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CROSSHAIR: Iâve⌠done things. Iâve made mistakes. HUNTER: I have regrets too, Crosshair. All we can do is keep trying to be better. And who knows? There might be hope for us yet.
#swedit#tbbedit#crosshair#omega#batcher#ice vulture#star wars#the bad batch#star wars the bad batch#tbb crosshair#tbb omega#tbb batcher#commander mayday#*#*edit#*sw#s: the bad batch#ch: crosshair#ch: omega#ch: batcher#ch: mayday#concept art by clint felker - dawn carlos - molly denmark#screencaps from cap-that â¤ď¸
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The Defender (CH. # 1)
Febuwhump 2025 | Day 1 | Prompt: Vocal Cords
Read here on Ao3
<< Master Post | Next Chapter >>
Rated: G | Words: 479
Character Ages
Omega (3 - 4.5)
The Batch (Chronological: 0 - 1.5 / Biological: 0 - 3)
These babies are loud.Â
But loud babies are strong babies, Omega reminds herself. So she doesnât mind when they scream and cry, even when it hurts her ears. At least they are able to communicate, unlike the other babies that have come into Nala Seâs lab. Those babies only stayed for a few days before they stopped moving and were taken away.Â
But 9901, 9902, 9903, and 9904 â they are loud babies, strong babiesâŚalive babies.Â
And Omega is their sister, their big sister, and she helps take care of them when they cry and fuss. Even when they pull her hair or spit up formula on her uniform. Only alive babies pull hair and spit up, so Omega doesnât mind.Â
She wishes her brothers had real names, but Nala Se said that they do not require any other form of identification. It would clutter their charts, she said, and would be confusing.Â
Omega doesnât think so, but Omega is still little herself, and Nala Se knows far more than her little mind knows yet. Maybe, someday, Omega will know and understand as much as Nala Se; however, for now, she will listen.
Omega does shorten their numbers when she speaks to her brothers. Oh-one, Oh-two, Oh-three, and Oh-four. And, besides, if she says the numbers fast enough, they almost sound like real names.
âDo not get attached, Omega,â Nala Se tells her almost everyday. âThey will not be staying in the lab once their enhancements have stabilized.âÂ
Omega tries to follow instructions, but whenever she holds one of the babies in her lap while Nala Se checks their vitals, or when they wrap tiny fingers around her ownâŚthe feeling grows and grows and grows. She canât stop it, that feeling that glows warmly in her chest. Right in the place where Nala Se said her heart is. The heart is a muscle, Nala Se said, and it pumps blood through her whole body. And just like her blood, her heart pumps that wonderful feeling. She doesnât know the word for it. Nala Se says that feelings are irrelevant to facts.Â
Facts are important, feelings are obstacles.Â
So Omega will keep this feeling to herself. She will let it grow when the babies cry loudly and she comforts them. She will let it grow when they smile at her when she makes silly faces at them. She will let it grow when she worries about what will happen when they leave the lab.Â
She will let it grow when they leave.Â
And when the feeling is all she has left, because the babies are gone, she will keep it hidden and safe until she finds them again.Â
Because this feeling, like babies, is loud.Â
But she thinks it is what it means to feel alive.Â
And holding onto it even when it hurts is what it means to be strong.
Up Next...
Prompt: Holding Back Tears
Let me know if you'd like to be added to my tag list!
Tag List: @arctrooper69 @groguandthebadbatch @ezras-left-thumb @maeashryver @baddest-batchers @laughhardrunfastbekindsblog @omegafett99 @heidnspeak @fionas-frenzy @dreamsight73 @royallykt @blackseafoam @skellymom
#febuwhump2025#febuwhumpday1#vocal cords#vocal chords#Star Wars the bad batch#Star Wars#the bad batch#the bad batch au#au#alternate universe#cadet batch#cadet bach au#emotional whump#mentioned child death#tbb omega#omega pov#tbb hunter#tbb tech#tbb wrecker#tbb crosshair#siblings#children#cadets#whump#hurt/comfort#fics by kyber
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STAR WARS STICKER SHEETS: Clone Force 99 . 501st Legion . Ghost Crew
If you came here for nature art might I suggest my Instagram blackseafoam
â¨MASTERPOSTâ¨
Always happy to put people on my tag lists too, just let me know!
The Bad Batch
Prey (hunter, crosshair) . Wrecker . Our Kid (adult omega) . Fake Sleeping (Omega & Echo) . Air Show (Howzer & Hera) . Bandannaless Hunter . You Promise (Omega & Hunter) . Bald Bitchy Snipers (Aurra & Crosshair) . The Bird (Crosshair & Omega) . Return . RBF (Tech) . Droid Echo . All that matters (CH & Omega) . Tech & Kandria . Oldmn Hunter . Ghost Agents Outfit Hunter
The Bad Batch x Red Dead Redemption 2 crossover AU
Fic: Part 1 . Part 2 . Part 3 . Part 4 (coming soon)
Group Photo . Riding Lesson (Omega & Tech) . The Tech Turn . Tech & Phee Moment . Techâs Mullet . Bad Feeling . Gonky & Batcher are dogs . Borrowed Hat (Omega) . Pheeâs Horse . Karaoke (wrecker & omega) . Train Station Nap (Tech & Phee)
The Clone Wars
Wildness (Ahsoka) . GSFO (Tup) . Aurra Sing . Sideye Ahsoka . Blackout and Blair (Kelstare's Clone OCs) . Nerra (Waxer, Boil, Numa) . Echo . Choices (Cody) . âđ˝ (Echo). Trust Issues (echo) . đđź (Fives)
STAR WARS (other)
Kanan Slut Strands . Dume (Kanan & Loth Wolf) . Shin . Leia . Buried Alive (Ezra) . nowhere (Sabine) . Not your fault (Cassian & Maarva Andor) . Bo Katan . Darth Vader . Letâs Decorate! (RebelsxRO) . Droid cuddling (JFO)
Vessel Vesper (My Star Wars OCs)
Fic: Part 1
Ulvi Ref. CT-8424 Flinch Ref . Fern Ref (Older) . Topdeck Confessions (Flinch & Ulvi) . Ulvi Sketches . Fern meets Anya . Flinch gets adopted at 79's . Young Professor Motti . Lost . Oven Light . First Meeting . Survivorâs Guilt . Arachnophobia
Red Dead Redemption
Long Hair Arthur . Campfire Sean . Homestead John . Charles & Javier . Hosea . Bounty Hunter Sadie . Javier & Boaz . Sketchpage . LENNY . Kieran & Branwen . John . Sadie . John washed his Hair
#masterpost#I've never had enough fan art of specific things to make one of these until now#I feel so cool#all sfw#wholesome memes only
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You've Got To Be (Kid)ding Me
Ch. 1 // Ch. 2 // Ch. 3 // Ch. 4 // Ch. 5
Summary: Crosshair's paternal clone gene finally unlocks. Unfortunately, his husband doesn't possess the same gene.
Word Count: 2.9k
Crosshair had forgotten what the hum of a freighterâs engine sounded like and what the sky and the stars looked like when flying through hyperspace.
The last time heâd been in a ship like this, flying through hyperspace and hearing the hum of the engine was after Tantiss. After returning to that damned hell, after putting his brothers in danger, after losing his hand, after nearly losing everything, and after being reunited with Omega again.Â
The bittersweet memory of that night on the walkway in the rain made him swallow and clench his fist, willing it not to tremble as he tried to focus his thoughts on anything else. With his eyes closed, he did his best to steady his breathing and to relax in his seat, quietly hating the fact that even after all these years the thought of Tantiss still haunted him.Â
No matter what other people claimed, saying it was reasonable for him to still be affected from time to time, even after all these years; Crosshair couldnât help but feel upset at the fact. He felt as if something about him was still broken and no matter what, he couldnât be fixed. Time didnât heal all wounds, he knew that, and he couldnât help but feel stupid for hoping that maybe this once, it would.Â
But one thing was for sureâthe pain stung less. The nights werenât as restless, his thoughts werenât as loud, where his hand used to be didnât ache as much, and the silence wasnât as suffocating anymore. More than anything though, it was a lot easier to be vulnerable. To open up. To admit fault and ask for help. He didnât have to hold it all in anymore and he didnât have to bear the burdens and the worries of a soldier any longer. With stability, peace, a place to call home, and the full support of his family and then some, Crosshair knew that things were only going to get better from hereâeven if he knew heâd never completely heal.
âYouâve got a call cominâ in.âÂ
Echoâs voice cut through the thrum of the engine and Crosshairâs thoughts, pulling him back into the flash of hyperspace laid out in front of him. He was strapped into his seat, with Echo at the pilotâs chair and Emerie in the co-pilot chair, with Batcher sleeping at his feetâsnoring softly.Â
âMust be important.âÂ
Crosshair blinked and looked down to his comlink, where the attached holoprojector was ringing with an incoming call. The noise made him raise a brow as he reached for the device before he stood from his seat, making Echo and Emerie both look over at him and Batcher raise her head up.Â
âGive me a secondâŚâ Crosshair sighed, casting a glance back at his siblings as he excused himself from the cockpit, Batcher trailing after him.Â
Emerie nodded and turned back to her datapad while Echo chuckled in understanding, having a good idea of who was on the other end.Â
âBy all means, go ahead. Weâre still about an hour or so until Pantora anywaysâ Echo informed as he motioned for Crosshair to carry on.Â
At the heads up, Crosshair grunted in acknowledgement before he found a quiet place to answer his call. Even if nobody else was on the Remora except for him, Batcher, Emerie, and Echo, and he knew they wouldnât really tease or bother him, Crosshair still wanted some privacy away from prying eyes and eavesdropping ears.Â
As the comm continued to ring, Crosshair found refuge in the cargo hold, where he set the holoprojector down onto some crates before answering the call while Batcher waited eagerly by his side. Instantly, the call came through and he was met with the all too familiar grinning face of Tayâkaa Marr.
CONTINUE ON AO3 >>
#tbb#the bad batch#tbb crosshair#crosshair bad batch#oc: tay'kaa marr#sharpshooters#crosshair x oc#canon x oc#silly squad#silly squad secgen#my fics#max's masterpieces
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On Frozen Wings - Ch 4
Pairing: Crosshair x Hunter
Rating: 18+ only, Explicit
The squad settle on Pabu in a more permanent way, and Crosshair sends some very confusing signals (until he doesn't).
AO3
Hunterâs struggle to wakefulness was slow, a pleasant heaviness on his limbs, his surroundings soft.
That⌠was unusual.
He opened his eyes, taking in the dim room, gently lit with the morning glow behind drawn curtains. That was the second thing he noticed. The first, he was in bed alone.
Crosshairâs scent was at least two hoursâ old, and Hunter sighed into the pillow. His body ached pleasantly, his sluggishness suggesting heâd slept a full night. Couldnât remember the last time he did that.
The rest of him might be half-asleep, but his cock was at full attention, remembering what had happened before collapsing into the soft bed.
Frustrated, he got up and forced himself to dress finding whatever he could in the drawers, which ended up being an eggshell-colored top to match the trousers, along with a pair of dark undershorts. His old clothes and armor were gone, even his boots missing, and he could only surmise Crosshair was the reason.
After taking a leak and washing his face, giving up on trying to make his hair manageable, he stepped outside. Hunter breathed in the morning air, savoring it. He never got tired of the salty breeze, alive and warm in a way the Kaminoan sea had never been. Still, something about it was⌠comfortingly familiar. A better version of home.
He leaned against the railing, admiring the waking bustle below, but he wasnât alone for long.
âHello!â
Heâd heard her coming, but he still blinked slowly at the girl smiling up at him, a bowl of fruit in hand.
âMorning,â Hunter greeted, unsure. âSorry, Crosshair isnât here.â
âOh, I know.â Lyana smiled at him sweetly, as if she found his slowness amusing. âThis is for you.â
âMe?â
âMmhm.â
She offered up the bowl, and he had no choice but to take it. Hunter stared from her to the innocuous-looking fruit.
âYou⌠knew I was here?â
âOf course!â
She offered no further explanation, and Hunter was afraid to ask.
âThanks.â His response was warmer this time. âSay hi to your dad for me. Oh, and I might come by later, see if he needs anything while weâve got some downtime.â
âWill do! Bye, Mister Hunter!â
With a cheery wave, she disappeared around the corner. Hunter shook his head with a faint smile of sympathy for Shep. Omega was growing out of her energetic hurricane stage, but Hunter was more than a little apprehensive about soon having a teenager on his hands.
At least, he wouldnât have to raise her alone.
Hunter didnât know when Crosshair would be back, so he slipped on a pair of sandals that fit surprisingly well, and headed off to the Marauder, bowl in hand. He didnât plan on eating but ended up sneaking a few pieces for himself. He couldnât remember the last time heâd been actively hungry.
Omega and Wrecker were gathered at the lower gangplank when he found them, preparing to go down to the docks.
The hound was also there, and she hopped up and bounded toward him, forcing Hunter to dodge to the side in her effort to get at the fruit.
âAll right.â He laughed and patted her head crest. âSettle, girl.â
âSheâs just excited to see you,â Omega said, and then gave him a curious once-over at his different clothing. âYou were gone all night.â
âAh⌠yeahâŚâ
Hunter had no idea what to say, how to even start explaining whatever this thing was with Crosshair, and he looked at Wrecker in a wordless cry for help.
âUh,â Wrecker said, as equally elegant. âWherever it was, you look good! Er, well-rested! Yeah!â
Omega frowned at them both, and it was a little unsettling how the expression looked so much like a certain sniper.
Wrecker rallied as best he could, rubbing Batcherâs side where sheâd flopped down next to him.
âOh, yeah, thought I should tell ya. Crosshair left your stuff here before he took off.â He made a face. âWe spent all morning at the cleaner tryinâ to get our gear scrubbed. I swear, I can still taste that place.â
Hunter winced, both at the remembered odor, and at the thought that Crosshair had let him sleep in when he should have been helping.
In fact, it was starting to feel like Crosshair was avoiding him again.
âTook off? Where?â
Wrecker shrugged, and then got to his feet since Omega was done packing their supplies for the day. Wherever she went with Wrecker, whether to help out or explore, she always took snacks enough for him and Batcher.
âProbably where he always goes,â Wrecker added with a thoughtful look.
Ah. That would mean a hidden cove and a harried AZI.
âRight, thanks. For that, and for taking care of our gear.â
âYou got it, Sarge.â
Wrecker sent a little lopsided salute, and for some reason that set Batcher off, huffing excitedly and running around his legs, and she was joined by a smiling Omega waving goodbye to him.
Hunter returned it with a lift of his own hand, and once they were gone, he frowned up at the Marauder. Sure enough, his gear was inside, the clothes folded next to the armor pieces, cuirass, and helmet. By the way they were neatly creased, he could guess who had folded them.
He should put them on. They needed to be ready to don their armor at a momentâs notice, prepared for any situation.
He just⌠didnât feel like wearing it today. Tomorrow he would, and the day after that. But not today.
Hunter left the armor behind and went off in search of the cove that Crosshair had taken to as his firing range.
But⌠Crosshair wasnât there. And there wasnât any sign heâd been there that day, either.
Hunter briefly considered searching him outâthere were only so many places he could go on a small islandâbut he dismissed it. He needed to break this habit of trailing after him, and if Crosshair really wanted to find him, he would.
