutes out the door and you’re already at it with the child labour?” You said to her, shaking your head.

“I got one for you too, if you can even manage.” Cid clapped back, tossing a sponge in your direction before chucking one to Omega. “Now get scrubbing.”

If you weren’t so determined to prove that you were able to do such a simple task, you would’ve fought her on the matter more. You stood up and with Omega, began to scrub down the bar counter.

--

“We’ve never been to Raxus before.” Wrecker said, coming with the others to join Tech in the cockpit as the ship travelled through hyperspace.

“The coordinates from Cid have us landing outside the capital city of Raxulon, the home of their Senate.” Tech informed them.

“I can’t believe we’re helping a Separatist senator.” Echo grumbled.

“So, you have said. Repeatedly.” Tech replied.

“I always thought we’d make it to Raxus someday. But not like this.” Hunter said.

A couple moments of silence passed before Echo broke it. “So…are you and (Y/N) going to talk about what she said?” He broached, carefully.

Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose before he looked over at Echo. “You mean am I going to talk to her about something she said while in a delirious state? Funnily enough, Echo, no I’m not.”

“But she said-”

“I know what you’re talking about Wrecker and in case you forgot, she was talking about all of us. You know, her friends.”

“She did look directly at you.” Tech pointed out.

Hunter huffed out an exasperated sigh. Time to bring out the deflections once again. “We go round and round with this but for the sake of argument, I’ll humour you boys. Say what your saying is true, and it mattered to me, I am not going to take the words she said to heart because she was already half dead and just rambling whatever thoughts came to her head. She can’t even remember what she said, and you all would expect me to run with it and have what would be just a horrendously awkward and, quite frankly, a disappointing conversation? You all are her friends and I’m her friend and that’s it. There’s nothing more there.”

“But Hunter-”

“That’s it, Echo.” Hunter repeated assertively. “We’re coming up on Raxus.” He looked out the ship window as they came out of hyperspace. “Our focus here is the mission, nothing else. Bring us in, Tech. We’ll gear up when we land.”

--

You and Omega were both giving the most half-hearted scrubs that you could possibly do.

“Enough with the moping around. You’re bringing the mood down in here.” Cid said as she walked over to you both.

“Ah yes, business is booming.” You said cynically. The only two people that were currently in were her two regulars. You stopped scrubbing and put your head down on your arms.

“Sorree.” Omega added, leaning a cheek against her palm.

“Alright, I’ll bite. What’s wrong with you? Not you.” She added as she saw you sit you sit up and look at her sceptically.

You gave her a fake smile and went back to leaning your chin on your arms as you studied Omega.

“We haven’t heard back from them yet. Do you think they’re okay?” Omega asked.

“They better be for what this job’s paying.” Cid answered.

“I’m sure they’re just busy. That’s all.” You comforted.

“I should’ve gone with them on the mission.” Omega groused, pushing her sponge away. “It’s not fair.”

“I’ve got news for you, kid. Life ain’t fair.” Cid said, gruffly. “You don’t like it. Stop pouting and do something about it. Maybe it you weren’t so helpless those four laser brains wouldn’t have left you here with me.”

Omega glared at her and stormed off to one of the booths.

You just stared at Cid and shook your head. “Wow. You really got a way with kids.” You stepped down lightly off your seat and limped over to join Omega.

“I’m not helpless.” Omega said.

“I know.” You assured her, grunting as you sat down next to her. “Right?” You looked intently at Cid as she walked over to you both.

“Look, kid, I told dark and broody I’d keep an eye on you and keep you safe. I even cut Wisecrack in on that deal and meant it when I said that I’d look out for you.” Cid said.

You chose to ignore the unflattering nickname and instead gave Cid a small but sincere smile. It was the kindest you’d ever seen or heard her.

“Hmm. For how much?” Omega asked, unimpressed.

You turned to look at her as she angled her body away from you both. Maybe a bit more talking out was necessary here. “Hey, Cid, you got anything that can wash some specks of dried blood out?”

“What do you think I’m running here? A drycleaner?” Cid said indignantly.

You darted your eyes down to Omega.

Cid let out a huffy sigh. “I’ll be right back.”

Until Cid came back, you decided you were going to let Omega stew. You wouldn’t get anywhere with interruptions, so you waited in the silence.

“Here.”

You took the rag from her as well as a container that was filled with a bubbling, warm, blue liquid. “Thank you.” You said.

“Don’t take too long, I still got things that need scrubbing.” Cid said before she walked away.

You rolled your eyes but angled yourself to face Omega, but you were still being greeted with her back. “You going turn around for me, kid?”

“Hmph.” Omega grunted.

“Really? You’re going to have the person who nearly died not twelve hours ago come around in front of you and kneel down in that cramped space by the wall, probably aggravating her injuries?” You said, in an exaggerated manner, rubbing your arms to get rid of the goosebumps that had begun to appear. Would it really kill Cid to get some heating in this place? You thought moodily as a shiver ran down your spine.   

Omega sighed and slowly scooted herself around to face you.

“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Next step is for you to uncross your arms.”

Omega rolled her eyes but did as you said.

“Wow, you’re almost there. Top tip from someone who developed this skill over the years, any good eye roll should be accompanied by a sigh. Both those elements really gets the point across.”

Omega didn’t say anything.

“Come on, Omega. What’s going on? I’m all for giving Cid a bit of attitude but I’m a bit surprised to see it come from you.” You said gently as you began to dampen her sleeve with the liquid. To your surprise, it was actually working pretty well. You regretted chucking your stuff cause this would probably work on them too but you weren’t going to resort to dumpster diving, you’d find something else.

When she made no move to respond, you stopped what you were doing. “Look, kid. You can either talk to me about what’s bothering you or I can leave you alone and at the mercy of Cid’s chores. I’m fairly sure I heard her mention that the ‘freshers need cleaning. Now, knowing her, she’ll stick me on that, but I can make it that you gotta help me out. I don’t want to but that’s what we’re dealing with here unless you talk to me.” You said, your tone firmer this time.

“But-” Omega began to object.

“Start talking.” You said, working on her top again.

Omega huffed out a breath. “I just don’t get why I wasn’t allowed to go. I’ve helped out before; I don’t understand what was so different about this.”

“Hunter thought, and I agreed with him, you could use a break after everything that happened.” You said kindly as you moved on to the upper part of her arm.

 “But that was decided for me. Don’t I get to at least say how I’m feeling? I can handle missions.”

“Hmm.” You lingered on your thoughts for a moment. On the one hand, Omega was a child. She was all of your responsibility, so you all had to make choices that protected her from unnecessary harm. On the other, she was wanting to be treated as a proper member of the squad and she had been getting that in the more recent times. You all had the chance to express your views or feelings about missions, whether that be personal or tactical, and it was only after that that Hunter made a call which you all would then obey. Omega hadn’t been given that opportunity, not really, and your own past always brought you on the side of giving her more independence and freedom. “You’re right.” You told her understandingly. You finished dabbing at the final stain. “When Hunter gets back, you should talk to him, come up with some sorta deal. I’ll help if you need it.”

“Really?” Omega said, eyes widening in both surprise and happiness.

“Yeah. It’s only fair you get a voice too. It can’t always be me that gives him a hard time anyway.” You added with a grin.

“Thanks!” Omega threw her arms around your neck.

“No problem, kid.” You said, squeezing her briefly. “You’re all finished here too.”

“Oh, good. You’re all sorted out. Now I got some ‘freshers that need cleaning and they’re not going to scrub themselves.” Cid called over to you both.

“I’ve got it.” You said resignedly, grabbing your sponge. As you stood up though, the whole room spun, and you fell back down on your seat. “Whoa.” You said, quietly as you closed your eyes tight to try and re-centre yourself.

“Are you alright?” Omega asked.

“Yeah, just got a bit dizzy. Probably just stood up too fast.”

“It’s not that. You’re running a fever, that’s why.”

You opened your eyes to see Cid standing in front of you. “No, I’m actually kinda cold. Not used to just being in this top.” You provided by way of explanation.

“Then how do you explain the sweat on your brow?”

You pressed the back of your hand to your forehead and sure enough, when you took it away and examined it, there were beads of sweat decorating it. “Huh.”

“My guess, one of your wounds is infected.”

“Nah, can’t be that. Tech cleaned them…” You trailed off as you realised there was a slightly older one that he hadn’t tended to, and it was one you hadn’t been too careful about dealing with.

You peeled the bacta patch away from the wound Wrecker’s shot had caused and sure enough, it was infected. There was increased redness surrounding it and the sight of your stitches had swelled, plus it did not smell the best, especially with the slight discharge of puss that was coming out of it. “Gross.” You complained. “Another top tip, Omega. Don’t use out-of-date med supplies on an open wound in a decrepit and dirty ship. Apparently, the end-result isn’t the best.” You said dismally as you hid you face in your hands. The infection was the least of your worries, Tech was going to have a field day with this. Stupid, stupid, stupid. “And now I gotta wait for Tech to get back and I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Enough with the dramatics… I’ll get you fixed up.”

You looked up at Cid, your expression nothing short of perplexed. “What?”

“I got some med supplies in the back. You’ll be fever-free before the others even get back.”

“Why?” You said, unable to hide your suspicion.

“Can’t you just accept a gift when it’s given to you?” Cid said irritably.

“So, this is a gift? You’re not getting an extra cut out of this?”

“What I’m getting out of this is I avoid a lecture from Bandana about how I didn’t look after you and I don’t have to deal with disproving glares of the others.”

“Aw and here’s me thinking you cared about my well-being.”

“Keep talking Wisecrack and I’ll leave you to Goggles and his ‘I told you so’ speech.”

“Sorry.” You said shamefacedly. “I appreciate the offer, thank you.”

“Come with me.” Cid gestured for you to get up.

You heaved out a sigh as you stood. “But what about Omega?”

“Those two can watch her.” Cid tilted her head in the direction of her two regulars.

“Dumb and Dumber? You gotta be joking.”

“Oi!” The Weequay objected.

“I’ll be fine. You should just focus on getting better.” Omega said reassuringly.

“Listen to Tiny. I won’t be gone long, and nothing’ll happen. Do you want the infection gone or not?” Cid added.

“Fine. You two!” You shouted over at the usuals. “Anything happens to her while I’m gone or any funny business goes on, see that sword over there?” You pointed over to where your modified vibroblade was (your smaller dagger was still strapped to your good thigh). “I’ll only need to use it once.” When you were satisfied that they’re expressions showed a sufficient amount of fear, you followed Cid into the back, a task that was easier said than done since your perspective still had the room teetered on its side.

--

“Didn’t know this existed.” You mused as you took in the tiny room. All it consisted of was one small bed, a sink, and a bedside table with a couple of drawers.

“Sit.” She shoved you so you were forced to sit on the bed.

“Gee, talk about TLC.” You mumbled under your breath. You inhaled sharply as Cid poured some of a dark brown liquid on your wound. “Little warning next time?” You grumbled.

“You want Tiny alone out there for much longer?”

“No.” You admitted.

“Then you’ll deal with how this goes.”

“Ow!” You complained as she stuck a needle into your arm.

“Quit whining. That’ll sort the fever.”

“You know, you have a charming beside manner. I think you chose the wrong career.”

“Were all Jedi this sarcastic or is it just you?” Cid snapped back as she tidied away the stuff.

“There were a couple.” You said, thinking fondly back to one Jedi in particular. You then started to feel your eyes grow heavy and you found yourself letting out a yawn.

“Yeah, the fever stuff makes you pretty drowsy. You’re better off sleeping until it passes.”

“No, I… gotta… watch… over… Omega.” You said through another yawn as you moved to stand.

“Trust me, you’ll feel better after this, and I’ll make sure she’s safe.” Cid said, pushing you back down.

“But-”

“Stay put.”

“Okay.” You conceded, laying down and lacking the energy to stand back up and fight her. Cid hadn’t killed you and she seemed to care about Omega to a degree so you would give her your trust. “Just find her something to do beside scrubbing, yeah? She’s not just here to be your cleaner.”

“Just you focus on getting through this before Bandana and Goggles show up. For both our sakes.” Cid said, before she walked out the door.

You closed your eyes and found yourself drifting off with no difficulty at all. Your last conscious thought was of Hunter and the rest of the squad. You hoped their mission was going smoothly.

--

Hunter paused with Tech before he rounded the corner. So far, they’d managed to infiltrate the capital building without much difficulty thanks to Tech hacking into their security system and he supposed the droid, who was acting on behalf of their client, had helped to some extent, but he wasn’t ready to ease up on his distrust of the droid just yet which was why he made sure she stayed with him. He’d sent Wrecker and Echo to clear the upper levels. He peered around and saw two troopers guarding the door. “There’s two at the door.” He said to Tech.

“I’m clocking four in the adjacent corridor.” Tech added.

“(Y/N) and I will handle them. You and Omega loop back around.”

“That would be impossible seeing as they aren’t on this mission.” Tech pointed out.

“Ah…right.” Hunter acknowledged. Evidently, he wasn’t used to that idea.  

“Not to worry, I’m getting the hang of this.” The droid said, rounding the corner.

“No, wait.” Hunter hissed but it was too late, the droid was already in the line of sight. He nodded to Tech who then rolled a stun grenade in the direction of the troopers. Once he heard the sound of bodies fall, he stood up, indicating that Tech should follow. As they stepped over the bodies, another trooper opened the door. Hunter acted quickly, grabbing the trooper’s blaster, and using it to hit him in the gut. He then shoved him into a vase, shattering it before slamming his head into another pillar. He watched as the vase on top of it began to teeter and fall, but the droid caught it before it smashed on the ground.

“Do be careful.” The droid tisked, clutching the ornament. “This antique vase was gifted to Senator Singh for his years of service. It is priceless.”

Hunter turned his helmet towards Tech before looking back at her. “Droids.” He said disparagingly. They all then ran through the door to make their way to the Senator. He at least hoped you having a less irritating time back with Omega and Cid.

--

Omega was still cleaning the bar counter, an even more trivial task when you weren’t around but she knew you needed to shake the infection. Then, she heard a laugh behind her. She turned around to see Cid playing Dejarik with the Weequay.

“You got her cornered.” The Ithorian jeered over his friend’s shoulder.

“Oh, yeah, I’m real scared.” Cid said sarcastically as she studied the board.

“Delay all you want; you’re not getting out of this one.” The Weequay taunted.

Cid went to lock in her move when Omega’s voice stopped her.

“I wouldn’t do that.” Omega advised.

“Here that? We got an expert here.” Cid said with a roll of her eyes before she inputted her original move. The move itself resulted in her piece getting wiped off the holoboard.

“She’s done for!” The Ithorian said with a laugh.

“I told you.” Omega said.

