#the frat batch

[feral-ferrule]

Closeup of Wrecker in my recent fic illustration (it’s done)

[crosshairslongasslegs]

gosh i miss frat boy bad batch hunter

[magicandmundane]

Clone Force 99’s entrance in s7 is actually hilarious because Tech just drifted the Marauder over there in a hurry then it took them a hot minute to get out there lmao. Hunter’s dramatic frat boy ass probably said, “Ok, great landing, Tech, now let’s make ‘em wait a minute. Wrecker, you know your line? Crosshair, don’t start a fight just yet… Helmets on, boys, we’re gonna give these regs an entrance worthy of the Jedi.”

[ghostymarni]

a close up of Cross

banner art from my fic

I used a different brush for this one, because I wanted to try the dramatic lighting. Originally I intended in doing clean linework, but liked the choppy sketch in the dark contrast.

[leapingbadger]

Withdrawal

Summary: – Crosshair runs out of toothpicks on a mission and the rest of the Batch must feel his wrath.

Read on AO3

“Hunter, we’ve got a problem?” Tech said as he approached Hunter, sat at the communications array or the Marauder.

Hunter sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was not what he wanted to hear after the last mission went awry, causing delays.

“Is there something wrong with the ship?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“No,”

“Are they fighting again? Just tell Wrecker to stop hitting him with Lula,” Hunter said as his hands prodded the keys on the console.

“No, it’s not that,” Tech said, shooting a worried glance behind him.

“Tech,” Hunter said, spinning his chair to face his brother, “I am good at many things, but mind reading isn’t one of them.”

“It’s Crosshair,” Tech whispered, “he’s on his last two toothpicks,”

Hunter stood up, shoving his brother into the cockpit, looking around for his severe brother. He lowered his voice, “how is that possible? What about the backup pack?”

“He lost it on Felicia” Tech said matter-of-factly.

“What about the one in the med kit?”

“He used it when Wrecker was piloting the Marauder.”

“Kriff it,” Hunter said under his breath. “Well, you said he had two left, right? Maybe he can make those last.”

“I suppose so,” Tech said, “we’re heading home soon, correct? maybe we won’t have to worry about it.”

Hunter looked shifty, “Actually we just got new orders. We’ll be gone another few rotations.”

A loud argument sounded from the steps of the ship.

“Wrecker, you made me break my toothpick.”

“Karabast!” Tech said.

**

“All I’m saying is, if we hadn’t dropped the explosives, we would have had a cleaner exit, and I wouldn’t currently be fixing blaster holes in the side of my ship.” Tech spat.

The fire crackled in from of them, the embers drifting steadily up into the dark night sky. Hunter heard strange noises emanating from the woods and was only partially paying attention to the argument in front of him.

“If we hadn’t dropped the explosives, you wouldn’t have a ship at all,” Wrecker growled, waving his ration stick threateningly at his brother.

“That is wholly inaccurate,”

“The Kriff it is,” Crosshair said, taking his toothpick out of his mouth and prodding the air between them with it.

Hunter and Tech exchanged a glance, “It doesn’t matter how we did it. It was another win. No matter how messy. The next one will be better,” Hunter said confidently, trying to cool the tempers. He took a bite of his ration stick and gave Tech a pointed look.

“I…I will yield in this particular case,” Tech said reluctantly.

“What?” Wrecker said dumbfounded, “that’s never happened before, has it Cross?” He hugged his stern brother before beating him in the face with his favorite tooka doll.

“Dank ferric, Wrecker. You made me drop my toothpick again,”

Tech caught Hunter’s eyes and shook his head slightly. The Sergeant ran his hands over his face and took a deep breath. It was going to be a long couple of days.

Crosshair had developed a fixation on his toothpicks thanks to a particularly surly bounty hunter during training. Frustrated with his penchant for sticking his tongue out as he took a shot, he gave him a toothpick to chew on and the rest was history. Hunter couldn’t remember a time when the floor of the barracks wasn’t littered with Crosshair’s discarded wooden shards, usually flicked in a moment of anger or for emphasis.

He had run out a couple of times over the years. Once when they were still cadets, and he’d only recently started using them. The somber mood that followed still gave Wrecker the occasional nightmare.

The next time was during one of their early missions as they were stuck behind enemy lines, unable to get to his backup on the Marauder. He had done his personal best during that mission. Taking out more droids than the rest of them combined. Hunter thought if he could have stabbed each droid in the eye with a toothpick he would have.

They were only a few hours into a toothpickless Crosshair, and the strain was already starting to show. He had pulled off his right glove and was gnawing on his fingernails. His thumbnail was already down to the quick.

“We have to do something, or he won’t have any nails left,” Hunter said to Tech quietly.

“Perhaps we could distract him. A game of Sabaac or some combat training?”

Hunter was already exhausted from the mission and had no desire to enter into hand to hand combat with a cranky Crosshair. He may lose a hand.

“What if we try to teach him other things? Maybe you can show him your datapad…”

“Crosshair had shown no interest in procurement of information or the datapad itself,” Tech said

“Kriff it, Wrecker, could you breathe any louder?” Cross snapped as Wrecker looked up alarmed.

Tech sighed, adjusting his goggles and walking to the back of the ship. “Crosshair, would you be interested in learning more about my datapad. It had the most up to date…”

“No…” Crosshair said sulkily, arms crossed over his chest.

Tech turned around immediately, “I tried,” he said to Hunter, nose buried in the datapad as he sank into the pilot’s seat.

Wrecker was bench pressing Gonky in the middle of the ship.

“Hey, Wreck. Maybe see if Cross wants to join you?” Hunter said encouragingly. Wrecker’s eyes lit up.

“Hey Cross, you wanna…”

“No,” The sniper said, feet dangling off the stairs to the gunner’s mount.

**

The next few days were tedious and long. Crosshair couldn’t interact with his brother’s without snarling but refused to admit to the reason. The mission was a success, almost an afterthought. Hunter wasn’t worried about surviving the Separatists and much as surviving his brother. A cloud followed Crosshair around wherever he went, and he was desperate to share the rain with the rest of them.