Besides, heâd already offered his time to Shep, and whatever the man needed done would be a good distraction.
It was, it turned out. Shep greeted him with his usual warm cheeriness, and his compliment at Hunterâs casual wear was enthusiastic enough to make his cheeks warm.
Huh. Between Wrecker and Shep, Hunter might actually believe he didnât look half-bad.
Hunter didnât need to worry that he would go the entire day without his sniper. He spotted Crosshair down at the eastern docks while on his way to pick up a couple of shipments of green Gabaki leaf.
Crosshair didnât notice him, too focused on his own task where he sat on the pier. Hunter couldnât tell what he was doing at first, but when he got closer, he spotted the basket of loose fiber twine, and the way Crosshair meticulously threaded and tied the strands together until they formed a taut rope.
Hunter had no idea where heâd learned to do that. Maybe he just had. The movements were fluid, graceful, and Hunter paused to watch, mesmerized.
At one point, Crosshair faulted as his right hand inevitably trembled, but instead of clenching his fist and frowning in an inward turn of frustration, he loosened his fingers and took a breath. Hunter watched, amazed, as Crosshair waited for the trembling to subside before he continued his task.
Seemed whatever Omega did while they were gone had helped, and Hunterâs lips tugged upward at the thought.
As if he could sense anyone having a nice thought in his direction, Crosshair narrowed his eyes and looked up.
Hunter quickly turned away, and with a large food trolley rolling down the boardwalk to block his view, he wasnât sure if Crosshair had spotted him. By the faint, tingling pressure at the back of his neck, Hunter guessed he hadnât succeeded.
He didnât want to distract Crosshair from his workâthatâs all. He didnât feel⌠unsteady about last night. It had been nice. Felt nice, too. And falling asleep next to Crosshair had been the most natural thing in the galaxy.
He just wasnât sure how Crosshair felt about it, and that was new. There was a time he thought he knew how Crosshair felt about everything.
Forcing his thoughts back to the task at hand, Hunter handed the woman at the dock the bag Shep had given him. From their feel, they were jewelry or shells and beads, and it wasnât unusual for such trades on the island. The economic system on Pabu relied on goodwill and gifts, rather than any kind of currency.
Hunter balanced the two crates of green Gabaki on his shoulder, his next stop the infirmary to drop off the medicinal herb. He didnât mind the walk, the chance to learn more of the island and enjoy the fresh breeze, but he wasnât sure about some of the looks he was getting. Most people ignored him or gave him a polite nod, but more than one person stared at him for longer than usual.
He frowned. Had he worn something he shouldnât? Something against etiquette, or wrong for the season or time of day. There didnât seem anything particularly special about his clothes, just that they were thinner and looser from what he usually wore.
The answer wasnât forthcoming, and Hunter tried to put it out of his mind as he continued his tasks. He didnât run into Crosshair the rest of the day, though once in a while something tugged at the back of his neck, a familiar feeling of being watched.
For lunch he stopped by the house, only to find it still empty. Hunter tried not to let that fact bother him, and he spent the rest of the day between running errands and checking in on folks who might need helpâpeople who lived alone, were older, or had medical issues.
Hunter also stopped by the house the former clone cadets shared. Stak, Mox, and Deke were all settling in well, better than he would have thought, but they were still young. They hadnât had a lifetime of being told their only use was to be a good, obedient soldier. And Hunter was grateful for that.
They certainly seemed more excited to see him than Omega and Wrecker were. Not that they minded Hunter there, they were just doing fine without him, combing the island for whatever treasures they could find (seashells seemed to be the choice of the day). Hunter felt a little like the odd man out.
With a small smile, he realized that was exactly it. His family was settling in, genuinely this time, and they didnât need him hovering over them like an overprotective gundark mother with a den of cubs.
It was a nice change, but still unfamiliar. He should⌠be fine with it. Not being needed.
Well, perhaps there was one thing left he could do.
That night, after having an extensive conversation over dinner with Shep, Hunter approached the Marauder, trying to fight down the grin and keep his face neutral. Wrecker, Omega, and the hound were there, having just finished their own meal. He felt a little guilty he hadnât eaten with them, but it was for good reason.
Still no Crosshair in sight, but he couldnât hide forever. After all, Hunter knew where he lived.
âAnd where do you think youâre going?â
Omega turned to him, halfway up the gangplank and fighting a yawn, and she fixed him with a confused frown. Yeah, he could definitely see the resemblance.
âTo⌠bed?â she tried. Even Wrecker was giving Hunter a look like heâd missed something crucial.
Hunterâs lips twitched, but he kept his sergeant-serious expression.
âGrab your stuff,â Hunter said, arms crossed as he looked between them. âBoth of you.â
Now they both looked a little concerned, and he shouldnât find this as amusing as he did. But he had to get his kicks somewhere, and theyâd forgive him when they saw what he had planned.
Wrecker must have seen something in his eyes, because suddenly he grinnedâheâd seen that pretend-sternness before, usually right before Hunter presented them with some new weapon or detonator, courtesy of the Republic experimental weapons division.
Itâd a long time since Hunter had a reason to gift them with a surprise, and with any luck, this one wouldnât explode.
Wreckerâs enthusiasm immediately infected Omega, and she went bounding into the ship ahead of him, both of them a whirlwind as they grabbed their meager belongings. They had to travel light while living on a ship.
Hopefully⌠that would soon change.
After they both left the ship, Hunter pressed a button on his comm to retract the gangplank and close the hatch. Omega watched with a questioning look, but Wrecker was far too eager to pay much attention, and the hound caught on to the joyful air, huffing and dancing circles around them.
Hunter winced a little. Heâd forgotten to mention Batcher in his conversation with Shep, but he figured the man knew she was inseparable from Omega. It would be fine. Probably.
He led them down the wide stairs that wrapped around the upper portion of the island, and then along one of the upper ledges where several smatterings of huts were dotted around in clusters.
One stood off alone and higher than the others, and Hunter noted the light was on inside. His stomach fluttered, but he didnât lead them toward that house, instead guiding them to a larger one that was nestled against the wall. It was close to the path winding to the other hut but gave enough distance for privacy.
It was perfect. He could only hope the others thought so as well as he opened the front door and stepped aside.
âGo on,â he finally said when neither of them moved.
The two shared a glance, as if two children unsure if they were allowed to open a present set before them, and Omega finally asked, âWhose house is this?â
âWellâŚâ The corners of his mouth twitched. âOurs. At least, it can be, if we wantââ
He didnât finish before the three of them, hound included, rushed inside.
Hunter followed at a slower pace, his smile no longer hidden. He leaned against one of the inner walls, just watching as they scoured the place. Heâd stopped by that evening to make sure it would even fit them all, and it would. It had been their good fortune to be empty at the time, the previous family having moved to a hut closer to the docks.
Hunter sensed it before he heard anythingâa familiar presence behind him, electrifying enough to cause the back of his neck to tingle.
âThey seem happy,â Crosshair drawled, his tone almost bored as he leaned inside the open doorway.
Hunter gave a small grunt, his eyes purposefully forward.
âYou gave me the idea, actually.â
âIs that so?â
His tone might be flat, but Hunter could hear the curiosity poking out from underneath.
âYeah. Figured if weâre going to stay here⌠then we should stay here.â
âNo more foot halfway out the door?â
Hunter glanced over his shoulder. Crosshair had him in his sights with his full attention, and Hunter swallowed.
Crosshair was asking about much more than just the housing situation.
Before Hunter could answerâand perhaps point out that he wasnât the one who kept vanishingâBatcher loped into the room, skidding to a stop just before Crosshair. She sat on her haunches and wagged her tail with sudden good behavior.
Crosshairâs face softened, and he patted the hound on her head. She gave a happy, canine grin and stood up just to plop against his legs, silently begging for more head pats. Hunter hadnât realized he could be envious of an animal.
âCrosshair!â Omega crowed with equal delight. âYouâre here!â
âOf course I am,â he answered, as if there was no other option. âI could hear you halfway down the mountain.â
Hunter winced. Fair enough, they had to work on their volume now that they had neighbors, Crosshair being one of them.
Omega frowned.
âWait, thereâs only three rooms. What about Crosshair?â
When Crosshair didnât immediately answer, Hunter glanced at him and was met with a raised brow, one that asked, You didnât tell her?
Hunter winced again, andâall right, he didnât mean to withhold information, it was an old habit. He should have mentioned Crosshairâs place. He just⌠hadnât.
âHe has his own house, up the path.â Before any other questions could be asked, Hunter added, âAnd the third room isnât for me. Itâs for Echo. He can have a room of his own when he visits.â
Omega frowned further, mirrored by Wrecker, and she asked the next question that froze Hunter in place.
âSo⌠where will you be sleeping?â
He found himself without an answer, his brain unhelpfully refusing to supply words. Instead, he looked at Crosshair as if for help. That was his first mistake.
Crosshairâs eyes sparkled.
âWith me.â
Well, he hadnât saved Hunter, so much as heâd slackened the line heâd tossed and let Hunter dangle further down the cliff.
âHe means, Iâll be staying at his place,â Hunter supplied weakly.
âOh.â Omega looked between them. âSo, you have lots of rooms too?â
âNo. Just the one.â
Crosshair wasnât even bothering to hide the mirth in his voice, and Hunterâs face had started to heat, grown worse when Wreckerâs brows rose in a way that meant he understood a little too much.
âAll right,â Hunter interceded when the silence grew too long, âgo on, unpack what you need for bed. You can stay upânot too late.â
He knew that instruction would be flouted by the poorly disguised innocent expressions, but that was all right. They deserved an all-nighter if it meant they got to enjoy their new living arrangements.
âAnd⌠Batcher can stay inside too?â Omega asked, hopeful, as if worried this was all a trick that would be taken away at a momentâs notice. Hearing her name, the hound joined in, and both of them stared up at him with big, sad eyes as Omega hugged her around the neck.
Hunter sighed. Just because he knew he was being manipulated didnât make it any less effective.
âYeah. Course she can.â
Omegaâs face brightened in triumph, but she quickly tamped it down with a contrite look that didnât fool anyone.
âAnd⌠Lyana can come visit? Maybe even stay the night?â
âIf itâs fine with Shep then itâs fine with me.â
âDeke, Stak, and Mox?â
Hunter hesitated this time. He had first-hand experience with the mischief young clones could get up to, whether or not they were still technically cadets.
ââŚYes to visiting, no to sleeping over.â
âAnd Phee?â
Hunter again hesitated. There was a time where heâd rather have thrown himself into the ocean than listen to one more of her tall tales. But⌠after everything that had happened, and the home theyâd made here, Hunter considered her one of them now.
âYeah,â he said softly, âand Phee.â
Omega launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
He blinked down at her before resting a hand on her head. Sheâd grown so much while theyâd been separatedâshe came up to his chest now, and he didnât know what to think about that. So much time lost with her, and Crosshair, andâŚ
âThank you,â she said, and the words tugged at a soft spot in his heart. He returned her smile and gave a nod of acknowledgement. When she detached herself from him, Hunterâs vision was suddenly filled with Wrecker, and he barely had time to prepare when the bigger clone picked him up in a crushing hug.
âYeah, thanks, Sarge!â
Hunter made a small noise, all he could do with his air cut off, and Wrecker set him down with a large grin. Well, at least heâd gotten out that annoying crick in his back.
As the two excitedly unpacked their few belongings, he watched with a sense of lightness he hadnât felt in a long time.
And then he got that feeling again, the tugging on the back of his neck. When he turned to look, Crosshair didnât bother to hide the fact he was staring.
Staring was a mild word for how Crosshair burned a hole through him, and the laser focus distracted him from the hand that encircled his wrist. Hunter was pulled out the door before he knew what was happening, but he followed along in the dark, willingly.
Hunter was barely inside the house before Crosshair slammed his palm over the locking mechanism. The door slid shut behind him, and Hunter was crowded against the door, back hitting the surface.
And then Crosshair was on him, greedy lips his neck as his hands roamed with a fervor that jolted Hunterâs hips.
Crosshairâs smug smirk was imprinted against his throat as he pressed him further against the surface, his armor a cruel barrier against Hunterâs loose clothing and suddenly sensitive skin.
He made some kind of noise, temporarily losing the ability to speak, and Crosshair took it as a sign to continue. Hunter didnât realize what he was about to do, even when Crosshair dropped to his knees, his brain finally catching up when he pulled his pants and undershorts around his thighs.
âCr-Crosshair,â he choked. âYou donât have to.â
Crosshair hummed thoughtfully, and then while meeting Hunterâs eye, he dragged his tongue along the underside of his painfully hard cock.
The sound punched out of Hunter was so unlike him, a desperate, weak whimper, and Crosshair grinned like the nexu he was.
âOh, I know.â Crosshair continued to run his tongue over his cock, little kitten-licks that would make Hunter confess to anything if this suddenly became an interrogation session. âBut the way you strutted around in that outfit all dayââ
Hunter whimpered again as Crosshair dragged his tongue over the dripping head of his cock.
âStrutted?!â His indignation was lost as he groaned.
âMmhmm.â Crosshair gently sucked on the head, and Hunter swore he could have seen stars. âShowing off that ass like youâre begging to be bent over the nearest surface. Which⌠if thatâs what you want, you could just ask.â
Hunter made another pathetic noise as Crosshair took more of him into his mouth, and it was an uphill battle trying to follow along with his words while he was being sucked into that wet heat. Stars, he wasnât going to last long like this.
When Hunter didnât give any sort of intelligible response, Crosshair pulled off his cock. The sniper frowned up at him as Hunter blinked, and his head cleared a little.
ââŚWhat?â
Maybe not that clear.
Crosshair frowned further, but there was an uncharacteristic softness in his eyes.
âHow do you want it?â Crosshair asked, and the unusual softness was in his tone too. âMe inside you? Or do you want to fuck me?â
It was like laying a table full of sweet cakes and fruit pies in front of Wrecker and asking where he wanted to start first. He was frozen in indecisionâeverything sounded damned good, and it was almost impossible to make what felt like an important choice with Crosshairâs mouth so close to his weeping cock.
âI⌠donno,â Hunter finally admitted. âI just want you.â
âMmm.â Crosshairâs hum wasnât helpful, his hand slowly massaging the base of Hunterâs cock even less so. âEver received a blowjob before?â
Hunter blinked.
âYou mean⌠other than right now?â
Crosshairâs low laugh sent a bolt through his already tense groin.
âOh, this? This is nothing.â And as if to prove his point, he dragged his tongue around the head, threatening to buckle Hunterâs knees.
âTh-then, no. Never had one.â
The look in Crosshairâs eyes was downright dangerous, predatory and sharp.
âGood.â
It was all the warning he got before Crosshair descended on him. He took his cock into his mouth and hollowed out his cheeks, at the same moment his hands stroked and pulled Hunterâs length, every part of him at Crosshairâs mercy.
Crosshair focused on his mission like he would any other, with an inhuman amount of focused patience and lethal determination. It was all Hunter could do to brace against the door and not lose his footing completely, though at one point, one of his hands found its way to Crosshairâs head.
Hunter hadnât realized how much he needed touch until recently, and he cradled the crown of his head, running his bare fingers over the short stubble. He suddenly missed the silver strands and the opportunity to run his hand though it like this. Crosshair never would have let him do this back then. He was pretty sure of that.
