#tiny trooper kit

[handless-and-dangerous]

Hey Sarge can I get a hand up?

Welcome aboard Wing.

Hey -- umphh! -- little help here??

[tesalicious2]

Why you don't prank the Guard commanders

Since they are almost constantly tired and at the end of their rope, anything could set them over the edge and no one wants that

not only that but they will usually react very strongly because of their extenuating circumstances and it is often blown out of proportions

HOWEVER, the other battalions don't know that and just want to help their brothers have fun! what's wrong with that

THIRE:

Thire got off a three day mission with General Yoda that ends up with Thire covered in some giant monsters stomach fluids and snot

He had to sit in it for a ten hour ride back and is humilated, with Yoda attempting to comfort him which only makes it worse

On his way back to the HQ, some troopers from the 104th decided to hit a guard with fake slime, a funny little prank

When Thire is at the end of his rope, he goes for violence

Thire waltzes into the mess, calls out whoever pranked him, and proceeded to dress them down, chew them up, and spit them out in front of everyone in the entire mess (made up of a few battalions and some Padawan Commanders)

It boiled down to 'you morons, i will kill you, you tiny roaches are nothing to me and i will throw you in the trash compactor like the disgusting garbage you are' with much more colorful and degrading language thrown in

Many now fear Thire and Wolffe outright refuses to work with the man out of fear

STONE:

Stone had just stopped three prison riots, captured two escapees from said riots, updated the entire security system, and hadn't slept because of the previous items for four days

Some men from Kit Fisto's SCUBA battalion thought it would be funny to hide some of Stone's stuff that was in his office (ie, datapads, pens, etc) and moved his stuff three inches to any side

Stone, who usually just jumped onto the coach in his office with the lights off, missed the middle and went to far up and smacked his nose on the wooden arm of the couch and cracked a tooth

This was not a fun way to cap the last four days

He found the troopers and filled their SCUBA tubes with spiders for them to find when they shipped out. Too bad the spiders crawled onto their faces on the ship and not in the water :(

THORN:

Thorn had been assissting senators for three full days with only 5 hours of sleep while standing throughout meetings

He had been ready to sleep and was heading to his last meeting with General Kenobi and some of his troopers present

Wooley and Longshot decided to lighten the mood by setting their voice coders to a different language and telling him he was going crazy

They also removed the nonslip pads from the couch and it slid out from underneath him

This may not have been bad at all but after three days, every little thing is annoying as shit and exhausting

After that meeting, Thorn decides to take revenge

Thorn is a believer in you get what you give so he does something harmless

relatively harmless

He sneaks onto the 212th barracks on the ship and places a speaker into the vents of the barracks, above Wooley and Longshots bunks (as close as he could get, the sound reverbs so everyone is pretty mad about this prank)

Every so often, in random intervals (no more than 4 hours, no less than 1 hours) a beep would sound, not too loud but loud enough to be annoying after 2 days

At night, it gets louder and more frequent and quieter during the day

Many troopers lose sleep over finding the thing (Thorn literally unscrewed wall panels to hide it), its been 3 weeks and they arrive at their new battle field in a week

Four days before their arrival, as the speaker is about to die, in the middle of the night, the speaker goes to full volume and shouts 'THIS IS COMMANDER THORN. I MAY BE THE CAUSE OF YOUR SLEEPLESSNESS BUT LONGSHOT AND WOOLEY STARTED THIS. I WILL DO IT AGAIN ASSHOLES. THE SPEAKER IS GOING TO DIE SO ENJOY YOUR *TEMPORARY* FREEDOM. HAHHAHAHAHAH-' and then the speaker dies (Thorn hacked the cameras and enjoys playing the screaming arguments and shouts at the speaker during rough days)

Longshot and Wooley never hear the end of it

FOX:

Fox had been going through hell the entire week and he was ready to kill someone, even though his shift wasn't over yet.

Jesse, Fives, and Hardcase had decided to help Fox lighten up by shooting him with silly string throughout the day, switching armor with blank armor to keep hidden

Fox was paranoid and had to be sedated. He eventually tracked down the three and had his revenge not through their own annoyance

At first, he replaced their weapons with modified silly guns that quickly ended, leading them to believe they were free (the whole revenge lasted an hour ish as the three enjoyed playing with the silly string)

Unknown to them, Rex's entire room had been filled with silly string, his blasters, the padding in his matress, the drawers in his dress, the hair wash was liquid silly string, the soap was frozen strong, his pillow, his chair was broken then 'welded' back together with silly string and fell apart when he sat on it, etc.

He kept finding it and it lasted for days, the moment he thought it was over, more string came up. He was paranoid, everything was silly string

When he finally complained to the command chat, Fox told him that Jesse, Hardcase, and Fives caused it and that he overheard them planning it

When Rex punished them, they said they never did anything with silly string but many others saw them spraying each other with the silly string FOX pranked them with so everyone assumed they were messing with the leftovers from Rex's prank. Not only that but they weren't quiet about pranking Fox so everyone thought he was the warm up for Rex.

No matter what they said, Rex didn't believe a word and they were stuck on latrine duty for a whole month

When Rex found out about Fox getting pranked as well, Rex let them get punished by him too

Fox made them clean out all the massiff kennels and play areas, cleaning any stains from the puppies and getting used for bite practice by the adults everyday for their next leave.

Fox came by and watched them everyday, laughing at their misery

HOUND:

Hound loves pranks and jokes and will happily engage and laugh at them

however, the timing has to be right and most don't get that part (only the other ARF troopers know)

Some troopers from the 41st took his bed sheets and pillows and blankets and towels after some of his troopers and Hound ended a four hour chase through the sewers (they didn't know about the chase).

Hound normally would've thought this was hilarious but after spending two hours covered in sewage looking for towels around HQ just to shower, he was pretty mad

After cleaning up and ready for bed, he snuck into the 41st barracks and woke them up with a growling, snarling grizzer leaning over their face and a hand over their mouth.

He whispered, 'don't scream, you touch my shit again, I will end you and everyone you love.'

Rinse and repeat then he sneaks away

[vodika-vibes]

Hey, Vod'ika!! I saw you reblog memepocalypse's "gentle care" prompts and I saw you suggest requests for underrated clones so I'm here to deliver (numerous times) .

How about a Hound x reader fic where the reader sees him injured after an anti-clone dickhead jumps him with the prompt "I can't believe someone would do this to you"??

Love your work and hope you have a good day/night!!

You Deserve Better

Summary: Hound shows up on your doorstep bleeding, and you help him.

Pairing: ARF Trooper Hound x F!Reader

Word Count: 986

Warnings: Reader got pregnant at 17, and mentions of domestic abuse and child abuse.

A/N: So I'm not sure this is the greatest fic, I got really dizzy halfway through writing it, but I tried. I hope you like it.

Click HERE to be added to my taglist

“Are you okay?” You glance over your shoulder, from where you’re pulling your first aid kit out from under the sink, when you hear your son’s voice, tiny and afraid ask his question. 

“I’m alright, verd’ika,” Hound sounds as jovial as ever, even though his face is covered in bruises. Even though he’s holding a cloth to his face to try and stop the bleeding, “Just a bad day.”

You watch your son watch Hound for a moment, his eyes old and tired in a way that looks out of place on a six-year-old. “Mama will patch you up,” He says, “She’s got a lot of practice.”

“Why don’t you take Grizzer and get ready for bed, Nel?” You ask as you walk over to Hound and set the massive first aid kit on the couch next to him.

Nel looks up at you, “What if the bad man comes here?”

“He won’t.” You smooth your hand over his head, “And if he does, we have Grizzer.” Your son stares at you for a moment longer, and then he nods. You wait until you hear his bedroom door click shut before you focus your attention on Hound.

You pop open the first aid kit and pull on some gloves before you carefully start to tend to his injury. Hound watches you, his gaze darting between your hands and the first aid kit.

“You know,” He offers, “I really only needed you to call my brother. This wasn’t me needing you to take care of me.”

“I don’t mind,” You reply, “Head injuries bleed a lot, so it looks worse than it is. I am a little worried about a concussion, though.” You pull away from him to grab something else out of the kit, “How did this happen? Your armor is supposed to protect you.”

“I was jumped by some anti-war protestor.”

You pause, your gaze snapping to his in disbelief, “What?”

“Yeah, apparently it’s my personal fault that we’re still at war.” Hound jokes with a wry smile.

“That’s…” You take a deep breath to smother your anger before it flares hot, “I can’t believe someone would do this to you.” You say instead.

“People are tired of the war,” Hound replies, “I’m just an easy target.”

You scowl at him, “It’s not right.”

“Of course not. But it is what it is.”