The night before they were set to leave, Hunter had had enough. Wrecker had made the fire three times larger than necessary. Flamed shot high over their heads into the starry night. He again heard rumblings in the forest at the edge of the clearing, but this time wasn’t able to tune out the bickering occurring around him.

“No cheating, Wrecker,” Cross hissed at his brother.

“I wasn’t,” Wrecker cried sounding wounded.

“You were trying to look at my cards,”

“I was not, Hunter was…”

Hunter took a deep breath and stood up, "enough of this. Crosshair, cover me. I’ll be right back,”

Crosshair looked questioningly as Hunner strode towards the tree line.

“What exactly are you…” Tech started but Hunter strode right past him, unsheathing his vibrokife as he did so.

Once at the trees he examined the bark, running his gloved hands over a couple before pausing. The bark on the tree in front of him was loose and peeling away. He pulled it off carefully revealing virgin wood underneath.

Hunter carefully cut a small section of the tree with his knife before barrel rolling out of the way of an unsee assailant, knife raised.

Pew! A single shot rang out from Crosshair’s firepuncher, scaring the creature away. Hunter nodded his thanks to his brother and continued to work before finally returning to the campfire.

“Thanks Cross,” he said as he sat down.

“Are you going to tell us what you were doing?”

“In a minute,” he said, still working his knife through the wood. “Did he stick his tongue out?” Hunter asked his brothers with a smile.

Tech and Wrecker laughed as they nodded their heads.

Crosshair growled but stopped as Hunter sat up straight and passed something to him.

“What’s this?” he asked, clearly already knowing the answer.

“Toothpicks. At least, makeshift ones until we get back to Kamino,”

Crosshair glanced down at the pile of misshapen wooden shards in his hand and nodded his thanks to his brother. He picked one up, tentatively placing one between his lips.

“I’m probably going to get a splinter,” he said, with a slight smile.

“You’re welcome, Crosshair.” Hunter said.

[rendomski]

It's an ultimate Hunter/Tech moment.

Tech saying that Hunter is never wrong <3333

[dindjarindiaries]

Senator's Shadow - Chapter 7

summary: Hunter and the senator at long last indulge in their desires and affections, though the weight of the upcoming mission and Hunter’s suspecting squad cannot be ignored.

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: 6.061k

chapter 6 ⟸ series masterlist ⟹ chapter 8

chapter 7 ⟹

This was a type of freedom Hunter had never felt before, bought by your words of reassurance that had liberated him to make this choice—and if this freedom would always taste as good as your lips did right now, he never wanted to stop feeling it.

At some point, Hunter had dropped his helmet in favor of holding you. After all the space he had put between the two of you over the past day, he needed you as close as possible. It had been a torment, one he had inflicted upon himself, and he was aching to make up for all that lost time.

Hunter reached out with his senses, but he didn’t push them beyond the bounds of your bedroom. This time, he dedicated each enhancement solely to you. He listened to the rapid beating of your heart and the breaths you stole between desperate kisses. He felt the softness and warmth of your skin as he pulled you closer. He tasted your sweetness on his tongue, and he smelled the lingering perfume on your skin—and stole glances at your beauty whenever he could spare them.

For the first time, Hunter wanted to be overwhelmed by his senses, and so he pushed them even harder.

One of your hands was in his hair when you pulled away to breathe. Just like before, what was certainly too long ago, Hunter stayed close and buried his face in the warmth of your neck. It was a refuge he never wanted to leave. Even though your heartbeat still roared in his ears, he could also feel your pulse underneath his lips, and the rush of hot desire within you fed his own.

Hunter wanted to hear it again, that breathy, desperate plea for him, the one that hadn’t been able to leave his head ever since the moment you first said it. He pulled you closer, grasping silk and soft skin, and worked his mouth over your neck in endless succession.

It didn’t take long for him to get what he wanted. This time, your sigh was even more drawn out in a pure ache for him—so much so that you couldn’t get his full name out. “Hunt…”

Hunter paused to spare a look at you. Your eyes had fluttered closed, your swelling lips slightly parted, and he wondered how any of this was real. But the trusty senses he had locked in to proved this wasn’t another dream, and Hunter was going to take advantage of that by making good on your plea.

It was easy for him to take you over to the bed, and even easier to reach over his back for his pack and toss it somewhere on the floor. You took a hold of his face to kiss him again, and he let you, waiting for the moment when your aching lungs would need another breath. All his years of combat training were paying off here, giving him the stamina he needed to lavish his praise onto you without interruption.

Hunter heard the rush of desperate air flood into your lungs when you pulled away, and he lowered his lips back to your neck—but he didn’t stop at the sweet spot he had already claimed as his own. He continued, tracing cool silk and lace with his lips and his hands as he went. There would be no stopping until the coolness of it all was exchanged for unprecedented warmth.

Yet he still hesitated, because while you had let him make the overall decision, Hunter wouldn’t and couldn’t make one such as this on your behalf. His gaze flickered to yours in patient waiting. All it took was the gentle nudge of his head from your hand in his hair for him to understand what choice you had made.

And it was a damn good one, if Hunter could say so himself.

Each apology Hunter had written in his mind for you was finally being freed from his tongue, and rather than waiting to hear that he was forgiven, he took your other sighs, pleas, and curses to mean the very same thing. It was even better than he had imagined it would be, the rush of relief and affection in knowing that you held nothing against him, and certainly held nothing back. He had pictured his hands on your face in his mind, but having his hands on your thighs was even better.

It was only becoming easier to lose himself in you, until the chiming of the comm on his belt battled for his attention. What gave him full pause was the voice that spoke out of it into the open air.

“Hunter, Crosshair and I have completed our perimeter sweep,” Tech informed him as matter-of-factly as usual. “There are no signs of anyone else around, and we have searched quite thoroughly.”

