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casual-violinist-fangirl · 9 months ago

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All I can do to Keep you Safe is Hold You Close - 2,317 Words

A part of the collection I have fondly named 'Kaminoans are Assholes.'

Omega has been having trouble sleeping because of nightmares and her solution to that is to... not sleep. Hunter's Jango Fett gene has well and truly activated!

As always this fic is on my AO3 account here, and the link to my masterlist is here.

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The first time he had noticed something was wrong was when Omega started asking if she could drink caff in the mornings. Jokingly, Wrecker had let her have a sip of his, him and Echo laughing when they saw the expression on her face. She clearly hadn’t enjoyed the taste. When Tech had enquired as to why she had wanted to try the bitter drink, she had simply shrugged and said that there wasn’t really a reason.

That had been a lie.

Lying in front of Hunter was almost impossible; he could sense even the slightest of changes in a person’s body for crying out loud. To add to that, Omega was an awful liar, making it easy to spot from where he was sat. Glancing around the cabin, it didn’t seem as though any of the others had noticed this, although when he caught Crosshair’s eye he noticed an air of suspicion in his expression. He had noticed too.

The day had gone on as usual and Omega hadn’t asked any more about the caff… Hunter almost allowed himself to forget that she had even lied about wanting to drink it in the first place. She was a little girl, for crying out loud. She was full of energy and the last thing they needed was her pinging about the place before crashing in a heap when the affects ran out. That night, when he had put her to bed, tucking Lula and Trooper into her blankets with her, he had asked how she was. It had come out innocently enough, but clearly he had spooked her because almost straight away her barriers went up, and she was insisting that she was absolutely fine. Not knowing what to do if she didn’t want to talk to him, he had bid her goodnight and climbed back down the ladder from the gunner’s mount.

A week or so later it was becoming more and more apparent that Omega was exhausted. She kept falling asleep on missions at every opportunity she got to rest her legs, and it was getting to the point where Wrecker was having to carry her about. Sheer exhaustion rolled off of her in waves, and the rest of the batch were beginning to be more and more concerned for her wellbeing. She was their little sister… Hunter’s ad’ika (though he would never admit that to his brothers) she deserved to be happy and healthy like all little girls her age.

After one particular mission, Omega had collapsed in a heap in Cid’s bar; the loud music didn’t seem to bother her as she slept, drawing the attention of the Trandoshan.

“What’s with Tiny?” she asked, nodding her head towards the booth where she was resting. Hunter scowled, but that was more because he didn’t know the answer than because she was prying. He went to respond, but Tech stepped in.

“It would appear that Omega has… over done it on the past couple of missions,” he answered in a very reasonable tone. “She clearly needs to go to her bunk when we get back to the ship.”

Cid hadn’t said anything else following on from that, but Hunter could tell that she didn’t buy what Tech had told her, and that even she was concerned for the little girl. “Right…” she responded. “Well you see that she does get that sleep. I can’t have clients coming in thinking I let little kids pass out drunk in my bar.”

Omega had let Hunter scoop her up and carry her back to the ship, her head lolling on his shoulder as she wordlessly took in her surroundings. He had thought there and then that maybe he’d be able to get her into bed quickly when he got back to the Marauder…

He could not have been more wrong.

The moment he mentioned the ‘b’ word, Omega had perked up and started insisting that she wasn’t even remotely tired. “Can’t I just stay up for a little longer, Hunter?” she had asked, her big brown eyes trying to persuade him that he didn’t need to send her to bed. He had sighed, crossing his arms and trying to put on his best ‘dad’ face.

“You need sleep, Omega,” he reasoned as he reached into the gunner’s mount and pulled her pyjamas down. She pouted at him, and for a moment he was convinced that she was going to start crying.

“B-but…” she trailed, and Hunter could see an element of conflict on her features. She wanted to tell him something, he just knew it, but before she could get any words out Wrecker came parading into the room, a little tipsy. So much for talking to her.

"I’m sorry Omega,” he continued, watching her body deflate with disappointment. “I’m not budging on this one.”

She had gone to bed, but he had noticed how she tried to drag out every element of getting ready; she had taken nearly twenty minutes brushing her teeth for kriff’s sake. Looking back on that now, he should have seen just how reluctant she was to sleep and realised that something was wrong. He should have reached out to her.

Other abnormalities in her behaviour should have stuck out to him, and he found himself cursing for not noticing all of this sooner. Especially given what was about to come.