“Well, expert, what should I do next?” Cid asked.

Omega walked down from her stool and briefly looked at the board before she locked in the move and watched as Cid’s final piece removed the other opposing pieces of the board.

“You blew it!” The Ithorian complained to his friend.

“Yeah, but you’re the one who said to bet it all!” The Weequay shot back.

“You wanna take this outside?” The Ithorian threatened, leering down.

“Gladly!” The Weequay responded and the two of them left the parlour.

Cid stared at the board. “How’d you know to do that?” She asked.

“It’s a strategy game. I’m good at strategy.” Omega replied simply.

“Hmm.” Cid rubbed a hand along her chin. You had said to find another job for the kid to do. “How good? Enough to, uh, win a few matches for some money?”

“Depends.” Omega said hesitantly. “What’s my cut?”

“Hmm. Thirty percent.” Cid offered.

“Sixty.” Omega countered.

Cid pondered it for a couple seconds. “Deal.”

--

“Senator! I followed your instructions to the letter.”

“I knew you’d come through, GS-8.” Senator Avi said with relief as he rubbed his wrists which the clone with the lighter coloured armour had now freed from the binders.

“And behold. I have saved your most prized vase.” GS-8 said, holding it up to him.

“Great. Now can we get out of here?” Hunter interrupted, looking at the Senator.

“With pleasure.” Senator Avi said as he stood out of his chair.

Tech tapped his datapad and studied the surveillance footage. “An alert has been triggered. Our position has been compromised.”

“Follow us.” Hunter directed to the Senator as he and Tech ran out the door.

When they came out onto a balcony, Hunter could see that the Imperial forces and their tanks were being mobilised. He waited until Echo and Wrecker came out to join them before peering over the left-hand side. “There.” He pointed down. “We’ll seize that tank and blow our way outta here.”

“How do you intend to gain control of the armoured vehicle from up here?” GS-8 enquired.

“Coming through.” Wrecker said gruffly, making his way to the front of the group where he attached a cable to the side of the walker.

Tech and Echo slid down first and quickly commandeered the tank from the Imperial soldiers that were in it. As it powered down, Tech spoke into his comm. “All clear.”

“Impressive.” GS-8 said with mild admiration.

“You can’t possibly expect me to do that.” Senator Singh said sceptically.

Wrecker checked the security of the cable before letting out a groan. “Just don’t look down.” With that, he grabbed the Senator and glided down the cable with him to the inside of the tank.

Hunter grabbed the droid and followed suit.

“Nicely done.” GS-8 complimented.

Hunter hastily made his way to the steering. “Get this thing moving, Tech.”

Tech nodded and put the walker into motion.

Wrecker chucked the unconscious troopers out. “They’ll feel that in the morning!”

--

The walker shook violently and stopped with the impact of the shot.

“The rear axle stabiliser is off-line.” Tech said, shielding his eyes from the sparks that flew off the control panel. “We will need to recalibrate manually.” He told Hunter.

“Get this bucket up and running.” He ordered Tech and Echo. “Wrecker and I will hold them off.” As he said that, he found himself missing you. You would’ve been really helpful right now.

--

Sliding under the advancing Imperial walker, Hunter fired multiple stun blasts in the direction of the soldiers who were shooting at him before he went up to join Wrecker and assist him in disabling that tank. Together, the two of them were able to decommission it but a quick exist was needed since another tank sent a shot in their direction. Tucking and rolling to cushion his landing, Hunter stood back up alongside Wrecker and continued to send stun shots in the direction of the Imperial soldiers, but they had to take cover behind the fallen walker since the Imperial troopers had numbers on their side and Hunter knew they couldn’t hold them back for long. “Tech, how we doing?” Hunter spoke into his comm.

Glancing up at the new walker that was moving steadily towards them all, Tech replied. “I need more time.”

“Freeze.”

Tech and Echo turned with their hands raised as a small squad of troopers walked towards them, their blasters raised.

“Drop your weapons.” One trooper ordered.

Reacting swiftly to the Senator throwing his vase at the head of one of the clones, Tech managed to stun the remaining two soldiers. He looked down at his datapad. “Repairs complete.” He informed Hunter.

“We’re on our way.” Hunter confirmed, firing a couple more shots in the direction of the troopers before he and Wrecker ran back into their captured walker.

As the clone got the walker moving, Senator Singh joined the two clones in the front. “Turn down that alleyway.”

“We’ll be trapped in a choke point.” Tech said warily.

“You’re going to have to trust me.”

Tech glanced over at Hunter, double checking that this is something they were going to do. Only after Hunter gave a nod did Tech do as the Senator instructed.

“Move into position next to that wall. It leads to a subterranean passage.” Senator Singh revealed.

Tech angled the walker into position.

Senator Singh opened the door to the wall. “If you don’t mind, please blast a whole in the wall right here.” He patted the area he was referring to.

“That I can do.” Wrecker said, stepping forward. He placed a charge on the wall and closed the door. The explosion rattled the walker slightly, but it did the trick. As the door opened, they were greeted by a passage.

“Hurry. This way.” Senator Singh directed.

The rest of the squad followed him, Wrecker being the last of them to do so since he placed another charge to seal the passageway shut behind them.

--

Senator Singh paused before joining the others on their ship. “What am I doing?” He whispered to himself. He turned back in the direction of the capital. “I cannot abandon my people.”

“You will, Senator, but not if you are in Imperial custody.” GS-8 said.

“She’s right. Live to fight another day.” Echo advised as he approached the Senator’s side.

Senator Sing nodded, looking back one final time at his home before he stepped on the ship with the others.

--

Loud cheering and whistling were what woke you up. Those sounds were not ones you associated with this place. You rubbed your eyes, stretched, and swung your legs out of bed, finding that you could already put a lot more pressure on your injured leg.

You lightly limped out the room to the main part of the parlour and you were quite taken aback, not to mention a little bit horrified by what you saw. You were taken aback by just how busy Cid’s actually was, you’d never seen it like this, but you were not thrilled by the sight of Omega sitting with a large crowd surrounding her at a Dejarik table as she played against a total stranger. You pulled Cid off from where she had positioned herself next to Omega.

“Glad to see you’re doing better but ease up on the death grip there.” Cid objected.

You kept your hand where it was. “What the hell is this?” You hissed angrily. “One, I’m sure whatever it is, is illegal in some way since she’s a child and two, she’s supposed to be laying low and this looks like anything but. What if one of these goons turned out to be a hunter?”

“I don’t know what you’re complaining about.” Cid said roughly as she removed your hand from the upper part of her arm. “You told me to find another job for her, so I did, and nothing’s gone wrong.”

“But-”

“Plus, she’s already earned enough credits to pay back the debt you folks owe me. If anything, you should be thanking me. I put this partnership together and the kid’s doing just fine.”

You looked past her to see Omega defeat her opponent. She didn’t look to be in any danger and the only out of place thing you could sense right now was the fact that Cid’s was so popular. “Fine, but it stops before Hunter…” You trailed off as you sensed Hunter approach and sure enough, two seconds later, Hunter and the rest of the squad came down the stairs to the parlour, along with two others who you assumed were the Senator they were sent to rescue and his droid. “Shows up.” You finished dismally.

Cid turned to see that Omega had left the table and the clones had made their appearance. “Alright, show’s over. No more bets.” She shooed the onlookers out of the parlour.

You walked over to join your squad, smiling as you saw Wrecker pick Omega up.

“Kid, where’d you learn to do that?” Wrecker said proudly.

“She’s a natural. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Cid said admirably.

“I told you to keep a low profile. This is the opposite.” Hunter said sternly.

Noticing the way Omega’s face dropped, you gently grabbed Hunter’s shoulder to get him to face you. “I wasn’t thrilled either, Hunter, but she made enough money to pay off the debt we owe Cid. We should be thanking her to be honest.”

“Yeah, try showing a little gratitude my friend.” Cid said, walking past him. “You did good.” She told Omega before addressing the Senator. “Senator, glad you made it. Let’s talk payment.” She said, guiding him and his droid towards the back.

Hunter watched them go before turning to talk to you again. “You were okay with all of that?”

“Well… no, but I was uh otherwise engaged when Cid decided to employ her services that way.” You said, shifting your feet awkwardly.

“You know you’re going to have to do better than that.” Hunter said, crossing his arms.

“I may have fallen asleep.” You winced out. “See, the wound I got on my left shoulder on Bracca became infected and I ended up running a fever. It wasn’t too bad and I’m fine now.” You added quickly, seeing the flash of concern in Hunter’s eyes.

“I told you using those medical supplies in that environment was a bad idea.” Tech chimed in.

“Thank you, Tech.” You grumbled as he passed you. “But Cid offered to treat it and I accepted, hoping to avoid the ‘I told you so’ from Tech but obviously that didn’t work out. The thing she gave me made me pretty drowsy. Cid assured me she would watch Omega, but I didn’t know that was what she had in mind. If I had, I would’ve just stuck it out until you all got back, especially cause I ended up with Tech finding out anyway.”

Hunter just shook his head with mild amusement. He could easily believe that the only reason you accepted help was to avoid a telling off from Tech rather than for your own health.

You then noticed Omega start to slowly walk past you guys. “She was helpful, Hunter. She can handle herself. You should reconsider the mission ban.” You added with a whisper before you walked away, tapping Omega on the shoulder to get her to stop before you sat down at the counter, watching their conversation hopefully.

Hunter let out a small sigh and half turned back to speak to Omega. “You really paid off our debt?”

“I wanted to be useful, even if I couldn’t go on the mission.” Omega replied, keeping her back to him.

“Hmm.” Hunter turned around fully. “How about we put those strategy skills to the test?” He walked over the holochess board. “One match. If you win, then no more sitting out on missions.” He sat down at the table and activated the board. He looked back at her, tilting his head in the direction of the other seat.

Omega eagerly ran over and sat down.

“You ready for this?” Hunter asked her.

“Are you?” Omega countered with a smile before she programmed in her first move.   

Your smile was concealed by the cup you were drinking from, but you found that the interaction was one that was making your insides feel all warm and fuzzy. This was the first time you’d really seen them interact on a more normal level, without a threat looming over them and it was something you could get used to seeing.

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @tpwkcalli, @fuckoffthanos, @arctrooper69, @graciexmarvel, @flyingkangaroo, @nightmonkeysstuff, @brujaporfavor, @a-streakofblue, @ladytano420

[augustusaugustus]

14.103 Section F (Part Two)

MEADOWS: You know the worst thing? The thing that worries me most about leaving CID? DEAKIN: What? MEADOWS: I’d have to get my hair cut.

MEADOWS: I want them all finished by the end of tomorrow, otherwise you’re going to be grounded for a month.

CRYER: It’s all quiet, Sir. MONROE: Mr Conway hasn’t cocked it up yet? CRYER: Is that what you were expecting, Sir? MONROE: You heard about the damage in custody. CRYER: That was hardly his fault, was it? MONROE: He shouldn’t have been there. He should stick to what he’s good at. CRYER: Which is what, Sir? MONROE: Good question, Bob.

MONROE: Sir? CONWAY: Yeah, before you ask, I’m fine. MONROE: I can see that. I was going to ask why I wasn’t informed of the situation. I was made to look like an idiot in front of the Area inspection team. MEADOWS: Well that makes three of us.

BROWNLOW: You got a problem, Derek? CONWAY: If you’ll get out of the car, I’ll tell you. Sir. BROWNLOW: Well? CONWAY: You bastard. BROWNLOW: What did you call me? CONWAY: You heard me. Because I said it to your face. I didn’t write down what I think of you on a piece of paper. BROWNLOW: What exactly is the problem, Derek? CONWAY: You know bloody well. My application for promotion. You said I wasn’t good enough. You didn’t tell me you were going to do that. BROWNLOW: Derek— CONWAY: Well, you should’ve, because that’s the least you owe me. BROWNLOW: I had to give my professional opinion about your abilities. CONWAY: You didn’t have any problems with my abilities when you wanted some on-call cover, did you? I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been acting superintendent just so you could have the weekend off or an early night. BROWNLOW: And I’ve always been very grateful. CONWAY: I didn’t want your gratitude. I wanted your support. But I never got it, did I? Every single time I’ve gone for promotion, you’ve been there to block me. Now I was never good enough for you, was I? Wrong attitude, wrong image, wrong face. Well, I’m sorry if I’ve got the wrong face, but at least I’ve only got one of them.

MEADOWS: I want to get back to being sutraimpendent again.

CONWAY: I’ll be amazed if Brownlow doesn’t transfer me. I would. I’d transfer me if I was him and I talked to myself the way I did.

One of the best TB episodes of all time. Jack & Derek frenemies eps are always great fun, as are CID vs Uniform eps, and this combines them both brilliantly. Really, I could’ve quoted so many lines. Great to see June getting involved in the undermining of Jack’s efforts, and Rod’s in the firing line as well for selling Dave a dodgy car and wasting George’s time. And then Jack and Derek are just perfect. Bloody hell Richard Stoneman wrote some bangers.

[starryevermore]

the bad batch’s little matchmaker ✧ wrecker

angst city™ library | send in a request (consult request faqs first)

request: Omega and Wrecker going to the market and omega realizes it's cause Wrecker likes one of the fruit stand sellers. She 100% helps him figure out a way to ask the seller out - @captainsbestgal​

pairing: wrecker x fem!reader; omega x fem!reader (platonic)

summary: omega is determined to find out why wrecker keeps sneaking off to the market.

word count: 1,398

warnings?: meddlesome omega, mutual pining, idiots in love, not proofread

Omega had long since been suspicious of Wrecker’s affinity for going to the market. It made sense after missions, of course. They had to get their Mantell Mix, after all! But, it was odd how Wrecker would find an excuse to go to the market when they had a rare day off. Sometimes two, even three, times a day, even! Perhaps even stranger, he almost never came back with anything! There was only two real options in Omega’s mind: either (a) Wrecker was keeping a secret from their brothers and her; or (b) Wrecker was sneaking off to get his own snacks and wasn’t sharing her her! She wasn’t sure which was more annoying, but she did know that she was going to get to the bottom of it, once and for all. 

So, when Wrecker announced that he would be going to the market, Omega was quick to jump up and offer to go with him. It was the perfect opportunity, in Omega’s not-so-professional opinion. They were between missions, waiting for Cid to tell them to recover treasure or save someone or whatever it was that she needed them to do. Which meant that there was almost nothing for them to do while they waited except, well, wait. And, oh, has Omega waited for this opportunity. 

“Oh, uh—” Wrecker looked up, trying to figure out an excuse. “That’s alright! It’s really boring out there—”

“Then why have you been there twice today already?” Omega asked. She let out a dramatic sigh. “C’mon please? It’s more boring here!”