Hunter broke away from you and steadied himself with a few breaths. When his gaze caught yours, he set a finger over his lips, urging you to quiet your panting breaths as he reached for the comm. One hand continued to brush a thumb mindlessly over your thigh as the other activated the device. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.” Even now, he still focused on the wellbeing of his squad. “Now get some rest. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”

Hunter went to secure the comm back on his belt, but Tech had more to say. “Affirmative. I presume the senator is all right, then?”

Hunter’s stare found yours, and he couldn’t help smiling as he responded. “Yeah. She’s feeling a lot better, now.” He looked back down at the comm. “Now get going.”

Tech said something in the affirmative, but Hunter didn’t bother to listen anymore. He threw the comm somewhere far from his belt and finally focused back on you, picking up exactly where he had left off. It was a relief; the air was so much sweeter when you were all he could breathe in.

Hunter didn’t stop until you were satisfied, achieving the full forgiveness he had been seeking in a way that was equally as satisfying for him. His hands found your waist and drew you closer to him until he could share in your sweetness with another breathless kiss. But there was something else you wanted, a hand that was drifting closer to his belt, and he had to stop you with a gentle grasp on your wrist.

“No,” Hunter spoke, his voice even raspier than usual as he watched your gaze flash with confused panic for a moment. He cupped the side of your face to reassure you. “You can return the favor another time.” Hunter’s nose brushed yours as he kissed your top lip and prepared his own plea. “Complete me first.”

He pulled back just enough to see the requited desire and affection in your gaze. You were the one to start making good on his plea this time, and that was how the pile of supplies and armor on the floor grew larger. It was soon joined by nylon, silk, and lace, which had all been exchanged for the softness of your bedsheets.

All that was left was the bandana that Hunter rarely removed, which you had clearly been cautious enough to leave alone. But he wanted to prove his willingness to sacrifice, even if it meant overstimulating his delicate yet powerful senses, and so he removed it in a single swift movement and let it join the pile, too.

Your eyes widened up at him in sweet admiration as your hands threaded through the hair that had already started to fall around his face. Still, there was a concerned knit in your brow, one that Hunter was eager to smooth out. “Will having your hair down bother you?”

“Not with you flooding my senses.” Hunter pressed a kiss to your wrinkled brow. “Trust me.”

When he leaned back to face you, Hunter caught your sweet gaze and your firm nod. “I do.”

There it was, your answer to the question he had been preparing to ask, just like before. Hunter returned your nod and held you close, his swollen lips meeting yours the moment he fulfilled your unspoken desire.

Every single one of his senses was overwhelmed with a rush so warm and pleasant that it drew a gasp from his lips. Each nerve ending frayed and lit small fires that devoured his skin, forcing his eyes closed as he exhaled an audibly pleased breath through his burning lungs. His head hung low enough for his forehead to touch yours, and in the fight for his bearings, he could feel your hands pushing his hair away from his face.

“Hunter?” Your utterance of his name was concerned yet strained, evidently passing through the pleased knot in your throat. “Are you okay?” He was still searching for his voice when you went on. “Is it too much?”

Hunter shook his head. “No.” He held you closer, his stare meeting yours before your unbearable sweetness and luxury forced his eyes closed yet again. “It’s everything I needed.”

And so, like before, he pushed on, testing the limit of each enhanced sense as he navigated your pleasure amongst his own. Using his abilities for something so good was fulfilling, with his senses picking up on all the things you didn’t have to say—and all the things he didn’t have to ask. He could understand what parts of you cried out for him, what made your heart pound harder and your breath catch faster.

But he still spoke, even if he couldn’t keep track of the words. The details weren’t important, so long as he continued to ask what you liked, to reassure you of all the ways in which you were so sweetly fraying his senses, to affirm that this was something the stars themselves had written. You didn’t have it in you to do the same, but again, Hunter didn’t need that. He could understand you in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine.

You were still trying, though, and Hunter did have to be mindful of the fact that he wasn’t the only one who was supposed to be on watch. He set his lips against your ear and spoke more quietly than before. “You don’t even have to scream.” Hunter’s cheek brushed yours as he nodded. “I can hear everything.” He eased your head into the refuge of his neck. “Come here. I’ll still be able to hear.” He released a quick growl at the feeling of your warm lips on his sensitive skin. “Promise.”

You held him tighter, until Hunter’s senses began to blur everything about you and himself together. In his muddled mind, your images were becoming one, a fulfillment of his plea for completion. It was becoming unbearable, but not in a way Hunter ever wanted to stop. It had to be impossible to feel as good and as whole as he did with you.

And that was the only thought he had when every sense and nerve ending came undone: you. Your name, not your title, on his lips as you did the same for him. Then, sharing your breath as the pleased fog started to lift, supporting your head and kissing you until he heard your heart slow in tandem with his own.

Hunter let you break away first. Once you did, he settled himself alongside you, inviting you to rest your head on his chest as the two of you relished in the sweetness of it all for a few more moments. One of your hands went back to brushing the wisps of hair out of his face, making Hunter’s face run hot as he smiled at you.

“Well…” Hunter huffed, amused by the loving daze in your eyes, “I hope that answers your question.”

You laughed, your eyes closing for a moment before you reopened them and nodded. “Yeah, I expected as much from a ‘man of action’ such as yourself.”

Hunter broke your gaze in shyness, but there was no hiding from you now. You giggled again as you pushed yourself up to press a kiss against his cheek. It sent another rush of warmth through his chest, a sensation that—as pleasing as it was—made his tired mind even more dizzy. You rested your head back on his chest and let your eyelids flutter closed, but Hunter couldn’t let you sleep yet.

“Hold on.” Hunter kept his voice soft as he started to sit up with you. “Don’t rest yet.”

You looked at him with a raised brow. “You’ve already proven your point, Hunter.”

Hunter chuckled and shook his blush away. “I know.” He kept holding you as he eased his way out of the bed. “Just bear with me.”

Your feet didn’t have to touch the floor as Hunter led the two of you to your refresher. He was quick with washing the two of you, but also thorough, letting his exhausted senses guide him even as the threat of overstimulation prickled at his temples. You complied with a sweet smile on your face the entire time, though the tiredness in your eyes explained your silence to Hunter. From the rush of the attack to what you two had just shared, he couldn’t blame you.