Though with the laser-focused determination on his cock, Hunter wasnât sure of much. Whatever this was with Crosshair, it didnât feel like a new, fleeting idea he was entertaining on a whim. It felt like a starving man finally given food after years of neglect.
Hunterâs whine was punctuated by a shout as Crosshair cupped his balls and gently kneaded them, and with a further nudging of Hunterâs thighs, the sniper found what he was looking for.
He couldnât get very far going in dry, but the pressure of Crosshairâs finger against the pucker of muscle was enough to arch Hunterâs back, and with a warning that was little more than a strangled whimper, Hunter came.
Crosshair didnât pull away or relent, instead swallowing everything Hunter gave and milked him for more. Tears prickled in his eyes at the overstimulation, but Crosshair wasnât satisfied until his balls were empty and nothing else would come out of his sore, twitching cock.
Hunter tried to catch his breath, one hand still on Crosshairâs head. He expected the sniper to slink away, make some snide comment before rebuilding whatever defenses heâd had to let down for this.
But Crosshair stayed where he was. Hunter experimentally cupped his face, and Crosshair leaned into his palm like a lonely animal starved for attention.
Hunter continued to hold him like that, enthralled by the soft absence of tension on Crosshairâs face, his eyes closing as Hunter stroked a thumb along his cheek. It was⌠sweet. Really sweet.
He didnât quite know how he wanted to go about this yet, but he was beginning to. He wanted to make Crosshair feel good. Not out a sense of guilt or obligation, but it did have to do with the complicated history between them. An apology and a promise. Making amends in a very unconventional way.
Hunter could have stayed like that forever, especially when Crosshair rested his cheek against his thigh, skin warm against bare skin. But then the sniper decided there was too much peace going on for his liking, and he leaned forward and dragged a lick across his soft cock.
Hunter twitched, and when Crosshair did it again, he knew it would take only a few more strokes of that wicked tongue to make him hard again.
âCrosshair.â
âMmm?â He sounded completely unbothered by Hunterâs tone of warning.
âYou gonna let me return the favor?â
Crosshair gave another lazy lick, this time along the junction between his length and his ballsâand yeah, Hunter was about to have the most sensitive hard-on in his life if he didnât stop this.
He managed to drag the lanky sniper to his feet, and instead of receiving an expected snarl, Crosshair just gave him a faint, smug smirk. There was also an interesting haze of pleasure to his eyes, as if heâd been the one coming down someoneâs throat, not Hunter.
But when Hunter reached for his codpiece, the pleasurable haze disappeared and was replaced by stubbornness, and he batted Hunterâs hand away.
âItâs not about favors, Hunter.â
âYeah, I know,â he said with his own frustrated huff. Why was it Crosshairâs damn lot in life to make everything so difficult? âBut I⌠but you needâŚâ
Crosshair raised his brows, and Hunter blundered his way through his increasing difficulty in talking.
âThatâs twice now for me, and you havenât come at all.â
The eyeroll was more dramatic than it needed to be, in Hunterâs opinion.
âIâm not accruing orgasm debt, Hunter. Itâs fine.â
Hunter scowled at any definition of fine where it ended up with him getting mind-numbing attention and Crosshair got nothing at all.
And then Hunter looked at him closer. Crosshair genuinely seemed fine, but that edge of need was still there in his scent. He clearly could use some relief, but he was pushing back and maintaining he didnât. How long could he keep that up? Why was being stubborn about it? Why didnât he just askâ
Ah. Thatâs why.
Hunterâs eyes narrowed, and Crosshairâs own smug look faded away, replaced by suspicion.
âFine,â Hunter eventually said, though he wasnât going to leave it at that. Not by a long shot. But since Crosshairâs wary look was becoming more and more intense, he added, âAt least take your damn armor off so we can go to bed.â
The wary look remained for a moment, and then his expression shifted, a small tug on his lips as his eyes glinted.
âYou like me in my armor,â he purred. âDonât pretend you didnât eye me up when I first put it on again. Like you were starving, and I was a tasty piece of meat.â
Hunterâs face fused with heat. So, yeah, seeing Crosshair in his old armor had been both a punch to the gut and a confusing rush to his groin. In fact, heâs fairly sure thatâs what had set him off, to seek out Crosshair and demand answers as to why he had returned. Though in hindsight, that hadnât been the true questionâit had always been about why Crosshair had left them. Never about why heâd come back.
Hunter had hoped the once-over heâd given the sniper under his own helmet had gone unnoticed. Apparently not.
And yes, Crosshair on his knees before Hunter, fully kitted out, was a memory vivid enough to make his head spin, but that was beside the point.
âYeah, well, I donât need that pauldron blade stabbing me in the eye,â Hunter grumbled, but it was all harmless fluff. An excuse to give Crosshair a stern side eye so they could both pretend this wasnât another new, strange step.
He was going to get to sleep next to Crosshair. Every night. In an actual bed.
The last few months of his life had been the worst, no contest. There had been moments when he hadnât seen it getting any better.
And then it had. And here they were, in a place that Hunter could easily see himself calling home.
He must have taken too long to strip off the rest of his clothes, because a presence suddenly leaned against his back, Crosshair resting his chin on his shoulder in a way that was somehow both devious and adorable.
âYou really have no idea,â he said, as if they were continuing from another conversation. âThe amount of people staring at your ass today.â
As if there was any question of the subject matter, he grabbed a handful of Hunterâs backside, and he nearly squeaked. Thankfully he hadnât, but the high-pitched moan that came out wasnât much better.
âAnd how would you know?â Hunter asked in an attempt to recover his dignity.
Crosshair seemed uninterested in shame or decency as his teeth clasped on the shell of Hunterâs ear, lightly nibbling.
âBecause I was also watching your ass, as you damn well know. Unless your senses have dulled over the years.â
He scowled, though the effect was lost with Crosshair at his back.
âThey havenât.â
And then Crosshair moved away, and Hunterâs shirt was pulled over his head before he knew it, and the sniper was herding him toward the bed. Crosshair was stripped down to his lower body glove, and when had he done that? Hunter must have been inside his own head longer than heâd thought to miss Crosshair removing all of his armor and half his suit.
Hunter also wasnât used to being pulled from those moments of blankly gazing at walls, not with Echo off with Rex, and Wrecker too anxious to snap him out of it. But Crosshair had never had a problem with politeness or decency when it came to Hunter.
He proved that now by practically bullying him into bed, and before Hunter could think to complain, the inviting softness of the blankets shut him up. The faint scent of Crosshair lingered on the sheets, and Hunted wanted to bury himself in them for that reason alone.
âSo,â he mumbled as he settled in, âyou like the clothes?â
Crosshair clicked his tongue against his teeth, but when he joined him on the bed, Hunter pulled him close like Wrecker used to with Lula. He made a noise of complaint that might have been a hiss, but Hunter ignored it and tugged him closer, resting his chin on top of Crosshairâs head.
The sniper eventually gave up, the defeated sigh leaving him in dramatic fashion, but he still looped an arm around Hunterâs waist, his breath warm and comforting against his neck.
âYes,â Crosshair finally relented. âThey look⌠nice.â
High praise from the sniper.
âGood to know.â
Something was still missing, and Hunter scooted his legs forward until he could intertwine them with Crosshairâs.
âHappy?â he drawled. âAny closer and Iâll be inside you.â
Hunter let out a laugh that was so low it was nearly a rumble.
Yeah. He was happy. And he would be even happier once he figured out a way to convince Crosshair that Hunter wanted to make him feel good. Heâd only been successful the once, and heâd caught Crosshair in a vulnerable moment.
He couldnât rely on that happening again, nor did he want to. But something else tugged at his mind about that moment. Crosshair would never ask Hunter for help. Not directly. He could find a way around that. He had yearsâ experience navigating Crosshairâs particular way of doing things, after all.
And they had nothing but time.
Next Chapter
#on frozen wings#crosshunt#crosshair x hunter#cloneshipping#the bad batch#tbb spoilers#tbb season 3#wolveria writes
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It's Not Your Fault Ch. 2
Summary:
âIf it was Omega, would you say itâs not a big deal?â Echo asks softly, shifting his weight. âIf it was Crosshair, or me, or anyone else?â Hunter works his jaw, looking to the sleeping pair in annoyance. âIâm not Omega.â âNo, you arenât. Youâre Hunter, our sergeant and our brother. We care about you, and we worry about you, the same way we all worry about each other.â
Notes: Progress is being made by all batchers!!
Warnings: Whump, trauma, major injuries, issues with eating, probably inaccurate medical discussions.
Rating/WC: T/4450 words
~~~
Tech is curled up again, tapping slowly at his datapad. Wrecker is still asleep, unmoving. He walks past both of them, striding over to Crosshairâs bed.Â
Cross looks up from Omega, watching Hunter. His mouth is set in a displeased frown; he isnât buying the act either. âSorry about that, Omega. Iâm back now. Are you hungry?â
Omega pries her face away from Crosshairâs chest, looking up at him. She nods, wiggling her way out of Crosshairâs arms and taking his hand again.Â
âHunter,â Cross drawls, right as Hunter is about to lead them out.Â
Hunter looks up, forcing a smile. âDid you need anything?â
Crosshair doesnât respond for several seconds, before he sighs and stands. âI want to go too.â
Hunter blinks in surprise, but nods quickly. âYeah-yeah, okay. Letâs go.â
Echo comes back in and sits at the chair beside Tech, watching the trio leave. Hunter pointedly ignores them both.
The mess hall on this ship is always half deserted, but never fully. Most of the people who use this rebel ship donât use it as a home base, only as an HQ. It houses mostly rogue clones like Rex, refugees from the Empire that donât have their own ships, and the occasional leaders of the rebellion who never want to stray too far from home base. Everyone else simply visits, or comes in for missions only.Â
Today, it is thankfully almost completely empty. There is a set of high ranking rebels discussing plans in low voices in the corner, and a few clones littered around which Hunter doesnât recognize, all sitting by themselves. Perfect.
Hunter leads them to the mess line, using one hand to lead Omega and the other to scoop food onto his own and Omegaâs trays. Crosshair follows silently, looking over his shoulder an almost worrying number of times. Hunter wonders if itâs simple paranoia, or if Crosshair is hearing something that isnât real.Â
âCan you hold your own tray?â Hunter asks Omega softly, making sure his voice doesnât carry. He can already feel curious eyes of the fellow clones watching over them, and he wants to minimize Omega and Crosshairâs discomfort as much as he can.Â
Omega nods, grabbing it. He balances his own tray and leads them to an empty table by a wall. He sits down with his back to the rest of the mess hall, allowing Cross to have the peace of mind that comes with a covered back. If anyone were to approach them, Hunter would hear it long before they got there.Â
They eat in silence for a long while, Omegaâs left hand on his right elbow, moving with him every time he has to move his arm to get another bite. Which isnât often; heâs more concerned with making sure she eats her own tray, and watching Crosshair out of the corner of his eye.Â
âHunter,â Crosshair murmurs, voice low but on edge. âIs that person staring at us?â
Hunter looks up from Omegaâs tray, looking around the room to find the person Cross is talking about. âWhere do you see them? Thereâs no one looking at us.â
âOh,â Crosshair says, and Hunter turns just in time to see him looking away from the entrance down at his plate.Â
âDo they look different?â Hunter asks, turning to encourage Omega to take another bite before looking back at Crosshair. âThe people in your hallucinations?â
âNo,â Cross answers shortly, stabbing another bite and chewing slowly as Hunter waits for elaboration. âIf I could tell the difference, I wouldnât have to ask, would I?â
Hunter chews on the inside of his cheek for a minute, doing his best to not show his annoyance. âTheyâll go away eventually,â Hunter clips, turning his attention back to Omega. âOnce all the drugs are out of your system completely and the detox stage is over.â
Omega puts her fork down, looking up at Hunter and then to his tray.Â
âHow much longer will they last, medic Hunter?â Crosshair drawls, sarcasm dripping from every word. âItâs already been a week.â
âI donât know,â Hunter says, scooping some food onto his own fork and letting it hover just above his tray. âThe actual medic said it can take a few weeks or even a month to completely detox, due to the levels of the drug in your system. It was a lot.â
Omega taps his wrist, and Hunter sighs and forces the bite into his mouth. He puts his fork down, trying to chew through the nausea and not let it get to him. Itâs just food, his body is made to consume it; why canât he just eat it like he used to?
âSo I could still have another two or three weeks of this?â Crosshair hisses, gripping his own fork hard enough it turns white.Â
âYes,â Hunter says, because Echo is the optimistic one and if Crosshair wanted optimism he would have eaten in the medbay like he usually does. âBut theyâll get easier to handle and further apart in appearance every day.â
Cross slams his fork on the table with a bang, and Omega whimpers and throws herself into Hunterâs side. Hunter just wraps an arm around her, pulling her closer and trying to make her feel as safe as possible. âSorry, Omega, I didnât mean to scare you,â Cross murmurs, looking down in shame and wrapping his arms around himself.Â
âI think it might be time to head back anyway,â Hunter says softly, petting Omega's hair to coax her out of his side. âItâs okay Omega, it was just Crosshair. Nothing scary. Nothing is going to hurt you.â
âYou havenât eaten much,â Crosshair says, looking between Omega and Hunterâs tray.
âNot hungry,â Hunter replies without thought, smiling when Omega pulls her face away to look up at Hunter. âThere you are. Ready to go back to the room?â
Omega nods, looking around to reassure herself where she is before grabbing onto Hunterâs hand.
âDo you ever eat?â Crosshair asks, narrowing his eyes. âBecause you donât eat with us in the medbay. When you take Omega here do you just watch her eat and then take her back?â
Hunter shoots him a look, before helping Omega stand. He stacks their trays so he can carry it on one hand, and stands up himself. âIâm not hungry right now, Crosshair, just drop it.â
Crosshair takes the trays from him, glaring at him as he pushes past to walk in front. Instead of taking it to the trash like Hunter was going to, he simply walks out of the room and starts heading towards the medbay.Â
Hunter sighs, looking down at Omega with a tired smile. âDo you want to go see Tech and Echo, or go to our quarters to take a nap?â
He had hoped the question would encourage her to speak, but she simply shrugs and holds his hand in a death grip.Â
âOkay. Letâs go check on the boys first, at least.â Hunter leads the way, and the walk there is uneventful. There arenât many people milling about, and there are no loud and sudden noises.Â
He opens the door to the medbay and frowns when he sees Echo and Crossair whispering in the far corner, Crosshair gesturing with the tray of food every once and a while. âEverything alright?â he calls, just loud enough to be heard but not so loud it scares Omega.
Echo looks over, a deep and disapproving frown in place. He walks over and smiles down at Omega, patting her head softly. âYou look tired, Omega. Why donât you curl up with Crosshair and help the both of you get a couple hours of sleep?â
Omegaâs heart starts to quicken, and she looks to Hunter with wide eyes.Â
âIâll be here,â he promises, squeezing her hand. âAll of us will be right here.â
Omega clings to his arm, biting her lip as she looks between Crosshair and Echo.Â
âItâs okay, Omega. Hunter will stay here the whole time and none of us will let anything happen to you. I promise.â Echo brushes some hair behind her ear, and Omega leans into the touch.Â
Crosshair has put the tray down and crawled into the medical cot, settling down for a nap he probably wonât take if Omega isnât there with him.
