#tbb hunter x senator

[webslinger-holland]

The Sergeant's Senator Masterlist

Summary: It is revealed that there is a plot to assassinate a republic senator. With some negotiations, Clone Force 99 is assigned as the security detail and must protect the senator at all costs (FULLY COMPLETED).

Warning: +18 minors DNI, threat to one's life, talks of assassination, multiple assassination attempts, various weapons used throughout series, people getting shot or seriously injured, mutual pining, sexual tension and eventual smut (chapters marked in red), and an overall dangerous series

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Epilogue

THIS IS AN ENTIRE WRITTEN, EDITED, AND COMPLETED SERIES! ALL THAT REMAINS FOR ME TO DO IS POST EACH PART! LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO BE ADDED TO A TAGLIST

[dindjarindiaries]

Senator's Shadow - Chapter 4

summary: Tensions rise more than ever before as you, Sergeant Hunter, and the rest of Clone Force 99 take action.

pairing: hunter (the bad batch) x fem!reader

rating: mature (18+)

tags: bodyguard romance, forbidden love, fluff & angst, emotional & physical hurt/comfort, canon-typical violence, injuries & blood, trauma, eventual/mild smut

word count: 9.769k

chapter 3 ⟸ series masterlist ⟹ chapter 5

chapter 4 ⟹

You triple checked the fastening on your holster before you let out a soft sigh and moved the skirt of your dress to conceal it. There was an invisible burn on the skin of your thigh that had been left behind by another touch days ago, and it continued to remind you of its lovely ache even now. You had half a mind to let the holster unfasten itself again, but your rationality won that battle time and time again.

The room would have been pitch black if it weren’t for the dim lights illuminating the space of your suite. Your eyes found the chrono and you raised your brow at how early it was. At least it would still be the same person greeting you outside your doors.

You kept a comfortable shawl around your shoulders as you approached the doors and let them slide open. The sergeant tensed as he spun around to face you, a careful hand set over his holster before his helmet straightened in realization. He relaxed as his visor gave you a quick once-over.

“Senator.” Hunter’s tone failed to hide his concern, his voice sending a sweet shockwave of comfort through your tired body. “I thought I heard some movement in there.”

You lifted an eyebrow. “So much for trying to stay quiet.”

Hunter huffed, though the exhale was drawn out into a longer breath. “Having trouble sleeping again?”

You tightened your lips as your gaze fell from his visor. Your shoulders lifted in a small shrug before you answered. “Sleep just feels secondary to everything else at the moment.”

Hunter lifted his arms from his sides to remove his helmet. Your gaze found his own as his brown eyes, as vulnerable and observant as ever, sparkled at you. “I understand.”

The small smile that stretched across your lips was genuine. “I know.” The two of you stared at one another for much too long before you glanced at your room over your shoulder. “I’ve been working on the plans for tonight’s mission, if you want to get an early look.”

Hunter’s brow raised. “The perks of having the last watch, huh?” You laughed and shook your head, leading him inside the room. “If Tech hears about this…”

You shot him an amused look as the doors to your room closed behind him. “None of them will hear about this, unless you’ve been enjoying all their teasing these past few days.”

Hunter rolled his eyes. “I wish I could say I wasn’t used to it.”

You had to force out a chuckle when the words struck you with an unexpected pang of jealousy. Did the sergeant often grow so close to those he served that he would be used to such teasing from his squad? You hushed your exhausted mind’s overthinking and focused on the holotable in front of you. “Here’s the village we’ll be protecting tonight.”

Hunter tightened his grasp on the helmet tucked underneath his arm as the other rested upon the edge of the holotable. “This is the one Tech identified?”

You nodded at him. “It’s pretty far from the capitol. We can make it on foot, but it could take a while.”

Hunter’s gaze slid over to you for a moment. You could have gasped at how handsome he looked with the blue light of the holo illuminating his face, highlighting the shadows around his chiseled face. “Shouldn’t be a problem for us.”

You turned to face the holomap again before you could get more flustered. “Great. We should leave before daylight’s completely gone. It’s more than likely they’ll attack right at nightfall.”

Hunter nodded in your periphery. “Echo’s been working on finding a good exit, unless you already had one in mind.”

You smiled. “I’d appreciate his insight on that. That’s the last piece we really need.”

Hunter took a deep breath, his jaw circling before he spoke. “I figure Wrecker and I will be teaming up out there to identify any explosives. I can sense most of them, and he could disarm them in his sleep.” You giggled at that. “We’ll have Crosshair positioned up high as the lookout.”

The sergeant’s eyes glazed over with worry as he paused in consideration.

“I’d prefer Tech to be monitoring comms somewhere near him. He said his ankle’s better, but I’m not convinced that it’s ready for all this action.” You couldn’t help smiling at the concern he showed for his squadmate. “Echo will be on foot ready to intercept them or cause a diversion. As for you, Senator…”

Hunter paused again, the corner of his mouth raising before he went on.

“Well, what do you want to do?”

You crossed your arms and returned his look. “I think it’s most sensible for me to pair up with Echo.”

“I’d say the same.” Hunter lifted an eyebrow. “But is that what you want to do?”

You hadn’t realized the sergeant could be this bold, especially so early in the morning—but the upcoming fight wasn’t the only storm that had been brewing ever since the welcome banquet. Your gaze remained in his as you responded. “What I want doesn’t matter. Only the safety of your squad and my people does.” You nodded before lowering your head. “That’s why we have to take the sensible approach.”

Hunter let out a soft chuckle. “My squad isn’t really used to the ‘sensible approach,’ Senator.” He took a step closer and reached his free hand towards you. The touch that had been haunting you for days found your chin, gently tilting your head back up so that your eyes met his again. You parted your lips in awe of him as he went on. “And trust me, you don’t have to sacrifice all your wants for your people’s needs.” He nodded. “You can still fulfill both.”

Your gaze searched his as you sat in the heavy silence. Your voice was nothing more than a whisper as you broke it. “Are we still talking about the plan, Sergeant?”

Hunter gave you a once-over that could have made you melt if you weren’t so well-versed in composure. “If that’s what you want, Senator.”

An unprecedented warmth blazed over you from head-to-toe as you uncrossed your arms and stared at him. Your heart raced, the blood pounding in your ears, as you slowly drew closer to him out of instinct. He didn’t move, instead letting you be the one in control of the situation. It only made you want him more.

But your nose couldn’t even brush his before your gaze fell to the hand of his that still held your chin. You lifted your hands to gently wrap around his wrist, lowering his hand and holding it politely between both of yours. With a deep breath, you spoke in a quiet yet honest voice. “What I want is to continue protecting those I care about.”

The hand on top of his gave it a small pat as you gained the faith to meet his gaze again. It was hard to read the emotions you found there, but there was an undeniable sparkle that hadn’t been there before. He had understood everything about you up to that point, and you needed him to continue doing so.

“I need that above all else.”

And there it was, the usual furrow in his brow that proved he was somehow inside your mind, understanding each motivation behind whatever you did. There we no doubt he saw it, too, the truth of what would happen if this storm broke. Any path that could potentially lead him to desertion wasn’t one you were willing to take, not with the danger that would pose to him—and his squad.

Hunter nodded as dutifully as ever. “I understand.” The lack of disappointment in his voice, exchanged for fondness, made the pill much easier to swallow.

You managed a smile for him. “Of course you do.”

Hunter returned your smile with a sweet huff. You freed his hand as your arms returned to your sides. He was back to his usual cadence as he spoke again. “I didn’t realize you were so passionate about mission plans, Senator.”

Your ears burned, but you didn’t fight the way your smile grew in amusement at his words. “I’m very passionate about a lot of things, Sergeant.” You gave yourself a moment to enjoy the warm flush that spread across his cheeks before you looked at the holomap again. “So, I’ll position myself with Echo.”

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate the help.” Hunter continued to wear a fond smile even as he looked upon the holographic plans. “Usually, it’s him and Tech, but… not with Tech’s ankle.”

You raised a curious brow. “Is Crosshair always alone, then?”

Hunter hummed. “He likes it that way.” His gaze slid over to you. “Wrecker doesn’t do heights, Echo can’t stay still, and Tech doesn’t really do silence.”

Your lips spread wide in an amused smile. “And you, Sergeant?”

Hunter shrugged, raising his chin as he began to return your smile. “I’m a man of action, Senator.”

You giggled, the sound more giddy than you had hoped it would be, and glanced down at your feet for a moment. “I had a feeling you’d say that.”

“I’m not surprised.” You lifted your head up to face him again, though he had already focused back on the dimly lit plans. The hint of a smile still tugged at the corner of his mouth even as he changed the subject. “I can’t imagine wearing our armor will be an option with all this secrecy.”

“Actually, you can wear it, and you should.” Hunter’s head snapped towards you at that. “I have a solution.”

Hunter tilted his head. “What kind of a solution?”

“A simple one.” You shrugged him off and adjusted the wrap that was still sitting on your shoulders. “You’ll see it later tonight.”

Hunter set his free hand on his hip. “A surprise, huh?”

The material of the wrap began to gently slide off your shoulders, and you let it pool at your elbows. “You’ll find that I’m full of them.”

It was hard to miss Hunter’s gaze flickering over you at the quick action, and even harder to miss the tightening of his jaw as he turned back to the holotable one more time. He paused to take a deep breath before speaking again. “Well, I should get back out there before anyone notices I’m gone.”

You nodded and considered teasing him, but let it go for now. “Right.”

Hunter returned your nod, and you deactivated the holotable as he turned towards the doors. He only made it a few steps before the internal battle you were having with yourself decided on a victor.

“Sergeant?”

Hunter stopped in his tracks, turning over his shoulder to face you again without hesitation.

You smiled at him once more. “Thank you.”

His earnest brow furrowed together. “For what, Senator?”

“For understanding.” Your gaze gave him the same once-over he had given you earlier. “All of it.”

Hunter nodded dutifully, but the action couldn’t fully hide the hard swallow he took. “It’s not easy being a leader.” He gestured with his head to the doors behind him. “I’m always here if you want to talk.”

You beamed and echoed your own words from before. “I know.”

Hunter offered one last small smile before he turned back to the doors, sliding his helmet on as they opened for him. You watched him go until the doors hid him from sight once again. With a deep exhale, you ran your hand along your forehead, resisting the burning ache in your chest that demanded you bring him back in and finish whatever he was going to let you start.

This fight was taking an entirely different type of strength from you, and it wasn’t something you could have ever trained yourself for.

From there, the rest of the day proceeded as usual, with you attending diplomatic meetings while Clone Force 99 continued to sweep the perimeter—and no doubt did whatever smaller tasks they had to for the mission that night. You were still focused on your attempts to reach a peaceful compromise through diplomacy, even if you knew the effort was in vain. You weren’t one to give up easily.

But there was nothing like exchanging your gown for your tactical clothes. You could breathe easier as you laced up your boots and secured your holster over the material on your thigh rather than vice versa. Having better access to your blaster and knife provided you with a security you hadn’t felt since you landed onworld—at least, when you weren’t in the presence of Clone Force 99.

After triple checking you had everything ready for yourself and for the squad, you approached the doors. They opened, and immediately, Tech turned to face you, looking up from his datapad as he did so.

“Tech, hail the squad.” You nodded at him with a small smile. “It’s time we get ready to go.”

Tech returned your nod. “Yes, Senator.” He then shifted away to speak into the comms. “Hunter, the senator is ready for us.”

“Great.” You had to bite your cheek to keep your smile from growing at the sound of Hunter’s voice. “Let’s move out, boys.”

You heard the sound of some of their doors opening, but Tech spoke before you could truly focus on it. “I have to say, Senator, that was very punctual. The calculations I made for how much time you would require clearly underestimated you.” He set his datapad on his belt and tilted his helmet. “My apologies.”

You let out a soft laugh and set a hand on his shoulder. “There’s no need to apologize, Tech. I appreciate you keeping us on schedule.”

Tech’s eyes brightened at your praise before he nodded once more. You lowered your hand and looked to the side, where your gaze unsurprisingly connected with Hunter’s visor.

He had stopped in his tracks, and though his helmet barely moved, you could still feel the heat of his stare observing your new look. You resisted the urge to break your gaze even as your ears started to burn. The sergeant only came to his senses when Wrecker knocked his shoulder against Hunter’s as he passed him by. You chuckled as you watched Hunter give his helmet a few small shakes before closing the distance over to you.

You gestured with your head to the suite behind you as you faced the group. “Let’s make this quick.”

They all nodded, giving you the freedom to turn around and lead them inside. You reached for the pile you had made on the table and faced them once again.

“Here.” You began to distribute the black fabric to each of them, recalling the order in which you had stacked their sizes. “You’ll need these.”

“What are they?” Echo was the first one to ask.

“Hooded ponchos.” The last one you had to hand out was Hunter’s, and his gloved hands brushed yours as he took it. You somehow pushed down the rush of warmth the small moment brought you. “These will help to keep your armor concealed, including your helmets.”

“Cool,” Wrecker breathed as he slid it on over his broad figure. “Do you have one too, Senator?”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Kind of.”

There was no missing the smile in Hunter’s modulated voice as he spoke next. “What a nice surprise.”

You flashed him a smile of your own. “I’m full of them.” You caught the fond tilt of Hunter’s helmet before you began to walk over to the holotable. “We’ll make the briefing quick so we can stay on schedule.”

“That would be wise,” Tech chimed in, even as he finished adjusting the poncho on his lean frame. Crosshair fixed Tech’s hood when it failed to make it over the antenna on his helmet.

“I’m sure you’ve done plenty of research and preparation on your own, which will help this go even faster.” You illuminated the display, which you had since added red markers to. Each marker indicated a person’s designated position, following what you and Hunter had discussed that morning. “Sergeant Hunter and Wrecker will be searching for any explosives they may have planted.”

“Oh, yeah!” Wrecker cheered.

“To disarm them,” Hunter reminded him.

“Oh.” Wrecker attempted to shrug off his disappointment. “Yeah.”

“Echo and I will be covering for them on the ground.” You pointed out your and Echo’s entry markers. Echo’s gaze flashed with surprise, but he nodded dutifully nonetheless. “Crosshair, we need you to keep watch up here and be ready to lay down additional cover.” Crosshair looked pleased at that, crossing his arms as he nodded. “And Tech, you’ll be sticking with Crosshair to monitor comms and help him analyze the situation from a distance.”

Tech’s eyes widened behind his goggles as he lifted a finger. “I typically complete those kinds of calculations and functions on the ground as well, Senator, if you would like me to join you and Echo for additional—.”

Hunter’s voice was low as he cut him off. “Not happening.” His visor looked pointedly at Tech’s ankle. “Running around on that injury in the dark is asking for trouble. You need to heal.”

Tech sighed. “I have told you, Hunter, that the ligaments in my ankle are much stronger now. I am more than capable of navigating this terrain without an issue.”

“Still.” Hunter lifted his helmet from his head to convey his severity to Tech. “You’re staying with Crosshair this time. That’s an order.”

Tech let out an annoyed exhale, but ultimately nodded. Crosshair snickered and rocked his shoulder against Tech’s as he spoke. “Lucky me.”

Hunter’s gaze slid over to you, no doubt catching the small smile you were wearing at the sight of his protectiveness for his squad. “You were saying, Senator?”

You shrugged. “That’s really it. Otherwise, just remember to keep your blasters on stun. The less injuries, the better.”

Hunter reached for something on his belt and handed it to you. “Here’s one of our extra comms.” He nodded as he closed your fingers around it. “In case you get separated.”

You returned his nod. “Thank you, Sergeant.” Hunter was beaming, despite the worry that swam in the depths of his gaze. You wished you could reassure him, but a new thought came to mind, and you had to focus on your audience. “Echo, how did getting an exit go?”

“Well, Senator, I definitely found one.” Echo removed his helmet, revealing his furrowed brow as he did so. “But you’re not gonna like it.” His gaze found Hunter as his voice lowered. “Neither are you.”

You and Hunter responded at the same time. “Why?”

Echo exhaled and walked over to an armoire that was meant to hold outerwear jackets. His fingers tested the edges until he pressed down, and the armoire slowly turned to reveal a dark, stone-walled corridor. Your jaw dropped, and when you stole a glance at Hunter, you saw his jaw tensed and his eyes widened to double their usual size.