Hunter only felt better once he had gotten the two of you back in your bed. He was too overwhelmed by both the weight of his spent senses and his own desperation to stay close to you to think through the consequences of abandoning his post for any longer, and he found it easy to seek rest with you the moment your cheek pressed against his chest.

The morning wasn’t nearly as peaceful.

Hunter woke to the sound of your comm chiming on your bedside table. During the night, the two of you had shifted so that his face was now the one buried in your neck, and he stayed there with a tired grumble even as you reached over for the comm. “Good morning,” you greeted whoever was on the other end.

“Good morning, Senator.” Why was it always Tech? “Apologies if I have alerted you, but we are currently approaching the time when you are typically ready to begin your day. I wanted to make sure you were well, given last night’s events.”

Hunter couldn’t help smiling at Tech’s concern for you, and when he lifted his face from the warmth of your skin, he saw you doing the very same. “I appreciate that, Tech.” Hunter relaxed against you again when your free hand began to tend to his hair in soothing strokes. “I’m just fine, and I’ll be ready soon.”

“Affirmative. I will alert the squad with the wake-up call, then.”

Hunter heard the breath that caught in your throat. Your hands found the sides of his face as you urged him to look at you, and his heart already began to race at the panic in your eyes. His low voice was still hoarse from his slumber. “What is it?”

You didn’t have to speak. Hunter heard the chiming of his comm from somewhere in the room, and immediately, his slowly awakening mind put the pieces together.

Hunter sighed heavily and closed his eyes. He had trapped himself within your bedroom. “Shit.”

You softened, even laughing as you lifted your brow at him. “I assume you have a plan?”

Hunter shrugged and let the corners of his mouth stretch wider. “I’ll think of one.” He kissed you, but kept it brief. “It’s what I’m known for.”

You gave your eyes a playful roll as the two of you slid out of the bed together. Hunter forced himself to focus on dressing himself in the scattered pieces of his gear even with the temptation of you getting yourself ready so close to him. He was relieved when he had wrapped his bandana back around his head, relaxing his delicate senses as he continued to gather and secure everything else.

With his helmet tucked underneath his arm, Hunter found his chiming comm last, and he pressed the button to make it stop. He looked at you and saw that you had almost finished getting ready, and he allowed himself a quick yet indulgent once-over of your emerald green gown before he forced himself to focus.

“I’m gonna use the passage,” Hunter announced, striding over to where you were standing. Your admiring stare found his as you gave him the same once-over he had just given you. “Once I hear Crosshair come back inside.”

You nodded, but kept an eyebrow raised. “And where will you go from there?”

Hunter raised the corner of his mouth. “You’ll see.” He paused when he heard footsteps inside the suite, and he locked into his senses to confirm it was Crosshair making his way to your doors. Once he could confirm that they had both opened and closed, he returned his attention to you. “That’s my cue.”

Hunter was about to step away, but you pulled him back with a hand behind his neck, kissing him one more time before you broke away and smiled. “See you soon, Sergeant?”

Hunter nodded. “Like I never left, Senator.”

He found your hand and gave it a squeeze before he let your bedroom door open for him. Hunter walked through the threshold and activated the secret door, sliding on his helmet and turning on his torch. He picked up his pace as he navigated the winding stone corridor. It wasn’t long until he saw daylight surrounding the edges of the outside door, bringing him closer to his destination.

Hunter made sure the door was closed and secured behind him as he stepped out and looked up. A quick calculation told him which viewport on the side of the capitol building was his, and he took the necessary shot to get himself up there. Hunter only hung there for a few moments as he used his knife to pry open the viewport and slid inside. Sparing just a few breaths, Hunter closed the viewport and dusted himself off.

Only then did he approach his own door, tucking his helmet underneath his arm as it opened for him. He stepped out into the eager gazes of his squad, who were rarely ever gathered before he could join them. Hunter prepared himself for whatever would come next.

“Good mornin’, Sarge!” Wrecker smiled and stepped up to greet Hunter with a rough yet loving clap on the shoulder. Hunter grunted and rolled it out. “Looks like you actually got some rest for once!”

“I will make note of the time and day,” Tech chimed in, grinning to himself as he pulled out his datapad.

Hunter rolled his eyes, using the gesture to help himself fight the warmth that threatened to take over his face. “I guess the adrenaline of that attack last night got to me.”

All the warmth of what he and you had shared dissipated the moment Hunter brought up the attack. It forced him to think about the upcoming mission, and never before had he dreaded a battle so much. He and his squad lived for their missions, but this had become so much more complicated than cutting down some battle droids, especially with you at the heart of the conflict.

“You and the senator both,” Crosshair teased, breaking through Hunter’s worried reverie. He smirked as he adjusted the toothpick between his lips.

The doors to your suite then opened, and the chuckles of the squad stopped when you raised your brow. At least he had already prepared himself to see you ready for the day just a few short minutes ago, but that still didn’t stop his heart from skipping at the mere sight of you. Hunter swallowed hard and fought the urge to make his way to your side. “What was that, Crosshair?” Your tone was laced with strong amusement.

Crosshair returned your raised brow and kept his smirk. “Nothing.” His gaze quickly flickered over you before he turned back to the rest of the group.

Hunter narrowed his eyes at Crosshair’s subtle gesture. It was curiosity that started to eat away at him, not jealousy, as he racked his mind for what Crosshair could have been looking for—and clearly found.

“Sergeant?” Hunter snapped back into focus at your voice calling for him. His stare met yours, and he found it hard not to dwell upon the past few hours as he observed the pure admiration in your eyes. “What are the plans for today?”

Hunter forced himself to morph back into his role as a leader as he nodded at you. “Preparations for tonight. We’ll do a quick scouting at the camp before we come back and do our briefing. Then…” Hunter smiled, ignoring the part of him that screamed in protest and instead tapping into the confident soldier he’s always been, “we fight.”

