#if we betray the boys to be on the hunters side...

[rozeliyawashereyall]

I have a confession to make....

...I love the hunters more than I love the boys...

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

if gods exist, they made you perfect

cw. fem!reader, childhood friend au, ace novel spoilers (1st novel), pre-relationship, mutual pining, hurt/comfort, light mentions of child abuse (garp), brief loss in ace's ability to control his powers, reader receives a minor burn

pairing. portgas d. ace x reader

synopsis. not everyone is going to reach for ace's hand but you always will.

notes. a very indulgent idea that has been living rent free in my head since i've had it and now it is your problem. cover comes from frederic edwin church's twilight in the wilderness (1860). blazing red skies and ace simply go hand in hand.

"The Five Elders are gonna have the biggest bitch fit to ever fit," with how Ace blinks up at you in surprise, he must have been really lost in his thoughts. You broaden your smile as you plop down right next to him. "I don't think anyone's ever turned down a Warlord position before. Can't wait to see how your bounty goes up this time."

Ace snorts lightly at your words, lips stretching into half a grin, "yeah, they are not going to like that."

"It definitely doesn't help you kicked that vice admiral's ass, either," you recall the events of your final moments in Sabaody. A definitive mixed bag of.

It was a beautiful country, that much is easy to say. Still it came with more than you were prepared to witness. It's only luck there hadn't happened to be any visiting Celestial Dragons coinciding with your temporary residency. Somehow you have the feeling that things would have surely been messier if their had been.

The stint with Vice Admiral Draw will be messy enough on its own.

"Garp's gonna be so mad when he finds out," Ace shudders at even your mention of his grandfather and you snicker. "What if he comes to Fishman Island for one of his grand lectures?"

"Don't even joke like that," the back of his orange hat thumps against the side of the Spadille with his groan of horror. "I can feel his Fists of Love right now."

You feel the phantom pain yourself. If you're both lucky, the semi-retired marine is busy visiting Luffy on Dawn Island. Maybe it's not that lucky though. It isn't the first time the thought the man is even harsher on Luffy now that Ace has gone ahead and sworn his life to piracy surfaces. It's a thought you push away as quickly as you have it.

Luffy's a strong kid, he's fine.

He has a spirit that is unbreakable.

"That Draw guy deserved to get his ass beat anyway." There is no disagreement to be had with your statement, Ace murmuring something similar. He's a million miles away from where you are, however, miraculously sat on a ship sailing beneath the waves. "Isuka'll be fine," you say suddenly, cursing your inability to ease into the topic gently. "She's strong and she was on our ass since immediately after we got to the Grand Line. She'll be back to chasing us soon enough."

Hopefully.

It isn't something you can say with resolute faith.

The ensign's sense of reality itself had been shattered in its entirety. Being betrayed by the one you believed to be your savior is nothing easy to overcome. You choose to believe a woman as impassioned as the naval officer will. You won't pretend to know where she'll head next.

Perhaps she'll embark on a path that leads her back to the marines. Or maybe she'll become a bounty hunter.

Wherever her journey takes her, you can only hope it is a path with no regrets.

"It would have been weird having a bounty hunter on the ship, anyway," you clumsily attempt to soothe your friend. There is irony in how Ace became your better in terms of comforting those around you when he had been the most argumentative and unfriendly between you. "That sounds like something Luffy would do."

At the sound of Luffy's name, Ace's lips do quirk into something more real. "Yeah, that kid would invite just about anyone on his crew, bounty hunters included."

You chuckle trying to visualize what the young boy's recruitment process will be. Somehow, you doubt his prospective crewmates will have much say in the matter. "Knowing Luffy, they'll probably want to join anyway though. He's convincing like that."

"Yeah," Ace only falls deeper into his thoughts. The silence that follows is even more glum than the depths. Damn it, you curse yourself.

You've never been like Makino, you recall the kind-hearted woman from your youth. She's always been gentle, dove-like in her approach when it came to matters of the heart. Knew exactly the words someone needed to hear and knew exactly how to say it in a way that didn't feel intrusive to the recipient.

That has certainly never been you. If anything, you're more akin to Dadan and her rough expressions of affection.

You hold back a sigh, closing your eyes.

"Alright, I guess this is how we're doing this," you open your eyes at last. Shuffling, you face your friend who makes a sound of surprise at your movement. You aren't a delicate person nor are you someone with the ability to handle matters of the heart with the delicacy it deserves. It's best to handle it clumsily, the only way you know how. "Ace, the stuff with Isuka; that wasn't your fault. And it isn't on you that she didn't want to come with us."

Isuka liked Ace.

It's impossible not to like him.

Even when he was a brat with more anger at the world than he knew what to do with, you liked him. Thought he was the coolest person you'd ever met in your short 10 years of living and wanted him to like you back. You like him even now.

Everyone in the crew joined because they liked Ace the moment they met him. He's darling in how effortless he makes it.

Even a marine as firm in her beliefs as Isuka couldn't let prejudice cloud her judgement when it came to Portgas D. Ace. Begrudging as it may have been, there has always been a mutual admiration for each other in spite of the opposing occupations.

You're like the sun. Equal parts the harsh rays of summer and the gentle beams of early spring. He's whichever the moment calls for. A warmth everyone wants to experience if they're lucky enough to come across it. The gravitational pull of the universe that keeps the planets in the sun's orbit. You're amazing!

"I don't know what the hell that girl needs," rough as the sentence is, your voice is soft. "But whatever it is, she wasn't going to find it with us. That's why she didn't come."

Ace opens his mouth but you don't give him the chance to argue or sweep your concerns away.

"I'm not gonna sit here and lie to your face and say that this won't happen again," it's an ugly truth. One Ace became aware of long before you met him. Regardless, as much as you hate it, you know it'd be unfair to lie to him. "Because it probably will. There's always going to be people who, no matter how hard you reach for them, they aren't going to reach back. And you can't do jack about it.

Hell, sometimes you can't even do jill. But," Ace's brow furrows in time with your words and your heart wrenches. "But," you start once more, the back of your fingers brushing against his wrist. "for every person that won't, there's going to be someone that does." You cup one of Ace's hands in both of yours with all the care one would give glass.

When did these hands get so much bigger than your own?

Still, you lips curl upwards in your nostalgia, the warmth that radiates from him remains the same. You squeeze gently, almost afraid that if you touch him too hard, he'll break.

"And I know for a fact there are a lot of people who are always going to want to hold your hands. Even if the shit does turn into fire," you chuckle at your quick addendum and despite himself, Ace does too. You've always loved hearing him laugh, it's even better when you're the cause. "The crew. Dadan. Magra. Dogra. Luffy," you squeeze again, your thumb carressing the back of his hand. "Me. We love these hands, they're yours."

There's a spark of something in Ace's eyes you can't quite place and it's unexpectedly hard to look him in the eye for some reason. "Heh," you laugh breathlessly. Without meaning to, your grip tightens around his hand. It's warm.

Really warm.

Shit, it's actually getting kinda hot ain't it?

You see the flicker of orange and your and Ace's expressions are well-matched in panic as you realize the source. Sure enough, your hands were engulfed flames.

"Shit-" Ace swears but despite instinct dictating you back away from the flames, you find yourself holding on to staunchly.

"Shit-" you fight against Ace's attempt to pull away from you as the flames die down. "[First]! Let go!"

"No way, what did I just say?!" Oh god this hurts like hell! "I don't care if it's fire, I'm not letting go!"

You hiss through your teeth, reeling yourself in with a breath but the flames are extinguished as quickly as they erupted. "Wasn't exactly expecting to prove my point so fast but," there's another attempt on Ace's part to pull away from you again but you only hold his hand tighter. You can ignore the sting of your hands but you can't ignore the way Ace's eyebrows knit together. You can't ignore how he looks like he wants to cry either. "See," you laugh breathlessly. "I love these hands, there's no way I'm never gonna hold them.

Dark eyes, wide, look between you and your face and you squeeze his hand again. The sting of your palms is prevalent but this pain is fine. Pain is merely proof that you are alive in this moment; and in this moment there is nowhere else you want to be.

There's nothing more that needs to be said between you, you believe. Facing him, you lean against the wood as you hold Ace's hand firmly between your own. With the hand he has available, Ace slides his hat down to hide whatever expression he's making.

You close your eyes with a sigh and pretend you don't hear the sound of hiccuping. You don't feel the way his hand trembles either.

You squeeze Ace's hand and he squeezes back.

Your hands sting something sweet.

[organsoutsidelovinglydescribed]

Body Horror Week Prompts Are Live!

Welcome to Trigun Body Horror Week 2024!

We’ve set up a week of fantastic flavors of bodily horrors for you, and here is our official post sharing the prompts for you to cook with.

Body Horror Week is going to run from Feb 11th, 2024 until Feb 17th, 2024

For each set of prompts, we have an organ, two different songs, and a quote to inspire you into making the best horrors you’ve got.

The official hashtag for the week is #trigunbodyhorrorweek, and we’ll do our best to reblog your submissions the day of and whatever we may have missed during the week, we’ll reblog after. Feel free to tag us as well!

An AO3 collection is forthcoming.

There’s a copy of the prompts list below the cut, as well as links to the A-Sides and B-Sides for the music.

The art for the graphic was done by the wonderful @hashtagcaneven

Link for the music A-Sides and the B-Sides as playlists. Spotify playlist here.

Feb 11th: Eyes | Mama – My Chemical Romance | Mask of My Own Face – Lemon Demon | I hate it when humans and augmented humans ruin things for no reason. Maybe because I was a thing before I was a person, and if I’m not careful, I could be a thing again. - Network Effect, Martha Wells (Murderbot Diaries)

Feb 12th: Skin | This Body – The Dear Hunter | Hurt – Johnny Cash | Skin against skin, blood and bone / You’re all by yourself, but you’re not alone / You wanted in, and now you’re here / Driven by hate, consumed by fear – “Bodies”, Drowning Pool

Feb 13th: Lungs | Sin Eater – Penelope Scott | Between Two Lungs – Florence + the Machine | I remember seeing myself splayed across the floor of the kennel, a chimera split along a hundred seams, taking communion with a handful of dogs. - The Things, Peter Watts

Feb 14th: Heart | Love Me Dead – Ludo | Your Body, My Temple – Will Wood | The heart wants what it wants. What it wants is blood. - Welcome to Night Vale Twitter

Feb 15th: Limbs | Blood – My Chemical Romance | Body – Mother Mother | Pluck that crimson orb rusted package from the branches mother’s arms our tree you’ve chopped away at for too long with your mouth-bright ax pretty-teethed boy. - “A Brother Named Gethsemane”, Natalie Diaz

Feb 16th: Intestines | Void – Melanie Martinez | Blood on My Name – The Brothers Bright | It is a corpse rotting slowly from within while maggots writhe in its belly. - Warhammer 40k

Feb 17th: Alien | Roots – In This Moment | sprorgnsm – superorganism | To be trapped, unmoving, within the body that has betrayed her so often, feeling every sensation as it grows and warps and sprouts, never knowing what new mutation it will visit on her next. - The Magnus Archives, Episode 171, "The Gardener"

[queenariesofnarnia]

finally found you

gif not mine!

tech x f! reader

wc: 910

warnings: faked death and hidden pregnancy, that should be it.

takes place after s2 e13

tech x f!reader

~after the sea surge~

Every citizen on Pabu was safe. Among those citizens was you and your twins. You helped out the best you could while carrying them. You heard Phee returned so you were looking for her while assisting everyone. You heard your name being called, turning to see Phee.

“I’ve been looking for you all night sugar” She says grabbing your face before kissing the twins on their heads. “Give me one and come meet my friends” she grabs your daughter Selene from you. As you walk with her chatting. Selene babbled along. You look up to see a face you’d never expect to see again.

“Tiny is that you? or am I going crazy?” Wrecker asks leaning down to hug you tightly. You had to stop him, so he didn’t crush Apollo.

“I would love a hug Wreck, but little guy back here isn’t ready for one of your hugs” you say showing him your son who was sleeping on your shoulder.

“You have a kid?!” He asked shocked. You point to Selene in Phee’s hands.

“I have two. It’s why I left actually” you admit sheepishly. He hollers for Hunter and Tech. Hunter immediately recognizes you as does Tech.

