#if they had just let the zillo beast

[radiosummons]

Where's the fucking lie lmao

The Three People Who Deserve To Kill Palpatine The Most

In no particular order

1. Mace Windu

He had the kill.

2. Commander Fox

He had to put up with Palpatine as his boss.

3. The Zillo Beast

No further explanation necessary.

[eclec-tech]

Let's get into this "Tech is dead" thing...

Until someone from the show confirms that Tech is dead, I don't believe it. We've seen this before. Echo died in an explosion. Nope. Ahsoka fell when she dueled Vader. That didn't stick. Maul, Palpatine, Leia, Mace Windu...okay, that last one is still in the air. But my point is that we never saw a body. Face it. If they wanted Tech dead, they would have given him a shoulder wound. I lost track of how many times that proved fatal this season.

For starters, it would be a very bad move! Tech was probably the most loved character on the show even before they further developed his character this season. To remove him from the show would deprive a lot of people of someone who gives them a feeling of true representation in Star Wars.

Then there's Phee. That last "conversation" she tried to have with him was awkward and very specific. They animated him in such a way that he was obviously avoiding eye contact. He was uncomfortable. He didn't want to say goodbye. I don't think he knew how. It looked to me like they were setting us up for a reunion scene.

Now let's talk about Hemlock. Him being in possession of Tech's goggles is another reason I think he's alive. When he held out the goggles and said, "I'm afraid this is all I could salvage," it suggested to me that Hemlock has him. It doubly struck me since he had just used the term "fascinating" in the same spirit of scientific curiosity Tech had used earlier in the season with the Zillo Beast. The only way I can see Tech being alive but not captured in this scenario would be if there is a raging river or deep crevasse beneath the train and all they found nearby was the goggles. (Which means that, if he is alive, we will finally get that goggleless Tech we've been wanting to see so badly all this time.)

Let's not forget the most important thing of all. Tech is an incredibly capable soldier. He is resourceful, exceptionally well-trained, and was fully kitted-out when he fell. It's not hard for me to imagine him using a grappling hook and cable or other means to keep from falling to his death. He said it himself. He has the "ability to think clearly in stressful situations". And if Hemlock has him, he's going to need it.

All this gives me great hope for season three. If Hemlock does have Tech, he would have him transferred to Mt. Tantiss on Weyland. Now, Crosshair and Tech are together with other no-longer-Imperial clones. Omega is there with Nala Se, who wants Omega as far from there as possible. Nala Se is no longer in a cell, but working in a lab—under guard, but with access to equipment. Factor in Omega's clone sister and this has all the earmarks of an epic escape episode.

Fingers crossed.

[david-talks-sw]

I think it's interesting that - in order to make his "free-thinking Jedi" characters hold any semblance of rationality in their arguments - Dave Filoni needs to resort to artificially dehumanizing the other Jedi and painting them all with the same "we dogmatically worship protocol" brush.

He does this with Huyang in the recent Ahsoka episode.

"Lolz he's so narrow-minded, preachy and by-the-book, unable to think outside the box, just like the Jedi in the Prequels."

My first reaction was being amused at the fact that Filoni had to resort to making the Jedi Order's ideals and rules be embodied by a literal machine for his anti-Jedi headcanon to start making sense.

But then I remembered: Huyang isn't just any droid.

In The Clone Wars, he had a sassy personality, he had a pep in his step, he had a sense of humor...

This character was human in his behavior, he was fun and whimsical.

But now he's been reduced to, I dunno, "Jedi C-3PO"? Basically?

"Ha! He's blunt and unsympathetic because he's a droid, but it's funny because the Jedi were the same, they were training themselves to be tactless, emotionless droids."

And Filoni does this with Mace Windu too, in Tales of the Jedi.

Mace, who brought a lightsaber to the throat of a planetary leader to defend the endangered Zillo Beast...

... and who went waaay past his mandate by mischievously sneaking around Bardottan authorities and breaking into the Queen's quarters because he felt something bad was afoot...

... was reduced to being an almost droid-like, rule-parotting, protocol purist who sticks to his instructions (and is implied to be willing to let a murder go unsolved so he can get a promotion).

I mentioned this at the end of my first post on Luke in The Last Jedi... while changes in personality do happen overtime and can be explained in-universe... if you don't show us that progression and evolution and just leave us without that context, that'll break the suspension of disbelief, for your audience.

Here, we have two characters with a different (almost caricatural) personality than the one they were originally shown to have.

Now... we could resort to headcanons, to make it all fit together.

We could justify Huyang's tone shift 'cause "Order 66 changed him". And we could make explanations about TotJ's Mace:

Being younger and thus more ambitious and a stickler for the rules, and only really becoming more flexible after getting his seat on the Council and gaining more maturity.

Being such a teacher's pet in the episode because we're seeing him through the eyes of a notorious unreliable narrator, Dooku.

There'd be nothing wrong with opting to go with either of those headcanons to cope with this. After all, Star Wars is meant to help you get creative.

But the problem I encounter is that:

Filoni has an anti-Jedi bias, so the above headcanons clearly wouldn't really track with his intended narrative.

We'd be jumping through hoops to extrapolate and fill in what is, essentially, inconsistent characterization, manufactured to make Ahsoka and Dooku shine under a better light.

And that sours whatever headcanon I come up with.

Edit: Also, yeah, as folks have been saying in the tags... wtf is "Jedi protocol"? The term isn't ever mentioned in the movies, I skimmed through dialog transcripts of TCW, never saw it there.

So it's almost as if - if Filoni wasn't draining characters like Mace and Huyang of all humanity and nuance - his point about "the Jedi were too detached and lost their way, but not free-thinkers like Qui-Gon, Dooku and Ahsoka" wouldn't really hold much water.

[eriexplosion]

The thing is that the finale isn't even good outside of lack of addressing Tech. It just is bad all around. It's a bad episode that doesn't follow any of the established set up for season 3.

We started the CX subplot in season 2, and then spent 3 long episodes with CX-2 in particular. This apparently was... just to set up a big boss fight in the finale and for nothing else? We spent four whole episodes across two seasons on this and had several other set up moments! For a big shootout and nothing else?

And yes, the CX-2 is Tech implications is a big part of this. Some of them even remained in the episode. How else are we supposed to take Hemlock's line "The last time we crossed paths, you had just lost a member of your squad. And it appears history may repeat itself. CT-9904 resisted my conditioning in the past, but I've made alterations to my methods. If you all survive, you will make fine operatives." other than that he used those 'alterations' to successfully CX Tech? Literally thought that was what it was setting up before *waves hand*

The Zillo beast was used to rip open a hole in the wall so that the Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair can get inside. It served no other purpose and walked away.

We spent two full episodes on the m-count plot between Bad Territory and The Harbinger. This accomplishes nothing in the entire rest of the season.

We spent all season dealing with Crosshair's hand tremors, establishing they are a psychological response to trauma. So should we... emotionally deal with that trauma? NOPE. WE'RE CUTTING IT OFF. DONE.

A small thread was set up that no one is beyond redemption/help, we see Rex reaching out to a CX, we see Omega remind Crosshair that Ventress deserves the chance to change, and in the finale... NO ONE is given a chance to change other than Emerie, who already did last episode. Every CX and commando is shot down without remorse even though they're also victims of Hemlock.

In general we just have action interspersed with the scraps of what was probably a united plot at one point. There isn't even a cavalry arrives moment in The Cavalry Has Arrived. What happened here?

The thing is I can see two subplots that would have united ALL of these that almost feel like they've been scraped out and replaced with generic shooting and a generic and undefined 'and then they had a happy ending'

First there's the force sensitivity plot. This was actually set up as early as season one episode one, when Omega takes the shot at Crosshair and manages to stop him from shooting, and then elaborated on throughout when she connects easily with animals, leading up to Bad Territory and The Harbinger - where we see Ventress tame a large, angry creature through the force. So much is made of the beast taming angle.

And obviously we have a beast. The Zillo beast. Omega does not at any point interact with this giant creature to calm it down or do anything at all she just lets it loose to rip some stuff up, have some action sequences, and then walk away into the night. But these two things united would have brought all the moments of force sensitivity hints home, as well as tied in her biggest strength - her empathy and caring. Taming the zillo beast would have been the end result of her character arc and made all that set up go somewhere instead of trailing off vaguely.

And second we have the CX plot. This could have tied in the remaining dropped threads of making the CX set up matter at all, the CX-2 is Tech hinting throughout the season, Crosshair's hand tremors, and the thread of redemption and no one being beyond saving. CX-2 is Tech, reach out to him, bring him back and through that Crosshair addresses his trauma by starting to fix one of the consequences of his biggest mistake - going back to the Empire in the first place. It wouldn't fix his tremors entirely but would help reduce them, be a huge step on the path to recovery and a great note to end his arc on.

With these two subplots, instead of endless excuses for more action and grunting, everything gets pulled together for a finale that has actual emotional significance, and the thing is that all the pieces are there so what the hell happened to make absolutely none of them come together and instead it just turns into an action shoot out?

[bunny7567]

I got you - chapter 12

Pairing: Rex x Jedi!ofc

Word count: 7.2k Tags/Warnings: NSFW 18+; drunk sex; piv sex, face-sitting; some degradation; fingering; cumshot on the back? idk how to say this; heavy drinking; Fives and Lexie find out they have something interesting in common; she's not a bad person I swear, she just has anxiety; there's some angst in here too; also can you tell I'm an only child who always wanted to have a big brother?

A/n: so we finally get to the smut. It's the first proper sex scene I've ever written, hope it's good. It's definitely not word for word the fantasies I have about what I'd want this character to do to me... definitely not that. I am simultaneously really excited to see if people will like this chapter and also want to hide under a rock after I hit post, weird combination.