——

(Three Weeks Later)

There were plenty of times that Hunter cursed his enhanced hearing; being on a ship full of snorers when he was trying desperately to sleep was one of those times. As he lay in his bunk, all he could hear was the heavy breathing of Wrecker directly above him, and the light snores of Tech from his chair in the cockpit. He had ear buds for times like these, but whilst the noise irritated him to no end, not being able to hear made him feel vulnerable and he tried not to use them unless he absolutely had to.

Rolling over and resisting the urge to groan, he buried his face into the GAR standard issue pillow. It wasn’t exactly comfy, but being a solider meant that you had to be able to sleep anywhere. This lumpy pillow and hard bunk was a godsend compared to some of the situations he’d found himself in over the years. Distantly, he could hear the tapping of keys on some sort of device… it sounded a little like Crosshair’s data pad. Clearly he had joined Echo on watch then seeing as he couldn’t hear either of them anywhere else. They weren’t sleeping, that’s for sure.

Having Crosshair back had meant a little bit of adjusting for the members of the Bad Batch. For the first couple of days he had been incredibly isolated, not wanting to go near any of his brothers or even his little sister. Then, slowly, little by little he had started to integrate himself back into the lives of those who loved him. He had taken a shine to Omega, although he was loathed to show it to anyone except the little girl herself… now that Hunter thought about it, the only time he had seen Omega sleeping peacefully over the past few weeks was the morning she had been found in her bunk, clinging onto Crosshair’s sleeping form as though it was the only thing keeping her from floating out of the ship.

Hunter made a mental note to ask Crosshair about that in the morning, but his train of thoughts was cut off when he heard what sounded like a muted sob. Sitting bolt upright in bed and suddenly no longer tired, Hunter’s eyes darted around the room as he searched for the source of the sound. Not noticing anything out of the ordinary, he frowned, which deepened when he heard the sobbing sound a second time. Having been ready this time, he climbed out of bed and tiptoed towards the noise. Almost as though she could sense his presence, Omega’s snivels stopped as he reached the bottom of the ladder leading to her room.

“’Mega?” he asked quietly, not opening the curtain… he didn’t want to spook her or make her feel as though he was intruding on her space. There was silence for a moment before a quiet shuffling of blankets could be heard and a small hand reached to open the curtain.

Omega’s face was blotchy and red, her cheeks tear-stained and her eyes puffy from her crying; how had Hunter not noticed her sooner? He cursed to himself, making a mental note to be more aware in the future. “H-Hunter,” a small sob escaped her as she launched herself at him without hesitating and clung to his neck.

To his credit, Hunter reacted quickly; he carefully scooped Omega out of the gunners’ mount, cradling her trembling form as he wondered quietly back to his bunk and sat down. The little girl still clinging onto him, he stroked a hand through her hair and whispered soothing nothings to her as he waited for her cries to subside.

When her breathing eventually did even out and the sniffles came to a stop, she looked up at him with a bleary look on her face. Kriff, she looked exhausted. How long had she been going on like this?

“Ad’ika,” his voice croaked as he used the term for the first time. Omega’s eyes widened at the expression, and if he didn’t know better he was convinced that she pulled him just a little closer. “Have you been struggling to sleep?”

Bingo. He’d hit the nail on the head it seemed, as the little girl in his arms cried even more.

“E-every time I close my eyes,” she sobbed. “I see something different and it’s horrible…” she took a shuddering breath. “I’ve been trying to stay awake at night so that the nightmares don’t come.”

Hunter let out a shaky breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “You’ve gotta get sleep, ‘Mega,” he soothed as he kept stroking her hair.

“I’m so tired,” she mumbled as her tears slowly came to a stop, reduced to small hiccups now as she rested her head against his chest.

An idea occurred to him, something that he hadn’t done since he and his brothers were cadets, all cowering away and petrified of Nala se. “You could always stay here for the night,” he whispered, his suggestion catching her attention. She didn’t move to look at him but nodded, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her new pyjamas (Crosshair had insisted that she have sleeping clothes, though he wouldn’t say why he had become so interested). Shifting carefully, he set her down on the bunk next to him and went to put his back against the wall to make more space for her.