There were a thousand questions running through your mind, but you made yourself pick the one that would most benefit the situation at hand. “Where does it lead to?”

Echo gestured with his head to the nearest viewport. “The outside, behind some decorative flora.”

You offered him an impressed raise of your brow. “How did you find it?”

Hunter wasn’t as eager. “And why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“I was able to access the schematics.” Echo lifted his right arm. “I wanted to make sure it actually existed before I said anything.” Echo paused to look into the corridor. “Now we know it’s real.”

You nodded at him. “This is perfect, Echo.”

“Perfect?” Hunter was appalled when you turned to meet his gaze. “Senator, this gives them easy access to your private quarters. What if they use it to—.”

“Relax, Sarge.” Crosshair’s cool tone contrasted greatly against Hunter’s hot frustration and concern. “Nothing’s happened to her yet.”

“And now we know about it, like Echo said,” Wrecker added. “We can keep an extra eye out.”

“Exactly.” You lifted your brow at Hunter. “It’s just as much our advantage as it is theirs. Now we can come and go for these missions as we please.”

Tech was the last one to chime in. “Your concern is unwarranted.”

Hunter gave the group one last disbelieving look before he sighed and nodded. “You’re right.” It wasn’t hard to see the gears of his mind turning as he went on. “Just know we’ll have to start doubling up our watch shifts. One at the doors, and one wherever this leads.”

Echo was the voice of reason. “If that’s what the senator wants.”

You had to resist laughing as you looked at Hunter again. His eyes pleaded with you, and you weren’t strong enough to deny him. It was a well-founded concern that made your chest warm. “Whatever puts you at ease, Sergeant. For now…” you turned to Echo and nodded, “we have to get going.”

“That is correct.” Tech looked down at his datapad, which no doubt displayed a chrono for him. “We will be off schedule if we delay any longer.”

You turned off the holotable and walked over to where your own hood and half-mask awaited you. “Echo,” you set both items in place, “care to lead the way?”

Echo nodded, setting his helmet back over his head and covering it with his hood. You looked over to see Hunter doing the same, though you were still able to catch his worried eye before it disappeared from view. You were the first to follow Echo inside, with the other four bringing up the rear. It was Tech who pressed whatever Echo had to close the armoire’s entrance, and the group all activated their torches to light up the corridor.

“It looks like this place hasn’t been touched for years,” Echo commented as you inhaled the stale air and passed plenty of abandoned cobwebs.

“I wonder why it exists,” you mused.

“It was likely installed by a previous ruler or diplomat who occupied the suite you’re currently residing in,” Tech theorized, unable to help himself. “This would have been a critical means of escape in the event of an emergency or threat to their life, which is quite often the case for people in power.”

“Trust me, I get it,” you murmured.

There was a hand on your back, but it was familiar enough to keep you from reacting to it. You looked over to see Hunter at your side, his helmet tilted. You offered him a reassuring nod, along with a smile you couldn’t resist. He returned the nod and lowered his hand, taking his previous place a few steps behind you.

After a few stairs and a turn around a dark corner, the group came upon the exterior door. It took a few seconds for Echo to find the activation, and once he did, the door slid open the same way the armoire had. He stepped out first and cleared the area before inviting you and the squad to do the same.

“You weren’t lying, Echo.” You barely dodged the branches of a hedge as he guided your way around the flora. “This is right in the middle of the gardens.”

Hunter made his way closer to the front of the group. “It’s good at concealing the entrance.”

“It is.” Echo agreed with the sergeant before turning his helmet to you. “You’re gonna have to lead from here, Senator.”

You nodded. “All right, everyone. Get ready for a trek.”

You then ran forward, blending in with the darkness of the night thanks to your wardrobe. The squad followed at your heels, with everyone maintaining the silence as you traversed your way through the forests of Eirus. Only the sounds of your feet treading upon the foliage and the chirping of nightlife could be heard—at least, for most of you. You weren’t sure what else Hunter was, or could be, picking up on.

You were nearly there when Hunter set a gentle hand on your shoulder to stop you. His other hand was raised in a fist, which signaled the rest of the squad to pause as well. You watched as Hunter bent low to the ground and picked up some of the dirt, sifting it between his gloved fingers.

Hunter’s voice was low when he spoke. “They’ve been through here.” He stood back up to his full height and faced the squad. “Crosshair, head up.” Hunter pointed to a nearby tree, and Crosshair nodded back he shouldered his rifle and began to climb. “Tech, stay low.”

Tech nodded and drew his blaster as he crept close to the trunk of the tree Crosshair was climbing. Hunter released a gentle breath as he turned to you and Echo, though his visor lingered on you.

“We’ll split up here. I can’t sense much yet, but we’ll stay in touch.” Hunter gestured to his helmet.

“Sounds good.” You nodded, but within your chest, a feeling of dread crept up at the idea of separating. “You two stay safe, okay?” You forced the feeling away by focusing on Wrecker. “Sorry, Wrecker, but I don’t want to see any explosions.”

Wrecker huffed. “This one time, Senator, I’ll agree with ya’.” He clapped a hand on your shoulder. “We’ll be fine.”

Hunter gestured with his helmet to Wrecker. “What he said.”

You smiled and nodded once more, turning to face Echo. Yet there was a familiar hand that found yours in the dark, his fingers brushing yours with a gentle squeeze before he pushed ahead into the foliage. You stared after Hunter in awe for a moment, your chest warming with an entirely different feeling as you focused on Echo.

The ARC trooper nodded at you. “Ready, Senator?”

You raised your blaster with a small smile. “After you, Echo.”

He tilted his helmet in a substitution for a smile before running ahead. You followed him closely, using the foliage for cover as you went. You were surprised when the silence between the two of you was broken by Echo, whose tone was as eager as you had ever heard it. “So… you and Hunter, huh?”

Your eyes widened as you flashed him a surprised look. “What?” You hoped you sounded as surprised as you felt, and that the burning of your ears was the only thing giving you away.

Echo chuckled. “I’m only kidding, Senator.” His helmet gave you a quick glance. “But I have to say, he’s really taken a liking to you.”

The warmth was impossible to fight, even if you were able to keep your face straight. “Is that so?” Echo paused to nod at you before he kept going. You followed, but your curiosity couldn’t contain itself. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, even though I’m still fairly new to the squad, it's always been clear that politicians are not Hunter’s specialty. But the way he acts around you?” He shook his helmet in a genuine kind of disbelief. “It’s something I’ve never seen before.”

You couldn’t fight the smile any longer, but you at least aimed it towards your feet as you watched them traverse the terrain. “Really? That surprises me.”

“I mean, I’m surprised he’s even letting me be the one to pair up with you on this mission.” Echo stopped, encouraging you to do the same as the two of you sat along the edge of the foliage. “He’s very, very insistent about your safety.”

You beamed and hoped it was hidden behind the mask that covered the lower half of your face. “I feel the same way about his safety, and that of the rest of your squad.” You took a deep breath as your worries started to return. “You’re all risking a lot for me.”

Echo tilted his helmet at you. “That’s what we do, Senator. We know the risks.” He huffed. “And this squad loves them.”

You laughed softly and shook your head. “You have a wonderful squad, Echo. You’re very fortunate.”

“I am.” Echo reached forward to set his hand on your shoulder. “But as far as I’m concerned, it’s your squad right now, too.” His tone became even more lighthearted as he went on. “Hunter’s not the only one you’ve won over.”

You grinned at him, despite the fact he couldn’t see it beneath your mask. “Thank you, Echo. Truly. That’s very kind of you.” He nodded and lowered his hand. With a deep breath, you gestured with your head towards the outskirts of the nearby village. “With all that being said, what’s your play?”

Echo’s visor scanned the border. “Usually, I wait for one of two things. First, any suspicious movement along the edges.” He pointed towards the buildings closest to you. “Second, anything reported by the squad.”

“And if it’s quiet for a while?”

Echo lifted a hand to his helmet. “I check in.” He pressed down. “Hunter, we’re in position. How are things going so far?”

“They look busy,” Crosshair’s voice spoke into the earpiece you’d attached to the comm Hunter had given you. “Not sure if it’s because they’re finding things or if they’re still looking.”

“According to the patterns of the other attacks, it is likely there will be at least three explosives planted throughout the village,” Tech informed the group. “Hunter is aware of this, and they are seeking out these three. Given that this is a smaller village, however, there may be less.”

“Or more,” you breathed in worry, but didn’t activate the comm.

“More?” Echo’s visor stared at you.

“It could be a part of their strategy.��� You furrowed your brow as the pieces started to come together. “A more brutal attack on a small village like this would expedite the people’s desire to get a resolution.”

“And make them more desperate.” Echo finished the thought for you. He cursed and activated his comm again. “Hunter, Wrecker, be on the lookout for more than three.”

“More?” Tech repeated the word just as Echo had before.

You chimed in before Tech could go on. “This could be their play. Attacking a small village like this with more brutality would get the people of Eirus to do whatever it takes to make these attacks stop.”

“The senator’s right.” Your heart dropped into your stomach at the haunted sound of Hunter’s voice. “Echo, Senator, I hope you two are good at disarming explosives. Wrecker and I are gonna need some backup.”

You and Echo shared a tense look, and Echo was the one bold enough to ask the question you were both thinking of. “How many are there?”

“Too many. It’s a hell of a lot more than three.”

You closed your eyes and composed yourself with a breath. You had faced odds much higher than this during your freedom fighting days, but with all those same allies now working against you, the weight of it all was much heavier. “We’ll start searching on the eastern half,” Echo assured Hunter.

“Be careful.”

The pure concern in Hunter’s tone wasn’t lost through the comms. You lifted yours to your mask. “You too.”

“How touching.” Crosshair’s tone was as cool as ever as he spoke once again. “But you two better get a move on, Echo. You’ve got hostiles inbound.”

“Already?” Echo sighed and readied his blaster. You did the same. “Great.”

“I hope you’re ready for some action, Echo.” You kept your tone light as you tilted your head at him.

Echo huffed and waved his blaster around. “Let’s just hope I’m not rusty after this little break of ours.”

You chuckled and let him lead the way. While you might have been a freedom fighter, Echo was an ARC trooper of the Republic, and those were credentials you could never surpass. He stuck to the shadows, using your dark clothing to your advantage, and kept moving until he could spot the hostiles Crosshair had pointed out. They weren’t anyone you could recognize, at least not from this distance.

Echo let out a breath. “I know we’re the diversion, but… we need a diversion.”

You wasted no time leaning down to the dirt to grab a stone and throwing it in the opposite direction of where you were headed. It made impact with the side of a building, catching the hostiles’ attention as they jogged off in that direction.

Echo’s visor gave you an incredulous look. “How did you know that would work?”

You shrugged. “Not all these people are trained fighters. They’ll get jumpy at any sound they hear.” You gestured with your blaster to the way ahead. “Come on.”

You and Echo ran forward, finally reaching the edge of the village. Your search for explosives began on the outermost exteriors of the sparse village’s infrastructure, and it came up fruitless until you got to your fourth building. “Senator,” Echo announced, his voice a hushed whisper. “We’ve got one.”

You looked over his shoulder and saw the circular explosive. It had no indication of when it would detonate, and that meant only one thing. “They have to be activated.”

Echo’s visor found your gaze again. “We have no idea when they’re gonna be set off.”

You lifted the comm to your mask again. “Tech, do you have any data on what time the past attacks have taken place?”

“I do.” Tech was quick to answer, and even quicker to provide said data. “The times have been rather inconsistent, but… they do follow an odd pattern.”

“What kind of pattern?” Echo questioned.

“They always take place at the top of the hour.” Your blood started to roar in your ears. “Strategically speaking, that’s not very sound.”

You found your voice again. “What time is it now?”

“Nine minutes until the hour.”

Your heart dropped into your stomach. You and Echo shared a look that didn’t need expressions to be understood. Echo lifted his hand to his helmet. “Hunter, Wrecker, are you hearing this?”

“Affirmative.” Hunter somehow sounded calm and worried at the same time. He projected a comfort that was nothing short of admirable. “Wrecker’s already disarmed four of them on our side. It shouldn’t be long before we can help you two out.” You exhaled an anxious breath. “Crosshair, keep an eye on those hostiles. We might need you to make some stun shots for us.”

“I read you loud and clear.” Crosshair sounded enthusiastic—at least, as much as he possibly could.

“All right, Senator, I can disarm these.” Echo got right down to business. “I may not be as good as Wrecker, but I’ve got the tools for it.” He raised his right arm.

You nodded. “Be careful, Echo. I’ll lay down cover and keep searching.”

Echo returned your nod before he attended to the first explosive. You stayed close, but kept your blaster raised and studied the closest buildings you could for more. There were none you could see, and you didn’t know whether that relieved you or worried you.

It wasn’t long before Echo joined you again. “That’s one down,” he assured you. “Have you seen any others?”

“Not yet.” You grimaced as you turned a corner. “Assuming I haven’t missed any.”

“Trust your eyes, Senator.” Echo’s encouragement was a comfort you needed. “We don’t have time to double check.”

You nodded, focusing back on your surroundings. It was a delicate balance of staying quiet, moving fast, and checking every single thing your eyes touched—all while trying to evade enemies you couldn’t even see. Echo found a second, and while he disarmed that, you heard Crosshair over the comms again.

“Hunter, Wrecker, watch your six. Hostiles are about to round the corner.”

You bit your cheek in worry for them. The last thing you wanted was to have to actually stun anyone. It would be a whole lot more covert if you and the squad were able to get in and leave without any signs of detection, and an unconscious fighter would be the least helpful way to achieve that.

“Five minutes,” Tech warned.

Your chest was burning at the fast pace of your heartbeat as Echo finished disarming. You pushed onward, soon finding a third to Echo to work on. Your voice was a whisper as you spoke to the ARC trooper. “Where the hell did they get all these explosives from?”

“If the Separatists are backing them, then I’d expect they’d have a pretty endless supply.” Echo managed to answer even as he attended to the explosive.

You shook your head. “That’s who they really want in control of our homeworld.” The thought alone made you sick. “People who give them the resources to destroy our villages.”

“Sometimes, people lose sight of what they’re actually fighting for.” Echo provided the wise words as he finished. “It’ll never be enough for them.” He gestured with his helmet to the way ahead. “Let’s keep moving.”

You quickened your pace even as you remained attentive to every single thing you passed. You heard nothing more from Hunter and Wrecker, which hopefully meant that they averted the hostiles on their own. Echo was working on his fourth when you heard footsteps. Your grip around your blaster tightened. “Echo, we’re about to have some company.”

He lifted his free hand to the side of his helmet. “Crosshair—.”

He was too late. Two figures turned the corner, and you hesitated on the trigger for only a moment. It was the right call.

Hunter and Wrecker lowered their blasters before they jogged over to you. “We finally caught up to you,” Hunter said, his voice breathless as he looked between you and Echo. “How’d it go?”

“Assuming you searched everywhere else,” Echo started, “then this is the last one.”

“Three minutes.” Tech’s voice was as even as ever as he delivered the update. “At this time, I would recommend retreating back to the forest, in the event that there are any you missed.”

“I agree,” Hunter responded. “Echo, once you’re done, we’re heading out.”

“Shouldn’t we do a quick sweep before we go?” You couldn’t help speaking up on behalf of your people. “Respectfully, Sergeant, I don’t want to take the chance that any more of my people are hurt tonight. I’ll do it myself if I have to.”

Hunter’s shoulders rose and fell in consideration, and he tilted his helmet before he responded. “You don’t have to do it alone. I’ll stay with you.” He looked at Echo as the ARC trooper finished with the last explosive. “Echo, Wrecker, head back to cover. The senator and I will be right behind you.”

You would have smiled if the stakes weren’t so high. Wrecker and Echo shared a look before they nodded, with Echo’s hand patting your shoulder as he and Wrecker headed for the trees. You and Hunter began to backtrack the way you came as you offered him a quick glance. “Are you sensing anything?”

“Not yet.” Hunter’s steps began to slow. “At least, not explosives.” He began to turn his helmet over his shoulder. You followed the movement, holding tight to your blaster—but as you did so, you spotted something else.

It only took a split second for you to raise your blaster over Hunter’s shoulder and pull the trigger. One of the attackers hit the ground as you stunned them, causing Hunter’s helmet to whip in that direction. He knew exactly where to aim as he stunned the other one he had sensed behind him.