Previous chapter | Next chapter

chakaar - scumbag, bitch, bastard vod'ika - little brother, little sister mesh'la - beautiful

~~~

Coruscant was still recovering from the Zillo beast rampage as Lexie was slowly making her way to the barracks. Echo and Fives were supposed to return from their ARC training tonight, so she finally felt like she had something to look forward to. It had definitely been some eventful few days. From joining Mace Windu’s forces on Malastare, to the frustrating negotiations with the Dugs, to fighting the nearly indestructible Zillo beast, it had been one bad thing after the other.

But thankfully the 501st had a few days of much needed rest, and Lexie was all caught up with her reports and ready to go out and celebrate with the new ARCs like they had planned. She made more of an effort tonight, she was wearing the new, white crochet blouse she’d just bought the previous day, over a blue bandeau top, with high-waist, leather-like shorts. Her blue hair was pulled back in a ponytail, secured by two braids that started from her temples and her makeup was more sparkly than usually.

She felt a bit insecure, especially with the looks she got from some of the other Jedi as she was leaving the Temple, but she tried to reassure herself that it was a nice outfit, and good for a night out.

However, her insecurities were also coming from the fact that she’d have to see a certain Captain she’s been sort of avoiding, something that filled her mind with uneasiness.

They had spoken very little on the way to Malastare. Rex had been nervously waiting for her after the briefing, and had asked to talk to her privately. The two had walked in silence until they reached an empty corridor, and awkwardly stood facing each other until Rex found the words he had been rehearsing since the previous night in the break room.

“General, I need to apologise to you”, he started.

“No, it’s fine, Rex, don’t-”, she tried to interject.

“No, I… I am very ashamed of my behaviour. I had too much to drink and I… I wasn’t thinking properly. I am sorry and I promise it’ll never happen again”, he continued, trying to sound as professional as he could.

Lexie couldn’t help the way her heart sunk as she heard the words, it really hurt hearing them. The way he’d gently caressed her face, the fact that he’d almost asked to kiss her, it was all she had been able to think the entire night. But he hadn’t meant it and now she was sure of it.  That sounded about right though. Of course he didn’t share her feelings, he hadn’t actually wanted to kiss her. She felt so stupid that she had allowed herself to entertain the idea that maybe he did love her back. She swallowed hard before pushing all her emotions out of her mind.

“I understand, Captain. Thank you for your apology. Let’s just try to forget it ever happened”, she said in a forced calm voice.

Rex had only nodded, avoiding looking into her eyes. He knew he’d break if he did, he’d keep talking and end up backtracking on his apology and admitting how much he wanted to kiss her, to hold her, to make her his. Instead he just left, and he continued avoiding her. He was relieved that she wasn’t as upset with him as he worried she’d be, but the tension between them was undeniable. He had really kriffed up and he wasn’t sure how long it’ll take for their friendship to recover.

While on Malastare, things had gotten a little better. The tension was still lingering in the air between them, but they managed to fight side by side, to have each other’s backs, and even to casually chat while on the flight back to Coruscant. It still felt awkward, but both of them had decided to pretend that the night in the break room never happened, for the sake of their friendship.

Once Lexie reached the base, she made her way to the hangar and joined Jesse, Kix and Hardcase who were already there waiting. She had timed it well this time and was on time to see the shuttle arrive on the landing platform and watch as Fives and Echo disembarked and made their way towards them, helmets tucked under their arms.

A bright smile appeared on her face as she watched them proudly walk into the hangar, dressed in their new ARC trooper armor. They had even found the time to customise it and she looked them both up and down, her gaze then landing on the smug smile on Fives’ face. She hated to admit it but her friend looked good, really good. They stopped at attention in front of her and saluted, a gesture which she returned on this occasion, before dropping the formalities and hugging them tightly.

“You look amazing, mesh’la”, Fives whispered in her ear.

Lexie rolled her eyes fondly before stepping out of the way so that the others could greet their brothers. She cursed at herself when she realised that his comment had actually made her blush, something that Fives noticed, bringing him a great deal of satisfaction.

“So, what do you think?”, Fives asked as he gestured to his armor.

“Hmm, not sure, give us a twirl?”, Lexie replied in a playful tone. Fives obliged.

“You look the part, let’s see if you can play it too”, Jesse said with a laugh.

“You jealous?”, Fives quipped.

“Of you?”, Jesse scoffed.

“Echo. Fives. Good to have you back”, Rex’s voice sounded from behind, making Lexie instantly tense as she felt his presence.

She moved to the side, a little outside of the group, letting the men catch up. Her eyes kept drifting to Rex and the smile she had carefully crafted was beginning to falter as the conversation progressed and he did not once look in her direction.

Lexie moved her gaze back to the two friends she had really missed but felt her stomach turn a little as she met Echo’s eyes. He was looking between her and Rex with a questioning look. Echo was always so perceptive of her distress, of course he immediately noticed the tension. She swallowed hard and tried to look away but it was too late to pretend that everything was fine, as Echo moved closer to her.

“Are you alright, vod’ika?”, he asked quietly.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”, she answered automatically. Her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she fully processed his words and looked up at him, a smile slowly returning to her face. “Vod’ika? You know I’m older than you right?”.

“Eh, feels right like that”, Echo replied, gently nudging her with his elbow. “If you don’t mind, of course”.

“No! I-I don’t mind at all… it actually means so much”, she said quietly.

Lexie suddenly felt overwhelmed by her emotions and for a second she thought she was going to cry. Echo really did feel like the big brother she’d always wanted, and hearing him call her his little sister filled her heart with a warm, joyful feeling. She let out a small chuckle and Echo put an arm around her, bringing her in for a side hug.

“So… come on, what’s going on? You seem really tense”, he pressed.

She glanced back towards Rex and caught him abruptly looking away from her.

“It’s nothing. Just been some stressful few weeks”.

“Alright. I’m here if you want to talk about it”, he said, releasing her from the hug.

Their attention was caught by a sharp whistle made by Fives.

“Are we going or what?”, he asked with a grin.

“Yes! Let’s go”, Lexie said, allowing a grin as big as his to appear on her face.

The 79s was crowded, mostly with troopers in the 501st blue who could finally enjoy some downtime after months of deployment. Fives practically sprinted towards their usual booth, making sure to snatch it before a couple troopers who were heading towards it could sit down. A few curses in Mando’a were mumbled by the other men as they walked away in search of another table.

Lexie made sure to slow down, falling in step with Rex. She really wanted to sit next to him tonight. The two of them were the last to reach the booth and the Captain stopped to allow her to sit down first before taking the seat next to her. She looked at him and offered a small smile which he returned. This is good. We’ll have some drinks and laugh and by the end of the night everything will be back to normal.

The first round of drinks was ordered, Jesse insisting they all tried some new cocktail he had the last time he was there.

“It’s really good, it’s called Red supernova”, he said.

“Yeah, but a cocktail vod?”, Hardcase asked making a face.

“It’s good, trust me”, Jesse insisted.

“It really is but it’s definitely not new”, Lexie interjected.

“Wait really?”, Jesse asked.

“Yeah, it’s what I was drinking that first night we met”, she replied with a chuckle.

“When did you even start liking cocktails?”, Fives asked Jesse.

“Sivra made me try it last time I was here”, Jesse replied.

“Who’s Sivra?”, Echo asked.

“The drop-dead gorgeous Mikkian I rescued from humiliation after Rex just left her on the dancefloor”, Jesse replied smugly. “Still can’t understand what the hell was wrong with you vod, but your loss”, he continued, addressing the Captain.

“You just left a girl on the dancefloor? And since when do you even dance? I’ve only seen you do it once, when Lexie dragged you with her”, Fives asked with a laugh.

“She wasn’t really my type. And I wasn’t on the dancefloor, we were stood close to it, talking”, Rex tried to excuse himself.

“Banthashit! since when are pink-skinned women not your type, vod?”, Hardcase quipped.

Lexie’s felt a pit form in her stomach at that comment but she forced herself to keep a smile on her face. She turned her head slightly to see his reaction.

“I wouldn’t say they are, no”, Rex replied, feeling uncomfortable.

“Really? So most of the women you hooked-up with don’t have pink skin?”, Hardcase pushed. “Cause I definitely remember you leaving this place with two different pink-skinned Twi’lek girls in the past-”.

“And there was that Mirialan as well, what was her name? Astri?”, Jesse interjected.

“Could we not go through my dating history right now?”, Rex said defensively, earning more laughs from his brothers.

Lexie shifted uncomfortably in her seat, moving closer to Fives who was on her left. She felt like such an idiot for ever allowing herself to believe that Rex might like her back. I’m not even his kriffin’ type.

She was now sat so close to Fives that their legs were touching.

“Missed me that much, mesh’la?”, he leaned closer to quietly say in her ear.

His hot breath on her skin made her shiver and she turned her head to look at him. “Maybe I did”, she said matching his sweet tone.

They were interrupted by the droid waitress that arrived with their drinks and Lexie eagerly reached for hers. The group toasted the new ARC troopers and she downed most of the beverage in one go. Curious eyes flickered to her.

“Whoa, slow down. Are you okay Lex?”, Fives asked, placing a hand on her leg.

“Just really needed a drink after the whole Zillo beast disaster”, she said, choosing to mention only one part of what was bothering her. She could feel Rex’s eyes burnt into her side but she refused to turn her head and meet his gaze.

“What actually happened? We saw the damage from the shuttle, looks like the place has been bombarded”, Echo asked.

Lexie let out a scornful laugh. “Do you want to fill them in on that? Cause if I do I will end up saying some things about the Chancellor that I will definitely regret”, she scoffed, finally looking at Rex.

“Look, I know you don’t approve of what happened, but that thing had to be stopped”, Rex tried to argue.

“That thing was sentient. And the last of its kind”, Lexie said with indignation. “It should not have been brought to Coruscant in the first place. The Chancellor is-”.

She abruptly stopped herself, grip tightening on her glass. The Chancellor was fully responsible for all the death and destruction that the creature had caused and Lexie was angry and frustrated with the Jedi Council for going along with it. But she had already had this argument with Rex, an argument that had ended with him warning her that she sounded treasonous, and she didn’t want to pick it up again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Let’s just change the subject. I’m sorry I brought it up in the first place”, she continued, pinching the bridge of her nose. “So, Fives, Echo, what kinds of trouble did you get into during training”.

“That’s just rude, why would you assume we got into any trouble?”, Fives faked being offended.

“Because we’ve met you”, Kix chimed in with a laugh.

The conversation shifted back to their ARC training and more drinks were ordered for the table. The twins did actually get into some trouble and the group laughed as they recalled the events.

As she was now feeling a bit more relaxed, Lexie shifted a bit closer to Rex again, her knees bumping his thigh. The three drinks she’d had in close succession were starting to affect her a little, making her feel a pleasant buzz and lowering her inhibitions. She leaned closer to him in order to have a more private conversation.

“Are you having fun, Captain?”, she asked.

“I am, General. You?”, he answered with a level tone, leaning towards her as well.

“Are we okay, Rex?”, she blurted out. “Because I am sorry for what I said after the Zillo beast was killed. I know how much you care about the Republic and hearing me criticizing it must’ve been quite disappointin-”

“Lexie”, he cut her off. “I think you misunderstood me. I wasn’t accusing you of anything, I was just trying to protect you”.

She looked at him with a confused frown.

“I understood where you were coming from, why you got angry, and I even agree with you to some degree. But we were in public, and I noticed General Windu was watching you. I was worried you’d get in trouble”, he continued, keeping his voice low.

“Oh”, was all she could reply. She hadn’t noticed Mace Windu had been watching her, she really could’ve gotten into trouble if he had heard her criticize the Chancellor so openly. A warm feeling stirred in her chest. “Thank you… for always looking out for me, Rex”, she said quietly.

“That’s what friends are for, right?”, he said with a half-smile she didn’t realise was a little forced.

A few drinks later, Lexie was on the dancefloor with Fives, Echo and Hardcase, jumping around together to the lively music of the club. Jesse was at the bar, trying to sweet talk a Chalactan woman who didn’t seem too impressed by his charms, while Kix had just returned to their table and was sat next to Rex. She didn’t have any luck tonight in getting the Captain to dance with them so far, but she also didn’t want to push too much and ruin the progress they had made in repairing their friendship.

Hardcase was now dancing with a Mirialan woman that had been trying to get his attention for the past three songs, which had prompted Lexie to just drag him over to her and introduce him. She liked playing “wingman” to her friends every now and then.

When she returned to where they had been dancing she noticed that Echo had gone to their table, leaving only Fives waiting for her with a sly smile on his face. She flashed him a smile of her own and they continued dancing together and singing along to the songs they knew, his hands coming to rest on her hips as they swayed in tandem to the music, while her arms rested around his neck. After a few songs they both decided to take a break from dancing and return to the group at the table.

“I’ll be right there”, Lexie told him before making her way to the fresher.

As she was heading back to their booth, weaving through the bodies of sentients, her eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar Tholothian woman on the other side of the dancefloor. Gemma was dancing with a trooper from the 212th, looking gorgeous in a gold dress that perfectly complemented her dark skin. Osik. Panic flooded Lexie’s senses as she hurried back to her table, keeping her head down. She wasn’t sure if she had seen her.

As she got to the booth, she jumped over Fives, landing between him and Echo, using the former as cover, as she melted into the seat and tried to hide. Rex shot her a confused look from across the table.

“You good, vod’ika?”, Echo asked her. She managed a weak hum of agreement.

This was bad, really bad. With all the missions that they’d had ever since she joined the 501st, she did not have the time to think about Gemma. She had wanted so much to apologise after seeing her that night all those months ago, and even came close to contacting her after Erosh-4, but had decided against it since she was not in a good headspace at that time. But after that came deployment after deployment, and her conflicting feelings for Rex that fully occupied her mind, and Gemma simply slipped away from her thoughts. She felt so guilty and ashamed it was making her nauseous.

“You're in trouble, Gemma's here”, Jesse announced as he returned to the table.

“How do you know about Gemma?”, Lexie exclaimed, panic clear in her voice.

Both Jesse and Fives looked at her with a confused look on their faces. “I was telling Fives-”, Jesse started saying.

“Well... so you're not dead after all”, Gemma’s voice sounded. She had approached the table and was stood next to Jesse, glaring down at Lexie.

Lexie felt all eyes turn to her as the conversation between Kix, Rex and Echo came to an abrupt stop.

“Gemma, h-hi...”, she started.

“How... how do you two know each other?”, Gemma asked, looking between Lexie and Fives. The look on her face was of horrified shock.

“Fives is part of my battalion”, she replied.

 “Oh, of course! That makes perfect, perfect sense”, Gemma said with a forced, sarcastic laugh. “Because where else would Fives learn to treat a woman in such a despicable way if not from you?”.

Lexie could feel Rex’s eyes on her and guilt and embarrassment were filling her mind. What will he think of me now?

“That's not fair Gemma”, she said quietly.

“Oh it's not fair? And you deserve fair? After everything?”, the Tholothian sneered.

“I'm sorry, I really… I-”

“You're sorry? You treat me like complete shit but you're sorry and it's ok?”, Gemma interrupted.

 “Gemma, please. You cannot put all that on me and you know it”, Lexie tried to protest.

“You are unbelievable”, Gemma said, shaking her head in disbelief.

“I'm not sure what's happening but I feel like I should-”, Fives tried to pipe in.

“You should what? Throw some empty promises around, leave and never call? Just like you taught him, right Lexie?”, Gemma continued in a contemptuous tone of voice.

“Gemma, come on...”, Lexie tried to reason with her.

“No! You know what? You two... you two are perfect together. Absolutely perfect” Gemma said with spirited gestures of her hands, raising her voice. “So why don't the two of you just fuck each other and leave the rest of us alone?”.

With that, Gemma walked away and Lexie watched as she headed to the exit of the cantina. She wanted to run after her, apologise properly, but she felt frozen in place. Everyone at the table was watching her and she was so embarrassed. Her eyes flickered to Rex who was looking at her with brows furrowed in confusion. She leaned forward and let her forehead rest on the table with a thump, squeezing her eyes shut. If only her Jedi abilities allowed for her to open the ground and let it swallow her whole.

“What just happened?”, Kix asked with a bewildered chuckle.

Lexie sat back up and let out a long breath. “What are the chances you guys could pretend that nothing happened and not ask me to explain?”.

“Zero. Now spill. How do you know Gemma?”, Fives asked her.

“Wait, how do you know her? Please tell me you didn’t…”, Lexie returned his question but could not bring herself to finish the sentence.

“I hooked-up with her a few time. Why?”, Fives said.

A horrified look was plastered across Lexie’s face and Jesse let out a snort, as he was the first one to put two and two together.

“No… don’t tell me you both…”, he tried to unsuccessfully say between laughs.

She looked at Jesse who was laughing then at Fives, seeing the wheels turn in his head.

“You didn’t…”, Fives said with an amused expression, looking at her. “You also slept with her?”, he asked loudly.

Lexie let out a groan and put her face in her hands. “It’s actually worse than that”, she said, voice muffled by her hands. She rubbed her temples for a little bit before straightening. “Maker just take me now”, she mumbled, looking up at the ceiling.

“Okay, you really need to explain”, Echo said from her right.

“I mean I don’t really need to, I could just leave”, she said as she stood up.

Fives pulled her back down by an arm. “Oh no, you’re not getting out of this that easy”, he said with a chuckle. “Spill”.

“Ugh, fine”, she groaned. “Before the war started, Gemma and I were in a sort of friends with benefits arrangement. Or, that’s what it started as anyway, but she became too attached and I didn’t know how to deal with it so I kind of just… completely ghosted her”, she explained, squeezing her eyes shut and scrunching her nose as she said that last part.

“How long was that going on for”, Jesse asked as he sat down next to Rex.

“Uhm… about 11 months”, she admitted, looking down at the table.

“11?! Lexie that’s basically a relationship”, Kix exclaimed.