You returned his smile, but what you couldn’t hide was the hint of darkness that lurked in your gaze. It sent a helpless pang through Hunter’s chest, especially when there was nothing he could do about it. “Sounds like a plan.” Your brow relaxed as you looked around the group with gratitude. “I can’t thank you all enough for what you’ve done in preparing for this fight.” You nodded. “And for helping to secure the area last night, after the attack.”

“It was a surprise to be sure, and certainly out of the ordinary for their strategy,” Tech responded. He did a double take as he glanced up to look at you. “It appears they got you, after all.”

Your brow furrowed at him. “What do you mean, Tech?”

Tech tilted his head. “The contusion on your neck. I assume it’s from a blade?”

That’s when Hunter found what Crosshair had earlier, and he was unable to believe he had missed it before. The mark on your neck was hard to miss, left behind where Hunter had made his refuge not long ago. Your expression somehow remained unchanged as you offered Tech a reassuring smile. Hunter could only try to keep his own reaction subtle, but his eyes had already widened when his heart fell straight into his ass. “You’re right, Tech. It was so painless that I’d nearly forgotten about it.”

Hunter raised an eyebrow at that. If you had really forgotten about it, then he would do a better job of helping you to remember next time.

Wrecker set his hand on Hunter’s shoulder again. “Oh, that’s why Hunter was so worried when I got there!” Hunter’s stare slid over to him, a silent warning that Wrecker didn’t heed. “I couldn’t see that in the dark. Glad you’re okay though, Senator.”

You bowed your head at him. “Thank you, Wrecker.”

Hunter was still focused on his brother. “Was I not supposed to be worried when the senator we’re protecting was attacked on our watch?”

“Defensive,” Crosshair murmured, his smirk returning.

“Take it easy on the sergeant this time.” Your voice was kind and void of accusation as you lifted a hand towards Crosshair. “His concern was justified. He had to see the worst of it, and had it not been for his prompt response… there would have been a very different outcome.”

The severity of your words, however soft, caused silence to blanket the group for a few long moments. Hunter’s stare found yours and he refused to look away. There was little you two had actually talked about between that moment and the last you had stolen together, and with the upcoming fight, there was no opportunity to do so anytime soon. Hunter kicked himself for not asking you how you felt about it all while he could.

“That being said, there is still much to attend to.” You smiled once again at the group. “It’s time for us to begin.”

You started to walk forward, and the squad parted for you. Your hand touched Wrecker’s shoulder as you passed him, but as it fell back to your side, it found Hunter’s. It wasn’t enough for anyone else to see, but it was much like what he had done for you during your last mission together: just enough for him to understand everything you couldn’t say.

Hunter watched you go for only a few moments longer. He couldn’t afford to look any longer, not with the eyes of his squad watching him, but it took a considerable amount of effort to peel his gaze away—especially with everything that had happened during the night and early morning.

“You heard the senator.” Hunter slid his helmet over his head and nodded at his brothers. “Let’s get going.”

As he led the way out, he was joined at his side by the squadmate who had been eerily quiet all morning. Echo’s visor looked over at Hunter just before he gave his helmet a knowing tilt. His words were low enough for only Hunter to hear. “Glad you two made up.”

Hunter and Echo had both underestimated how close Crosshair was. He was quick to chime in from his place on Hunter’s other side. “And made out.”

Hunter’s helmet snapped over to him. “Crosshair—.”

“You forgot to remove your attachment.” Hunter looked down to see that the grappling attachment on his blaster was still in place. Crosshair snickered when Hunter swung his helmet away from him with a heavy sigh. “I just hope you two were done by the time I walked through.”

Echo chuckled. “Welcome to the club, Crosshair.”

Hunter couldn’t even get a protest out before Wrecker spoke up from behind them. “Hey, what secrets are you telling them, Sarge?”

Crosshair responded over his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Wrecker.”

Wrecker grumbled and threw his hands up. “I don’t want to be left out again!” He shouldered Tech, who tripped a few steps at the sudden movement. “It’s always us two!”

“That is because I do not care enough to ask,” Tech insisted.

“Ouch,” Echo huffed.

“There are no ‘secrets,’” Hunter insisted, finally breaking his stunned silence. “All we’re focusing on is this mission. These aren’t battle droids, boys. We have to stay sharp.”

“Roger that, Hunter.” Wrecker pumped up a fist.“I’m ready for a challenge. Yeah!”

Tech didn’t look up from his datapad as he responded. “I don’t believe Hunter shares your enthusiasm.”

Hunter spared Tech a look over his shoulder. “What makes you say that?”

Tech glanced up to meet Hunter’s gaze. “You have been under a considerable amount of stress ever since this mission began, more than usual. I have noticed that it has only worsened today.”

Hunter fought the worried knot tied within his chest out of pure spite, now. “How would you possibly know that?”

Tech raised his brow behind his goggles. “What don’t I know, Hunter?”

Wrecker shrugged. “He’s got a point.”

Crosshair clearly couldn’t resist the opportunity to chime in. “Oh, there’s something you don’t know, all right.”

Echo provided the warning rather than Hunter. “Crosshair…”

Wrecker groaned. “I knew there was a secret!”

Tech’s gaze slid over to Crosshair unfazed. “If you are referring to Hunter’s attachment to the senator, I am well aware of it.”

Crosshair scoffed. “‘Attachment’ doesn’t begin to describe it.”

Hunter held up his fist, ordering the group to stop where they were. He closed his eyes behind his visor and took a deep breath, turning around to face his brothers. It was your words that ran through his head as he made his decision, reminding him that he wasn’t alone—not now, and not ever. Hunter removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm. “You’re right, Tech.” Hunter huffed. “In more ways than just one.”

Tech tilted his head. “That is not a surprise.”

“I’ve been putting myself under more pressure on this mission. I didn’t realize why at first, but… it’s pretty hard to ignore, now.” Hunter’s armored chest rose and fell in a deep breath as he circled his jaw and considered his words. “There’s even more to lose this time if I lead us into failure.”

Wrecker offered an indignant chuckle. “We never fail!”