Omega takes a deep breath, and slowly lets go of Hunterâs hand. She looks up at him, and Hunter smiles reassuringly at her. âI wonât leave the room, I promise.â
Omega nods slowly, and then quickly makes her way across the room. Crosshair lifts the blanket and she dives in, cuddling into his side and turning to face Hunter and Echo. Crosshair puts a protective arm over her, and closes his eyes to either pretend or actually try to fall asleep.Â
Echo waits for Omegaâs eyes to shut and her yawning to stop, before turning to Hunter. âHave you not been eating?â                                 Â
Hunter sighs in annoyance. âI have been eating, just not a lot all at once. Look, Iâm sorry I blew up at you guys earlier; you donât have to start keeping tabs on me and worrying. You all have enough to worry about as it is.â
Echo frowns deeply, crossing his arms over his chest. âHunter, we all take care of each other. Itâs not your job alone to take care of us, and it isnât your job to neglect yourself.â
âIâm fine!â Hunter hisses, careful to keep his voice low enough the others wonât hear. âIâm not hurt; I didnât get blown up, I didnât get shot, I didnât break my back or hit my head, I wasnât tortured. Nothing happened to me, Iâm fine.â
âYou have survivor's guilt,â Echo argues, and holds his hand up when Hunter starts to argue. âNo, donât. You know what I mean. Youâre punishing yourself and blaming yourself because you didnât get injured when the rest of us did. And that makes you feel guilty, so youâre torturing yourself and hurting yourself to âmake up for itâ.â He uses air quotes on the last part, and Hunter scowls at him. âIt isnât your fault you didnât get hurt, and it isnât your fault we did. Itâs not your fault. You have to stop blaming yourself, to stop hurting yourself, if you really want to help us.â
Hunter shakes his head. âIâm not hurting myself, Echo. I just wasnât hungry. It happens from time to time. Youâre both blowing this way out of proportion.â
âCrosshair said that the only time you took a bite was when Omega encouraged you to,â Echo argues.Â
âBecause Iâm not hungry,â Hunter says, feeling so very tired suddenly. âItâs not deep, thereâs no hidden cry for help in it. Iâm just not hungry. I eat when Iâm hungry, I promise.â
âWhy arenât you hungry?â Echo challenges. âAre you getting sick?â
âNo, Iâm just-â Hunter sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. âI donât know why. Sometimes when I eat Iâm fine, I finish a whole plate. Sometimes Iâm only hungry enough for half, sometimes less. Sometimes I get nauseous when Iâm eating so I donât eat more than a couple bites. Itâs not a big deal, it only happens every once and a while.â
âIf it was Omega, would you say itâs not a big deal?â Echo asks softly, shifting his weight. âIf it was Crosshair, or me, or anyone else. Would you still say itâs not a big deal if Omega was skipping meals or only eating half?â
Hunter works his jaw, looking to the sleeping pair in annoyance. âIâm not Omega.â
âNo, you arenât. Youâre Hunter, our sergeant and our brother. We care about you, and we worry about you, the same way we all worry about each other.â
Hunter rubs at his temple, wishing he had some caf right now. A nap doesnât sound all that bad, if heâs being honest. If he could close his eyes without seeing everything heâs trying to escape. âYou donât need to worry about me, Echo. Iâm fine, I just-â
Echo suddenly moves to stand in front of Hunterâs line of sight, and he looks angrier than Hunter has seen from him in a very long time. âHunter, how are you supposed to protect us if youâre half dead?â
Hunterâs eyes widen, and he staggers a step backwards. âEcho-â
âNo, tell me. If Omega is in danger, how are you going to save her if youâre weak from exhaustion and hunger? How are you going to tell Crosshair his hallucinations arenât real if you canât keep your eyes open long enough to tell? How are you going to help with Techâs physical therapy if you arenât strong enough to hold his weight?â Echo steps closer, and Hunter feels like an animal being hunted. âTell me, Hunter. How is you killing yourself going to help you do your job? How will that benefit us?â
Hunter turns away from Echo, from his accusatory stare, breathing heavily as he glares at the floor. âIâm fine.âÂ
âFor now,â Echo says, letting Hunter have that. âWhat about in a week from now? Two? What about a month from now, when you havenât eaten or slept or worked out or done anything except look after us? You wanna know what youâll look like? Just look at Crosshair.â
Hunter balls his hands into fists, feeling the nausea return. âKark off.â
Echo scoffs, placing his hand on Hunterâs shoulder. âYouâre only saying that because you know Iâm right. Youâll be too weak to protect us soon, youâre working yourself down to the bone. You have to take care of yourself if you want to keep protecting us long term.â
Hunter finally turns back to Echo, his whole body shaking. Heâs almost at another breakdown, he can feel it. And he doesnât want to do that to any of them again. âWhat if something happens when Iâm asleep? What if I go take a shower, and she needs me?â
Echo finally gives him a sad smile, his anger seeming to drain away. âThen we can take care of it. Youâll be down the hall, not across the galaxy. If we need you, youâll be a few seconds away. Isnât a few hours where youâre asleep better than you being awake but too exhausted to do anything?â
Hunter looks to Omega and Crosshair over Echoâs shoulder, sighing deeply. âI donâtâŚâ
âYouâre worrying her,â Echo says softly, making Hunter look at him. âShe knows you arenât okay, and itâs giving her unnecessary anxiety. Us, too, you know. Youâre stressing me out.â Hunter flinches away from the accusation, looking down in guilt. âAll you have to do is take care of yourself too, and thatâll stop. Itâll help all of us get better.â
Hunter runs a hand over his face, and finally nods. âOkay. Okay, yeah. I get it now.â
Echo smiles, clapping Hunterâs shoulder gently. He politely doesnât say about time or point out how many ways he had to say it before Hunter accepted it. âGood. So youâll take care of yourself?â
Hunter nods, wrapping his arms over his chest and sniffing once. âWhen she wakes up, Iâll let you and Cross distract her for a while so I can shower. Iâll grab something to eat and then Iâll-Iâll figure out how to sleep. Maybe we can all stay in here together andâŚI dunno. Iâll figure it out.â
âIâll get some sleep after your shower, and when itâs your turn, Iâll keep Omega in here and you can sleep in the room. Away from the beeping and potential of being woken up by nightmares. Iâll watch her the whole time.â
âI donât know if sheâll be able to sleep without me beside her,â Hunter mumbles. âShe can barely exist without holding onto me.â
âSheâs going to have to learn how eventually, Hunter. If sheâs going to recover from what sheâs been through, sheâs going to have to do some difficult and scary things sometimes. But weâll be here to help her through them, and she will get better.â Echo squeezes Hunterâs shoulder, before dropping his hand. âYour tray is still over there, if you want to try and finish it now. Then you can shower when she wakes up and I can get my own sleep in.â
Hunter sighs, looking at the tray. âI wasnât putting on a brave face when it comes to that, I really donât feel hungry.â
âEat anyway,â Echo shrugs.Â
Hunter sighs and goes over to the tray, forcing himself to swallow every last bite. It tastes like shit, and he has to fight the urge to throw it all back up, but he gets through it.Â
Itâs only a few minutes after he finishes eating that Omegaâs eyes blink open. She finds Hunter quickly, and seems to relax immediately.Â
âHey, kid,â he murmurs softly, not wanting to wake up Crosshair if heâs actually asleep. âHow ya feeling?â
She nods and sleepily gives him a thumbs up.Â
âI finished my breakfast while you were asleep,â he tells her, pointing to his empty tray. She smiles at him, seemingly genuinely happy that heâs eaten. âWhen Cross wakes up, IâŚâ
Echo comes over, having seen that she woke up too. âMe and Cross are gonna stay with you in here, with Tech and Wrecker, and Hunter is gonna take a quick shower, okay?â Omegaâs eyes widen, and her breath starts to come quicker. ââCause he stinks really bad, doesnât he?â
It startles a laugh out of her, and she looks to Crosshair to make sure she didnât wake him up. But she laughed. She laughed, and Hunter was starting to wonder if she ever would again, but she did. She laughed. At his expense, sure, but he doesnât even care.Â
Echo grins at her, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. âAnd if that goes well, and youâre not scared, we might even let Hunter take his own little nap later in our room, while you sleep in here with us. You can even pick who you bunk up with, yeah? You could try to sleep in Crosshairâs cot again, or you could try in my cot over there. Just to try it out, âcause I wasnât there either, right? So if you wake up, youâll see me, and you can still know that youâre safe.â
Omega worries her lip between her teeth, looking between Hunter and Echo. ââCause Hunter canât sleep when Iâm there?â she asks softly.Â
âNo,â Hunter denies immediately, but Echo holds up his hand to stop Hunter.
âHe struggles to sleep, because he wants to make sure youâre okay and you donât need him. I think that if he knew you were taken care of, and that me and Cross were here to help if you needed anything, he could sleep a bit easier. Heâs just overprotective, is all. Itâs not because youâre there.â
Omega swallows thickly, but nods slowly. âWill you take me back to him if IâŚâ
Echo nods quickly. âWeâll go peek in on him as many times as you want. But hopefully you wonât need to, âcause youâll be asleep.â
Omega nods again, looking to Crosshairâs face again before looking back at Hunter. âYou can go shower now, if you want,â she says, and then her heart speeds up and she grips the blanket over them tightly. âBut-but a fast one, please.â
Hunter smiles at her, putting his hand over hers. âYou wonât even miss me, thatâs how fast Iâll be,â he promises.Â
Echo nods to Hunter, and grabs a stool to sit next to their bed. âThank you, Hunter,â he whispers, and pats Hunterâs arm as he stands.
âIâll be back soon,â he promises, patting Echoâs shoulder and heading towards the âfresher.
~
Hunter had trouble after the shower, feeling his exhaustion hit him in full force. He ate half of lunch and all of his dinner, keeping Omega awake and mostly entertained with the help of Crosshair. That part wasnât hard; the hard part was taking care of Tech without the help of Echo.Â
Tech doesnât blame Echo, he doesnât get annoyed with everything Echo does. He doesnât fight being fed by Echo like he does with Hunter. He lets Echo sit next to him and even hold his hand, he doesnât push Echo away and ignore him in favor of his datapad.Â
Crosshair took pity on him at some point, telling Hunter that he was having trouble with hearing things and wanted help. When Hunter had gotten over there, he whispered to Hunter that he would watch Tech and if he needed something he'd just let Hunter know.Â
But finally, Echo wakes up and comes back, checking on Tech for a few minutes before walking over to where Hunter and Omega and Cross are. âHey, guys,â he says softly.Â
Hunter smiles at him and nods. âEcho. Did you get enough sleep?â
âYeah,â he says, smiling back. âEverything okay in here?â
âTechâs eaten, Wrecker hasnât changed, me and Cross and Omega ate in the mess. Everything is going fine, all things considered.â Hunter stands up and stretches, looking back at Omega sleepily. âAre you sure youâre willing to try this, Omega?â
Omega bites her lip and looks between him and Echo, whoâs nodding at her encouragingly. She looks very nervous, but she finally nods and looks back to Hunter. âI can try. And-and I can come get you if I-â
âOf course,â Hunter is quick to reassure, putting a hand on her shoulder. âYou can get me as soon as you need me, okay? Iâll be a minute away the whole time.â
âBut we wonât need you,â Echo promises, squeezing Hunterâs shoulder. âBecause Omega is going to do great, and sheâll fall asleep quick and she wonât even notice you arenât here.â
Hunter smiles at them both, and then sighs softly. âOkay. Can you go check on Tech, and Iâll say goodnight?â Echo nods, shooting Omega one more reassuring smile. Hunter turns back to Omega. âHeâs right, you know. Crosshair will be here the whole time, and so will Echo and Tech.â And Wrecker, but he doesnât feel like pointing that out will help. âI promise, youâll be just fine.â
Omega sniffles but nods, crawling into Crosshairâs arms who had been watching silently. âSleep well, Hunter,â she whispers softly.Â
âYou too, Omega. Night, Cross,â he says, nodding to him.Â
âGoodnight, Hunter,â Crosshair mumbles.Â
Hunter turns and checks on Wrecker once more, making sure heâs still out and stable. He sighs and starts to head to the door.Â
âHunter?â Echo asks, and Hunter turns to him where heâs looking after Tech. âCan you come here a second?â
Hunter hesitates, but nods and detours to Techâs bed. âWhatâs up?â
Echo looks to Tech, nodding at him encouragingly. Tech sighs and holds out his datapad, looking at Hunter expectantly. âHeâs been working on this all day. He wants you to read it before you go to bed, but not in here.â
âHm,â Hunter says, looking down at it. Itâs still hovering over the instructions he gave Echo. âOkay,â he says, rubbing his thumb along the side of the device. He looks back up, smiling sadly at Tech. âIâll read it.âÂ
Tech nods once, before looking to Echo and signing get down to indicate heâs ready to lay down and sleep.Â
Hunter nods to them both and starts off towards their private quarters. He sits on his bed after locking the door, staring at the datapad without scrolling through it. He doesnât know if he wants to read it, doesnât know if he can handle it tonight. Heâs so tired.Â
But he said he would, so he sighs and rubs a hand over his face before scrolling past the instructions.Â
I am very angry with you, Hunter.Â
Hunter lets out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes. He wants to say thatâs enough for tonight, but he said he would. He said he would. Okay.Â
I am very angry with you, Hunter. I could not figure out why I was so angry at first. It has taken a lot of thinking and self reflection. Luckily, this past week has given me nothing but time to think and self reflect. (That was mostly a joke). At first, I thought I was angry at you because I blamed you for what happened to me. But I do not, and have never, blamed you for what happened. I made a calculated decision based on the information I had at the time, and given the chance to go back to that exact moment and try again, I would choose to do the same thing. Therefore, you cannot be blamed.Â
Then I began to wonder if I was mad at you despite this realization. I came to my conclusion earlier today when you looked at me the way you had been while doing my tests. Yes, I was still angry with you, and the feeling was very intense.Â
When Crosshair brought up that you have not been taking care of yourself, and you yelled at him about how everything was your fault, I finally figured it out. I am angry with you because I am angry that you blame yourself so thoroughly. We are a team, and we are all equals. You have said so, many times before. So why are you keeping all the blame for yourself when we all made our own decisions? I chose to shoot the car. Crosshair chose to warn us instead of fleeing and saving himself. You and Echo and Wrecker all chose to come back and save us, no matter the potential consequences, such as getting hurt. We made our own decisions, you did not make them for us.Â
Echo has told me what happened with Omega, as well. And even her capture was a result of her own decisions; her decision to leave the room you hid her inside and try and rescue you. That was her choice, and her consequences. If she had done what you told her to do, she would not have been captured.Â
You blaming yourself is what makes me so angry. If you put half as much effort into helping us recover as you did in feeling guilty, we would all be cured by now.Â
Take a nap and reread this if you need to. But stop spending so much time blaming yourself for the past and spend more time on helping us all get to the future.Â
Hunter has to reread it three times before heâs sure heâs read it right. Then he puts it down and lays down, staring up at the ceiling. He decides to take Techâs advice-heâll take a nap, and then think about it again when he wakes up.
#the bad batch#hunter bad batch#tech bad batch#echo bad batch#omega bad batch#crosshair bad batch#my writing#fanfic#tw: whump#tw: injury#tw: major injuries#tw: trauma
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Espionage | HunterxOC Story Ch. 2

Chapter 2: The Art of Seduction
Warnings: Suggestive Actions, language
Character art work is done by the Talented @xleintje!