Your scowl deepens. This situation sucks. All of it. You wish you could just take Hound and run away somewhere. Hound and Grizzer.

But there’s nowhere in the galaxy where a clone would be safe.

“So,” Hound interrupts your thoughts, “Where’d you learn how to first aid like this? Nel seems a bit…steady…to need a first aid kit like this.” You’re able to translate his words easily. He means that Nel is too careful to get badly hurt.

And, well, he’s right.

You consider him for a moment, “My ex. Nel’s father. He liked to drink and he didn’t much like me. Or Nel.” 

“You had a kid with someone who hates you?”

“Eh. I was 17, and my implant failed, and then I got guilted into keeping Nel. In truth, he’s the only good thing that came from that relationship. But I stayed with his father for far too long.”

“What happened—ow!” You roll your eyes when Hound jerks away from you when you start to clean his head wound.

“Well, he tried to kick Nel after he was done working out his anger on me,” You reply, “So I took Nel and went to my parents. I stayed with them while my dad and brothers got all of my, and Nel’s, stuff. And I never saw him again.”

“Never?”

“Well, he vanished.” You shrug, “I have a pretty good idea about what happened, but I don’t have any proof. And, really, we’re better off without him.”

“So, you know first aid because you were in an abusive relationship,” Hound says slowly.

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry. That should have never happened to you.”

“Yeah, well. People are people, and people suck sometimes.” You pull away from him, “Alright, all I need to do is put a bandage on this, and you’ll be all set.”

Hound catches your wrist when you go to put the bacta bandage on his forehead, “You know people are generally good, right cyare?”

“How can you, of all people, think that?” You shake off his hold and press the bandage to his forehead. “You’re a member of the guard, it’s no secret to me that you are all being mistreated by the people who work with you.”

“I mean, sure. People in positions of power suck, but the average person—”

“...you were, quite literally, just jumped by an average person, Hound.”

“...I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”

You sigh and tug your gloves off, before gently cupping his face in your hands, “What am I going to do with you?”

“Love me forever?”

“Silly man, of course I am.” You just wish you could keep him safe. But the only way to do that would be to leave Coruscant, and he’d never leave his brothers.

Hound stands, hand hands dropping to your waist. “I don’t deserve you.”

“You deserve better.” You correct him with a gentle smile, “Now, do you want to stay the night? Nel will be thrilled to see you in the morning.”

“Just Nel?”

“Mm, well. I wouldn’t kick you out of bed.”

Hound laughs and leans in so his nose is bumped against yours, “Let me call Fox and get his okay, and then I’d love to stay.”

“Good,” 

He closes the tiny distance between your lips, and you sigh into the kiss. Maybe, if you find a ship big enough, you can steal all of the guards? You're sure your brothers and parents will help. But that’s a problem for later you.

Present you needs to make some food for him to eat.

@imabeautifulbutterfly

@n0vqni

@bad4amficideas

@justiceandwar98

@mira-loves-star-wars

@tiredbi-peach

@dukeoftheblackstar

@trixie2023

@kimiheartblade

@padawancat97

@falconfeather23435

@etod

@bb8-99

@kiss-anon

@continous-mistakes

@yoitsjay

@liz-stat

@cc--2224

@adriennelenoir

@cdblake1565

@sweater-sloot

@heidnspeak

@wax-birds

@silly-starfish

@lonewolflupe

@maniacalbooper

@rebell-ious

[casual-violinist-fangirl]

Just Call Me And I'll Be There (3,090 Words)

Injured and on the run, Omega is forced to run to the first person she thinks of... but will that person be wiling to help her out after all of these years?

Set after the epilogue of the Bad Batch, exploring Omega's life in the rebellion! This will be a two-chapter fic and I'll make sure to tag the second chapter when it is completed!

As always, the link for my AO3 page is here and the link to my Tumblr masterlist is here.

I hope you enjoy!

--------

Omega was typically good at getting out of uncomfortable situations; the prospect of being captured was no stranger to her, so when the Empire had eventually caught up with her squad she had hardly been surprised. Luckily, none of them could trace her back to Hemlock’s experiments on Tantiss (thanks, Nala Se) so those holding her hostage just assumed that she was some washed up orphan that had joined the rebellion on a whim…

… if only they knew the truth.

Needless to say, her escape had been pretty spectacular. Echo would have been proud if he could have been there to see the way the cruiser exploded as she flew away in a modified TIE fighter. He was still working on liberating clones, even though Rex, Wolffe and Gregor had retired years earlier. Age hadn’t stopped the ex-ARC trooper from fighting for the rights of clones, and luckily Senator Chuchi was still standing strong and by his side. 

If Omega had to be critical, the only downside of her escape this time was the nasty burn on the side of her leg from where she’d dodged some explosive flames on her way out, combined with the blaster wound on her shoulder; luckily she had been wearing a disguise at the time of her capture, not her lucky jacket.

Still high on adrenaline and fear, the young woman had managed to punch in hyperspace coordinates and class her way to the nearest neutral planet she could think of: Ord Mantell.

She hadn’t exactly been planning on going there, but it popped up on the navi-computer as being the closest by a long shot… Pabu was way too far for her to go now. 

Landing on the planet hadn’t been an issue, although some people had stopped and stared at her as she clambered out of the TIE fighter, ragged and bleeding. Where was she going to go now? Kriff, she hadn’t thought this far. Hobbling out of the spaceport, she surveyed her surroundings as she tried to think of a plan of action. As long as she put space between herself and the ship she guessed it didn’t really matter where she went. If this place had access to long-range comms and  med-kit that would be even better…

A nasty thought filled her head and she swore quietly to herself… there was one place she could think of going to, not that it filled her with much joy. Realising that she didn’t have much choice and that if she wanted to go under the Empire’s radar, she’d need to rely on a friend. 

If she could call this person a friend anymore… time would tell.

——

The last twenty(ish) years had not been particularly kind to Cid. After she had lost communication with the Bad Batch, she had been riddled with guilt. That guilt had only gotten worse when she’d realised that the creepy scientist had been after Tiny and not her brothers. She had tried her hardest to put all of that behind her, until Phee had come knocking on her door.

The pirate had yelled abuse at her, calling her a coward and declaring that she had no right destroying the family of clones in the way that she did. Cid had made some below-the-belt comments about Phee and Goggles, snapping about how she was only acting this way because of his death.

Needless to say, Phee hadn’t spoken to her since. Cid had lost one of the only people she could call a friend. 

Then, six months later, a dangerously skilled clone had rocked up on her doorstep, threatening to burn down her bar if she didn’t give him a way of finding Omega. So the kid had escaped? With the help of one of her brothers, she’d later found out. Not that Cid was surprised. She guessed it must’ve been Bandanna who’d rescued the girl; she was closer to being his daughter than his sister anyways.

Stuck in-between a rock and a hard place, Cid had said the only person she knew who might have contact with the Batch was Phee. Luckily for her, the clone had left, but not before firing a blaster bolt through her shoulder in an attempt to kill her.

After that, Cid heard nothing else about her ex-mercenaries, and she decided that was the way she liked it. She could run her bar undisturbed by clones and their issues. No whiny kids, no grumpy fathers, no loud, boomy brothers. No know-it-all clones who always interrupted her when she was talking… It was kinda quiet though.

That was until one day, nearly twenty years later, she was closing down the bar after a long night. The door beeped, a sign that the security code had been tapped into the keypad outside, and hissed open; it creaked a little, a sign that it needed oiling… or possibly outright replacing.

Cid scowled. She was the only person who knew the code to that door, so either someone had overridden it or it was….

… surely not. She hadn’t heard from any of them in years. If they were even still alive, why would they want to see her? She had betrayed them, sold them out to the Empire like they had been nothing to her. They hadn’t meant anything to her… or at least she hadn’t thought so until Tech had died. The day they’d rushed into her bar, injured and broken, her heart had hurt for them. It had hurt even more so when he’d seen the distraught look on Hunter’s face as he stooped over Omega’s injured form. 

Shaking herself out of her thoughts and back into the present, Cid grasped the blaster that she had clipped to the bottom of the bar. The woman clicked it out of stun mode; whoever was coming into her bar, they weren’t expected and they were unlikely to be friendly. 

She could hear laboured footsteps coming down the steps and exiting the shadows. There, stood in front of Cid with blood oozing out of her shoulder and smelling a little bit like burning, was a young woman.

“Long time no see, Cid,” the girl said with a small smile that instantly sent the Trandoshian back in time. 

“Tiny!”

Blaster dropped to the floor and forgotten about, Cid moved around the bar and towards Omega. Upon closer inspection, she noticed just how bad the blaster wound was, and realised that the smell of burning was coming from the scorched fabric on her trousers. This kid had been through the wars.