“Sarad? There’s no way, you’re supposed to be dead” Hunter gets ready to scold you lovingly before noticing Apollo. Phee hands Selene back to you, telling you she’s going to help Shep.

“Surprise” You say cradling Selene close to you.

“You have kids?” Tech asks raising his brows. Selene’s wild curls were the same color as Tech’s hair. Apollo’s curls matched your hair. Hunter quickly figured it out just waiting for his brother to figure it out.

“Yeah, I do. Well, it was lovely seeing you boys, but I must get going” You started to walk away until you heard your name again. Turning to see Omega. You hand Selene to Hunter quickly before pulling the blonde girl into your arms.

“I have missed you so much” her eyes begin to tear up. “I was so worried when you stopped showing up to the lab. Especially after the last time” She said before burying your face in your shirt.

“I have missed you too. Please meet Selene and Apollo” you say gesturing to your twins. As you let her go from the hug, her hand remained in yours. “Would you like to hold one of them?” you ask, and she nods. You let her grab Apollo who was now showing his brown eyes off to the world. Hunter seemed to be enjoying holding Selene as she giggles toying with his hair. Tech pulled you away for a moment, making sure you could still see the twins.

“How old are they?” he asked, not wanting his voice to betray him.

“They’ll be two next week” you answer not looking at him. His gloved hands reach for yours giving them a squeeze. It was what he used to do to get your attention.

“Is there a reason you did not tell me?” his voice cracking. Emotions were hard for him, this was the moment that he let them win.

“You were a soldier Tech. The Kaminoans would have taken them from me. Nala Se and Omega protected me by getting me off Kamino. I couldn’t say goodbye, I couldn’t let anyone know who the father was. You were not going to get decommissioned because of me.” you answer him finally meeting his eyes. “Master Plo was able to help me leave the order we told the council I was killed in action to make it easy” you added on.

“We mourned you. We hated ourselves because you ‘died’ in action without us by your side” he was expressing his anger, and you weren’t going to stop him. He deserved this moment. “You went through your pregnancy and motherhood alone during the last two years. I appreciate that you chose to consider my feelings. I would have done whatever to be there for you” he finished.

“I’m sorry Tech. I didn’t want to hurt you or the others. I sorry that I made this choice without talking to you. I’m not asking you to forgive me, at least let me introduce you to them properly. You can decide if you want to stay after” your voice was desperate. You had no right to ask him to do anything, but it would make you feel better if he met them properly.

“I would love nothing more” He took your hand leading you through the crowd back to his brothers and sister.

“Tech this is Apollo” you grab your son from Wrecker handing him to Tech. “And this is Selene” Omega hands her to you. The smile on Tech’s face made your heart swell. The way he held Apollo with care made you smile. He wrapped his free arm around you pulling you into his side.

“Dada” Apollo babbled touching Tech’s face. The others watched in awe as their normally logical brother melt into a puddle.

“Dada” Selene mimics her brother reaching for Tech also.

“Looks like were staying on Pabu” Hunter says cracking a smile.

“I have enough room in my home” you tell them. Omega’s arms went around your waist talking about her excitement that they get to stay. You place a kiss on Tech’s cheek causing him to get flustered.

“I believe I deserve a real kiss.” Tech says leaning down kissing your lips like it was the first time all over again.

[sugar-grigri]

What is a family?

Hello everyone, I'm in exam period so we're going to start with a very short analysis

We saw in the previous analysis, in chapter 152, that Denji wanted to be a CSM and that suffering, mental and physical pain, was inherent to being a CSM. Suffering was a claim for the protagonist, that of accepting his suffering to the point of finding pleasure in it, that of accepting that experiences can be painful, of not being protected

Especially by Nayuta, the control devil who can only conceive of happiness with one person, and that's enough for her.

But above all, I think that since Denji had accepted the fact of committing himself to the path of suffering, he didn't want Nayuta to join him, hence his desire to keep her away from him.

But what this chapter shows is that a family can't be chosen, it's simply there.

People do what they do, always projecting all their frustrations onto CSM, this faceless chimera. CSM is as much a good-luck charm as a match to be burned for bad luck.

Denji's dream of being seen was full of meaning, because what people see in CSM is precisely their suffering and despair.

Yes, CSM represents suffering - yes, you have to suffer to be him, just as he will only evoke suffering for others.

The contract with the fire demon was simple: become what you want. As he had suggested to Yuko, the thought-hearing monster was suitable for a socially eccentric girl who had trouble understanding others.

So when people try to burn CSM, they're burning what they want CSM to be: their suffering.

The lighter was an image that had already been introduced by Barem, who ironically presented himself as a CSM fan, foreshadowing the fact that many CSM fans had pacted with the demon of fire, fire capable of destroying them in return.

Burning CSM to make the wannabe CSM disappear always comes down to the same logic: CSM is there to save, whether this is done by reigniting him or by killing him.

So the fire is there to atone for the suffering, Denji simply tries to tell them that the fire is already there, burning down his apartment and his Meowy family and the dogs.

Why burn Denji? When he's already burning. He has already lost a part of himself.

Denji proclaims that he seeks suffering because he wants it to be his alone. He realised that even if he stopped being a CSM, those close to him would continue to be attacked as if the cycle had never been completed.

Denji has never had any confidence in himself, obediently following the rules laid down for him every time. Nayuta's rules, which symbolise this apartment, didn't work, and neither did those of the public hunters, because even if you respect the contract, suffering will always be the end result.

So Denji tries to free himself from all these rules, because they don't allow him to escape suffering.

He also tries to free himself from his loved ones, because it doesn't allow them to escape either, but humanity won't let Denji be free.

Denji had made it clear that he didn't want to hurt mankind because he wanted to preserve the last link that bound him to them: the kiss he had with Asa (Yoru). He doesn't want to belong fully to the demons, as Nayuta had recommended, but why not become one after all?

Denji loves violence, even against humans. He likes it because he is still CSM after all, a monster whose raison d'être is suffering. Yet the link that allows him to consider himself still on the other side is a simple kiss that didn't cause him any pain.

Because this kiss is exactly Denji's life, a touch of pleasure in an existence that is always painful. A boy who can't even say he can't betray humanity because he has friends because he has none.

Nayuta has never thought of her existence as separate from Denji's, the reason for her happiness, her beloved big brother. So she is now facing her worst fear: being cut off from this dearest of beings, being rejected by him.

But as they try to keep her away from her ailing brother, telling her he's no longer her family, she realises that this thing that rejects her, that hurts himself horribly, is still her family.

More to the point, it's the person behind this faceless monster who's reaching out to him, because CSM isn't a being capable of embracing with his chainsaws. Denji's arms are outstretched to him, as if he's standing between CSM behaving like a monster and his own anxieties: there's an obvious love there. She shouldn't see her fear in the foreground, what she should see is Denji.

This thing that dares to cut ties with her, to put itself in danger to the point of suffering so much, has never ceased to be her family.

The only way to see anything apart from CSM, apart from this figure of suffering, is to love Denji.

is to see the boy behind it.

A boy who can't stop laughing despite suffering, in a way that may be terrifying, but which gradually gives the impression of a brother forcing himself to smile to avoid putting his sister in danger. Look, I'm crazy, so stay away from me! And I don't want you anyway!

His laughter is as uncontrolled as his gestures, all acting as reflexes to keep Nayuta away from danger.

CSM is a being who belongs to neither world, hero of humanity when it suits them, hero of the underworld terrified by his fellow creatures, he is held responsible for both worlds, the suffering of demons and that of men.

But Denji may not belong to either world, but he does belong to a family.

Denji may not be seen by people, but he has been seen by a demon who loves him deeply.

The hero has always been hunted because he has never been accepted by humanity, suffering while swallowing that of others, he has always had to be rekindled, to serve someone once again.

And finally he's given permission to run away.

No CSM, don't swallow the suffering of others

It's hard enough to swallow your own.

Denji, you are loved by the demon of control who now agrees to do something unnatural for her, to allow you to escape her control, her vigilance, her protection. Because she knows she doesn't have to lock you up in a gilded cage to be able to find you.

A family always waits with open arms, don't they?

[puppy-phum]

Pit Babe Characters x Cartomancy ➣ Part 1: Charlie & Babe

Five of Spades: Focusing on self, putting own interests first. A reminder of your self-worth. Ace of Hearts: New beginnings; new relationship and love. A chance for something better.

for @pitbabeanniversary week 1 prompts: charlie & babe

(more thoughts under the cut!)

disclaimer: i am not an expert in either cartomancy or tarot reading. i did a lot of research on these two sites to come up with these cards for the characters. some of the meanings associated with the cards are still only my own interpretation, so they might not be completely accurate.

as ppl who know me probably can tell, i am (despite my lack of knowledge most often) a huge nerd who loves this type of stuff (personality tests, astrology, mysticism etc.). most of all, i love analyzing stories and characters, and so this idea was born. never thought i'd approach it through pit babe though, yet here we are.

thoughts on my picks for charlie and babe:

charlie: it was hard to pick a card for charlie, but behind all the happiness and sunshine, i think the defining characteristic for charlie is (self-)sacrifice. while growing up under tony's "care", charlie learned that he was worth less: less than other (special) alphas, less than other tony's children, less than the world beyond the house, and of course, less than someone as perfect as babe. and so as he leaves the house and embarks on this adventure to help babe and set them all free, he assumes he must sacrifice himself to accomplish those things. his sacrifice comes in many forms, yet even the most ultimate one (his death) does not seem to bother charlie.

based on these thoughts, i found it fitting that charlie's card would remind him of his own worth and make him think about his own (selfish?) desires. he's not just a body thrown at tony's feet to keep others safe – he's also a human with his own hopes and dreams, with his own purpose. he seems to find this with babe (and the rest of the x-hunter pack) and learns to accept himself as someone who cannot be replaced and who can just live for himself.

babe: for babe, the card felt more obvious. first of all, it was clear to me that babe would get one of the hearts – he is, above all else, an emotion driven person. he is arrogant, confident, proud, ambitious, and even aggressive at times, but he is also a boy searching for love. i know that he's learned that love doesn't come without conditions; that whenever love is offered, people ask for something (most often painful) in return. and so as the show starts, babe's motivation to go on this journey isn't victory or fame as he already has those, but love. what he lacks in life is love, and that's what life decides to gift him.

so this thing with charlie offers him a new chance, a new beginning, where things seem better and easier. of course it doesn't last, and they fail at times at love as charlie's lies get revealed and other ppl betray them, but eventually they head towards something better. the newly found intimacy and love with charlie changes babe's life and also changes him as a person. he becomes softer, happier. he learns that he can be loved unconditionally and that there are ppl out there who are willing to stand beside him even when he's not pit babe or a special alpha with special senses or tony's perfect son capable of anything (or worth a million bahts).

and then these two as a pair? i cannot say much about it bc i cannot read cards, unfortunately. but i find it interesting (and very fitting) that charlie and babe belong to the suits of spades and hearts. charlie brings with himself trouble, pain, and challenges (unintentionally and he'd rather hold those at bay but well, his past follows him everywhere). there are also hints of obsession and fear on charlie's side. meanwhile, babe is filled with emotion, both positive and negative, and he is tightly tied to all the relationships in his life. he is the heart of the pack in a sense, and so thinking of him as the beginning of emotion, as the ace of hearts, feels suitable. he is the new beginning for everyone bc babe is the one who pulls charlie in who bring with himself the change for the whole pack and other ppl involved with them.

(if someone more knowledgeable about cartomancy or tarot who also enjoys pit babe stumbles upon this, feel free to come share more thoughts with me!)

[din-miller]

I think we all deserve some high tension closed places with the bad batch. Whether they're trying to escape from the empire or trying to fix the marauder and get stuck awfully close together?

Perhaps it ends in a Lil make out session?? 👀

This is a month late and I deeply apologize for that.

I spent so long trying to come up with different ideas for each batch boy. After two weeks of failed attempts writing different scenarios, I gave up and each part is set in a garbage compactor. The reader and each boy must come up with a way to survive as the walls close in.

Also I didn’t see the awfully close part until writing this. I’ll eventually write a lil something to make up for that. Though the walls are closing in and they do end up in each others arms…

The Walls Around Us, Betray Us

Pairing: The Bad Batch x F!Reader

Word count: 3.6k (in total)

Warnings: slightly suggestive (echo I’m looking at you boy), first kiss, make out session, trapped together, hurt/comfort, female reader, thinks their going to die so obviously the correct thing to do is confession your dying love to one another.