That clearly wasn’t what she’d had in mind as Omega frowned slightly and clambered over him, putting herself between him and the wall. Hunter let out a small chuff of laughter as he rolled over, letting the little girl get comfortable; by the time the pair of them had stopped fidgeting, Omega was curled into Hunter’s embrace, the arm he draped over her clutched to her chest as she hugged it like it was Lula. The sergeant was a little uncomfortable, but any thoughts of that melted away as Omega whispered something that only he could hear.

“Goodnight, buir.”

He just managed to choke back the sudden wave of emotion that washed over him. That was… unexpected. Clearing his throat, he smiled softly at the little girl in his arms.

“Goodnight, ad’ika.”

————

A week or so later Hunter was lying in bed, reading off of his holo pad. Omega’s nightmares hadn’t stopped, of course they hadn’t, but knowing that she could go to her buir when the nightmares arrived made them that much easier to cope with. It meant that he’d had to contend with having Omega, Lula and sometimes even Trooper in bed with him but if that was the price he had to pay for the girl’s comfort? So be it.

Speak of the devil, a sniffle to his right caught his attention and he looked up only to see that Omega had snuck out of her bunk and to his bed. She looked at him with pleading eyes for only a moment before he lifted his blanket.

“Come on,” he whispered, allowing her to climb into the bed and to her usual spot between her buir and the wall. Her head rested on his chest as he continued tapping at the holo pad; he had been doing some research into a new knife he’d had his eye on, but turned that off in favour of a mind-numbing game he knew Omega enjoyed watching him play. It was a game where you had to match three blocks of the same colour in order for them to disappear and for the items trapped at the top of the screen to reach the bottom.

He thought the little girl had drifted off to sleep, but was proven wrong when a small hand reached out and tapped three blocks on the screen. Letting out a small laugh at her antics, Hunter pressed a gentle kiss to the girls’ temple before the pair continued playing the game together, taking it in turns. He knew they’d both be tired in the morning but they had nothing planned for the day, a little lay-in wouldn’t hurt anyone. It was in moments like these that he allowed himself to make the most of the normality of it all, in the vain hope that one day he’d be able to give his little girl the childhood she deserved.

“Love you, buir.”

“Love you too, ‘Mega.”

Yeah, he could definitely put up with sharing his bunk with his kid and her toys if it meant that he got to have moments like these.

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enviedear · 1 year ago

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anakin being touch starved baby boy that he is. just listen to me. he comes back from whatever activities of the day he had and just wants to snuggle with the reader and never let them go but he finds the reader still finishing her (theirs if u prefer gn) work stuff so he gets very pouty and touchy and starts snuggling to her like a little stray cat/ following her everywhere she goes just to stay close to her. (u can make it spicy at the end if u want to but it is not necessary) ❤️‍🩹🤌🏼 i am hungry for some fluff as i am drowning in my own work + hormones are killing me

love u xo

no this is so real and this fueled me into a spiral abt anakin being with a student girlie— like yeah he totally would go for a hottie with brains from the ISE. like yeah he no doubt can pull someone capable of making a starship out of nothing.

wc— 1.5k | tw— nsfw minors dni i will block you, fingering, piv, unprotected sex, anakin finishing inside of you, mentions of food and eating

you're trying your hardest to study for your upcoming exam, cups upon cups of finished caff's litter your desk. you're only halfway finished with your newest battleship render when anakin comes home.

his eyes are tired but when they meet yours he smiles, "hi baby, i missed you." he's quick to walk over to where you're seated, strong arms coming to wrap around your shoulders.

you lean back, inhaling his smell, "i missed you too, ani," you give him a pout, "but i really need to finish this before tomorrow."

he looks down at your holopad, "i could make dinner, do you think you'll be done by then?"

you smile, "i'll try my hardest."

he lingers for a moment, letting his head drop down to your neck. he leaves a trail of soft kisses in his wake, stopping at the side of your face before placing one finger under your chin and drawing you in.

his kiss is hungry, wanting— and you so badly want to indulge him, but before he can take it any further you break away.

"i'm serious, anakin. if i don't get this done i'm going to feel the wrath of every single one of my professors." your voice is stern, but the way he looks at you illicts a small smile.

he groans, pulling away, "okay, okay. but please try to be done in time for dinner. i've missed you so bad all day."

you nod and watch as he heads into the kitchen, the sound of pots and pans clattering filling the air. letting out a sigh, you go back to your work, but you can't help the thoughts that linger in your mind.

as you try to focus on your work, thoughts of him keep creeping into your mind. the way his lips feel on yours and the way he holds you close, making you feel safe and loved.

you shake your head, trying to clear your mind, but the more you try to push it away, the stronger the desire becomes. your project floats into the background of your mind as you work on it, fueled now by thoughts of your beautiful boyfriend.

glancing at the clock, you realize that an hour has already passed. you rub your eyes and stretch your arms before looking over your nearly finished work. as if on cue, anakin walks in with two plates of food.