“What happened to you, someone try to barbecue ya?” she asked as she glanced down at the burn on the girl’s leg. That was gonna need some serious bacta, and even then it might leave a mean scar. Omega rolled her eyes as she moved to a bar stool, sitting on it heavily. 

“Got captured by Imperials,” she started to explain through gritted teeth. “Had to blow up their ship when I escaped.” 

Cid’s face must have held a bewildered look because Omega snorted humourlessly. “You haven’t changed much,” she muttered as she rested her head against the cool bar surface. She groaned as there was a pull in her shoulder but sighed contentedly as the cool metal met a bruise on her temple. Had she been hit around the head at one point? Who knew. 

Cid stared at the young clone in front of her, still not quite believing her eyes. 

“Where are your posse?” she asked, moving back to the other side of the bar. She reached back and pulled down two glasses and a bottle of liquor. The kid looked old enough to drink now… stuff it, even if she wasn’t, it would help ease the pain of her injuries. 

“That’s what I was coming to you about, actually,” Omega raised an eyebrow at the alcohol in her cup but didn’t even flinch as she knocked it back like a shot. Cid shrugged and poured her some more.

“I don’t know where your family are, kid, if that’s what you’re asking.” The Trandoshian’s voice seemed to be filled with sympathy that Omega didn’t know she possessed. She shook her head.

“I know where they are,” she replied. “I just need access to a long-range comm that I know will reach them undetected.” She looked at Cid pointedly. “… and a med-kit that’s well stocked,” she added, knowing that Echo used to put things into Cid’s med-kit that probably hadn’t been used since they were placed there. Out of date bacta was better than no bacta. “You owe me after what you put me and my family through.”

Cid sighed, knowing that the girl was right. She could hardly turn her away, not after she had done exactly that years prior. She had betrayed the child and her brothers more times than she cared to admit… it was time to make good.

She lead Omega through the bar, still carrying the bottle of alcohol and their glasses, and sat her down in the office. There she went about looking for the med-kit; Omega had been right. It hadn’t been updated since Echo had done it fifteen years ago. She sighed as she clicked open the box and began searching through it for what she needed. 

“Comm’s all set up,” the quiet voice of Cid broke the clone out of her concentration. “I’ve rigged it so no one will trace your call.”

Omega nodded in thanks and watched as the Trandoshian left the office before turning her attention to the machine. She tapped in the code for her family’s comm device on Pabu before sitting back and hoping that someone would be on the other end to pick up…

The comm hadn’t even rang three times before Hunter’s scowling face appeared. 

“Cid,” he started. “I don’t know why you’re trying to call us after all these years but…” his voice trailed off and cracked when he noticed who was on the end of the line.

“Omega!” he gasped, and the woman in question smiled a watery smile. 

“Hey, buir,” she croaked as she tried to hold back to onslaught of emotion she was experiencing upon seeing her father for the first time since before her capture. 

Of course Hunter had questions. “Why are you at Cid’s?” was the first, though it was swiftly followed by “are you hurt?” and “do you need me to come and get you?”

Omega had given him the shortened version of what had happened leading up to and following on from her capture. Her buir’s eyes widened when she said that she had been hurt and gave him the brief rundown of her injuries.

Before too long, Hunter was saying goodbye, promising to be there soon to pick her up. He hung up the call, leaving Omega alone once more; all of a sudden the wave of emotion was too much for her and she burst into loud, heartbreaking sobs. 

Cid, on hearing her crying, opened the door to the office and peeped in. 

“You okay, Tiny?” she asked, concern lacing her usually blunt voice. Omega nodded, but hissed in pain as she jolted her shoulder once more. The Trandoshian guessed that the call had been successful considering how long it had gone on for, and that one of Tiny’s brothers would be here soon. “Let’s get you patched up,” she carried on, walking further into the room and prying the med-kit out of the girl’s hands.

She worked in silence, carefully peeling away what fabric she could from Omega’s burn as the young clone breathed through the pain. She then sprayed a bacta-laced freezing spray over the wound; Tiny’s shoulders eased up as she sighed a little with relief. 

Then came the shoulder. All Cid could do was place out of date bacta over it and dress it neatly, hoping that it would stop bleeding soon.

“Sorry there isn’t more I can do, kid,” she muttered in apology as she stood away to admire her handiwork. Omega nodded, though her eyes were unfocussed and looked heavy. Cid swore quietly and waved a hand in front of the girl’s face.

“Hey, Tiny,” she spoke a little louder, snapping Omega out of her slump. “I reckon you’re concussed. No nap time for you, at least not until one of your brothers turns up.” The woman in question nodded in response, not being able to bring herself to speak. She was so tired, surely a small nap wouldn’t hurt…

… “TINY!” Omega jumped out of her skin, hissing at the movement in her shoulder. “Come on, kid,” Cid grumbled. “You gotta stay alive until Dark and Broody gets here. I’m guessing he’s the one who’s on his way?”

Omega nodded, a small smile on her face at the mention of her buir. Cid rolled her eyes; this kid had always been soft.

“Has he finally decided he’s your dad yet?” she asked sarcastically. “Or is he still pretending that his Jango Fett gene didn’t activate?”

She turned to face the wounded clone, only to see a frown on her face. 

“After my second escape from Hemlock…” Omega started slowly. “Hunter said that we were free to be whoever we wanted.” She smiled fondly at the memory. It hadn’t been long after that she’d started calling him buir. She had been so nervous, petrified of being rejected, but she needn’t have been. Hunter had practically burst into tears upon her asking permission to call him dad.

“He chose to be a father,” she finished with a fond smile on her face. Cid nodded, somewhat impressed with the clone sergeant. When she had known him, he had seemed so emotionally stunted that she thought he’d never admit to Omega how he felt about her, but here the pair were. Father and daughter… Cid realised she should have guessed this from the red bandanna the kid wore around her head. Yeah, there was no confusion as to whose kid she was.

“I’m glad he came to his senses,” she commented, making Omega snort a little with laughter. 

“You sound like Crosshair,” she replied with a laugh. “He’s the one who said I should talk to Hunter.”

Cid vaguely remembered the Batch talking about a Crosshair and she had assumed that he was one of their brothers, but had never met the man. 

——

Hunter barrelled through the door of the bar four fours later looking frazzled and… older than Cid remembered. Of course, she didn’t look the same, but she hadn’t been expecting the small streaks of silver running through Dark and Broody’s hair, or the way his battle-ready body had filled out… that probably came with being able to afford food, she thought to herself as she stood up to greet him. 

Omega was getting tired again, her eyes drooping as she complained about the pain in her leg beginning to come back; Cid had kept her busy with a caffeinated drink and multiple games of Djerik. Of course the girl had won every single came, even concussed; as they played she wittered on about the time she had won nearly 50,000 credits whilst on the run with Crosshair.

“Omega!” Hunter ran to the young clone, not even looking at Cid. He crouched in front of her, ignoring the twinge in his knees. Checking over her injuries, he frowned as he noticed the gunshot wound, treated but still painful. It turned out that out of date bacta wasn’t as effective as Omega had hoped. 

“Hey, buir,” she said in a voice that was suddenly choked with emotion again. “Everything hurts.”

Hunter breathed out a short laugh, though the concern on his face was still evident. “I’m not surprised, ad’ika,” he replied, cupping her cheek. “It’s okay though, I’ll get you home.”

Cid raised both eyebrows at the mention of ‘home.’ She had just assumed that the boys would still be wondering the galaxy. She was surprised that they had found somewhere safe enough to settle down.

She was broken from her thoughts by Hunter easing his kid to her feet and slinging her good arm over his shoulder. Omega hissed as the pair took an unsteady step forward, Bandanna whispering soothing words to her as a couple of tears leaked down her cheeks. The pain really had come back with a vengeance, huh. 

As the pair reached the door of the bar, Hunter still having not knowledge Cid’s existence, Omega put her hand out to stop them both. She shuffled around, nodding at the Trandoshian.

“Thanks, Cid,” she said and for what it was worth, she sounded genuinely grateful. Cid nodded in return at them both. 

“See you around, Tiny,” she replied. “You too, Bandanna. I’m glad you got to live your lives in peace. You deserved it.”

For the first time, Hunter looked at her. Cid could see the bitterness in his eyes, not that she could blame him. As he observed her, his eyes softened a little. She knew he was grateful that she’d looked after his little girl. After everything she had put their family through, that was as much as she could ask for. The pair nodded at each other before Hunter re-adjusted his grasp on Omega. The pair shuffled out of the bar, slowly making their way back to their ship.