A/N: I hurt hunter so much.

Hunter

You’re not surprised when Wrecker, filling in momentarily for Tech, sent you down the wrong corridor. You’re also not surprised when Hunter pulled you to a stop by your hips, nor when he raised a finger to his mouth signalling you to be quiet. You are surprised when he basically body checked you down a garbage chute.

You both managed to land on your feet, which disappeared beneath murky water. The smell inside the compactor is kriffing awful and you dread the days to come where no matter how hard you scrub, the stench won’t leave.

In front of you, Hunter fell to his knees, pants and armour quickly becoming soaked as the brown water splashed up around him. Both of his hands come to cover his nose, face scrunching up as if he’s in pain.

You had watched him stick the landing, you knew there was no debris around him when his feet meet the water below, which left you baffled as to why he’s burying his face in his hands as strangled breaths echo off the walls of the garbage compactor.

His fingernails begin to leave red crescent shaped marks on the side of his nose and you cursed yourself for being so blind. You’re surrounded by garbage, there’s so many smells, all different but just as strong. Too strong for his enchanted senses. His helmet had fallen off during the tumble down the chute and was floating through the murky water, useless.

“What can I do?” You asked helplessly, “What do you need?” When all he replied with was your name, you frowned, “Yes?”

He shook his head, “No, I need, kriff-,” He pulled you down by the buckle of your pants, your knees hitting the water hard but before you could even begin to wince in pain, Hunter's head was buried in your neck. You could feel his nostrils flare, hear the sharp intake of air he breathed in, “I need you.”

Oh

You tilt your head to the side, allowing him easier access to your skin and he breathed it in greedily. Hunter pressed in closer to you, almost knocking you back into the water. In all the missions you’ve been on, Hunter’s senses have never brought him to his knees like this before.

“I can do more,” You promised, voice barely above a whisper, “Tell me what you need and I’ll do it.”

“Tech, Wrecker,” He gasped out, “Comm them.”

Right, of course. That should've been your first thought. Your hand reached down to your comm and wrapped around… nothing.

“Kriff!” You swore, hand reaching for Hunter’s belt.

“Cyare,” His body tensed under your touch, “I-I lost mine when we fell.”

You pulled away from, his head no longer buried in your neck but now framed by your hands. Your thumb caught a stray tear which made another one fall. The sight broke your heart.

“I’ll get us out.” You carefully leaned him against one of the compactor’s walls, the water chest high on him now, more of his skin being soaked and your anger towards Wrecker and his incompetence to figure out a damn map is high.

You sighed. It’s not Wreckers fault. He was doing his best in a situation he wasn’t prepared for and wasn't properly shown how to read the imperial ship's blueprint when Tech had been called away to fix something important on the ship. Wrecker did his best and you hope the rest of the Batch will not let the largest clone take blame for something that isn’t his fault.

You stood in front of the door, metal and rust trapping you in. You wrapped both hands around the cold handle and pulled. When the door didn’t open or even move an inch, you let out a cry of frustration and pounded your fist against it. Hard enough to split the skin on the side of your hand open.

“Stop!” Hunter called out, wincing at the loudness of his own voice and you immediately halted all movements. He’s looking your way but his eyes are narrowed in, unseeing as he focused on drowning out all sense but one.

Then, after a few quiet heartbeats, warning alarms blared through the compactor and the red light above the door started blinking. The hum of the compactor was next and your heart dropped in horror.

“Hunter, you have to get up!” You screamed, splashing your way over to him, water splashing high enough to irritate the cut on your hand, making you hiss but you pay no attention to it.

He shook his head, eyes scrunched shut, “I can’t.. the smell, the taste– it’s too much,” A broken whine left the man, “Please.”

His body jerked forward when the wall behind him began to close in. Behind you the opposite wall followed suit.

“You can,” You said, knees sinking in the water again, hands falling onto Hunter’s shoulders, “You can and you will. You don’t get to give up, you don’t get to die on your brothers, on Omega,” You leaned down to press your forehead against his, “Do whatever you have to do to block out-,”

“Kiss me.”

You blinked, reeling back from him, mouth suddenly dry. It’s not that you don’t want to kiss him, in fact it’s the exact opposite; you’ve yearned to feel his lips against yours. Dreamt of having his body pressed against you during the nights. Of exploring Puba’s waterside hand in hand.

There’s so many things you’ve imagined doing side by side with him. Dying wasn’t one of them. Being his distraction for a chance of survival wasn’t one of them.

You don’t want to take what you can get, because you deserve more than that.

But you also don’t want Hunter’s family to mourn over a death that you possibly can prevent.

With the slightest nod of your head, Hunter is rushing forward, his mouth soft and seeking against yours, fingers digging into the label of your jacket like a lifeline.

After a few seconds you pulled back enough to speak, “I need to know if this is a distraction on your part. Because for me, this is real. I want you Hunter, but not as a toy for you to tune out-,”

“No,” Hunter growled, eyes darkening, “Never, not you. I want you, ner kar’ta. All of it, everything. I never knew I could feel like this, that’s not what clones were programmed for. When I met Cut and his wife I thought, maybe, if I was fortunate enough, I could have what he has. Someone to love.”

“Hunter-,”

He shook his head, cutting you off, “I love you. I have for a while and I’m so sorry I never told you.”

“I’d rather you tell me now, than to die without knowing. I love you Hunter. I love your siblings. Travelling with you all has been the best decision of my life. I don’t regret any of it.”

As soon as the words were out of your mouth his lips were back on yours, not as desperate, more reassuring if anything. You yield under his touch, letting him lead the kiss. There’s small puffs of air tickling your upper lip as he breathed in your scent and exhaled sharply, repeating the action again and again.

The walls scraped loudly across the floor causing Hunter to shiver and even with your eyes closed, you could see the way his ears twitched at the sound.

Then it stopped, all of it. The walls, the kissing, the pain grunts that Hunter isn’t able to hold back. It’s completely silent, then a voice cut through the quietness.

“The door is unlocked, get your arses out of there.”

“Wrecker!” You laughed, “Am I ever glad to hear your voice.”

“Me too, ad’ika,” His voice is soft, “Now get out before the imps lock me out of their system. Oh, and congrats guys!”

Hunter hid his face in your shoulder and mumbled, “Thanks Wrecker.” He pulled back, eyes locking with yours, “Let’s get the kriff out of here cyar’ika.”

Echo

“Remind me again why you thought this was a good idea?” You asked, awkwardly balanced on top of Echo's shoulders as you attempted to open the door latch on the ceiling.

His hand held your legs close to his chest as his scomp rested against your lower back so you won’t fall off his shoulders, “You thought the idea was good too.”

“Yeah because it was either this or getting shot,” You pointed out, cursing when your second attempt at opening the circular escape door failed, “And I do not want to get shot again.”

“It was an accident!” Echo huffed, fingers tightening around your legs momentarily as if the memory of your blood caused by his own hands would pull both of you under the murky water beneath his feet, “And you promised not to hold it against me.”

“Yeah, well that was before I was stuck in a garbage compactor,” You banged a fist against the door, a yell of frustration leaving your lips, “It’s rusted shut.”

Echo sighed, bending at the knees to allow you to slide off his shoulders. When finding your footing in the slippery water proves to be a challenge, Echo is quick to pull you against his chest, steadying you, “It’ll be okay, Tech will find us.”

“And if he doesn’t?” You asked, face hiding in the crook of his neck, “Then what? We get crushed to death like a pile of trash?”

He ran a soothing hand down your arm, “It could be worse.”

“How?!”

His voice fell into a teasing note, the mirth of it almost misplaced in your current situation, “You could be stuck with Crosshair instead of me.”

“Suddenly getting shot doesn't look so bad,” You teased back, drawing in closer to the clone as you quietly admitted, “I’m glad it’s you.”

“Me too.” He breathed, head resting on top of yours before tilting your head up to meet his eyes.

You’ve been on a few dates, nothin fancy; it’s hard to pull an all-star date when you’re running from the Empire but you honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. You’ve never met anyone like Echo, never met someone who makes your heart race by just standing next to them.

He’s different from any clone you’ve met before. Wounded but never broken. That was your first impression of him all those years ago. When you rescued him from Skako Minor, watching as he cracked a joke with Rex, smiling brightly at the older clone.

You fell for him and you fell hard.

The water licks at your knees as it ripples ever the slightest, a warning alarm goes off in the background, a loud reminder of how this ends. You watch a flick of guilt flash in Echo’s eyes and really hope Tech is able to find you before you’re crushed to death.

The guilt that is consuming the man holding you tightly is a guilt you want to chase away. So you do. You rush forward until your lips meet his. The kiss is fast, messy, verging on the side of painful as teeth scrape across your bottom lip. His fingers leave bruises against your hip and your lungs begin to ache for a breath.

If you are to die here in this trash compactor at least you're dying with the man you want to spend the rest of your life with.

He’s backing you up against the wall, the one you know is going to start closing in on you and him. The one that will be your inevitable death. At the moment you can’t find yourself to care about that as your lips slide perfectly against his, moans filling the room as your lips separate long enough to suck in a lung full of air before resuming the kiss.

You're not sure what compelled you to switch your positions, slamming his back against the wall as your chest pressed against his, lips reconnecting in a bruising kiss. You realise how well your body fits against his.

His hand squeezed your hip before trailing up your side, inches away from your breast when suddenly your comm link beeped and Tech's voice filled the room: “Please refrain from any sexual activities as Hunter is about to break through the door.”

Your face flushed and you dipped your head down in an attempt to hide it. Going by Echo’s chuckle you failed miserably. With a groan you asked: “What kind of garbage compactor has camaras?”

Wrecker

The smell of garbage clogged your nose as you stare mildly annoyed at Wrecker, “I have never found myself stuck in an imperial garbage compactor with any of the other Batch.”

“Eh, I guess that’s what makes me special.” The clone shrugged, like your current situation is only a minor setback.

That earned him an exasperated huff, “Alright Mr. Special, how are we going to get out of this one?”

His face scrunched up, the scar tissue across his nose reflects the compactor’s red light and you have a strong urge to run your finger over the scar, “Don’t suppose there’s anything in here to make a bomb do ya?”

“Unless nuggets have suddenly become explosive, it doesn't look like it.” You splash the half-bitten nugget aside before re-searching the room for a way out.

Wrecker frowned and joined you in finding a way out. Moments passed in silence before Wrecker couldn’t handle the quietness. He leaned against the wall across from you and smiled, “At least we’re not crowded.”

The wall behind him screeched loudly and Wrecker’s body jerked forward with the sudden moment of the rusted metal. The floor began to vibrate knocking you off your feet and into the dirty water beneath you.

It’s beyond disgusting and your temper began to rise, “You just had to go and say something!”

“How was I supposed to know that was going to happen?!” He exclaimed, looking around the room for anything to help stop the walls from closing in.

Figuring since you’re already soaked and on your knees you'd best start blinding feeling around in the water hoping to find anything useful, “Let’s just figure out how to get out of here before we’re flattened like a pancake.”

Wrecker made a noise of agreement and busied himself with different attempts at preventing the walls from closing in. A minute passed with no success. Wrecker threw aside a long pipe that split in half and before you could stop him, his arms were spread out wide, palms pressing against both walls.

The walls yielded and you both breathed a breath of relief, only in the next blink of an eye, Wrecker cried out in pain as the walls scraped against the floor.

His arms started shaking in protest of being used in such manner but he gave you a wide smile and said, “You’d be a pretty pancake.”

You couldn’t fight back the snort that left your mouth, which earned you a satisfied grin from the clone. You blushed, his eyes darkening at the pretty pink across your cheeks. You shook your head, “What about you?”

His smile turned bashful, “No one would be looking at me, mesh’la.”

“You’re wrong,” You cupped his cheek, fingers brushing against his scars, something you’ve found yourself wanting to do for the last few weeks. His skin is raised from the scar tissue but it’s incredibly soft, “I would be.”

“Just lookin’?” He asked, elbows bending as the pressure of the walls became too much, while his head pressed further into your hand, eyes closing with a gentle sigh.