“Yeah, I know, I…”, she stumbled over her words before reaching for Echo’s glass and downing the alcohol in it. “She did know I was a Jedi, alright? From the beginning. She knew I couldn’t do attachments. Yes, I should’ve put a stop to it when I sensed the feelings she was developing, but I let it keep dragging on for a few more months. I did like her, I just never felt the same as she was feeling… and then, when she eventually told me she wanted more I didn’t know how to reject her without hurting her so I panicked, told her I needed some time to think about it, but then I just went MIA on her”.

“I would not have pegged you for a fuckboy, Lex”, Fives joked, nudging her with his elbow.

“N-No! no, it was not like that”, she turned to him, lifting a finger to empathise her point. “I wanted to talk to her, I just needed some time to figure out how to let her down gently. But then I was called for the Battle of Geonosis, and I got injured and I was in a coma and then I pretty much immediately joined you guys… I… I feel really fucking awful about it…”, she trailed off.

Fives put an arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and closed her eyes, taking in a shaky breath. “Come on, it’s not that bad. We’ve all messed up with girls”, he tried to comfort her. Jesse piped in with some agreements.

“I’d say the coma and the war is a pretty good excuse for not contacting her”, Kix added, offering her a small, supportive smile.

“Well, I still feel like a complete chakaar”, she said with an embarrassed chuckle.

“You’re not. Don’t be so hard on yourself”, Echo interjected.

Lexie’s eyes flickered towards Rex and she felt a pit form in her stomach. He was avoiding her gaze, focused on the glass in his hand. She realised he had not said anything during the entire conversation. How much had she fallen in his eyes tonight, she wondered. She doubted he liked her anymore.

“I need more alcohol”, she mumbled as she got up, shuffled past Fives and headed to the bar.

Fives shot Rex a pointed look, silently urging him to do something, but when he realised the Captain was not going to go after Lexie, he got up himself and followed after her.

“Are you okay, mesh’la?”, he asked, coming to stand next to her at the bar.

“Could’ve done without all that humiliation earlier”, Lexie replied after she ordered whiskey for the two of them.

“It really wasn’t that bad. I’ve had worse”, he offered leaning on the bar and facing her.

“Yeah, like what?”, she asked, mimicking his body language.

“I had a drink thrown in my face after hitting on a woman I had already slept with but completely forgot about”, Fives said with an embarrassed chuckle. “Now that was bad”.

“How do you even do that?”, she asked with a laugh.

“It was a drunken hook-up in the back alley, and honestly I didn’t even pay that much attention to what she looked like, I still had you on my mind”, he replied nonchalantly.

Lexie choked on the drink she’d just received from the bartender. “What?”, she managed to ask between coughs.

“It wasn’t like that. Or… okay, maybe a little. It was that night after we first met so I was mainly worried that I’ll get reprimanded for hitting on a Jedi. But, I guess I was also thinking what a shame that you were a Jedi, because, come on, you’re hot. Would have loved to go home with you that night”, he said before taking a sip from his drink. The wide-eyed expression on Lexie’s face was bringing him a lot of satisfaction.

“You really are a bold one”, she said with a nervous laugh, trying to feign some composure.

“I try”, Fives replied with a shrug and a disarming smile.

Lexie felt her cheeks burning so she looked away, trying to laugh it off. Her gaze wondered back to their table and, to her surprise, she noticed that Rex wasn’t there anymore. She looked around a little but could not see the Captain anywhere.

“Looking for Rex?”, Fives asked her, watching her intently.

“What? No”, she replied automatically.

“He’s upstairs”, he said, gesturing with his head to the platform of the first floor. “He said while you were in the fresher that he’s gonna join Commanders Ponds, Fox and Cody at one point”.

“Good for him”, she replied trying to sound unbothered, while struggling to resist the urge to look in the direction he had pointed to.

“What’s going on with the two of you?”, he asked bluntly.

“What do you mean?”, she countered.

“Lex, come on. I’ve been watching you tonight, you seem really tense around him”, Fives said.

“You’ve been watching me?”, she asked in a playful tone, taking a step closer to him.

“You’re deflecting”, he remarked, following her lead and leaning closer.

“There is nothing going on”. She finished her drink, eyes not leaving his. “Let’s go back to dancing”, she said.

Fives chuckled and shook his head slightly. He downed the remainder of his drink before grabbing her hand and guiding her to the dancefloor. Lexie wasted no time wrapping her arms around his neck, while he placed his hands on her waist. She felt his fingers slip through the holes of her crochet blouse, slowly caressing the skin underneath. The touch sent a shiver up her back and she pressed herself closer to his chest.

For the next couple of hours, Lexie danced, needing to forget about everything, only stopping every now and then in order to do more shots. She got Echo, Kix and Jesse back onto the dancefloor after dancing exclusively with Fives for four songs, and the group danced and jumped around to the music together, until Kix left with the Chalactan woman that had rejected Jesse earlier that evening. Hardcase had long gone home with the Mirialan he had been dancing with, leaving Lexie with only Fives, Echo and Jesse.

She’d steal glances towards the platform of the first floor from time to time, catching Rex looking at her on a few occasions. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking and it was really frustrating her. She watched as he and Cody left after a while, before Echo and Jesse decided to also call it a night, leaving her with just Fives. But she didn’t mind, she wanted to keep dancing with him and the feeling was reciprocated.

A song they both liked started playing and the two of them began singing along to the lyrics. I just want you to make a move/So slow down, sit down, it's new. Lexie took a step back and Fives grabbed her right hand, twirling her to the music. She let out a genuine laugh. She lifted her right hand, hooking her fingers under his chestplate at the base of his neck, and pulling him closer to her as she continued singing the lyrics of the song. You just told me, want me to fuck you/Baby, I will 'cause I really want to.

Fives’ eyes darkened and he turned her around, Lexie’s back now pressed on the hard plastoid of his chestplate. His hands came to rest on her hips, his grip strong, and she placed her right hand over his. She brought her left hand to the back of his head, gently pushing it down closer to her face.

“Wanna get out of here, mesh’la?”, Fives said in her ear, his lips grazing the skin as he spoke.

The song ended and Lexie stepped away from him, her heart thumping in her chest. All the alcohol she’d had tonight was starting to make Gemma’s suggestion sound like a really good idea. She’d not had sex in months and Fives was hot, and right there, and he wanted her, she could sense it. Without much thought she took his hand and pulled him towards the exit.

Back at the base, Fives walked Lexie back to her room. Despite all their flirting tonight, he didn’t actually believe anything would come of it. He did like her, he considered her a good friend and found it very enjoyable when they flirted or when they danced together, but she was a Jedi, he respected her and did not expect anything just because of some suggestive conversations they’d engaged in.

Once they got to her private room, Lexie opened the door and took a step in, turning to look at Fives who had stopped in the doorway. She took in his presence, his eye-catching new ARC trooper armor. Maker he looks good. He was leaning on the doorframe, his eyes, a little unfocused from the alcohol, roving down her body. Lexie felt a pressure building in her core. She shouldn’t do it, but the alcohol in her system had lowered all her inhibitions. Kriff it. She reached her hand, hooking her fingers around his belt and pulling him inside the room.

His hands were on her in an instant as he dove in to capture her lips in a hungry kiss. Lexie wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself close to him. Her left hand found itself in his hair, pulling gently at it, causing a low moan to escape from his lips into her mouth. The sound went straight to her core as she felt a tingle of pleasure sweeping over her body.

Fives deepened the kiss, his tongue seeking entrance in Lexie’s mouth, which she gladly welcomed. His right hand travelled down from its place on her hip and grabbed her ass, as he took a few steps, pushing Lexie into her desk.

Lexie broke free from the kiss just for a few seconds in order to swiftly take off her blouse, throwing it behind her on the desk. Fives’ left hand came up to cup her breast over her bandeau top, kneading at the soft flesh. His lips returned to hers, then moved slowly across her jaw and down the side of her neck.

One of his legs slotted itself in between hers, drawing out a moan from Lexie’s lips as the plastoid pressed against her core. She instinctively rolled her hips into it again, chasing more of that pleasurable feeling. She felt Fives grin against her skin. She needed this, she needed the release from all the tension of the past few months.

“Take the armor off”, Lexie whispered in his ear.

“Are you sure?”, he asked in between kissing her neck.

“Yes… If you want to”, she said.

“Hell yeah!”, he exclaimed.

He grabbed a hold of her hips and took a few steps back, pulling her after him, before turning and pushing her on the bed. He started to hurriedly unclasp the upper part of his armor, discarding the pieces on the floor. Lexie shifted in bed in order to take off her shorts. The sight of her in just the bandeau top and underwear was too much. Fives stopped what he was doing and lunged at her, taking off her top and exposing her breasts. He caged her in on the bed, towering over her as he started hungrily kissing and licking her stiff nipples, eliciting a few whimpers out of her at the delightful sensation of his warm tongue.

“You’re so kriffing hot, Lex”, he said, lifting his head and allowing his eyes to proudly trail over the marks he had sucked on her chest.

Fives took off his gloves so he could properly feel her soft skin. Lexie tugged at the top of his blacks, stopping his attention to her breasts for just a moment so that he could assist her in taking it off. His mouth returned to her chest, trailing kisses and leaving small bites down her abdomen, his goatee slightly scratching her skin. He planted a sloppy kiss on her clit through the fabric of her lacy underwear, before moving it to the side so that he could lick a long stripe along her folds. Lexie let out a breathless moan.

Fives raised his head from between her legs and looked at her with lust-filled eyes. “You taste so good, mesh’la. I want you to sit on my face”, he said in a low tone of voice.

Lexie liked that idea and eagerly nodded. Fives pulled her underwear down her legs before hooking an arm around her back, lifting her up, and moving to take her place laid on his back on the mattress. She straddled his chest and kissed his neck, before moving up and hovering just above his face. Fives’ hands grabbed her ass, hurriedly lowering her wet pussy to his mouth. His tongue tentatively licked up and down her folds, eliciting a gasp from Lexie as she tried to brace herself on the wall in front of her. He let out a low moan as his tongue started circling her clit, causing her thighs to slightly clench around his head.

Fives’ tongue dragged around and over her clit a few times before moving it to circle her entrance and slipping it inside her. Her hips started to slowly move as he fucked her with his tongue, a warm, tingling sensation gradually raising in her body, and she moved one of her hands to tangle it in his hair. As he felt her getting closer he replaced his tongue with one, then two of his fingers, moving his lips back to her clit. A few more movements of his fingers, accompanied by him sucking and licking at her clit and Lexie arched her back as the orgasm washed over her, prompting a sigh to escape from her lips and coating his face with her release.

She got off of his face, turning and leaning against the wall as she tried to catch her breath. Fives sat up, reached a hand to the back of her neck and pulled her lips into his, not giving her any respite. He was too worked up now, he needed more of her. Lexie moaned as she tasted herself on his lips, the fire inside her core reigniting. Her hands started exploring his chest, gliding over his toned muscles.

“You’re overdressed”, she breathed as her hands reached down and fumbled to unclasp his belt.

Fives chuckled and got up, quickly shedding his kama, the last of his armor and the lower part of his blacks. Lexie’s eyes went wide as she watched his hard cock spring free from the fabric. It was long and thick and she felt her core clench at the sight.

“Like what you see?”, he asked with a teasing grin.

“Very much”, she replied, meeting his eyes.

He got back on the bed and captured her mouth in another sloppy kiss. Lexie parted her lips, allowing his tongue to enter and twist around her own. One of his hands groped her breast, pinching her nipple between his fingers. His hands then moved to her waist and effortlessly turned her around. Lexie found herself on her hands and knees as Fives leaned over her and kissed the back of her neck.

He then shifted on the bed, moving behind her, and dragged the tip of his cock through her wet folds. Her breath hitched as she felt it catch at her entrance. Fives’ hands grabbed her hips as he slowly pressed himself inside of her. The stretch was a little painful at first, but the burning sensation was swiftly replaced by pleasure after he pulled out and slammed back into her a few time.

Lexie tightly shut her eyes, low moans escaping from her mouth. His pace grew quicker and his grip of her hips tightened. His unrelenting thrusts, paired with the haze of the alcohol were beginning to be too much, and Lexie lowered herself to her forearms. She burrowed her face into her pillow as Fives hit a spot deep inside of her that made cry out.

Fives wrapped her ponytail around his hand and pulled her head up from the pillow. “Oh no, mesh’la. I want to hear you scream”, he growled.

She followed his request and let out a loud moan that echoed through the room. Lexie started pushing back, meeting his punishing thrusts. Pressure was quickly building in her core and her walls clenched around his cock. Fives mumbled some curses under his breath and quickened the pace, his thrusts getting sloppy as he chased his release.

“Who knew you could be such a little slut?”, he said between grunts. Lexie’s walls clenched tighter around his cock at that remark. “Oh, you like that huh? You do, you like being called that. Well why don’t you act like a good little slut and cum all over my cock then, mesh’la?”, he continued in a low voice, pulling her ponytail harder.

A thought entered Lexie’s mind, one that she had been desperately trying to ignore. Rex had the same anatomy as Fives, this was exactly how he would feel inside of her. In this position, not being able to see the man who was fucking hard into her and only hearing the low grunts he would sometimes make, she could even pretend that it was the Captain behind her. That thought was the last thing she required. The pressure released and a wave of powerful bliss washed over her body. She let out a loud cry before her body melted into the mattress.

The sounds she made as she orgasmed were music to Fives’ ears. He only needed to thrust into her a couple more times before quickly pulling out and spilling his cum on her lower back. He fell to the side and rolled on his back as he tried to catch his breath. Lexie lowered her hips to the bed and turned her head to look at him. The strenuous activity they'd just engaged in had sobered them up a little, and, as they came down from their highs, realisation hit as to what they've done.

“Maker…”, Lexie groaned, hiding her face into her pillow.

Fives got up from the bed and went into the fresher, returning with a damp towel so that he could clean his release from Lexie’s back. She mumbled some thanks before Fives laid back on the bed, pulling her to his chest. They laid like that in silence for a few minutes, with him slowly stroking up and down her back, processing the turn of events that their night had taken.

“So… that was uhh…”, Fives started, sounding tired.

“A mistake?”, she continued.

“A really good one, though”, he offered with a chuckle.

Lexie let out a small laugh and brought a hand to her temples. “Ugh. I don’t even want to think about how many rules we just broke”.

“It sounded like you really enjoyed breaking them though”, he teased.

“Don’t get cocky. It was good, I’ll admit. But it can never happen again”, she said as sternly as she could, although the amusement was still clear in her voice.

“I know”, he assured her.

“And you cannot tell anyone. Please. I’m sure you’d love to brag that you managed to fuck the Jedi but-”

“Lex, come on”, he cut her off. “I wouldn’t speak about you like that”, he said, a little offended.

“I’m sorry. I…”, she said quietly.

“I actually care about you mesh’la, you’re one of my best friends. You do know that, right?”, Fives continued.

“I do now”, she replied half-jokingly.

Fives chuckled and shook his head before yawning. “And don’t worry. I wouldn’t have said anything anyway. Rex might actually kill me if he found out I slept with you”, he said, a trace of guilt present in his voice.

“Don’t exaggerate. Like, sure, he’d be disappointed you broke regulations, but I doubt he’d care that much”, Lexie said with a snort.

“It’s not because of regulations Lex, it’s because it’s you”, he replied weakly, half-asleep now.

“What do you mean?”, she asked, brows furrowing in confusion. There was no response. “Fives?”.

She tilted her head and saw that the ARC trooper had fallen asleep. She glanced at the digital clock on her desk. Maker it’s late. Lexie yawned, the alcohol catching up to her, and she settled more into his side. She could think more about it tomorrow but for now exhaustion was filling her mind and it pushed away the curious comment that Fives made.

[merlincmgirl]

ABO - Hound x FReader - NSFW

Summary: You're just coming into your normal heat and you need your Alpha with you. Only problem is, he's tying up loose ends with Fox when the heat finally hits.

Characters: Hound, Fox, Thorn (mentioned), Grizzler

Pairing: Hound x F!Reader

Word Count: 6,379

Warnings: Alpha and Omega dynamics, oral (female receiving), PinV sex, fingering, doggy style, aftercare, fluff and smut, they're both saps for each other.

Author's Note: I hope I did Hound proud in this one.

“Are you sure you’ll be able to look after her?” Hound frowned, looking between a joyful Grizzer and a grumpy Fox. It would only be for a few days but damn if he wouldn’t miss his girl.

Taking everything in him to not roll his eyes, Fox answered his little brother. “We’ll be fine. She’ll stay with me while I complete all this flimsiwork” Fox grumbled, nodding to the piles and piles of flimsi and datapads on his desk. Grizzer whined, rubbing her snout along Fox’s calf.

“She needs to be walked regularly, Fox and she has some warm milk before bed to help her after working a case. I asked Thorn to make sure that she’s entertained while I’m gone, you know when you’re guarding the Chancellor” Hound reported, remembering to list off everything that would ensure the massiff would be comfortable during his leave. He hated being away from her, but he trusted his brothers to look after her right.

“Stars Hound, would you kriff off?!” Fox growled, crossing his arms and leaning back on his desk. Grizzer sat up, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she gazed at Hound expectantly. Almost like she was encouraging him to go. “Haven’t you got your girl to look after? Shouldn’t it be hitting soon?” Fox reminded, raising an eyebrow at his younger brother.

Hound glanced at his chrono and winced. “Yeah, you’re right, vod. Are you sure it’s okay for me and Grizzer to be off duty?” Hound asked one more time, knowing how difficult it was when they were down men.

Letting out the long suffering sigh only an elder sibling could, Fox forcefully turned Hound around and shoved him towards the door. “Yes, go look after your cyare, she needs you more than we do right now. Anything short of a Zillo Beast will be dealt with. Now go! You’re making my office a mess just standing here” Fox ordered, tapping Hound’s pauldron affectionately before opening the door and pushing him through it.

He heard Hound spluttering on the other side before he turned to Grizzer. “Alright, girl, let’s get this over with so we can maybe get to the barracks before the next shift starts” Fox groaned, scratching Grizzer’s head as he flopped into his seat. She let out a rumble before collapsing on Fox’s feet under the desk, quite content to nap while her handler was away.

“Cyare? Sorry I’m late, traffic is worse than normal today, go figure. How are you feeling?” Hound called out, kicking his boots off by the door. Already he could smell a sweet scent flooding the air around him. Your heat would be soon, if not here already, from what he could tell.