Pfp is by @gt13tbbart
Widow and the Bad batch have gone on several missions since her reassignment to the Batchers. It took a while before they all had fully welcomed her on to the team, mainly it was Crosshair who had the issue. He didn't like the idea of reg much less a civilian joining them, but after a few successful missions due to Widows training in espionage, Cross learned to accept and quietly grumble to himself that she still didn't belong.
Widow had given all the guys training on stealth, undercover work. The batchers spent their time on each topic to fully grasp what was expected of them if they were to be put in said situation, little did they know that widow has a new lesson for them planned. The Art of Seduction, in widow's opinion it's fun to watch whom her target was in the field squirm.
Widow had no idea why she was so excited to see how these men would handle seducing her, she made it no secret that she wanted them to try their best with it. Maybe it was the thrill of not know what to expect? Or maybe it's because she's grown to have strong friendships with all of them for the most part, so naturally she wanted to see how this would play out.
She wasn't blind, Widow knows that Clone Force 99 doesn't look like a standard clone. They look different which was a refreshing change, not that she doesn't still have friends who are regs but it's nice to switch it up. Widow had been flirted with many men throughout the clone wars, each approach have been different from the other, so she was excited to see how these men would approach her. First was Wrecker, Widow honestly had no idea what to expect from him.
Wrecker makes his way to the red headed espionage specialist, just as he's about to speak up and try a pick up line he freeze's. Wrecker had a whole plan to use a cheesy pick up line to make her laugh, to casually lean against the wall in a sly manner. But when it came to his turn he froze looking at Widow with wide eye. It doesn't help that Widow was leaning up against a wall with her arms crossed against her chest, she's watching him with a small smirk on her face. She saw the brute clone freeze up on her and she slowly made her way to him, once she was in front of him she glances up at him.
"Wrecker you're overthinking it and putting to much pressure on yourself." She pauses "Think of it this way 'less is more'" she casually rest her hand on his forearm. This doesn't go unnoticed by Wrecker. "Yeah, well it's not like I'm ever going to need this type of thing." He looks away from her. "I've never been good in a stealth thing, plus it's not like anyone who looks like you would even try to flirt back with someone like me." Widow moves her hand from his forearm up to cup his cheek leading him to face her again."Hey, don't doubt yourself. You're just as skilled as your brothers are, you just have a different skill set " she smiled lightly at him.
Wrecker looks at her with a nod, he's still not feeling confident but he is feeling better about himself after she assured him of that. Widow pleases her hand that is on his face onto his shoulder, as she uses said arm to support her weight as she stood on her tip toes and whispered "what I need you to work on is confidence and not overthinking it."
Widow leans away retracting her arm from Wreckers shoulder. She goes back to her position on the wall leaning against it with her arms crossed once again. Nodding towards wrecker to take it easy as he sits down on one of the seats in the main part of the Havoc. She looks towards the three remaining men to pick her next target. She glances over each of them carefully, determining who would be the most entertaining for her. Her eyes land on Crosshair. With a smirk towards the sharpshooter Widow says "Alright Cross, show me what you got."
Crosshair walks over to widow, and he puts an arm above her head since he is a good few feet taller than her, he leans in closer to her where his lips are almost on her ear lobes.
"Knees. Now." He whispers In her ear as he pulls away and looks at her with a smirk and that damn toothpick in his mouth still.
Widow had to admit that for her personally, she would've been riled up with that remark from Cross. Problem is that she doesn't want to hear those words from him in particular. Widow looked up at him still having the same smirk on her face.
"Cross your trying to seduce and get information. Not fuck and let them get away." She states calmly as she walks away to stand near the cockpit door way s as she leans against it, arms still crossed. "You Cross need to work on being more personable, which I know is super difficult for you being you are a man of few words." She sighs "start with small questions then work your way up, the key is to make sure that you earn a little bit of their trust." She waves her hand upwards gesturing about the topic "Especially when they get intoxicated" she lets out a low whistle "that's the time to make sure you probe them for questions"
Widow takes her hand that she was talking with, and folds them back into her folded arms. She nods to cross her to go take a seat next to wrecker. He replies with a simple eye roll and a disgusted scoff as he rebelliously stands next to Wrecker. She can't help but roll her eyes at the action followed by a deep sigh.
"Cross for your sake you better hope we never have to put you in the field to seduce anyone" Hunter chimes in across the way earning a chuckle from everyone including Tech whose eyes have not once left his holo pad. Widow assumes he's doing as much research as he can on 'How to seduce a woman' widow gives him some more time, understanding that he has a harder time, expressing his feelings out, loud more than the others. She glances over to Hunter.
"You ready?" She asked, with a subtle head nod in her eyebrows raised quickly up and down, what she was not sure how to feel at the moment. Yes her and the Sergent are close compared to her relationship with the others, with them constantly strategizing to see what would be the best method for missions so that way clone force 99 could keep their hundred percent completion for every mission they have gone on. She feels eager and nervous at the same time, because yes she is attracted to him in every aspect, that she would find herself scolding her self for getting too close because she knows if she were to get too close to the group then her point of leaving the 501st would have been pointless. Plus it helps that none of the men In the bad batch look like Regs, she was very grateful for this. The Sargent stands up straight and walks over to her very confidently. Once he reaches her, he stands beside her closely leaning against the wall on his side, he says "Look I'm not really sure the boys are up for this" he says gently as Widow turns her head to look up towards Hunter. She can see the playfulness in his eye, mixed with a glint of excitement. She glances down at the floor for a moment in attempt to hide her smile. And she turns her head up to look towards Hunter. Her hair is falling slightly in her face and Hunter, takes one of his hands up to tuck some of her hair behind her ear, with a very caring smile on his face.
Hunter knows what he is doing as he keeps his hand at the base of her neck once he finishes tucking her hair back. He can hear her heart beat quicken at the action, the heat that is radiating off her cheeks is intense to Hunter, but he doesn't mind because he knows what he's doing is working. Widow turns her body to fully face, hunter, and her arms that are crossed across her chest now drop to where she is holding her hands towards the front of her stomach as she clasped her fingers together.
"Oh yeah? What makes you say that?" Widow asked teasingly, silently enjoying the closeness they are sharing together. She knows this is a big deal to him, especially with his heightened senses, because she knows he can smell everything around him, and with him being this close proximity to her, she knows he feels overwhelmed, especially with him, touching her body this way, he must be feeling really overstimulated. She really appreciates the effort that he is putting towards learning this part of the training she has set up but she can't help but feel that he is also silently enjoying this as well.
Hunter leans his head Down to meet her eye level and looks her dead in the eyes as he says "they're used to seducing girls, not women." He says smoothly, as Widow has to bite back the urge to devour him right there and then. She settles for unfolding her arms as she places one on her hip and one resting at her side. She was about to get lost until she shook her head and realized what was happening, and looks at Hunter with a very surprised face as she shakes her head and amazement and disbelief that he was able to get through to her was such a little ease.
"You're experienced in this aren't you Sargent" she asked him not breaking eye contact with the Sergeant that is standing before her. He sends her a close, sly smile in acknowledgment to her question, telling widow, all she needs to know about his experience.
Widow smiles understanding the situation. They are both in together and makes a quick decision to make this a little bit more challenging for Hunter or at least she hopes it's challenging for him, because if it's not, he may as will be leading her, in the art of seduction.
"Well, since you have had so much experience with this, then kiss me"Â that bold statement, Widow casually said and that caught the attention of every single member of the bad batch that is on board the ship right now, including tech, who looked up from his holo pad. She could instantly tell Hunter was nervous about that, the way he looked at her when she made the statement the smile dropped from his face, his eyes started to look filled with worry, his hands tensed up on the side of her neck. 'Got him' she thinks to herself. " Trust me, Hunter, it's all a part of the lesson, part of the art of seduction, is sometimes showing affection towards a Target, because if you're able to gain the trust of someone to the point of where they will allow you to kiss them, you have them in your grasp. You could practically milk them for all the information they have. Especially since you have the confidence on already talking like that to someone" she explains to him. She can see that he is carefully taking in every single word she is saying so that way he can better understand what he would need to do just in case he were ever to need it in the future.
Hunter nods in agreement and leans into to give widow a gentle, big quick peck on the lips. She could tell he was not confident in that at all he is holding back, and she knew that would not fly when it came to being in the field.
"Have you had intercourse before?" Widow questions him in shock of how the kiss was so simple and quick for someone who was so confident in walking over to her and getting her to drop her guard almost instantly. Hunter looks at her in disbelief and added shock at the boldness of her question. "You know what?" He pauses "You're crazy." In shocked he pauses again "This is crazy. I don't have to take lessons."
Widow nods as she understands he needs a push and simply says "Maybe I picked the wrong team member to try to kiss me. I'll get Crosshair back ove-" she is cut off as Hunter takes both of his hands to cup either side of her face as he leans in a kisses her, their lips are gliding slowly together as they are understanding each other and how they can start to work together. His lips were chapped which wasn't surprising to Widow, she had a feeling they would be slightly rough against her own lips, not that she was complaining but she knew that she would need air seeing as how they have yet to break apart. She brings her hands to his neck as she intertwines her hands behind his neck, as they are about to break apart, a loud "ahem" came from behind them, causing them to break apart and for them to look at each other in shock of their own actions of not breaking the kiss sooner. They both let go of each other almost instantly as soon as they remembered they were in the presence of the rest of clone force 99.
"Very good Hunter" widow manages to say with a sigh at the end of her sentence.
"That looked like more than a 'Very good' from the interaction you just had widow" Tech said bluntly to widow, shifting uncomfortably in the spot he stood in. Widow knew that everyone in the ship had seen what just happened and knew that they All had different reactions to it. Crosshair was scowling at her but his eyes told her that he was slightly surprised, wreckers jaw hung open seeing that and simply saying "OH YEAH! Way to go Serge!", widow couldn't help but smirk at the statement. Widows gaze never left Hunter and like wise for the Sergeant standing before her. She takes a shaky breath and nods her head towards the seats that his Vods are currently either standing by or sitting by. She doesn't trust herself to make a coherent sentence towards Hunter at that moment.
Once he takes a seat next to wrecker, he is instantly greeted with a slap on the back from the brute of the squad and a loud "HOW WAS IT!? It looked like you guys wouldn't have stopped!" Wrecker laughed loudly clearly excited for his Vod. Hunter leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees as he cradles his head trying to figure out what just happened and why he wanted more of her. Widow fixes her posture going back to her back, leaning against the wall. Her arms are crossed over her chest once again, as she is looking over to tech.
" All right you're the last one up Tech! Let's see what you got" The goggled clone looks up to Widow, he places his data pad Down on the seat next to Hunter, he makes his way towards her. "The purpose of this is to simply get your trust, have you unfold your arms and kiss you to conclude this first lesson." He states matter of factly. Widow could not help herself, but to smile at the intelligent, clone and laugh lightly. She nods her head in agreement as she says "Yes Tech, that is essentially the gist of the lesson for today." She chuckles.
"I see" he states matter of factly. "I do not feel I am properly acquainted with the knowledge to properly do this lesson." Widow nods as she understands. She told the men from day, one that she would never force them into something that they are not comfortable with, and she can tell the tech is not comfortable with us based on the way he is procrastinating. He is usually the first one to make sure that all the facts are correct For the lesson that is getting ready to be for that day, but she could tell he had little to no confidence in himself for this particular lesson and she could not blame him.
" Like I said tech from day one I will never force you into something you are uncomfortable with, so if you choose to pass on this lesson, then we will no longer speak of it anymore to you." She says calmly to him, to reassure him that there is no pressure. As she lowers her her arms to address the others in the Havoc, Tech takes the opportunity to wrap his arm around her waist and to have the other hand cup her jaw as he leans into kiss her. This kiss was nothing like how hunter kissed her though, this one was soft, gentle and over shortly after it started, meanwhile, hunters was passionate, hungry and desirable, leaving Widow wanting more from Hunter. The others watched in disbelief, including Hunter who raised his head up to see how the situation play out, not believing their brother had the guts to catch her off guard to kiss her like that.
As tech walks away, nonchalantly from her, going back to his data pad and typing ferociously on it, he left widow standing there with her mouth opened in disbelief, she scoffs in disbelief and laughs out "You cheeky, sneaky man, well played!" She smiles to Tech across the way.
Tech nearly looks up and states "I understood the objective and completed it." With that he goes back to his data pad. "All right men well, I think that is enough for today. I am going to go sit up in the gunner seat decompress and just take the rest of the day to relax and see what we can do for dinner later. Sound good?" Widow says as she makes her way up to the ladder to think about what had happened between her and the Sergeant today.
A/N: I didn't mean for this chapter to be this long, but I got really carried away on it as you guys can tell. The kiss between widow and hunter was inspiration from Chuck Season 2 Episode 2 Chuck Versus The Seduction. I wanted to go ahead and establish the blooming relationship between hunter and widow early so that way we know that there are feelings there. Side note: Yes I will bring In Echo but I wanted to establish this before Season 7 of clone wars!
#bad batch hunter#tbb fanart#hunter x reader#hunter#sw tbb#tbb tech#tbb crosshair#the bad batch#clone force 99#star wars the bad batch#star wars smut
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âWhat were the Jedi like?â Jaxen asks. Heâs wary, always, of those who have power, no matter what they do with it.
Bruiser wants to reach out and touch the scar on Jaxenâs neck, that angry red slash against pale skin, the delicate stitches pulling it shut â but they donât. They say, âGood.â
âNobodyâs just good,â Jaxen says.
Bruiser leans back, clasping hands together. Their tattoos, the bones outlined on their hands, each phalange and metacarpal, are nothing compared to the snakes that coil around the entirety of Jaxenâs body. They say, âThe Jedi were.â
Jaxen scoffs and leans back, smoke trailing into the sky.
âThose things will kill you,â Bruiser says.
âOh, thereâs a lot of other things thatâll kill me before this. Tell me about your Jedi.â
Bruiser thinks about the Temple before its destruction, about Quinlan Vos and Commander Fox, about Faye Luvex and Kyrian Dentuullucha and Ahsoka Tano, about the luminescent stripes that paint their faces and that look in their eyes as they do impossible things. They say, âYouâve been down in the Abyss, right?â
Jaxen nods.
âWhen youâre down there on the edges of the ancient reservoirs, the ones that are the remnants of millennia-old buildings, and thereâs cultures of bacteria down there that probably donât exist anywhere else and the water is too deep and dark for anyone to really know how deep it actually is because it destroys anyone who tries, and you can feel it, that thereâs one of those huge monsters swimming underneath â one of the big fish, one of the ones thatâs older than most of the government probably, that could swallow you whole and not even notice it. And you get the sense that youâre standing onâŚyouâre standing on the edge of history, or something. Like youâre standing there â youâre standing there, and, well, it might be different for us clones, but itâs terrifying. Itâs like youâre alone, more alone than anyone in the world, but also like youâll never be lonely again, not in the face of something so immense. But the Jedi just stare into it â you can see it in their eyes, what it is to them. Thereâs light that shines from them, and they revel in it, the reflection on the water and the Force and on â on the vastness of time. It wasnât so vast to them, I donât think. Isnât so vast.â
Jaxen is watching them, the corner of his mouth quirking up.