“Why would I stop doing what I love?” Your hands trailed down both of his arms until they wrapped around his wrist, giving them a squeeze, “Let go Wrecker.”

There’s sweat gathering at his temple and his eyes are frantic in the wake of your words, voice unsteady, “No, I.. I won’t let you get hurt! I can do this.”

“Wrecker, even with your enhanced bone density, you can’t stop the inevitable. I know you, you’ll keep going until your arms break... Then how would you hold me?” You gave him a half pleading and half coy look before sobering up, “You’re scared, so am I. All I ask is to know the feeling of your arms around me. Please, love, let go.”

His arms fell to the side, his posture, which was rigid, deflated to a defeated stance. You want to say something, anything, but the walls closing in faster would only drown out your voice. You’re not strong enough to speak anything louder than a whisper.

Wrecker must have understood, his voice loud enough for the both of you as he asked, “Any regrets?”

The corner of your mouth drew up and you held up a finger, eyes falling to the plush of Wrecker’s lips, in answer. Wrecker’s chest raised with a deep breath before exhaling slowly. He brought your hand up to his face, gently placing a kiss on the finger still held up. His breath is a warm comfort against your skin, “Me too, me too.”

Don’t die with regrets. That’s what people always say. A part of you is afraid to add to the regrets but that doesn’t stop you from leaning up to kiss Wrecker.

It was quick, a fierce burst of longing, barely able to capture the taste of Wrecker when he pulled back, “I love you. I wish I told ya sooner.”

He looked almost fearful, like he’s expecting you to push him away and you’re not going to allow that. You fall further into his embrace, lips crashing against his once more and he sunk into it immediately.

Tech

The horrible screeching of rusted metal sliding across the floor was the only warning you got before you found yourself watching in horror as the walls on either side of you started closing in.

“That is not ideal.” Tech stated, fixing his goggles as his brown eyes flicker from the wall back to his datapad, reading whatever is displayed on his screen, “That is not good.”

“Understatement of the century,” You huffed, grimacing as the dirty water splashed your legs and soaked your pants, “I thought you said the compactor wasn’t scheduled for another hour!”

Tech turned the datapad towards you, a blurry video in black and white shows a live feed of the trash compactor, “It appears that we have been spotted.”

You swore, “Can you override the controls?”

“The empire seems to have updated their technology. I do not recognize the codes they are using. It will take me some time to decipher them.”

You watched as his fingers danced across his datapad, “How long will that take? If you haven’t noticed, we're a minute away from being crushed to death!”

“I’m aware.” His voice held a bite to it, one that you’ve never heard before.

Regret fills your body. He’s in the same situation as you, afraid just the same, “Right, of course, sorry.”

He doesn’t verbally address your apology but he does reassure you, “The others will find us. We’ve been in worse situations before.”

You studied him for a moment; taking in his stiff posture which is rare, he’s more of a croucher, spending a good portion of his days bent over the ship's console or his datapad. His fingers are tapping at the side of his device, a nervous habit of his. Your eyes fall shut, accepting defeat because you know, “We’re not making it out are we?”

“It is unlikely I’m afraid,” His voice is no longer biting, nor near defeat, just acceptance, “I do not have the necessary time to decipher the coding. Our fate is in the hands of the Batch now.”

“So that’s it? You’re just giving up?”

“Yes, but it’s not because I don’t care about our survival,” He attached his datapad into its slot on his belt, “I don’t want to spend my last moments with you with my face buried in a datapad. That’s not fair to either of us.”

He’s close enough to reach out and touch him, which is what you do. One hand flat against his chest, armour cold under your palm, and your other hand rests on his side, your hand small enough to settle on the warmth of his blacks where the armour doesn’t cover his torso.

“I would have before you,” He said, leaving you confused and he smoothed out the lines forming the frown on your face, then his hand cupped your cheek, “Take in as much information as I could, spend my last minutes doing what I do best; learning the ways of the Empire,” He pressed his forehead against yours, “Words could never compare to you, cyar’ika.”

Your heart soars, eyes flickering down to his lips, “May I kiss you?”

“Please.” Breathed Tech, already dipping his head down to meet you halfway, barely getting the words out before your lips connected. His lips are soft and tasted like caf and you both moaned into the kiss.

Your fingers flexed on his chest amour, steadying yourself when his tongue ran over the seal of your lips asking for permission. You let him lead and deepen the kiss, enjoying following along with the passion he poured into the kiss.

He eventually pulled back to rest his forehead against yours once more, “If we make it out I would love to take you on a date.”

“And if we don’t?”

“I’d die knowing how your lips feel on mine. To know what it’s like to taste the woman I cherish. That’s how every man should go.” Tech smiled.

Crosshair

Sorry, Crosshair is on a vacation at the moment. He was kind enough to leave a message for his brothers.

✨ Eat trash and die ✨

[nahoney22]

Hey! Hope you’re doing alright and hydrated ❤️ I have a request if possible…I’m a sucker for angst so was thinking how would any of the batch (your choice) would react dying in the way Aunt May died in Spider-Man NWH…like she was right for a second and then it just happened.

It’s ok if you don’t feel comfortable about it, Ty!

No Way Home - Readers Death

All Bad Batch Boys X GN!Reader

As the request says, boys reacting to your death like Aunt May’s in NWH

warnings: mentions of death of reader, swearing, blood, denial, major injury but not in detail, suuuuper angsty. ALL ABOARD THE ANGST TRAIN 🚂

authors note: very sorry for the delay nonny 💜

Echo

"That was a close call, too close," Echo breathes out, his voice laced with relief as he finds himself amidst the wreckage. You had just rescued him, albeit recklessly, but the danger had finally passed, and it was time to return back to the Marauder. What a mess.

"Tell me about it," you reply, forcing a short laugh despite the heaviness in your chest. As you approach Echo, you grow confused as his widened eyes catch your attention, as if he had witnessed something utterly horrifying. "Are you alright, Echo?"

He hesitates for a brief moment before rushing over to you, swiftly offering support as you suddenly collapse onto your knees. "Take it easy, cyare," he urges, his concern palpable. Confusion washes over you at the intensity of his worry.

"I'm fine, really. Just... need a moment to catch my breath, that's all."

Echo’s hand that was on your back comes forward and both of your hearts thunder at his crimson stained blood. “Is that yours?” You whisper, looking at his hand and tune up at him. But, his face said everything.

“We need to get you back to the Havoc. Now.” He had lost so much already, he couldn’t lose you.

“I’m fine Echo. I just need a second.” But your words were slow, laced with tiredness as your body starts to shut down. “Just a second.”

How many more seconds were you willing to give?

“I’m fine…. Aren’t I?” Your head tilts to the side as you look up at him, his eyes flooding with tears.

“Yes,” he rasps but his voice didn’t carry the strength of truth. “You’re going to be fine.”

“Just a few more seconds.”

And that’s all you could give him. He wanted a forever.

Hunter

Hunter caught a whiff of it before he saw it. At first glance, you appeared relatively unscathed, just a bit battered from the recent attack. As always, you mustered the strength to stand up and push forward. But the scent of blood hung in the air.

However, the moment you took a step forward, you stumbled, only to be caught by Hunter. "Tech, I need an immediate extraction. Track my location. Now," he urgently commanded, his words filled with anguish, leaving you perplexed.

"Why the extraction? I simply tripped, silly," you chuckled softly, your nose nuzzling against his—a familiar gesture between the two of you. But as you attempted to sit up, your body betrayed you, and you remained rooted to the ground. His gentle pressure on your side triggered a wave of panic. "Hunter, am I injured?"

"Yes," he replied softly, "but don't worry. Tech and the others will be here soon, okay? Just hold on."

"Why are you telling me to hold on? I'm fine. I feel fine!" you protested, emotions rushing over you, followed by a fit of coughing that caused you to cry out in a pained sob.

"Take it easy, my love, take it easy. You're going to be alright. I won't let you slip away. Never," he assured, his words filled with desperation.

Sadly, even his words couldn't save you.

He cradled you in his arms for what felt like hours, feeling helpless, lost, and consumed by anger. "Please, wake up," he whispered, gently stroking your cheek, his tears falling onto your skin. "Wake up."

Wrecker

"Are you alright, babe?" Wrecker rushes over to your side, forcefully kicking away the heavy debris that had engulfed both of you during the chaotic mission. It was just the two of you, both bewildered about what went wrong when the onslaught of rubble descended upon you.

Coughing, you nod while dusting off your eyes. "Y-yeah, I'm okay," you groan, joining Wrecker in removing the rubble that trapped your body. He assists you in standing, his arm wrapped around your waist as the two of you make your way towards the exit. But he abruptly halts as something warm trickles onto his glove.

Slowly, he withdraws his hand from you, desperately hoping it isn't what he fears. Unfortunately, it confirms his dread. "You, uh, you're bleeding quite a bit," he immediately informs you, flustered, as you stop and look at him, noticing the blood staining his glove.

"Oh," you manage to utter, but in that split second, you collapse to the ground. You believed you were fine, or at least you thought so, but witnessing the consequences of the mission on your own body triggers sudden pain.

"Fuck, are you okay?" Wrecker drops to his knees beside you, but it's too late. Just like that, you're gone.

"Baby?" he whispers, gently nudging your shoulder and placing his large hand over your cheek. "Hey, come on now. We have to keep going."

He's in denial. You can't be gone. It's simply inconceivable. The others hear him when he comms them, begging and crying and screaming your name. You left his life just as quickly as you fell into it.

Tech

With adrenaline still coursing through your veins after the attack, you and Tech find yourselves surrounded by rubble and debris. Despite the chaos, you can't help but chuckle at the mess when you meet up beside Tech. "Well, that was quite an eventful ride, huh?"

"Yes, but it shouldn't have happened. I'm uncertain about what went wrong," Tech muses, resting his chin on his hand in deep contemplation. However, you reassure him with a kiss on the cheek, conveying that worrying about it can wait and that it's best for both of you to make a quick exit.

But as you continue walking, a sudden surge of pain radiates from your stomach, causing you to clutch it tightly before collapsing to your knees with a thud. "Tech, I don't feel well," you manage to utter through the discomfort.

His face instantly fills with concern as he swiftly approaches you, crouching down to your level. "Let me quickly check your vital signs and see if we missed any injuries."

Tech retrieves his scanner and begins assessing you, but his heart feels like it's about to burst out of his chest, as if it's being stomped upon, when he sees the results. Your minds are hazy, too clouded to fully comprehend the situation, as he urgently speaks into his comm, likely calling for assistance.

His hands gently grasp your shoulders, guiding your head to face him, even though you struggle to rely on reading his lips. Yet, there's an undeniable sense of concern in his eyes.

"Tech, what's happening?" you whisper, your voice filled with both pain and confusion. Your eyelids grow heavy as an overwhelming wave of drowsiness begins to wash over you.

"You're injured. Quite severely, I'm afraid," he responds candidly, wrapping his arms around you as you nestle into his side. He does everything within his power to prevent any further damage from occurring.

"It's not that bad," you mutter, your head lolling against his shoulder. "I'm just a little sleepy. I need a moment or two."

"No," he shakes his head adamantly, his voice filled with urgency. "No, you must stay awake, my love. Okay?"

As your eyes close, you release a deep exhale. "Just a few minutes, okay? You can wake me up soon."

Tech's heartache intensifies as he witnesses the person he loves slipping away right in front of him. His lower lip quivers, his mind desperately searching for solutions, for any brilliant ideas that might help, but nothing seems to work. "Stay awake, my love. List all the stars, moons, and planets for me, like I taught you. You have to stay awake," he implores, his voice filled with desperation.

"I can't," you sigh dismissively, leaning into his chest. "I'm so tired."

"Please... please, don't leave me.”

Crosshair

"Why are you looking at me like that? Stop looking at me like that!" you exclaim, feeling uneasy under Crosshair's intense gaze. The mission had concluded, and you were both making your way out when he abruptly halted, fixated on your movements, as if witnessing a lifetime's worth of memories in an instant.

Confusion etches your face as you turn to him, repeating his name, but he remains motionless. It takes a shout from you to finally elicit a response.

"You're bleeding," he states firmly, dropping his rifle and stepping closer to you, causing your brows to furrow. You instinctively touch your head, finding a small trickle of blood.