“Hound?” a small voice called from the bedroom, and Hound quickly gathered the food and water supplies that he had already prepared this morning when your heat was threatening to arrive. It sounded like you were already in your nest, riding the first waves of your heat as you tried to get comfortable. He had already lost a number of blacks to your nest building, but he didn’t mind, as long as his girl was happy and cosy, that was all that mattered.

As he walked into your shared bedroom, he found you in your nest of blankets, pillows and his clothes. You were curled into yourself, clutching the water bottle and burying your head into his pillow as you tried to fight off the cramps.

“Oh, pretty girl, I’m here. You’re going to be okay. How are you feeling?” he shushed, placing the supplies next to the bed. They would need to be in easy reach of you and him as you both rode out your heat. He regretted not getting here fast enough, you were obviously uncomfortable already.

Shivering, you reached out for him, wanting to tug him into your nest and scent him. But Hound pulled away, shushing your whines and leaning down to brush his lips against your temple. He had to get all of his ARF armour off first before he could enter your nest.

“Cold… so kriffing cold! And the cramps… nothing’s working Hound” you complained, switching onto your back to try and get comfortable. You huffed as a pillow was stuck under your back and you tugged it out, throwing it to the edge of the nest. However you growled when you realised you wanted it back, there was a space next to you that would be perfect for it when you rolled over onto your side.

Hound must have realised what you wanted, as he picked it up and placed it in the exact spot you were thinking about. It had your Omega instincts purring to know that your Alpha knew you so well, that he could predict your needs and take care of you. Tilting your head, you reached out for him again, letting out a little chirp of interest.

The trooper laughed, slipping off his blacks before finally taking your offered hand, letting you tug him into your nest just how you wanted him. He couldn’t help but sigh in relief, surrounded by all the comforts and luxuries his beautiful Omega had provided in her nest. When she pushed him onto his back and cuddled up into his side, he went willingly, arms coming around to press her tighter into his side.

Throwing your leg around his waist, you buried your nose into the scent gland at the base of his neck, feeling the tension bleed out of your body. You felt more relaxed than you did this morning, as Hound continued to press large warm strokes up and down your back. He smelled of hot chocolate, petrichor and a hint of spice that warmed you to your core. It was a lot stronger now that you were going into heat, and you could only just imagine what your own scent was throwing at him.

Hound let out a small purr of contentment as you traced patterns all along his chest. He buried his nose into your hair, taking in your delicious scent of vanilla, peaches and rose after a rainfall. Closing his eyes, he rested one hand on your belly as the cramps seemed to ease up with his presence.

“Was Grizzer okay?” you mumbled into his neck, and it was only Hound’s good hearing that helped him understand what you said.

“She was, cyare. I think she was excited to spend some time with Fox… and Fox with her” Hound admitted, making you chuckle.

“Oh? Have you lost your place as her favourite?” you teased, pulling away to lean up on his chest. You couldn’t help but stare into his beautiful brown eyes, the way they sparkled with amusement and held such love for you all at once had you pressing a kiss to his nose.

Scrunching his nose up and beaming at you, he pulled you back down onto his chest. “Never! She knows who her Daddy is” Hound scoffed, shaking his head at the thought.

His words sent a cramp through you, imagining calling him Daddy in another situation. A very risqué situation that had you both trying to quieten down your moans.

“Sorry, cyare” he winced, kissing your head and soothing the cramps with careful and gentle strokes. “I meant that Fox seemed more relaxed with her around. He definitely has favourites, and Grizzer is one of his favourites. He even lets her around base while the others have to stay in the kennels. Thorn told me he has a bag of massif treats in his belt that he carries around” Hound explained, grinning at his older brothers and the way they spoilt his 2nd best girl.

“When the war is over, we’re going to get Fox a therapy dog” you grinned, feeling the way his chest rumbled and shook as he laughed beneath you. Hearing the way his laugh echoed around your room, you relaxed further into your blankets and his hold of you.

“Good idea, mesh’la. He’d probably cry” Hound agreed, running his hand through your hair before pulling away slightly. “Have you eaten and drunk anything yet, love?” he asked, keeping his tone light and casual in case you thought he was chiding you. Sometimes around your heat, it could leave you pretty distracted and you didn’t always remember to hydrate and eat before it was a full on heat.

“I had some water before you came back. I couldn’t eat anything though, feels like my stomach is rolling every time” you mumbled, grimacing at the thought of food right now.

“Hmm, okay mesh’la. How about we have a light snack and see how you feel later, huh? Will you do that for me?” he suggested, cupping your cheek and running his calloused fingertips over your cheekbone and down across your jaw.

The thought of disappointing your Alpha made you want to whine and you quickly nodded at him in acceptance. Maybe something light would help after all. Your reward was instant, as Hound beamed at your answer, pressing a quick kiss to the corner of your mouth before turning to grab some supplies.

“Drink at least half of this, then I want you to lie down on my chest” he instructed, getting himself comfortable against the pile of pillows behind him. As he watched you drink down half a bottle of water, he fluffed up the pillows surrounding you in the nest, wanting to make sure you were as comfortable as possible. When you were finished, he helped guide you so that you lay with your back against his chest, so he could wrap his arms around you and hold you close.

“Here now, my sweetest girl, try some of this. It should help stop any nausea” he suggested, passing over little cubes of meiloorun fruit that he had brought especially just for your heat.

Leaning back into him, he plucked one of the cubes from the tray that rested in your lap, and held it up to your lips. Feeling just how much he loved you and was devoted to you by the small act, you couldn’t help but sigh and open your mouth for him. He continued to hand feed you fruit and snacks until you became full and you shook your head from his gentle fingers.

“You did so well for me, Omega. Got to make sure you have everything you need for when this heat hits” Hound smiled, pressing kisses down from your temple all the way to your chin. You tilted your head to the side, eager to let him explore more. However, before he could move, you let out a loud yawn that you tried to muffle with your hand.

It was no use, there was no way you could disguise that yawn.

Chuckling, Hound shuffled down the nest, getting comfortable as he ran soothing hands up and down your sides. “How about we take a little nap, mesh’la? It’ll help you feel a bit better” he suggested, already hearing the way your breaths started to even out and relax more for him.

“’Kay, but only for a bit” you mumbled, fighting another yawn as you finally felt safe. You were at home, in your nest with Hound wrapped around you and you knew that if something was to come through that door, then he’d protect you. Purring in delight and safety, you finally succumbed to sleep.

When you woke up, it was to the feeling of being too warm, your skin felt hot and sticky against the blankets and you felt so uncomfortable. An ache was rolling in your stomach and you buried your head into the chest underneath you, trying to get comfortable. You knew your heat had well and truly started, as you could feel the slick spread between your thighs and a burning need was starting to creep up your spine.

“Hound” you whined, biting your lip and brushing your nose against his scent gland. The flood of his unique smell had you pressing even closer into your trooper. He smelled of hot chocolate, petrichor and a hint of spice that was impossible to find anywhere on Coruscant. But it clung to him like a second skin and you couldn’t help but breath him in deeper.

Hound woke with a snort, eyes blinking rapidly as he woke up suddenly, ready to face whatever was going on. He looked down to see you practically rolled on top of him, your leg hooked around his waist as you buried your face into his neck, letting out quiet sighs. Oh, you were definitely in heat now, he could smell your scent flood the room. The sweet smell of peaches, vanilla and roses on a warm summers day filled the bedroom, and he knew without having to see your face that it wouldn’t be long before the cramps flared up again.

“Shh, it’s alright mesh’la, I’m here. I’ve got you” Hound whispered, stroking up and down your back as he resettled you into his side. The heat coming from you was like a furnace, and already he could feel a thin layer of sweat settling in between you both.

“Please!” you growled, feeling consumed by the heat. Your thighs rubbed together, trying to stave off the arousal that was beginning to drip from you. Already that ache and need was becoming insistent, and you couldn’t help the whine that slipped out at the pain that was starting to build as well.

“Lets get you out of these clothes, huh?” he suggested, pushing himself up onto his knees and gripping the hem of your pyjama shirt. It clung to your skin as he pulled it over your head, and you shivered, burying yourself back into the soft fabrics of your nest. “Nearly done, sweet girl. Lift your hips up for me” Hound instructed, the soothing baritone of his voice helped calm down the instinctual urge to just push him on his back and mount him.

Pushing your hips up, you felt his long, calloused fingers slide beneath the waistline and pull them down off your legs. The material was soaked through with your arousal at the crotch, and it clung to your pussy lips until Hound tugged them free. Groaning, you couldn’t help but let your legs fall open for him, glad to be naked and free from any restrictive clothes.

“Kriffing hells, my little Omega, you’re soaked” Hound cursed, eyes zeroing in on your glistening folds. He stepped out of the nest for a moment, which made you let out a displeased growl. “Just taking these off, mesh’la. It’s okay” he soothed, stripping his blacks off.

He handed them back to you and you focused on putting them in the perfect spot, right by your head so you could be surrounded by his scent and his warmth. Fluffing them out a bit and making sure they were just right was all you could focus on at the moment, needing the nest to be absolutely perfect for you and your Alpha during your heat.

“That’s perfect, my good little Omega, that’s the perfect spot. Can I come back into your nest now?” he asked, a small adoring smile on his face at seeing how you wanted to be surrounded by him. A part of it he knew was your Omega instinct, another part reminded that you were also like this when not ruled by them.

Not wanting to be away from him any longer than you had to, you reached for him, pulling him into the nest now that you had deemed it right. “Hound” you groaned, running your hands over his defined chest to his shoulders before you reached for the bun at the top of his head and pulled it out. His long curls came cascading down, and you soaked in the little sight of pleasure that Hound released at the feel of his hair being free.

Leaning into him, you wrapped an arm around his neck, lowering him down to you until your lips brushed together. It was an electric kiss, and you couldn’t help when your tongue flicked against the seam of his mouth, or when he opened them for you so you could lick into his mouth. Running your tongue over his teeth and swallowing his deep moans, you let out a purr of contentment, as his hands squeezed at your hips, holding you close.

“Lie down, ad’ika” he murmured, barely pulling away enough to get the words out as your lips brushed against each other.

Hound helped lie you on your back, and you whined, running your hands up and down his powerful arms. You wanted him closer to you. “Please, want to feel you” you pouted, knowing he couldn’t resist you when you were looking at him with lust blown eyes.

Hound nodded, bracing himself on his forearms on either side of your head. He ran his fingers through the strands of your hair, pushing it away from your face before curling them around his fingers and pulling slightly. It wasn’t a hard pull but it resulted in you gasping, legs sliding against his as you looked up into his beautiful oak-coloured eyes.

“Mesh’la” he whispered, unable to tear his gaze away from you as he felt his cock twitch at the warm, wet heat that was pressed against it. He couldn’t wait to be inside of you. Fill you with his cum. Shaking his head, he leaned down to press another kiss to you, this one more passionate as he let out a deep rumble in his chest.

“Alpha!” you breathed, eyes sliding shut at the noise and you ran your hands down his back, feeling the dips and hills of his muscles as he shifted over you. Sighing, you felt him lay kisses along your cheeks, skirting the edge of your jaw before descending down the column of your neck. He tilted your head further back to give him access and you let out an answering moan while his warm, talented lips sucked marks down your neck. He grazed his teeth just over the mating bite he had left on your neck, soothing it with his tongue as you cried out, thighs clamping around his hips at the burst of pleasure that shot through you at his touch.

It was always a sensitive spot on you, and it was of the upmost disgrace if anyone but your mate touched it. Hound enjoyed running his nose along the mark, especially as it always had you writhing in his lap and the sweet smell of your slick punctuating the air. The one on his own neck was always a place he covered up, just in case anyone would see he had a mate and he didn’t want anyone but you touching it. Every time you ran your fingers over the bite or pressed soft kisses along it, he was putty in your hands.

“Stay still for me, Omega, can you do that?” he ordered, pulling slightly on your hair to get you to focus on him. He smiled as you nodded, and he rewarded you with a quick peck on your lips before he pressed kisses all the way down your body. He sucked marks on the curve of your breasts, right where your chest band would sit so you would be reminded of him when your heat dissipated. His fingers tickled down your sides and you giggled, flinching away from his playful touch.

Hound chuckled against your belly, blowing a raspberry on your skin and enjoying the laughter you let out at that. It was so good to hear you happy and having fun, it fed his Alpha instincts to know you were so comfortable with him.

“Alpha!” you grumbled, urging him to get on with it.

“Sorry, mesh’la” he grinned, nipping at your side before sliding down the bed, setting himself between your thighs. He couldn’t help but growl at the intense scent of you hit his nose, it was so strong he could almost taste your slick on his tongue before he even had a chance to move. Nuzzling into your inner thigh, he let out a small sigh before he placed a kiss there.

The ache inside of you was becoming too distracting, and you needed him to get a move on otherwise you would combust. Reaching for his long curls, you tugged on them, bucking your hips up into his face.

“Now, now, my pretty Omega, I said stay still” he chided, hands gliding up from your knee to your thighs. He squeezed the thick flesh in his hands before pushing them open, spreading you wide for him. “Don’t want me to get the cuffs, do you?” he asked, sending you a flirty look from between your legs.

“Kriff! No! I’m sorry” you whined, shaking your head as you tried to stop the rush of want and need that hit you at the sight of him between your spread legs. As you were pulling your hand away from his head, Hound shook his head and reached to stop you, hand enclosing around your wrist.

“No Omega, you can pull my hair. Want to know how much you enjoy it when I get a taste of this delicious cunt” he smirked, giving your wrist a soft squeeze before he went back to work at the apex of your legs.

As you were covered in your own arousal, your heat making you even more drenched than usual, Hound kitten licked around your core. He never ventured too close to where you wanted him, just licking up and tasting the sweet juices that had run from you during your sleep.

Just as you pulled sharply at his head to direct him where you wanted him, Hound slid his fingers between your folds and peeled you open for him. He growled lowly at the sight of how wet you are for him, and he couldn’t help but dive right in. His talented tongue flicked at your clit briefly before falling to your entrance, determined to collect and taste the sweet nectar from the source.

You cried out, hips bucking against his face as he feasted on you. The wet sounds of your desire and the slurping of his mouth was filthy, and if you weren’t already in heat, you’d feel your cheeks flush at the noise. But it was all you could do to hold onto him, your hand coming to clench at the soft blankets and pillows near your head. “Hound! More!” you begged, as he ran his tongue around your entrance, stretching you open on his tongue first.

“Greedy girl” he chuckled, before shooting you a filthy look. His mouth was covered in your arousal, some had even reached his nose. The pupil of his dark eyes were blown, only a small slither of brown showing around his pupil. But he bit his lip playfully before his mouth fell to your bundle of nerves he had until now, ignored.

“FUCK!” you shouted, as Hound lathered your clit with attention, sucking and flicking it with his tongue while his shoulders pushed your legs even wider. It seemed like he wanted to drown in your juices, and you believed he could. You felt so slick down there, both his saliva and your own arousal mixing. Heats with Hound was always powerful, messy but extremely satisfying.

“That’s a good girl, let me hear you” Hound purred, the vibrations sending licks of pleasure up your spine at the feel of them against your clit. He pressed two fingers into your soaked entrance, and you whined at the intrusion. Because of his mouth and how wet you was, they glided inside of you. He let out a moan of appreciation as he began curling his fingers up and down, searching for that spot inside of you.

A large gush of arousal spilled out from his fingers as he found it, and you rocked your hips against his hands, chasing the feeling. Gasping at every brush against your sensitive spot, you were surprised when Hound pressed down on your lower stomach, right where your pubic bone was. Instantly everything felt magnified. His fingers felt bigger, the waves of ecstasy he was showing you against your clit felt like it was dialled to a thousand and he kept up the motion – holding you down and fucking you on his fingers.

Tugging at his hair, you tried to writhe under his hand but he was too strong. He kept you in place, licking around his fingers for a moment before returning to your clit. He increased his pace, a third finger sliding in to join the others as he fucked you on his hand.

The sounds that were coming from you would have had you embarrassed at any other time, but right now, in the middle of your heat, you didn’t give a damn. Hound was making you feel so good, made you want to spread your legs more so he could get closer to you.

The coil inside of you was getting tighter and tighter, leaving you gasping and calling out his name. You didn’t think you would be able to stop the inferno that would rip through you if you fell over the edge of pleasure. “Alpha!” you whined, eyes scrunching up as you tried to last a little longer.

“Cum for me, Omega. Cum for me” Hound growled against your clit, fucking you faster with his three fingers.

His words were all you needed as you screamed, every muscle in your body tightening at your release. Waves and waves of hot, boiling pleasure burnt through your veins, and you could barely register that you were clutching and shaking at Hound, fingers still buried tight inside of your cunt.

“Shh, that’s my good girl. You’re so beautiful when you cum, nearly made me finish as well. Love you, my beautiful girl, my wonderful Omega” Hound praised, raining kisses along your face and temples as he slowly withdrew his fingers from your shuddering entrance.

The soft reassuring tones of his voice helped you come back to reality, as he held you against him, whispering praise all along. Warm, strong hands ran up and down your sides as he pressed lingering kisses to the crown of your head.

When you send a short questioning chirp to him, Hound relaxed even more, burying his face against your neck. “You did so well for me, love. How are you feeling?” he asked quietly, content to go at your pace, even though his cock was throbbing for attention.