"hey," he says, placing the plate in front of you. "i made your favorite."

you look up at him and smile. "thank you, ani. it smells amazing."

he leans down to give you a quick kiss on top of your head before grabbing his own plate and sitting across from you.

as you eat, small talk fills the air. you rant about your looming deadlines, while anakin shares stories about recent council meetings at the temple.

however, he's mostly relegated to mentioning how much he's missed you, "i thought about stopping by for lunch, but then master yoda asked me to step in for one of the youngling classes."

you give him a sorry look, "i wouldn't have been very good company anyway— i've been working on this since you left this morning." you can't help but feel guilty about being so busy lately, but with exams just around the corner, it's been hard for you.

anakin reaches out, massaging your tense shoulders, "i'm sorry baby, why don't you take a break?"

you bite your lip, "ani… i can't. i'm almost done though, i promise," you turn in your seat to face him, hands cupping his cheeks, "and then i'll be all yours for the rest of the night."

he has a challenging expression on his face, "i think a break would help," he leans in so that your lips brush, "let me ease up some of your stress, baby."

you groan, "ani, i don't know, i really need to—"

he cuts you off, leaving a lingering kiss on your lips before pulling away, "ise gets all of your time now, i'm getting jealous."

you laugh, "oh, don't be jealous, ani. you know i love you more than anything."

he smirks and begins to massage your shoulders again. you close your eyes and let out a sigh of relief. the tension starts to melt away under his strong hands.

"you're too good at this," you say, leaning back into him.

"i have my ways of making my you feel better," he says, lips brushing against your neck.

you try and stifle a moan as he nibbles at your earlobe. his hands starting to wander down your back and you can feel his body heat beaming off of him.

"ani, i really need to finish this," you say, but your tone is starting to sound less convincing.

he pulls back, cupping your face and forcing you to look into his eyes. "i know you do, baby. but can't it wait for a little bit, hm?"

you nod slowly, feeling yourself giving in to his touch. he leans in again and kisses you deeply. his tongue brushes against yours and you feel a surge of desire wash over you.

he's quick to lift you from your seat, and you instinctively wrap your legs around him. he groans into the kiss, laying you down on the bed, hands exploring your body needily.

before you know it, your clothes are off and anakin is lying on top of you. he has a way of being able to get what he wants, most of the time that being you.

it was hard not to indulge him though, not when he felt so good.

he kisses you all over your body, igniting every inch of skin that he touches.

"ani," you moan his name as his hand drifts lower, toying with your sex.

you can't help but grind your hips against his hand, desperately trying to elicit more pleasure from him. you're greedy for touch.

he teases you lightly with his fingers before parting your lips, only to thrust a single digit into your slickness. your hands grip at his free arm, feeling his veins.

he teases you relentlessly, sending you into a spiral of pure bliss, until all at once, you're writhing beneath his touch, "ah! oh ani!"

he continues on, not stopping as you draw closer to yout climax. your body quivers, and you look down at him wantonly, wanting him more than ever. he smirks at the sight of you trying to regain some semblance of control.

"what do you want, pretty girl?" his questions drips with lust, eyes dark and enticing.

you choke back a moan at his words, "you, ani. i want you."

he presses his lips against yours once more before positioning himself between your legs. pressing his bulge against your opening, groaning as he sinks himself slowly into you.

you close your eyes, focusing on how good it feels— how perfectly he fits inside of you.

as he sets a steady pace with his hips, fucking you deeper and deeper with each stroke, the familiar tug building inside of you once again.

"oh god! you feel so good ani," you moan loudly, unabashed as her ruts deeper into you.

his head drops down to your neck, lips brushing against your ear, "that's my girl, just letting me make her feel good."

with each thrust now comes an increasing sense of euphoria that plagues your mind and body with waves of pleasure that wash over every inch of flesh; sensitizing everything around it. all at once it becomes too much.

you're nails drill deep into his back, and he grunts at the feeling. his hands dig into your hips, pulling you into him even closer.