"Well, of course I'm bleeding. A building just collapsed on us. It's just a scratch-" you begin, but he cuts you off.

"No," he interrupts, his tone resolute as he positions himself directly in front of you. He raises his wrist and speaks into his comm, urgently requesting an emergency evacuation.

"Crosshair, baby, I'm fine!" you protest, tugging on his wrist, urging him to keep moving. However, he remains steadfast, unmoving. Instead, a sudden wave of excruciating pain seizes you, causing you to cry out and clutch your side.

As you pull your hand back, your eyes widen in shock at the sight of crimson staining your palm. "W-what?"

Before you have a chance to collapse, Crosshair catches you in his arms. "Shh, it's okay. I've got you. The others are on their way."

"Crosshair, w-what happened? What's going on?" you panic, squirming in his grasp, only intensifying the pain.

The Marksman rarely experienced panic, but watching you in this state was unbearable. He felt utterly helpless, unable to do much except apply pressure to the bleeding wound. "Stay calm. It... it will be okay," he says, his voice wavering as he tries to reassure both you and himself.

"When can we go home?" you whisper, breaking the long, painful silence that had settled between you. He can't find the right words to say, so he simply holds you tightly, knowing that you're in shock and asking questions that may not make complete sense.

"Soon," he replies, his voice stiff, his lips lightly brushing against your forehead as he closes his eyes, feeling his heart shatter within him. "We'll go home soon."

Crosshair was never quite the same after you left for home.

masterlist

tags: @nunanuggets @andyoufollowyourheart @littlefeatherr @kaitou2417 @eyecandyeoz @captxin-rex @cwarssimp @jesseeka @ashotofspotchka @oohyesplease @megafrost4 @theroguesully @mustluvecho @ladykatakuri @jambolska-grozdova @arctrooper69 @padawancat97 @rain-on-kamino @either-madness-or-brilliance @staycalmandhugaclone @ko-neko-san @echos-girlfriend @fiveshelmet @dangraccoon @plushymiku-blog @chrissywakingup @kixs-husband @pb-jellybeans @tech-aficionado @grizabellasolo @therealnekomari @tech-depression-inventory y @brynhildrmimi @greaser-wolf @tinyreadersmur @agenteliix @kaminocasey @marvel-starwars-nerd @ladytano420 @imalovernotahater @s1st3r @by-the-primes @the-bad-batch-baroness @crystal076 @blustalker @the-good-shittt

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

Queen can I please request prompt 1 from your new prompt list with Xavier Thorpe. (‘’I'm always on your side.’’)

Found myself humming to 'I know places' while writing this 'Just grab my hand and don't ever drop it, my love They are the hunters, we are the foxes and we run Baby, I know places we won't be found And they'll be chasing their tails tryin' to track us down 'Cause I, I know places we can hide' Ah, I love this song!

my taglists are here + you can send requests here at any time

—

The moment you heard that Wednesday had her accusatory finger set on Xavier, you ran to his dorm to warn him. You had to get him into safety. You had to take him to a place where she — and the police — wouldn’t find him. 

Out of breath from sprinting across the academy, you banged on his door, not caring about getting caught in the boys' dormitories. His neighbors probably hated you at the moment.

When the door opened, you didn't let Xavier place a word. ‘’You gotta get out of here. Wednesday went to Sheriff Galpin’s office and she has all these evidences pointing at you.’’

‘’But I’m not—’’ he began to say.

You shook your head. ‘’It doesn’t matter. We have to leave, Xavier. Now.’’

He slipped on his shoes and grabbed a jacket and followed you into the woods. It didn’t matter to you if he was the hyde or not. You loved him. 

You let go of his hand once you arrived at the small cave. It was cramped and cold, but you doubted the Jericho police would search the woods this deep at night. And since you didn’t take your phones, no one could track you.

‘’We’re gonna stay here until the coast is clear at the academy. I know it’s dirty and cold, but the police are probably gonna search your art shed, so we can’t go there yet,’’ you explained, wishing you had taken a warmer jacket with you. 

Xavier sat down on the dirt and leaned against the stone. He thought Wednesday was his friend. How could she betray him like that? 

You leaned against his shoulder, huddling close for warmth. ‘’I'm always on your side. Even if you’re the beast.’’

‘’I'm not,’’ Xavier said. ‘’I see it in my dreams, but it’s not me. I would tell you if I could turn into a hunchbacked monster with sharp teeth and claws.’’

—

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[soaringthroughthegalaxy]

Hii, I have a request for the bad batch! Could you please write them comforting a reader who is a warrior bit has breathing problems and has been feeling useless as of late? Thank you

Hi anon! Thanks for this request, sorry it took me a little while to get to it.

I hope this is okay 😊

Take a Breath

Most of the time you can keep up with your boys, but sometimes those old breathing problems come back to bite you. Thankfully, you no longer need to deal with them on your own.

Pairing: All Batch x gn!reader (platonic, but squint and could be romantic-ish. Set pre-Echo).

Word count: 1.5k

Warnings: reader has breathing difficulties, mentions of stress and anxiety, it's good to talk, supportive Batch.

Butt hitting the ground with a light thud, you lean back against the tree trunk, letting out a shaky exhale as your eyes screwed shut.

“In and out. Nice and slow.” Hunter instructs, crouched down in front of you. He tilts his head to the side, helmet turned towards Tech, and the genius crouches down, too.

“These episodes are becoming more frequent.” Tech comments, prying a medisensor from his pack. “It is concerning.” He lifts the scanner closer to you, but you bat it away, cracking open your eyes.

“Nothing I haven’t handled before. I’m fine.” You insist, the tightness in your chest easing now you’ve heeded Hunter’s advice. The air is cool and crisp, filling your lungs as you try to steady your racing heartbeat. You’d all been running back to the ship before the explosives Wrecker had planted on a Separatist stronghold could go off, but as you’d rounded the corner into a clearing and spotted the Marauder, your chest had felt like it had been slammed in a vice.

“Don’t lie. You’re not fine.” Crosshair comments, his back to you and his brothers as he keeps his eyes on the treeline, rifle at the ready.

Before you can fire back a retort, Hunter’s helping you to your feet. “We can discuss this once we’re in hyperspace. We need to move.” He states, all but dragging you across the clearing, the other boys in tow.

You find comfort in a jump seat as Tech fires up the engines, and before long, you’ve left the backwater planet behind and are in the safety of hyperspace, another successful mission under your belt. 

The familiar hum of the ship’s hyperdrive surrounds you as you take deep breaths to calm your nerves. The adrenaline from the mission slowly starts to ebb away, replaced by a dull ache in your chest.

Hunter leans against the cockpit doorframe and crosses his arms. “We need to address this.” He says with a firm tone. “These episodes are putting missions at risk.”

You nod, knowing he’s right but reluctant to delve into it now. You don’t mean to cause issues for them, and guilt churns in your gut. They hadn’t been thrilled when they’d found out a civilian had been assigned to them as a liaison officer, and ever since that first day, you’ve been pushing yourself, wanting to prove that you weren’t useless and getting in their way. But it feels as of late that’s all you’re doing.

Tech finally looks up from his datapad. “I’ve compiled some data on your recent episodes. Your breathing difficulties appear to coincide with increased stress and heightened anxiety.”

Crosshair, always observant, glances over his shoulder. “You’ve been pushing yourself too hard.” He comments.

You lean back in your seat, acknowledging the truth in his words. The constant battles, close calls, and the war have taken their toll. You weren’t made for this, hadn’t trained for this. “I can handle it.” you assert, but the wavering tone in your voice betrays your uncertainty.

Hunter crouches in front of you again, this time without his helmet to obscure his features, and one of his hands rests on your knee. “We’re a team, and that includes taking care of each other. We can’t afford to have you incapacitated during a mission. Talk to us.”

You take a deep breath, meeting Hunter’s steady gaze. His concern is evident, and you can’t help but feel a sense of gratitude for the bond that’s formed between you all. Swallowing your pride, you decide it’s time to open up.

“I didn’t sign up for all of this.” You admit, your voice carrying the weight of your unspoken struggles. “I wanted to contribute, to help, but I never expected it to be so... intense. None of this was in the job description - it was sold as a desk job. I feel like I’m constantly on edge, and these episodes are just getting worse. I always struggled with breathing issues as a kid, but I could manage it. It’s a bit different now. Now, I just feel useless.”

Hunter squeezes your knee reassuringly. “We understand it’s not easy. War changes people, and admitting it’s affecting you is okay. And you’re not useless, not at all. We just need to find a way to better manage it.”

Tech chimes in, his analytical mind already processing possible solutions. “I can modify your schedule and integrate more downtime and calming activities. Perhaps a more structured routine will help manage your anxiety levels.”

Crosshair remains silent, but his expression softens. Despite his gruff exterior, he’s invested in your wellbeing.

You nod appreciatively at Tech’s suggestion, grateful for the practical approach. “I’m willing to try anything. I just don’t want to be a liability.”

Hunter leans in, his voice low and comforting. “You’re not a liability. We look out for each other. We need you at your best, both for yourself and for the success of our missions.”

“And we don’t want ya passin’ out on us during a mission. I mean, I’ll carry ya, but it ain’t good for anyone.” Wrecker adds.

Snorting in amusement, you offer the four of them an appreciative smile. “Thank you. I’m sorry I didn’t mention it sooner.”

Hunter gives you a small smile in return. “No need to apologise. We’re in this together. Now, let’s figure out a plan to make things more manageable for you. We’ll make adjustments, ensure you have time for self-care, and maybe even find a few ways to lighten the mood around here.”

Tech, always practical, pulls out his datapad again. “I’ll create a detailed schedule incorporating mission-related tasks and designated relaxation periods. It’s essential to strike a balance. I shall also look into creating a monitoring device to keep track of your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and other vitals. That way, we may be warned before you experience an episode and can act accordingly.”

The boys set to work, each using their unique skills to devise a plan that addresses your needs. Tech busies himself with the schedule and monitoring device, Crosshair takes charge of scouting suitable downtime locations on planets you visit, Wrecker suggests incorporating more recreational activities, and Hunter ensures that mission objectives are still met but in such a way as to minimise stress.

As days pass, the changes begin to make a noticeable difference. The new routine allows you to anticipate and manage your symptoms better, and the support of the boys makes the burden easier to bear.

During downtime on a lush, green planet, Crosshair leads you all to a serene lake surrounded by tall trees. You sit by the water’s edge, feeling the cool breeze and enjoying a rare moment of tranquillity. Wrecker, ever the enthusiast, suggests a dip, and soon, laughter echoes through the clearing as he tosses Hunter and Crosshair into the water.

Before he can be thrown into the lake, too, Tech discreetly hands you the monitoring device he’s finished. “This should provide us with valuable data. We shall continue refining it, but it is a step towards better understanding and managing your condition.” He explains, watching as your hands smooth over the metal bracelet before you slide it onto your wrist. It’s a little tight, but he’d designed it to enable a more precise reading of your vitals.

He doesn’t have time to double-check the calibration before he’s hauled up, thrown over Wrecker’s shoulder, and dumped unceremoniously into the water. Spluttering as he comes up for air, the ring of your laughter makes it all worth it.

As the sun sets and the boys emerge from the lake, a warm glow falls over the landscape. Hunter moves to sit beside you, having towelled off. “How you feeling?” He asks, genuine concern etched across his face.

“I’m doing better, thanks to all of you.” You reply with a sincere smile, fingers finding the bracelet.

Hunter nods, glad to hear that you’re making progress. In all honesty, the changes implemented were good for them all. They could all do with some extra downtime and a chance to feel like regular people.

The camaraderie among the squad deepens, and you find yourself supported and genuinely embraced by your unconventional family. The monitoring device becomes a constant companion, a reminder that you’re not alone in this journey.

Tech continues to fine-tune it, utilising his genius to enhance its capabilities. With his sharp eyes, Crosshair becomes adept at reading your subtle cues, knowing when to check in with you or offer a silent, comforting presence. Wrecker becomes your self-appointed protector during missions, always keeping a watchful eye on you. And Hunter ensures that the balance between duty and self-care is maintained.

As the days turn into weeks and the weeks into months, you notice a significant improvement in your physical and mental wellbeing. The once daunting missions become more manageable, and the weight on your chest lightens. You truly feel at home. The makeshift family you’ve found has become your anchor in the vast sea of uncertainty. The galaxy may be at war, but within the confines of the Marauder, you’ve found a sanctuary.