——

“You were smart to go back to somewhere you know,” Hunter commented as he settled Omega in the co-pilot’s chair of his ship. His first move had been to give her a dose of pain medication; she had no idea when she’d hit her head, but it was safe to say that she was coherent that Hunter wasn’t worried about her falling asleep. As the pain medication kicked in she began to doze off. Her buir took the opportunity to re-dress her arm with bacta that would actually do its job, and put more spray on her burn before dressing that too.

“You trained me well…” Omega slurred slightly, her eyes drooping. “Missed you, buir,” she added in a pitifully small voice as he finished up re-dressing her injuries. Hunter stood back to his full height and sighed at the sight of his grown-up daughter falling asleep in front of him. He stooped down and pressed a gentle kiss against her temple.

“Missed you too, ‘Mega,” he whispered, not wanting to make her jump. He sat down in the pilot’s chair before tapping in the coordinates for Pabu. Upon entering hyperspace he finally breathed a sigh of relief; they were going home.

[novankenn]

"Jaune Gets A Gun AU - Day 2" Titanfall 2 - Various (Pt1)

Inspired by @howlingday's RU-JA-GUN-CON

????/????: Customers! Welcome!

Jaune: Eh?

????: Ignore Droz... I'm Davis thank you for coming over.

Droz: and Welcome to the 6-4!

Davis: We're not the 6-4 anymore.

Droz: Once 6-4 always 6-4

Pyrrha: Are we interrupting something? We can always come ba...

Droz/Davis: NO! Please stay...

Davis: We have guns... because we're at a gun show, obviously... hehe.

Pyrrha/Ruby/Jaune: (Thinking) Okay... if we slowly walk away...

Tiny Tina: (Thinking) Oh, these guys seem like fun!

Jaune: Alright. I'm looking for a ranged option, I mostly use a Sword and Shield...

Ruby: It needs to be easily maintained...

Pyrrha: Simple to operate...

Tiny Tina: And blows things up!

Pyrrha/Ruby: What? No!

Droz: Well, we have these...

Tiny Tina: And these blow things up?

Droz: Some of the best Anti-Titan weapons we have... the Mag Launcher fires Magnetic Grenades. Great for landing hits on Spectres, Titans, or anything that magnets can be drawn to.

Jaune: Grimm aren't really magnetic...

Droz/Davis: Grimm?

Ruby: Yeah, Grimm. Enemy of human and faunus kind? Sound familiar?

Droz: (Whispering) Where are we again?

Davis: (Whispering) Rembrant... no, that's not it... Remnant.

Jaune: You know we can hear you.

Droz: Sorry, you travel as much as we do, and all the jump locations start kind of blurring together.

Jaune: What about the rocket launcher.

Davis: The Archer. Great fire and forget weapon.

Jaune: That would work for me...

Pyrrha: Jaune, you get one shot, and then have to reload... and let me guess it locks onto electronic signatures? Grimm, don't have those.

Davis: Well, we also have this.

Ruby/Tiny Tina: And this is?

Davis: Sidewinder Micro Missile Launcher.

Ruby/Tiny Tina: Ohhhhhh!

Pyrrha: How about we look at something more manageable, and less likely to hurt Jaune when he uses it.

Droz: (Rubbing the back of his neck) Well, we do have a line of antipersonnel weapons. They can definitely take down grimm. You can see them just over there.

Ruby: They look sort of old.

Davis: Time tested and true. Solid construction, worry free operation. Perfect for a newbie or an expert.

Droz: But DON'T take our word for it. Try them out and see the difference that these fine firearms can make for your kit!

Jaune: Okay, but where...?

Davis points to a pair of what appeared to be fully enclosed simulation pods.

Droz: Climb in. Chose your gear, and try them out. Full body feed back. So you will get a TRUE feel on which of these babies works best for you.

Jaune: Okay, I'm game.

Davis: Anyone else?

Pyrrha: I'll do it.

Droz: This way, please.

Ruby and Tiny Tina watched as Pyrrha and Jaune stepped into the sim pods and the doors closed. They watched carefully as the one called Droz opened up a tablet and input some keystrokes.

Davis: (Whispering) So?

Droz: (Whispering) He's a little rough, but he learns quick. He could be a Gen 3.

Davis: (Whispering) What about her?

Droz: (Whispering) Gen 5.

Davis: Shi...!

Ruby: Swear Jar!

Davis: Er... what?

Tiny Tina: What's this Gen stuff you, two, were talking about?

Droz: Gen stuff?

Davis: (Whispering) Do you think they...

Tiny Tina: Yes, we can hear you.

Droz: Cr...ud.

Tiny Tina: (Crossing her arms, her pistol in hand) So what is Gen?

Droz: (Rubs back of his neck) It stands for Generation. The more Generations a pilot goes through, the stronger and better they are. Right now, the young fella could be a Gen 3, the lady a Gen 5.

Ruby: Okay... that explains very little.

Davis: Your friends would make exceptional pilots... especially after we put them through ReGENeration.

Tiny Tina/Ruby: You what now?

Droz: Be for the best. They are perfect for the 6-4.

Ruby: NO! You can't recruit Jaune! He's already Enlisted with the Mobile Infantry!

Davis: Cool! We've never ReGENed a Trooper before!

Tiny Tina: No, no, no, no....

Droz: Let's do it!

Ruby and Tiny Tina make a lunge for Droz who just falls backwards to the floor letting the pair of young woman sail over him, as he tapped a button on his tablet.

(Okay... this one is getting split, because if I continue it is going to be super long, if it's already not too long. Stay tuned for the conclusion!)

[clonewarslover55]

I’m sad that there’s nothing about Commander Monk too :(

May we please fix that? Maybe some SFW/NSFW headcanons :)

Hell yeah we can fix that!!! I was super excited to do this!! 

This got me out of my writing funk!! I'm back babyyy

Commander Monnk relationship headcanons SFW and NSFW

(There are some general head canons as well, I had way too much fun with his character. I mention Kit Fisto a lot in here as well)

Notes: We don’t see much of Monnk so I had to make up a good portion of his character myself. Which I had too much fun doing, so this is kinda long

Also there is no official regiment name(Like the 501st or 212th) for Kist Fisto, Commander Monnk and their boys?!?!?!?!? So I think I should fix that eventually....

Gif incase you guys don't remember how smoking fucking hot he is

SFW

This man probably loves literally any body of water 

He loves swimming and all that jazz 

But you def meet him at coruscant drinking and relaxing with some of his fellow scuba boys 

He isn’t strictly a scuba trooper 

He is Kit Fisto’s 24/7 second in command, so he does work on land too

So he looks like your typical “I deal with a crazy Jedi every day and don’t get enough sleep.” clone commander  

He is probably watching a few of his friends dance around and flirt poorly 

As he leans against the bar with a drink in his hand 

He looks kinda tired and unamused by the bar scene 

But don’t underestimate him 

This man is definitely a flirt 

And damn is he good!! 

He has learned from the best 

The best? Kit Fisto 

Kit has taught him how to charm the pants off of anybody 

Does it work? 

Maybe

But Monnk isn’t the one to not text you after a date or night of fun 

You get a good morning and things keep going from there 

Most of your dates are, of course, at your place 

Monnk shows up with flowers and snacks 

If you make dinner he would love to help! 

He doesn’t know jack shit about cooking 

All he can do is make a mean cup of coffee and some instant cup noodles 

But he wants to learn and learn fast! 

Monnk can be trusted in the kitchen too, he won’t burn down your home

As your relationship grows over time, Monnk’s cooking improves 

Soon he begins to cook for you! And he's good at it!

He brags to his brothers and definitely brings some leftovers to them 

Maybe he cooks for them, maybe he tells them to learn for themselves 

It’s both 

Like all clones, Monnk is touched starved 

This man just wants some cuddles 

And for someone who isn’t a fellow clone to braid his hair 

Monnk definitely has long hair

And melts when you run your fingers through it 

Tracing your fingers along his stubble? He is goo in your hands 

Just touch him, he needs it 

He tries to look all cool and badass (He thinks he is too)

With his matching tattoo sleeves (definitely matches his armor markings and colorings)

And his cool hair and five o’clock shadow 

And that tired look in his eyes

But he is just a big ol’ teddy bear who wants love 

And you are here to provide it 

Monnk is a big time cuddler 

He loves being your weighted blanket 

Just holding you and touching you makes his heart content 

This does mean that he is a slight fan of PDA 

He isn’t extreme with it or too possessive 

Just a tiny bit 

He loves holding your hand, fiddling with your fingers

Monnk doesn’t mess around when it comes to falling in love 

He falls HARD for you (The feeling is of course mutual) 

And is soon making himself right at home in your Coruscant apartment 

You definitely buy him some cozy pajamas and sweatpants 

So he can lounge around in comfort 

In turn he brings you back presents from his missions 

It is often a beautiful rock or a pretty seashell 

Working as a scuba trooper means he has many opportunities to find you cool things 

And boy does he! You have a lot of cool things from his adventures 

Mostly seashells, but one time he brings you home a big ass tooth 

Monnk has a tiny tiny hint of surfer bro in him 

A TINY BIT 

He is flirtatious and very charming 

But sweet! 