Hunter lifted his fingers to his helmet. “We’ve been spotted. Tech, monitor comms. Until then, Plan Double Zero.”

You furrowed your brow. “What does that entail?”

Hunter kept his voice low as the two of you began to pick up your pace once again. “Radio silence. I’m not taking the chance that we’re gonna be heard.” You nodded at that, allowing him to go on. “We’ll make contact once we know it’s safe.”

Just as you were about to turn your last corner, a shot rang out from that direction. You and Hunter both rolled to evade their fire, making it behind the cover of a building as you prepared to retaliate. Hunter’s body was shielding you from the direction of their fire, but they still had the open ground. He emerged a few times to shoot, but he hadn’t yet landed any shots.

“We’re pinned down.” Hunter somehow continued to sound calm even as he presented the dire reality of your situation. It began to make more sense as he reached for something on his belt. “I have an idea. When I tell you to run, you run as fast as you can, and you shoot if you see anyone in your path. Okay?”

You nodded. “Okay.”

Hunter returned your nod and faced the corner of the building again. He then pressed the button on the item in his hand and rolled it along the ground. It made a sound akin to that of a small explosion, and you saw the smoke that started to cloud the area just before Hunter gave the order. “Run!”

You both rose from your feet at the same time, and you kept him in front of you as you ran. The smoke bomb made it hard to see where you were going, but Hunter guided your path, the circles of his stun shots illuminating the space even more as he finally took down the hostiles in your path. For a moment, you could breathe in relief.

Then, you saw something else flashing in the smoke, a light that only got more and more rapid.

“Sergeant!” You cried out, causing his helmet to whip around. “We didn’t get them all!”

His visor stopped on something behind you, and he lunged in your direction. Hunter’s arms wrapped around you as he swung you in front of him and acted as your shield. All you could hear was a single blaster shot ringing out before the explosion dominated every other sense.

You hadn’t even remembered flying through the air or hitting the ground. The next thing you knew, there were two hands on the side of your face, which was no longer covered by your mask. You blinked your eyes open as best as you could, though the smoke and ash made them burn. You inhaled and instantly began to cough.

That’s when the helmet was placed over your head. The filter inside of it facilitated your breathing, and in just a few long seconds, you were able to get a grip on your senses once again. You sat up on your elbows as the hands that were on your face moved to your shoulders, and even though it was quite the adjustment getting used to the view through the sergeant’s visor, you could see Hunter kneeling over you.

“There you go.” Hunter’s worried eyes were giving you a once-over. “Are you okay?”

You let out a groan as you sat up more. “Yeah, I’m fine.” You rolled your neck. “Just winded.”

Hunter nodded in relief. “Good.”

You smiled, believing him to be in the same condition as you, but that quickly faded when his eyelids began to flutter. Your brow furrowed as you snapped back into action, your hands now finding his shoulders as you assessed him. “Sergeant? What is it?”

You didn’t receive an answer. Hunter’s head hung low before he keeled over, landing on his side. Your heart leaped into your throat as you rose to your knees and held the side of his face.

“Hunter? Hunter?!” You tapped his cheek, but he didn’t wake. You cursed and observed him more closely, and that’s all it took to notice the scarlet on his left side.

It was then that you remembered the blaster shot you had heard before the blast. The shot was what Hunter was actually protecting you from, and part of it had clipped him badly enough to start bleeding him out.

You swallowed down a panicked gasp and leapt into action. The radio silence kept you from calling the squad for help, but you refused to wait for them, anyway. You would do it on your own.

For a moment, you observed where you were. The blast had at least knocked you both closer to the woods, and it was an area that was even more familiar than where you had been before. There was a hidden base from your freedom fighting days on this side of the village’s forest, and if you were lucky, it would still be completely abandoned.

The only challenge would be getting Hunter’s deadweight there.

Stars, give me strength. You rose to your feet and removed Hunter’s helmet from your head, placing it over his own to protect him. You hooked your arms around Hunter’s shoulders and pulled up, grunting as you used all your strength to do so. The adrenaline made you a hell of a lot stronger as you started to drag Hunter away from the heavy smoke and flames.

As you made your way to the secret base, your strength began to wither more and more, but you refused to stop. Hunter had sacrificed himself to save you from both a lethal bolt and an explosion, and you were going to give him that same effort right back. That wound could bleed him out if it wasn’t treated soon, and you weren’t going to let that happen.

You allowed yourself only a few breaks before you finally saw the outline of the old base. Thankfully, it was completely unattended, which likely meant the attackers of this village weren’t any of the fighters you were familiar with. You groaned with each movement as you heaved yourself and Hunter inside the rickety shelter, one that blended in well enough with the surrounding nature to keep the two of you secure for a while.

You propped Hunter up along the farthest wall and removed his pack from his back. Taking his torch and your own, you set them up to illuminate the dark space for you to see. You removed Hunter’s helmet and grimaced at the way his head hung in unconsciousness. Your hand cupped his cheek.

“I wish I could ask your permission, Sergeant,” you spoke to the open air. “But I have to save your life.”

You wasted no more time removing his poncho and the pieces of armor on his upper body, attempting to give yourself better access to his side. Once they were removed, you lifted the top half of his blacks, pulling the material over his head and tossing it aside with the rest. There would have been quite a sight to see if you weren’t so tunnel-visioned on the bleeding wound in his side.

Like any good leader, Hunter had a fully equipped medpac in his pack, and you broke it open to start attending to the wound. Your hands were precise even as they trembled, cleaning the wound and pressing on it to stop the bleeding the best you could. After a few minutes of pressure, you reached for the treatments, disinfecting the wound and coating it in at least three generous layers of bacta. The last touch was a bacta patch that you secured in place with a wrap.

It was only then you exhaled, knowing that your part was done. All you could do now was wait for him to wake.

You calmed your nerves by keeping yourself busy. The contents of Hunter’s pack also included emergency food and water, and you held on to the latter along with a dose of pain medication. It was in the midst of this careful organization that you finally heard Hunter stir.

The sergeant groaned as he attempted to push himself off the wall. You were quick to sit up more and set a hand on his bare shoulder, urging him back against the wall. “Easy, Sergeant.” You met his worried gaze and nodded. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

Hunter tried to exhale a relieved breath, but he cut himself off with a tight growl as it tugged on his sensitive wound. “That’s not what I was worried about,” he confessed through gritted teeth.

You smiled and shook your head. “I’m fine. You, on the other hand…” you let the panic of all these events show for only a moment in your trembling voice, “you had a close call.”

Hunter’s gaze softened at you before it lowered to his patched up side. “I’ve had worse.” His brow furrowed as he looked up at you again. “How did we get here?” Hunter’s curious eyes observed your surroundings. “Where even are we?”

“It’s an old base. No one else will know about it.” You raised an eyebrow. “If they did, they’d be making use of it.” You gestured with your head to the entrance somewhere behind you. “I brought you here.”

Hunter’s eyes widened. “By yourself?”

You huffed. “I’m stronger than you think, Sergeant. Remember what I said before?” You ran your thumb over his shoulder. “I’m full of surprises.”

The corners of Hunter’s lips began to rise as he lifted his brow. “You really are, Senator.”

You returned his smile, though it started to fade as you focused on the hand you still had on his bare shoulder. You pulled it away and looked down as shyness overtook you. “I’m sorry I couldn’t ask your permission to… access your wound.”

Hunter’s hand found your chin just as it had earlier that morning, tilting your head up until your gaze met his again. His eyes sparkled at you even in the darkness of the base. “You don’t have to apologize for saving my life.”

You chuckled and raised your brow. “You saved mine first.”

Hunter shrugged, wincing at the movement. “I guess that makes us even.” He lowered his hand from your chin as he attempted to push himself up more.

You watched him with a careful eye before reaching for the water and pain relief. “Here.” You handed them off to him. “You’ll need this.”

Hunter smiled as he took them from you. “Thank you.” He took the medicine and swallowed it down, and you had to look away to fight the way the action flustered you for no good reason. As he set the water aside, he approached a new subject. “Where’s the squad?”

You sighed and shook your head. “Don’t know. We’re still radio silent.”

Hunter’s brow rose. “Still?”

You nodded. “Tech hasn’t said anything. The area must not be secure yet.”

Hunter’s gaze looked beyond you for a moment, no doubt focusing on the entrance to the base. “We have to get back to them.”

He started to sit up again, and you set a hand on his shoulder again. “Not in your condition. You have to rest more.”

Hunter furrowed his brow. “They could be knee-deep in combat right now. I can’t let them fight alone.”

You wanted to soften for him, but your concern wouldn’t allow it. “They can handle themselves, and you know that. They would want you to take care of yourself if they knew you were hurt.”

Hunter didn’t let up. “I’m not abandoning my squad.”

You exhaled a curt breath. “You won’t be helping anyone if you rush into a fight in this condition.”

When Hunter gently eased your hand off his shoulder and began to sit up more, you set both your hands firmly upon his chest, moving your body in front of him to act as a wall that kept him from pushing forward more.

Your voice left no room for argument as you gave the order. “You need to rest, Sergeant.”

Hunter’s stare never left yours as he responded. “I can’t rest when I’m this close to you, Senator.”

His words took you aback in a way you hadn’t expected. Your breath caught in your throat as you, too, observed how close the two of you had gotten. Your gaze fell to your hands, watching the way his scarred chest rose and fell in steady breaths underneath your palms. Your right hand was close enough to his heart to feel the way it raced, moving at nearly the same quick pace as your own.

And there it was again, the touch on your chin that urged you to drown in the depths of Hunter’s gaze. Everything shifted as the previous frustration you both held was exchanged for another, one that had been simmering between the two of you from the moment he first kissed your hand on Coruscant.

The invitation was there again. Hunter didn’t move, but he gave you the freedom to. This time, you didn’t weigh yourself down with the what-ifs, as Echo’s words and reassurances from before rang through the back of your mind instead. You moved closer to Hunter until his nose brushed yours, drawing a quiet, anticipatory breath from your lungs.

Even then, Hunter didn’t move. The choice was all yours. And this time, you were going to make the right one.

Your lips slotted over his in a way that felt natural, albeit still quite shy. You tested the waters as you breathed into him once, staying close enough to keep his nose against yours as you pulled away. He had given you the first choice, and you were giving him the second.

You wanted him to want it as badly as you did, and you wanted so much more. Thankfully, he did too.

Hunter’s hand slid from your jaw to the back of your neck, pulling your mouth back to his with the same desperation and desire that had been forcing deep down inside yourself. The shyness had all but vanished as your lips molded together, moving in perfect sync as your exploration of one another deepened. You raised a hand to the back of his hair as his free hand ran over the back of your leg, encouraging you to take your place upon him.

The moment his tongue pushed through, you lost any last shred of control you had, tightening your grasp on his locks as the fingernails on your other hand grazed over the skin of his chest. His hand on your thigh tightened and drew a pleased sigh from you that you released into him. There wasn’t a chance you were separating from him, not yet—and if you had it your way, not ever.

But Hunter had other ideas. He broke away only to lower his face to your neck, praising the sensitive skin there in a way you had never felt before. Your eyelids fluttered as you fought for some shred of sanity, but you couldn’t keep quiet. Your hand found his upper arm, and you gave it a squeeze to ground yourself as you practically cried out. “Hunter…”

It was the pleased hum against your neck that truly stole your last breath. You couldn’t take another moment apart, no matter how good this felt. The hand in his hair urged him back, and as soon as you had access, your mouth and your tongue were his yet again.

There was no conceiving how long this went on, and it didn’t matter. Nothing did, not as long as you were connected to him in this way. The adrenaline of everything that had happened was creating a dangerous mixture with the affection and desire that had long since been left unaddressed, and it was too addictive for either one of you to ignore.

Until the comm on your belt began to chime.

“Comms are clear,” Tech announced. “So is the area, as far as Crosshair and I can tell.”

You and Hunter broke apart, lips lingering as his mouth kept your upper lip captured in sweet surrender. You shared panting breaths in the air between you as your gazes met one another. It was hard to make sense of anything when all you could feel and taste was him.

But you could still tell Echo’s voice was worried even through the haze of your stolen moment with Hunter. “Does anyone have eyes on Hunter and the senator? Wrecker and I aren’t finding anything.”

The moment was over, and you would both have to face it. You continued to stare at Hunter even as you unclipped the comm from your belt and activated it. “We’re here. We took shelter until we knew it was safe. We’ll rendezvous at Crosshair and Tech’s position.”

Echo couldn’t hide his relief as he replied. “Glad to hear it, Senator.”

You put your comm back and released a sigh. Rather than looking at Hunter again, you focused on the pile of his armor at your side. As leaders, it was time to focus back on your people. He would understand that just as he had understood everything else. “Time to suit back up, Sergeant.”

Hunter nodded in your periphery to agree with you. Though he reached for the pile with a tight growl, you gently pushed his hand away, instead doing much of the work for him as you started with the upper half of his blacks. Silence sat between the two of you as he re-suited, but you weren’t sure what to make of it. You were both too far inside your own minds to really think about it.

His helmet was the last thing you secured in place for him, and you held it between your hands for a moment as your gaze studied his visor. This was something that would have to be discussed later. For now, he had to focus on his squad, just as he had let you focus on your own people before.

You stood and helped Hunter to do the same. He grunted at the movement, and you ducked low to swing his arm over your shoulders. You had already picked up both your torches and helped Hunter with his pack, and one last sweep of the base confirmed you had left nothing behind.

Nothing but the unspoken truth of what you had done, the remnants of which continued to linger on your mind, heart, and mouth with a sweet vengeance that was no doubt only going to make things even more difficult than they already were.

chapter 3 ⟸ series masterlist ⟹ chapter 5

hunter tag list: @zenrobbins0021 @cw80831 @yunggoblin @maddiedrmr @Molmcb

senator’s shadow tag list: @violetlilly2020 @jellybeanstacey0519

[ladykagewaki]

Ms Fangirl & Friends: Vacation Time!

Nothing crazy. Just a vacation for our favorite clones and friends

@zaya-mo @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @ladykatakuri @marierg @thecoffeelorian @salubriousbean

[mooonjin]

THIS EPISODE GENUINELY CONFUSING ME LIKE WHATS GONNA HAPPENOMGGGG???

spoilers for tbb 03x06+07!!!!!!

i dont even know if i miss teth or not but this planet PRRETTYYY

OMG SHES COPYING HIM EEEEEEEEEK

SHES BACK WITH THE BOW thx echo mom <3

bye!!!!!!!!!1

fav dads right here theyre so protective of her

HUNTER DEFENDING CROSSYYY were so back

HOWZERHOWZERHOWZERHOWZER

ooh they were soooo pissy lol

omfg omfg thisb shot holy moly ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

BACK WITH CROSSHAIRS HELMET POV

"i dont like that idea" "too bad" OK SASS MAN

"oh im much worse" has me foaming, thx crossdad

HOLY SHIT THIS HAD MY HEART GOINGG

LIKE THIS WAS SO SCARY??

"wolffe?" "rex?" IM CRYING RN STOPPPPPPPPPPPP

HI WOLFFFEEE I MISSED U SO MUCH I MISSED UR SCOWL AAAA

ugh the brotherly connection they have :(((

rex looking back at wolffe with gregor in the back... hits so diff after rebels knowing that all they have is each other in the end

tbb reuniting scenes has me on the floor...

OMEGA AND BATCHER <3

[legendary-defender-of-fandoms]

The Bad Batch & Shipping Fodder

Tech has Phee

Echo has Senator Chuchi

Hunter has Fennec (kind of)

[hyperfixated-fan]

Warning: Spoilers for season 2!

WHY AREN’T MORE PEOPLE DISCUSSING THIS?!! Like yay, Tech whump, teen Omega, dad Hunter, new dead clone captain. I’m all for that, but THIS. This is the really good stuff. I am so happy Riyo is back! I love her so much!

Seeing Pantora back in season one without Riyo kinda dashed my hopes of ever seeing her ever again yet here she is. From what I gather, this is a leak and isn’t an edit. I’m sooo excited to see her again! She looks so good! Rex looks pretty good too. They’ve all grown up so much!

My mind started racing with so many scenarios when I first saw her. And I have concerns because while I am ecstatic to see her, I really don’t want her to die. (Such is the fate of many beloved Star Wars characters.) :’(

But I was also thinking, bear with me hear, it’s a longshot but what if, WHAT IF, the writers threw in a crumb of Foxiyo. Like, “Hello, I’m Senator Chuchi and I just escaped the Senate with the help of my good friend Fox.” Probably won’t ever happen, but we can all dream.