“Good, so good, Alpha, butt… it’s not enough. Can feel it building again. I need you to knot me” you mumbled, resting a hand on your stomach and already feeling the tightening of muscles underneath your palm.

“Alright, pretty girl, I’ll knot you. Going to tie us together until there’s no way you won’t be carrying my pups” he swore, pulling himself up onto his knees over you. He stared down at you with such a loving look that you blushed, flicking at his leg. He chuckled, unable to stop admiring how perfect you were for him, how beautiful you looked lost in your pleasure. The pleasure that he had created inside of you.

However his chuckle was cut short as your hand slid down his chest, circling his nipple before trailing down his stomach and running through the little hairs underneath his belly button. Your hand slid lower, gripping his velvety hard length and realising that he was spilling pre-cum down his shaft. Sitting up a little, you spat on your palm before taking him once more in your hand. Hound let out a loud groan, his bucking up into your hand.

As you pumped his solid length, you could feel the way he twitched beneath your fingers. On every up stroke you would twist around his head, and Hound struggled now to reach out to grab you, instead twisting his hands into the blankets. With every stroke downwards, you felt the swelling at the base of his cock, his knot beginning to form to lock you two together.

“Mesh’la, baby, stop” Hound panted, hands coming to grip your wrist to stop your fun. You shot him a pout and he chuckled breathlessly. “Keep doing that Omega, and I’ll be finished before I even get inside of you” he reminded, pressing his forehead against yours.

“Want you inside of me” you agreed, nuzzling your nose against his.

“That’s what I thought, turn over pretty girl. Hands and knees, little Omega” he instructed, voice dropping low with a hint of Alpha in it.

It had you moving quickly, turning around on your hands and knees and presenting yourself to him. You angled your hips, making sure that he could see just how soaked and swollen you were for him.

“Stars! You look so pretty like this, my beautiful Omega. I can’t believe you picked me to be your Alpha” he breathed in awe, running his hands over the globes of your ass before spreading them for his eyes only. Yes, he was one lucky bastard having you like this all to himself.

“Alpha! Hound! I love you” you reminded him, his words cutting through the fog in your head just enough that you could hear the self-deprecating in it. Your Hound was always thinking that others were better than him, it had been drummed into him since a cadet on Kamino. But you didn’t believe that, he was amazing and special and handsome and yours. And you wouldn’t stop telling him that until he believed you.

“Love you too, mesh’la” he smiled softly, leaning over you to press a kiss to the base of your neck. “Spread your knees a little wider for me, that’s a good girl” he praised, positioning you just how he wanted you to and making sure you were comfortable.

Sighing, you rested your head on the pillows that was soaked in the scent of you and Hound, and you reached behind you to entwine your fingers with those on your hip. It felt so right to have him like this, to be ready for him to fuck you and knot you. The heat would last for a few more days until it sputtered out, but just feeling this close to Hound, having him take care of you and be your Alpha. It meant more to you than he probably knew.

Hound gave a low grunt as he pumped his cock a couple of times before lining himself up against your entrance. Feeling the squeeze of your fingers around his in consent, he began to push his length inside of you. He went steady, not wanting to hurt you as well as not wanting to blow his load too soon. You felt incredible around him. The soft, warm, velvety clutch of your walls around his length had him gritting his teeth, trying to control himself.

“Alpha!” you whined, shoving your hips back as he was taking too long. Hound let out a loud groan, hands squeezing your hips to still you. It did nothing but encourage you, and you spread your legs wider to hand him pressed closer against you.

“Kriff! Karking hells, baby” he hissed, eyes squeezed closed as he took in deep breaths. You were so tight around him, even though he had opened you up. It felt like lava was pressed around him, he needed a moment just to catch his breath. “You okay, Omega?” he asked, running a soothing hand up your spine.

“Will be when you move, come on Alpha. I need your knot, please” you cried, burning desire racing through you at the memories of his knot locking you together.

Hound growled, hands squeezing your hips tightly before he pulled his hips back and slammed them back into you. “Greedy little thing, I’ll give you what you need. Only when I’m ready” he said, voice slipping into Alpha tone that had you whimpering and baring your neck for him. Hound didn’t waste the chance, falling over your back and sucking marks along your neck.

You cried out as the position forced his cock deeper inside of you. With every thrust in he was grinding against you, making you clutch at the sheets beneath you to try and hold onto something. Feeling teeth graze your neck, you whined, nodding and hoping he knew you granted permission.

It seemed Hound did because he bit down onto your neck, not enough to break the skin but enough that it would leave a mark come morning. Pulling back, content he had marked you up once more, he began to really fuck into you. Hips driving you further up the nest as he continued to thrust inside your clenching hole with powerful and hard movements.

With every thrust inside of you, pressing deep inside of your core, you could feel his knot swelling, getting bigger and bigger with each roll of his hips. You wanted it so badly, you couldn’t help but buck your hips back into him, hoping it would catch with each slam of his cock inside of you.

Hound couldn’t help the broken moan that fell from his lips as he felt your walls clenching tightly around him. He knew it wouldn't be long, he could already feel his knot swelling and catching on your rim. But he wanted to hear you as you came around him. Twisting his fingers into your hair, he gripped the hair close to your scalp and pulled. The reward was instantaneous, you clenched tight around him and a loud cry of his name fell from your lips.

“Want to hear you” he panted out, pounding into your drenched hole.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!” you sobbed out, eyes scrunched shut as you felt your release approaching. With every broken cry forced out of you with his powerful thrusts, you were getting closer and closer to your edge.

“That’s it little Omega, can feel you shaking around me. Go on, cum! Cum for your Alpha” he growled, hand sliding between you to rub at the bundle of nerves that was swollen from his attention.

You were just on the edge, struggling to be pushed over enough to finally reach your orgasm. “Alpha!” you moaned, tears slipping from your face as he grunted in your ear.

“Cum for me, Omega, and I’ll give you my knot” he whispered, words hot and heavy against your ear.

It sent you hurtling over the edge, waves and waves of pleasure washing through you at the way he touched you and encouraged you on. Through your shuddering, you could feel the way that Hound’s knot was catching on your rim. With one, two, three more thrust, it had caught inside of you. Hound hissed out, grinding his cock deep into your quivering channel and shooting his load as he shook above you.

Strong arms wrapped around your waist, toppling you onto your side with him while you were still locked together. Hound pulled your hair away from your neck, placing his head there and sighing softly. You smiled, one arm holding the hands around your waist, the other coming to stroke through his long strands. It was perfect, the both of you coming down from your highs, only the sounds of your ragged breathing and racing hearts between you.

When your breathing returned to normal, you turned to look at Hound as best as you could. “I love you, you know that right? I wouldn’t have picked anyone else but you, Hound” you admitted quietly, dragging your fingers over his scalp.

The answering rumble from his chest made you grin, but you needed him to know just how special he was. He buried his head into your neck, pressing a light kiss to one of the marks that he had put there. “I know, I love you too” he breathed, squeezing you tighter to him.

“Good, and I’ll keep telling my big, brave Alpha that until he listens” you teased, the grin breaking into a smile now.

Hound rolled his eyes, nose scrunched up at the words. “God you sound like something from the holonet” he grumbled, shaking his head. Listening to your giggles, he couldn’t help but chuckle. Keeping one hand still wrapped around you, Hound reached for the water bottles and snacks he had set up in easy reach. “Drink this for me, love” he instructed, opening the bottle for you and handing it over.

Eagerly you drunk it down, the water soothing against your throat. It helped centre you a bit more, and you didn’t realise how thirsty you was until Hound was taking the empty bottle from you. “Thanks, I guess I needed that” you muttered, leaning back into his chest. He passed you some of your snacks, keen to keep you full in more ways than one. All these caring actions made your heart flutter in your chest and you ducked your head as you thanked the stars for throwing Hound into your path.

“Got to keep your energy levels up, mesh’la. We’ve got 3 more days of this” he reminded, kissing your shoulder. He cursed when he tried to shift his hips into a more comfortable position. “Kriff, next time I want you to ride me. At least then I can see your pretty face” he grumbled, feeling his knot tug on your pussy.

You whined, gritting your teeth at the feeling of him moving. It flared up some of the latent heat that had been waiting in your core, ready for the next round. “Hound!” you growled, tapping his thigh to keep him still.

“Sorry mesh’la, just wanted to hold you properly while you eat and drink. Want to take care of you properly” Hound apologised, wincing as he ran soothing hands up and down your sides.

“You always take care of me, Hound. Next time we’re face to face because I want to see your pretty face too” you cooed, turning around to brush your lips against his cheeks.

“Alright, alright. That’s the next plan of action. But first finish your snacks” he insisted, pulling you tighter against his chest and sighing heavily as he relaxed back into your nest.

[alcida-auka]

The Bad Batch theory "Into the Breach"

Nala Se told Emerie Karr in her cell that she has tried to help the children, but clearly she can't. She's not trusted by Dr. Hemlock (and likely never was).

But Nala was gently pushing Emerie to realize that she IS trusted by Dr. Hemlock. Emerie is his pet, his docile and tame dog, or so he believes her to be. And his continued belief in her docility will be her weapon. Emerie is used to thinking she's powerless, but Nala Se is telling her she's NOT.

To "step into the breach" means to fill the gap in battle or task when the original person can no longer do it.

Emerie will step into the breach left open by Nala Se. According to Dr. Hemlock, Emerie will have control not just of the vaults to Project Necromancer but the subterranean levels.

Guess what's down there?

The Zillo beast, and it's power to eat electricity and grow.

And who can tame a Zillo beast? I there there's one little sister artificially imbued with the Force, and good with animals that might be up to the task.

Emerie Karr has always been Omega's Jungian Shadow. The Shadow is what we fear or hate in ourselves, and such a character, especially in traditionally masculine tales, shows the Shadow to be base, lascivious, angry, or prideful, but for Omega, her Shadow is a figure of extreme docility, something Omega fears to be. Omega has already faced her Shadow, but this story is doing something interesting.

One part of the Heroine's Journey is healing the Mother/Daughter split. I think it's possible that Omega's Shadow, that other part of herself, the docile, obedient girl she could have been is the one to heal the split. Because it was the Creatrix, Nala Se, that made this separation between sisters, that in part, allowed a Shadow to form.

The overly docile, obedient, powerless young woman faced her mother and said, "I want to help these children, but look at me, you tossed me aside left me to a horrible man, I cannot help myself, how can I help other children."

And the mother is saying, "Are you really powerless? Your docility need not be real, it is a power now, let it be a fine deception [and Nala Se has always been a bold liar, she understands deception]. Use his idea of you, your new access to his vile chambers, against him."

And I think Nala Se IS changing. Yes, she's always loved just Omega, poured everything into Omega, and kept all other children at a professional distance. But I think she wants to change. To expand her love beyond what was her focal point, her golden child.

Why is it so important that the children ask for HOME? Because for the first time, Nala Se is thinking of children as having mothers and fathers too. And SHE is a mother. Always has been. And she hurt other children to save her own daughter. It's a common, understandable action in our world--people will save their own children before another. But it's still terrible, and children shouldn't be hurt whether they have parents or not.

And Emerie's accusation that Nala abandoned her must highlight to Nala, these clones ARE her children, whether she recognizes them or not. They exist in part because of her. Nala Se likely believed Emerie, and all the other modified clones didn't need parents. But as we see with Emerie, this isn't true. Emerie needed her, or needed SOMEBODY who could be family. The multitude of clone brothers had each other as family, older and younger brothers all around. Emerie had none of them.

Nala Se can love Emerie, and show Emerie that she is worthy and capable of love beyond what she can do. And paradoxically, it may be that Emerie, the girl Nala Se gave away, is more her daughter than Omega, the child she held fast to her as an extension of herself for so many years.

[the-osborn-way]

Just finished the Bad Batch finale and HOLY SHIT IT WAS SO FUCKING GOOD

SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

THEY ALL LIVED!!! HOLY SHIT THEY ALL LIVED I CAN'T BELIEVE IT--

So um.... yeah Tech's still not dead to me, CX-2 is alive, everything is fine, we'll see him soon, it's fine-

Crosshair GOT HIS HAND CUT OFFFF- Not the biggest Crosshair fan but I still feel so bad.... BYT AT LEAST HE MADE THE SHOT AND SAVED OMEGA AND HE GETS A HAPPY ENDING NOW

Speaking of happy endings, THEY ALL GET TO GROW OLD!!!! I'M SO FUCKING HAPPY FOR THAT, I'M SO GRATEFUL THEY GET TO LIVE THAT PEACEFUL LIFE THEY WANTED, EVEN IF WE DIDN’T GET TO SEE IT

GONKY'S ALIVE AND WELL, THANK THE FORCE

Emerie helped the kids escape I'm so glad they all made it too AND THE KIDS LOOKED SO CUTE ON PABU WITH MOX, DEKE, AND STAK

ECHO'S STILL ALIVE AND HELPING THE CLONES FIGHT, HELL YEAH

They rescued the clones!!!! I'm SO FUCKING HAPPY they did

HEMLOCK AND RAMPART ARE FUCKING DEAD, LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOO

Rampart was a double-crossing son of a bitch and he got what he deserved. Rest in peace, Nala Se. You may not have always been on the right side, but you died doing the right thing.

Did I mention that I don't think Tech is dead?

The CXs were SO COOL I wish we got to see more of them!!!

DID I MENTION THAT I DON'T THINK TECH IS DEAD?!? (I'm not losing hope guys, I'm not-)

The Zillo beast absolutely RIPPING UP TANTISS was fucking FANTASTIC and I love it and it was VERY VERY MUCH DESERVED

Baryn is me, I need loud destructive noises to fall asleep LOL (this is why I can only fall asleep to FNAF songs in my ears-)

Seeing grown up Omega made me cry, and I love that older Hunter looks like pretty much every older Hunter fanart ever drawn-

Wish we could have seen older Wrecker and Crosshair, and GIVE ME SCENES OF BOTH OF THEM HEALING, PLEASE- (Crosshair did not eat on screen the ENTIRE SEASON I don't like that at ALL.)

Overall, I thought the finale was a solid 9 1/2 out of 10, the only thing that could have made it better was a CX-2 is Tech reveal, but... I mean I got everything else, so I'm not entirely disappointed.

I'm still staying VERY MUCH a part of this fandom, sorry not sorry to my followers who came for the Ninja Turtles and got Star Wars copy-paste men instead-

As I mentioned, I do have a Bad Batch project coming out soon, and I guess I could call it a fix-it now... but yeah, I'm not done with Star Wars and at this point in my life, I really don't think I'm leaving this fandom any time soon. Yes, it has some issues, as all fandoms do, but it's where I fit best at the moment. I'll still be posting other stuff, but Star Wars and the Scream franchise are my main fandoms for now.

Thank you to the cast and crew of this WONDERFUL show, you did it again, Star Wars. (*puts TBB in my top 3 TV shows of all time*)

And thanks to all my friends here on Tumblr who helped me get into this show and traded theories and so much more! (Also special thanks to @atyourdinosaurs for all of your love, theories, and ideas [and for inspiring my new project], and to @casp1an-sea and @thecoffeelorian for being two amazing friends I made from this fandom!)

We had a great run, guys. It's a honor to love this show and to be here for its final moments. Here's to more Star Wars and to more Bad Batch content in the future.

-Oz

[cuddles-with-dragons]

where the fuck is my impulse control

Yeah, Avengers AU.

Don't care what you say, I tried to make it work.

Including edited quotes from Avengers and Age of Ultron

I replaced Hulk with the Zillo Beast.

---

Dave Filoni: Superheroes in New York? Give me a break.

Echo: We won.

Hunter: All right, yay! Hurray. Good job, guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I want to try it.

Wrecker: We're not finished yet.

Hunter: And then shawarma after.

Echo: Is he breathing?

Tech, in lizard form: *roars in his face*

Hunter: What the hell? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me.

Hunter: Tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you. *a giant Chitauri is following him*

Omega: I don't see how that's a party.

Echo: Tech. Now might be a really good time for you to get angry.

Tech: That's my secret, Echo. I'm always angry.

Omega: Just like Budapest all over again.

Crosshair: You and I remember Budapest very differently.

Hunter, to Scorch: Maybe your army comes and maybe it’s too much for us, but it’s all on you. Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it.

Crosshair: Why am I back? How did you get him out?

Omega: Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard on the head.

Crosshair: Thanks.

Crosshair: Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and stuff something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade?

Omega: You know that I do.

Mace Windu: There was an idea, Hunter knows this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Cody died still believing in that idea. In heroes.

Echo: Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?

Hunter: Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.

Mace Windu: I don't know about that, but it is powered by the Cube. And I would like to know how Scorch used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys.

Wrecker: Monkeys? I don't get it.

Echo: I do! I understood that reference!

Hunter: It’s good to meet you, Tech. Your work on antielectron collisions is unparalleled. And I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous Godzilla lizard.

Tech: Thanks.

Hunter: The only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density. Something to kick-start the Cube.

Ahsoka: When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?

Hunter: Last night.

Hunter: Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails. *points to Anakin* That man is playing Galaga. He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did. *covers one of his eyes* How does Windu even see these?

Ahsoka: He turns.

Hunter: Sounds exhausting.

Wrecker: Don't talk like that. Scorch is beyond reason, but he's from Asgard. And he's my brother.

Omega: He killed 80 people in two days.

Wrecker: He’s adopted.

Echo: Is this a submarine?

Tech: Really? They want me in a submerged, pressurised, metal container? *walks to the side of the deck* No, no, this is much worse.

Cody: We need you to come in.

Omega: Are you kidding? I'm working.

Cody: This takes precedence.

Omega: I'm in the middle of an interrogation. This moron is giving me everything.

Bad guy: I don't... give everything.

Omega: Look, you can't pull me out of this right now.

Cody: Omega... Crosshair's been compromised.

Omega: Let me put you on hold.

Hunter: Shit!

Echo: Language!

*Some chatter and fighting later…*

Hunter: Wait a second. No one else is gonna deal with the fact that Echo just said “Language”?

Echo: I know. Just slipped out.

*Some more chatter and fighting later…*

Wrecker: Find the spear-thingy.