He definitely picked up a bit of Kit Fisto’s personality 

So he has great humor and keeps you on your toes 

In every way ;)

Sometimes when he comes home, he’ll just haul you up into his arms and give you a spin 

Monnk loves doing anything he can to keep things interesting and fresh

Everytime he comes home after a mission you get a different kind of greeting 

But he always, ALWAYS, gives you a big kiss 

This man is obsessed with your lips and giving them smooches 

Which you don’t mind because this man is an excellent kisser 

But something he is better at is being a good friend and listener 

He will always be your shoulder to cry on 

He always listens to what you have to say 

Monnk loves every story you have 

He has some good ones himself! 

You two can spend hours just talking to one another 

Enjoying each others company is the perfect date for Monnk 

That and bubble baths 

He loves water, and is in it often, so baths are a good time for him 

He’ll try to be romantic 

And boy howdy is he!! 

He’ll try to set up cute dates and outings with you 

He demands one, sometimes two, date nights per leave 

Monnk gets leave often, not as much as the 501st of course 

Kit is needed on Triple Zero(Coruscant) often 

Monnk tries his hardest to spend every moment with you 

If he can’t he will make up for it 

Monnk thinks you are absolutely beautiful/handsome and lets you know! 

He is always telling you how much he adores and loves you 

And how magnificent you are 

He always has some compliments to give you

He’ll notice the smallest things too

New haircut? He loves it!! New jewelry! He loves it, especially since it's on you!

Being in war leads to PTSD, and of course most, if not all, of the clones have it to a degree 

Including Monnk 

His comes in nightmares, so he doesn’t sleep well or often 

Until he meets you 

The first night he sleeps in your bed he sleeps like the dead  

He sleeps so much better at your side

Holding you in his arms or being held in yours just helps! 

This doesn’t mean that the nightmares stay away completely 

He still has them from time to time 

But with you there to help? They’re never as bad as they used to be 

Monnk absolutely loves you, and he tells you daily 

He has to make sure you remember after all ;)

 

NSFW 

I feel like Kit Fisto makes sure his men know how to properly fuck 

He has a slideshow or something 

So Monnk knows what he is doing down there 

He has a good memory and is a fast learner 

So he quickly learns what makes you tick 

And he never forgets 

Monnk is very attuned at what you like 

Monnk wants nothing more than to pleasure you 

He’ll make sure to always do what you like

Kinky or not! 

Monnk is down for anything

Not at anytime though, he isn’t really down for public sex 

He doesn’t want to get caught or in trouble 

Unless it is on a beach, one of his fantasies is taking you to a nice quiet beach somewhere and just railing you 

Maybe even having another round in the ocean afterwards  

Being a scuba trooper means he has a good set of lungs 

So when he is giving you oral he doesn’t need to take a single breather 

He is down there and giving you the works! 

Monnk loves your taste, and he makes sure you know it by his pleasant noises 

His scruff always tickles you a bit, but it just adds to to the sensation 

Monnk is VERY patient, especially when it comes(pun intended) to you 

He can spend hours just teasing you

Bringing you to the very edge, just to not let you cum

He loves teasing you some, but he isn’t too extreme 

But he never leaves you hanging! He always makes sure you cum 

No matter what, you’re going to cum. Even if it is just a quickie! 

Always making sure you cum is his one rule 

Is this a rule that Kit Fisto gave him? Definitely, and Monnk is a good rule follower 

Which makes things fun when he isn’t topping 

If you two ever play any “games” where he has to listen to you and follow orders? Oh he will 

Monnk will do anything for you, he loves you so much! He’ll try anything once

Monnk will also cum where ever you want him too, he’ll do it pretty much anywhere 

Inside you, painting you in it, whatever you want 

All clones have a bit of a breeding kink, but his isn’t too bad 

So he doesn’t HAVE to cum inside you, but he does enjoy it 

Painting you in it also does something to him

He just enjoys marking you, no matter if it is with cum or with love bites 

He loves kissing you during sex, his mouth hardly leaves your body 

He just can’t help himself! You’re just so kissable 

Monnk is a romantic, so he loves some soft intimate nights 

Fucking you slowly, hitting every spot so perfectly 

But he isn’t always soft and romantic 

Sometimes he fucks like a beast 

He loves taking you roughly until you’re both spent and out of breath 

Monnk enjoys when he has time with you, so he has time to properly worship your body 

Monnk thinks you are the most beautiful person in the galaxy 

And he lets you know! 

Through words, praises, and actions 

He loves praising you during sex, he is always throwing compliments and soft phrases your way 

He likes praise in return, but he prefers touch 

Run your nails down his spine, make him shiver

Bury your hands into his hair, it’ll drive him nuts 

Any sort of touching, rough or soft, drives monnk wild 

Monnk enjoys quickies, but he doesn’t like them as much because he can’t do much aftercare, if any at all 

He also doesn't like it because he doesn’t have the amount of time to properly worship your body 

He is great at aftercare, he makes you feel so loved and cared for 

He’ll clean you up and sometimes even draw up a warm bath 

Bathtub sex almost always happens though 

He loves some good ol’ sex in some water 

But it all depends on what you guys did and how tired you are 

Because sometimes Monnk will leave you both so spent that you want to sleep immediately 

He’ll give the softest kisses afterwards 

After you guys cool down and relax in the afterglow, he is down for pillow talk 

He actually loves pillow talk 

But by the end of the night, he makes sure you fall asleep safe and sound in his arms

[wild-karrde]

One Step at a Time - Part 11

Master List | Previous Part | Next Part

A/N: HI HELLO I HAVE RETURNED WITH A NEW CHAPTER! This one's been in the works for a while, and I am SO VERY excited to finally share it. STRAP IN FOR AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT OF DOMESTIC FLUFF. As always, thank you to the wonderful @teletraan-meets-jarvis for beta-reading this chapter for me and getting me so very excited to post it!!!!

Chapter Rating: T

Warnings: mention of domestic violence/abuse, language

Word Count: 8.4k words

Chuckles hardly slept that night, his mind swirling between worry that he’d forgotten something for the surprise party, or that Arni had figured out their plan. When he wasn’t worrying, images of dark curls, golden eyes, purple flushed cheeks, and the smell of cinnamon and vanilla haunted his dreams. 

Once he’d extricated himself from the desk, his goodbye to Endi had been cordial and brief enough. There had been a moment though where their eyes had lingered just a touch too long, and for a millisecond, he’d wondered if she wanted him to kiss her. 

Too fast. Too soon. 

He’d opted to squeeze her upper arm instead, which felt stupid in hindsight. In the moment, he’d left so quickly, he’d forgotten Arni’s gifts were still in her apartment. He’d sent her a message when he’d gotten back to the Starlight and realized, and she’d replied not to worry about it, that she’d have them ready for him tomorrow. 

You’re such an idiot. For so many reasons. 

The kids had only beaten him home by a little, and he’d worked up an excuse about needing to chat with Anj about the schedule next week to explain his absence. Arni had never questioned it, instead opting to regale him with their adventure from that day. Of course, they hadn’t found the mother tooka or her kits, but they’d still managed to find some very interesting insects and flowers, all of which Arni had documented in their journal in careful detail. 

After dinner, Arni went to shower, and Chuckles used that opportunity to fill Nita in on the plan for the following day. He had to shush her when she squealed with excitement about her designated position as Head of Decorations. 

“It’s gonna be so great and they’re gonna be so surprised,” she whispered loudly. 

“They absolutely are. Just make sure you don’t spill the beans before then, kiddo.” 

Nita pulled her fingers across her lips as though she was zipping them shut and then offered Chuckles her pinky, which he locked with his. 

Now, as the sun was just beginning to trickle in through the viewport, signaling the dawn of the next day, Chuckles could already hear the tiny Pantoran shifting around in the bunk. He’d figured she’d be up early from the excitement, and had to chew the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing when he heard her wake up Arni. The Twi’lek was muttering under their breath when they emerged from the shared bunk, readjusting their headgear as they trudged towards the kitchenette. Chuckles reached over for his commlink, firing off a quick message to Helly and receiving an almost instant response. He grinned. 