"fuck, sweetheart—" he cuts off as you bite down onto his shoulder desperately, groaning loudly as you come in pulses around him.

your breaths are short and your head is swimming, the need for oxygen becoming a necessity.

your fingers finally begin to relax as your breathe evens out. "dammit," you exhale, exhausted from the sudden rush of pleasure flowing through every fiber of your body. anakin lets out a grunt of his own as your walls tightly clamp around him. you can barely keep up with his erratic thrusts, and he leans down to kiss you before finishing inside of you.

you moan loudly into his mouth as he cums, a stream of warmth flowing into you as your inner walls clamp tight around his cock. you feel him twitch and spasm inside of you, and his muscles momentarily lock up before you both relax into each other's arms.

you run your hands through his hair lightly before pulling apart from him. "i love you so much."

he turns to press a soft kiss against your cheek, before rolling off of you, grabbing for a towel, "and i love you."

you watch as he cleans you up, his face still reddened from his work, "you're such a good distraction."

he hums, looking at you, "you like it,"

you roll your eyes, "i know and it's a problem, i let you do it every time."

he grins in response. "it's not my fault you enjoy my distractions so much." and before another retort is made, he presses his lips onto yours momentarily before sliding into bed beside you.

#anakin skywalker x reader #anakin x reader #anakin x reader smut #anakin skywalker x reader smut #anakin smut #anakin fluff #anakin x y/n #anakin x you

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sergeantgoggles · 9 months ago

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(ok just one more. i really love them all) kiss prompt: 💗 slow kiss / gentle kiss / inevitable / soft dealer's choice <3

I chose the CSP-born quatrefoil, but in the actual Star Wars verse and not in an AU. Dealer's Choice: Hunter/Tech/Echo/Fives

Fives/Echo

Echo sighs, takes a sip of caffe, reads the Imperial reports again. Comm chatter is going insane over the stolen intel they took from Dantooine. Really, what business did they have all the way out there? Not that it matters now. They had found the resistance’s best kept secret.

Soft footfalls catch his ears, timid, nervous, and Echo frowns. He doesn’t blame them because he’s nervous, too. It’s been a long time, and in the interim Echo had moved on, had found himself a third in the relationship between Clone Force 99’s squad leader and pilot, and it’s been good, even if they’ve parted ways for now.

Finally, Fives comes into view, his own caffe in hand, quietly sits beside him, and sighs. His presence is nice, familiar, and it’s so easy to fall back into old routines, to lean his head on Fives’s shoulder and just listen to him breathe, but there’s a lot to discuss.

“We should talk,” he says, and feels Fives hum in agreement. “I’m seeing someone else, two someones, actually.”

Fives barks a laugh, startling them both, then clears his throat. “I’m…not surprised. There was someone, after you, before I had to drop off the grid. Can’t be mad at you for moving on when you thought I was dead when I did the same thing, you know?”

There’s a beat of silence, then, “Does that mean you can’t love me anymore?”

Echo picks his head up, looks Fives in the eyes, frowns. “I have to talk about it with them, but I’ll always love you, Fives. I never stopped.”

Their eyes meet, and Echo knows that they’re going to kiss, and it’s going to seal his fate. If he has to choose, he’ll choose Fives every time. As soon as their lips connect, Echo knows he’s damned. Fives tastes exactly how he remembers, feels as warm and invigorating as the sun on a tropical beach, and he makes a mental note to tell him all about the island with the giant crabs and the mission that Wrecker botched by waking the pod.

“I want to meet them,” Fives says softly, “if for no other reason than to thank them for taking care of you.”

Echo smiles into his lips and melts. An idea starts to form.

Hunter/Tech

“You’re awfully moody today,” Hunter comments with a frown as Tech works around him. He can’t quite figure out what Tech is working on, though, because the ship-wide diagnostic didn’t yield any results, and Tech hadn’t been adamant about the little maintenance things until a few days ago. Suddenly it was all he could focus on. It was…unnerving.

“Are you listening to me?” He ventures again.

Tech scoffs. “Unless you have intel about another mission, please refrain from speaking to me. I have a long list of repairs and upgrades that are not going to make themselves.”

Stormy eyes widen as Hunter frowns. “Hey, don’t make me pull rank with you. Tell me what’s wrong so I can help.”