Hunter glanced up from whatever Tech was showing him on his datapad and gave Wrecker a look. The kind of look that said stop-kriffing-arguing-already. “Just take her with you,” Hunter grunted. 

“But—” Wrecker began to protest. Then, he let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping. “Fine.”

Omega cheered and ran over to Wrecker, grabbing his hand and tugging him out of Cid’s parlor. “C’mon! Let’s go get some snacks!”

And, just like that, Wrecker’s sour, slightly annoyed mood lifted. A smile stretched across Wrecker’s face, an almost bounce in his step, as he listed the different snacks he wanted to get. When they reached the market, Omega pulled him toward the Mantell Mix stall, ordering a couple cartons. Omega had dropped Wrecker’s hand to pick up the two cartons. She turned to hand him a carton, the one that was slightly overfilled, but found that her brother had disappeared. 

Shoot. Where did he go? How did he move so fast, so silently? Omega looked around, searching for him. It shouldn’t have been a difficult task. Wrecker stood out among clones. Surely he would stand out among the various species frequenting the market. 

Finally, she saw him. He was smiling, leaning against a fruit stall, talking to the woman handing him fresh meilooruns. Omega ran up to him, dodging a few patrons along the way. 

“Wrecker! You left me!” Omega said when she reached him. 

Wrecker’s face burned red, his eyes starting between her and the woman behind the stall. “Oh, uhh—” Wrecker paused, trying to figure out what to say. “I told you I was coming over here?”

“No, you didn’t!” Omega argued back. “You didn’t say anything! I just turned around and you were gone!”

“Uhh—” 

“You’re Omega, aren’t you?” you, the woman behind the stall, asked. 

Omega frowned, eyes narrowing. Who were you? Why did you know her name? Omega knew enough from going on missions with her brothers, knew enough from Hunter’s countless warnings, to know she shouldn’t trust someone who just happened to know who she was. “Why?”

“Wrecker talks about you a lot when he stops by,” you explained. “He stopped by this morning, asking if I had any meilooruns. Said that he wanted to share some with you. Talked a lot about how he loves sharing his favorite foods with his little sister.”

Wrecker’s already red face became an even deeper shade of red. He looked down, shuffling his feet.

And just like that, a lightbulb went off over Omega’s head. Wrecker wasn’t just running off to the market. He was running off to the market to see you. It made sense. As Omega looked at you, she realized you were very pretty. Wrecker liked pretty things almost as much as he loved food, perhaps even more. Combine the two? Well, it made sense that Wrecker would like to sneak off to see you. 

But it was more than that, wasn’t it? There was…fondness? Was that the word? Regardless, it was clear in your voice when you spoke about Wrecker. Omega watched as you passed Wrecker a few more meilooruns, the way you touched his wrist gently, your fingers lingering for a second, two seconds. Wrecker smiled so wide Omega was sure it had to hurt, his own fingers lingering on you.

“I told him that I was expecting a shipment in the afternoon and that I’d hold a few for him,” you continued. “When I saw him, I waved him over. It was my fault that he wandered off without you. Don’t be too upset with him, please. I didn’t realize you were with him when I saw him, otherwise I would have been more patient.” You reached over, handing Omega a meiloorun.

Omega turned the fruit over in her hands. She glanced up at Wrecker, whose eyes had gone all wide and his lips had fallen into a pout. She knew that her brother wanted her to forgive him—and honestly, she already had, after she realized why he had run off. But…Well, how long had Wrecker been doing this? Running off to the market too ee you and never make a move? 

“I’ll forgive him—” she began. Wrecker cheered, pumping his fist in the air, nearly dropping a few meilooruns. “—if you go on a date with him.”

Your mouth fell open. “What?”

“C’mon, please? Wrecker talks about you all the time!” Omega lied. She knew he was going to complain about it, but it was necessary. Her brother deserved to be loved. 

“What? I do not!” Wrecker protested. 

Your mouth closed as you looked at Wrecker. You licked your lips, hesitating. Then— “Do you want to go on a date with me?”

“Well—yeah!” Wrecker said. “I mean, you’re nice, and you’re pretty, and you always have the best fruit recommendations, and you’re really pretty, and—”

You laughed. “Well, if you like my recommendations, then why don’t you meet me here at six? And I can take you to my favorite restaurant.”

Wrecker was nodding along, hanging on to your every word. “Yeah! I’d love that! And could we go to the ice cream place after?”

“Of course we can.”

“Okay! I’ll be here at six!”

Wrecker and Omega then bid farewell to you, before walking back to Cid’s. As they walked back, Wrecker was practically buzzing with excitement. Omega kept waiting for Wrecker to say something about what happened, but he didn’t. Not until they stood right out of Cid’s. 

“Hey, uh—Thanks for that,” Wrecker said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I really appreciate it.”

“You should’ve let me come along to the market with you sooner, and you and her could already be dating,” Omega teased. 

Wrecker’s face burned red again. “You think she would like to date me?”

“Duh,” Omega said. “She’d be an idiot not to.”

“She’s not an idiot. She’s really smart!” Wrecker said. “Smart as Tech, even! Well, maybe not that smart because no one’s as smart as Tech, not even droids. But she is really smart!” 

“Then of course she’d date you,” Omega said. “She did ask you out after all, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, she did!” Wrecker beamed. “Thank you, again. I really like her, and I was really nervous that she wouldn’t want to be, you know, with a guy like me.”

“Well, like I said, she’d be an idiot to not want to date you, and she’s very smart. So of course she’d like you back.”

Wrecker smiled again, before noticing Echo, Tech, and Hunter. He ran into Cid’s, holding up the meilooruns, and shouting about what he found. Omega let out a laugh before following him in. You know, maybe she should do a little more matchmaking around here. She did have more brothers to set up, didn’t she? That wouldn’t be that bad at all. 

[aestariiwilderness]

SPOILERS

Bad Batch Season 3 Episode 5(?) (I think?) Thoughts

Well, one big one:

HAHAHAhahahahaHHAHAHAHAHA

And the little ones:

I have been waiting for Omega to pull the age card since season 1 -- actually since before I really knew what the newest Star Wars Baby's name actually was. This was great and I want Hunter to realize it's coming for him next

I haven't stopped laughing about the "moment of silence for our fallen brother" since I saw it. Someone: *mentions Tech* Every single clone in the room: *pledge of Allegiance moment*

WHY IS CROSSHAIR STILL WEARING THE JACKET

WHY IS HE STILL WEARING THE JACKET ON A BEACH IN FULL SUNLIGHT

Crosshair is 100% the angsty sullen goth vampire hissing like he's been hit with holy water in Hawaiian environments with kind people chasing after him bearing fruit and love that I knew he would be

Crosshair: spends like two weeks on Pabu Crosshair: I can't take it anymore! UGH SUNLIGHT *drags the entire Batch to freaking Barton IV* ah, home sweet murder home. the last place I had a really good angst before my older sister found me and dragged me home by the ear. fond memories

Echo, you're a disgrace but also somehow still the only sane one here

Do datapads just not need to ever charge in Star Wars??

Omega: oh yah I have a sister did you know Echo: okay, we don't have time to unpack all that

Where is the heck is Phee? Is she just...off dismembering Cid or something?

Crosshair: "I know a place" Hunter: "YOU'RE NOT TELLING US EVERYTHING ABOUT IT" Crosshair: "I ALREADY KILLED EVERYTHING DANGEROUS HERE what do you WANT FROM ME" *Dune 2021 erupts from underneath the base* Crosshair: .... Crosshair: huh. guess Mayday forgot to mention that particular natural feature. My bad y'all

GUYS. WE NEVER TURN OFF THE MYSTERIOUS PERIMETER SENSORS. IDIOTS KNOW THIS. DID WE LEARN NOTHING FROM THE KRYKNA INCIDENTS I, II, and III

Crosshair looking at Batcher: ah, the new and improved Hunter. You're my favorite. We'll try to save you Hunter but if it gets too inconvenient I'll be over there taking a nap Hunter, standing right there: hey

Congratulations Batcher I guess you're his service animal now

Hunter: *sneaks up behind Crosshair stacking random regs' helmets one by one on a crate* Hunter: *considering Crosshair's past track record with regs, the Empire, and loyalty* so, like...did he kill these guys, or...? Hunter:...do I want to know? Hunter: *does a 180* NOPE

Hunter: "dID yOu tHiNK we wErE juST gOinG tO tAkE yOu bAcK witHoUT aSkIng aNy quEsTiONs???" Hunter, you beloved moron. You DID just take him back without asking any questions. To your super secret summer home no less. And let him spend two whole weeks chilling on a beach before it occurred to you to do anything other than stare at him with complete lack of subtlety from the top of a cliff

Why were you stalking him from the top of a cliff Hunter

Crosshair, he was silhouetted against the sun like 100 feet away with an almost seven foot dude right next to him. There was no hiding going on here. At all. Detecting him is not a super sniper skill. If you HADN'T seen that, we'd have a problem

Crosshair: hey yeah guys so this is clearly a Very Important Place to me that I will proceed to tell you Absolutely Nothing About. BTW don't land there Echo, there's a corpse in the middle of the landing pad somewhere. Possibly two if they never bothered picking up Nolan Echo:... Echo, 1000000% done with this Batch's drama: at least there's no blood this time

"I've made mistakes" AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *smash cuts to using flamethrower on civilians* *shooting Wrecker* *"aim for the kid!"* *nearly dropping Tech off an ion engine* *trying to burn them all alive in an ion engine* *shooting at them* *kidnapping Hunter* *kidnapping all of them* *getting them trapped on Kamino while it SINKS* *shooting pretty much everybody at some point* *plan 88 but no context!* AHAHAHAHAHAHA this is my new favorite line. Hunter should get him a T-shirt that says that to replace that awful hip pocket thing

Wrecker getting genre-aware

Omega: "I told you to TALK to him not ARGUE with him" Crosshair, sulkily: "He STARTED IT" EDIT: 23. IF I SEE ONE MORE ICE VULTURE IN THIS HOUSE

[storms-path]

Bonus Write!

So, after FFXIV Write month, I had a particular urge to write a particular story over the past couple of days. Trouble was, it was a little spicy and I genuinely didn't know whether or not I wanted to share it here or not. But hey, why not, right? So here, let me throw this moden AU story about my lizard and Lyse at you while I run screaming into the woods.

Update: This is a whole thing now! Welcome to the first chapter of WHEELS OF THUNDER - EORZEAN GRAND PRIX! I'll be posting updates here but the main fic is on AO3, go check it out.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/59489872

Chapter 1: Prize

First things first, thought Arashi as she strode through the empty corridor. Get this damn suit peeled off. Secondly, she continued as her nose wrinkled, get myself in the shower. The rush of adrenaline was wearing off, this far from the track. All that remained was the stale smell of sweat and the faintly lingering euphoria of victory. Which was very much drowned out by the sweat.

Another race down, and this time she’d finally outmanoeuvred the damn prince of the road and secured first place. She’d wanted so badly to wipe the smug look off his face, but his loss only seemed to have spurred him on further. The Galvuses were mad bastards, every one. But they were, unfortunately, very good at building and driving racecars. And Zenos, it seemed, had been quite eager to smash his father’s old record. Until she’d overtaken him at the final turn. Until he’d smiled at her in that unsettling way, like she’d fulfilled some long-forgotten dream of his. Creep.

Arashi checked her pockets for the keycard, then swiped it across the door handle. Once. Twice. A third time with a curse for good measure. That did the trick. The door swung open easily, into Arashi’s hotel room. Well, Arashi’s and her friend’s room, following that unfortunate mixup with the bookings. Can’t believe Cid would forget to book enough rooms for everyone. Her chief mechanic was typically more put-together than that, but she supposed seeing his old flame in the Galvus pit crew had shaken him somewhat. Still, Arashi didn’t mind sharing. Not with her, anyway.

Arashi nudged the door shut with her tail, stretching and yawning as exhaustion hit her all at once. That was the trouble with racing. You could go as fast as you wanted, tear around corners at heart-pounding speed, but the toll of it all would be waiting at the finish line all the same. Arashi padded out of the hall and into the bedroom, where her suitcase lay half-open on the floor. Another bag had joined it, nestled directly at its side, several articles of clothing hanging halfway out of it. Guess she needed to unpack a few more things.

As the quiet settled in, Arashi picked up the gentle hiss of the shower from the bathroom. Taking a rain-check on getting the race washed off, then. “I’m back, Lyse!” she called in the direction of the bathroom door, then flopped onto the bed. Wriggled around in a vain attempt to get comfortable. Tried not to imagine her friend naked in the shower. Failed miserably. She’s a friend. Just a friend. Nothing more. Obviously.

Except, of course, for the fact that they had kissed last night. Yes, a bottle of wine had been involved, and yes, they had gone no further than that, but still. It had happened. And Arashi had, instead of actually confronting that fact, screamed a little (quietly, given the time), apologised repeatedly (not necessary, Lyse had advised her), and slept on the sofa for the night. Lyse hadn’t been there when she’d woken up in the morning, but she’d at least been willing to cheer her on during the race itself. Only to vanish again by the time Arashi had made it back to her garage.

Arashi had considered calling Sanda and asking for her advice, but she didn’t feel like being called an idiot. Not by someone else, at least. Her own inner thoughts were more than happy to echo the sentiment. Not helped by the rest of her thoughts, which were merrily replaying memories and fondly created fantasies instead. Arashi groaned, snatching a pillow and slapping it over her head. We’ll talk about it properly. Once she’s out of the shower. And once I don’t smell of brake fluid and sweat.

Arashi almost didn’t hear the hiss of the shower suddenly cease. The silence it brought with it was enough to make her heart skip a beat, however. Calm down, you silly woman. All well and good saying that. A damned sight harder to actually do it. Her heart was thundering harder than it had on that fateful final lap. Arashi was thankful that her pillow was still covering her face. It made it easier to (quietly) scream into without being overheard.

The bathroom door gently clicked open. “So I heard you won today,” came Lyse’s voice from the other side of it. “Sorry I couldn’t be there to congratulate you in person, but I had to get back here and prepare your prize.” Arashi pulled the pillow from over her head, sitting up with an expression of confusion. She’d already received her bonus for winning, and she certainly hadn’t heard of any other prize. Surely Cid would have mentioned something.

Focus! Open up that conversation instead of getting distracted! Arashi shook the digression out of her system and stood up, making to meet Lyse halfway. “Before that, we should really ta…” The door opened fully. The words abruptly died on Arashi’s lips. Her mind screeched to a halt. Oh. Oh, by the kami...