Bruiser clears their throat. âThe Jedi were beautiful. They were something beautiful in a world that was trying to kill everything lovely.â
Jaxen doesnât say anything.
Bruiser glances down at their hands, picking at the edges of their nails, painted purple to match their hair by one of the street kids. They say, âSorry. Iâm not so good at talking.â
Jaxen shrugs. Then, âYou were the one who did my stitches, right?â
Bruiser looks down. âYeah.â
âYes,â Jaxen agrees, and smiles, full of teeth like he doesnât know how to do it without the threat of a snarl. âThings are beautiful because theyâre terrifying.â
#bruh idk what this is#having the vibes#i wanted to write these ocs#my writing#mine#sw#star wars fanfic#specific to my au but like#eldritch jedi#kinda?#my ocs#oc: jaxen darksky#oc: clone medic bruiser#bruisers a sweetheart#and theyre batchers with dreamer and kix!#jaxen likes them but doesnt know how to tell them#wip: how i long to grow old#oc ch: coruscant rebels
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Stardust Reblog Challenge November
2nd:
In the Middle of the Night - Wolffe x Reader by: @arctrooper69 SFW
Lovers, Sinners & Saints - Tech x F!Reader x Crosshair by: @eyecandyeoz NSFW
Morning Love - TBB/Fives/Rex x F!Reader Spicy HC`s by: @zoeykallus NSFW
Sexting - Rex x F!Reader by: @twistedstitcher27 NSFW
A Brothers Duty - Rex & Ahsoka Tano by: @wild-karrde SFW
I`m Your Bookie Man - Poe Dameron x F!Reader by: @interstellarwraith SFW
Room LoV3*** - Wrecker x F!Reader by: @nahoney22 NSFW
Late Night Snack - Rex and Torrent Company by: @ladysongmaster SFW
Sun and Rain Part 2: Age of the Empire - Hunter x F!OC by: @photogirl894
The Light Between Oceans Ch.5 - Rex x F!Reader by: @rowansparrow Teen Rating
Helmet Kisses - TBB /Rex/Fives & Howzer x GN!Reader by: @nahoney22 SFW
Speaking Mando`a - TBB x Reader HCs by: @zoeykallus SFW
Spooky Batchers - TBB x F!Reader by: @nahoney22 SFW
Clone Trooper Rambles - Toast by: @wanderinginksplot SFW
A Ghost From the Past - TBB/Rex/Maul x F!Reader by: @zoeykallus SFW
All Dolled Up - Tech x Reader by: @eyecandyeoz SFW
3rd:
Sun and Rain, Age of the Empire Part 2 - Hunter x F!OC by: @photogirl894 SFW
The Sweet Sound of a Heartbeat - TBB x Reader HC`s by: @zoeykallus SFW
Nightrobe HC`s for TBB by: @zoeykallus SFW
Jedi Come Down - Obi Wan Kenobi by: @arctrooper69 SFW
Brains are Beautiful - TBB x Intelligent Reader HC`s by: @zoeykallus SFW
Life After the Green - Ezra x F!Reader by: @absurdthirst and @storiesofthefandomlovers NSFW
In More Ways then One - TBB x F!Reader Part 6 - Hunter by: @madameminor NSFW
A Private Performance - TBB x F!Reader Spicy HC`s by: @zoeykallus NSFW
Under the Helmet - TBB x Reader HC`s by: @zoeykallus SFW
Dont Want to Be a Burden - TBB/Dogma/Howzer x Reader HC`s by: @zoeykallus SFW
A Man After Midnight - Din Djarin x F!Reader by: @interstellarwraith SFW
Sun and Rain : Age of the Empire Ch. 3 - Hunter x F!OC by: @photogirl894 SFW
Finding Love at 30K Feet - Frankie Morales x F!Reader by: @musings-of-a-rose SFW
8th:
Small Towns & Second Chances - Steve Murphy x F!Reader by: @wardenparker & @absurdthirst NSFW
House of Sins & Pleasures: VI - Oberyn Martell x F!Reader by: @princessxkenobi NSFW
The Matter of Stars - Poe Dameron x F!Reader by: @interstellarwraith SFW
I Can Feel Your Gaze - Crosshair x F!Reader by: @zoeykallus SFW
Ashen Moon - Kylo Ren x F!Reader by: @interstellarwraith SFW
Lost and Found - Rex x F!Reader by: @nahoney22 SFW
The Light Between Oceans: Chapter 6 - Rex x F!Reader by: @rowansparrow SFW
This is Awkward... TBB x F!Reader fun HC`s by : @zoeykallus SFW
The Flower of the Lanes - Silco x F!OC by: @photogirl894 SFW
Enemy Mine 7 - Hunter x F!Reader by: @zoeykallus SFW
Fennec Shand x F!Reader by: @wild-karrde NSFW
Impractical Jokesters - Crosshair x F!Reader by: @arctrooper69 SFW
His Secret - Crosshair x F!Reader by: @nahoney22 SFW
Order 66 - TBB x Jedi!Reader - by: @zoeykallus SFW
Taglist: @imabeautifulbutterfly@chaoticvampirejedi@hellothere-generalangsty@cyroku@reluctant-mandalore@uponrightful@zinzinina@saradika@galacticgraffiti@ashotofspotchka@dindjarindiaries@dinbeskarbaby@djarrex@djarinsbeskar@rowansparrow@photogirl894@rigelmoonshine@rigel-the-moonstrider@nahoney22@loth-wolffe@neon-junkie@bobafetts-princess@cyarbika@charnelhouse@zoeykallus@kin-rokku@jgvfhl@honestly-shite@here-comes-the-moose@dindjarindiaries@firstofficerwiggles@fictional-men-ruin-lives @ladysongmaster @lozalot @moonstrider9904@lorjukka@m-o-o-n-s-g-o-o-n-s @rain-on-kamino @monako-jinn-stories @middimidoris @wild-karrde @cross-my-heartt
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The Space In Between: Ch. 7
Fears & Fevers (Part 1)
Omega is sick. She proceeds to panic.
Set between S1E10 and S1E11
**SPOILER WARNING: Some references to pre-S1E11 events**
Ch. 1-3 (Chaos & Control): Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 Ch. 4-6 (Hushed Whispers): Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 Ch. 7-? (Fears & Fevers): Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Coming Soon
Omega stared doggedly down at her boots as they trudged through the undergrowth. All of her willpower focused on forcing her feet to move, each step a concerted effort. At this point, it felt more like wading through thick tar than brittle leaf litter.
One foot. In front of the other. Keep going. Don't trip.
This is what she had wished for. To be brought on the missions. To be part of the team. If she wanted it to stay that way, she knew she had to hustle.
Her game of dejarik against Hunter had been an infuriatingly close win, but even so, she wasn't about to give him any reason to back out of their deal. No. She was determined to prove her worth. Prove that she could be just as tough, as fast, as fearless as the rest of them. Prove that she was good enough... to be a Batcher.
No matter... how tired she was, no matter... how much she ached.
Fortunately, the prospect of being left behind again⌠was a very good motivator.
One foot. Then another. Keep up. Don't fall behind.
Flanked on all sides by the rustling sounds of the Batch hiking in tandem around her, she concentrated on following Hunter's path. His footprints were evident, even to her novice skill, pressed lightly into the vegetative carpet of the forest floor.
Unable to help herself, she briefly marvelled at how pretty the fallen leaves were. They were huge. Flat and broad, with spiky edges and spiderweb veins, auburn like the setting suns. Even these ones, dry, dead, and crunching underfoot, were beautiful. She imagined that those alighting the enormous trees around them must be even more vibrant and spectacular, but she couldn't bear to lift her head to admire them.
For some reason, the sky was sharp today, and it hurt to look up at it.
Not seeing Hunter's 'hold position' signal, she yelped with surprise as she ran face-first into the rear of his armour and was knocked clean off her feet. Tumbling ungracefully onto her backside, she hissed as her palms scraped across the gnarled roots of a tree, and her tailbone bore the brunt of the impact. A jolt of pain rocketed up her spine and she clutched at her head, afraid it was about to pop off. She hadn't even bumped into him that hard, but there was a pressure mounting in the base of her skull that seemed to suggest otherwise.
She moaned as Wrecker's voice bellowed in her ear. "Hey, you alright, kid??"
Wincing, she opened her eyes, and they immediately grew wide at the sight that greeted her. They were⌠back on the Havoc Marauder.
Wait⌠when did we--?
"How's that knock to the noggin' treatin' ya? Hah, I've been there, kid". Wrecker was hunkered down in front of her, grinning at her sympathetically.
She was sitting in the common room, but when she tried to recall how she got there, she was met with an impenetrable wall of fog. A stinging sensation came into focus and she looked down at her hands to find them cleaned and dressed with a few small Bacta patches. Omega glared at them with utter confusion, as if they belonged to someone else.
What--?
"Omega?"
She blinked, and suddenly Wrecker was gone. In his place was Echo, holding a ration bar and fixing her with a wearisome expression, as if he had been standing there attempting to get her attention for half a rotation. Glancing around, she found herself cross-legged on the floor at the base of the Gunner's nest with crayons and blank sheets of flimsi in her lap.
When did I�
Her head throbbed to the rhythm of her pulse. Weakly, she rubbed her temple and wondered what was wrong with her.
There was a clunk as Echo knelt down in front of her, the sound of his mechanical knee against the durasteel deck. He sighed heavily, and she sensed a lecture incoming.
"We've talked about this, Omega," he said, not unkindly. "You can't just not eat".
Oh⌠it's time for dinner already?
Finally catching up to the present, she pouted at the floor and crossed her arms over her chest. Ever since Echo had figured out that she was skipping meals to keep herself awake at night, he had taken it upon himself to break the bad habit. Bizarrely, despite having new - and much better - ways of coping with the nightmares now, she still found it difficult to manage a full portion. Tech had rationalised that she may have formed a negative association with the plain foodstuffs, making the rehabilitation process more challenging. Gratefully, Echo's strategy was humane and empathetic, having recovered from a prolonged period of starvation himself. It involved increasing the amount of her end-of-rotation ration very gradually, in manageable increments.
She glanced at the three-quarter sized bar he was holding and groaned. He was stepping it up today, and his timing couldn't have been worse. Ordinarily, she might have put up a fight, but as she went to muster an argument, she found herself completely devoid of the energy to do so. Sighing with defeat, she reached out, palm up, to accept the ration.
Echo placed the bar in her grasp and then gave her upper arm a squeeze of encouragement. The very weight of it in her hand made her want to cry, but she didn't want to disappoint Echo. As soon as she brought it to her face, however, she found herself inches away from trying to take a bite out of Tech's soldering iron instead.
Omega gawped at it, flustered with befuddlement.
I don't--
She looked up. Tech was beside her, seated in the pilot's chair, rewiring a broken comms device with deft fingers and happily oblivious to her sudden disorientation. Her arm shot out to brace herself against the back of the chair as her head reeled with dizzying turbulence.
How⌠did she end up in the cockpit?
In the process of adjusting to her new setting, she became aware of a churning sensation in her centre. As if mere acknowledgement had awoken it, like some angry beast, her stomach twisted with cruel intent and she nearly doubled over. Stifling a gurgle, she snatched at her tummy, trying in vain to somehow restrain it from performing wild backflips inside her. It was not the empty nor anxious feeling she was uncomfortably familiar with. This was a noxious pang, as if her brain was convinced she had imbibed a poison and was determined to rescue her from it.
Had she eaten that entire thing? How long ago had that been?
A warning signal went off on the dashboard, close behind her, and Omega grimaced as the sound blared in her over-sensitive ears.
My headâŚ
"Miss Omega, would you mind disabling that alarm?" Tech muttered, reluctant to deprive his present task any degree of his attention. "The starboard seismic sensor is misaligned and the Marauder will not stop hassling me about it". He gave a short grunt of annoyance. "It is not as if I can climb out and adjust it while we are in hyperspace," he huffed under his breath, more to himself.
Omega knew where the deactivation switch was, but as she turned towards it, the bright lights of the console bit savagely into her eyes, and she gasped aloud with the pain that lanced through her skull from front to back. Quickly, she attempted to dilute the agony with the relative darkness offered by the crook of her elbow.
A warmth loomed near as Tech leaned over her to flick a toggle, and the warbling siren was immediately silenced. Then, she felt Tech's gloved fingers pry the soldering iron from her white-knuckled grip before clasping her arm and gently dragging it away from her face. She kept her eyes firmly shut.
"Omega, what is the matter?"
A rising heat flushed her cheeks and hot tears prickled behind her eyelids.
Don't cryâŚDON'T cry.
He swept his hand under her fringe to expose her forehead, as if looking for a bump or a bruise. "Does your head still hurt? Perhaps I should reassess you for a concussion--"
"N-no! I-it's nothing, really," she stuttered with embarrassment, balling her hands into fists to scrub over her eyeballs. "'m just tiredâŚ".
It might have been the truth. She honestly had no idea.
Surely, that was it. Surely, she was just tiredâŚ
"Then I think it is time for your sleep cycle, ad'ika". Gingerly, he captured her hand and she allowed herself to be lead down the gangway. Eyes still closed, she begged her feet not to stumble on smooth steel, or on thin air for that matter.
One footâŚin front...of the other⌠Don'tâŚtrip.
"Do you require assistance with the ladder?" Tech asked when they arrived at the Gunner's mount.
"No," Omega mumbled unconvincingly. Blearily, she attempted to navigate the rungs without divulging the pathetic weakness of her limbs. Clearly, she failed in that endeavour, as Tech decided to boost her up the last part of the way. Grateful that her fairy lights were switched off, she crawled two paces onto the cushioned platform before collapsing onto her side with a loud sigh.
"I⌠am going to fetch Hunter," she heard Tech say with a tone of concern, though she could not fathom as to why, and within the space of a millisecond, Hunter seemingly materialised out of nothing. Perched on the lip of the Gunner's mount, leaning forward so he could comb his fingers through her hair. Had it truly been just a millisecond? The fog in her mind had grown muggy and fetid, ladening her thoughts with a thick damp. It was too hard to figure out what was going on, so she simply gave up trying.
All she knew was that everything hurt.
"Hey, kiddo," Hunter said quietly. "You feeling alright?"
She sunk her face into the mattress. "Sleepy," she managed, the word muffled through foam.
There was a tugging at her left leg as Hunter carefully removed her boot. "Well, you can't go to bed like this, kid," he chuckled softly. The other boot came off, and Hunter's hand pressed behind her shoulders. "C'mon, sit up".
She mewled irritably as he eased her into a sitting position.
"Arms," he prompted. Omega made a sullen face as she tried to raise her arms over her head. As if her wrists were adorned with bracelets made of solid lead, it felt damn near impossible.
Regardless, Hunter made do, pulling her tunic up and over before threading her into the long sleeves of her pyjama shirt. As he began buttoning it up the middle, Omega leant back against the wall, already halfway to oblivion.
"Gonna need you to stand for a sec," he told her, fastening the final button, and she frowned, rolling her head side to side in a wordless 'no'.
"C'mon," he crooned, bringing himself onto one knee in the Gunner's nest. "Last piece, promise".
Hunter scooped under her arms and lifted her effortlessly onto unsteady feet. He brought her hands to rest on his shoulders so she could balance as he delicately tugged off her trousers and replaced them with flannel pyjama pants, patiently instructing her when to lift each foot for him.