I love Foxiyo and there’s so many good works out there, but I find it so hilarious that there is really zero evidence for it besides the fact that they both reside in Coruscant. It would be so funny to see that the writers actually do pay attention to a tiny portion of the fandom and their wild imaginations.

[tired-night-owl]

I’m so glad we got to see her again and fighting for clones rights was simply amazing !!!

But am I the only one that was slightly disturbed by her new look ? I haven’t watched the clone wars for a while but there was something bugging me everytime she appeared in a scene… Like I knew she didn’t look the same without being able to tell why XD

I don’t know if they changed her model to make her look older maybe because I didn’t think the bad batch animation style was different from the clone wars style :o

I just wanted to see if anyone else had noticed it but like I said : really good episodes with her and I hope we see more of senator chuchi in the other Star Wars shows as well !

[vodika-vibes]

Shades Of Grey

Summary: All things considered, this is probably the best possible ending to the Clone Wars. Still, becoming the Emperor’s right hand was not anywhere in your plans for the future. At least the new Emperor is someone you can work with. After all, he’s Hunter.

Pairing: TBB Hunter x F!Reader

Word Count: 1975

Warnings: None

Prompt: Hunter is named Emperor after Palpatine's dies.

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly @clonethirstingisreal

A/N: So this idea was born of me misreading something that @kimiheartblade said, and a whole idea was born of it. The relationship between Hunter and the reader is more hinted at than anything else. Anyway, I hope you all like it!

Your gaze slides from one monitor to the next, scanning the gathered audience through the cameras with comfortable ease. Sure, the room might be filled with a bunch of clones, and make no mistake, you trust that Commander Cody wouldn’t allow a threat into the room.

But it’s always good to have someone with the force check the vibes of the room before you allow the Emperor into the room.

Speaking of which—

You turn away from the monitors to focus your attention on the man standing near the armor stand on the other side of the room, “I don’t suppose I can convince you to not wear armor, Hunter?”

He turns his head towards you and shoots you a look, “Absolutely not.”

You sigh and hold your hands out to the side, “If you expect the people to be okay with a Clone Emperor, you have to at least make an effort.”

“I never wanted to be Emperor,” Hunter grumbles as he turns away from you and continues strapping his armor on, “I was perfectly content serving under you, General.”

“You should have thought of that when Commander Cody came to you,”

He stops and turns to glare at you, “Give me a break, how was I supposed to know that everyone else was going to turn down the position?”

“Uh, I could have told you.” You counter with a lazy grin as you gaze at the man who had once been your Sergeant. 

“You wanna switch roles?”

“Not for all of the Credits on Coruscant.” You cross the room to him and pull his chest plate from the mannequin before turning and pressing it against his chest, “Hunter, you’re going to be great.”

“You have to say that, you’re my,” He pauses as he thinks of the right word, “...Enforcer doesn’t feel right.” Hunter finally mutters, “Bodyguard? Right hand?”

“Let’s go with Right Hand, hm?” You grab his back piece and start strapping both pieces to his chest with familiar ease, “Can I at least talk you into wearing a cape?”

“I’m not a Jedi, General. I’m not comfortable—”

“You have to get comfortable, Hunter. You’re not a soldier anymore. You’re a politician now.”

He makes a face and you laugh.

“It’s not going to be that bad.”

“You say that, but my idea of diplomacy used to be flinging a food tray at my older brothers' heads,” Hunter says. He reaches out and takes your hands, “I don’t know if I can do this, General.”

You flip your hands and thread your fingers with his, “Yes, you can.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you have a council made of of people who lived their entire lives doing politics,” You reply.

“I do?”

“Yup. Your council is made of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Bail Organa, and a few other people, Jedi and Politicians all of them.” You release his hand and reach up to brush a strand of hair off his cheek, “Look, the Senate voted for the creation of the Empire, now we have to figure out how to make it work.”

“Yeah, expect they thought that their Empire would be run by Palpatine, not a clueless clone.”

“Well, then Palpatine shouldn’t have died.”

“He was killed,” Hunter corrects, amused, “Violently.”

“Sounds like a skill issue.”

“Weren’t you nicer?”

“The Jedi are a gentle people, Hunter. We never should have been sent to war,” You pause, “Plus, it’s hard to be sympathetic towards someone who was planning on massacring my people.”

He flashes a small grin at you as you finish helping him strap on his armor, though the grin fades when you clip the black and red cape to his shoulder guards, “Really?”

“Really.”

He huffs out a heavy breath, “I hate it.”

“I know you do.”

“Can we compromise with a bandana?” Hunter asks hopefully.

“You, mister, are lucky I’m letting you get away with the bandana holding your hair back,” You warn as you set your hands on your hips, “Capes are regal. Bandanas are so far removed from regal they might as well be in a different universe.”

“I thought I was supposed to be running things?”

“Ha! You keep thinking that, Your Lordship.” You take a step back and fold your arms as you look over him, and then you nod once, “Alright. Crosshair and the rest of the snipers have taken up their positions. Tech is working with a couple of other technologically gifted brothers to make sure that our electronics are secure, and Echo is working with his brothers from the 501st on building security.”

“Where’s Wrecker?”

“I gave him to Commander Colt, he and a couple of ARCs are patrolling the room.”

“ARCs?”

“Well, Alphas, really.”

Hunter shoots you a look.

“What? I decided to put the most physically intimidating men in the room for a reason.” You defend, “This is your first public appearance, and this trial is huge. We can’t risk anything going wrong.”

“Okay, okay. What else?”

“Um…Right, Marshal Commander Fox and the rest of the Corries are running backgrounds on all of the people, and they’re working with the Wolfpack to make sure no one with strong anti-clone sentiments gains access to the trial itself.” You list, ticking topics off your fingers, “I put Marshal Commander Neyo and Commander Bacara and their Battalions in charge of the journalists—”

Hunter chokes on a laugh, “Cruel, angel.”

“Yeah, well…have you read some of the stuff they’ve said about Jedi recently? They’re lucky I didn’t give them to Alpha-17.” You fold your arms, “Oh, and speaking of Alpha-17, he’s running this whole thing with Commander Cody.”

Hunter nods and absently adjusts his vambraces, “What about Jedi?”

“Well, I’m going to be standing just behind you. Master Windu will be patrolling the room with Master Koon. Knight Secura is working with her Batallion on security outside. There are a couple of Shadows lurking in the audience. But most of the Jedi are working on moving the temple, the kids and the cadets, to a safer location.”

Hunter nods again, “Good. What about General Kenobi?”

“At the temple with Master Yoda and Master Mundi. It was determined that it would be better for him to not be here.” You reply immediately, “He’ll get the highlights from Quinlan Vos at the end of the trial.”

“Right, probably for the best.”

You nod your agreement, and say nothing for a moment, “Are you ready?”

Hunter exhales shakily, “Walk me through today?”

You smile reassuringly, “Today is the opening statement for the trial of Anakin Skywalker—”

“—he’s been accused of war crimes, correct?”

“That’s right. War Crimes, child endangerment, attempted murder, and 20 counts of premeditated murder.”

Hunter glances at you, surprise on his face, “That last one is new.”

You make a face, “Honestly, it’s only connected to this trial because the war, technically, started just before the massacre. He was given the chance to have separate trials, but he refused them.” You shrug, “He thinks he’s going to get away with it.”

“Well, the trial will expose everything,” Hunter murmurs as he adjusts his armor one more time, and then drops his hands, “Alright. I think I’m ready.”

You favor him with a warm smile, “You’re going to be great, Hunter.”

“Yeah? You might be the only one who thinks that.��

You shake your head, “Come on. Do you think Cody would have made you the offer if he thought that you weren’t capable?”

“He would be better in this position,” Hunter says, “But since he doesn’t want it, I guess I’ll just have to do the best I can.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Hunter stares at himself in the mirror for a moment, and then he sighs and reaches up to tug the bandana off before he pulls his hair into a messy knot at the back of his head. 

He holds the bandana in a clutched hand, and you tilt your head to the side as you watch him watch himself. “Hunter?”

“You said bandanas aren’t regal,” He says as his grip tightens around the cloth in his hand.

You gaze at him, thoughtfully, for a moment. And then you gently pull the cloth from his unresisting hand, before you reach up and tie it back around his head, “There. Perfect.”

He stares at you, “You said—”

“I’m not always right, Hunter. Besides, you don’t look like you without it,” You smile at him, “Now, you only need one more thing.”

A puzzled look crosses his face, “What? No? I have everything. My armor, my weapon, the cape—” He somehow managed to make the word sound like an oath, and you have to smother your laugh.

“I know, just one final touch.” Quickly, you pull your ribbon out of your hair, wrap it around his right vambrace, and tie it in a neat knot, “There. Perfect.”

He eyes the pale yellow ribbon, confused, and then focuses his attention back on you.

You flash a slightly mischievous smile, “Well, this is a kind of battle, right? And you’ve never gone into battle before without wearing my color—”

The confusion fades away, “You’re something of a sap, aren’t you General?”

“I perfect the term romantic, thank you.”

He reaches out and lightly brushes the backs of his fingers against your cheek, “We’re going to be okay, right?”

“Hunter, we’re going to be great. You’ll see.” You press your hand over his, “I have a good feeling.” You release his hand and pick up the helmet, to offer it to him, “Do you want it?”

Hunter looks at you, at the helmet, and then at himself in the mirror. And then a small smile crosses his face. He takes the helmet and sets it back on its stand, “Not this time, I think.”

There’s a knock on the door, “10 minutes until the trial starts, little brother!”

Hunter releases another shaky breath, and you watch him evenly, “Are you ready?”

He meets your gaze, “A kiss for luck?”

“You hardly need luck but,” You step closer and lightly brush your lips against his cheek, “if it makes you feel better.”

“That was not what I had in mind.”

“Oh, I know what you had in mind.” You counter, “You can get a proper kiss later. Now it’s time to make your grand appearance.” You walk across the room to grab your lightsaber and attach it to your belt, and then you head over to the door. “Time to put your game face on, Hunter.”

You watch as he rolls his shoulders and his neck, and then his expression shifts, sliding into a combat-ready mode that you are very familiar with. You wait until he’s coming towards you before you press the button to open the door, and you stand to the side to allow him into the hallway first.

This might not be what you planned for your life. You never expected to give up your mission load in favor of playing bodyguard for Hunter, but one of the hallmarks of being a Jedi is being adaptable. 

Perhaps, someday soon, the Empire will revert to a Republic.

Perhaps, soon, Hunter will no longer have to wear the mantle of Emperor for a galaxy that doesn’t even see him as a person.

But until that day happens, you will guard him and guide him to the best of your ability.

A small smile lifts your lips as the door to the senate floor opens and you follow Hunter to the platform in the middle of the room.

Anakin Skywalker sits covered in chains on a platform surrounded by clones with weapons. He explodes into a tirade the moment he sees Hunter, and you can see people’s opinions of him changing as he’s allowed to scream for several long minutes.

And your smile becomes triumphant.

Yes. Hunter is going to be great.

[stars-n-spice]

Questions TBB Better Fucking Answer Soon:

Where the FUCK is Tech??? Stop fucking giving us hope that he might be C2-X or whatever the fuck. Fucking show us his dead body or give him back to us!

Where the FUCK is Cody?? Huh??? Where did he go??? Only acceptable answer? He's on his way to Tatooine to be with Obi-Wan. You reveal that and all will be forgiven. I promise. Maybe.

WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED WITH WOLFFE FOR LETTING REX AND THE GANG GET AWAY HUH??? I'M SURE THERE WERE CONSEQUENCES!! WHEN THE FUCK ARE WE GOING TO GET HIM BACK???

What the fuck is up with Omega. Straight up. What. How. and Why? Same with Emerie. How the fuck did they come to be? Are they trans? yes. next question.

Also why does Emerie get a last name and nobody else does, hm? Why is she Emerie Karr, is that like,, did she choose that or like?? Ok dumb question sure but like,, EXPLAIN HOW AND WHY OR JUST CONFIRM SHE'S TRANS OR SOMETHING C'MON NOW.

SHOW US WHAT THE FUCK IS IN THOSE FUCKING TUBES!

I'm sorry, I'm yelling but I've spent most of this season fucking confused and frustrated.

Where the fuck did the zillo beast go? And when is it going to eat Hemlock and Palpatine?

So...Senator Chuchi and Clone Revolution when?

And like...Cid is just...she's just going to be able to get away with what she did? We're just gonna forget about her? I mean sure, but I really thought they'd bring her back or something.

What the fuck happened to Crosshair on Tatniss? Wait, nevermind, don't tell me, I don't want to know, it'll only make me sad-

WAIT SO LIKE,, DID CROSSHAIR EVER ACTUALLY GET HIS FUCKING CHIP REMOVED OR NOT???

Explain again Hunter's enhanced senses and why the fuck he seems to have lost them in this season.

Also answer why Wrecker is the most perfect man ever? Why did they craft the most wonderful man to exist and then make him not real? You trying to kill me or what?

Feel free to add on because there are only the ones on the top of my head.

[soka-writes-things]

𝖊𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝖘𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵

𝖊𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝖘𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬

❝ 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀? ❞

𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 a senator decides her life needs a bit of spice so she embarks on an adventure. unwillingly, of course.

the bad batch x fem!oc

all seasons

in progress

All Rights Reserved to me

next

☁️.ᐟ

જ⁀➴ 𝖊𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜  𝖘𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬

❝ the bad batch ❞

chapters:

01. trivial matters and a cocktail

02. jittery nerves and some new friends

03. assassination attempt and treason

04. tragedy and betrayal

05. nightmares and worms

06. jailbreak and detonations

༘⋆

i fell in love with

your chaos

༘⋆

𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭,

𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

⌞𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬⌝

❝ 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐀 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑 starts to bite off more than she can chew, it's up to The Bad Batch to come to her rescue. Well, that's the shorter version. In actuality, a senator had decided to scope 79's for information about Clone Rights, and accidentally managed to put herself on Rampart's radar. This began the domino effect of assassins, bounty hunters and annoying opposing senators to try and retrieve her head on a silver plater. Now she must rely on faith, trust and a little bit of clone commandos in order to survive her new life while she hides some life-threatening information that demands that she keep her head down. ❞

.𖥔 ˖ 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 stuck with us for the long run

𝐬𝐨 strap in and see if you can keep up ˖ 𖥔.

​

cast​ ⚔ .ᐟ

𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝐚𝐬 𝘀𝗼𝗸𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗯𝗶

... 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀

ᯓ★

a/n: omg im so excited to finally get this series (book) out. ive been working on it for EONS and havent had the time to just sit down and just edit and finish writing.

but omg

the intro is finally out.

at the moment i am writing this, the ending to s3 of tbb hasnt come out yet, so i cant determine if there will be angst in this series yet. this is my comfort writing fic and tbh i dont really want to write angst, but if it comes to it in the show, expect that there will be.

omg the graphics are so bad but they took so long so im fine with them for now😭😭

please dont let this flop <3., and if you want to be notified when the official chapters are out, just comment ur username below and say "i want to be notified". ty !

𝖊𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝖘𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬.

[webslinger-holland]

The Sergeant's Senator | Epilogue

Summary: A few years have passed. The Bad Batch finally think about settling down on Pabu.

Warning: fluff, reuniting, mutual pining, kissing

Pairing: Hunter x Fem!Reader Senator

Type: Short Series

Word Count: 3.5k words

Series Masterlist

Over the course of the next three years, Hunter had come across lots of different beaches during their missions. He'd often take a short moment to take in the scenery at the end of a mission, judging the features that in his mind made the beach a good one or a bad one.

No matter how many beaches he came across, Hunter was never fully satisfied with the beach in front of him. There was always something that made it fall short of being a perfect beach. Whether it was much too rocky, the waters weren't the right shade of blue, or a few unfriendly critters littered the place. He came to the conclusion that none of these beaches were up to his specific standards.

That was until Pabu.

During the Bad Batch's first stay on the planet, Hunter found himself walking down to the shoreline on his own one evening. His heavy boots pressed into the soft white sand, thinking slightly under his weight. He searched some of his surroundings, glancing up and down the coastline for anything out of place. But Hunter couldn't really see anything just yet.