“Well, if you insist, you can start by finding the spanner wrench that has once again grown legs and gone missing from my toolkit,” Tech says with a bite. “I will need it for—”

“I’m not talking about the ship, Tech,” Hunter sighs and takes Tech by the wrist, pulling him away from his work and forcing their bodies flush. “You’ve barely said a word to anyone in days.”

Hunter can pinpoint the change in Tech’s demeanor to right after their last conversation with Echo, after he told them that they found the operative they’d been looking for. That operative just happened to be Echo’s thought-to-be-dead partner, and there was the unspoken “we need to talk” that had been laced into their conversation.

Tech makes a frustrated noise that Hunter understands. Gently, he cups Tech’s cheek, draws him into a kiss, and slowly, intimately maps the lines of his lips, his jaw, his tongue, until he has Tech forgetting why he’s upset. It feels nice, though, knowing someone so well that their bodies can heal one another’s wounds, at least temporarily.

“We’re almost to Teth. Let’s hear him out. Whatever happens, nothing changes between us, understand?” Hunter breathes, lets Tech feel his words, taste them and hear them.

“Yes, that is fine,” he agrees, even if it is reluctant.

Hunter/Fives

Things do not go as expected. If Hunter had credits to bet, he would have bet against this ever happening, much less so fast, so quickly.

Thinking back on it, he wonders if any of them really put long-term thought into this, or if they were all just desperate to stay together and make it work. In the same vein, something pulls at his chest, and he doesn’t think he’d change anything. Last night had been…incredible. Tech had looked so good between two former ARC Troopers, mouthing and panting against Echo’s neck while Fives sweetly fucked him, whispering teasing little things to Fives as Hunter pressed into him and made him moan their names.

A pleasant thrill races up his spine as he’s drawn out of the memory by lips on his neck. He trills as Fives trails kisses along his naked shoulder, then tips Hunter’s head back to claim his lips. He’s a bold one, like Echo. It’s no wonder they were the best in their squad at the height of the war, but Fives’s kisses are different. Echo kisses with deliberate movements, always with the desire to elicit a reaction, but Fives seems to move because it feels good, willing to take his time. Hunter finds it easy to relax into Fives’s lips, and moans softly at how freeing it is to simply let go.

The sun crests over the horizon, and Hunter hums, almost chasing his lips as the spell starts to break. “What now?”

“Whatever you and Tech want,” Fives answers, “the sex was fun, and I’m happy to keep doing that, but I know there are feelings involved, and…”

Fives trails off, but Hunter knows. “I don’t know if we’ll have an answer right away.”

Another long, sweet kiss, and then Fives presses their foreheads together. “Take your time.”

Echo/Tech

Fives gives them space. Echo is grateful.

Night rolls in. The day has been kind, thankfully, and the awkwardness has been at minimal levels, but this isn’t Echo’s first time in dealing with Tech. There’s an abundance of new information for him to process, and he can tell that by the end of late meal, he’s overwhelmed.

Hunter moves to follow him out for some air, but Echo stops him with a gentle hand on his chest. “Let me.”

He finds Tech sitting not far from the entrance of the base, nose in his datapad, scanning for stars knows what, but that’s how Tech works, especially when there’s a lot to sift through.

“Mind if I join you?”

Tech lifts his head, and it’s obvious that he’s expecting Hunter, not him. Still, he doesn’t deny him, and nods as he makes room beside him, but doesn’t offer anything else. Silence hangs between them as the sun starts to set, but Echo is patient. He’ll wait all night if he has to because this is important to him. Tech is important to him.

Finally, Tech puts his datapad aside and frowns. “I do not know what you expect me to say. We came here to discuss how things should progress now that Fives has come back from the dead, so to speak, but we have not conducted any actual conversation about the issue.”

Echo sighs. He knows this is the hardest part, laying out exactly what he wants for Tech to examine and find all of the flaws in. He clenches his fist and looks up at him. “I don’t know how to have this conversation, because no matter what angle I look at it, I’m the one being selfish, but I want all of you in my life. I love Fives, Tech. I always have, and I always will. Even when…I still loved him.”

“But he is back now,” Tech says, and Echo can tell he’s trying to be positive, for his sake, because it’s good and happy and they should all be happy about this, “is there really much else to discuss?”

“Yes!”

Both are stunned at the outburst, but Echo recovers first by taking Tech’s hand in his and holding tightly. “…I love Fives, but I love Hunter, and I love you, too. I don’t want what we have to go away because Fives is back.”