Hunter: And for gosh sake, watch your language!

Echo: That’s not going away any time soon.

Omega: Wrecker, report on the Zillo.

Wrecker: The gates of Hel are filled with the screams of his victims.*Omega gives him a look* But not the screams of the dead, of course. No, no, wounded screams. Mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining and tales of sprained deltoids and gout.

Echo: The two Enhanced?

Ahsoka: Leia and Luke Skywalker. Twins. Orphaned at 10 when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia's had a rough history. It's nowhere special, but it's on the way to everywhere special.

Echo: Their abilities?

Ahsoka: He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neuroelectric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation.

Echo: *confused*

Ahsoka: He's fast and she's weird.

Ahsoka: Lab's all set up, boss.

Hunter: *points to Echo* Actually, he's the boss. I just pay for everything and design everything and make everyone look cooler.

Tech: How's he doing?

Hunter: Unfortunately, he's still Crosshair.

Tech: That's terrible.

Hunter: Right, so, if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?

Wrecker: Yes, of course.

Hunter: I will be reinstituting prima nocta. *tries to lift the hammer* I'll be right back.

Hunter: *Tries again with the Iron Man glove, nothing. Makes Rex take his glove too and they both try to lift it.*

Rex: Are you even pulling?

Hunter: Are you on my team?

Rex: Just represent. Pull.

Hunter: All right, let’s go.

*Echo tries next*

Hunter: Come on, Echo.

Echo: *makes it move a tiny bit*

Wrecker, nervously laughing: Nothing.

Echo: Sorry for barging in on you.

Hunter: Yeah, we would've called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed.

Luke, in a police station: We’re under attack! Clear the city! Now! *No one’s doing anything, comes back with a gun and fires in the air* Get off your asses.

Crosshair, to Leia: Hey, look at me. It’s your fault, it’s everyone’s fault. Who cares? Are you up for this? Are you? Look, I just need to know. Because the city is flying. Okay. Look, the city is flying, we’re fighting an army of robots, and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense.

Luke: Keep up, old man! *takes Leia and runs off*

Crosshair: Nobody would know. Nobody. “The last I saw him, an Ultron was sitting on him. Yeah, he'll be missed, that quick little bastard. I miss him already.”

Crosshair: All right, we're all clear here.

Echo: We are not clear! We are very not clear!

Luke: This is S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Echo: This is what S.H.I.E.L.D. is supposed to be.

Luke: This isn't so bad.

Luke: *Shoves Crosshair and a kid behind cover and gets shot multiple times in the leg* You didn't see that coming?

[totallyunidentified]

She's Safe

Am I evil for posting this on bad batch eve? maybe.

The force ghosts have cursed me for hopefully the last time.

I'm sorry. I wrote this in an hour so its really short i just had to get it out.

Spoilers?? Probably.

Dedicated to a friend who's tik tok inspired me

TW: Main Character death.

She's here. 

She's safe.

She’s hugging him.

He's slipping.

She tries to hold him up. 

He slips through her fingers.

Laying on the ground all he can sense is her next to him.

Hunter’s helmet hits the floor.

When had he taken that off?

Her eyes find his and she’s saying…something 

Why can’t he hear her?

Everything is muffled like he has his noise dampening on in his helmet, but his helmet is on the ground.

How did he get here?

Where is here?

Tantiss, he remembers. 

Omega.

They couldn't find her. 

Crosshair and Wrecker had fought. 

Who would guard the doors? 

Who would stay behind to fight the squadrons of troopers trying to follow them?

Neither letting the other say the words they all feared. 

Hunter had slipped out.

Hitting the keypad on the way.

He made sure his little brothers were safe. 

He was not going to lose another one.

He ignored the sounds of fists against durasteel.

And stood in front of what looked like hundreds of troopers. 

He had raised his hand to the side of his helmet and activated his com. 

“Get her. Get Out. Plan 99.”

With those words he had let a single tear roll down his face, hidden behind his helmet.

He had taken a deep breath letting go of everything outside that room. 

Everything but Omega.

He had to make sure they could get her out.

He had fought. 

And fought.

And fought. 

They kept coming.

He kept fighting.

Fighting for her.

Fighting for his brothers.

So they could live.

He wished that this didn't have to happen. 

That they didn't have to go through this again. 

But his family is strong. 

Resilient.

He wouldn't be here if they werent.

He takes another trooper down and not for the first time wishes he could have seen Omega one more time. 

He’s covered in injuries, bruises. Parts of his armor cracked.

Gouges in the plastoid where a blaster shot had gotten just too close. 

He kept fighting. 

He wasnt going down without the fight of his life. 

But one man against hundreds?

He was good, but not that good. 

He’s disarmed. 

His vibroblade was thrown across the room. His blasters in another corner.

He got hit. 

Arm.

Leg.

Side.

This was it.

He wasn’t going to see her grow up.

The troopers had all started closing in on him.

He had raised his fists ready to go down swinging. 

Then he felt a huge explosion.

He heard over a fallen trooper’s com that the Zillo beast had gotten out.

He laughed. Laughed! Because he knew that that was his family.

He was unstable but had remained standing. 

He heard the blast doors being wrenched open.

He heard his daughter call his name. 

And he turns and smiles.

“Omega”

She's here. 

She's safe.

He's dying.

His mind races. 

He won’t be there. He's going to miss everything.

Sure he will miss his brothers too but he grew up with them. 

He will never see Omega grow up.

Never see her go to school like a normal kid.

Never see her get married. 

He’d never see her become the strong young woman that he can already see the foundation of today. 

As the dark spots grow larger and his chest grows heavier he is only able to look in Omega’s direction and say so softly she barely hears it.

“I love you.”

He can barely see Wrecker and Crosshair behind her. 

His fight is over.

But Omega is safe.

She’s safe and that's all that matters. 

[liontalon1]

Ok let’s talk about the final episode and season in general. Aka i dont have anyone to talk to about this show so you guys get stuck with it.

I’m starting off by saying i enjoyed it, i never really found myself getting bored during episodes though i also wasn’t racing to watch them either.

Now that it’s over i really found it lacking something the previous two seasons had. In the beginning i thought s3 had the potential to be better than s2 (my favorite), but it just didn’t deliver. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this season felt rushed with plot points and characters being added and dropped left and right. I could almost say that the show would’ve benefited from another season to allow the storyline to be fleshed out.

It also had a really weird mix of fan service and not. Like they kept on hinting that CX-2 was Tech, going so far as to put Imperial Tech in the credits (at least i think i saw that). I personally didn’t really have a preference one way or the other (i was kinda hoping they’d be Dogma), but seeing how it ended yeah we should’ve had his helmet come off. Just tie that loose end.

They also included Ventress (who i love) but what point did that cameo serve? That Omega’s force sensitive (which i hate how every damn character that is important has to be force sensitive)? Nothing ever came of that! It’s literally never mentioned again, so why was it there? It didn’t even further the batch’s character development like other filler episodes. The cadets anyone remember them? They had no purpose, which was ok if they hadn’t been on Pabu.

And yeah I’m going to go back to Tech. Because how did his death serve the plot? It didn’t, the batch were sad for a single episode, then he was barely mentioned. Which made sense if he was going to be CX-2, but he wasn’t. So why kill him? The only effect it had on the batch was too make things harder for them (same reason Echo was sidelined this entire season), so was that it? To get him out of the way and cause drama, to be an emotional blow for the fans? It just seems pointless.

Then just the final itself. There was a lot that just seemed unfinished. Hemlock and Scorch’s deaths seemed lacking, and kinda anticlimactic at least for Scorch my boy deserved better. We never found out what was up with Hemlocks hand. And Crosshairs hand, i know Star Wars likes to cut hands off their characters but it made no sense plot wise. First it was a cheap cop out of dealing with Crosshairs trauma, second Hemlock wanted to turn them into his operatives so why have them permanently injure one of them? And the Zillo beast was so anticlimactic i was expecting a lot more chaos, yeah it was how an actual wild animal would react but still.

I’m sure i could say more but I’ll stop there. Again i enjoyed the show, and will stay in this fandom for a long time.

[nonhumanhottie]

Bad batch season 3 reaction

Double length finale good good

Wrecker I love you so fucking much

How are they gonna get this baby out that's literally all I care about

Oh shit droid take over let's go

Oh they're getting a sling for the baby good

And for the teddy omgggg

Zillo beast zillo beast ZILLO BEAST

Hemlock keeps rubbing his hands hmmm

Echo is so proud of omega!!

Oh Wrecker is weak Crosshair has the tremors what a mess

Oh there is major foreshadowing happening, isn't there

Omega truly is a clone she loves kids hahah

This is some winter solider shit!!

Did crosshair just get Skywalkered????

Crosshair got Skywalkered holy shit its been too long since that happened to someone

God Echo you're such a good boy

Nala Se also having a redemption and Rampart being a fucking menace

So Hemlock is dead just like that and they all just escape hmm

PROJECT STARDUST YOU SAY

Ooh Emerie and Chuchi huh? I'll ship it

Hunter wants to lowkey steal these children lmao

Also no Phee?? Rude

ADULT OMEGA HELLO???

Omg she's going to JOIN THE REBELLION

'You've all fought enough' except Rex, Gregor and Wolffe lol

She's taller than Hunter omg shut up

I'll be real. They've left a bunch of stuff unanswered and had a lot of foreshadowing that didn't pay off

And I'm gonna say it--I'm glad Tech didn't come back. That would have cheapened his sacrifce

Though I must admit the special force clones went nowhere

This show does smack of 'this is set in the prequel era so we're bound by what we can do regarding the timeline' and I think the clones trying to navigate life after the war is much more intesting than the project necromancer stuff, which we already know Palps succeeds at much later on

Overall I find this show very fun but you can't look too closely at the story lol, it's the characters that shine

[oceanofsoup]

Figure I'd throw out my thoughts about the finale, right out the gate I fucking loved it and could not have asked for a better way to end their story. Tech not being cx 2 hurts, especially considering he's the only member of the batch that didn't get that happy ending, but something I have been seeing less of in media is actual sacrifices. It becomes much more meaningful to think back on that scene with the confirmation that he did indeed use his last moments ensuring that his family was able to get away, however I will be constantly making myself cry thinking about what could have been with him and phee.

The whole escape was amazing to watch, I particularly loved emerie and echo following the kids' path of destruction and just being like, ah yes classic omega. Everyone's roles were great conclusions to what we've been seeing the whole series, and one of the best character arcs in all of star wars with crosshair. The deaths of both rampart and hemlock were perfect, with rampart finding out the consequences of his actions and the boys getting revenge for all the pain that hemlock has caused. I also think is interesting that they didn't have omega try to do anything with the force, even connecting with the zillo beast (not in a negative way, i love moving on from needing a force user as a main character). For me it just confirms/backs up my own theory, it's not the she had a significant m-count, but because she's almost entirely unmodified she was able to keep whatever Jangos m-count was while the modifications on all other clones rendered m-count null or at least super low.

They more than deserved their life on Pabu, being able to live quietly and let omega grow up the way they never got to. And omega getting the chance to chose to get back into the fight, wanting to help people cause she knows all to well what the empire is capable of and what they'll do to get what they want. I wonder if those clone cadets joined the rebellion as well. Old man hunter is everything I could have ever hoped for, I was gonna point out hunters new bandanna to my dad but then I saw that omega had his old one and started crying a bit. Him calling omega their kid broke me and I don't think I'll be able to recover from this, he was able to fully embrace being a father and I couldn't be happier.

All in all this was so fucking good and I hope that zillo beast is having the time of his life on a planet all by himself and no one tries to hurt him again. Cannot wait to read the incoming horde of omega and hera reunion fics.

[bberry005]

THE BAD BATCH FINALE THOUGHTS

this goes without saying, but this post contains spoilers for the series finale of the bad batch. keep reading at your own risk. also this got so long like i had so many more thoughts than i thought i would.

okay first of all i LOVED the finale. it played out simultaneously exactly how i expected and nothing like i expected at all. my top moments from this episode were definitely the ending and the scenes where they found out omega freed the zillo beast.

okay now for a few rapid fire lists

things i loved: - the fact they absolutely did not let crosshair sacrifice himself. when i saw the "plan 99" tweet by jennifer corbett, i had a feeling it was going to be something like this and i've never been happier to be proved right - additionally, "clone force 99 died with tech. we aren't that squad anymore" was an amazing moment. i feel like some people might not like it much but i thought it was so fitting. i have so much to say about it i might make a whole post on it - THE RETURN OF HUNTER'S ENHANCED SENSES WHEN HE FELT THAT BLASTER BOLT COMING TOWARDS HIM. chat it took us three whole seasons but we finally did it! we saw his enhanced senses! - the humor was on point, as always - omega's entire character this episode. like all her tantiss part 2 moments, this episode really showed how much she's learned and grown and the person she's starting to become - ECHO AND EMERIE!!! they're such a duo and if star wars ever does any projects about the clone rebellion, i want to see more of them - all the fight scenes were perfect, as always - the clone prisoners all joining echo and omega to save hunter, wrecker, and crosshair - going off of that, i loved how the batch got stopped and they faced extremely high stakes and losses. it wasn't easy for them to get in and out. wrecker got severely injured, hunter nearly got crushed, crosshair lost his hand, and they all got captured. their losses stacked up with how insane of a mission they were trying to pull off. i was worried there'd be too many losses or they'd win too easily, but the balance was perfectly struck - the scene on the bridge with hemlock was AMAZING. no notes. i loved it. hemlock's death was also so violent like i feel like they don't show that much violence usually but they really just showed him getting shot until he fell off that bridge and you know what? it's what he deserved - THE ENDING. EVERYTHING ABOUT THE ENDING OH MY GOD. without getting too sappy, the very last scene reminded me of me and my dad when i left for college for the first time. obviously the context and stakes of omega leaving were VERY different and a lot higher, but just that similiarity made me cry

things i thought were okay: - nala se's sacrifice. it was kind of meh and didn't really feel impactful to me - rampart's villain moment was so high drama but again i thought it was okay - omega sneaking off and trying to leave without saying goodbye felt a little out of character but you know what? that's okay. i think it fits a little with parts of her character that weren't super explored in the show

things i thought needed to be addressed more: - that insane cx trooper reveal? like hello? those guys were INSANE and i loved how they were purposely designed to all mirror the batch in some way (also fellow "tech is cx-2" truthers we were absolutely incorrect and even if he was cx-2, he's firmly dead now so uh yeah) - but building off the cx trooper thing, having a cx trooper that mirrored each member of the batch and then revealing them in the last episode was odd to me. it makes me suspect there was supposed to be another season based on this plot line but said season got cut - the fates of some of the side characters. i was kind of wondering where phee went and what was up with her

things that we all thought were going to be addressed but weren't: - cx trooper (but specifically cx-2) identities - where the fuck is cody???? - how the fuck did wolffe join rex???

all in all, a beautiful ending to a beautiful show. to me, the bad batch has always been a father-daughter story at it's core. again, without getting too sappy and personal, star wars for me and so many other people my age has always been something that's introduced to us by someone older who we look up to, and for me that person is my dad. for a franchise i associate so much with my dad and being able to connect with him to tell the story of hunter and omega, a father and his daughter, really means a lot to me. so thank you to the bad batch for telling this amazing story and being the thing that fully launched me back into loving star wars again. thank you for this story about love and family and loyalty and sacrifice and for honoring all the core principles of this story in the finale. i can't wait to see where omega's story goes in the future, and as always, may the force be with you <3

[sillycowboys]

Bad batch finale spoilers

My thoughts

HUNTER DIDNT DIE 😭😭😭I CRIED SO MUCH THO

But that motherfucking awful bitch Hemlock dying made my year

OMEGA ALL GROWN UP??? Shut the fuck up. AND TECHS GOGGLES ON HER SHIP? BE QUIET IM DYING.

Hunter with that salt n pepper look just made me want him more #zaddy

“clone force 99 died with Tech” — okay so basically you want me to kill myself? wow

Was lowkey still delusional till the very last second that clone x was Tech but you know what it’s actually better this way bc tech didn’t have to get tortured. I still miss him more than anything in the world

I fully thought wrecker was gonna die bro I was mentally preparing myself

“You’re our kid. Always will be.” Yes she will. But And so what happens if Omega dies fighting in the rebellion or what if old ass Hunter crosshair and wrecker have to go and help her, what then? WHAT THEN, DAVE???!

I still can’t believe tech is dead I’ve been telling myself he’s alive the entire season but now I just have to grieve. I don’t want to. Thank god none of the others died otherwise I’d have to grieve multiple at once bc I’m still not over tech

but like REALLY? TECHS DEAD ARE YOU SURE?????😭😭😭😭 ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE???

Echo had so many mommy moments it made me very happy. Emerie asking him how he knew it was echo who let the zillo beast loose…”It’s what I would’ve done” HE IS HER MOMMY.

I’m ngl I’m surprised they all made it out

When they cut off crosshairs hand I was both devastated and also relieved for him bc he doesn’t have to deal with the shaking anymore, but also I think screamed

I think we rly need to push the concept that mom and dad don’t need to be in love, like yes Hunter is dad and Echo is mom, yes they are brothers, no it does not mean they aren’t mommy and daddy because THEY ARE

Crosshair is the really cool uncle who also lives with them

Wrecker is the fun older brother

Tech is, well, dust

JK. Tech is honestly the annoying younger sibling that you say is annoying but you actually love more than anything oh and also he’s always right

And Omega is just Baby

Hemlock is like, the creepy uncle who married into the family but isn’t allowed to any family events…plus he’s also dust now too

I wish Phee was in the finale lowkey. Missed her

I could talk more but I need to process first.

Anyways bye love you gonna cry some more now

[bunny7567]

I got you - chapter 11

Pairing: Rex x Jedi!ofc

Word count: 5.5k Tags/Warnings: mentions of masturbation; mentions of injury; we're slowly getting somewhere; very slowly; tipsy Rex; angst; this chapter is set right after ARC Troopers and before The Zillo Beast; the timeline is now my bitch; Kix is disappointed; am I sorry about the ending? not one bit, I love angst;

Previous chapter | Next chapter

vod - brother vode - brothers mesh'la - beautiful di'kut - idiot jetii - jedi