The crystal clear blue water created the smallest curved waves, splashing white sea foam along the shore. The sinking orange sun shone through the billowing wispy clouds, kissing his tanned skin and keeping him warm in the sunlight. A handful of colorful seashells littered across the sand, but not too much that it would be difficult to avoid stepping on them. The beach looked like a masterful painting. And it felt like the world seemed to stand still.

This was the place; Hunter was sure of it.

The Pabu port was certainly a hotspot for the remote island. Many fishing boats would travel out into the waters every day to catch fish to bring back. They also transported various goods including resources to rebuild and supplies to distribute. There were always a lot of people hanging around the docks.

Just as a boat was pulling into port, Wrecker was sure to wave from his spot on the perched ledge. He held a fishing pole in one hand, gently tugging the line with the other. The small boat docked and a number of people began carrying the supplies up to the lower level of the city.

Meanwhile, Shep and Hunter were carrying two heavy crates up the stairs to the lower level. They wasted little time in setting the crates down with the rest of them, getting ready to go back down for another trip.

"This friend of yours who's stopping by, he's another clone?" Shep wondered while throwing a glance towards the sergeant.

"Yeah, but don't worry. He's not with the Empire," Hunter reassured him. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

"If you trust him, that's enough for me," Shep smiled.

"The new fishing dock's rebuilt and moored," Wrecker announced. He had just climbed the last few steps whilst carrying a massive purple fish over one shoulder. "And I caught some dinner," Wrecker added proudly.

"You've been busy," Hunter recognized.

"You're got that right," Wrecker smirked. He propped the pole of his fishing rod over his right shoulder. He was quickly called away by some others who were looking for help to fortify the seawall. And he hurried after them.

"He's become an integral part of this community. You all have," Shep praised. His tone changed slightly as his next words came. "Any chance you've reconsidered staying permanently?"

"For soldiers, putting down roots is an occupational hazard." Hunter tried to explain. He knew this from first hand experience that he wasn't meant to form attachments to anyone or any place.

"Is that all you are? A soldier?" Shep asked sadly.

For a brief moment, Hunter pondered his words carefully. It'd been a long time since he questioned his status as a soldier. The times had changed and the war had ended since then. But he didn't have a long time to think about this before he heard the engines of his ship flying overhead.

Looking up, the Marauder flew over the docks and the port. It began flying higher into the sky, growing smaller in the distance. The two of them walked towards the edge of the steps to watch the ship fly away.

"More flying lessons?" Shep chuckled.

"Uh-huh. Tech's got his hands full," Hunter commented with a small smirk on his face.

Meanwhile, Tech and Omega were doing another flying session since she had begged him earlier that morning. She sat happily in the pilot's seat, maneuvering the wheel with two hands. Tech was currently seated beside her, but was holding onto the sides of the seat for dear life.

It was safe to assume that Tech found Omega's flying skills incredibly inexperienced and rather reckless. She'd often pull up at the last minute or use the thrusters way too much. He tried to critic her, but she kinda did her own thing.

After a moment, there was an incoming vessel approaching them that showed up on their scanners. The two of them leaned forward in their seats to look at the blinking red light on the panel.

"Incoming vessel on approach," Tech explained.

"It's him!" Omega exclaimed happily. She pressed the comm channel. "Havoc-4, this is Havoc-5. Do you copy?"

"Affirmative, Havoc-5. I see you've been keeping up with your training," Echo's voice sounded through their channel. A smile was evident in his tone.

"As promised," Omega replied.

"Good. Race you to the landing zone?" Echo challenged.

Before Tech was able to protest the idea, Omega had already accepted the challenge and grabbed onto the thrusters. She pulled a sharp turn in order to head back to the landing zone, following the ship closely behind.

Only a few minutes later, Echo successfully landed his ship near the landing zone. The engines powered down and the ramp lowered slowly. He walked down the ramp to be greeted by a familiar face. Both Hunter and Echo came up to each other and clasped their hands together in a brotherly manner.

"You weren't kidding. This place is remote," Echo told him, having never visiting the desolate planet beforehand.

"That has its advantages," Hunter agreed. The Marauder ship began to slowly descend over the landing platform, coming down a little rougher than expected.

"I'm surprised you're not on Ord Mantell with Cid," Echo pointed out.

"We've been...reevaluating things," Hunter responded.

In the short distance, Omega emerged from the entrance of the ship. She called the clones name, waving her hand wildly in hopes that he would see her. She broke into a run down the ramp, following by a dizzy looking Tech who stumbled down after her with a hand on the side of his head.

Just as Omega drew closer to them, she ended up leaping into his open arms and wrapped her arms around his next. He was a little taken back by the gesture to say the least, but he hugged her back nonetheless. She smiled so brightly.

"We've missed you," Omega said cheerfully.

"It hasn't been that long," Echo chuckled. He was careful to set her back down on her own two feet.

"Feels like it has," Omega shrugged her shoulders at this.

Turning his attention back towards Hunter, Echo's face grew more serious. He had come to them for a reason; this wasn't just a friendly visit. However, Echo did come bearing good news. And he needed to tell the sergeant.

"I've just come from Coruscant," Echo confessed. The sergeant immedielty straightened his back in posture and his breath hitched in the back of his throat at the mere mention.

"Did you happen to--" Hunter stopped his words short.

"Yes," Echo nodded. His lips tugged into a gentle smile. "I saw her. She's doing just fine."

Upon hearing this, Hunter nodded his head understandingly. His gaze fell to the floor as he tried pushing his emotions and reaction down. However, this didn't go unnoticed by Tech or Omega. They studied him carefully.

"Actually," Echo corrected himself. "She's doing more than fine."

Without another word, Echo had turned around in his place and walked right back up the ramp of his ship. The others who had been left behind were confused by his sudden disappearance. But it all seemed to make sense a moment later when he reemerged at the entrance.

This time, Echo wasn't alone though. He gingerly helped escort the former senator down the ramp slowly, being extra mindful of her weakened state. She needed to watch her steps because she didn't want to loose her footing. The two of them descended down the length of the ramp until they reached the bottom. Now they lifted their gaze to look at the others.

In that moment, Hunter felt this stirring tension growing in the pit of his stomach. Everything around seemed irrelevant as he stared directly into those mesmerizing eyes once again. He honestly never thought he'd lay eyes on her again, yet here she was, standing only a few feet away from him. He heard his heart skip a beat. And he swore that he'd just fallen in love with her all over again.

Having been apart for three years, Y/n looked different from when they spent time together and from when the picture of her hologram was taken. She no longer wore extravagant clothing fit for a senator, instead opting to wear bland and boring civvy clothes. Not only that, but she also cut her hair and it now rested in soft waves just below her chin. She looked different; she looked as beautiful as ever.

Feeling overcome with emotions, Hunter took a single shaky step forward. He moved with caution in fear that this was all just some horrible nightmare torturing his mind. But as he drew closer to her, his hesitation didn't waver. He just couldn't believe his eyes.

Very quietly, Echo and Tech silently gestured for the young girl to follow them away. She was going to protest, but they quickly reminded her that they needed a moment together. The three of them began taking strides backwards, giving the couple some space. They watched from a distance instead.

"Is that the senator he likes?" Omega asked with slightly narrowed eyes. She looked up at Tech and Echo for an answer.

"That's her," Echo nodded once in confirmation.

"She doesn't look like a senator," Omega commented on her appearance.

"That's because she's not a senator anymore," Echo replied without taking his eyes off the pair. He crossed his arms over his chest. "She stepped down a few months ago," Echo added.

"So why'd you bring her here?" Omega always seemed to have a million questions on her mind.

"She needed a place to go. She's always had a target on her back. Now more than ever," Echo said with a hint of sorrow in his voice. He didn't want to get too deep into the details, thinking it wouldn't be wise to share that information with a child.

"She'll be safe here," Tech reassured him. "Plus...Hunter's here too."

At this comment, Echo's lips began to tug into a smart smile. He nodded his head in agreement. He looked between the two of them with admiring eyes.

"It's exactly what they both needed," Echo responded. It was almost like it was all apart of his grand plan to get them back together. And it worked perfectly in his favor. "She needed a place to take refuge and he needed a reason to stay."

All the while this conversation was taking place, Hunter and Y/n were still trying to come up with the right words to greet one another. They both simply stood in front of one another with shocked looks on their faces. Each of them unable to find the courage to speak first.

"Hi," Y/n spoke gently. She sent him a nervous smile. She wrung her hands together, realizing that they had become incredibly sweaty.

"Hi," Hunter breathed back, still a bit lost for words. He cleared his throat awkwardly, shaking himself out of his trance. "I--I can't believe you're standing in front of me," Hunter spoke.

"I know," Y/n agreed. "Me neither."

"Cause I never thought I'd see you again," Hunter confessed. There was a strong sense of sorrow in his brown eyes. A heavy heart still kept him stationed, remembering all those lonely nights longing to be able to see her or speak to her.

"Well...I'm here now."

Without saying another word, Hunter took the remaining steps forward to close the distance between the two of them. He wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her into a tight embrace. Dropping his head onto her shoulder, Hunter took a second to bask in the feeling of having her this close to him after all those long years. He closed his eyes shut, sighing in a form of contentment.

For some reason, Hunter was holding onto her so desperately at the beginning. It was almost like he was afraid she'd slip through his fingers so he clung to her as a lifeline. He buried his nose into the waves of her hair, inhaling the sweet familiar scent of fresh lavender. She grounded him back to reality.

"I missed you," Hunter mumbled into her hair quiet enough that she was the only one who heard him.

"I missed you too," Y/n said with a hinted smile in her tone. Her arms remained locked around the space behind his neck, holding him down to her for a while. They swayed ever so gently in their place, feeling an overwhelming sense of happiness taking over them.

Finally, Hunter drew away from her, but he kept his hands on her hips steadily. He held her at an arms length so his eyes were able to scan over her new appearance. He chuckled softly to himself.

"What happened to this?" Hunter prompted with a smile. He had brought a hand up to grab a few strands of her short hair, tugging on it teasingly.

"I cut it," Y/n replied happily. She subconsciously grabbed a few strands as if to fix it for approval. She gazed up at him with sparkling eyes. "Do you like it?"

"It suits you," Hunter agreed with a firm nod. "I like it a lot."

There grew a settled comfortable silence between the two of them. They once again found that they were at a loss for words, choosing to simply bask in one another's presence for the meantime. Eventually, a thought slipped through the sergeant's mind. And he was reminded of the thing he did on every previous mission.

"I have to show you something," Hunter stated as the realization dawned on him suddenly.

"Lead the way," Y/n encouraged. He took hold of her hand gently, glancing down at her for a quick approval. When she sent him a smile, Hunter took that as the 'go ahead.'

They began walking through the various streets of the little island, talking and catching up on the latest development in their lives. She had mentioned what had happened to the senate as of recently, stating that the corruption of this new empire was only creating more problems throughout the galaxy in her opinion. She also had come to realize that there weren't too many others who agreed with her, which became one of the reasons why she stepped down.

After this, Hunter talked about to events that occurred after the end of the war. How Order 66 went down for them, how they met Omega in Kamino, how Crosshair chose the Empire over them, and how they had been on the run ever since. It felt like they talked for hours as they mindlessly walked through the quaint streets.

It wasn't until later in the evening when they made their way to the lowest level of the city. They passed by the now empty ports, heading towards the shoreline in the distance. Stepping off the platform meant that their feet settled on the soft sand of the beach.

When the former senator raised her head, Y/n was greeted by the most magnificent and breathtaking sight she'd ever had the pleasure to witness. As the sun hovered over the horizon, it casted a warm, golden glow across the sky, painting it with a palette of oranges, pinks, and yellows. The ocean waves created the most gentlest of sounds, lapping against the shore in a rhythmically slow manner.

The sand was bathed in the warm light of the settling sun, casting these long deep shadows that stretched down the length of the beach. The air filled with the silly sound of seagulls quacking at each other over the sounds of waves crashing against nearby rocks.

While the sun sank lower, the colors scattered across the skyline began to intensify. The oranges grew richer in ripeness, the pinks changed a shade deeper, and the yellow more pronounced than ever. The fluffy clouds were transformed into a canvas of swirling and mixing colors; each cloud becoming a unique piece of art never seen before. It was the most beautiful sight known to man; a beach bathed in the warm light of a setting sun.

Taking a moment to admire the beauty, Y/n wanted to commit this picture to her memory forever. She closed her eyes temporarily. She inhaled deeply through her nose, smelling the salt of the sea. As the waves crashed near her feet, a spray of seawater kissed her face gently. The gently wind blew the hair out of her face and the sun's warm brought a beautiful glow to her skin. A bright smile overtook her face.

All the while, Hunter was looking down at her like she was the only thing in the world. He didn't care about the view of the beautiful shoreline in front of him; instead choosing to look at the person who he believed could rival the view. He truly thought she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on and he had believed that for years now.

"It's beautiful," Y/n breathed, still taking the time to admire the view.

"Well, I always promised that I'd take you to the beach," Hunter recalled. His thoughts turned wary for a second. A frown fell across his face. "I just hope that it lives up to your expectations."

"It exceeds them," Y/n answered without a moment's hesitation. Her eyes remained trained on the landscape in front of her. "I've never seen a more pure and perfect beauty than this."

"I have," Hunter confessed.

Since getting there, this was the first time that she'd taken the chance to look at him instead of the view. She turned her head to look up at him only to find that he was already looking at her and had been for some time now. Her breath caught in the back of her throat and her heart skipped a beat. She saw the way he smiled at his and she was reminded about his heightened senses.

Feeling slightly embarrassed with herself, Y/n went to avoid his gaze, but he stopped her from doing so. He grasped the tip of her chin between his fingers, lifting her head to meet his gaze once more. The two of themselves discovered that they naturally gravitated towards one another. Their gazes switching between looking at their eyes and glancing down at their lips.

Finally, after three years of being apart from each other, the sergeant and the senator's lips brushed together in a soft delicate kiss. Their eyes fluttered shut beforehand. His hands went from the sides of her head and down to my neck, holding her steadily in his place. Mouths moving in a slow manner to swallow one another's breaths. She tasted as sweet as he recalled from their first kiss and his scruff tickled her face ever so slightly.

They tried to savor this moment together. They held onto each other in fear that they'd lose one another all over again. Their lips fit together like two perfectly matched puzzle pieces, destined to be together from the start. They were reunited.

Pulling away, Hunter already missed the feeling of her lips against his own. He leaned forward to press his head to her own. Their noses bumped together. He kept his hands on the sides of her neck, fighting the urge to simply pull her back into another kiss. She brought her hands up to hold onto the backs of his hands. She gazed up at him with a gentle smile on her face.

"I love you."

No matter what challenges were ahead of them or what was they'd be up against in the future, neither of them feared it. Because they knew that, despite what may come, that they'd always have each other. And they didn't have intend on letting go anytime soon.

It would be the two of them against the rest of the world. And they were okay with that.

Taglist:

@leotatombs @justhavingsomefun1 @totally-not-your-babe @jedipoodoo @gyllord @roam-rs @totallyunidentified @redheadgirl @mrcaptainrex @whore-of-many-hot-men @graciexmarvel @qweenrogerina @arcsimper5 @queenofspades6 @cadihyo @jediknightjana @elthoughtzos @lokigirlszendaya @sleepycreativewriter @moonwrecked-blog @ravenclawbitch426 @waytoooldforthis78 @left-in-the-motel-bar @fic-force-99 @ayyyy-le-simp @swaggykermit

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL WHO FOLLOWED THIS SERIES! I DO HAVE A FEW DELETED SCENES THAT WILL PROBABLY BE POSTED WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO IF THAT INTERESTS PEOPLE. THANKS AGAIN!

[dindjarindiaries]

Senator's Shadow - Chapter 10 (Epilogue)

summary: Years later, you reflect upon your first mission with Hunter and the squad, now experiencing the sergeant's love more openly than ever.

pairing: hunter (the bad batch) x fem!reader

rating: mature (18+)

tags: bodyguard romance, forbidden love, fluff & angst, emotional & physical hurt/comfort, canon-typical violence, injuries & blood, trauma, eventual/mild smut

word count: 5.258k

chapter 9 ⟸ series masterlist

chapter 10 (epilogue) ⟹

“Then what?”