She may be just as excited as Nita. 

The little Pantoran was already bouncing at his elbow as he rolled over in his bunk. Her golden eyes were sparkling with excitement, and her grin was threatening to split her face in half. 

“They don’t suspect anything!” she whispered loudly. 

“Let’s keep it that way then. Helly’s on her way over, so you gotta keep it under wraps for just a little bit longer, ok?” 

Nita saluted him. “Yes, sir.” 

“Good, now go eat breakfast. It’s gonna be a busy day as soon as Arni and Helly leave.” 

Nita bounded off immediately, her trooper doll dangling at her side. Chuckles just managed to get a quick shower in and get dressed before there was an eager rap at the side hatch of the ship. He opened it hurriedly to find Helly standing there with a helmet and respirator in her arms, accompanied by Anj, who was also carrying a few tidbits of gear. Chuck shot the Nautolan an inquisitive look, and she shrugged. 

“GOOD MORNING CHUCKLES! I’VE COME BY TO DELIVER YOUR NEW GEAR FOR THE MINE!” Helly announced loudly.

“Maker alive Helly, tone it down or the kids are going to think they’re under attack,” Anj muttered with a smirk. 

The Rodian ducked her head shyly. “Sorry,” she whispered. “Just wanna sell it.” 

Chuckles stepped back, inviting them both inside the ship. Helly was practically vibrating as she handed him the gear. Anj set her box down, her dark eyes flitting about the ship, taking in the place Chuckles and the kids lived. 

“Nice place. Corellian?”

“Yeah. Got it for cheap,” Chuckles replied with a shrug. 

A dull thud in the corner made the three of them turn. Arni was trying to shyly shuffle past, and when all three sets of eyes turned on them, their cheeks flushed a dark blue. 

“S-sorry. I-I was just gonna get my sketchbook.”

“Arni, this is Helly and Anj. I work with them down at the mine.”

“Yeah! And we’re just stopping by to drop off some of his new gear!” Helly declared, still a little loudly. 

“What’s this about a sketchbook?” Anj asked gently, clearly trying to deflect some of Helly’s enthusiasm. 

Arni ducked their head bashfully. “I like to draw the plants and animals of the places we visit. It’s kind of like a science journal.” 

Anj crouched down. “That sounds very interesting. May I see it?” Her voice was softer than Chuckles had ever thought her capable of. 

The Twi’lek retrieved their sketchbook and satchel of colored pencils from their bunk, shyly handing it out to the tattooed Nautolan. Anj gave them a toothy smile before she started thumbing through the pages. 

“These are very good, Arni. You’ve got quite the eye for detail.”

It was so subtle that Chuckles almost missed it, but Arni’s spine straightened a little, their mouth twitching upwards at the corners. 

Anj paused on one page, pointing at the sketch of an orange flower with pink pistil and stamens. “This one’s gorgeous. Can’t say I’ve seen it around here before.” 

Chuckles immediately recognized the bloom, and his heart twisted in his chest as Arni’s expression fell slightly. “That was a flower on Sorgan. We used to live there.” 

“I see,” Anj said quietly, clearly understanding there was still lingering grief. “Have you sketched anything since you got here?” 

Arni nodded, stepping closer to flip forward a few pages. Anj grinned as she took in the sketches of the tooka they’d seen the first night they landed. When she turned the page again, Chuckles felt heat rush to his cheek as familiar golden eyes stared back at him from the sketchbook. 

“Ah, I recognize this one,” Anj said. “That’s an excellent likeness of Teacher Endi.”

“I’m just starting to try out portraits,” Arni admitted, their posture straightening further as a hint of pride tinged their voice. “I’m not great at proportions yet though.”

“Just takes practice, I’m sure,” Anj replied. She flipped another page to find the drawing of a small beetle. “Hey, Helly, don’t you have a specimen of this one in your collection?” she asked, giving Chuckles a subtle wink. 

Helly leaned over her shoulder. “You know, I think I might.” 

Just as Chuckles hoped, Arni took the bait. “You collect bugs?” 

“And flora as well. I do some sketching myself if you’d like to see.” 

“She’s being modest,” Anj teased. “Helly here has had a few of her drawings published in some very prestigious science journals.” 

Arni’s eyes were bugging out of their face in admiration. “Whoa.”

It was Helly’s turn to flush with pride. “I’d love to show you, if you’ve got some time. I’d also like to pick your brain on how you did the fur on that tooka drawing. I can never get it to look right.” 

“Right now?”

Helly nodded. “Today’s our day off, and I don’t have any plans. If it’s ok with your dad, of course.” 

“CAN I CHUCKLES?”

Even if they hadn’t been trying to pull off a surprise birthday party, there was no way Chuckles was going to tell Arni ‘no’, not with the way their eyes were lit up. It was the most excited he’d seen them in recent memory, maybe since Sorgan. 

“Absolutely, kid.” 

Arni could hardly contain their glee as they raced to the bunk to retrieve their boots and satchel. Chuckles leaned over to whisper to Helly. “Remember, no earlier than midday. That’ll give us enough time to get everything set up.” 

She winked at him with one of her large eyes. “You got it, boss.” 

“Ready?” Arni was already at Helly’s side. 

“Let’s go!” she giggled. 

The two of them practically raced out of the ship, chattering at one another about what types of bugs Helly liked to collect and what type of pencils Arni preferred for different techniques. When their excited voices finally faded in the distance, Anj straightened and grinned at Chuckles.

“That was easy enough.”

“I thought you were gonna meet us at the school house.” 

The Nautolan shrugged. “Thought it would be best to come along and help reign Helly in. Subtlety has never been her strong suit.” 

“Are they gone?” a small voice asked from behind them. Chuckles whirled around to find Nita peeking out from the kitchenette. 

“Yeah, honey, they’re gone,” Chuckles confirmed, but Nita was hardly paying attention to him. Her large golden eyes were firmly locked on Anj, taking her in. Anj didn’t seem to mind, returning to her crouched position. “And who might you be?” 

The little Pantoran edged forward. “Nita,” she said softly. “I like your tattoos.” 

Chuckles was flabbergasted. He’d never seen Nita be timid around anyone before. 

Anj didn’t seem to mind, chuckling. “They make me look tough so guys like your dad know I’m in charge.” She tossed another wink at Chuck. 

Nita approached her, and Anj leaned her arm closer to show off some of her more intricate ink. “Got that one done when I moved to this settlement,” she said, pointing at a series of squiggles that Chuck suddenly realized were meant to portray the plains of grass and rock formations that surrounded the settlement. It was a bit abstract for his taste, but still undeniably beautiful. Nita reached out to touch it, her tiny fingers tracing the lines dark lines that swirled over Anj’s grey skin.

“It’s really pretty.”

“I think so too.”

“Chuckles has a big tattoo on his back.”

“Does he now?” Anj raised an eyebrow at Chuck. “He never told me.”

“It’s one of the circuit boards in the ship he flew during the war. It’s very confusing, but still cool.” 

Anj grinned at her again. “Sometimes, those are the best ones.” 

Nita giggled for a moment before her eyes fell on one of Anj’s shortened tendrils. “What happened?” she asked quietly, pointing at the damage. 

Anj’s smile faltered slightly, but it didn’t slip from her face entirely. “Oh this? This was a lesson.”

“Did it hurt?”

“It did. Quite a bit, actually. But I learned from it, and will never let it happen again. It’s a good reminder to not repeat the same mistake twice.” 

Nita nodded, apparently satisfied with that answer. “I’m sorry you got hurt.” 

Anj’s grin warmed again. “Ah, don’t be, little one. It makes me look a little tougher anyway. Would you want to mess with a Nautolan that had some tendrils missing?” 

Nita returned her smile. “Definitely not. But you’re nice.” 

“Don’t tell anyone,” Anj whispered behind her hand conspiratorially. 

“I won’t,” Nita whispered loudly back. 

Anj pushed herself to her feet. “Right. Should we get to it then? I understand you’re in charge of the decor, and we must make sure you have enough time to create a masterpiece.” 

Nita’s face grew more serious, and she nodded firmly. “Let’s go then.” 

Anj bowed low, extending her arms towards the door as her tendrils dangled past her knees. “Lead the way, oh fearless Head of Decorations.” 

Nita squared her shoulders and marched out the hatch. Chuckles had to dig his teeth into his cheek to keep from bursting out laughing at her. 

“She’s a cutie,” Anj teased, nudging him with her shoulder. “It’s a wonder she doesn’t get away with everything.”

“Who says she doesn’t?” he snickered under his breath. 