~~~

The battle of Kamino had finally ended and Lexie was outside on a balcony, leaning against the railing and staring at the endless ocean that surrounded Tipoca City. She was tired and the fresh burn left by Ventress’ lightsaber on her left arm was starting to really hurt. She should go find Kix and have it looked at but for some reason she felt like she couldn’t move.

The fight had been harrowing. While Obi-Wan was looking for Grievous and Anakin was occupied with Ventress, Lexie had stayed in the main hangar, trying to keep the main droid forces at bay. So many troopers had been killed around her and she could not shake that cold feeling of death. Frustration was rising inside of her, she had been able to tune it out lately, to focus on the missions, but during this battle it had almost frozen her in place on multiple instances. Sometimes she really hated her Force-sensitivity.

She didn’t know how long she had been standing there, just staring at the water, at the way it moved and crashed into the stilts supporting the domed structures of the city. It always calmed her down, the fluid movements, the sounds it made. Thunder rumbled in the distance, it appeared like a storm was approaching. She closed her eyes and focused on the sound of the waves for a while, before sensing a friendly presence behind her.

“Hi, Echo”, she said without turning to look, as she heard the door slide open and footsteps approaching.

 “Damn Jetii”, Echo said with a chuckle as he came and leaned against the railing next to her.

“Rude”, she said with a small laugh, softly hitting his arm with the back of her hand.

Echo turned his head to look at her and noticed the burn, his smile fading from his lips. “That looks bad. Kix is not gonna be happy if he finds you just sitting around with that kind of injury”.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I was on my way to the medbay, but I just wanted to look at the water for a little bit”, she said.

“Are you alright?”, he asked her, picking up on her gloomy mood.

Lexie considered the question. Was she alright? She’d had so much on her mind these past couple of weeks, so many conflicting emotions. Ever since Saleucami, al’Prani’s voice had forcefully returned to her mind, berating her for allowing herself to fall in love, and with the Captain of her battalion nonetheless. The dreams she’d been having about him, the fantasies she conjured when touching herself, it was beyond inappropriate. She felt like a disgrace to the Jedi Order.

And the battle today? She couldn’t even understand what they were really protecting. All the men that had died around her… and for what? For the Kaminoans to keep producing more of them, more sentient beings that would just go on to die as well, with no choice in the matter, no other possibilities, not actual future? But yet it wasn’t that simple and she knew it. What was the alternative, let the Separatists win?

“Lex?”, Echo brought her attention back to him. He looked at her with a concerned expression.

“A lot of men died today”, she managed to say.

She felt the energy shift around his Force signature as he took her words in. “Yeah… we lost some good soldiers”, he said quietly.

Lexie clenched her jaw at the word “soldiers”, indignation and sadness bubbling inside her mind, but did not say anything. They were soldiers after all, and they were proud of it. No point in starting an argument. She could barely make sense of her thoughts as it was, she doubted she could explain them without sounding like she was criticizing their entire existence.

“Where’s your twin?”, she decided to change the subject.

Echo let out a sound between a laugh and a snort. “Still don’t understand why you call us that”

“I don’t know, you just give me twins vibes. It’s the connection you two have. And you all call each other vode, you and Fives are just extra vode, so you know… twins?”, she tried to explain. Her brows furrowed as she reached the end of her sentence, it didn’t even make sense to her.

“Extra vode?”, Echo repeated with a laugh.

“I don’t know what I’m kriffin’ saying anymore. Don’t mind me I’m just tired”, she laughed. “So where is Fives?”

“We split up looking for you actually”.

“Everything okay?”, she asked, suddenly a little nervous.

“More than okay. We have some great news we wanted to share. But he made me promise to let him be the one to tell you. I did comm him when I saw you, he should be along soon”.

“Alright”, she chuckled, curious about this news of theirs. She absentmindedly leaned into him a little, forgetting about her injury, and winced at the contact with the plastoid of his armor.

“I could comm and tell him to meet us in the infirmary. You should really get that looked at”, he pointed at her burnt arm.

“I know, but I’d like to avoid the ‘you should’ve come straight to the medbay’ speech from Kix as long as possible”, she joked.

“That speech is gonna turn into a straight up scolding the longer you wait”, he warned with a chuckle.

Lexie rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine, let’s go”.

“What was it like, growing up here?”, she asked as they walked down the pristine white corridors of Tipoca City.

“It was alright, I guess. Although we didn’t really do anything besides training and studying”. He paused for a few seconds, a rueful smile appearing on his lips. “I was… actually glad when we finally left”.

“Yeah?”, she prodded a little.

“Yeah… it was nice to have a change of scenery, to be on rock solid ground”, he chuckled. “To be honest, I kind of liked the barren landscape of the Rishi Moon. Probably was the only one who thought that”.

“Must’ve been pretty weird, spending the first what, 10 years of your life just staring at the ocean?”, she said.

“Well it didn’t seem weird then. We didn’t know anything else. But I do like the fact that we move around from world to world now. It’s nice to see all those different places”, he admitted.

“Oh, I bet Garronn was your favourite”, she teased.

“Yeah, especially the serpent”, he scoffed.

“So which is your favourite planet we’ve been on? Battles aside and everything”, Lexie asked after a silent moment.

Echo let out a hum as he considered her question. “I liked Erosh-4. The mountains were really beautiful. And the air really stuck out to me, it was so crisp”.

Her stomach turned a little at the mention of Erosh-4, but she tried to quickly move past it. “You’d really like Seccaya then. The entire planet is covered by mountains and the air is so clean and fresh everywhere, even in the Capital”.

“Seccaya, that’s your homeworld isn’t it?”, he asked.

“Yes”, she said a bit too curtly.

Echo took the hint and didn’t press any longer. They were almost at the door that lead to the medbay anyway.

Lexie briefly stopped a few steps from it. “What are the chances Kix isn’t in there and I could get some random medic I don’t know to patch me up?”, she asked jokingly.

“Very slim”, Echo chuckled. “You know he barely leaves the medbay for like a full rotation after a battle like this”.

She pressed the control panel outside the door and stepped into the large medbay, feeling her stomach twist at the sight that awaited her. The beds were full of troopers with various injuries while clone medics and med droids were running around between them. She always hated going into the medbay after a battle, seeing the aftermath, sensing the pain the men were in. She shivered trying her hardest to tune out the emotions she was picking up though the Force.

Lexie quickly scanned the room, eyes landing on Kix. He was near an examination table at the back of the medbay, giving instructions to a droid. He looked towards the door and as he saw her, an irritated expression appeared across his face. He knew she didn’t come into the medbay unless she was either injured or checking in on one of them, and thankfully, this time, no one from their little group was hurt during the battle. The irritation seemed to only grow as she got closer and his eyes landed on her injured arm.

“The battle ended three hours ago, Lexie, why the hell did you wait so long to come see me?”, he said, not even attempting to mask the anger in his tone.

Three hours? She had not realised she’d been on that balcony for so long.

“I lost track of time?”, she said with an innocent voice.

“You or'dinii”, he mumbled under his breath as he turned and motioned for her to follow him to an examination table.

“What did he call me?”, she asked Echo.

“A complete lunatic”, he answered with amusement.

“Fair”, she said as she followed the medic.

“There you two are”, Fives exclaimed as he walked into the medbay, quickly heading towards where Lexie was sat.

Kix had finished cleaning the wound, and had also finished his speech about her carelessness, and was now placing a bacta patch over it, while Echo was stood next to the examination table.

“You haven’t told her yet, have you?”, Fives asked Echo.

“No, I did say I’d let you”, Echo said.

“Lex we have some really great news. You’re sitting down, good”, Fives said turning to face her, making her roll her eyes and chuckle at his theatrics. “Echo and I have been promoted to ARC troopers”.

“Wait, really?”, Kix asked.

“Yes. Rex and Commander Cody told us after the battle finished”, Echo answered proudly.

“That is amazing, boys!”, Lexie said with a bright smile. “You deserve it”.

She quickly got up and hugged them. She really was happy for them, they were skilled soldiers and she was glad they were getting the recognition they deserved. She also knew how much Fives had wanted it, having mentioned his goal to her on more than one occasion.

Kix congratulated both men before leaving to deal with another injured trooper. The three of them walked out of the medbay, heading for the mess hall.

“We need to celebrate at the 79s the moment we land on Coruscant”, Lexie exclaimed.

“Absolutely!”, Fives agreed.

“After our training maybe”, Echo interjected.

“What do you mean?”, Lexie asked with a slight frown.

“We’re staying on Kamino for the ARC training. It’s gonna be six standard weeks before we rejoin you and the 501st”, he explained.

“Oh”. Lexie felt a bit stupid, she should’ve thought of that, of course they had to receive specialised training, it wasn’t just a change of rank.

“You gonna miss me mesh’la?”, Fives asked, swinging an arm across her shoulders.

“I’m gonna miss both of you”, she said after rolling her eyes at Fives. However, she didn’t push his arm away.

She really should put a stop to this. Fives was a lot bolder now, after that night at the 79s and the encouragement he’d received from her while they were dancing together. He started calling her mesh’la again, but never when Rex was within earshot, and he’d become friendlier in his touches, swinging his arm around her like he’d just done or sliding closer and pressing his leg into hers when they were sat at the table in the mess or on the couches in the clones’ break room.

It wasn’t appropriate but Lexie did enjoy it, as it had been too long since she’d had a hook-up, so it was nice to feel wanted. She wasn’t gonna let it go too far though, it was just a little fun, right?