“I know.” Hunter at least smiled at that. “But if something happens, then it’s not just all of you I’m risking. It’s the senator, too, and her world.” The thought pained him, as did this process of opening his heart, but your gentle encouragement from before got him through it. “And… the senator and I…” Hunter sighed, closing his eyes as he pushed the truth to the surface, “we’re pursuing a relationship.”

Stunned silence followed, but Wrecker was quick to break it with a cheer. “I knew it!”

Crosshair crossed his arms and turned to him. “No, you didn’t.” He shouldered Wrecker. “You owe me twenty credits.”

Hunter couldn’t do anything except laugh to himself as he shook his head at his brothers. There was a hand on his shoulder, and when he turned, he saw Echo standing there with a smile and a nod. “Thanks for telling us.”

“Yes, it is nice to finally have the confirmation.” Tech had even hung his datapad back on his belt as he nodded at Hunter. “I have been suspecting as much, but had no evidence to confirm my hypothesis.” His brow raised before he went on. “Not until this morning, when I caught sight of the senator’s ‘contu—.’”

“Yeah, that’s… thanks, Tech.” Hunter ran his hand over his forehead and exhaled an embarrassed breath.

Crosshair was counting Wrecker’s credits when Wrecker stepped up to set his hand on Hunter’s other shoulder. “I’m with Echo on this one, Hunter.” He gave his shoulder a squeeze that was much gentler than usual. “Thanks for trustin’ us.” Wrecker nodded, his stare never straying from Hunter’s. “We’ll make sure she’s okay.”

“Yeah.” Even Crosshair was joining in as he adjusted his rifle on his shoulder. “Wouldn’t want a failure on our record.”

Hunter huffed, raising his brow at Crosshair. That was about as heartfelt as Crosshair could get in a situation like this. “Thanks, boys.” Hunter took a deep breath and looked around the group. “I know there’s a lot left to figure out in that regard, but… for now, we’ve got to focus on this fight.”

Wrecker offered a salute, while Echo, Tech, and Crosshair all nodded. For the first time in much too long, Hunter could exhale a full breath, and his armored shoulders were already much lighter than before. Wrecker cheered again as he started to shake Hunter. “I’m so excited! We’re gonna be a royal family!”

“That’s not how that works, Wrecker,” Echo insisted as he slid his helmet back on.

“You beat me to it, Echo,” Tech remarked with a lilt of amusement.

Wrecker furrowed his brow and turned to Tech. “Whatever.” He gave his brother a rougher shove and laughed. “I’m still excited anyway!”

Hunter slid his helmet back on and grinned to himself. “Keep that excitement for this mission, Wrecker.”

Wrecker turned quickly to nod at that. “Sure thing, Sarge.”

Hunter returned his nod and turned back around. “Let’s keep going.”

It was incredible how much clarity Hunter gained from the simple confession. He hadn’t realized just how heavy the baggage of concealing such a thing from his brothers really was. Hunter took burdens as a necessary part of his leadership role, but he couldn’t help wondering if those were weights he could start sharing with his squad, even as he continued to prioritize and protect them.

What was equally as amazing was how much you were changing his perspective in such little time.

But you were convincing, Hunter had to give you that. Even just the thought of you, and especially what you had shared last night, was enough to motivate him to do just about anything. It was nice to have something true and good pushing him ahead, balancing out the concern of his brothers’ safety and the sense of duty that had been drilled into them since their earliest days on Kamino.

The squad made quick work of their scouting, seeing as the fighters weren’t doing anything out of the ordinary. All their preparations were already in place, as Hunter, Tech, and Crosshair had observed last night before returning to the capitol. Hunter was pleased with the fact he received minimal complaints from the boys about the lack of activity.

Time still passed by rather fast, and soon, the squad was heading back to the capitol for sundown. Hunter took the squad to get a meal as usual, though he dismissed himself early to find you. The weight of his brothers’ gazes still hung on him as he left, but no longer was it something he had to hide from. It was something he was learning to embrace.

Hunter arrived at the doors to your suite and knocked. He removed his helmet and shifted his weight as he waited for you to answer, and once you did, the sight of you was like a relieved breath of sweet air. Your brow furrowed as you gave him a once-over. “Hey.” Your voice was as soft as the daring touch you set upon his armored chest. “Is everything okay?”

Hunter nodded before he gestured with his eyes to your suite. “May I come in?”

You smiled at him. “You don’t have to ask.” You stepped away only to make room for him, letting him walk inside alongside you. Once the doors had closed, you wasted no time continuing your worried interrogation. “Where’s your squad?”

“Still eating.” Hunter lifted his free hand to the side of your neck, his palm brushing over the mark, and beamed at you. “I told them.”

The knit in your brow tightened before it relaxed. Your lips parted in awe as you blinked a few times up at him. “Really?”

Hunter nodded. “I thought about what you said last night, and…” he paused, looking away from you for a moment as he shrugged, “I don’t know. It just felt right.”

The smile that tugged at your lips was coated in amusement as you grasped onto him. “How’d it go?”

Hunter lifted his brow and chuckled. “As you’d expect it to.” He returned your smile. “But with plenty of support, too.”

You laughed with him. “I’m sure they already knew.”

“Almost all of them did.”

All you needed was a brief pause to think. “Wrecker?”

Hunter huffed and nodded. “He was the most excited, though.”

It was your turn to beam at him as you returned his nod. “Of course he was.” You leaned closer to him. “I look forward to getting to know them all even more.” Hunter was rewarded with a single, sweet kiss before you pulled back to add more. “But we have a fight to focus on.”

Hunter’s grasp on you became more desperate as he kept you close. “Let’s pretend we don’t.” He sought out the comfort of your lips, but broke away when you weren’t ready to receive him. “Just for now.”

You shook your head, your brow furrowed in conflict as your forehead pressed against his. “We don’t have that luxury, Hunter.” Your desperate stare found his. “Even though I wish we did.”

Hunter couldn’t give up that easily. “I know. But… just until they get back.” He searched your softening gaze and nodded. “I’ll be able to hear them.”