— 

The walk to the schoolhouse was brief, but Chuckles was glad for the time with Anj. He hadn’t had much time to get to know her during working hours, but he’d felt an instant sense of camaraderie with her. A small part of him wondered if it was because she reminded him of Ry a little bit. Anj hung back and kept pace with him as Nita galloped ahead of the two of them, kicking up swirls of dust in her wake as she chased various insects or inspected weeds growing along the path. 

“You know, at first, I didn’t see the family resemblance,” the Nautolan joked. “But I think maybe I do now. She’s got your sense of humor.”

“I’d like to think hers is better.”

“Oh, undoubtedly,” she agreed. 

“So, you have any family out here?” Chuckles asked. “No offense, but I was surprised to find a Nautolan on a world that’s got so little water.”

Anj toed a rock with her boot. “No one blood related. Was orphaned as a kid and have been on my own since then. Ventured out on my fifteenth year and never really looked back.” She pulled her tendrils together over her shoulder. “But, I made family where I could. I think this is the most settled I’ve felt since I left Glee Anselm. Took me twenty years to find a place that felt like home, but here we are.” She widened her steps to lean over and nudge his shoulder with hers again. “I hope you can find the same here. I know it’s not exactly as glamorous as Coruscant or as green as Sorgan, but the people here are good. Mostly.” 

Chuckles was pretty sure the exceptions included the two human men on their crew, although he didn’t voice it. They’d kept their distance from him during the first week, and any interactions that were absolutely necessary were terse and to the point. He wasn’t about to make waves, but he did wonder what the root of the issue was. He imagined it was the fact that he was a clone, but wasn’t going to start pointing fingers without evidence. It could be they just didn’t like him, and that wasn’t anything new, but that opinion seemed to have been formed before he’d even opened his mouth or been given the opportunity to do anything. 

“I hope we can too,” Chuckles agreed. “The kids need to be settled.” 

“And you?”

“I’m a bit more adjustable to what life throws at me.” 

“Seems like life probably threw a lot at you,” Anj noted, her eyes focused on his scar. “Seems you’ve learned some lessons that hurt like hell too.” 

He tapped the scar. “Always wear your helmet while flying a Headhunter, and always check the eject handle before leaving the hangar.” He couldn’t stop his eyes from flicking to her shortened tendrils. “Your lesson was to tie those back when working, right? That’s why you do that before we go down in the mine.” 

“Actually, my lesson was don’t sleep with someone that responds to ‘no’s’ with knives,” Anj joked with a forced levity. Chuckles’s stomach wrenched at the thought, but Anj smiled at him. “But yeah, after doing that, I wasn’t about to get another one lopped off by mining equipment or caught somewhere and ripped off. It is one of the most painful thing a Nautolan can experience. Some don’t survive losing one.” 

Chuckles counted three shortened tendrils, and his throat felt suddenly tighter.

“Anj-”

“You’re not going to be able to think of the words to say, so don’t say anything,” she cut him off with a wave of her hand. “I don’t want pity. I learned. It was a hard lesson, but I know the warning signs and I know what I won’t accept from someone I love. I’ve found peace and someone…”

Her voice trailed off, but Chuckles instantly understood. 

“You walked over with Helly because you were already with her,” he said quietly. 

Anj’s eyes were fixed on the ground and her cheeks seemed to be flushed a darker shade of grey. Chuck almost giggled at how flustered the rugged Nautolan looked. “Keep it to yourself, yeah? It’s… it’s new. And I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea,” she whispered. 

“You got it.”

They walked in silence for a few more minutes, the only sounds the fluttering of the grasses in the breeze, their footsteps crunching against the rocks and dust, and Nita’s occasional excited exclamation. A gentle breeze fluttered through Chuck’s hair, and he tipped his face back, letting the sun warm his cheeks. 

Settled.

The word sounded nice to him. He’d almost felt that way on Sorgan, and maybe with time, he could have. He’d almost stopped looking over his shoulder when the Empire had arrived. But here, now, knowing that the clone army had been disbanded and he was allowed to just exist, it seemed like they had more of a chance. The community had embraced them for the most part, and it felt like as long as they kept Nita and Arni’s Force sensitivity secret, that maybe, just maybe, they could make this place their home, that they could feel settled. 

Glancing over at Anj, he could see a comfort in her that he craved for himself and the younglings. Her shoulders were relaxed, her eyes weren’t constantly checking for threats around them; she just was. She’d been through as much as he had, maybe even more, and yet here she stood, part of a community on a planet she arguably had no business being on. 

We could make this work.

“I know I’m a looker and all, but you’re staring, Chuck.”

Heat rushed to his face as he fought to recover. “Sorry. I just… I didn’t expect you to be so good around kids.” 

Anj shrugged one shoulder. “Had a younger sister back on Glee Anselm. About a decade separated us. She was an unexpected surprise for my family, but such a light.” Her eyes glistened slightly as she stared after Nita. Chuckles hadn’t missed her use of past tense, but opted not to press it. “She and Lola would have been great friends,” Anj said softly. “She was just as excited about life as that one.” 

“She’s something else,” Chuckles agreed. 

“Her parents?”

“Never knew ‘em. Same for Arni. They were alone, and so was I.” He sighed. “There’s a thing about clones and kids. When you’re training to be a soldier from the moment you come out of your tube, it’s hard. The trainers were rarely sympathetic, and the Kaminoans mostly viewed us as science experiments, so all we had were each other. The older we got, the more protective we grew of the younger cadets. I was one of the early gens, so I didn’t have many older brothers to look up to, but the ones that I did were the closest thing I had to family. When I saw those two, I saw my younger brothers, in need of a family and comfort when life had been hard. And if I’m honest, I needed them just as much. Just didn’t realize it at the time.” His chest was unexpectedly tight, and his voice cracked slightly. 

Anj was watching him. 

“Who’s staring now?” he joked. 

“Fair. I just guess I never thought about what growing up was like for you. Makes me feel like more of an ass for my jokes the first day.” 

“I always figured that was the point, to make us seem less than human so that we’d feel more expendable,” Chuckles replied. “It’s easy not to get invested in our lives when you know so little about us other than we were created to fight, that we were grown in tubes instead of wombs, that we age twice as fast as you. I’ve heard everything from theories that we don’t feel pain to theories that we’re experimental droids with flesh covering our gears. Hell, I’ve even had someone try to explain what sex was to me in a bar once because they figured I didn’t know anything other than how to be a soldier. Told him his mother seemed to think I knew what I was doing the night before. He didn’t take that well.” 

The joke landed, bringing the levity that he’d hoped for. Anj laughed quietly. 

“You’ve got a pretty pleasant disposition in spite of it all.”

“Didn’t always. But it was either adjust or put a fist through every natborn face that looked at me funny. Figured it would be better to just focus on the laughter, especially if I could get a giggle out of my brothers.” 

Anj opened her mouth to reply, but just then, Nita skidded to a halt in front of them, almost tripping Anj with her abrupt appearance. She held a lily out, its petals starting off white and changing to a green at the tips that resembled Anj’s tendrils. The stalk was yellowed and hard, and Chuckles wondered how anything that beautiful had managed to flourish in the dry plains of Lothal. 

“It’s kind of like you,” Nita noted. 

Very like her, Chuckles thought.

Anj crouched down next to her. “Oh, that’s far too pretty and delicate to be like me,” she joked softly. 

“You’re pretty too though. Just in a different way,” Nita countered. Standing on her tiptoes, she tucked the bloom’s stem into Anj’s tendrils such that the flower rested against her face. Something shifted in the Nautolan’s expression, and Chuck couldn’t be certain, but it seemed her dark eyes glistened more for a moment. 

“That’s a nice thing to say,” she said quietly. In a second, the emotion was gone, and one of Anj’s trademarks grins slid into place. “What say you and I race your dad the last little bit?” she asked. 

Nita returned her grin. “Let’s do it!”

“Right then.” Anj scooped the tiny Pantoran up, placing her on her shoulders. Chuckles was relieved that Nita didn’t need to be told to not hold onto Anj’s tendrils, instead resting her palms against her skull. “Last one there’s a tooka’s uncle!” Anj declared before taking off at a surprising pace. 

Chuck smiled to himself, jogging after them. 

Being a dad. Being settled. That all sounds nice.

—

The next few hours went by in the blink of an eye. Nita took her role of Head of Decorations very seriously, directing the small group of parents and children that had shown up without hesitation. She’d apparently decided Anj would be her second in command, and the Nautolan embraced the role without question, flawlessly carrying out Nita’s directives and ensuring her instructions were followed to a tee. They hung the paper chains and flowers in the classroom along with the lights and glass decorations. Endi had flung the back doors of the schoolhouse open, revealing the small yard that the children played in during their breaks, and the glass pieces made the sunlight dance across the walls of the small room in rainbows and refracted patterns. A table had been set up outside with the cupcakes Endi had baked and other snacks Chuckles assumed had been brought by some of the other families. His heart clenched at the thought. 