Omega’s eyes were lit up in a way that made you laugh. She was on the edge of her seat, which, in this case, was a rock just off the shore of Pabu’s luscious blue waters. You shrugged and continued to smile at her eager expression. “My people elected a new senator, and I joined the squad. Hunter had me stay with Cut and Suu whenever they had to go back to Kamino.”

“Oh, yeah! I remember you telling me why you were with Cut and Suu when we met.” Omega raised her brow, and you took a moment to observe her in the twilight. Stars, had she gotten old, but so had all the rest of you. “Were you on that mission with them to Onderon?”

You shook your head. “Hunter told me about it, but I stayed behind because of his hesitance—mostly thanks to your warning.”

Omega smiled and jostled your shoulder with hers. “You’re welcome.” She let out a soft sigh, her expression becoming more serious. “Thank you for sharing that story with me. I’ve always wanted to know.”

You beamed, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “Thank you for listening to it. It’s very special, and I’m glad you’ve finally reached the age where I can start telling you these things.”

Omega narrowed her eyes playfully. “Hunter wouldn’t let you tell me before, would he?”

You laughed. “He never specifically said as much, but… you know him.”

You heard a crumble of rock from up above, and both you and Omega glanced at where Hunter had so obviously been perching to listen to the story for the past half-hour or so. You and Omega both chuckled before you looked at her with a raised brow.

“Protective.” You grew more serious. “He didn’t want anyone to know I used to be a senator, and I agreed with him. The only reason why we didn’t tell you is so no one would try to use you for that kind of information. But…” you gave her a proud once-over, “clearly, you’re old enough to handle yourself, now.”

Omega beamed at you before resting her head against your shoulder. You kept her hand and gave it another squeeze, your stare fixating on the Pabu horizon as she spoke. “At least somebody around here thinks that.”

You chuckled and rested your head against hers. “Give them time.”

Omega’s eyes glanced up at you with an amused sparkle. “They’re already all gray and complaining about their joints. How much longer do they need?”

That drew a louder laugh from you. All you could do was shake your head at her and shrug, minding her head on your shoulder. “Good question.” You heard more crumbling from above and it created a skip in your heartbeat. “Bold of you to say it within Hunter’s earshot, though.”

Omega made a psh sound. “I doubt he could hear it. His senses are fading.”

“You wish.” Hunter’s gravelly voice was already close to your free side. You turned your head to look at him.

Nothing about that first glimpse at him had changed over the years. In fact, the flutters he brought you were only more intense.

Especially now, as the smile he wore on his lips caused the corners of his eyes to crease and wrinkle. His hair had gotten longer, much to your pleasure, and the pieces that fell over his woven bandana gave him an even softer edge. Somehow, time had made him even more handsome. You hadn’t realized that was possible.

His stare caught yours, and you smiled as you looked down, your ears burning. Something about that look in his eyes told you that you would be hearing about this later.

“How much would you be trying to get away with if that were true?” Hunter had stopped next to you, his arms crossing over his chest as he raised his brow at Omega.

Omega rolled her eyes and sat up from your shoulder. You let her hand go. “You’d want me to get into trouble just so you could help me.”

Hunter’s brow furrowed. “I wouldn’t want you to get into trouble, period.” His jaw ticked. “You’ve gone through enough for one lifetime.”

Omega’s gaze softened at the moment your chest tightened. It had been hard for him to let go of everything Omega had been through over the years. You had spent many late nights reminding him that it wasn’t his fault, nor his burden to bear—and that it was because of him and his brothers that she now had an entire life of peace ahead of her, if she wanted it.

Omega stood to her feet and pasted on a reassuring smile. “Maybe, but I’ve learned how to keep going, anyway.” She stepped forward to wrap her arms around Hunter, who was surprised enough at first to widen his eyes. “Thanks to you.”

Hunter melted against her, and your heart did the very same inside your chest. You stood up but continued giving them space as you watched Hunter’s eyes close in sweet satisfaction. After a few heartbeats, Omega pulled away, her brow raised at him.

“So, you really managed to pull a senator?” Omega gave one of his shoulders a playful punch.

You and Hunter both laughed as he shrugged, his gaze finding yours again. “I got lucky.” Even in the darkening night, you could see the sparkle within his brown depths, one that never failed to make your heart beat just a bit faster. There was no doubt he could hear it.

You beamed and stepped closer to his side. Your hand found his, and you laced your fingers together in a way that completed you. “Luck had nothing to do with it.” 

The two of you kept staring at one another. That was a habit you had failed to slip out of. The corners of Hunter’s mouth were lifted in a warm smile that remained even as he lifted your entwined hands to his lips and kissed the back of yours, the hair on his upper lip and jaw gently tickling your smooth skin.

Omega clasped her hands together before she spoke into the suspended silence. “Awww, that’s the thing!”

That broke your gaze quickly. Hunter’s eyes betrayed his confusion as his brow shot up at Omega. “What thing?”

Omega rolled her eyes and gestured to your entwined hands. “The hand-kiss that made you two fall in love. Obviously.” She looked at you and shook her head. “I told you he couldn’t hear us.”

It was Hunter’s turn to roll his eyes. No wonder where Omega had gotten that from. “I heard everything, Omega. And even if I hadn’t…” he paused, his stare finding you again, “I would always remember the moment my life changed forever.”

There he went again, effortlessly making your galaxy nothing but him for the moment. You smiled so wide your cheeks hurt, and your free hand rose to cup the side of his bearded face. The pull between you was like gravity, bringing your foreheads and your noses together as you both closed your eyes and savored your closeness.

Given everything that had happened since you two had met, you took every chance you could get to savor him.

Omega squealed, a sound that brought you both back to reality. “This is so much more adorable to see with context!”

You giggled as you lifted your head from Hunter’s to look at Omega. “And don’t you ever settle for anything less.”

Hunter’s hand gave yours a panicked squeeze. “Let’s not talk about that.”

You and Omega both laughed at his protectiveness. Hunter narrowed his eyes at you as you nodded in his direction. “Yeah.” You leaned closer to Omega and lowered your voice. “Wait ‘til you’re off the island.”

Omega huffed and gave her head a fond shake. “Speaking of getting off the island… I’ve gotta go to a quick meeting.” She gave you a hug, and you dropped Hunter’s hand in favor of embracing her back. “Thank you again for telling that story. It means a lot that you can trust me.”

You smiled at her as you pulled away and held the sides of her face. Really, when did she get so grown-up? “We’ve always trusted you. It’s just that now, we know you can keep yourself safe, too.” You lowered her forehead to your lips and kissed it. “Safe travels. Okay?”

Hunter’s tone was low as he questioned her. “Who are you meeting with?”

Omega gave your wrists a squeeze and stepped away. “I’ll be back soon!” She grinned before turning and jogging off.

Hunter raised his voice for her to hear. “Is it Hera?” Omega didn’t respond, but he continued to call after her anyway. “It’s Hera, isn’t it?”

You took his hand again and gave it a squeeze. “You know the answer.”

Hunter’s brow creased, though he kept his gaze focused on Omega’s fading image. “She’s gonna get caught up in that rebellion.”

“She already is.” The nod you gave him was as reassuring as you could make it. “And when the time comes, you’ll have to let her go.”

Hunter let out a heavy sigh before he ultimately returned your nod. He turned his full attention back on you, which only heightened the intoxicating effect he’s always had on you. The worry etched in his expression dissipated as he drank in the sight of you, his warm eyes giving you a familiar once-over that made your knees weak.

“I liked your retelling of our story.” Hunter wore a mischievous smile as his forehead found yours again. “But you were missing a few… details.”

You raised your brow, chuckling as you wrapped your arms around his neck. “If you want to tell your daughter about our sex life, be my guest.”

Hunter’s nose scrunched up. “Why did you have to say it like that?”

You laughed, the giddiness within you rising when Hunter’s hands caressed your waist and held you in place against him. “You’re the one who brought it up!”

Hunter shrugged, though it wasn’t hard to catch the amused sparkle in his eyes—especially when you were this close to him. “That’s not the only thing I was talking about, though.” A knit formed in his brow as his gaze searched yours. “You didn’t tell her you resigned.”

You let out a soft exhale, your gaze falling to your hands as they slid down from his neck. Once they reached his waist, you held him tight and pressed your cheek against his chest, and the hand he set upon the back of your head welcomed you there. “It doesn’t matter how it happened.” You closed your eyes and let his warmth wash over you. “I was always going to come back to you.”

Hunter said nothing, no doubt rendered speechless as he kept you close and rested his head against yours. There wasn’t a single day where you regretted taking the path that led you to him and the rest of your newfound family. It hadn’t been easy, but you would do it all over again to be exactly where you are right now.

After a few more long moments of sweet silence, you spoke up again. “Has Echo gotten back to you yet?”

Hunter tensed underneath your grasp. “No.” His response was a sigh coated in concern. “He’s probably on a mission.”

Your lips pulled tight. “He hasn’t visited in a while.”

“I know.”

Your eyes reopened, watching the Pabu sun as it slid beyond the horizon. “Telling Omega our story reminded me of how much I miss him.” You held your breath and hoped the pressure would dull the sudden pain in your chest. “And Tech.”

Hunter’s chest also stalled underneath your cheek. You lifted your head to look at him, but his gaze couldn’t meet yours. Your hand cupped his cheek while your thumb ran along his skin to soothe him. When his eyes did meet yours again, he gently shook his head. All these years, and it still wasn’t something he could talk about—at least, not like this.

You offered him a reassuring smile. “Come on.” You gestured with your head to Pabu’s night sky, where only a few lingering lights of twilight were left. “It’s getting late. Let’s get you to bed.”

Hunter returned your smile, but it was one of both gratitude and amusement. “You think I’m old enough for a bedtime this early?”

You laughed as you took one of his hands and held it tight in yours. You wrapped the other around his arm. “Going to bed doesn’t mean going to sleep.”

Hunter’s stare returned to you again. You looked up at him through your lashes, enjoying the hard swallow he took before he circled his jaw and focused on the way ahead again. There was a blush creeping up his neck.

You let out a softer laugh and rested your head against his arm. “Still nervous, Sergeant?”

Hunter huffed. “You’ll always make me nervous, Senator.” He gave you another quick glance. “But only in the best way.”

“I know.” You were beaming now as your thoughts returned to the story you had just told. “I really enjoyed telling Omega our story.”

Hunter’s hand gave yours a gentle squeeze. “I did, too.”

“What was your favorite part?”

Hunter hummed thoughtfully. You watched his dark eyes sparkle as he reviewed each memory. “Our first kiss.”

Your brow shot up at him. “When you had a fresh blaster wound in your side?”

Hunter shrugged. “It wasn’t that bad, honestly.”

You narrowed your eyes. “Need I remind you that you passed out from blood loss and I had to drag you to that base myself?”

Hunter was silent for a moment, but the tension wasn’t bad. It was the kind that made your galaxy hazy. “Now that you’ve reminded me, we have to pick up the pace.”

You giggled as he gently tugged you along. “You weren’t this excited about all of that happening at the time.”

“Because I didn’t know the outcome yet.” Hunter glanced over at you with a look warm enough to rival the last rays of Pabu’s setting sun. “If I had known I’d get a lifetime with you, I would’ve reacted differently.” He added the last part under his breath. “And bleeding out wasn’t helping, either.”

You lifted your head and pointed your finger at him. “I told you it was a factor!”

Hunter gave his eyes a dramatic roll. “Whatever.” He stopped the two of you for a moment, and the hand of his you weren’t holding held the side of your neck. “It didn’t stop me from doing this.”

He leaned in for a kiss so breathtaking and passionate that it made your knees buckle for a moment, but Hunter sensed it easily enough to steady you with his arm around your waist. The movement brought you flush against him, his hips caressing yours in a way that had you gasping for breath. Hunter let you borrow his own air, his parted lips offering everything he had for you to take. You accepted and relented, your hands now busy with the long hair at the nape of his neck as you easily lost yourself in your familiar rhythm.

Hunter’s tongue had only just started a breathtaking exploration of your mouth when the sound of a rock hitting the ground just beside your feet broke you apart. He shielded you for a moment before you both looked at the source.

A smirking Crosshair was sitting beside Wrecker, the former tossing another rock in his left hand as the latter cupped his hands around his mouth. “Get a room!”

You laughed and shrugged, too familiar with them all now to feel embarrassed that you’d been caught. Hunter was just unfazed as he yelled back at them. “Your aim’s getting better, Crosshair!”

Crosshair rolled his eyes and abandoned the rock in his hand. Wrecker jostled his brother’s shoulder just to earn a glare for the action. Meanwhile, you and Hunter took the opportunity to “sneak” away, his hand returning to yours as he led the two of you to the aforementioned room.

“Crosshair’s only getting grumpier with age,” you joked, though the statement was quite true.

Hunter chuckled and raised an eyebrow at you. “You say that like it’s surprising.” After a few moments of peaceful silence between the two of you, Hunter spoke again, his voice even softer than before. “It’s your turn, now.”

You furrowed your brow and looked up at him. “For what?”

His stare met yours. “To tell me your favorite part of the story.”

You grinned. “Oh, right.” You mused on the question for a small while, swinging your entwined hands between the two of you as you did so. Finally, you made your decision, and you took a deep breath before saying it. “The banquet.”

Hunter glanced over at you in surprise. “Really?” You nodded. “Why?”

You beamed. “Because that’s when I knew.”

Hunter’s expression morphed into confusion as he processed your words. You let out a soft laugh and rested your head against his arm again.

“You knew exactly what I needed without me having to say it, and the way you treated my holster situation spoke volumes.” You hesitated before adding more. “And when your hand touched my thigh…” you huffed and nodded, “yeah, I knew what we had, and what we could become.”

Hunter smiled at you. “I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who thought that.” His brow raised, instantly making his sweet smile a lot less innocent. “Especially about your thigh.”

You laughed away your shyness, letting your gaze study your feet as you brought yourself closer to his side. “Did you do it on purpose?”

Hunter’s free hand found your chin. He tipped your head back up towards him, a habit he certainly hadn’t grown out of—and you hadn’t grown tired of. “Do what?”

Hot flames licked down your neck as your shyness grew. Only he could still make you feel this way, despite all the years you had spent together. “Touch my thigh.”

The warmth in Hunter’s brown eyes, still golden in the dying lights of Pabu’s sunset, became hotter. “Not at first, no. But your reaction made me want to do it again.”

You held his gaze, no matter how intense it was. “What was my reaction?”

Hunter gave his head a fond shake and lowered his hand from your face. His gaze settled on the horizon as he recounted the memory. “It was probably too quiet for you to even notice you had done it, but… there was this little sigh it got out of you, and I thought about it endlessly until you gave me another sigh to obsess over.”

You looked up at him through your lashes. “How many do you have to obsess over now?”

Hunter’s jaw tightened, as did his grasp on your hand. He exhaled and spoke in a low yet playful voice. “I can only walk so fast with these old knees, love.”

You laughed and rested your head against his arm. “Then it’s a good thing we don’t have to rush.” Hunter’s gaze began to burn upon you again, but you were too busy looking at your entwined hands to meet his eyes. “We have all the time in the galaxy, now.”

That had perhaps been the biggest adjustment after settling down on Pabu. No longer did the two of you have to sneak around and scrounge for spare moments to spend quality time with one another. Part of you missed the thrill of it all, but you were more overwhelmed by your gratitude for this peaceful life you had earned.

But that wasn’t on Hunter’s mind when you listened to him force his next words through a tightened throat. “We have half the time.”

You frowned and found his stare. Hunter had already started to grieve what his and his brothers’ accelerated aging would take from them, and you could see that in the darkened depths of his golden gaze. You raised your free hand to the tattooed side of his face and pulled your expression taut in severity.

“Even just a single second with you is worth the entire galaxy to me, Hunt.” You stopped your stride for a moment and held his face between both your hands, your brow furrowing as you gave him a once-over. “You know that, right?”

Hunter sighed and cut his gaze away from you, but only for a moment. “I do.”

Your heart ached for him. All the things that were taken from him—a proper childhood, a life of his choosing, all of it—made you want to curse those who put him and his brothers in such a position, but without them, he wouldn’t exist. It was conflicting even for you, and you had had enough conversations about it with Hunter to understand how it was for him.

“It’s just…”

You ran your thumbs under his eyes. “I know.” You pulled his head down enough for you to kiss his forehead before gesturing towards the open path ahead of you. “C’mon, Sarge. We’re almost home.”