You were easily convinced, and Hunter thanked the stars for that. A soft smile and a nod was all Hunter saw before your mouth was on his again, taking over every one of his senses in a way he was keen on memorizing. He would need this comfort out there in the village, when he was willingly helping you face the same people who wanted you dead.

There were no guarantees on what exactly would come next, and so Hunter risked nothing. His actions now would tell you everything he couldn’t say, and for now, that would have to be enough.

chapter 6 ⟸ series masterlist ⟹ chapter 8

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

senator’s shadow tag list: @violetlilly2020 @jellybeanstacey0519 @dindadjarin

[here-comes-the-moose]

Hunter is the kind of guy who on the surface is the epitome of a suburban dad, but once you start chatting with him you realize he has the craziest lore. Like what do you mean Gary (Hunter) from next door was in a frat, smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish, hooked up with a ton of people, and is banned from three states and one country?

[1-have-no-idea]

“Pour me a glass, baby.”

(Gif not mine :))

Part two with Fives! Sequel to ‘cold hands and a hot drink

Reader is gender-neutral but an implied fem reader

First meet with Fives!

Character(s): Fives, reader, Echo, mentions of Anakin, unnamed roomate

Genre: Crack, fluff, this is a pretty normal fic

Overview: After the encounter with the small barista (you), Echo couldn’t seem to keep his mouth shut about you. Of course, a certain twin of his starts to get curious, and what was is better to finally meet you than a frat party where you’re serving alcohol?

Warning(s): Fratboy! Fives, Poor, shy baby Echo!, Tubetwin Fives and Echo, Language (in both Mando’a and Basic), sexual innuendos, suggestive themes, alcohol, grinding, it’s a frat party, reader is called ‘mesh’la’

950 words (?)

———————————————————————————

“—oh- and you should’ve seen the way they stood up for me, Fives- it was just- wow, I- I never seen anything so attractive-“

Yes, he knew. His dear vod Echo couldn’t seem to shut up about it ever since the encounter happened. Which, I mean- good for him, but Fives could not continue hearing his brother blabber on about this mysterious barista without Fives knowing them!

“Ugh, yes, you have told me about your very attractive barista that you’ve had your eye on for a while and stuck up for you- what’s their name again-?” Fives asked, rolling his eyes before huffing out a sigh and sinking further onto his bunk.

Echo merely gave a cricked smile to his twin before answering. “Name.” He murmured, and Fives shivered a little, never seeing his brother act like this before.

And frankly? He didn’t know whether to be proud, cringe, or curious. All three. Yeah. All three were good.

“Name...” Fives repeated, testing the foreign name on his tongue before shrugging.

“Well. Have you kriffed her yet-?“

“Shut the kriff up.”

“-yeah yeah, whatever.” He said with a small chuckle, pulling his phone out and scrolling through it lazily. Most likely going through his own posts and checking himself out.

Before receiving a text from Anakin, who said he was hosting another frat party and wanted Fives to be there.

Of course he did!

Fives was the life of the party, of course. He smirked, immediately accepting the invite and looking through its details.

“Ay, Echo- there’s another frat party tonight. Ya wanna come this time?” He asked, looking up from his phone to look at his pale brother. Echo grimaced, his nose scrunching up a little as the corner of his mouth pulled down slightly.

“I dunno, Fives. Frat parties ain’t really my thing-“

“Ooh! They’re gonna be serving drinks there!” He cut Echo off, before snickering and nudging him with his elbow. “Maybe your pretty barista might be there- you should come.” He teased. Echo side-eyed him, frowning a little, before huffing. “Don’t play like that, Fives. We don’t know that-“

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Honestly, you had no idea why you agreed to this.

You were a barista, not some alcohol bunny.

But here you were, at this stupid party with stupid sick LED’s, loud, thumping music, many people grinding and flirting and making out or going to another dorm to do… other things.

You sighed, resting your cheek on your palm, watching the party lazily.

Anakin had practically begged the you to come out and make drinks for his party.

‘Please? You’d be doing me- everyone, a huge favor! I’ll pay you anything, just come, dude-“

‘Who knows. Maybe you’ll get laid. S’gonna be fuckin’ sick, so please come.’

Wow. Yeah. What a very convincing argument coming from the popular frat boy of the college, yeah? You didn’t know if it was demanding or whiny. Both, maybe.

But, anywho, you, of course you did, agreed just because Anakin looked like a kicked puppy and he wouldn’t shut up.

So there you were now. Handing out drinks, pills, cleaning up, yeah.

“Hey! Mesh’la! C’mere for a sec, yeah?” You perked up as a certain goateed man beckoned you over with a curl of a finger, giving you a smirk.

“Yeah?” You responded, raising a brow. “Y’see that man over there?” He gestured over to a rather familiar pale male lurking in the corner- oh! “Echo-!” You beamed, before nodding at the other male.

Fives grinned at you. Ah. So he was right. That was the same person that Echo had been nonstop babbling about. “Yep. that’s him. Y’know him?” You smiled and nodded. “Yeah! He’s a regular at my cafe.” You explained. He laughed a little, extending a hand, which you shook.

“Name’s Fives. Name, right?” You nodded, before gasping. “Oh! Yeah! You’re Echo’s twin,” you said, nodding. He laughed a little, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah… that’s me.” He purred, eyes smoldering.

Ew. You paused for a second, fingers twitching as you cringed a little before clearing your throat. “Yeah! Well- s’nice to meet you-“ you then waved at Echo, grinning at him, making the male approach them shyly.

“Hey, name.” He greeted shyly, making you smile fondly at him. “Hey, Echo. Didn’t expect to see you here.” You commented, making Echo laugh. “Same goes for you.” He shrugged.

Fives just rolled his eyes at being ignored, before shrugging. “My roommate knows you. She mentions you, sometimes.” You then spoke up to Fives, pouring Echo a glass of water, before grabbing vodka and filling another person’s cup. Fives immediately smirked at that. “Oh yeah?” He asked, you nodding at him. Of course your roommate knew him. That’s the one he fucked the other night, right? Yeah, well, at least you heard of his skills.