If Lyse had stepped out entirely naked, Arashi probably would have been able to react a little more coherently. She had not. Instead, Lyse had chosen a crimson jacket to cover herself… up to her collar and her elbows, anyway. The rest of her was not nearly so covered. Instead, a tiny red leather bikini covered her breasts, held on by bare strips which looked to be fighting for their lives against the tension. Curiously, the fabric had zips attached at the bottom, leading halfway up the leather triangles. Two more straps curled around Lyse’s sides and gently muscled stomach, deep black against pale skin and linked to one another through a tiny cross strap across her belly button. The straps converged again around her crotch, forming the rough approximation of panties which only accentuated her toned, powerful thighs. Below that, there was nothing. Lyse was blushing redder than Arashi had ever seen, but her smile promised so much more.

“Like I said, I had to prepare your prize. So, here I am!” Lyse did a little pose to emphasise the point. “For the rest of the evening, I’m all yours.”

“Bu… Buh… I… Yu…” Words weren’t coming out right. Arashi’s mind was reeling, her thoughts racing, her body torn between shock and a sudden, great need to do… Well, all sorts of things. Signals crossed and crashed and produced nothing worthwhile. So Arashi did the only thing she could think of that made sense. With a swift motion, she grabbed the pillow from the bed and slammed it back over her face.

Lyse was taken aback, to say the least. “Is everything alright?” Concern and worry mingled in her voice. Arashi didn’t quite trust herself to speak. Lyse continued. “I’m sorry! I thought from last night that you felt the same way, but then you kept apologising and I had to get up early so we couldn’t talk it out, and Yda keeps saying I should just do something daring instead of waiting for you to make the first move, then she sent me this outfit and told me to show it to you when you won, and now I’ve gone and screwed everything up and you probably hate me and I’m so, so sorry and I’ll go and you’ll never have to see me again an-”

Arashi held up a hand to stop the clearly babbling Lyse. “I… I need a moment to not speak gibberish. You are very pretty. Sorry.” Well done there, you moron. Just a master of words.

“You… think I’m pretty? Oh thank goodness, I was afraid when I saw myself in the mirror I’d just look ridiculous!” Lyse laughed in nervous relief. “Only… why are you holding up the pillow like that?”

Because if I look at you for too long I’m going to lose any semblance of sense. “Helps me focus better.” Arashi replied. “On… everything.” She took a deep breath, heart hammering. “I do like you. A lot. And I want to pursue a relationship with you. I just… didn’t expect to go so far so quickly. I… We… I mean, we haven’t even properly kissed yet! I just worry we’ll go too far too fast an-”

She didn’t hear the footsteps as Lyse padded closer. But she did feel Lyse snatch the pillow and throw it back onto the bed. She was close now, barely an inch away from Arashi’s face, reminding her that she was just slightly smaller than her bikini-clad companion. Blue eyes met blue eyes as the pillow flew away. “If it’s a kiss you want, I can do that. I mean, if that’s really what you want. Obviously I don’t want to force anything if you’re uncom-”

Lyse didn’t get to say much more than that as the last of Arashi’s good sense fled the scene. She closed the relatively little distance in an instant, her lips finding Lyse’s easily and her arms sliding around her back and chest. Lyse was more than happy to return the favour, the warmth of her body suddenly that much more persistent in Arashi’s mind. She couldn’t say how long they stayed like that, only that they broke away a little short of breath afterwards.

“Better?” Lyse asked with a surprisingly shy smile.

“Better,” Arashi breathed. Though she was now very, very aware of her need to take a shower. Or perhaps it was simply the suit.“I should probably-”

This time it was Lyse’s turn to interrupt with another kiss. It turned out she didn’t give much of a damn about the state of Arashi’s suit, other than that it was covering the rest of her. Lyse’s slender fingers set to work fixing that, apparently practised at peeling away the layers and straps and zips to get to the prize beneath it all. At some point the pair broke off the kiss long enough to tumble onto the bed, only to return to their new favourite activity for a while longer.

Finally, Arashi pulled away once more, now significantly more breathless and a good deal more focused on her girlfriend’s (girlfriend’s? Girlfriend’s) body. This is really happening, right? I’m not dreaming? By the kami, if I’m dreaming let me stay asleep. Something on her face must have sent the wrong signal, though, as Lyse interrupted her so-far-successful attempt at rendering Arashi naked. She drew back from Arashi so that she was sitting up, looking down at her. “Are you sure this is okay?” she asked, several steps too late at this point but making a valiant effort. “I want this, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t just want you for your body. I want to make this last. I…” Lyse was blushing again. “Gods, this is so embarrassing all of a sudden. I’m sorry, I should…”

“Lyse, whatever you do, don’t you dare stop now,” Arashi growled. Rational thought had gone out of the window a while ago. To emphasise her point, she wriggled out of the remains of her suit, then her underwear. She noted with some satisfaction that Lyse’s blush only grew redder at the sight. “Once we’re done, I’m going to take a good, hot shower and we’ll talk properly. But for now…”

Arashi tugged at the valiant strap holding Lyse’s bra together and used it to pull the blonde back down against her. She hadn’t expected it to suddenly snap, but Lyse didn’t complain outside of a yelp of surprise. “I want you. You want me. Let’s do something about that, yes?”

Lyse didn’t need any more encouragement than that.

[allthingsturk]

Shinra Conversations ch. 3

Vincent: I’m invoking the “no judgement” clause of our friendship.

Veld: My god, what have you done?

______

Veld: I’m going to need everyone to be straight with each other from now on. No more lies.

Tseng: I’m always straight.

Reno: Oh, man! That’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told!

________

Rufus: I’ve never been on a Guys’ Night Out before. Was that last bit supposed to happen?

Legend: What bit was that?

Rufus:The bit where the bar was set on fire.

Legend: Not usually.

________

Vincent: isn’t it strange that we pay money to see other humans?

Veld: are you talking about prostitution, the movies, or airplane tickets?

Cid: …glasses.

_______

Tseng: Nobody’s killing that idiot but me.

Reno: Aww, you do care!

______

Veld: You think I enjoy being a father figure to all of you?

Tseng: …

Reno: …

Cissnei: …

Veld: Ok, fine. It’s like crack to me.

Rude: …

Rufus: …

All the TURKs(lets just be honest): …

_________

Veld: I wasn’t injured, I was lightly stabbed.

Tseng: You were stabbed?!

Veld: Lightly stabbed. I didn’t want to frighten you.

_______

Cid: *wears T-shirt saying “I’m Cid fucking Highwind”*

Vincent: *wears T-shirt saying: “I’m fucking Cid highwind”*

_______

 Aerith: I made this friendship bracelet for you.                

Tseng: You know, I’m not really a jewellery person.        

Aerith: You don’t have to wear it.                

Tseng:   No, I’m going to wear it forever. Back off.      

______

--------

Reno: I’m going to Moggel Mart, ya want anything?

Veld: I want my family back.

Vincent: I would like my humanity.

Reno: Yeaahhhh, I’ve got like twelve dollars. 

“I’ll have you know that my trust issues and my daddy issues are completely different topics.”

     —   Rufus Shinra

________-

(Vincent points at Hojo)

Vincent: Please keep this man away from me, he murdered me.

Hojo: IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!

Veld: HOW was MURDERING MY PARTNER an ACCIDENT?!

_______-

Reno: How are you here? You’re dead!

Veld: Dead? Why doesn’t anyone ever tell me these things?

________

Legend: Yeah. That went well.

Tseng: You call this going well?

Legend: We completed the mission, didn’t we?

Tseng: Yes, but…

Legend: Then I call it a win. What’s the problem?

Tseng: Should I start with the part where we’re stranded in the middle of nowhere or the part where you have no clothes?

_________

Vincent: Veld. I heard you were dead. Guess I was wrong

Veld: Valentine. I heard you sucked. Guess I was right.

[blossom-adventures]

Bad things happen bingo request ^-^

FFXV - Go Through Me - Draucor

;)

I am so so sorry it took so long to do this one! But I hope I’ve done a good job with it!

I officially love to idea of Cid being a fatherly figure to Cor and I love the way I’ve made him tease Cor and Titus!

Ok, here we go, from my @badthingshappenbingo card, “Go Through Me”

A Request for Aid

It was rare that the Guard and Glaive were sent out on the same mission, but when a pack of Wyvern is harassing a certain mechanic and his garage in Leide, it is clear why the King would want the issue resolved, despite all the stress he was currently dealing with, at least, it was clear to the Marshal or the Crownsguard and one of the Glaive’s Lieutenants.

Cor and Titus watched Cid storm over to the Captain of the Kingsglaive, the Captain, who was Insomnian born, looked down his nose at Cid, clearly not happy being out of the city.

“The Captain is going to get his nose broke if he keeps looking at Cid like that” Titus whispered to Cor, who smirked

“It’ll be nice to see that arrogant fuck get knocked on his back, don’t you think?”

“You in charge ‘ere, Marshal?” Cid barked, Cor stepped up to the shorter, older man.

“I am Cid. Sorry about the delay, if it was up to me, we’d have been here 2 days ago” Cid went to say something, something Cor knew would involve insulting the King so quickly added, “it’s not His Majesty’s fault, and he and the Lord Shield send their regards.” Cid raised a brow before nodding to the Diner

“Come on, I’ll explain what’s been goin’ on, you too Titus,” Cid clapped Titus on the arm as he walked past, causing the Captain to splutter in disbelief.

“He is not the Captain here, Mr Sophiar, I am!” Titus stopped for a moment as Cid looked over his shoulder.

“And yet he looks more like a Captain than you do” Cid continued walking, making sure Titus was following him.

Once inside the Diner Cid pulled Cor into a strong hug.

“Good to see you here, Kid!” Cor’s arms were pinned to his sides by the older man, once Cid let go of Cor he looked over to Titus, “you doin’ well, Lad?” He asked, clapping Titus on the shoulder again.

“Yes, thank you, Cid”

“It’s good to see you too, Cid”

“So, why is it you’re all late? Reggie said you’d be right ‘ere?”

“That would be because of my Captain, Cid, he has a tendency to…”

“Fuck around before a deployment” Cor finished Titus’ sentence. “So, these Wyvern?”

“Dawn hunters, just as the sun rises, injured one of the Hunters pretty bad on the last attack”

“So our best bet is to wait until tomorrow morning then,” Cor looked over to Titus, who nodded

“I’ll fill the rest of them in” Titus nodded to Cid and left the Diner, once they were alone, Cid looked at Cor

“You still happy with him, Kid?” Cor rolled his eyes and smirked

“Yes, Cid, I am”

“So why aren’t you married yet?” Cor cursed under his breath and chuckled. Trust Cid to ask about his relationship.

“A lots been happening, especially recently,” with that comment, Cids smile faded

“How is the Prince?” He asked quietly

“Regis is taking him to Tenebrae next month, the Oracle has offered her aid, Titus and the other Glaive will be going too, as part of his security detail”

“But not you?”

“I’m looking after Gladio, Violet and Iris, I offered. Clarus trusts me the most with them”

“Am I talking to the same Cor Leonis I knew? Rowdy teen, always gettin’ into fights, hot headed idiot?”

“Oh he’s still there, Cid, he just needs the right situation to show up” Titus said with a smug grin on his face. “Everyone is ready, now we just need to wait until morning” Cid nodded, then ushered the 2 men to a nearby table

“I’ll get us dinner, we can have a proper catch up”

Cor rolled onto his back as his alarm sounded, if he was at home he would have rolled into Titus’ arms, but instead he felt the edge of the single bed Cid had let him use at the garage, he let out a groan, this was the part of being deployed on a mission that he hated, he really missed Titus at his side.

Once he was up, he joined the other members of the Guard and Glaive who were gathering in the forecourt of Hammerhead.

“Morning, Marshal” Cor smiled slightly as Titus walked over, handing Cor the second coffee he was holding

“Lieutenant Drautos,” he greeted his partner with a nod of his head, Titus took a sip of his coffee, just as Cid sauntered over and spoke

“Why do the pair of you hide the fact that you’re fuckin’?” Titus choked on his coffee and Cor felt heat rise to his face. Once Titus cleared his throat he looked back at Cid

“Couldn’t you have waited until I’d had a drink?” Titus coughed

“Where’s the fun in that? Seriously though, why do you keep your relationship secret?” Cor shrugged

“It’s easier,” he admitted, “we both like to keep it private, and we don’t want to deal with the accusations… people I work with don’t like the refugees, so the fact that I’m in a long term relationship with one… it’s just easier.”

“And I don’t want people asking intimate questions” Titus added, earning a raised brow from Cor, “what? You think I’m the only one interested? 3 of the mages swoon when you walk past.” Cor stared blankly at Titus as Cid burst out laughing.

“Marshal!” The Captain of the Kingsglaive stormed over “we’ve seen no sign of any Wyvern, this whole mission just seems like a waste of time” Cor looked at the Captain and was about to tell him to be patient when they all heard a screech.

“Ah, right on cue,” Cid huffed, the Captain returned to the members of the Glaive he’d brought with him and began barking orders, Cid caught Cor’s wrist as he went to do the same, “don’t get yourself killed, Kid” Cor gave Cid a nod and ran off to the Crownsguard.

The Wyverns were massive, their wingspan was easily 4 times Titus or Cor’s size and there were 5 of them! Titus was trying to bark orders to the other Glaive to use Blizzard spells instead of lightning, all while he was fighting the smallest of the 5 beasts alone, he managed to swing up onto its back, by imbedding his sword into its neck and jumping on. He felt the familiar cold sensation build up in his left hand as a Blizzard spell began to form. Titus had a natural gift with the magic granted to him by the King, if he wasn’t so skilled with a sword he’d have likely been made a mage, but he was one of the few that were incredibly skilled with both. He dragged the ice that was forming in his hand along the blade of his sword before driving it into the Wyvern’s neck, the giant beast collapsed and Titus climbed off its back.

Once he was on the ground he looked around, making sure the 4 remaining Wyverns were being dealt with, they were, at least, all but one.

Titus felt as if his world slowed down and his blood ran cold as he watched Cor get knocked backward by the largest Wyvern, he slammed into a cluster of rocks and fell limply to the ground.

“Cor…” Titus started running over, pulling out his dagger as he did and threw it at the Wyvern which was now stalking towards Cor. Titus warped to his dagger and crashed into the beasts large head, in the confusion he managed to stab at it blindly before regaining his footing in front of Cor, holding his sword tightly in his right hand and summoning some more ice into his left, the Wyvern would have to go through him if it wanted to hurt Cor.

Cor’s eyes flickered open, his head was spinning and his whole body ached, as his vision cleared he saw Titus fighting the largest Wyvern, his movements were so precise, targeting the weak parts of the creature with both his magic and his blade, managing to also warp several times to avoid a dangerous bite.