“…But you left,” Tech counters, “and Hunter and I have been supportive of you wanting to remain in the fight, but it has put a strain on our relationship.”

Our, meaning between him and Hunter, our, being between them and Echo.

“…I thought that our arrangement was enough,” Echo admits quietly.

Tech falters, frowns, then kisses Echo slowly. It’s the way Tech’s breath stutters, the way there’s the smallest hint of desperation in the way their tongues slide together, then dies when realization settles. They part, and Tech takes his hand from Echo’s grasp and stands, hiding his face.

“It is not.”

Hunter/Echo

“We don’t know him enough to love him the way we love you.”

And that’s what Hunter had been alluding to that morning with Fives, what Tech had failed to communicate with Echo during their talk that left them freshly wounded and vulnerable. He stands with his arms crossed, eyes pleading for Echo to understand that this isn’t as easy as ‘we slept together so that solves everything.’

“But I know him!” Echo yells like that should be enough.

Hunter frowns, shaking his head. “How did you think this would go? Did you think that we would join you here? Were you going to give up the fight and come back with us to live away from the Empire?”

Those aren’t even a fraction of the questions that Hunter has for him, but he tries to be understanding because it’s Echo, because he loves him.

Echo doesn’t answer him because Hunter already knows the answer.

“You have a choice to make,” Hunter says softly, kindly.

“Stay, please,” Echo begs, just for a little while, just to get to know him. I promise you, he’s worth it.”

Hunter’s heart aches. “I know he is. You wouldn’t love him so fiercely if he wasn’t. I have no reason to believe he isn’t as amazing as you say he is.”

“Then stay—”

“This isn’t our fight, Echo,” Hunter says more firmly. “We have Omega to think about, and Wrecker and Crosshair. We’re tired of fighting. We just want to live our lives, find who we are outside of being a soldier.”

It’s a stalemate, neither of them willing to bend.

Until Echo stands, closes the gap between them, lays his head on Hunter’s shoulder the way he does with Fives, and laces their fingers together. “…We’ll visit regularly. I don’t want things to end between us, but if you’re willing to give him the chance to be a part of us, I’m willing to put in the work. We’ll keep you out of the fight as much as possible, and you can get to know him outside of a rebel base. Hunter, please…”

Fives/Tech

“Hey, wait up!”

Tech stops at the foot of the ramp, looks confused for a moment before he realizes that Fives is talking to him. He stops, catching his breath and panting as he seems to have run a long distance, then stands again with a grin that, admittedly, makes Tech’s heart skip a beat.

“Is there something wrong?” Tech inquires.

Fives waves his hand. “No, no! I heard from Echo just now that you agreed to the arrangement he proposed to Hunter.”

“I did,” Tech nods, unsure of where this is going. “It is the most logical solution to all of the problems that have risen since your return.”

A guilty flush settles on Fives’s cheek. “I’m sorry…for causing trouble for you all. I didn’t even know he was alive. When I ‘died’, he…”

Tech sighs. He knows all of this already. “No, I am sorry. You had no way of knowing, and it is not something I fault you for anyway. I…agreed…because my feelings for Echo are rather strong, and I know how much you mean to him.”

He pauses, then offers Fives a small smile. “And anyone that Echo loves is a welcome presence. It is true that Hunter and I do not know you personally, but we have heard much about you, and it is because of how Echo and the others have spoken about you that we want to know you and give this a chance.”

Fives’s flush turns to one of embarrassment, and he chuckles sheepishly. “He spoke that highly of me?"

"As often as he could," Tech comments, and his posture eases.

It’s his downfall.

Suddenly Fives is closer, fingers tipping his chin up just slightly, and lips covering his. It’s a focused kiss, careful not to be demanding or expectant, but enough that Tech knows that he means the emotions that are behind it, and he lets Fives kiss him thoroughly. It’s nice, letting someone new know your kiss in a healing way.

“Thank you,” Fives whispers as they part, “for taking care of him and giving me a chance.”

Tech hums, chases his lips for another, more chaste kiss and to feel the scratch of his goatee on his chin again. “I look forward to your first visit.”

Fives chuckles, keeps him close as he kisses him one more time. “Likewise.”

#cloneshipping #clone shipping #the bad batch #hunter/tech/echo/fives #heart prompts clone edition #clone/clone #clonecest #tbb tech #tbb hunter #tbb echo #tbb fives

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