"There you go," he muttered, securing the ribbon at the waistband with a neat bow before resting his hands on her sides and looking up at her. "Been a big day for you, huh, kid?". His words were softened by a smile, but he couldn't have realised the blow that they landed. Omega dipped her head, chin to chest, and didn't answer.
Maker, she felt like such a burden. Such a waste of space, of time, of resources. Incapable of swinging a punch, shooting a rifle, or flying a ship. Part of the team? Who was she kidding? The Batch could just go on without her and they'd probably be better offâŚ
If a light thump to the head was all it took to reduce her to this, then perhaps Cid had been right.
She was nothing but a liability.
Her resolve deteriorated, like a cliff face finally crumbling under the relentless will of its oceanic adversary, and her shoulders began to quake.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
All she could do was stand there, tears spilling from the commissures of her eyes no matter how tightly she scrunched them.
"C'mere," he murmured, drawing her into his arms and brushing his hand in wide circles over her back. "You did good today, Omega, really good".
Arms slung over him, face nestled against the base of his neck, she felt sick with the turmoil. Hunter was murmuring things to her - she could feel the tenor of his voice against her skin - but none of it made any sense. It was all back to front. Her ears insisted she was spinning, but her feet claimed she was not. Even with Hunter wrapped around her, she trembled with the effort to stay upright, swallowing her sobs and whatever else was threatening to bubble up in her throat.
Moments or minutes passed like that, perhaps it was hours - she had no way of knowing. In one instant she was gripping Hunter's blacks with all her might, and in the next she was practically slumped over his shoulders, her legs having surrendered her weight. Vaguely, she felt Hunter's hand sliding up to cradle the back of her head, and his other arm sweeping her knees out from under her.
As her consciousness slipped away from the fringe of reality, she hummed pleasantly, feeling the pain simmer down to a bearable buzz in the background.
Carefully, Hunter leaned forward, keeping her pressed close as he brought her down to rest on the mattress, and by the time she made contact with it, she was already gone.
---
For the first time in weeks, Omega dreamt of nothing at all.
But sleep⌠was a traitor. Unable to hurt, unable to haunt, it betrayed her still, tossing her back to where her suffering would be greaterâŚ
Abruptly, Omega awoke, and all at once, her senses returned - like a crack of lightning.
Hot, loud, white, PAIN.
Her head erupted, as if her skull was being split open along its suture lines. She opened her mouth to cry out, but failed to draw breath against the tension of her abdomen. It was unbelievable. All she could do was gasp, teeth clamped together, nails buried into the flesh of her palms.
She didn't know what this was, but she knew what it wasn't, and it wasn't just a bump on the head⌠She needed help, and she needed it fast.
Hunter!
Lifting herself from the bed, in of itself, was like trying to claw free from a shallow grave, invisible gravel and rock holding her down as she fought to make an escape. She scarcely made it down the ladder without slipping, her fingers growing senseless and unfeeling. Blindly, she staggered toward the cockpit, knowing by some instinct he must be there.
One...foot. In front...of the otherâŚ
As she reached the threshold of the gangway, she heard him, but he still sounded impossibly far.
"OmegaâŚ" his voice drawn out in a low warning. "What're you doing out of bed?"
Her heart was pounding in her throat now, smothered under the confines of her ribs, unable to push the blood against gravity. A dizzying haze was creeping up her neck, and she knew she wasn't going to make it.
With a final effort, she cracked her eyes open, wide enough to catch sight of Hunter as he swivelled in the co-pilot's chair to face her. Just as he leapt urgently to his feet, the blue light of hyperspace behind him scorched suns and stars into her vision.
"'untahâŚ" she gasped.
Darkness consumed all, bright supernovas giving way to an endless black void. Her legs buckled, and air rushed against her skin as she fell. The pounding of boots on steel was the last thing she heard, and then...
There was nothing.
---
Ah, welcome, friends, to my shameless, self-pandering sicfic.
No, I shall not apologise.
#SmackThatKudos
#TellMeYourThoughts&Feels
Here it is on Ao3!
#the bad batch#star wars the bad batch#star wars tbb#the bad batch fanfiction#tbb fanfiction#tbb fic#tbb hunter#tbb tech#tbb wrecker#tbb echo#tbb omega#sickfic#tbb whump#tbb fluff#tbb angst
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Crosshair- The Exam
Prompt: âYouâre the only thing that mattersâ
Pairings: Crosshair x Fem!reader
Warnings: none!
Summary: youâve been studying your ass off for a month trying to prepare for the exam that will dictate whether or not you get to go back to the 104th battalion as a medic.Â
Notes: IM SORRY THIS IS SO LONG thank you sm for requesting @lightning-wolffe
You shut off your data pad and pushed it under your armpit, squeezing it with your bicep to not let it fall from your grip as you open your textbook. Before you received the chance to re-read your highlighted notes you felt a tap on your shoulder.Â
âI heard that your boys landed in Hangar 5.â Kix chirped, pointing behind him with his thumb. He ran his opposite hand through his short brown hair, smiling kindly.Â
You hummed in response, your attention mostly focused on your annotations. The big exam, one that basically determined whether or not you were allowed to return to your assigned Clone Force, was in three days. Every quiet moment was spent with you cracking open a textbook or reviewing your notes. Now that you thought about it, when was the last time you ate⌠or slept?
Kix quickened his pace and moved in front of you, using his index finger to push your book down to properly view your face. âYou know the exam isnât for another three days, right?â he asked.Â
You pressed your lips in a thin line, âUnfortunately not everyone has a memory like yours. I need to study.â you said, closing your book and bopping him on the head with it lightly.Â
He took the textbook from your hands, holding it up in the air until it was out of your reach. âFives!â he called to someone you couldnât see, âBatchers still here?âÂ
Behind you, the ARC trooper nodded, âGonna be here for the next coupla hours. Engine is shot.âÂ
Kix let his guard down just long enough for you to grab your study materials back. You gently nudged him to the side and walked past, just wanting to get back to your quarters and study.Â
The medic gave up, hurrying to catch up with Fives as you walked in the opposite direction.Â
Were you dying to see the Bad Batch? Absolutely.
Did you have the time to? Unfortunately not.
Someone (a medic from the 212th apparently, but you tried not to believe rumors) had fucked up a month ago, and it costs you your privilege of being an on-site medic. All field nurses were sent back to Coruscant to retake the big medical exam to prove that they could still serve as medics.Â
Unlike Kix, you took it very seriously. Getting anything below a 80% would make your chances of returning small. Only the top 45% of nurses would go back to their battalions while the other 55% stayed on Coruscant to continue their studies.Â
The large metal door to your room slid open as you scanned your hand and you stepped inside. Without looking up, you wandered to your desk, which was covered in an assortment of different papers and sticky notes.Â
Still reading your textbook, you typed in the access code for your online notes. After a few seconds an automated female voice began to quiz you on questions you had written down two weeks ago.
You stood up and undressed yourself, lazily pulling a dark brown shirt over your head and letting your hair fall loose from the bun that had sat on your head for the majority of the day.Â
âDefine Choledocholithiasis.â said the voice.Â
âStones in the gallbladder or common bile ductâ you replied effortlessly, shuffling to your bathroom to fill the water compartment for your caf.Â
You plugged the machine into the wall, allowing the slow drip of heavenly brown liquid to start as you sat back down at your desk. It gave you a moment to think about everything. Realistically, you were more qualified than half the shinies going in to take the exam.Â
Kriff, you were wasting your time here.Â
You pushed back from your desk and slid on the first pair of shoes that were near your door.Â
The halls had quieted down for the most part, most of the clones eating dinner or heading to bed if they had an early start tomorrow morning.Â
Massaging your scalp and yawning, you made your way to Hangar 5.Â
You looked a little tired, but it didnât matter as long as you got to see Crosshair. You knew none of them would care but especially not him, in the small window of time you two got alone he frequently told you how much he loved your messy hair. He wasnât much of a verbal communicator when it came to your relationship, but he always made up for it in physical gestures.Â
Rounding the final corner, your eyes began to scan the busy hangar for the marauder. You took back your thought from earlier, seeing that Hangar 5 was a lot more busy than you had anticipated.Â
At least two different squadrons were shipping out, from what you could tell it was the 104th and 312th battalions. The blurred figures of grey and green armor made it difficult to keep your focus on one thing at a time.Â
You carefully started to walk along the wall, ducking until a small cruiser as a short cut.Â
After another ten minutes of searching you finally spotted a familiar face in the bottom right corner of the hangar.Â
Tech typed away at his data pad, turning to shout something up at Wrecker, who was sitting on the top of the ship and swinging his legs like a mad man.Â
Despite the excitement bubbling in your stomach, you took your time walking over to them. It was nice to just observe and laugh at their behavior for a few minutes, it lifted your spirits.
Once you were within vision to Wrecker, he didnât hesitate to point and shout at you from the top of the Marauder.Â
âTech!â You called as he mindlessly searched for you in the crowd of people.Â
He grinned widely, opening his arms up as you jogged over to him. He hugged you tightly, another pair of large arms suddenly wrapping around both of you.Â
Wrecker finally set you two down, giving you an individual hug and swaying you from side to side. At one point you were almost choking.Â
âThought you were studying for the exam.â Tech said skeptically, eyeing you as if you would ever hide something from him.Â
You shrugged, âprioritiesâ you peeked over his shoulder, looking for a specific person.Â
Tech noticed your wandering eyes and smiled, âCross is taking inventory with Cody.âÂ
âWhereâs Sarg?â you asked, linking your arm into his.Â
âTalking to some of the blue regs.â Wrecker replied loudly, making a few of the 501st soldiers turn to look at him. The large clone was never one to be secretive when it came to addressing the other clones as âregsâ. It often drew attention to the group, not necessarily the good kind either.Â
From a distance you could see Hunter walking back towards the Marauder with Fives, both of them with their helmets at their hips.Â
Sargâs eyes lit up at the sight of you, his pace quickening as his urge to be with you grew. He hugged your torso tightly, allowing his arm to sling around your shoulder loosely afterwards.Â
âItâs been a while.â He said, gently nudging you away from Fives before the ARC trooper could talk.
âItâs been two months. And I always call.â You replied, smiling.Â
âYou look exhausted.â Hunter pointed out quickly, looking down at the bags under your eyes.Â
You shrugged, âcould say the same for you Sarg.â
You four situated yourselves underneath the Marauder, sitting on top of a few power supplies and food crates. Hunter sat next to you, Wrecker and Tech mirroring both of you.Â
âWe were told you wouldnât be coming down.â Hunter said, leaning back on his elbows.Â
You raised a skeptical brow, âwho told you that?â
âFivesâ he answered nonchalantly, âwhy else would I be talking to him?â
His comment made your eyes roll, âbe nice.â You warned, poking his stomach where armor didnât cover him.Â
Hunter swatted your hand away, briefly turning his head and smiling. âLook whoâs back,â he jutted his thumb behind him, pointing to the two other clones making their way back to the ship.
Cody held a clipboard loosely at his side as he spoke to Crosshair, who carried his helmet against his hip. The 212th trooper laughed at something he said before saluting the sniper and walking in the opposite direction.Â
You always seemed to forget how handsome Cross was in person. The blue hologram of him during your brief calls did nothing for his strong jawline and high cheekbones. The scruff along his jaw and neck was slightly more visible now, a grey shadow lingering along it.Â
Pushing yourself off the crate, you broke into a swift jog towards him. For someone with perfect eyesight, he didnât notice you coming until you were a few meters away.Â
He opened his arms up, catching you perfectly as you jumped to him.Â
His long arms held your waist completely as he lowered you to the ground, back arched due to his height compared to yours.âDidn't think you would come.â he said softly in your ear, his voice alone producing butterflies in your stomach.Â
âI wanted to see you.â you replied, pulling away from him and moving to his side.Â
Crosshair sent a small smirk to you, which was enough to indicate that he felt the same way.Â
You walked side by side back to the rest of the group, shoulders touching and hands grazing against one anotherâs. The gestures were sweet, like the type you would make in school when you were younger. They were enough to make the other person feel loved without drawing too much attention.Â
The Bad Batch, plus you, sat underneath their ship once more as the rest of the 104th took off in their ships. You waved to Sinker and Comet from the opposite side of the hangar, tossing over-dramatic kisses in their direction while they climbed up the steps. Another mission for them, one that you wouldnât be going to.Â
âWhen do you expect to return?â Tech asked from the top of his crate. You had situated yourself on a lower case, one that was used to store bombs and other small explosives. It kept you about seven or eight inches off the ground while Crosshair took your spot next to Hunter.Â
You let out a long sigh, âI donât even know if Iâll go back.â
âThey need ya out there.â Wrecker replied, crossing his large legs like a child would.Â
Crosshair could sense your unease and pushed himself off the crate, settling on the ground in front of you and leaning back so his head pressed against your chest. He let out a small chuckle, no doubt feeling your heartbeat quicken for a few moments. âTheyâll take you back.â he said calmly, reaching for your hand and placing it atop his head.Â
You began to run your fingers through his short, grey hair. âIf I donât get above an 80% then Iâm not going back.â You mumbled.Â
âWhy 80?â Hunter asked innocently.Â
âBecause sheâs a girl.â Wrecker replied loudly, having absolutely zero common sense as to who could be listening.Â
Crosshair tense underneath you, muscles tightening against your legs, âWrecker.â he seethed, using his brotherâs full name.Â
Your face dropped, cheeks heating up. He was right, but hearing someone finally say it out loud made it worse. That was the real reason you had been dedicating so many weeks to studying. Even if Kix received a 45% and you an 80%, they would choose him over you. Clones were bred to be intelligent. You were just a girl who somehow got Senator Palpatine to assign you to a clone squadron.Â
You wiggled your way out from under Crosshair, stepping over the low crate of explosives and walking up the steps of the Marauder. It was cold inside but the chill felt so nice against your hot body.Â
In all honesty, you wanted to cry. You wanted to go back to your room and bawl your eyes out until you physically couldnât produce tears anymore. But you knew you couldnât, that would be showing weakness.Â
Soft footsteps echoed behind you, Crossâs monotone voice ringing in your ears shortly after, âhe didnât mean that.â
You shook your head, âNo no, heâs right.âÂ
He took a few steps towards you, gently reaching for your wrist and pulling you into him. He rested his chin on your head, âyouâll do great on the exam.âÂ
You pushed off of him, needing a bit of air to keep from crying. You shook your wrists out and looked up at the ceiling, it helped a little bit. âJust nervous.â you muttered.Â
He stayed silent, not exactly sure how to comfort you. Words frequently failed him and in the rare occasion that you were upset Tech was able to calm you down, but not this time. Crosshair wanted to make you feel better, no matter what it took.Â
You hated being this vulnerable around anyone, the panic in your stomach growing every second of silence that passed.Â
Taking a deep breath, you began to walk past him, âI need to go, you have more important things to-âÂ
He caught your bicep and spun you back around, other hand holding the small of your back as he kissed you. It was a deep, passionate, yet chaste, kiss. You melted into his grip, leaning backwards to force his lips onto yours more. You held the sides of his face, the small scruff on his jaw feeling immaculate against your own.Â
He rested your foreheads together and quietly, barely audibly, whispered, âyouâre the only thing that matters.âÂ
You were about to kiss him again when Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker walked through the door.Â
Hunter smiled, âGuess whoâs got a new nurse on the team.â
Your head cocked to the side, Wrecker looking like he was about to explode from excitement at any moment. âWe do!â he bellowed, âand itâs you!âÂ
Mouth hanging open, you looked from Crosshair to the other three. âWhat?â
âWelcome to Clone Force 99, medic.â Hunter answered proudly.