The word alone made Hunter brighten as he managed a small smile and nodded. You cracked a few jokes on the rest of the trip to lighten Hunter’s spirit even more, mostly at the expense of his brothers, and it worked to relax him back to his normal self by the time you reached the door of your private home. Even just stepping inside filled you with a wave of relief like no other.

But you learned long ago that home wasn’t a place for you. It was a person, and the people he had brought with him into your life.

You looked up at Hunter as the door slid closed behind him. Your hands found the sides of his face again, and in the privacy of your home, you took your time studying him up close. He didn’t let himself grow shy, or at least show his shyness, as his palms splayed over your back and kept you close.

“You know,” your voice was feather-light as you spoke, your gaze flickering all over his face, “you’re only getting more and more handsome with time.” Your fingers gently brushed over the long piece of hair that framed his face.

Hunter beamed, and your chest warmed in relaxation as you failed to find any self-deprecation in his expression. “I would say that you’re only telling me that to make me feel better, but I saw how you looked at me earlier.”

He huffed as you looked away for a moment in your own shyness. “I knew you were gonna bring that up.”

Hunter’s hand found your chin as he gently held it and turned it back towards his face. There was no escaping the adoration in his dark eyes, not that you would want to escape it anyway. “It was the same way I was looking at you the whole time you were telling our story.”

You softened, your finger tracing the outline of his tattoo on his cheekbone that disappeared into his beard. “Yeah?”

Hunter nodded. “Yeah.” He took your wrist and held it delicately, running his thumb over your pulse point. “It’s the same way I looked at you the first time I saw you.”

You would have rolled your eyes if the words weren’t so genuine. You believed him because you had seen it, even if it was all so new that day. It truly had been love at first sight.

“Speaking of which…” Hunter grinned as he eased your other hand off his face. “I have something for you.”

Your eyebrow quirked up. “Is that right?” As soon as Hunter began striding towards your bedroom, you let out a gasp of delight. “Are you finally gonna show me your super secret project?”

Hunter laughed, creating a flurry of butterflies within your stomach. “Sure, if that’s what you wanna call it.”

Hunter needed to keep his hands busy without battles to fight or knives to flip, even if he did still carry his knife with him, and so he had taken up a hobby he hadn’t let you know about yet. He had insisted he was saving it for a special occasion, and as it turned out, that occasion was now.

You were aching to find out what it was.

“Okay.” Hunter’s voice was muffled through the door to whatever place he had been hiding his secret project. “Close your eyes.”

You obeyed, rocking back and forth on your heels in anticipation. You heard Hunter walk back into the room, but you kept your eyes closed until he told you otherwise.

“I know you left a lot of stuff behind on Eirus, and anything you kept with you got destroyed with the Marauder. But there was something I wanted you to have again.”

His voice was quiet, tightened in his nerves. It made your soft smile widen in sweetness.

“You can open your eyes now.”

You did as he said, and as soon as you caught sight of what he held in front of himself, you gasped again.

It was a near-perfect recreation of the dress you had been wearing the day you met Hunter and the rest of the boys. Every color, every stitch, and every accent mirrored exactly what was on that same dress, and it was evidence enough that Echo’s words from long ago were true: Hunter’s good at just about everything. Exceptional, even.

“Hunter.” Your voice was a mere, amazed breath as you finally unfroze and took a step forward. Giving it another once-over, you shook your head in disbelief. “Hunt, this is…” you shook your head, “I don’t even know what to say.”

Hunter shrugged, his stare fixed on the dress as he handed it over for you to hold. “I was at the market when I was trying to find something new I could do with my hands, and I saw this fabric and thought…” Hunter paused and ran a hand over his hair. “It just reminded me of this dress, and I thought you might like to have it again.”

You looked between him and the silky fabric in your hands, still unable to form a proper thought. Hunter shifted his weight and let out a huff.

“I don’t know where you’d wear it, or if you even would, so I probably should’ve asked you first…”

You still didn’t have the words, but you weren’t going to let Hunter begin doubting his incredibly thoughtful work. Stepping forward to close the gap between you, the arm not gripping the dress wrapped around his neck, bringing his parted lips to yours. Hunter breathed his sigh of relief into your mouth, and you smiled in the hope that he would do the same. It was only after he did that you pulled away.

“Thank you, Hunt.” You hugged the dress to your chest and gave him an enthusiastic nod. “I’m gonna try it on.”

Hunter’s brow shot up. “Right now?”

You nodded again. “Right now!” You maneuvered yourself around him and stood in the threshold of your bedroom. “Stay out here.”

The last thing you heard was Hunter’s chuckle before the door slid closed. You held out the dress in front of you and gave your head another fond shake. He had gone from a clone sergeant to a seamstress.

Two things he did perfectly.

You were quick in exchanging your comfortable island clothes for the dress. It fit you just right, as if Hunter had taken your measurements—which you were sure he had—to perfect the way every single part of it hugged your body. You checked over your reflection in the nearest reflector and grinned, the corners of your mouth stretching towards your ears as you gave yourself a spin.

You didn’t necessarily miss being a senator, as the weight of responsibility had been a hefty one, but this allowed you to play dress-up in that role again. Not only that, but it also brought you right back to the day that had started the rest of your forever.

Unable to keep it to yourself, you walked up to the door and spoke directly against it. “Are you ready?”

Hunter’s voice was muffled from the other side. “Whenever you are.”

You grinned and opened the door, keeping your gaze fixed on Hunter. He blinked a few times, his stare warming every inch of you as his jaw worked in poorly concealed admiration—not that he was trying to conceal it. You gave him a spin just like you had done before in the reflector, drawing a sweet, giddy laugh from him as he clasped his hands together over his middle.

You lifted the corner of your skirt and glanced down at yourself. “It fits perfectly.”

When your gaze met his, your ears instantly began to burn at the intense affection you found there. It was as if every loving moment you had spent together over the years was replaying in each golden fleck of his dark eyes. “It does.”

You stared at one another for way too long, though neither of you cared. After a few more prolonged breaths, Hunter extended an open hand to you, inviting you to set yours within his grasp. You complied, beaming as he took it and, without his gaze ever breaking from yours, raised it to his lips, gently kissing the soft skin on the back of your hand.

But this time, he didn’t let go. Instead, he gave your hand a tug, his other hand coming up to support your upper arm as he drew you towards him. You were more than happy to fall into his arms, laughing as you caught yourself on his shoulders. This shared gaze didn’t last as long, as the two of you were eager to share in another kiss, one more passionate than before.

Your arms had only just wrapped tight around Hunter’s neck when he suddenly lifted your legs and eased them around his waist. You broke away to look at him with a raised brow. “Be careful, Sergeant,” you warned, your voice breathy as you kissed his upper lip. “You might rip this beautiful dress you sewed.”

“Don’t worry, Senator.” Hunter was already walking forward with you into your bedroom, his other senses no doubt guiding him as he focused on returning your stare. “I can just stitch it right back up.”

And as Hunter laid you down on a bed you were grateful to share with him, you thought about each early moment and memory that led you here. You both had exchanged enough sentiments of love over the years for you to know how he felt, but it was always his actions that proved it above all else. This dress was certainly a pinnacle of that, almost equally matching his actions that came directly after.

You both had made a gamble the day you decided to pursue one another, but thankfully, it had paid off—and it made you grateful for everything you had gone through back when you were the senator being protected by the sergeant.

chapter 9 ⟸ series masterlist

hunter tag list: @zenrobbins0021 @cw80831 @yunggoblin @maddiedrmr @Molmcb @jellybeanstacey0519 @violetlilly2020

senator’s shadow tag list: @callsign-denmark @dindadjarin @clintbarton-anon

[lightwise]

TBB S3E6 Reactions

Alright, in lieu of an analysis this week, you guys get some extra long reactions from me. Spoilers for Infiltration under the cut!

- Pantora: These onion-top spires are very cool.

- Nice poncho Rex but we can all see those tally marked scratches peeking out from underneath it.

- The Clone X theme hits HARD even when it’s only the first notes of it

- GS-8! Senator Singh! Howzer! Man the Kiners weren’t kidding with the Leo meme

- Okay Senator Singh maybe if you’ve been in hiding you shouldn’t be wearing your native cultural garb in case you stick out 🤓

- Tea?? Riyo?? I wanna have tea with her ☺️ also I want that teapot haha

- Always love the political aftermath of the clone wars and the humanizing of the separatist movement

- Singh has a little helmet recorder like Tech does…interesting

- One clone X boy coming up

- RIP Greer

- Rex is 🔥 catching that grenade…thankfully not literally

- Stripey helmet—that’s Nemec or Fireball, right??

- It really took 3 stuns to get that CX to drop. What has Hemlock been doing to them?? Are they pumped up with something to give them more endurance?

- Fireball mention!! So that’s Nemec with them.

- Wow Teth is gorgeous. I would not have remembered what this outpost means to Rex if it hadn’t come up during the trailer

- A clone base!!! This is SO FREAKING COOL (and has so many implications for the fic I’ve been writing)

- What is with the little knee socks on these bodysuits. They just look so silly

- Although Howzer’s extra pouches are also up there for hilarity points

- Ew they yanked out his tooth

- “You’re still one of us” is he though? Is there anything original left in there?

- Part of me feels like Scorch has been brainwashed too.

- “Why have I been activated” lmaoooo grumpy boi

- Internal homing device?? Greatttt

- How Rex says Tantiss 🥺

- Howzer ready to throw some hands (first of many)

- Rex’s face when he’s worried about Omega 🥺🥺🥺 he just wants to protect her and the Batch

- This is the story of Omega and her toothpick 🤣🤣

- Crosshair shaking his head at her even though he probably gave it to her 🤣 (also dear lord how does he look SO PRETTY here nursing that toothpick with his eyes glowing in the dark. Ugh I can’t with this man

- Gregor mention!

- Man Echo is not wanting to answer Hunter’s questions lol

- Omega is approaching her teen years now, Hunter. Of course she’s going to be copying her emo big (little) brother. He looks both glad that they’re bonding and also worried that they’re the reason Rex needs to talk to them.

- Still think Rex looks naked without his pauldron. I do love the detail that the paint on his shoulder underneath it would be much brighter and less worn than everywhere else, though

- “Good to see you, Rex” 🥹

- Hunter and Crosshair’s little glance.

- “Interesting contacts” what the heck does that mean Echo?? What have you been doing acquiring illegal weapons parts?? I mean they’re not illegal but they’re not exactly the norm either

- Their little salutes 🥹

- Lil stealth bomber jet vibes on this ship. Yes I will admit that looks like the Tech Turn as he touches down

- “You’re gonna have to back down Captain” the boys are so back. Only Hunter gets to mess with his brother and vice versa

- Lol everyone thinking that if you’ve been on Tantiss you automatically have the coordinates of where it’s located. Hemlock’s too smart for that, guys

- Crosshair looking solely at Hunter when he says “I’m not loyal to the Empire any longer” 😭😭😭 like his approval and understanding is the only one that matters

- Poor Omega does not want to talk about what she’s been through 💔

- Kind of surprised they don’t know what M-count means but it also makes sense. Obviously Rex has heard it mentioned from Anakin or Ahsoka but they don’t know the implications

- Okay, Rex, for the rest of this episode—I love you but WHERE are your security measures???? How does CX just waltz right in the front door and you don’t even have an alarm or key code or anything???

- Gregor canonically cooks!! Looking at you DJ 😄

- Crosshair’s description of the CX program is TERRIFYING. He can barely make himself talk about it. He was close to becoming one of them?? How is he walking around with all that knowledge and Hemlock didn’t wipe his mind if it? None of this is good. My poor boy.

- Gosh Rex sounds so tired.

- Crosshair sounds TERRIFIED.

- How does CX run so fast?

- Interesting that they give the woozy perspective of the other CX as Crosshair comes into the room

- Okay let me reiterate for you all—Crosshair is absolutely terrified here. Similar to Tech, this man is almost unflappable. If he’s scared they all should be hightailing it immediately. What the hell has Hemlock done to these clones??

- Does the CX truly recognize Crosshair? And why would Hemlock still use the designation “brother” as part of their programming? All this mind control stuff is making the chips look like child’s play

- Okay but in all seriousness, what if most of the clones being put through the undercover program still have their chips installed and those somehow can be reactivated or enhanced again? Crosshair does not, therefore it’s much harder for Hemlock to persuade him

- That sniper shot was insane. As was that creepy laugh.

- Some of the dialogue in these episodes is feeling unnecessary. Omega pointing out where shots are coming from is a little obvious

- Fireball 😢😢😢 at least you lived up to your name

- And goodbye monastery

- Woooooolffeeee. Armor as amazing as always. What the heck has he been up to to get put on missions like this. We’re one step closer to getting the old man Seelos gang together.

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Thoughts on TBB 3x6 and 3x7

SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

If anyone is expecting coherent, deep, philosophical thoughts about the episodes, you're not getting that. Clearly the only thing my brain was geared for this morning was incoherent waffle so 99.9% of this is just a mess

3x6: Infiltration

REEEEXXXX

Senator Singh?

Senator Singh!

HOWZER!!!

Poncho Rex has returned ✨

Chuchi!!!

The Senator appears to have blood on his sash 😬

Another Clone X!

There are so many clones in this ep and I am here for it!

THIS BASE CAMP IS AWESOME WTF

I mean, the building is a bit drab but the planet is cool af

We have a 212th clone but where's Cody?!

Ewwwww tooth chip

"Contact Echo and Hunter" the parents must be informed!

Ugh, Echo and Rex working together again is so personal to me

Howler is on a mission this episode and I appreciate the motivation!

"He knows more than he's saying" Yeah, he does. But there's a good chance that if you push him, he'll shut down or bite back. Corsair doesn't open up like that and you need to be careful with being too confrontational. It's why he was so agitated with Hunter.

HAHAHAHAHAHA OMEGA'S STARTED COPYING CROSSHAIR

It's like when she was copying Hunter

Echo's like a mum having to pick up and drop all of his kids off

WRECKER AND CROSS DYNAMIC IS HEALING!!! I missed that dynamic 🥺

That scene of them all walking off the ship does feel very reminiscent of the Batch's first introduction

Howler don't be a dick

Although the beef is kinda justified so I won't be mad

ECHO DON'T GIVE CHILDREN WEAPONRY

Actually, it's a very cool gift tbf and I love that Omega's awesome new crossbow is something that Echo modified himself and then gave to her ❤️

The bond between Echo and Omega is so cute 🥺

"Well, I won't be gone long" BITCH YOU BETTER NOT BE

SCOMP SALUTE!!!

Well that's not good

I don't care how much of it is delusion, you can't tell me that that assassin isn't Tech

"The few that made it through" *cries*

THEY TRIED TO MAKE CROSS A CLONE X BUT IT DIDN'T WORK

I'm not saying things always go wrong when Echo isn't there but...

SECRET BASE IS NOT SO SECRET

FUCK FUCK FUCKETY FUCK FUCK FUCK

THIS IS NOT GOOD

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

DON'T TELL ME WOLFFE IS STILL UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE EMPIRE

FUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKK

3x7: Extraction

R.I.P purple clone ☹️

Seeing Wolffe like this makes me sad

But I'm surprisingly happy to see that he's still a grumpy bastard

"she only bites half of the time"

How about we don't crash for once? That seems like a better option than the constant near death landings

The assassin limping because of a leg injury caused by fallen debris? Reminds you of a certain someone else, does it not?

"You're as bad as Hunter" "Oh, I'm much worse" OBSESSED WITH THIS DYNAMIC

"I realised how disposable I was" well I'm just gonna go and cry

"The operative's gone rogue" feels like a very... CF99 thing to do

Ngl a little peeved that we have a really awesome double episode following the clone rebellion and Echo just isn't in most of it 🫤

NOT NEMEC

"I don't like that idea" "too bad" I fucking love Cross

WELL THAT SEEMS LIKE A KINDA SHIT IDEA WTF CROSS

AAAAAAAAHHHHHH SHIT

Jesus, Cross you stupid lanky bastard

Well now I'm just upset

WOLFFE NO

BAD WOLFFE

"I know that's not who you are" *sobs*

Ugh, I love you Wolffe

Wolffe showing remorse towards the fallen clones throughout this episode and then wanting to recover the fallen... I'm gonna cry

So a mixed bag of feelings this episode

As a fan of

Rex, I'm ecstatic

Wolffe, I'm crying

Cross, I'm loving it

Echo, more than a little frustrated

But I did absolutely love these eps. Unfortunately, my brain is not turned on enough for any sort of deep thoughts on anything. It's just waffle but what can you do 🤷‍♀️

[mooonjin]

Hi I don't know if your requests are open but can you do a Hunter X female reader she likes nature and he does too they connect it be a soft wholesome story.