Once in the mess hall, Lexie’s eyes quickly scanned the large room, looking for Rex. Disappointment filled her mind as she found him sat at a table between Cody and Jesse. She liked sitting next to him, it was something she looked forward to every time she had her meals with the men. But sitting opposite him wasn’t the worst she supposed, she could actually look at him properly that way, admire his kind eyes and handsome face.

Fives quickly removed his arm from around her shoulders and walked towards the table, sitting down opposite the Captain. Echo and Lexie joined him after getting some food for the three of them. Rex met her eyes immediately, giving her a kind smile, before his gaze lowered to the bacta patch on her arm.

“Are you alright?”, he asked with a concerned voice.

“Yeah, it’s just a scratch”, she waved his concerns off.

Hardcase soon joined them, dragging Kix after him, and the group fell into pleasant conversation that was carried late into the evening.

The cruiser did feel empty without Echo and Fives, Lexie had to admit it. She also had to admit how attached she had become to the clones, something that worried her, especially since she had started to really question the Code she was supposed to be following. Everything she’d been feeling lately only confused her.

The Jedi forbade attachments since they could lead to the Dark Side, but she couldn’t see it like that anymore. She had spent years trying her hardest to please her master, supressing her emotions, and detaching herself from the emotional connections she had to her family, only to be called a disappointment and be abandoned by him right at the start of a war. So why should she keep following his teachings?

Her friendships with the troopers gave her strength, and they had helped her push past insecurities, they had made her a good general. Her attachment to them could not be a bad thing. But none of the clones she called friends had died yet, what would happen if one of them did? Would that push her down a dark path? No. She could protect them; she will protect them.

And then there was Rex. Her attachment to him was stronger than anything she’d ever experienced before. She loved him, there was little doubt of that now, and that was a problem. Her desire for him was beginning to distract her. She could barely focus during briefings that he attended, her gaze always finding its way to him, trailing up and down his body, picturing the way he would make her his in her dreams. And if he met her eyes, Maker, she felt like she could just melt. But then shame would engulf her mind and it would feel so strong she could barely hear anything going on around her.

Rex was her friend, but that was all he was. He had not given her any indication that he cared about her in any other way than as a friend. And even if he did, they couldn’t be together. He was a clone trooper, he had a duty to the Republic. No, he was technically propriety of the Republic, they weren’t allowed to be romantically involved with anyone.

Her head was hurting as it jumped around all these conflicting thoughts, so she was glad to finally be back on Coruscant, even if it was for only one rotation. The battalion had been rerouted to a siege to the Mid Rim planet of Dore’e as soon as they departed from Kamino, a siege that was predicted to last two standard weeks, which then turned into almost five.

They wouldn’t even be back on Coruscant if they didn’t desperately need to resupply the cruiser, as the 501st was needed on Malastare. But their short supply run was definitely welcome. The men were pent up and could not wait to go to the 79s to blow off some steam.

 Lexie could also not wait to go to a bar somewhere, possibly find someone to hook-up with, take her mind off of everything for a while. It had been so long since she had sex, maybe what she was feeling for Rex wasn’t actually love and just a result of that, and she could dissipate the tension with a random one-night stand. Was certainly worth a try, she’d do anything to get him out of her mind.

“General Khalla”, Admiral Yularen’s voice stopped her before she could board the shuttle that would take her from the Resolute down to the surface.

“Yes, Admiral?”, she answered, really hoping this wasn’t about what she thought it was about.

“I was looking for your last four mission reports and I seem to be unable to locate them. Have they been filed properly?”, he asked sternly.

For kriff’s sake, I was so close. “Umm… I definitely filed them. Maybe there’s been a technical issue? I’ll have to check when I get to the base”, she lied.

The look he gave her let her know he did not believe her. He knew she had not even written them.

“Hopefully you can remedy any technical issue that has caused their displacement. I would like to see those reports tomorrow”, he told her with a pointed look.

“Of course, Admiral”. There goes my night out.

As she boarded the shuttle she locked eyes with Anakin, who had watched her conversation with the Admiral with a smirk on his face. Rex was right next to him, but still had his helmet on so Lexie wasn’t sure if he was watching her or not. She’d been avoiding him these past couple of days, worried she’d been too clingy during the siege, spending most of her time by his side.

“Zip it, Skywalker”, she told her friend with a chuckle.

“I wasn’t gonna say anything”, he said and Lexie have him a look. “But it does remind me awfully much of all the times you tried to skip on your Jedi texts studies. Do you remember that lecture you received from Madame Jocasta when she finally caught you?”, he continued with a laugh.

“Don’t remind me”, she said with a laugh of her own. From the corner of her eye she caught the slight tilt of the Captain’s helmet. He was listening after all. “So what are your plans for your night off?”, she asked her fellow Jedi.

“I should probably check on Ahsoka’s progress”, he answered.

With all the battles that had come one right after the other, Lexie realised neither she nor Anakin had seen Ahsoka since departing for Saleucami, almost two standard months ago.

“Tell her I said hi. Don’t think I’m making it to the Temple tonight, with all the kriffin’ reports I have to write”, she said rolling her eyes.

Of course she was unable to start the reports as soon as she got to the base like she wanted, she had no actual motivation to do so after all. Instead, she procrastinated by hanging out with Kix, Jesse and Hardcase until they left for the 79s. Truthfully, she had been so close to saying ‘kriff it’ and joining them when they asked, especially when Kix mentioned that Rex was gonna meet them there, but she knew better than to get on the Admiral’s bad side… again.

With no more excuses left, she headed to her office and spent the next three harrowingly tedious hours on the first two reports she had to write. Maker, she hated bureaucracy.

Her chair was becoming too uncomfortable and she was bored to death. Lexie picked up the datapad and decided to finish the reports somewhere else. It was late, most of the men should be at the 79s or already in bed and she did like the couches in their common break room. If anyone was in there she could socialise, but at this hour she expected it to be empty.

And it was, with the exception of one Captain.

As she got close to the room she looked through the Force, checking if the room was unoccupied, and she felt his presence. She couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on her face. Lexie found Rex sat comfortably on one of the couches at the back of the room. He was laid back in his seat, legs spread a little, holding a bottle of ale in his left hand, and not wearing the upper part of his armor. She also noted that he was not wearing his gloves either. His head turned as he heard her footsteps approach.

“Hey you”, he said with a smile, cocking his head to a side. He seemed very relaxed and his eyes appeared a little unfocused. There was also a faint blush visible on the beautiful tan skin of his cheeks. The way he greeted her really surprised her. Is he drunk?

“Hi”, she replied with amusement. “I thought you went to the 79s”.

“I came back early. Wasn’t feeling it tonight”, he shrugged.

Lexie glanced at the programme he was watching on the holoscreen and had to stifle a laugh. The camera was following a pack of Alderaanian deer, while the voice-over was describing their eating habits. “Is that a nature documentary?”.

Rex picked up on the her slightly teasing tone and suddenly felt very self-conscious. “Uhh, yeah… I like watching them from time to time. Helps me relax”.

“That is actually so adorable”, Lexie said as she sat on the couch next to him. For some reason she found it extremely endearing. He, however, wasn’t so pleased; being “adorable” wasn’t exactly how he wanted her to think about him.

She angled her body so that she was facing him, her right leg tucked under her, knee rested on his thigh. She saw his grip tighten on the bottle. “Any more of those?”, she asked, pointing to the drink in his hand.

“Yes, of course”, he leaned forward, picking up a bottle from next to the couch and handing it to her. “Not sure where I put the opener…”, he mumbled as he looked around.

“Don’t need it, honey”, Lexie replied, using the Force to pop open the cap, letting it fall to the floor with a soft clink.

Rex let out an awkward laugh. He still loved it when she called him “honey”.

She leaned slightly, noticing the empty bottle of ale placed on the floor next to the couch. So the one he’s holding is his second, plus whatever he’s had at 79s.

“Are you… drunk, Captain?”, she asked with a sly grin, putting a little bit more emphasis on his rank.

“No… Well… I maybe had a bit more to drink than usual. But I’m not drunk”, he replied with a chuckle.

“So, just slightly drunk?”, she teased.

Rex tried to give her an annoyed look, but the smile did not leave his face.

“That’s definitely something you don’t see every day. I like it, you seem more relaxed”, Lexie continued, taking a sip from her ale and smirking at him. He shook his head in amusement.

It really was something unusual for Rex, he was generally more controlled when it came to alcohol, only having two, maybe three drinks during an outing. He preferred to keep a level head at all times.

But on this occasion there was some… pent up frustration he wanted to get rid of. And the cause of that frustration happened to be sat on the couch next to him.

Ever since the night he had slept in her bed, Rex had found it increasingly difficult to keep Lexie out of his thoughts. She appeared in his dreams and he would think about her constantly, even when it wasn’t appropriate to do so, like at night when he was alone in his room and his hand found itself stroking his hard member.

There was also the moment they shared in the barn on Saleucami, it had filled his mind with hope that maybe his feelings for her weren’t unrequited. Hope that had been momentarily crushed when he saw how close she was with Fives after the Battle of Kamino and how tightly she had hugged him when it was time for the 501st to depart, only to be reignited during the weeks of the siege on Dore’e.

Lexie had been by Rex’s side at all times, including during the night. She had slept on his shoulder on a few occasions actually, claiming it was more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. But then she had acted so indifferent towards him in the past two days and seemed to be avoiding him during their journey back to Coruscant. Safe to say Rex was confused by her behaviour and he was annoyed with himself for reading so much in what was probably just friendly gestures.

And so, tonight he had wanted to forget about everything, and had even planned on leaving the 79s with the cute Mikkian woman that had flirted with him from the moment he stepped into the club. But then the song that he and Lexie had slow danced to came on and he was no longer in the mood for a meaningless hook-up, so he left alone and returned to the base.

“Have you finished those reports?”, Rex changed the subject, meeting her eyes.

“Ugh no”, she groaned, swiping a hand over her face. “I have two left. Do you mind if I finish them here?”.

“I don’t mind, I can even help you if you want”, he replied, cringing internally at how eager he sounded.

“No, it’s fine. Keep watching your documentary. It’s your night off after all, Rex. No need for both of us to suffer”, she said with a chuckle while picking up her datapad from where she had placed it on the couch behind her.

Lexie started her third report, shifting in her seat after a while. Rex had laid his arm across the backrest of the couch and she decided to lean into his side. He was glad that her attention was focused on the datapad, because without it she might have heard how his breath caught in his throat. Maker, having her so close to him was driving him crazy. He was barely paying attention to the documentary anymore, being too entranced by her presence at his side and by the cute little noises of annoyance she would let out from time to time as she tried to go over the events of the mission and transcribe them in a proper military tone.

When she finally finished the third report, Lexie let out a deep breath and threw the datapad next to her on the couch. She felt so tired and decided to lay down, resting her head in Rex’s lap. She felt his body language stiffen for a moment and worried she’d crossed a line. Was this too intimate? Too forward of her?

“Are you comfortable? Do you want me to remove the thigh gauntlets?”, he asked her, looking down at her face.

“Nah, it’s fine. Just need to rest a little before I start the last report”, she replied, slightly blushing.

He finished his ale and leaned forward over her in order to place the empty bottle on the floor. Lexie held her breath as his abdomen was millimetres from her face, feeling the heat of his core on her cheek. She suddenly became aware of how fast her heart was beating. As he laid back against the couch she looked up at him, meeting his gaze. Neither of them said anything, neither of them moved, they just looked into each other’s eyes.

Rex’s left hand slowly lifted from the backrest after a while, reaching for her face. His fingers softly traced down from her temple and over her cheek. The touch of his calloused fingers felt so gentle, and so electric at the same time. Lexie slightly tilted her head into his touch and closed her eyes. His fingers continued slowly moving along her jaw, reaching her chin and then softly tracing over her lips.

She lifted her head from his lap and got up, turning her body so that she was closer to him, her knees now under her. Rex took his hand away as she moved, fear engulfing his mind for a moment, before seeing that she was not pulling away, she was just trying to get closer.

His heartbeat was erratic as he shifted his body, leaning closer to her and lifting his hand back in order to cup her face. Her eyes were not leaving his, and being so close now he noticed the faint green at the edge of the brown irises. He thought she was stunning, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“Mesh’la, can I kis-”.

Muffled laughter from outside the door interrupted his question. Anxiety soared inside both of them and Lexie jumped away from him, landing at the other end of the couch just as the door slid open, revealing Kix and Hardcase. Kix briefly caught her movement and his brows furrowed, noticing the blush on Rex’s face, paired with the anxiety in his eyes, and the similar panicked expression Lexie had on her face. His brother darted past him, unaware of the fact that they have definitely interrupted something.

“Rex, Lexie, you missed quite a night!”, Hardcase loudly exclaimed, slurring his words a little. He plopped himself on the couch between the Jedi and the Captain before continuing. “Jesse dared Vaughn to dance on the bar and the di’kut fell face first on the floor”, he managed to say between laughter.

“Yeah, what a shame I missed that”, Rex said with a forced chuckle. “Where is Jesse?”.

“He swooped in on that Mikkian woman after you left her high and dry, and they left together. Don’t think we’ll be seeing him until the morning”, Kix replied, coming to lean on the armrest of the couch next to Lexie.

“Don’t get why you just up and left, vod, looked like you were about to seal the deal”, Hardcase interjected, jabbing Rex in the ribs with his elbow.

Lexie’s eyes quickly snapped to Rex. The thought of him with another woman, even just briefly flirting, made her stomach turn.

“Just wasn’t feeling it”, Rex mumbled, hand nursing the side of his chest that Hardcase hit a little too hard.

Lexie quickly got up from the couch and grabbed her datapad.

“I still have one report to write, gonna finish it in my room. Goodnight boys”, she spewed out a bit too rapidly and hurried out the room before Rex had a chance to say anything. Her mind was racing, she desperately needed to get back to her quarters and be alone.

Rex got up from his seat as she left, and was now stood awkwardly staring at the door the General had basically run away through. Fear and shame were filling his mind. What the hell was he thinking? He had probably made her so uncomfortable and ruined their friendship. This is exactly why he didn’t like to drink. He had lost control, he had inappropriately touched her… he had called her mesh’la. Rex felt so angry with himself.

“You good, vod?”, Kix asked, looking at him with concern.

“Yeah. Fine.”, he replied dryly. “I’m gonna hit the sack. I suggest you two do the same”.

He left the room before his brothers could ask any more questions.

Back in the confinement of her room, Lexie paced around the small space, trying to make sense of what just happened. What almost happened. Did she understand him correctly? Did he want to kiss her? There is no way she misinterpreted that but had he actually meant it or was he just drunk? Was he just trying to find a replacement after striking out with that woman at the 79s and she just happened to be conveniently there?

No, that didn’t seem like Rex, she shouldn’t think that. It must have been the alcohol, there’s no way he would actually be interested in her. She knew him, he was a proud soldier, he respected the chain of command and military regulations, he wouldn’t allow himself to get attached to a superior officer. It was probably just the alcohol.

Her mind wondered back to what Hardcase had said. Why would he just leave the cantina? He didn’t strike her as the type of man who used a woman for some flirtatious banter to then turn and just leave her hanging once he got bored. But then again, she’d never seen him engage with other women and the more she thought about it the more nauseous she felt.

The image of him flirting with someone else made her heart sink, but she had to accept that of course it happened, he was an attractive man, he must have women throwing themselves at him constantly.

She had to stop thinking about it. It didn’t matter, at the end of the day. She didn't think he liked her, not in the same way she did anyway. She had to get a grip on herself, she was too attached to him. Lexie forced herself to focus on finishing her report then tried her hardest to get some sleep. But Rex would not leave her thoughts.