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

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[silversodas]

I wonder if Caleb really was there

It’s actually really hard to tell weather he was a hallucination or not, that was probably the point they did a really good job making it hard to tell. And I will be completely honest, I would actually really like it if it was really him, but here is my take.

This feels like a super random place to just suddenly see him (eh, maybe if the season was longer we would get a more solid answer)

But then we realize he was right at the entrance of his creepy build a boy factory, where his bones are kept.Technically, Caleb saw he came back and was, not necessarily greeting him, he was meeting him head on.

This face, he is not only judging him, he is staring him down. There are many ghost stories of vengeful ghosts who haunt their murders. But sadly there are many more stories of ghosts who fear their murders, even in death. He is showing that he is not only disgusted and done with him, he is not afraid of him. And I think that’s supported in the next scene

Caleb is the first to appear

Then “slowly” the golden guards appear behind Caleb. The positions of the guards I feel is important

You can tell they are all standing behind Caleb only two are close enough to almost be standing with him. Some are a little further back, some are way further back and there are a couple that appear to be lurking around the pillars. I don’t think they are lurking, I think they are hiding. They are hurt and betrayed, but they are also afraid of the man that murdered them.

Caleb’s presence may help remind them that Belos can’t hurt them anymore. Which is why they only appeared after Caleb did.

Side note, that rib cage on the table in the laboratory is probably what is left of Caleb, the adult human has 206 bones, he only has what looked like either 6 or 8 ribs left and from what I could tell his tail bone is missing, but the rest of the spine is there. So however many bones are still on that table, subtract that from 206 and that might be how many golden guards their were, including the failed grim walker that wasn’t done.

They could still be imaginary, but everything surrounding Caleb has been the darkest and the most disturbing thing I haven seen in I don’t know how long. Everytime we think they are gonna stop there with this tragic family they gleefully prove us wrong, that alone makes me believe they are tragic scared and trapped spirits

@stonesleeper pointed out that when Hunter saw Caleb in the mirror, he looked sad and tired in contrast to how he looked at Belos

And again, we don’t know if it’s just in Hunters head, but it’s interesting that Hunter imagines him to look the exact same way Belos sees him in their encounter when Hunter never saw him like this, not even in the memory paintings. It’s part of ghost folk lore that they use mirrors as portals..so there is a chance that Caleb might have just been checking on Hunter and was concerned.

But that’s all just theories, but if I wanted to introduce ghost in the creepiest way possible, I would also want you to not be able to tell if they were real or if the characters were losing their minds

[meganlpie]

Sleeping Knight...Of Hell?!

Based on this request: : Would it be possible to do a spn Cain x Winchester reader fluffy, where cain gets cursed by a witch well helping the Winchester take down a witch. Ends up getting sleeping beauty and won’t wake up in till the reader kisses him from @sirlsplayland

Here you are, lovely! I apologize for the wait! I do not own ANY SPN characters. They are the property of the creators/writers!

Warnings: Angst-ish? Sleeping Beauty AU. Fluff.

Pairings: Cain x Winchester!reader

Under normal circumstances, you and your brothers would not want to work with a demon, even Cain. No matter how kind and fair he could be. But with you currently unable to hunt and no one else available, your two brothers reached out to Cain. The demon seemed to have a soft spot for you so he agreed to help until another hunter became available.

       "You guys be careful. Call me if anything goes wrong. Broken arm or not, I will haul ass," you said as the boys and Cain prepared to leave. Dean rolled his eyes while Sam chuckled. You turned to Cain. "Same goes for you." His blue eyes didn't betray the surprise he felt at your words. He hadn't known his safety was so important to you. Cain gave a quick nod before all three headed out, leaving you alone and bored out of your mind.

       Your boredom didn't last long, however. Too soon, the boys reappeared in the bunker along with Cas and an unconscious Cain. "What happened to him?" you asked, worry creeping into your tone without your permission. "We think he was hit with a spell, but we don't know what and we can't wake him up," Sam explained. Dean nodded along with Sam. "Cas tried and we ganked the witch, but Cain's still not waking up. But he's breathing so I guess he's still alive. For now anyway."

       You helped your brothers get Cain to a bed in the infirmary before beginning the long and difficult task of research. All the while, in the back of your mind, you worried for Cain. What if he never woke up? For some reason, the very thought made your insides churn unpleasantly. You made it your sole mission to figure out a way to wake him and soon.

*time skip*

       Weeks. You lost count of how many weeks it had been since your brothers returned to the bunker with Cain. You'd tried everything you could possibly think of to wake him. You'd even called in Rowena, who offered to go through every spellbook she could to help. Mostly because she didn’t want to be on the bad side of the Knight of Hell should he wake and partly because you told her that you’d owe her. She was very much like her son in that way. And it was Rowena’s son who would crack the case wide open.

Crowley sat with you, your brothers, Cas, and Rowena as you explained to him what was happening. While Crowley didn’t care much for Cain, he did respect him. “So you’ve had no luck waking Sleeping Beauty.” Sam shook his head, but you stared at Crowley as if he’d just said the most brilliant thing of the century. 

“Rowena?” you asked after a moment, prompting the redhead to look at you. “Are there any spells that can copy fairytales? Like…a sleeping curse?” Rowena’s brows furrowed as she thought. “I suppose there might. After all, your human fairytales have a basis in fact. It’s quite possible, but if so, I’m afraid Cain is going to sleep forever, dearie. True love’s kiss doesn’t exist.” You nodded solemnly before standing and leaving the room. All you could think about was poor Cain being asleep until the end of time.

You weren’t paying attention to where you were walking and soon found yourself in the infirmary where Cain was. With a sigh, you pulled a chair up next to his cot and sat down. “I’m so sorry, Cain,” you said softly even though no one else was around, “If I hadn’t gotten hurt, you wouldn’t be in this mess. And I have no idea how to help you. Rowena thinks you’ll be stuck like this forever.” You reached over and took Cain’s hand, repeating how sorry you were. 

You remained like that until Sam appeared in the doorway to let you know they were heading out on a supply run. “Hang on, I need to come too. There are a few things I need.” Sam nodded and turned away before speaking over his shoulder, “Alright. We’ll meet you at the car.

Once Sam was gone, you glanced at Cain again. “Come back, Cain.” You stood and leaned over him. “Come back to me,” you whispered as you leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. You straightened up all the way. However, as you turned to leave, you felt something tugging on your hand. You looked down and were surprised to find Cain’s eyes open as he stared at you in amazement. “Cain,” you whispered, unable to fight back the sound of tears in your voice.

Cain slowly sat up, his blue eyes never leaving your face. “You…” he began, “You brought me back.” Your brows drew together and you started to shake your head, but Cain stopped you. “Yes you did. I heard everything. I was trapped in my own mind, unable to move or speak, but I heard it all. It was your determination, your kiss, your…love that woke me, Y/N.”

Your eyes widened. The idea you’d gotten from Crowley had been right. It was a sleeping curse. And just like the fairytales, it was true love’s kiss that broke the spell. But that meant-

“Cain? Only a kiss of true love could have worked, if my theory was right.” A brow rose on Cain’s forehead. “Yes,” he confirmed, “Ask the question that’s on the tip of your tongue, Y/N. You already know the answer. You only need to ask the right question.”

“Does this mean that you-that you love me?” A rare, soft smile made its way onto Cain’s lips. “And you love me.” You stared at him and he stared back, an amused smile still on his lips. For a while, neither of you said anything. But the silence was soon broken by Dean. “Hey, I thought you-” You looked back at Dean, whose mouth was open in surprise. “Sonovabitch,” he muttered before turning on his heel, probably on his way to tell Sam what was happening. When he was out of sight, you couldn’t help but laugh a bit. You looked back to Cain to find him still looking at you. His hand came up and rested on your cheek. “May I?” he asked, quietly. You swallowed thickly, but agreed. Cain’s lips met yours in a moment later in a soft, sweet kiss.

(a/n: I hope you like it!)

Forever Tags: @fizzyxcustard @brewsthespirit-blog @sirkekselord @aikibriarrose @lady-of-lies @motleymoose @esoltis280 @stories-by-shanna-p @dark-angel-is-back @supernatural4life2022 @asgards-princess-of-mischief

SPN Tags: @jotink78

[soyellowcurtainsthen]

Who’s the man at the prison gate in the Pit Babe Series 2 Trailer?!?!?

Hi, I’m an idiot with an internet connection So, here is my totally accurate and scientifically sound analysis in support of my theory that it’s Pete. Grab your tinfoil hats friends and follow me down the rabbit hole.

First, I’m going to need you to turn your brain off and live in a world with me in which we won’t even consider that this is a new character who has not been introduced yet ( jokes on me because change2561 would pull this type of thing).

Now we need to narrow down the pool of candidates from our currently known characters. Obviously if our Prison throuple of Kenta, Winner and Dean are out of prison and spying on the X-Hunter squad we can safely assume the person who got them out isn’t likely to be in the inner circle of the X-Hunter team, so we can safely disregard Babe, Charlie, Alan, Jeff, North, Sonic, and Kim. Now we have three players in the running- Way, Pete and Tony.

So let’s get to narrowing this down, behold Exhibit A

Our man in black stays out of focus for most of the clip, but from what we can see it seems that this man is dressed in a suit and as we never see Way ever dressed in those types of clothes the whole season I think it’s fair to also vote him off the Island.

Now to our final two candidates, it’s time to analyse some heights baby!!! We are going to use Kenta as a control subject, height wise, for this as he is the most likely of the prison throuple to have had scenes with both the remaining candidates.

So let’s start with Tony, it’s ridiculously difficult to get shots of these two together where Kenta isn’t half a mile behind and throwing off the perspective because of that, but I tried my best.

As you can see from these over the shoulder shots, Tony and Kenta’s eye level looks to be about the same, with them being almost exactly the same height ( Tony being slightly taller at a push). With this shot also confirming that they are very similar in height to each other.

Moving onto Pete, we can see that our baby boys have a bit of a height difference, with Kenta being the shorter of the two. His eyeline whenever talking to Pete is directed upward.

Now let’s head back to the original shot of the mystery man’s back and use our new found knowledge, and attempt to solve this by using the ancient scientific method of drawing lines on pictures.

As Winner isn’t standing at full height I’m disregarding him from the experiment, much like I wish I could disregard him from the narrative completely.

So let’s draw onto our screenshot where Kenta and Dean’s eyeline should land if they were looking at someone that was of similar height to them.

And now let’s draw where their actual eyeline ends up, taking into consideration where our mystery man’s shoulders are to give us a rough estimate of where their eyeline should land if they were looking at his face, which they are.

Now as you can see from my totally foolproof scientific method, both of their eyelines are pointed slightly upward indicating that the person on the other side of the gate is taller than both Kenta and Dean. Now there is only one of our candidates who is taller than Kenta and that leaves us with only on option left… Pete.

I rest my case.

( Also just on the logical side, why would Tony get the man who betrayed him and stabbed him out of jail, like that makes no narrative sense)

[parad-ice-lostandfound]

Prompt: "Do we have to get out of bed?"

Pairing: Rook hunt x GN!Reader/Prefect/Yuu

Genre: Fluff

TW: The characters are aged up, use of "mama" as a gender neutral term for a parent.

AN: It's time for the man, the myth, the legend himself: Rook! Ngl, this hunter gave me a ton of trouble with the fic. I'm still a bit unhappy with this, since I know it isn't one of my best works, but it is something. Happy birthday to everyone's favorite hunter <3 I hope you enjoy ^^ (PS: at one point, the reader is referred to as "mama". It is supposed to be read as a gender neutral term for a parent. If anyone who's fluent in French knows an actual gender neutral term for parent, please let me know ^^)

You opened your eyes to the chirping of birds outside your room, and the feeling of strong, warm arms around your middle. The warmth behind your body shifted slightly, pulling you closer and making you smile.

"Rook."

The blonde haired man hummed, letting you know that he was awake. Soft lips graced your neck with careful and slow kisses, a routine he performed daily as a sign of his love.

You turned in his hold, eyes softening as they met those of your husband. Rook smiled at you.