Cor pushed himself onto his feet just as Titus managed to drive his sword through the neck of the Wyvern, the beast fell limp and Titus got thrown from its back, landing on his side and staying there for a moment, unmoving. Cor stumbled over to him.

“Titus?” Cor knelt down at Titus’ side just as the Glaive started to move, pushing himself up slowly. “You idiot, you pushed yourself into Stasis didn’t you?!”

“Might have done…” Titus wheezed, his face was sickly grey and he had beads of cold sweat running from his forehead. “Are you alright?” Cor nodded despite them both knowing he was injured.

“Marshal!” Cor looked over to Monica as she ran over, “Gods I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to get to you sooner” the young woman reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a potion, she handed it over to Cor, who gladly took it

“Thank you Monica, would you help Lieutenant Drautos to his feet please? I think he’s suffering a little, he hit Stasis” Monica helped Titus stand up while Cor took the potion she’d given him before he too, pushed himself to his feet.

“Cid isn’t going to like the fact that you got hurt, Marshal” Titus said, giving Cor a weary smile

“Let me deal with Cid, Monica, make sure he rests please”

“Of course, Sir” Cor watched Monica put Titus’ right arm over her shoulders and began to lead him back towards the vans they had travelled in. Seeing Titus being supported by such a small woman would have made Cor laugh under normal circumstances, but after what the 2 men had been through today, Cor was just glad they were both still alive.

“Right…” Cor spoke to himself as he brushed off the dust from his uniform, “best report back to Cid.”

[sephirthoughts]

ok i got that nasty one out of my system here’s the nice one

Vincent Got a Phone

[but to the tune of Janie's Got a Gun you're welcome]

WARNINGS: none yet but we’ll get there keep your pants on (for now)

INFO: CID/VINCENT, BBFs vincent & aerith it makes sense i swear, background sefikura, fluff, eventual smut, humor, no angst just idiot-related shenanigans

SYNOPSIS: Vincent had a crush, then he got a phone, which has started him down a road toward genuine human connection that he is in no way prepared for. Aerith, his self-appointed friend and wingman (who may not be nearly as sweet and innocent as one would think, based on the dresses and flowers), is determined to steer her favorite ship on the right course!

Chapter 1: The Friend-ship Sails!

BIGDICKDADDY: hello everyone. i bought a phone.

SolidStrife: sephiroth?

SolidStrife: typo oops

SolidStrife: i mean who the fuck is this

.*･｡ﾟ☆Ti-chan☆｡ﾟ･*. : yeah how did you get our group chat ID creep! >:C

BIGDICKDADDY: this is vincent valentine.

SolidStrife: ...

SolidStrife: quick question

BIGDICKDADDY: cid chose this name for me. i don’t know how to change it.

TheChief: hahaha it’s a real good one why would you change it

✿FlowerGal✿: i thought Dick was short for Richard? shouldn’t it be Big Vince Daddy?

.*･｡ﾟ☆Ti-chan☆｡ﾟ･*. : oh honey

✿FlowerGal✿: or Big Vic Daddy? that works too.

SolidStrife: but the daddy part is ok with you

YiffYuff: i think it’s a funny name lol

SolidStrife: you would

YiffYuff: wtf what is that supposed to mean

SolidStrife: it means i know what your username means

YiffYuff: ????

VValentine: nevermind. cait sith showed me how to do it.

TheChief: aw boo y’all are no fun

TheChief: damn robot cats these days

✿FlowerGal✿: I’m really glad you got a phone, Mr. Valentine! Now we can all talk to you and you won’t miss anything! :-D

[VValentine has left the chat]

.*･｡ﾟ☆Ti-chan☆｡ﾟ･*. : wow rude

SolidStrife: he lasted longer than i expected

YiffYuff: what does my username mean!!

YiffYuff: what the hell are you talking about!!!

YiffYuff: CLOUD!!!!

SolidStrife: why don’t you ask cait sith

Vincent had a phone, now. That was…good. A phone was a thing one used to communicate with other people. It was a step toward humanity. Toward the light. Out of the abyss.

Only, he found himself reflexively wanting to retreat back to the safety of his coffin. After all, was taking such a step even allowed, for him? Was this not just collecting another sin with which to freight his soul and trouble his sleep?

But…when sin felt so much like sunshine on your skin, when it was blue and brilliant gold, so vivid you could almost taste the colors—when sin was a wisp of that heartbreaking warmth, so desperately craved during those long, cold, solitary years in the dark…how was one meant to choose atonement?

He would never try to touch the sky, he reasoned. He would only slip out of the shadows and stand in the sunlight for a little while, to quietly absorb some of its warmth, before he sank back into the eternal darkness. Even such a creature as himself yearned for some small comfort, after all.

A soft voice broke in, drawing him from his ruminations. “Um. Mr. Valentine? Are you coming to dinner?”

It was the lighter haired girl. Aerith Gainsborough. And she looked like she was cautiously approaching a rabid dog.

Vincent suppressed a sigh and withdrew deeper into his cloak, in order to appear less threatening. He couldn’t tell from her expression whether or not it was working. But all he had to do was politely decline, and she would go away.

“No, thank—”

“Hey, Vinnie! Vin!” Cid called out, just then, from ten meters behind her, where the rest of them were gathering. “We’re goin’ to eat, you comin’?”

“Yes, thank you,” Vincent said to the girl, as he pushed himself off the wall he’d been leaning on, and strode away toward the group.

Aerith paused for a moment, with an unreadable look on her face, before she trotted after him.

“Did you not like your food, Cloud?” Tifa was asking, as the party exited the restaurant, a couple of hours later.

“Huh? Food?” Cloud said distractedly. “Oh. It was fine.”

“Do you even know what you ate?” Yuffie retorted. “You were staring at your phone the entire time.”

“I wasn’t staring at my—” Cloud pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen a few times. “I gotta go. I’ll be back…later.”

“Where are you going? Cloud!” Tifa shouted after him, as he hurried away down the street. Annoyed with the young man’s wayward behavior, she naturally turned to her friend, for support. “Can you believe how rude he’s being? What is going on with him?”

Aerith was looking the other direction, however, apparently engrossed in something else. “Hm? Oh, yeah. Totally. What a jerk.”

“You weren’t even listening!” Tifa said, stamping her foot. “Why is everyone acting like this tonight?”

“You mean, why’s no one paying attention to the princess?” Yuffie smirked.

Tifa scowled. “Shut it, brat. Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

Yuffie rolled her eyes. “Don’t you know frowning gives you wrinkles?”

“Oh, ho ho! Did you guys see that?!” Aerith exclaimed, startling them both.

“See what?” they replied, nearly in unison.

“Mr. Valentine just yawned, and exactly ten seconds later, Mr. Highwind said he was tired and wanted to head back!” She gave a delighted little giggle and then squealed, clutching her phone to her chest, like a teddy bear.

Yuffie and Tifa looked at each other, then back at her, with expressions one might adopt when addressing a mental patient.

“Mr. Valentine yawns all the time, Aeri-chan,” Tifa pointed out.

“Yeah, what’s so interesting about old men being tired?” Yuffie scoffed. “They both fell asleep in the theater, the other night, and you weren’t wetting your pants about that.”

Tifa made a face. “You want to rethink that phrasing, maybe?”

“Hehehe it’s nothing, nothing at all. You wouldn’t understand,” Aerith gloated, while rapidly typing something on her phone. She hit what must have been the ‘send’ button, with an air of triumph, then finally looked up. “Hey…where did Cloud go?”

Over the next several days, Vincent began to get a feeling that he was being watched. He had this feeling because he was definitely being watched. By the Gainsborough girl, of all people. She seemed to have taken an unusual interest in his activities, and had been surreptitiously observing him, at random intervals throughout each day.

He was aware of it pretty much immediately, due to his high level of training and artificially heightened senses, and also the fact that she was really bad at spying. Like, he literally saw her ducking behind a trash can, once. Whoever among their enemies had got to her, they obviously hadn’t given her much in the way of instruction, before they sent her to work. Maybe it was a blackmail job.

Either way, if she was under hostile influence, she was now a threat to the group, and it was his duty to get to the bottom of it. It’d be better not to alert the others, yet, in case anyone else was compromised, so he’d be going this one alone. Besides, it wasn’t as if he needed help handling one little teenaged girl.

That night, after supper, he took a walk around the general area of the group’s rooms, making sure he was clearly seen, then faded into the shadows, to lie in wait for the spy. Three minutes and seventeen seconds later, he heard stealthy footsteps coming down the walk.

Tch. Amateur. She didn’t disguise her gait, control her breathing, or even try to mask her scent. When she passed the dark space between the buildings, she was playing with her phone, pretending to be looking at it, but glancing stealthily about, obviously looking for her target.

In less time than it takes for a human heart to beat once, a whirl of crimson whipped out of the narrow alley, silently engulfed the young woman, and vanished. Behind the building, in the deep shadows, Aerith suddenly found herself pinned against a brick wall, with the big triple-barrel of Cerberus pressed to her throat.

“Scream and it will be the last sound you make in this life,” Vincent said, in a low, menacing snarl (which was just his usual voice but slightly quieter). “Who are you working for?”

“Mr. Valentine?” Aerith replied, in a normal, conversational tone, looking at his face, rather than the gun, for which he had to inwardly applaud her cool-headedness under duress. “What are you doing lurking around in the alley?”

The hammer clicked back. “A name, Ms. Gainsborough. Or I paint this wall with your—”

“Oh, please, you’re not going to kill me,” she laughed (Actually laughed! At him!!). “If you were, you’d have cut my throat or strangled me right away, instead of trying to scare me with your very loud gun, with all our friends right within hearing distance.”

He wrapped his other hand around her neck and holstered the weapon. “You’re right. There are plenty of ways to kill you quietly. Answer the question. Who are you working for? How did they get to you? Are they blackmailing you? Holding someone hostage? If so, why did you not come to us for help, rather than betray us?”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” She eyed him doubtfully. “Are you…feeling ok, Mr. Valentine?”

“I am never feeling ok. That is beside the point. You have been following me and spying on me, for five days. You appear to be recording my movements and reporting them to someone. I also saw you take several photographs of me and Cid Highwind, when you believed yourself to be unobserved.”

Her eyes went wide. “Eh? You saw tha—I mean, I have no idea what you mean! You have no right to interrogate me! I want a lawyer!”

“A lawyer? I am not with the police, Ms. Gainsborough. In case you forgot…I’m a monster.” As he said this, he leaned closer, baring his sharp canine teeth, and letting his irises flash brilliant crimson-gold, in the darkness of the alleyway.

“Ooh, that was so cool!” Aerith breathed. “Wow, you’re really sexy, Mr. Valentine.”

Vincent choked and actually took a step back, letting go of her neck, from sheer astonishment. “What are you—that’s not—how can a nice young lady like yourself use such a word, so casually!”

“What, sexy? You really have been living in a coffin, haven’t you. Times have changed. Nice young ladies like me can say and think and do whatever we want. That includes thinking you’re sexy and telling you so. Not that I’m into you! Even if I swung that way, you’re like a million years too old for me, yuck.”

When she said that last bit, she laughed and stuck her tongue out, with a little shudder of disgust, to which Vincent took great umbrage. He was old, sure, but he didn’t look old. He looked pretty good, he thought. Anyway, he definitely wasn’t worthy of a shudder.

Also, how did this tiny girl flip the situation around on him, so fast! Saying all these bizarre things and confusing him! On top of that, she wasn’t even a little bit scared of him! That hurt his pride even more than the shudder, and he became morose.

“As I was saying, you’ve got the situation all wrong,” Aerith informed him, flipping her braid over her shoulder. “I mean, yeah…maybe I was spying on you a little. But that was for my own reasons. No one got to me and I’m not betraying anyone. I’m actually your ally, here. Maybe the only one you have.”

Vincent was hiding in his collar, with his arms crossed sullenly, glowering down at her from the shadow of his black bangs. “What nonsense are you talking? What do you mean, ally?”

“Let’s just say, I represent a certain community, of very devoted, extremely supportive enthusiasts, who take a special interest in…gentlemen such as yourself.”

This was definitely some kind of trick, to trip him up, but he couldn’t see the hook yet. Better play along, for now. “Such as myself, in what way?”

“Gentlemen who, you know,” she winked suggestively, which nearly sent him stumbling back another step, “prefer the company of other gentlemen.”

“I prefer no one’s company,” he growled. “Try again.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Not even…Mr. Highwind’s?”

What the hellfire? What did she know?? Would he have to kill her, after all?!

“I can tell by the look on your…forehead, that you know what I’m talking about,” the infuriating and deeply bewildering young woman continued. “It’s also clear from my observations, that no one else knows. And that, if it’s left up to you, he never will. That is where your dearly devoted fujoshi sisters come in.”

This was obviously an attempt to baffle him with more gibberish. Vincent’s hand was already on Cerberus’ stock again. “You’re stalling. So, you have backup coming. You think they can kill me, before I kill you?”

“Seriously, tone down the drama, Mr. Valentine. I’m trying to tell you I want to help you. Look, I’ll show you.” She pulled her phone out and held it up so he could look at the screen. “This is our server. These are all sisters—that’s what we call our members. Each channel is devoted to a different ship, but we encourage multi-shipping and no ship hate is allowed, whatsoever.”

“Channel? Ship? You like…nautical engineering?” Vincent attempted, utterly at a loss.

“Ship is short for relationship. The Fujo-Friends server is dedicated to fanship of the MLM variety.”

He blinked stupidly at the screen, as she scrolled through what she called a channel. It looked like a group chat, sort of like the one their party used on the phone, but it was made up of far more participants.

They all had little cartoon avatars, and inexplicable names, like ‘Mrs. Genesis’ and ‘disco slut kadaj’ and ‘sefikurafan’ and ‘rudeXlovesXreno’, and even a ‘Sephiroth’s Daddy’ which he did not like, at all. Messages were popping up, constantly, and they seemed to be talking about…

Vincent’s head spun, and he had to lean on the wall, to catch his breath. He had literally never seen so many euphemisms for that crucial part of the male anatomy, in his life. He didn't even know most of them, before.

How…how could all of those people talk so openly about these things? How could they all care enough about total strangers, to say so many weird and perverse (and also a lot of very sweet and supportive) things, about them? How could they know so much more about that kind of thing than he did?!

He passed a hand over his brow. “You, and all these other women…you talk about men, having…sexual relationships, with other men? Why?”

“Oh, it’s not just women,” Aerith chirped. “We welcome sisters of all genders. Why do we do it? For a ton of reasons. Mostly because it’s fun, but honestly, a lot of us are just sick of the heteronormative status-quo getting pushed on us in every form of media, and want to imagine more people in happy, queer relationships. I mean, there are toxic ships, too, but those are strictly for the sake of hotness. We don’t condone any abusive or unhealthy relationships, IRL.”