Butterfly

Notes: SUCH A CUTE PROMPT!!!!! ii hope this is what you like <3333 and as promised, the fic!!! i hope this is also confort enough after the tbb finale :((

Pairing: Hunter x f!reader

Summary: You, a nature lover on Raxus has to deal with the changes of the New Empire. But a new path has opened, a path to another nature lover. A person you wouldn't expect to love nature too.

Warnings/Tags: fluff, mentions of the Empire, nature, implied f!reader but i dont use many pronouns (i dont think 0.0), cute tension ⁠— tell me if I've missed anything!

The suns rays gently pushed its way through the lush, orange and green mixed trees. It was always such a lovely view to admire and even better to even sit and relax under. The golden ropes shining against you as you feel the warm heat.

Raxus was responsible for the beautiful horizons and lands you grew up around, your mother and father always making sure there was time for the family to go out and acknowledge what the planet offered.

They shielded you from the war, considering they were on the side of the Separatists, they didn't want you in on politics, especially because your mother was a senator for Raxus. They wanted you to be happy and appreciate the better things in life.

That's how you fell in love with nature.

Everyday, just how your parents did it, you would go out, sit on the same tree log that you carved your names into—with cutely failed love hearts that almost looked like stars—and just sit. Sit and cherish the time you had with the singing birds and the sun that continued to shine.

It was post-Clone Wars now. The Galactic Empire rose to power.

Suddenly, the atmosphere around you changed drastically. As you grew older, you slowly learned about the horrible war that happened and now, a new position in power is pushing all of these absurd laws. Weren't you practically on their side?

Now, finding the time to be by yourself and away from everyone else became difficult. There was either a clone or a TK trooper around every corner you turned.

Luckily, there was a forest close to your home that the trees tower over, making it tough to land, large, Imperial shuttles on.

They attempted to cut them down but they were too thick and wasted time, according to the really angry commanding officers you overheard.

You now had a beautiful space to relax in. You were upset the log that had your parents names on it wasn't by the forest but the Empire would've arrested you and you wouldn't have been able to sit in environment solitude any longer.

The sun rays continued to shine through the trees, the rays longer and brighter because of the tall trees. There seems to be more animals around this area, you assumed they moved habitats because of how forceful the Empire was.

You were able to close your eyes, feeling safe and listen to the insects, the mammals do their animal things.

You had an idea to bring a little notebook with you and write songs with the tune of how the animals sang to each other during the day and how they chirped at night.

"Ah, the beauties of life," you grinned.

-

"We are coming up on Raxus," Tech's voice echoed down the Marauder, hoping Wrecker wasn't asleep. As the shuttle entered Raxus' atmosphere, the view of the orange and green arranged forests was even better aerial.

The city heart was in the distance, the buildings standing strong and silver. Despite the pretty exterior, the city was surrounded by Imperial troops from head to toe.

Tech landed the shuttle in a remote area, a forest with tall trees to stay undercover.

The sun was already beginning to set, Cid giving the Batcher's almost no information about the retrieval mission. It seems they had little time to break out whoever their client was.

"Wow, this place is beautiful," Omega was in awe as her eyes panned the high trees and the lush grass around them, her irises sparkling against the sun rays.

A small butterfly landed briefly on her head, causing her to chuckle before it flew off into the distance.

Hunter watched her, like a protective brother would do. He too was in awe with the plants around them.

He was particularly fond of nature, not even his brothers knew. Whenever they were free and Cid hadn't given them a job, he would sit against logs to watch the clouds surf the Ord Mantell mountains.

It was the only nature he could watch, the sandy atmosphere not bringing much but he still appreciated what he was given. Hunter always thought of visiting Raxus, having luscious ambience. He would've even considered putting aside his soldier life to live here.

Unfortunately, he had to visit the wonderful planet on the opposing side.

On the other hand, Echo and Wrecker were a little wary about this place. Crosshair was off to the side, chewing on his toothpick. He was wary too but a job was a job at the end of the day.

All they knew was their client is a Separatist and they're rescuing them.

"Hunter, four Imperial shuttles have just entered Raxus' atmosphere and are headed for the capital city. We might not be able to engage at all and complete the mission without getting caught." Tech was tapping away at his datapad, the small nods of his head suggesting they don't go forth with the mission right now.

Hunter sighed, "Do we have time early morning?"

They all looked at Tech, who was probably calculating the hours of possibility. With one last button touch, all he responded with was, 'yes.'

With a defeated sigh, everybody trekked back to the Marauder. Wrecker was desperate to sleep the evening away with Omega and Crosshair. Maker forbid when they sleep, Wrecker snores. Tech and Echo had their business about mechanical stuff up by the cockpit, maybe to double-check what needed to be repaired and added to the list.

However, Hunter wanted to do something else.

-

The night was breezy, the weather was nice, and you could hear the nocturnal animals emerge from their homes. The Imperial patrols usually regroup and do their daily meetings and reports so you had freedom to roam the forests without getting caught.

You carried your night lamp, your journal inside your pouch, and of course an electro staff for your own protection. Fortunately, you rarely had to use it.

As you walked down the sandy hill towards the high trees, you noticed there were more fireflies out so you cranked down the brightness on your lamp to embrace the natural light.

The trees always provided you comfort. They were like protectors. You kept walking along the sandy rubble, the path slowly fading into the green grass beneath your feet.

You waved to the curious rabbits that popped their heads through the fluffy bushes. You chuckled gently as the fireflies surrounded you curiously, almost tickling you as they made their way through the forest.

Hunter was sat on the ramp of the Marauder, his helmet off next to him. He was watching the white moon walk the night sky of Raxus, the gentle breeze brushing up against his long curls.

A curious tooka cat trotted towards Hunter, sniffing the ramp and his armoured boots. It purred, looking up at Hunters eyes. He smiled at the animal before it ran off, something else catching its attention.

Hunter stood up, walking down to the grassy plains beneath the ramp. He ran his fingers against the soft plants, inhaling the fresh air.

This felt nice, putting the soldier role aside and admiring what else life had to offer.

You were nearing your resting spot, grinning softly as you observed the birds feeding their childrens and singing lullabies. You jogged to your little spot, a small rocky cliff area to get a beautiful view of the rivers.

You closed your eyes, breathing in the air and listening to the gentle sound of the flowing water.

Startled, you yelped a bit as a butterfly landed on your nose, "Oh my, you scared me. I don't blame you, this a lovely place to play around," you chuckled, gently picking the insect and letting it fly away.

As Hunter walked back to the Marauders ramp to call it there, his senses picked up something in the distance. There was mumbling in the distance, he couldn't tell exactly what it was but it alerted him. He was swift to grab his blaster and his helmet to approach the noise.

Obviously approaching something you don't know isn't smart but Hunter was not about let something or someone jeopardise the beginning of the mission. As Hunter stealthily walked through the tall trees in the direction of the noise, he saw a silhouette.

He pushed away a bush to get a better look.

It wasn't a creature and definitely wasn't anything Imperial.

It was a person.

A very beautiful person.

Hunter lowered his blaster, his gaze softening under his helmet. You were giggling at the same tooka cat he saw earlier that was now brushing up against your knees. The tooka seemed to be extremely comfortable with you, almost jumping up onto your shoulders excitedly.

The cat meowed particularly loud and unfortunately, in Hunters direction. It caught him off guard. You were confused why the tooka suddenly ran away meowing like it was in distress.

That was when you saw Hunter.

Instinctively, you drew your electro staff, lighting it up. This man, who you've never seen before had managed to sneak up on you, wearing armour that was too similar to the clone troopers in the Empire.

You were just confused as to why it was all black and red.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" You called out to the trooper. Hunter tucked away his blaster, his hands coming up and out defensively.

"It's okay, I'm not here to hurt anyone." Hunter took one gentle step further, causing you to jolt the staff in his direction. He flinched.

"I don't enjoy repeating myself," you huffed, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Hunter slowly took off his helmet to show he wasn't a threat. He even took out his blaster and threw it aside.

Your eyes scanned him. He had a skull tatted on half his face, a red bandana with a skull imprinted on it. He had a prominent nose, dark brown eyes, and a strong jaw.

He also looked like a clone. Well, the face shape of one at least.

"Hunter, and I'm here by myself," that was a lie, "I'm just here to enjoy the forest."

You titled your head slightly. This... man, who had very similar features and outfit as a soldier, enjoying nature? That's a first.

You deactivated the electricity on your staff but you still kept it grasped in your hand, just in case.

You introduced yourself to him. His voice was low and soft, raspy but clear. There were visible wrinkles on his face and he tends to squint a lot when he spoke.

"Never met anyone on Raxus who enjoys the forest," you spoke. It was true, everyone was too focused on the economy, the war, the Empire, and trying to get off the planet. No one seemed to have time to sit down and admire nature.

"You learn something new," Hunter shrugged, "Do you mind if I sit?" you hesitated, your fingers clenching the hilt of your staff. You didn't know if he was undercover for the Empire or not.

Despite discarding his blaster, there was a vibro knife holster on his arm, very yellow and obvious.

"No tricks."

Hunter nodded, approaching your side to sit down. He was surprised at the view he was met with. A calm and clear river running down the slopes like it was skating against the rocks.

You sat down down, your staff clinking by your side as you let go of it. This Hunter person doesn't seem too bad so far, he was too focused on the water flowing. He was an attractive person, you'll give him that but you couldn't let that thought control how you were going to interact with him.

"How did you find this place?" you ran your fingers against a pebble before throwing it into the stream to be swept away.

He shrugged, "I like plant-y, environment stuff. I thought this place looked nice," the tips of your mouth lifted up into a small grin. You were already getting flustered over his voice and you met him five minutes ago. You coughed, shoving those thoughts to the back of your head.

The silence wasn't too uncomfortable. You tuned to the soft noises of nature, trying not to get immensely distracted by the man sat next to you also enjoying the soft noises of nature.

"Do you come here often?" Hunter asked. You watched all of those holofilms before, isn't this what they ask when they have no experience with conversation starters?

You chuckled, "I do, actually. Grew up around here."

Hunter gently nodded his head before facing the stream of water again, "So, you're pro-Empire."

"Hey, just because I grew up here doesn't mean I am," you playfully punched his shoulder, shaking off the slight pain from your knuckles because he was literally in full armour. Hunters hand came up defensively, apologising for his accusation.

"Then I'm surprised you haven't been caught by troops."

"Well, the trees really help with that. They're like my best friends," you stuck your hand out, drifting through the air.

Hunters eyes watched you carefully, he looked at you how you looked at nature. The way your eyes and cheeks lift up into a grin made Hunter smile himself. He had no experience with hanging out with someone other than his brothers. Especially mid-mission.

"I see."

Your hand came back down only to be met with Hunters gloved hand. Flustered, you quickly took your hand off. You mumbled an apology, situating your hand onto your lap. Hunter, who was also flustered, but more embarrassed swiftly changed the subject to save you both.

"So... how much do you know about plants?"

"I know enough to become a botanist," you picked off a small dandelion, blowing the seeds off and watching them float with the wind. They ended up crashing and covering Hunters face, some getting caught in his curls and his bandana. It wasn't very pretty for Hunter, but he looked like an angel covered in it.

Except for the sputtering that happened right after when some managed to get in his mouth.

"Very funny."

You gave him a hearty laugh, "It wasn't on purpose!"

"Whatever you say," Hunter patted himself clean. There was probably a long lost dandelion seed buried in his hair somewhere but he'll find it some how.

The two of you sat comfortably in each others' presence, chatting away about Raxus' trees, the dusty and dry dunes of Tatooine, and the bustling technologies of Coruscant.

You learned he was an ex-GAR soldier, that explained him lugging around in clone trooper armour. He also has an odd obsession with taking care of kids. He sounded like he's very experienced in that field.

The very same tooka cat came back to play around with the both of you. It managed to accidentally stick its fur in Hunters nose, causing you to rumble into a fit of laughter once again. It sent a smile to Hunters face but he was also slightly humiliated.

A couple of stars shot through the navy blue sky, the two of you making wishes that ranged from wanting an Empire-free life to hoping the other person wakes up as a worm.

You both talked, played, pushed, and comforted each other until the suns head poked from out the horizon; you both had fallen asleep next to each other by then.

The chirping and cawing of the birds woke you both up. You had to smack away a couple hungry fruit flies as you sat up. You blinked, stretching your muscles to wake yourself up.

Hunter yawned, "Good sleep?"

"Mhm," you mumbled, your croaky morning voice coming through.

"You seemed at ease when you slept." Hunter also stood up to stretch, unaware of how his words came out.

You chuckled when you saw him freeze in realisation, "That's how it is in the forests."

Hunter brushed off the loose grass that managed to pile up on him whilst he was sleeping. He reached over to grab his helmet, knowing he can't stay here much longer. He would've loved to if he wasn't getting paid to do a job.

"Leaving?" you sounded a little disappointed. You grew to like Hunter and him leaving sort of made you feel lonelier.

"Well, we have our own paths in nature, don't we?" he grinned. Before you could smile too, there was shouting deeper into the forest. Instinctively, you reached for your staff.

"Hunter!" it was another man's voice calling out for Hunter.

"Don't stress, I know those people," his hands came out again defensively. You lowered your staff.

"I suppose you're leaving now?" you rubbed your arm, upset that he would be gone just like that. Maybe he would come back?

Hunter took a couple steps forward, inches away from you. He gently took your hand in his, handing you a spare comm device. You looked into his deep brown eyes, trying not to blush, "My frequency, if you want to stay in touch?"

You nodded, coyly, grasping the comm device. Hunter stepped away, giving you one last message.

"Promise to comm sometime?"

"Of course, trooper."

"See you soon, butterfly."

Hunter's helmet hissed as he put it on before disappearing into the forest just like that.

Butterfly. You liked that nickname.

-

Post-Notes: im still recovering from wesndays episode TT

wanna be a part of my taglist?

~ ~ ~

@elsastoes @nekotaetae @jiabeewrites @lokigirlszendaya @imalovernotahater @backyard-bear @namesmox

[oceansssblue]

~ RARE PAIR MASTERLIST:

1. HUNTER/VENTRESS (both trans) > "NOT WHAT I EXPECTED" 🔥

They had never seen this coming. But oh well, they were going to have some fun with it.

2. TECH/JAR JAR BINKS > "LOVELY CHAOTIC" 💖

Tech is naturaly curious about everything. That includes the gungan Jar Jar Binks.

3. CAPTAIN REX/PADME AMIDALA > "HAPPY TO FOLLOW" 💖

Rex is always aware of everything; taking in little details that for others may pass by unnoticed. Senator Amidala's behaviour has definitely been changing. He's about to find why.

4. OMEGA TBB/REEVA > "TEMPTATIVE SMILES" 💔💖

Reeva is tired of being left behind. But perhaps staying in Kamino isn't so bad, huh?

5. FOX/YODA > "REST, YOU MUST" 💔💖

Fox has a lot on his plate. Master Yoda tries to give him a little break.

6. BAYLAN SKOLL/HUNTER > "OPEN FOR YOU" 🔥

Hunter hadn't thought about men that way before. But fuck, he wants to be railed by the General.

7. DOGMA/TUP > "A FEW EXCEPTIONS" 💖

Dogma is one for the rules. Fraternalization with another vod is forbidden. Is he going to stand by as Tup flirts with Fives, though?

8. HUNTER/ECHO > "FAN BOY" 💔💖

Hunter has had a crush on Echo for a long time. It's Crosshair who pulls the cat out of the bag.

9. CROSSHAIR/MAYDAY > "THE POWER OF ANOTHERS TOUCH" 💔🔥

Crosshair is hurt. Mayday helps him. That first touch of the older trooper on the sniper's skin changes things.

10. ECHO/REX > "VIDEO CONFESSIONS" 💖

Rex agrees for a fellow rebel to interview him as part of her "war chronicles" ideas for posterity. It's during that interview when he suddenly realises he's in love with his friend.

--