He laughed a little, observing you and Echo, before leaning his cup towards you. You were a good person, he could tell. Maybe a bit of a goody-two-shoes. You didn’t throw herself at him either. He couldn’t help but find that frustrating but entertaining. He did enjoy seeing you interact with his brother, though.

“Pour me a glass, baby.”

[ahsomega]

Minor Spoiler

Loved seeing the Deke, Mox and Stak enter their frat boy era.

[fog-n-dance]

It is 4am here, I’m leaving for work soon, and coming accross art-soop’s amazing art I started thinking about all the haircuts Hunter would want to try over the years on Pabu. All the beard styling and changing and stuff.

And my God, about all the S H I T that Crosshair would give him every. single. time. While of course secretly envying him so hard ‘cause he’s the only one who can do that.

Voilà, that’s gonna be this shift’s mental focus, another good day of zoning out 👌🏻

[hira492]

Watched Bad Batch 's last episode with friends for the first time and we literally acted like that "dudes cheering in a couch" meme when the close up of the scales showed up, then we were like "oh, false alarm, calm down, CALM DOWN".

Then we straight up acted like men watching the Super bowl when they confirmed it wasn't a false alarm

[coppermarigolds]

It's no wonder Echo got frustrated when Hunter went full stay-at-home-dad in the space of like two episodes 😆 He was like "wait, this isn't the Chaos Squad I signed up for!"

Never gonna get over the fact that Captain Rex spent FOUR episodes with The Bad Batch, during which time:

Tech nearly wipes out a runway construction crew, Tokyo Drift style

Crosshair picks 3 separate fights with regs, including Rex himself (and Rex socks him in the face for it)

Hunter literally looks Rex in the face after receiving orders and says “ehhh yeah no” and then proceeds to charge an approaching enemy squadron head on

Wrecker begs to explode just about every single building they lay eyes on

Hunter confesses to a Jedi general that he’s never submitted a single report in his life

Hunter also goes for a joyride by dangling from the foot of a giant winged beast from a single rappelling line

Tech later convinces them all to jump through the air onto the backs of said winged beasts in the middle of heavy enemy fire after summoning them with his self-made Animal Sound Spotify

Wrecker destroys like 100 battle droids in 3.5 seconds with his bare hands and laughs like a maniac the entire time

Crosshair, rather than let himself be shown up by Wrecker, destroys like 1/6 of the enemy forces with tiny hand mirrors and a single laser shot

The entire batch is sassing each other THE ENTIRE TIME (“don’t worry, Wrecker, I’LL hold your hand” “yeah…it’s a lift” “me and the boys will tag along, just to say I told you so”)

And after all of that, Rex looked at Echo and was like “yeah I think we’ve found your new home” and Echo was just like 😍😍

[rendomski]

Fic rec!

Been a while since I recommended a good fic here, and certainly not for the lack of good fics. So, here's good stuff for y'all: “The Adoption Process” by @sanru continued recently by “Ba'jurir to Adiik.”

“The Adoption Process” tells about how the Bad Batch came up with the idea of adopting Echo to their squad, from the point of view of each of the Batchers. The Frat Batch vibes run free in this story, the details of the daily life of the Batch are amazing, and the mood runs from hilarious to obnoxious to heartwarming and back again.

TW❗There is a background scene describing clone shipping, but no romantic relationships involving Echo or the members of the Batch, just siblings shenanigans.

“Don’t worry.  We’re… uniquely suited to take care of him.  He’ll be alright.”

That seemed to surprise Rex but the Captain made a point to smile and clasp a hand onto his shoulder.  “I know… just be ready for when he decides to return the favor.”

And “Ba'jurir to Adiik” carries on with the story from Echo's perspective, when Echo is, as expected, absolutely shocked with the realities of the chaotic lifestyle of the Bad Batch. His proverbial Mom mode is activated and is gradually reaching 120%. 

“Hey,” Hunter said, now looking annoyed as he uncurled from his seat and walked into the main compartment of the ship.  “What have I told you guys about moving my knives?”  He said as he picked his way through the majority of the mess to scoop up the vibroknife.  “I was looking for this before we headed out yesterday.”

“Quit complaining.  If you really wanted it you would have found it,” Crosshair drawled from the cockpit.  Honestly Echo had thought that the sniper had dozed off at the controls considering how he was draped across the seat. He had his boots up on a section of the console, arms crossed over his chest as he slouched sideways in the copilot seat.

Hunter didn’t bother answering him.  Opening one of the lockers in the far side of the fresher that Wrecker had referred to as their personal gear lockers, Echo watched as their commanding officer slammed the knife into the back of the locker.  Judging from the sound of tearing sheet steel, Hunter had stabbed the vibroknife into the back of the locker rather than loading it into a sheath or anything… sane.  

No, of course not, it made perfect sense to stab a knife into the back of his locker.

TW❗Echo’s medical issues. And Tech gets carried away in, so to speak, monitoring them.

Both fics are marked as parts 8 and 9 of a gargantuan cycle but can be perfectly read as standalone stories, as they serve as prequels to the main epic story of the cycle and essentially follow the canon material.

[here-comes-the-moose]

What I Headcanon the Vibes Were Between Echo Joining the Batch and Omega Joining Them, Using this TikTok Audio Mashup:

CPR: Crosshair

Misery: Echo

Reese’s Puffs: Wrecker

Thank you I will be taking no further questions at this time except I totally will

[notallthoseinheadspace]

The fact that Echo is known as The Responsible One, Killjoy, Tired Parent of The Bad Batch and yet without fail, every time there is absolute fucking chaos in the vicinity the first reaction of the band of madcap frat boys he’s attached himself to is ‘Did Echo do that?’

Echo was with the 501st - Anakin ‘How Many Ways Can This Go Sideways’ Skywalker’s troop, because he impressed Captain Rex and Commander Cody, who are used to riding herd on the craziest Jedi the Order can provide, because the day they met involved blowing up the outpost they were assigned to.

Echo was Rex’s favorite. Echo helped Rex develop plans so good that the enemy had to capture him and drill them out of his head in order to beat.

Echo is chaos incarnate, he’s just tactical about it.