Vincent shook his head helplessly. “I—I don’t know what any of those words mean.”

“It’s ok, that’s why I offered to help you. You don’t seem to know what you’re doing in that area. Like, at all.”

“What I’m doing in which area?”

“Well…you like Mr. Highwind, right?”

“If you already know, why do you keep asking,” Vincent returned crossly.

“Good! The first step is talking about your crush to a trusted friend,” Aerith encouraged.

“Who said you were a trusted—”

“As for the other steps, a socially challenged but otherwise high-spec man, like you, is just the kind of person who could benefit from the sisters’ help! Don’t worry, I won’t put you on the server, or anything. Unless you want me to.” Vincent’s glare intensified. “Ok, I’ll take that as a no. What I can do for you, is act as your relationship consultant. With the input of the sisters, of course. The Fujo-Friends will help you make a plan to get your man!”

Vincent nodded. “I’m leaving. Goodnight.”

“No, no, wait!” Aerith said, stepping hastily in front of him. “Just hear me out, ok? I know this all probably seems ridiculous to you, but…I can’t stand seeing you so sad, Mr. Valentine. You’re a good person, and you’ve survived through so much. You deserve happiness. You deserve love. And I deserve to see you and Mr. Highwind together.”

“A good person.” His lip curled in a sneer, which was totally lost on Aerith, as it did so behind his collar. “What could possibly have lead you to believe that about me? Do good people live in coffins in the basements of disused bioengineering facilities?”

“They do if they’re trying to protect other people from something. I know your story. What happened to you. And I know all you’ve done is help people, since you went underground. You’re even helping us, now. So…let me help you, a little. Consider it a thank you, for being on the team.”

Vincent withdrew gloomily into his cloak again (like a turtle retracting into its shell, which was far more adorable than he realized or he’d never do it again), and said nothing. But he didn’t say no. The moment he failed to say no, he handed Aerith the reins.

“Great! So excited to get started!” She clapped her hands delightedly and bounced up and down, like a child. “I'll message you tomorrow morning, with the details!”

Vincent sighed heavily. “Alright.”

He was still in a daze, musing on how he’d even gotten into this mess, when he found himself back in his room. It was…something of a relief, to be honest. He had no idea how to ask for help and wouldn’t have accepted it, if it was offered.

But if it was urgently pressed upon him, what choice did he have? He couldn’t hurt Ms. Gainsborough’s feelings, after she’d been so kind as to reach out to him. Aside from Cid, she was the first one in the group to speak directly to him, excluding strictly necessary communication.

Also, he had a sneaking suspicion that this small girl could be scarier than Sephiroth, if she took a mind to, and he had no desire to find out if he was correct.

link to it on my ao3 just in case you want to leave me a nice comment. or a mean one fuck it bring it on

[silver-wield]

I like what you said about the trailers not showing the full game to another anon.

I hope I’m not high on copium but that makes sense. Trailers are supposed to make you wonder, drive curiosity and only show hints of the plot.

Especially in mysteries, which Rebirth is essentially turning out to be. The devs have said more than enough times they want us to not know what’s going on. Trailers for mysteries will always set you up to believe a certain narrative is true, only for the twist to hit much harder. Would the Sixth Sense be as good if the trailer revealed the twist? Or the Blair Witch Project? No.

The problem they have is us Clotis know the plot hardcore haha. So them trying to create a mystery and make us be like “wait, are they changing it?! Now I have to play to find out!” Has instead made us like “Ew, why are you doing this? Skip.” I guess the point was the trailer wasn’t for us. They know we’ll buy because we’re the die hards. I’m guessing it was attempt to boost sales from the other side… which leaves me to wonder how they’ll tackle part 3.

Nomura is an S grade troll too and he's behind the trailers, so ofc he's gonna get back at the idiots who sent him death threats.

Seeing how Rebirth ends with Aerith's death I'd assume the trailers for part three would hint at Cloud's collapsing mental state and maybe have a few lines from Tifa after he's gone missing. If the trailers aren't dark and angsty af then I'd be surprised. They should also show some of Wutai and Cid and Vincent being playable since they'd be full party members by then. Idk what they'd do with Zack but I'd also expect to see him since he's the solution to the mystery. What I don't wanna see is Aerith monopolising things when she's dead af and not in the game except as a cameo. I'd honestly be annoyed if they pulled the same shit again instead of being properly creative with the plot hints.

[aerialsquid]

FFXIVWrite 2023 Day 8: Shed

High hand pain day today so instead of old man yaoi you get a sliver of a CidNero idea I've had trucking about my head.

One of Nero's old professors had once told him that things the things you most wanted to find would always be in the last place you looked.

This struck Nero as idiotic. Of course they were in the last place you looked. Once you found them, you'd stop looking. 

Frumentarium Scaeva, sir. Reporting in.

"Go ahead."

I've been scouting the area around Camp Drybone as requested, sir, and I have found some evidence the savages have been routing their paupers to the Amal'jaa for sacrifice. But I've also found something much more exciting, sir!

"Oh?"

Nero listened, fingers pressed to his linkpearl, and then let out a long practiced sigh. "Agent, the traitor Garlond has been dead for years. Yes, I know he was reported missing, but his corpse was found on the Carteneau flats. We just let it be thought he's still alive so if any of the Eorzeans manage to stumble into some sort of magitek achievement we can credit him instead of a savage. It's all a propaganda technique. I assure you, whatever you saw, the man himself has long turned to bones."

Oh. I'm sorry, sir…

"It's all right, Agent, you were only working with the information you were given. Keep the information to yourself anyway, if the Vox Imperatoris wants to put the blame on him, it's not our business."

Nero finished out the linkpearl call with a placid smile on his face, making polite notes until the agent hung up. Then the table crashed against the floor as he leapt from the room with all the speed of a rampaging reaper and charged for the hanger.

I finally have you, Garlond - not Baelsar, not Livia, not Darnus, me!

–

Even by the standards of Eorzeans, the settlement of Drybones was pathetic. The most impoverished storage shack in Locus Amoenus would look like a palace compared to the church that loomed over the threadbare little plaza and marketplace huddled around the aetheryte. Nero disguised himself with a dirty robe and headband, following the trail of superstitious grievers and corpse-haulers up the dusty hill to the church. 

Of all the places to hide, of course Garlond would pick this one. Not just a backwater, but one dedicated to the worship of Eorzea's false gods, the furthest thing possible from enlightenment he could get. No one would think to search for a magitek prodigy here. How Garlond could even bear it was in question.

(How he could bear the heat was also in question. Even this late in the afternoon Nero had sweat trickling down the back of his neck. Barbaric, that anyone chose to live in this climate in the first place.)

Nero kept his hood up as he stalked his prey, picking the taller bearded hyur out of the crowd. He watched the hands that had brought Garlond so much glory take up a dirt-caked shovel and mechanically begin to dig another grave, the edge of his hood hiding his eyes. This must be misery for him, a thought that gave Nero delight. 

He sidled up closer and closer as Garlond walked the rounds of the graveyard, until they were out of sight around the back of the church.

"Excuse me, gravedigger?"

"Yes?" Garlond lifted his head, and Nero saw the strap of a pair of goggles covering his third eyes. Pathetic. "Can I help you with something?" His voice was soft and demure, an obvious feint. 

"Why yes, I'm looking to pay my respects to an old friend." 

Nero threw his hood back, exposing his face fully to the burning desert sun, and gloated, "One by the name of Cid nan Garlond."

He waited for the impact of his reveal to hit Garlond and send him reeling. Then he waited further, in case Garlond simply was grappling with the implications and unable to react. 

"And is he…buried here or elsewhere?" Garlond finally asked, after they'd both been waiting a good five seconds for follow up.

"Wh–is he–no, he's—" Nero's jaw worked. He wished he was like the desert peistes and could simply spit poison from his throat directly into Garlond's softly smiling face, for words were so much harder to form.

"I could check our church records if you aren't sure, I've only been here a few years and my mind is a bit…" Garlond touched his temple, looking sheepish. 

"Don't play dumb with me, you absolute incompetent." Nero trailed off as he realized Garlond was actually cowering, shoulders tucked and his head down, muttering awkward apologies. He wasn't sure Garlond had ever apologized a day in his life.

"What do you mean your mind is a bit…" Nero mimicked the gesture, scowling. 

"Since the Calamity, I mean. It's. I don't remember things well. Maybe he came through and I forgot, I'm sorry, I can ask the others here, they're much sharper than me…" Garlond was wringing his hands now. Nero's eyes raked over him, looking for the lie, but Garlond had never been a good actor.

[nahoney22]

Hi! This is my very first time requesting, so please forgive me if I'm not doing it right. I've been a huge fan of your writing for a while and got so excited when you opened your requests. (and I 100% understand if you don't get to mine)

Can I please request a female reader (plus size if you're ok with that) and Wrecker, with the "one bed" trope with a dash of idiots in love? Like, they both like each other, but think the other can't possibly like them back, so the rest of the Batch contrive a way to make them confess to stop the torture. With a bit a of spice at the end, but I'll let you decide how far it goes.

Thanks for sharing your amazing talent with us! 🦋

Thank you so much for the kind words and support. I hope this is okay with you ♥️

Room L0V3***

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙

Wrecker X F!Reader

word count: 3.9k

You and Wrecker had been tip-toeing around each other’s feelings. So when you find out you’re both sharing a room one night, you are not surprised that it was down to the other Batchers meddling in your business. But maybe, you will thank them.

warnings: NSFW so 18+ only please and thanks! Idiots in love, share a bed trope, plus size female reader, fluff galore, mentions of insecurities from both reader and wrecker. No sex but is implied. Fingering, praise kink.

Masterlist

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙

Sitting in the co-pilot's seat to the Havoc, you’re roused from your short yet needed nap when you feel someone nudge at your arm. Tiredly your eyes flicker open and an instant smile graces your face to see Wrecker.

“Hey sweet stuff, we’re landing soon.” He tells you and as always when he calls you something endearing, you find your heart hammering against your chest and is just begging to leap into his hands. Luckily, you were good at shielding your reaction when this happened and just had to remind yourself that he was only being friendly. You’re friends and that’s all you ever will be.

“Ah, thanks for waking me then.” You yawn, sitting straighter and gazing out at the planet that was getting closer. “Can’t believe Cid is giving us some downtime? And even purchased us all a room to stay at a hotel!”

The news about this came from Hunter and at first you didn’t believe it. Why would Cid do this? She was always harping on about the little money she has so you didn’t understand why she would even go out of her way to do something… nice. You had even asked Hunter to see the transmission she had apparently sent but he declared it had already been erased after he showed the others… aside from yourself and Wrecker for whatever reason. Maybe you were both busy? You can’t remember, but Omega seemed very happy about it and the others were glad to have a break. After all, fifteen missions in a row without a break was breaking your backs. You needed this.

“I know right?!” Wrecker laughs, quite excitedly. “I just don’t want to hear Crosshair moaning about him and me sharing a room.”

“Crosshair moaning? Nah, never.” Your sarcastic tone didn’t go unnoticed as you speak and he starts laughing from behind you. You always loved his laugh and how loud and boisterous it was for some reason but as you looked over your shoulder your smile had faded quickly as Crosshair leaned in the doorway.

“Something to say you two?” He breathes slowly, moving the pick in his mouth from one side to the other as you give him an apologetic glance.

Wrecker stops laughing too, but with great difficulty. He’s turning warm as he tries to hold it in as he mutters an almost silent apology. When Crosshair rolled his eyes and stalked away, the laughter resumed from you both.

Meanwhile as Crosshair walks back into the middle of the ship, Hunter sees the eye roll he gives and asks, ‘What is it?’

“The lovebirds in there. Make me sick.” He grumbles yet there was a smile on his lips, happy that Wrecker could have possibly found someone. Echo too felt the same.

Hunter chuckles in reply and Tech spins round in his chair at one of the control panels to face them as Omega hops down from her room to enjoy them. “If this plan goes correctly, then hopefully we will have to no longer wait for the romance to finally emerge. It has been too long watching the two of them covert around their feelings.” Tech says pointedly, him too hoping that the two of you could just admit your feelings for one another.

Omega giggles excitedly. “Our plan has to work.”

“If it don’t,” Crosshair folds his arms over his chest, “then I will force the two of them to tell each other whether they like it or not.”

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙

You’re collecting your toiletries from the refresher when you step out to see Omega rummaging through your packed bag for the night ahead. “Uh, Omega? What are you doing?”

The girl jumps back, startled, and tucks her hands behind her back quickly. A little too quickly. “Sorry!” She squealed, shuffling further and further back to the engine room, “I thought I put something in your bag thinking it was mine. Doesn’t matter now because I found it!”

Before you could ask what it was and if you could help, she scooted off as fast as lightning.

You’re not an idiot, you knew she was most likely up to something. So when you take a closer inspection at your bag to see if she a) took something of yours which is unlikely because she always asks or b) sabotaged something as herself and Wrecker have been playing pranks far too recently, you were surprised to see nothing had changed. Or so you had thought.

“Are we ready to go?” Echo asks aloud to everyone and sure enough, the lot of you were ready to go to the Hotel for your well needed rest.

Upon arrival, you had just assumed you were sharing with Omega as that’s what usually happened in these types of situations so the confusion on your face when she said she was sharing with Crosshair was hilarious. “What do you mean you’re sharing with him?” You didn’t mean to sound rude but you were so surprised that even out of all her brothers she would have picked Crosshair. Furthermore as you looked to the Marksman, you saw how tensed he looked on his shoulders as he slowly said:

“Yes… she’s staying in a room with me.”

Then, you learned that Echo and Tech were sharing and Hunter had booked a room for just himself. Which only means…

“Looks like you two are sharing.” Hunter smiles as he plops the key into your hand and the others quickly scurry away to their own rooms for the night.

Wrecker is standing beside you and you’re both very quiet, weirdly quiet. You knew they had you share with Wrecker on purpose because well, you weren’t shy about telling your feelings about their brother to the others. Low-key you hoped he would have done the same but you had your horrible doubts he didn’t like you and he was just friendly.

“Should we go?” You look up to Wrecker as he speaks, an almost shy look on his usually over-joyous features.

Swallowing down your nerves, you just nod and you make your way to the room, catching the lift by the foyer to the top floor.

Your feet are tapping nervously on the ground and Wrecker notices. How could he not? He knew he wasn’t the smartest when it came to technical things but he was excellent at reading people; especially those he liked. He wanted to ask if you were okay but the tension in this lift was so thick he didn’t think his voice could even cut it. He had a horrible feeling that you didn’t want to share a room with him so if needed, he would message Omega and beg for her to swap with him. He could not risk having you become uncomfortable around him.