"Bonjour, mon amour," he hummed, leaning slightly to place yet another kiss, this time at your lips. Pulling away, he continued speaking in that slightly raspy tone that he always got in the morning, "Did you sleep well?"

You nodded, absentmindedly running your fingers over the slight stubble on his face. Rook let you do as you pleased, his eyes not straying a moment away from yours.

The sliver of sunlight coming in through the gap between the curtains framed the soft domestic scene that was your reality. You knew there were things to do, responsibilities of real life that would have you be separated from the arms of your beloved husband soon enough (a crime, truly). But these precious few moments, ones Rook insisted on experiencing every morning, gave you all the energy you would need to complete your daily tasks and come back to your husband's loving embrace each night.

After a few minutes of just staring at each other in content silence, you asked, "What are your plans for today?" Rook sighed, closing his eyes and burrowing in your hair. "I'm taking the twins to visit maman et papa. They've been asking to see them lately."

"Have you told them that they will be here for Christmas?"

"I did, but they were insistent," Rook hummed, fingers making lazy circles on your hip. "Will you be joining us, my dear?"

"I would love to, but there's some things I must get done today. And if you're taking the kids out of the house then I can buy their gifts and hide them."

"Ah."

"Give my regards to mom and dad, hm?"

"Of course mon amour."

You smiled, then made a move to get up.

Rook's hold on you tightened, and he pulled you right back where you started, body flush against him. Laughter left you shaking in his arms slightly. "Rook, we need to get up."

"Must we? Surely a few more minutes with me would not hurt~"

Before you could reply that yes, you two did need to leave the bed, a knock sounded on the door before it was opened, and in ran your two children, the apples of your eyes.

The boy immediately jumped onto your bed, shaking an amused Rook, "Papa! Papa wake up! We gotta go!" The blonde man let out a chuckle, letting go of you to take your son in his arms and tickle him. Peals of laughter left both son and father as they engaged in some play-fighting, Rook making sure not to be too rough with his child.

Your daughter, on the other hand, calmly stood near your side of the bed, looking at you with a sleepy smile. The calmer counterpart to her excitable brother, she gently tapped your arm with her palm. "Morning mama."

You scooped her up in your arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead as you sat her on your lap. "Morning sweetie."

Both of you watched the boys as they played around, messing up the bedsheets in their fun. Your daughter cheered her father on, and the betrayed look your son sent to his twin had you laughing.

What a perfect start to a perfect day, for the perfect family you had made with the love of your life.

Back to Masterlist...

[inthemiddle0feverywhere]

Bad Batch Season 3 Episode 5 (scattered) thoughts and first impressions (ramblings)

Major spoilers under the cut

This one is also very long because mannnnnnn did I love this episode and omg do I have big feelings about it

Also yes I do love each member of tbb but in case it’s not obvious I’m a crosshair girlie. Have been since I first heard his voice in season 7 of tcw so this is gonna be very crosshair centric (because he finally has screen time and more than like 2 speaking lines this season!!)

Lula! 🥰🥰

Is Omega in a supply closet? Whatever better than her barren room at the lab

Ah nope her old “room” the gun turret 🥰🥰

A glimpse of mornings on board the marauder: peaceful boys and caf 🥹 probably only peaceful again now that omega is home

This is Omega’s best look omg the the crocheted vest??? I wanna cosplay her now or actually just wear this outfit fr

At first I was so annoyed they kept crosshair in this ugly ass outfit but I honestly think it’s because even though it’s warm on Pabu he’s always cold because he’s so skinny now (well he always was lean but this is a testament to how much weight he lost as a prisoner) They keep trying to feed him fruit and my man keeps using it as target practice 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I honestly love when they show scenes through like either a scope or helmet visor. Like I really love seeing what they’re seeing. In this case AZI (so happy they took him from Cids bar- sorry “parlor”….it was a dive bar)

He’s so mad at his hand 😭 my poor baby he really should let AZI look at it. What do we think it is? Nerve damage? I imagine it feels tingly like when your foot falls asleep.

I love that Batcher loves him!! Animals know good people. He’s a good man Savannah! 😭😭😭 and he likes Batcher too and anyone that’s kind to animals is ok by me.

Ugh Crosshair teaching Omega about being a sniper 🥰🥰😭🥰😭🥰 one day she’s just gonna pop out with a sick trick shot lmao

Shouldn’t have given him his rifle??? Sir it’s an extension of him, it’s like you gave him back one of his body parts

“Omega trusts him and that’s good enough for me” Wrecker!!! My sweet boy!! Big man and even bigger heart. He’s now kinda caught in the middle he wants to be cool with Crosshair again but doesn’t want to betray Hunter they’ve been through a lot just the 2 of them these past several months. Crosshair and Hunter are like parents in the middle of a divorce 😭

53%???? Fuckkkkkkk way worse than we thought

Echo!!!!! Yay mom came home!

“No hug for me” screaming crying throwing up! 😭😭😭😭😭😭 💔💔💔💔he’s disguising it as sarcasm but he wants it, he wants a hug! SOMEBODY HUG HIM DAMMIT! I volunteer!!! Please

Omega between her 2 dads 🥰 (Though is Crosshair more wine aunt vibes sometimes?) And batcher by Crosshair’s feet of course

Yummmmm I bet Pabu has banging sushi 🍣 Love Wrecker being an unbothered king enjoying his sush🥰

😭😭😭😭😭 Crosshair’s face when Echo mentioned Tech. He knows. He knows he fell or perished (shh no 🤡) trying to save him. They’re twins and he lost his other half and I’m devastated!! 😭

Haaaaa welcome to parenting a teenager Hunter!!!

Are Hunter’s eyes green all of a sudden?

Crosshair being the voice of reason?? I love seeing this side of him. I HC that since he is silent and highly observant he was a voice reason often for the batch. (Can we please get a series of TBB during the clone wars?? Or like when they were cadets or something. We only see them in 4 episodes in tcw and they were just an insane suicide squad who hated regs and didn’t follow orders or have anyone in charge of them like I wanna see their adventures and their dynamic and how they are when they have downtime! Please lucasfilmmmmmm 🙇‍♀️🧎🏼‍♀️)

“I’m older than you are, little brother” 😂😂😂 and she got crosshair to chuckle lol ugh I love their dynamic so much. They are really feeding us rn (please don’t take it away)

Omg he’s so brave bringing them back there! To that freaking ice planet where nothing but trauma happened for Crosshair. I know he probably wished he would never have to go back there again but he knows this will help so he goes anyway

The old armor!!!! Helllllll frickinnnn yeaaaaaa (he’s so hot in armor omg I have a headache)

“Take a guesssssss” 🥵

“He started it” 😂😂 major youngest sibling energy

Mayday’s helmet! 💔💔💔💔 somebody sedate me!! 😭

Why can’t Hunter sense the Wyrm?

TOOTHPICK!!! Wrecker defo kept his toothpicks in the armor case 🥰

Frickin ice vulture always an omen. (Animals seem to really like Crosshair though even the scary ones)

“I know you” 😭 I know Hunter meant it in a “I know you’re sneaky and closed off and I’m expecting the worst from you right now ” but it just hit me harder than that. “I know you”- you’re my brother, the youngest I’ve known you since the day you were born. “I know you- I know there’s more to your silence I know your still waters run way deeper than you let on.” “I’m your brother- I know you talk to me I know you”❤️‍🩹

Oh shitttttt thems are fightin words yes let it out everyone

“I’ll do it! 😁” Wreckerrrr I love you

Hunter’s fast af boi!

Batcher is actually ripped af 💪

Ok petition that Cross doesn’t yell anymore it doesn’t suit him at all lmaoooo

Poor Wrecker yes it’s always ALWAYS a huge monster 😭

“Fantastic” 😂😂😂

Omg this is a roller coaster of emotions! Crosshair being soft with Batcher, the nodding! Ugh nothing like fending off a giant ice wyrm to bring bros back together

He’s so pretty shut up I know his head is shaped like a lightbulb

AAHH THERES THE HUG 🥰

progress 😌

“I thought I was being a good soldier 😔” * *pterodactyl screeching *

Welp Im deceased, fed and nurtured but dead at the same time.

Thank you thank you thank you for these past few episodes. Us Crosshair girlies were really in pain seasons 1 and 2

[mandos-mind-trick]

Here's To The Future: Part 10 - What Comes Next

Summary: The war’s over. That should be cause for celebration, except the wrong side won. Things begin to change quickly, and it doesn’t take long for Midnight to realize something’s not right among the clone army. She should be glad the war is over, but the threat of her losing her boys is all too real. She did swear she would do everything she could to keep them from being separated when the war ended.

She’s not going to give up on that promise. Even if it kills her.

Pairing: The Bad Batch x reader (no clonecest)

Warnings: Not a lot, some feels, fluff, lots of dialogue.

A/N: This one is significantly shorter than the others since it's basically 100% a filler while we shift into the second half of the story. Lots of talking, not a lot of action, especially compared to the last part.

< Previous | Next > | SERIES MASTERLIST | MAIN MASTERLIST

“She is right, you know.” Tech says, breaking the tense silence. Midnight’s words have struck all of them hard, and watching her walk away was even harder. “By my calculations, our accelerating aging will give us another 30 years, give or take. Midnight will have only lived around half the normal human lifespan by that time, and Omega even less.” 

Tech’s words don’t help any. Hunter had already been considering settling down somewhere, letting Omega be a kid, but the opportunity had yet to present itself. Being a soldier is easy, it is for all of them. It’s what they were made to do, but he often forgets Midnight is not like them. She’s not even a soldier. Deep down, he knows she’s right. Laying low right now is the ideal. Sure, going on missions is helpful, but if their paths cross with the Empire or more bounty hunters, they’re all at risk. 

He’s already risked too much. Just a matter of days ago, he could have lost both Midnight and Omega because of his decisions. Now Midnight is dealing with something that could affect the rest of her life because of him. 

“I miss them already.” Wrecker says, looking around sadly. 

“I know.” Hunter says, clearing his throat. “She’s right. About all of it. She deserves a normal life, they both do. The war is over. Perhaps we need to consider all of our options. And with Midnight injured...” Hunter doesn’t want to say it. He’s been thinking nonstop about the doctor’s warning. She may never fully heal. She may never get back to where she was before. “She worked so hard to keep us together,” He looks at Crosshair. “All of us, even when the rest of us gave up, and here we are fighting and trying to tear each other apart.” 

He steps closer to Crosshair, the sniper stiffening a bit. He’s preparing for another fight, for things to get physical. There was a time that wouldn’t have happened. They knew each other, trusted each other. There never would have been a thought of one of them betraying the others. Crosshair hadn’t willingly done it. Had his chip not activated, he would have been right beside them the entire way. 

It’s not his fault. 

“She’s right.” He stares up at Crosshair, meeting that brutal glare unwaveringly. “And you were right too. If you had wanted to hurt us still, if you were still under the Empire’s control, you could have easily taken us out. You could have given away our location many times. But you didn’t.” Hunter’s shoulders sag. “I don’t know what it was like. I was lucky that my chip never activated. Things can’t go back to the way they were, for any of us. I know you won’t accept any apology I try to give, but maybe we can come to trust each other again. We have to at least try.” Hunter holds his hand out. “For Midnight.” 

Crosshair stares down at his hand for a long moment before taking it. “For Midnight.” 

“What do we do now?” Echo asks. 

“We need to make things right. First, though, we pay off Cid.” Hunter says. 

“And how are we going to do that?” Echo asks. “We can’t risk another mission.” 

“I’ve got an idea.” Hunter says, looking at Tech, the others following his gaze. 

Tech glances between them, before nervously pushing his glasses higher. “What do you have in mind?” 

“How much do you know about gambling?” Hunter asks. 

“Waging something of value in hopes of winning something more valuable, usually money. Done through various games or against odds like winners of a sports match or pod race.” Tech answers. 

“Do you think you could beat a bunch of professionals at one of those games?” Hunter asks. 

“More than likely, yes.” Tech nods. “The basis of most of them are very simple, though some are based entirely on chance while others depend on a degree of strategy.” 

“Good.” Hunter pats Tech’s shoulder. “You’ll have plenty of time to work on your strategy on the way.”

“Where are we going?” Wrecker asks. 

“We’re taking Tech to Canto Bight so we can pay the debt we owe Cid.” Hunter says. 