#clone trooper crosshair#crosshair x reader#clone trooper hunter#clone trooper wrecker#clone trooper tech#clone trooper echo#badbatch#bad batch#clone force 99#bad batch x reader
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A Piece of Cake - Ch. 1
"Step One: Panic"
Summary: The Bad Batch & Co. attempt to throw a surprise party for Omega. It should be a piece of cake, right? Only, they realize in order to have a party, you must have a cake, and in order to have a cake, you have to actually have the ingredients for it. Word Count: 4.6k Tags: Fix-It, Tech Lives, Post "Canon," Domestic Fluff
You would think that an elite squad such as Clone Force 99 with their years of experience on the battlefield would be good at planning ahead and being ready for the unknown, but that is far from the case.Â
Despite their skillsets, theyâve come to find that being a civilian is harder than it looks and the adjustment to that life hasn't been easy. But theyâre the Bad Batch - they live for the unpredictable and for the improv. They live for a challenge. Even if change is difficult and something thatâs hard to handle, over time theyâve managed to slowly adjust to their lives on Pabu. Some days were easier than others, a lot of their nights were rougher than most, but at the end of the day, their new lives were all they could ever hope for and more.Â
They could try their hand at ânormalâ things. They could be a ânormalâ family (thought they were far from it) and with that came the concept of birthdays.Â
Birthdays were always a particular thingâthey never really talked about it or bothered with them while in the GAR or even afterâbut once settling into Pabu and attending a few of them, Omega expressed a desire to have something special like a birthday.Â
And if Omega wanted something, her brothers were going to make sure she got it.Â
It was Wreckerâs idea, he brought it up one day on the beach to Hunter while Omega was out of earshot, playing in the waves with Batcher and Lyana. After having seen and heard Omegaâs subtle desires to have a birthday, Wrecker thought it would be nice to have something like that for her and Hunter immediately agreed to the idea.Â
From there they told Tech, who immediately went into looking through as many databanks he could to see if he could find any information about when Omega was âbirthedâ from her tube. Echo helped look too, but the pair found nothingâno record of anything that might give them an idea of what day it specifically was, much to their disappointment.Â
It was Crosshair who suggested to have the day be the day they met Omega. The day everything went to shit but paved the way to change their lives like none of them would have ever expected.Â
The day they formally met Omega was a day none of them would ever forget, despite everything that went wrong on that day, so they agreed to have the birthday on that date to celebrate her and the light she brought to their lives and to the galaxy itself.Â
Lucky for them, it was in a few rotations, so they planned for a big surprise party, making sure to keep it as much as a secret as possible (Wrecker almost let it slip a few times) from Omega to make it all the more special. They got their partners in on it as well and soon, they had a plan set for the day to make sure that things went as smoothly as possible.Â
Well, as smoothly as things could go for the Bad Batch.
âWhat do you mean we need eggs?âÂ
Read the Rest on A03!
#max's fics#my fics#max's masterpieces#tbb#tbb fic#the bad batch#baddies batch#silly squad#tbb omega#tbb hunter#tbb echo#tbb crosshair#tbb wrecker#tbb tech#phee genoa#emerie karr#jung-myn yun#viram cossa#tay'kaa marr#khea nultez#techphee#fix it fic#pabu pastimes
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On Frozen Wings - Ch 7
Pairing: Crosshair x Hunter
Rating: 18+ only, Explicit
The Empire invades Pabu, and Omega is taken.
AO3
Hunter raced up the steps, taking them two at a time. His lungs burned, his thigh muscles ached, and he was still dripping seawater, but he pushed himself to his limit to keep up with the hound.
He relied on her to guide him, his own senses muted under his helmet. He couldnât catch a good scent through the filters, and it was difficult to get a lock on Crosshairâs electromagnetic signature on an island full of people, especially ones stressed and frightened.
Hunter would have found him eventually, but he didnât want to waste a moment, and the hound was eager to help. She ran along one of the curving paths midway up the island peak, and when she skittered to a halt, Hunter stopped beside her, following the direction of her stare.
They found him.
But something was⌠wrong. Crosshair didnât look up, even though they were standing in the middle of the path and were impossible to miss. His helmet was donned so Hunter couldnât see his expression, but he didnât move from where he leaned against the seawall, a hand curled around his stomach.
For a heart-stopping moment, Hunter thought heâd been shot. Batcherâs uncertain whine added to his fear, but he didnât see a wound, and Crosshair was still standing.
Hunter patted the hound and gave her a quiet, âStay.â She sat on her haunches obediently, though she let out another soft whimper. Hunter understood.
He began his approach, slow and careful, eyes darting to the corners and higher platforms where they could be fired upon, but he didnât sense a trap. In fact, the stormtroopers seemed to be pulling out.
Which was why he hadnât stopped to catch his breath after nearly drowning. Hunter knew what their departure meant.
âCrosshair?â
No response. He didnât seem to breathe.
Hunter continued to circle around until he stood right in front of his brother. If Crosshair was aware of his presence, he didnât acknowledge it. At least he was alive, and able to stay on his feet, but beyond that, Hunter didnât know his status.
Taking off his helmet in the middle of an active battle zone was a stupid way to get shot, but Hunter still did it, carefully setting his helmet on the ground next to their feet.
Crosshair neglected to move. He continued to not move as Hunter reached up and gingerly removed his helmet. Only then did shiftâa slight wince, a hunch inward, but he had nowhere to retreat, back to the wall.
He wouldnât meet Hunterâs eye, and he kept his hand curled against his stomach. It was the same hand that often shook, and it trembled now. It didnât stop.
âCrosshair?â Hunter tried again. âWhat happened?â
Crosshairâs lips tried to form words, but nothing came out. Hunter waited patiently, conscious of the distant sound of gunships still patrolling, and he kept Crosshairâs helmet tucked under his arm in case he needed to slam it down on his head in a hurry.
âIâŚâ
His voice was so quiet that even Hunter had to move closer to catch it.
ââŚmissed.â
Hunter frowned.
âYou missed?â
Crosshair winced at the word, as if Hunter had physically struck him.
âThe kid,â he said, his voice as ragged as his features. âI⌠They were burning the houses. She wanted to turn herself over to them. Stop the violence. I was supposed to⌠tag the ship.â
Crosshair drew another strained breath.
âI missed.â
Ah.
Hunter thought for a moment, always aware of the gunships and how close they crept. Most likely the patrols were doing one last sweep to pick up their troopers before moving out. They werenât clear yet.
âWe need to get moving,â Hunter finally said. âTake shelter until the Empireâs pulled back all troops. Then we canââ
âDidnât you hear me?â
Hunterâs mouth closed shut. Crosshairâs eyes were wide, almost vicious, but his voice shook too much for pure anger.
âOmega is gone!â
Crosshair panted, as if each word cost him a great deal. His hand shook worse, and he trapped it against his stomach with a frustrated noise. Hunter kept his response neutral.
âI heard you.â
âThen why arenât youââ Crosshair cut himself off before trying again. âWhy arenât you pissed? At⌠me?â
Hunter frowned further.
âWhy would I be?â He didnât really get it, not until Crosshair scoffed and then looked away, guilt bleeding through the cracks before he could hide them. Hunter softened in opposition to those hard lines. âCrosshair⌠itâs not your fault.â
His brother tensed further, his body one entire tight ball of stress.
âLook at me, Cross.â
His jaw flexed, and Hunter thought he might not listen, but then Crosshair turned his gaze on him, looking more like a prey animal about to flee before a predator.
Hunter didnât know how to approach this, not with Crosshair. He knew how to comfort Omega when she blamed herself, but she was easy to soothe. Crosshair was not.
He thought of Tech in that moment. Though he sometimes overlooked emotion as a factor in peopleâs reactions, he also understood how to get to the root of the problem once he did. He would have tried to assuage Crosshairâs guilt, not with comforting gestures, but with logic and facts.
âWe⌠were never getting off this island with Omega,â Hunter started slowly. âWe were trapped. No exit plan or strategy. No extraction. No escape craft. My plan would have, at best, warned Echo of what was happening. But Rex wouldnât have had the men to break through the blockage. We were always on borrowed time.â
Hunter watched him. Crosshair was listening, but he didnât seem entirely convinced yet.
âFact is, this was the best-case scenario.â
âBest-case?â Crosshair repeated in disbelief.
âWeâre alive,â Hunter pointed out. âOmega was taken, yes, but sheâs valuable to Hemlock. Which means he would want her taken unharmed. And Wreckerââ
Hunter tilted his head, and then pushed Crosshair further into the shadows. Batcher squeezed in tight around their legs as a gunship soared overhead, slow and unhurried. Hunter waited until it passed, but he kept close, not moving away even though he crowded Crosshairâs space. Crosshair didnât complain, and instead watched him with an expression that wasnât as heavy as before. That was good.
âAnd Wrecker,â Hunter smiled a little, âis awake. I stopped to check him first. Heâs going to meet us at the rendezvous.â
Crosshair relaxed, if only a little. Their fallback point if they ever got separated was the Archeum, and Hunter only hoped Wrecker was able to make it inside unseen. He probably did, otherwise they would have heard a lot more explosions and screaming.
Hunter chewed on the inside of his lip, a habit he thought heâd quit as a cadet. He wanted to touch Crosshair, reach out to him, but he was still too hunched, too much like a cornered animal that would bite even when the extended hand meant to help.
In the end, he stared down at Crosshairâs helmet for a moment before stepping back and holding it out to him. Crosshair took it with careful fingers, and Hunted noted they were steadier.
Once Crosshair put on his helmet, Hunter picked his off the ground and donned it. Not wanting to leave it at that, he reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Crosshair paused, but he didnât stiffen or pull away. Hunter was encouraged.
âWeâll get her back,â Hunter said, and there wasnât a shadow of doubt in the words.
Crosshair nodded, but he remained silent, and Hunterâs hand traveled to the nape of his neck, as it had a mind of its own. It felt natural to put it there, as it did to pull his brother forward, touching their armored foreheads together.
Crosshair didnât move, but Hunter heard the quiet intake of a surprised breath. He pretended not to notice, and that the gesture didnât send a heavy warmth through his abdomen.
Hunter finally let go, glad his helmet was on so Crosshair couldnât later tease him about the warm flush on his cheeks.
âYou good to move?â he asked.
Crosshair nodded. He grabbed his rifle from where it leaned against the wall and followed Hunter up the spiraling steps, Batcher close at their heels. They didnât slow or stop unless it was to avoid lingering patrols, and they made it to the peakâs plaza without being spotted.
Hunter paused under the colored tarps and awnings, left abandoned after the festival had been cut short by the invading force. The Archeum stood alone, the door closed and left unharassed by stormtroopers as far as he could see.
âYou should be clear,â Hunter said over his shoulder where Crosshair crouched behind him.
âYouâre not coming with me?â
The words were sharp, but that was how Crosshair always sounded when he was worried. Hunter smiled a little, though his brother couldnât see it.
âI left Lyana with her neighbors, and I want to make sure Shep finds her. Make sure the last of those troopers leave too,â he added, eyeing a patrol that passed overhead.
Hunter moved back further into the shadows, already planning his route for how he would leave the plaza unseen, but when Crosshair gained his feet, he didnât move.
âI could⌠go with you.â
His stance was uncertain, his words lacking their usual self-assured confidence, and to Hunter he seemed⌠lost. Hunter wanted to pull him into his arms so badly it hurt, but there wasnât time for it, and he wasnât sure Crosshair would react well to the treatment.
âYou could,â he agreed, âbut Iâd feel better if someone was with Wrecker. AZI said he would need to be watched the first rotation after he woke up.â
Crosshair remained quiet, so Hunter took a step back towards him.
âIâll be quick. And I wonât be alone.â Hunter snapped his fingers, and the hound was at his side in an instant. He patted the top of her head crest. âIâve got Batcher.â
She leaned against his leg and gave a happy huff, tongue lulling out of her mouth. Crosshair folded his arms over his chest, helmet tilted down at her as if in a scowl.
âYou like him better now?â
Batcher let out a chuff, practically ready to roll over as Hunter scratched her side.
âTraitor,â Crosshair muttered, but there was affection masked underneath. âBetter take care of him, seeing as youâve traded me in.â
She let out a quiet bark of acknowledgement.
âWeâll be back soon,â Hunter assured him.
âIâll hold you to that.â
Hunter warmed at the stubborn insistence there, and the promise that if he didnât come back, Crosshair would go after him. And Maker help whoever got in his way.
Next Chapter
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Literally just finished reading Ch 2 about 5 seconds ago and came on here to gush about it.
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!
I know Echo's my favourite Batcher and I probably shouldn't enjoy reading fics about him in pain but I'm a sucker for angst. đ I just wanna give everyone a hug!!!
Now I just gotta sit and wait for Ch 3. đ
Chapter two??? On a monday??? Sure why not

#i got very excited when i saw the update on ao3#yes i'm reading this fic at midnight#what're you gonna about it#the angst is real!!!#am i am so here for it#also someone please give everyone in this fic a hug#arc trooper echo#the bad batch
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The Defender (CH. # 2)
Febuwhump 2025 | Day 2 | Prompt: Holding Back Tears
Read here on Ao3
<< Previous Chapter | Master Post | Next Chapter >>
Rated: G | Words: 228
Character Ages
Omega (6 - 7)
The Batch (Chronological: 3 - 4 / Biological: 6 - 8)
He remembers a voice sometimes, a tiny, gentle whisper tickling the edges of his memory with its breath.
He almost cries whenever he remembers it, and he doesnât know why. He doesnât know who the voice belongs to, or always what the voice is saying. But the voice loves him, and the voice misses him, he thinks.Â
And he misses the voice.Â
But he doesnât cry, because soldiers donât cry.Â
Not when they scrape their knees, palms, and chins bloody falling on duracrete floors during training. Not when the training blaster kicks back so hard and bruises the soft spot by their shoulder. Not when other cadets kick and punch, or when he kicks and punches back. Not when the sharp pains of hunger clutch at his stomach during his sleep cycle. Not when the storms are too loud.Â
Soldiers donât cry. Not ever.Â
Or just maybe when no one is looking.Â
He is three cycles old, nearly four. The voice is fading away, the memory of it turning transparent and thin.Â
He doesnât want it to go, but he hears it less and less.Â
And less.Â
Until he doesnât remember it at all.Â
Until thereâs just an empty space where it used to be, a hollow place in his heart that almost makes him cry.Â
But he doesnât cry.Â
Or just maybe when no one is looking.
Up next...
Prompt: Pinned Down
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Tag List: @arctrooper69 @groguandthebadbatch @ezras-left-thumb @maeashryver @baddest-batchers @laughhardrunfastbekindsblog @omegafett99 @heidnspeak @fionas-frenzy @dreamsight73 @royallykt @blackseafoam @skellymom
#febuwhump2025#febuwhumpday2#holding back tears#emotional whump#Star Wars the bad batch#star wars#the bad batch#the bad batch au#au#alternate universe#cadet batch#cadet batch au#siblings#fics by kyber
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