When the lift pings, you both jump a little. Clearly you were both in worlds of your own when it chimed and the door hissed open. He lets out a nervous chuckle at both your reactions and you smile lightly and continue searching for your room until you stop outside a door.

“Room L0V3. Looks like it’s this one.” You match the key to the door. You drop your bag to the floor for a second and Wrecker does not hesitate to pick it up and swing it over his shoulder. You smile at this and mouth him a silent thanks as you unlocked the door and pushed it open.

And… well… you now instantly knew why the others wanted you two to share.

“There’s only one bed?” Wrecker is quick to point out the obvious, eyes wide as he drops both his and yours bags to the ground with a thump.

Sweat instantly emerged from your brow and you looked around to see if there was a couch but no, just a rickety looking chair by a table.

The bed itself was large enough for the two of you but that wasn’t really the point, you had never shared a bed with a member of your team before and especially not one you had liked for a while.

Awkwardly, you move towards the bed and test the springiness of it, fingers gently caressing over the white duvet. “It’s comfy so there’s that.” You try to lift the tension as you look to Wrecker who picks up the bags again and moves them somewhere better rather than the middle of the floor.

“Should we uh… get a different room or?”

Ah, there’s that large deflated feeling setting in your stomach. He is not comfortable with sharing a bed with you but since you were here, you may as well take a risk. “Oh. I mean I don’t mind sharing but if you wanna change then?” You gave him the option and you couldn’t help but feel a small relief as you saw his eyes widen a little in surprise and then, he smiled.

“W-well if it’s okay with you and don’t mind snoring…” he trails off, seeing the abashed look on your face and slight tinge of warmth to your cheeks.

Maker, what he would do to just scoop you up in his arms.

“I’ve lived with you boys for what, a year now? I can handle the snoring.” You laugh softly, glad that the sick feeling in your stomach and slight ache in your chest has vanished.

He smiles again, laughing too and points towards the screen on the wall. “We can even watch a holomovie in bed. If ya want, that is?”

Yes, absolutely yes.

“Sounds good to me.” You chime and lay back on the bed, trying to hide how giddy you were that you were sharing a bed now with Wrecker.

When you got to the hotel it was already quite late in the evening so you were not surprised to hear that the others wanted to chill in their rooms and go exploring and maybe go into the marketplace the next day.

Whilst Wrecker was in the shower, soaking up and singing somewhat wonderfully and annoyingly out of tune, you scanned through the channels to see what movie you both could watch.

It was a little risky that you decided to choose a horror/thriller but it could give you an excuse to make a move and perhaps cuddle up to Wrecker. He was very protective of you and was always down for a hug so maybe this could initiate something more. Or you both could be screaming messes by the end of it.

As the sky falls dark once the sun sets, you close the curtains to the outside world and throw your bag onto the bed to pull out your nightwear.

“What the….?” As you’re rummaging trying to find the matching set of nightwear you brought, they’re completely missing. You pulled out a t-shirt and you recognised by the size of it, it belonged to Wrecker. Did Omega…. That sneaky menace. You knew you shouldn’t have let her join in the conversation where yourself and the boys were talking about things we find attractive. Wreckers being ‘girls who wear my clothes’.

With your blood running hot, you begin to panic. You had nothing to wear to sleep in and you certainly didn’t want to wear what you currently were.

You hear the shower turn off in the next room and you’re left contemplating what to do. In a moment of conclusion, you began to strip and swap the clothes you were wearing for his shirt. Luckily, it was long enough to slide down to your thighs and you decided to leave your underwear on because you didn’t want to push it.

There’s a mirror on the back of the room door and you catch a glimpse of yourself. His t-shirt hugged your figure beautifully along your curves. You’re inspecting it and even go ahead and begin to slightly pick at the top to give it a ruched appeal, especially around the waist and stomach. You can’t help but feel extremely attractive as it felt like you were wearing a black dress that you may wear if you were feeling a little lucky. But instead, it was just one of Wreckers tops. You turn to the side to get a glimpse of the back and how it settled over your rear but that’s when you saw Wrecker standing in the doorway to the bathroom, watching you.

“Is… is that my top?”

Chills ran down your spine and you quickly turned to him, pulling his top down a little more at the bottom in case it was riding too high. “I must’ve grabbed this thinking it was some of my pajamas.” You lie, not thinking it was right to tell Wrecker whatever Omegas’s plan was. “I can sleep in, well I have nothing else to sleep in truthfully.” You tuck your hands behind your back, staring shyly across at Wrecker. He himself was wearing a pair of black shorts and a navy blue vest and you felt something in your gut as you noticed his nice and thick arms. Droplets of water still latched onto his skin and you were doing your best not to make it obvious you were staring but it was hard.

Wrecker was speechless as he gazed at you and he was praying that the arousal he was currently getting for you wasn’t evident in his shorts. “N-no it’s fine. You look good, sweetheart. Amazing in fact.”

His compliment fills you with glee and you gave him a sheepish grin as you then move to the bed and he has to pry his eyes away as you practically crawl on top of it, top riding up a little along your voluptuous thighs that he felt compelled to gently caress with both his hands and mouth.“I picked a movie. Hope you don’t mind?”

Your question brings him out of his naughty thoughts, spotting you patting the spot beside you.

With little hesitance he pulls back the duvet and crawls in next to you. He had already begun switching off the main lights, alternating to the bed lamps above both of your heads.

“So, what are we watching?” He’s sitting straight as if he’s scared to make himself comfortable once next to you. It was odd really, he had no issue sitting by your side on the Marauder when watching a holomovie but the fact it’s just you two alone and in a bed makes it seem intimate. Which is what he had wanted since the first day he laid his eyes on you.

“I picked a horror. I remember Tech mentioning it had good reviews so I thought it’ll do. That okay?” You’re looking to the side and up at him which makes him look back at you.

You’re glowing, radiating a beauty like never before. Maybe it was the change of pace and the fact you’re calm and relaxed for a while that highlighted it. His eyes scan your face until they accidentally glanced down at your chest. His top made no indication of hiding how busty your chest was with the fabric hugging to your body beautifully and he cursed himself mentally for looking. Luckily, you didn’t see his glance down and he nods for you to press play.

About forty minutes into the movie, it’s finally getting to the action. There had been some times where you’ve jumped but now you can silently hope that Wrecker would maybe make a move.

When a jumpscare comes up you squeak and cover your face with both hands causing Wrecker to chuckle. “You alrigh’?” He asks softly and that’s when you feel an arm drape over your shoulder for comfort so you take a gamble and scoot ever so closer to the large Clone.

Wrecker inhales sharply yet subtly, you’re almost pressed into his side to the point he may say that you were ‘cuddling’.

“I’ve got ya.” He whispers, thumb gently rubbing against your shoulder and you feel a warmth form inside you like a bonfire.

“You always do.” You cooed playfully, leaning into his chest since you got the hint that the current situation was okay.

He smiles at this and continues to caress at your shoulder throughout the movie. Suddenly, a huge jumpscare pops up and you find yourself screaming and burying your face directly into his neck.

His heart is racing and not because of the movie. Warm breath trickled down his neck, chills running up and down his spine at the sensation. He gasped softly and hoped you hadn’t heard him but you did… and he sounded beautiful.

You stilled for a moment but didn’t move. Was he okay? Was he uncomfortable? Your questions were answered when Wrecker wrapped his arms around your waist and practically pulled you into his lap. You gasp at the notion but follow his lead and wrap your own arms around the back of his head, nuzzling into him.

For you both, it felt like your worlds collided. There were no words spoken yet you both just felt it. The care you had for one another was always existent but neither of you had the heart to say the truth. The real truth.

“Wrecker,” you breathe softly against the nape of his neck, suppressing the soft moan that was just threatening to spill as his hands found comfort on your hips, fingers biting at the flesh gently, “I..I really appreciate this.”

He’s breathing heavily now with his eyes fluttering closed. “Oh mesh’la, I’ve always wanted to do this.” He admits in a whisper and that’s when the cord in you snapped.

You plant a soft kiss to his skin, hitting a very sensitive part of him. Your lips are warm, enticing and he can’t help but squeeze harder at your lush hips. That moan in your throat escapes and Wrecker is pulling back to look at you before planting a kiss to your lips at long, painfully waiting, last.

He pulls you flushed to his body and he smiles softly when you make the sweetest noises against his lips. “Sweetheart, I love you so, so much.” He tells you, so full of honesty and longing.

You could almost weep in joy at this point, a broad smile on your lips as you rest your forehead against his. “I didn’t think you’d ever have feelings for me.” Your voice is timid, almost ashamed but Wrecker was not going to let you talk down about yourself. Not now, not ever..

“I have adored you since the first day I met you.” He plants another kiss to your lips, then your nose, cheek and until his lips land to your neck.

Idly, you tilted your head at his touch and sighed as his hot lips began to suck against your skin in the most alluring way.

The passion pours out of the both of you, both beginning to rock against each other until his hands were under yours, well his, top. You were once insecure when it came to people seeing your stomach, so to allow Wrecker to caress at your bare waist and hips, trailing his fingers expertly against your skin breezily spoke volume. You had never found comfort in anyone, but him.

His arousal was evident against your crotch and you found yourself rutting hard against him, just to feel what he had to offer. Fuck, he’s big. Non-surprisingly.

“You like what you feel, baby girl?” He teases, biting the flesh in your neck antagonizing. A wanton moan seeps past your lips and you nod pathetically.

“I can’t lie and say I haven’t thought about it.” You admit, eyes closing as you began to feel his hands slip down and into your panties. The second he feels your arousal above your clothed pussy, he groans out loud.

He’s smirking against your neck, “You’re beautiful and wet. Just for me?” He rumbles, his warm breath eliciting a beautiful sigh from you.

“Just for you.” You promise, allowing him to pull your panties to the side where he can properly get a touch of your arousal. He wanted to please you so badly, let you know that this is all he’s ever wanted and more. Every waking moment he had watched you in silent awe, being scared to confess his feelings in fears of rejection. Yet now you sit on top of him, watching you as your back and neck arches back as one of his digits caresses your folds.

He covered one finger and then another in your slick, listening to you whimper in nothing but neediness. “Wrecker,” you sobbed, begging at this point, “please. Please, I need you to touch.”

Your wish was his command. Slowly, both teasingly and with a tender heart in fears that his large finger may hurt at first, he slides it inside you. He’s stretching you open, feeling the way his digit pushes against your walls. You let out the most beautiful sob as your pussy pulsed around him, hands placing to his shoulders as he finds a rhythm.

It’s not long until you’re chanting and panting for more to which he obliges, adding a finger and working his hand fast. There’s a build-up growing in your stomach, something you’ve not felt for a long time due to lack of suitors and Wrecker knows what’s about to happen. It’s a shame that he’s always been a horrible tease.

The large clone pulled his digit away, teasingly tapping at your clit with his finger tips. “Wrecker, please.” You begged, pushing yourself down on his hand.

He tsks at you with a smirk, but places a tender kiss to your cheek. “As much as I want to see you spasm and cum all over my fingers, sweetheart…”

He titters a little, hoping he’s not pushing too far as he says, “I want you to cum all over my face.”

You’re gushing at his words yet the warm smile answers everything for him. Teasingly, you lean into him and brush your lips against his own. “You want my pussy? Hm?”

There was something so filthy about hearing you speak to him like this. It had always been a wild and non existent fantasy in his mind to hear you whisper dirty things to him.

“Yeah, mesh’la.” He moans the second he felt something press against his crotch, looking down to see your hand palming over the bulge in his shorts.

Watching you smirk, his hands land on your luscious thighs, trailing up to your arse and giving it a little spank. “Then come and get it.” You entice, trailing your tongue slowly against his lips before kissing them roughly.

In a second, he flips you onto your back on the bed not once did he break the kiss until you felt his hands land on your knees and ride up to your thighs and spread them. He’s crawling down your body, leaving peppered kisses on your bare arms before hiking the top up to reveal your glistening pussy.

“How much do you want to bet that the others set us up tonight?” You say softly with a short laugh and he smiles warmly. He would look sweet if he didn’t have that lust-filled look in his eye. Oh, and he’s between your legs with the warmth of his breath against your sex sending tingles up your spine.

“I think I’m going to have to thank them for it.” He smirks, hands stroking against your legs.

You tilt your head to the side, propping yourself up and your elbows to get a better look at him. “And why’s that?”

Swiftly, he leans in and bites against the fabric of your panties and you’re laughing as he’s pulling them down with just his teeth until they’re past and off your feet and spitting it to the floor carelessly.“Oh because sweetheart, I’m going to devour your pussy.”

Before you could come back with a witty response, his hands are biting into your fleshy things whilst his tongue is against you.

You had never felt so loved and wanted in your entire life up to tonight.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁 𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙

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Masterlist

More Wrecker Works

tags: @twistedstitcher27 @teletraan-meets-jarvis @jennamelinda12 @nunanuggets @andyoufollowyourheart @littlefeatherr r @kaitou2417 @eyecandyeoz @captxin-rex @cwarssimp @jesseeka @ashotofspotchka @oohyesplease @megafrost4 @adriiibell @theroguesully @equalityforcats s @rexandechosandwich @mustluvecho @inagalaxywickedfahaway @misogirl828 @ladykatakuri @sadspring @chxpsi @alexandrisonfire @arctrooper69 @padawancat97 @salaminus @by-the-primes @torchbearerkyle @tech-aficionado @in-the-crosshairs @therealnekomari @a-c-lee @autumnleaves1991-blog @tech-depression-inventory @mylifeinthetardisforever @brynhildrmimi @greaser-wolf @lucyysthings @fiveshelmet @the-good-shittt @photogirl894 @cosmic-persephone @imalovernotahater @rintheemolion

[jedipoodoo]

OKAY I HAS A REQUEST!!

So the Batch lands on some planet somewhere for Cid and they have to wait to meet a contact or something. While the wait, the other Batchers go off to find things to do like take a walk or work on the outside of the ship or whatever. Echo, BELOVED, stays inside to fix something gone wrong with the systems computers or whatever and Reader (who's been pining after him for a while) stays with him to help him fix it???

Like you said, the poor man needs some Valentine's Day Love.

(Obviously this is entirely up to your interpretation and you may see this as you please.)

(Loveyourwritingokaybye)

iloveyoutootwinkytyvm

Notes: tiny bit of blood, lots of kissing

Hotshot (Echo x Reader)

"You got it?" Echo asked, leaning down to watch what you were doing.