“We’re just leaving Midnight and Omega here?” Echo asks as they board the ship. 

“They’re safe.” Hunter says. “Midnight won’t let anything happen to Omega. Besides, she needs to rest. They know where to go if they get into trouble.” 

***

“I've never been in a hotel before.” Omega says, looking around. 

“I have once.” Midnight says. “This place looks like a luxury suite compared to that place.” 

It’s barely more than a bed and a table, but at least it has a working fresher. It was cheap, though, and the Devaronian at the front desk hadn’t asked any questions. Exactly what they were looking for. Midnight drops her bag on the bed before laying down with a sigh. Walking had been a task, and she’d really begun to feel it up the stairs to the room. 

“You’re hurting again.” Omega says, climbing onto the bed next to her. 

“Just sore.” Midnight says. “The doctor said it’ll be like this for a while.” 

“Did you bring any bacta shots?” 

Midnight grabs her bag, opening it up. “Bacta shots, clothes, rations, credits, and...” She pulls out Omega’s trooper doll. 

“My trooper!” Omega takes the doll, holding it close. “You really thought of everything.”

Midnight smiles. “I didn’t want to have to leave, but they need to figure this out themselves. Pretending for our sake wasn’t working anymore.” 

“They’ll come find us, right?” 

Midnight rolls onto her side, smoothing hand over Omega’s hair. “They will. They’ll probably come up with some elaborate plan and make things way more complicated than they have to be, but they’ll be back. I know Hunter wants to slow down, to find a safe place for all of us. It’s hard for them, though. How do you adjust to a slow, boring life when you were designed for war? They’ll figure it out, though. They love both of us too much to leave us behind.” 

“You really think they love me?” She asks. 

“Of course they do.” Midnight says, leaning up on her elbow. “You’re their little sister. It might be a different kind of love, but it’s still love.” 

Omega lays down on the bed, holding her trooper close. “I’ve never had that before. I spent most of my life shut in the lab on Kamino. Nala Se was nice, but I always felt alone.” 

“You never have to feel that way again. Even if those idiots can’t figure things out, I made a promise to you. I’m never going to break that promise.” 

Omega rolls closer, wrapping her arms around Midnight. Midnight holds her close, resting her cheek on top of her head. They stay that way for a while, only the sounds of the city below breaking the quiet. 

“Midnight?” Omega asks, her voice slightly muffled. 

Midnight hums, letting the younger girl move back slightly. 

“What was your mother like?” 

Midnight opens her eyes, taken aback by that question. “Oh, well, she was...caring. She always did her best to try and take care of us, to get us what we needed. She was brave too. She wasn’t afraid to do what needed to be done to keep us safe and healthy. She wasn’t perfect, though. She was...sad. She wanted to do better, wanted to give us a better life, but circumstances wouldn’t let her. So she didn’t always make the best decisions when it came to her own wellbeing. She drank a lot, I think to numb the sadness. She was a good mom, given the hand that life dealt us. I wish she would have made better choices, sometimes.” 

Omega smiles softly. “What about your dad?”

“I never knew him.” Midnight shrugs. “I’m not even sure he ever knew about me either. My mother never talked about him. It was probably for the best, if even she couldn’t find something redeeming about him.” 

“Do you ever wish you knew him?” 

“No.” Midnight says. “Our lives might have been different if he’d been there, but I wouldn’t change my past now. It’s what’s led me to this point. I wouldn’t change it even if I could.” 

“Sometimes I wish I had real parents.” Omega says, turning so she’s staring up at the ceiling. “I’d want them to be like you and Hunter. Strong, brave, kind. You keep your promises.” 

Midnight swallows the lump in her throat. She’d never considered viewing Omega as anything other than a sister. She’s not even sure Hunter’s thought any differently either. She doesn’t think she’s the mothering type, but then again, she’s never really explored that idea before. She’s never had time to. On Coruscant, it was all about survival and trying to escape. Then in the army, it was all about just making it to the next day. Even in her fantasies about what would happen after the war, kids hadn’t really been in the picture. None of the boys had ever mentioned the idea, and so she’d never considered it. 

Until Omega appeared and suddenly they had an actual child to take care of. 

“I think Hunter would make a good dad,” Midnight says. It’s true. He sort of already is, trying to manage the squad even before Omega joined. “You should ask him.” 

“You can do that?” 

Midnight shrugs. “I don’t see why not. I mean, we’re not related but you’re still my little sister. I suppose the same can go for parents. I’m sure Hunter would be thrilled if you asked him. I think he’d probably cry.” 

“They are coming back, right?” Omega asks once more, looking for reassurance. 

Midnight reaches out, stroking her cheek gently. “Yes. Once they get what they need to do figured out, they’ll be knocking on that door.” 

****

The next day is spent laying low in the hotel room. Midnight had risked a trip out to the market to get lunch, and there had been no sign of the boys at all. She had debated going to the starport, checking if the ship was still there, but her back had other plans. 

She’s still sore despite the daily bacta shots. Her limp is slowly improving, but the pain is still there, still getting worse the more she walks around. She’s glad she made the decision to leave. Even if the guys decided to continue going on missions, she can’t. Her days of fighting are over. 

Midnight flips through plantes on the datapad she’d swiped from the ship, slowly narrowing down good options. She’ll go through with the plan regardless of what the boys decide to do. Even if it’s just her and Omega moving to their little farm, then so be it. She tries to keep reassuring Omega that they are, in fact, coming back. 

But as the day passes into evening, even she begins to doubt it just a little. 

She’s woken early the next morning by a knock on the door. Immediately warning bells begin to sound in her head and she grabs her blaster, motioning for Omega to stay back. She creeps to the door, taking a breath before cracking it open and peeking out. 

She opens it all the way, staring at Hunter.

He glances down at the blaster in her hand. “I didn’t think you’d still be that upset.” 

“I’m still considering it.” Midnight says, stepping out of the way to let him in. 

“Hunter!” Omega says, crawling over the bed to hug him. “You came back!” 

“We did.” Hunter says. “The others wanted to come, but I figured it might draw a little too much attention. And I’m the one that needs to apologize.” He holds out a bag, a delicious smell coming from inside. 

“Breakfast is your apology?” Midnight asks, crossing her arms. 

“Part of it.” He shrugs.

Midnight stares at the bag for a moment, her stomach rumbling quietly. He can probably hear it loud and clear so she sighs, taking the bag before sitting on the bed. Omega peeks over her shoulder, grabbing one of the pastries. Hunter leans against the wall across from them. He’s dressed down in his civvies, looking far too casual for someone she’s supposed to be mad at. 

He’s doing it on purpose. 

“You were right.” He says, clearing his throat. “About everything.” 

“Yeah.” Midnight blinks at him. “Usually am.” 

He gives her a look. “You were right about Crosshair. We’ve proved his chip is gone and he’s had lots of chances to turn on us again, but he hasn’t. Both of us have mutually agreed to at least try to trust each other again. And we all agree that it’s not fair of us to expect you to continue fighting. I know you’re tired and I know we all are too. It is hard for us to stop, but most of us agree that maybe we need to consider something else now. I know you had your plan, and things didn’t quite work out how they were supposed to, but now is as good a time as any to make it a reality.” 

“So...” Midnight waves her hand, expectantly waiting for what he’s going to say. 

“So, we started with paying our debt to Cid.” 

Midnight blinks at him. “How exactly?” She knows it’s not with her money. It’s all sitting in the bag on the floor. 

“We took Tech to Canto Bight.” Hunter shrugs. 

Midnight pouts. “You took Tech to a casino without me?” 

“We didn’t really have a choice. I didn’t want to risk another mission, and it was a lot of walking.” 

Midnight’s pout deepens. “That’s not fair. Using my injury against me.” 

“It wasn’t that exciting. Though it was satisfying to see the faces of his opponents when he absolutely swept them.” 

“Please tell me he recorded them?” 

“Probably. You know how he is.” Hunter smiles. “We got more than enough to pay Cid back, and Tech’s looking into places we might be able to settle down.” 

“Well, he won’t have to look far.” Midnight says. 

“Midnight already found us a place.” Omega says excitedly. 

“You’re not going to like the location of it, but I don’t think we could find anywhere safer.” Midnight says sheepishly. “I think we should discuss it together. All of us.” 

“So, does that mean you’re coming back?” Hunter asks. “The Marauder wasn’t the same without you two.” 

Midnight looks at Omega, pretending to think about it for a moment. Omega nods and Midnight turns back to Hunter, shrugging. “I guess, if you really missed us that much.” 

A grin breaks out on Hunter’s face, and he moves forward, Midnight grabbing onto his shirt and tugging him down. He barely catches himself over her, chucking at her excitement. He leans down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. 

The moment is broken by the disgusted noise Omega makes. 

Hunter pulls away with a laugh, ruffling Omega’s hair. “I’m glad you’re both coming back.” 

Midnight tucks a strand of his hair behind his ear. “It’s an easy choice. I’d miss you too much.” 

Hunter pushes himself back up. “Probably not as much as we’ve missed you. We should go see the others, though, before they decide to come up here themselves.” 

“They’re here?” Midnight asks in disbelief. “I thought you said-” 

“I couldn’t convince them to wait at the ship. They’re waiting outside.” 

***

“So?” Wrecker asks as Hunter leaves the hotel. “Did it work?” 

“Why don’t you ask me yourself, big guy?” Midnight says, stepping around Hunter. 

“Midnight!” Wrecker shouts, scooping her up in a hug. 

Midnight winces at the pressure on her wounded back. “Okay, okay.” She taps his shoulder. “Still fragile.” 

“Sorry.” He sets her back on her feet, turning excitedly as Omega practically jumps into his arms. 

“That didn’t take very long.” Echo says. 

Midnight shrugs. “He was...very convincing.” 

“I hope the child was not in the room.” Crosshair says. 

Midnight makes a disgusted noise, smacking Crosshair’s chest. “Don’t be gross. He’s good with his words sometimes. Besides, I didn’t really want to leave in the first place. I’m glad you’ve settled your differences.” 

“Let’s get back to the ship.” Hunter says, eyeing the way Midnight shifts on her feet. “Night says she may have found us a place.” 

***

“Wild Space?” Hunter asks in disbelief, staring at the computer screen. 

They’ve all gathered around while Midnight pulled up the place she had found for them. Possibly their new home. Somewhere they could be safe. She knew he’d have his reservations about its location, though. 

“Yeah,” Midnight shrugs. “Wild Space has been Wild Space since the formation of the Republic and I doubt even the Empire will be successful in trying to gain control over it. If we want to hide, Wild Space is the place to do it.” 

“Except Wild Space is known for being the playground of criminals and pirates and all other kinds of horrible people.” Echo says. 

“But this place is so far out of the way of everything that there’s very little even written about it. It’s all just farming communities. No spaceports, no major imports or exports.” Midnight says. “If we want to stay hidden, a place so boring two people went and never returned is exactly what we need.” 

“She has a point.” Tech says. “While Wild Space is known for being, well, wild, its dedication to keeping any overarching governing body out is ideal. Strategically, if the Empire is looking for total Galactic control, it will need to first gain control of all the formerly Republic and Separatist planets first, then turn its attention to the ungoverned Outer Rim and Neutral territories. If it can gain control over those, it may set its sights on Wild Space, but the odds of it being successful in taking over a largely unmapped area of the galaxy is very small. A planet like this would be very low on their priorities, and if we want to set up somewhere permanently, somewhere inhabited will be easier than trying to build on an uninhabited planet.” 

They all turn to look at Hunter. He stares at the screen, reading over the very little there is written about this planet Midnight had found. It is inhabited, though by a small population, but it’s largely ignored due to its strange weather patterns. But there’s still beings that live there, beings that have survived and stayed hidden from the Republic for thousands of years. 

“It’s worth a shot.” He finally says. If nothing else, they can go and look. He turns to Tech. “Do you think you can navigate Wild Space?” 

Tech looks at him, obviously insulted by his question. “Of course I can. Though, it’s going to take time to reach it, given the lack of hyperspace lanes, and possible unmapped phenomena. We’ll need to research possible fuel stops along the way, and make sure our stock of rations is replenished. But yes, I can get us there.” 

“It’s settled then.” Hunter says. “Let’s go explore our new home.”

Taglist:

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