"Almost..." You grunted in frustration as you tried to clean out a tiny power coupling covered in grease. It seemed so cosmetic, and to be fairly honest that was the last thing the Batch worried about, but if too much oil and grease congealed and built up it could cause a fire in the middle of hyperspace, and that was the last thing that any of you wanted.

"Ah!" Your hand slipped and you cried out.

"What happened?" Echo yanked you out from under the dashboard so that you could sit up. You hadn't seen what had happened, but there was a tiny pinprick of blood on your finger.

You sighed, and nursed the wound, but Echo took your hand, gently applying pressure to your cut with a clean cloth.

"That better?" He asked.

Your face flushed as you looked up at him, "Yeah, yeah it's loads better."

He smiled softly at you, and this time it almost reached his eyes. Usually, Echo's sad eyes that had seen far too much for someone of his age weighed down his smile, but when he looked at you, you could almost imagine that his soft golden eyes shone like the sun, like maybe he didn't hurt when he looked at you.

You inhaled sharply, realizing that Echo was gently massaging your hands.

"Echo, stop that."

"What?"

"Stop that!" You laughed softly as his thumb continued to massage your sore fingers.

"Why?" He smiled softly, playing dumb just a little bit.

"My hands are dirty," You said, slightly embarrassed that the grease you'd been trying to clean away was now getting all over his hand.

He shrugged. "My hands are dirty too. What are you afraid of?"

"A- afraid?" You gasped. You were suddenly aware of Echo towering above you as he knelt on the floor next to you. You weren't scared, though, rather you felt very warm, almost safe. You knew Echo would rather die than risk hurting you, and you would do the same for him.

Echo's thumb moved to the back of your hand, running in a small circle just below your knuckles.

"You're trembling," He whispered, concern flooding his voice as he searched your face for some indication of what could be wrong.

Your grip on his scomp tightened as you tried to ground yourself. You weren't shaking. You weren't.

"I'm not trembling," you could hardly do more than gasp in an effort to keep your voice from shaking.

Echo leaned in closer, and you lost all train of thought. His eyes were shining again, and it made you weak in the knees (if you had been standing).

He squeezed one of your hands in his, his scomp trailing around to your back and pulling you closer. Your free hand ran up his arm to his neck, closing the distance between you in a soft kiss. You were gentle, and he reciprocated, his hand coming up to cradle the side of your face and you could have melted through the floor right then and there.

A moment later, his lips left yours, but he kept his nose against yours, unwilling to back away.

"Well okay hotshot," you murmured. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders, and you both leaned in hungrily.

"I'm a complete idiot for not noticing earlier," He murmured between kisses to your cheeks and forehead.

"Yeah, you are," You agreed in dazed affection.

When he stopped to breathe, you kissed his nose, and paused when Echo took your cheek in his hand to direct your attention to his face.

"We're going to be doing that a lot more often." You couldn't tell if that was an observation or what, but you wouldn't argue as you grinned up at him.

"Whatever you say, hotshot."

[darthzero22]

We make a good team

Wrecker x Fem!Reader

No one dared to lay a finger on you, not even to speak to you in a bad way, and the reason was fear, fear that your tall and strong man would do something to them in order to protect you. But sometimes there are people who don't know that.  

The others were at Cid's Parlor, but soon you would go to the Havoc Marauder because there was another job waiting for you to do. You were inside the ship, preparing it before takeoff, but Hunter ordered you to return to the bar through your communicator. You obeyed and exited the ship in the direction of the bar, but before you could get out of the docking station a man who was running collides with you, and both fall to the ground.

“Hey, you! Be more careful, or are you blind?” then man asked. You almost thought it was funny that the man was angry because it was his fault that he fell to the ground.

“You're the blind one, friend! Watch where you're going”

You didn't hurt yourself when you fell to the floor, but your palm feels a little sore. That man didn't care who you were, but when he sees that in the fall his datapad had been destroyed, he gets angrier at you when you were not to blame for anything. They were one of those typical guys who liked to pick fights over anything.

“You destroyed my datapad! That's it, you're going to pay for that” he gets up off the floor, but you don't.

“Well, that's your fault”

You see that the man was serious about making you pay when he comes threateningly close to you, but you always had your big, strong bodyguard.

“Hey, you!”

The man turns around when he hears the voice coming from behind him, and is startled when the tall, big, strong figure of Wrecker grabs his clothes around his neck and lifts him up with one arm very easily, making him take his feet off the ground.

“Oh, you better not have been planning to do what I think you were going to do” Wrecker sounded very angry, and he was certainly scarier that way.

“Let go of me! I promise I wasn't doing anything!”

“Yeah, right”

“Easy, big boy. Leave him” you approach him and put a hand on his arm, which he had up because he kept grabbing the guy and holding him in the air.

“But I saw you on the ground and him approaching you! If he was going to dare to hit you…”

“Easy, easy, pal. I wasn't going to do anything to... your friend”

“Wrecker” you now rest your hand on his chest.

Wrecker listened to you and let go of the man, causing him to fall to the ground in a sitting position.

“You mess with my girl and you mess with me, got it?” he makes his fists crack.

The man definitely runs out of there, scared, and Wrecker chuckles at the sight of him running away like a coward.

“Ha! It's always the same with these guys. They run away like cowards”

“Well, you gave him a good scare. Look how he runs” you smile.

“And that's fun! Do you think I made him soil his pants?”

“Most likely. You scare them easily. You are tall, very strong, you have big muscles…” you pat him on his chest. “And I love that”

“Oh, you've already made me blush” he smiled and he runs a hand over the back of his neck, his cheeks were a little flushed.

“You look adorable” you were smiling.

Despite the brief funny moment, Wrecker remembers seeing you on the ground earlier. He lowers his hand and rests it on your back, with a very soft touch.

“Are you really okay? What happened? I saw you on the floor”

“Yes, I am fine. Don't worry. That guy bumped into me as I was heading into Cid's Parlor”

“What an idiot! But, are you sure you're okay?”

“My hand only hurts a little, but it’s nothing”

“But…”

“It’s nothing, big boy, really. So, you've come looking for me?”

“Yeah. Hunter told me you were on your way, but I wanted to come… and look for you”

What Wrecker was saying was true, but you knew he was hiding something. You look at him with a raised eyebrow, but always smiling, and he gets a little nervous because he knew that look of yours.

“Oh, don't give me that look!”

“Come on. Tell me everything”

“Fine! The truth is that I wanted to see you...” he blushes. “I don't like it when you are absent for a long time”

“Oh, big boy. I was absent for half an hour”

“Well, it's an eternity for me! But… I know I worry a lot. I know you can take care of yourself”

It was adorable to you that Wrecker would always worry about you, after all the situation you were in could be considered dangerous because you were fugitives. You were about to say something, but over your communicator you hear Hunter say to you and Wrecker that they were on their way to the ship.

“Well, it looks like another job in progress”

“I just hope there are some explosions this time! The last job was boring”

“Yeah. That’s…” you hear Wrecker's stomach rumble. “Looks like someone wanted to make an appearance. You didn't eat anything?

“I wanted to eat! But I can't buy Mantell Mix or anything else before we do the job and get paid. You know... the debt”

“I know. I may have the solution to that”

“Oh, you have credits?”

“Something better”

You head for the Marauder and Wrecker follows. Once inside the ship, you start looking for a box that you had kept in case of emergencies, but you did not find it in the place where you kept it. Maybe someone found it and put it somewhere else, but you had no idea where it might be. You were thinking for a few moments, while Wrecker was doing weights with Gonky, and suddenly it occurs to you where you might have left that box.

“Got it!”

“What?”

“There, at the top of that rack. I'm sure someone put the box up there, maybe Echo”

“What's in that box?”

“Emergency rations. I'm sure they wanted to hide that box from you and me”

“What?! Oh, well, that's over!” he leaves Gonky on the floor. “They will see that they can't keep something from us for long”

“Yeah, but the rack is too high”

“That's easy to fix!”

Wrecker grabs you by the waist and easily pulls you up, making you sit on his shoulders. Thanks to that, now you could reach the rack easily, so you look for the box among the things.

“Did you find it?”

“Not yet. There's a mess up here. Oh, wow”

“What is it?”

“I found the flashlight we lost”

“Oh! I thought we lost it in Felucia”

“Felucia… It almost seems like an eternity has passed since that mission”

“You could say that again! I kinda miss the old days”

“Me too… Everything changed so fast”

“Yeah. But I still have you”

“And I have you, big boy”

After giving Wrecker a pat on the cheek, you continue searching until you finally manage to find the box.

“I found it!” you grab the box and open it. “And we found our reward”

“Ha! That's my girl. And they still don't realize that we make a good team”

“More than good” you smile.

Wrecker carefully helps you off his shoulders, and when you had your feet on the ground, you pull a ration bar out of the box. He was hungry, so when you give him the bar, he grabs it and eats it in one bite. You knew him and you knew that with just one he would not be satisfied, so you give him another bar. He realizes that he was eating all the rations and you weren't, you didn't care, but he did.

“I... Here” he gives you the ration bar he was going to eat, which was the fourth one. “You have to eat too”

“It's okay. I'm not hungry”

“Please”

When he looked at you with those eyes, you couldn't say no to him. The truth is, you were a little hungry, and so you smile and grab the ration bar.

“Thanks” you start eating the bar.

“It's nothing. I have to thank you, though. You are… always taking care of me”

“Of course. I love you and want the best for you” you wipe your mouth with your hand.

“Oh, I already have the best, and it's you”

Wrecker wraps his strong arms around your body and hugs you tightly. You reciprocate the hug, and when you separate just a little, you give him a kiss on the cheek.  

“You take good care of me too, you always did” you said.

“It’s because I love you too. Now, before the others show up...” he lifts you up by grabbing your waist so that you are at his height, and you rest your hands on his shoulders. “I want to, you know… kiss you”

“You don't have to ask, big boy”

You bring your mouths together and join them in a kiss. As you always did when you kissed, you stay like this for a few moments, especially when you were alone. You wrap your arms around his neck to make the kiss more loving and deeper, and Wrecker hugs you a little tighter. When you separate from the kiss, you give him a caress on the cheek, and he refused to put you down.

“I have to put the box back in place. I don't want the others to know that we take rations without permission” you said.

“Right. Good point. But I don't think they'll find out”

“Let's not risk it”

Again Wrecker makes you sit on his shoulders, now to help you put the box back in its place, which was at the top of the rack.

“Done. If we are lucky, they will not suspect"

“Ha! They won't suspect us” he helps you get off.

“About what?” Omega's voice is heard.

You and Wrecker look at each other in surprise, and turn your heads to the side to see only Omega at the door of the ship. She had her typical curious face, as always.

“Oh! Hey, kid. We… We were talking about…” Wrecker certainly didn't know what to say.

“About adult stuff” that was the first thing that came to your mind.

“Yeah! Exactly”

“Adult stuff?” she was confused. “Why would others be suspicious of that?”

“You know... There are things that a couple keeps secret” you said.

“And we appreciate privacy… sometimes” Wrecker said.

“Oh, okay” she smiles.

Did she really believe that? Anyway, you and Wrecker relaxed when you heard her say that.

“Don't worry. I won't say anything about the ration box” she finally says and goes to her room.

“… I think we are bad at hiding things” Wrecker said to you.

“We are terrible criminals” you said.

“But we're still a great team" he smiles.

“There is no doubt about that” you smile. 

[otherworldseekers]

Wondrous Tails Prompt: Confessions

Severia x Nero scene from the Omega quests timeline. This will go into the WIP eventually when I get to that point. 

Severia Zetsuen marched into the infirmary of Rhalgr’s Reach. Tear stains showed fresh on her cheeks. “Where is he?”

The chirurgeons looked at each other in confusion. None of them could think of a patient currently lying in the infirmary who might attract such concern from the Warrior of Light herself. “Who, ma’am?” one of the nurses asked. 

“Nero Scaeva,” Severia said breathlessly. “He was brought in this morning.”

“Oh, the Garlean,” a chirurgeon said with a hint of disapproval. She pointed to the far corner of the room where curtains had been pulled closed all around one of the beds. 

Severia wasted no more words. In a moment she had flung the curtain back to reveal the one she sought dressed in a plain linen robe, blond hair sticking out around his heavily bandaged head, facing the wall beside his cot. But at the click of her boots on the floor his head slowly swiveled and a look of surprise took over his features.

“Severia…”

She rushed to the side of the bed. There was no chair. No doubt they assumed he would have no visitors. So she knelt beside him. “Nero,” she said. Her eyebrows furrowed with concern but she couldn’t help smiling at seeing him awake and alert. “I was so worried when Cid told me what happened.”

“What are you doing here? What is happening in the Rift? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. I’m not the one in an infirmary bed.”

“You have bruises on your cheek.” He absently reached out a hand to lightly touch her face. 

Severia leaned into his touch. “Even I can’t come out of a fight like that completely unscathed. But I really am fine.”

“You’re not angry with me?”

“Of course I’m angry with you! Cid told me you must have been hiding your injuries for at least a day. You absolute idiot!” But contrary to her tone, she had placed her hand over his, holding it in place where he cupped her cheek. “Please don’t ever do that again,” she pleaded softly. 

“I won’t,” said Nero. Mentally he noted that what he was promising to never do again was “hiding injuries incurred by an unexpected attack by a sentient interdimensional robot”. The odds of it happening a second time weren’t worth working out. 

Tears once again stood out at the corners of Severia’s eyes. “I’m serious, Nero. I don’t… want to lose you.”

“Severia…” Nero wiped away her tears. “Don’t cry. Not for me.”

“Why shouldn’t I? Am I… not making it clear enough that… that I care about you?”

For a moment he considered that this must be a hallucination. He’d hoped for so long to hear those words from her mouth. And he did, after all, have a head injury. But he watched as a blush crept across her face with a sense of giddiness. There had been no embarrassment when she’d said it in his dreams. 

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Severia demanded. 

“Thank you,” he said in bemusement. That wasn’t what he had meant to say. His injuries were clearly interfering with the transmission of his thoughts to words. 

Shame and bewilderment writ all over her face, Severia made to get up, but Nero managed to grab her wrist. If words weren’t working he would have to take other action. Before she left here with the wrong idea. He pulled her down on top of him, reaching a hand behind her neck to guide her mouth to his. Everything he had felt for her since that fateful night at the Gold Saucer, every bit of longing he had endured over the past two years, every ounce of his desire, he tried to pour into their kiss. Severia’s fists curled into his robe as she returned the kiss with ardor. 

“Do you understand now?” Nero asked. 

“I think so,” said Severia, still lying across his chest. 

“When my head doesn’t hurt so much we’ll talk about it more.”

“Oh gods, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to-”

“Shush.” Nero cupped her cheek again. “I’m fine. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’d better not.”