Settled.

There was a small rock garden at one end of the schoolyard, and Nita and her cohorts were planting paper flowers in the dust to give the illusion of an actual garden. Anj followed behind the tiny Pantoran with her massive arms full of the crafted blooms, the real one still tucked behind her ear. She dropped the flowers where Nita directed, and the other children scampered behind, pushing wire stems into the dirt. It didn’t take long for the garden to fully take shape, filled with such a variety of colors, Chuckles wasn’t sure Arni’s pencils could have captured them all. As Chuckles leaned against the doorway, watching the Nita and Anj performing their final inspections, he felt a soft hand rest on his shoulder. 

“She could lead an army,” Endi giggled quietly, her breath warm against Chuckles’s ear. 

“Oh, easily,” he agreed, leaning closer to whisper to her. The scent of her perfume inundated his senses, and his head swam slightly from how close she was standing to him. “She’d have given my captain a run for his credits. That is, if he didn’t willingly enlist under her.” He smiled to himself at the thought of Crater. 

He’d have loved her. 

Endi seemed to sense his wistfulness, gently slipping her hand around his bicep. “Come with me,” she said quietly. 

Chuckles allowed her to lead him back through the classroom and through the narrow doorway he knew led to her apartment. He ignored the heat rising in his cheeks as he crossed the threshold into her personal space. 

The dwelling was humble, but everywhere he looked, he saw traces of Endi. She’d done a wonderful job of making it hers, from the blue paint on the doors to the cream colored curtains that hung over the windows, fluttering in the morning breeze. He tried to take his boots off, afraid of tracking dust off, but she waved him off. 

“I’ve been going back and forth all day, so I’ll have to sweep anyway. Don’t worry about it.” 

The entrance of her apartment consisted of a narrow hall with a closet on one side and a wall on the other that had been covered with student art projects. Chuckles examined some of them as he passed before stepping into the kitchen. It was small, containing a refrigeration unit, a warmer, an oven, and a little bit of counter space. A small herb garden hung under the window, and a table and two chairs were pressed against one wall. The smell of chocolate still lingered in the air, along with the vanilla and spice scent Chuckles had come to associate with Endi. Down the hall, he noted a back door he assumed led out to behind the schoolyard, and another door that was closed. 

Her bedroom.

“I hope I wrapped these alright.” Endi’s voice drew Chuckles from his observations. He faced her, noting that she was gesturing at a small stack of presents on the kitchen table. It wasn’t hard to recognize the shape of the pencil and charcoal boxes he’d gotten the day before. Endi had wrapped them in plain brown paper, but the ribbons on it were a rainbow of colors, tied in delicate, intricate knots that made them really shine. Chuck’s throat tightened as he ran his finger along the curl of one of the bows. 

“They’re perfect. Much better than anything I could have done,” he said quietly, giving her a smile. 

She gave him a pleased grin, clapping her hands together. “I’m so glad.”

“What are the other boxes?”

“Anj and Helly both asked me to wrap theirs too. Said I could do a much better job. Helly got Arni some specimen collecting jars, and Anj got them another sketchbook, figuring they’d tear through more drawings with their new supplies.” Her fingers rested on another package. “I gave them a stone I found when I first moved here.” She giggled softly. “I hope they don’t mind me giving them a rock, but Arni’s got such a scientific mind, I assume they’ll know exactly what it is and if it’s a common specimen. I hope I didn’t give them the equivalent of dirt.” Her eyes met his. “It was sitting on the steps of the schoolhouse when I found it, glinting in the sun, but it felt like a sign I’d found my place. I hope you one day feel like this place is yours as well.” 

Chuckles’s mouth had gone completely dry, and his brain had forgotten every word he’d ever learned. Endi’s cheeks flushed that beautiful shade of purple that had been haunting his dreams. He grasped for the right thing to say and came up empty, floundering frantically in his mind. Endi’s mouth quirked up slightly at the corners, the flush in her cheeks deepening. 

“Endi, I-”

“THEY’RE COMING!!!” Nita burst through the door of the apartment, sweating and panting, but grinning triumphantly. Anj was close behind her. She grinned when she saw the two of them standing together. 

“Helly just sent me a comm. They’re heading over now. Probably got about five minutes.”

“Right, better get these out on the table then,” Endi said, handing Chuckles a few packages before gathering the rest in her arms and stepping out past Anj with Nita close on her heels. He couldn’t be certain, but he was fairly sure her voice was a little more strained and breathy than it had been a moment before. When he went to follow after her, Anj was still grinning, nudging him into the wall with her elbow as he passed. 

“What was that for?”

“Don’t know what you mean,” she teased, giving him a wink. 

Chuckles opened his mouth to protest further, but decided it was only fair that Anj know this about him since she’d entrusted him with her secret about Helly. Even if he wasn’t ready to take the next step with Endi, whatever that was.

Anj’s estimate was damn near spot on. They’d all just managed to get hidden when Helly’s excited voice began carrying into the room through the open door. Chuckles found himself squatting behind a row of desks with Endi and Anj. As Endi crouched down, she lost her balance and fell against him slightly. Instinctively, he wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her up. 

“Thank you,” she whispered. He was certain she was leaning into his touch slightly. 

“Of course,” he replied, glad they’d shut off the lights. His face felt as though it was on fire.

Anj snickered next to him. 

“I NEED TO STOP IN AND SEE TEACHER ENDI ABOUT SOMETHING REALLY QUICKLY. SHOULD ONLY TAKE A MINUTE,” Helly practically shouted. Chuckles heard Anj sigh in exasperation next to him, and he bumped her with his hip. She flicked him back in the forearm. 

Helly’s boots thudded against the steps, absolutely louder than normal, and a second later, she ushered Arni through the door. They looked around, their brows pinched in confusion. 

“Why are the lights-”

“SURPRISE!” 

Arni jolted with surprise as Endi threw the lights on and everyone erupted from their hiding places. Nita practically launched herself at the Twi’lek, and Arni just managed to stay on their feet as they caught her. Their eyes found Chuckles, and he felt as though his heart might burst out of his chest as he stepped forward to give them a hug. 

“How did you know?” Arni’s voice was muffled from where their face was buried in his chest. He rested a hand on top of their head. 

“A little bird named Nita told me,” he said quietly. “Why didn’t you?”

“You were busy,” they mumbled, still holding onto his waist. “Didn’t want to bother you.” 

Chuckles crouched down, resting his hands on their shoulders. “Arni, you are never a bother. Ever.” He noticed their cheeks were wet, and he cupped their face, brushing at the tears there. “You ok, kid? Is this alright?” 

They nodded hurriedly, assuaging his worries. “I’ve just never… I never really had a family to celebrate with. Had a few friends at… before. But it was always small.” Their eyes roved over the decorations and the presents and the table of cupcakes outside. “This is so much.”

“All for you, kid,” Chuck said, smiling. He wrapped his hand around the back of their head, pulling their foreheads together to touch. “You deserve all of this and more. Now, go have fun with your friends.” 

They giggled loudly, the deep laughter that came from their belly and broke into a guffaw. Chuckles had only heard them laugh like that a handful of times since they’d wound up together, and it warmed him from the inside out as Arni grabbed Nita’s hand and raced outside with the rest of the children. 

They get to be a kid now. Just as they should be.

“That was PERFECT!” Helly exclaimed, bounding up to him. “I was nervous they were starting to suspect something after the first hour, but then they started asking SO many questions, and it was just wonderful, and…” The Rodian’s chattering faded into the background as Chuckles’s eyes found Endi’s across the room. She was standing near the back wall, watching the scene quietly with a gentle smile gracing her features. 

Thank you, he mouthed at her. 

She dipped her head in acknowledgement.

Chuckles made his way around the room, thanking each of the parents that had volunteered their time or brought something to contribute. He couldn’t help sneaking peeks out at Arni and the kids, watching them run around the school yard together, most of them with chocolate frosting smeared across their faces in at least one place. 

Settled. Maybe. Just maybe. 

—

And so it went. 

The weeks stretched into a month. The weather began to shift, bringing with it cooler nights and shorter days. Chuckles had always liked milder seasons, preferring them to extreme heat or biting cold, and Lothal’s autumn promised to be just mild enough for his liking, the wind driving him to wear a jacket, but not stinging his cheeks as he walked to work in the mornings. 

With Grinz’s help, Chuckles was able to order clothes for Arni, Nita, and himself that were better suited for the cooler temperatures. They’d needed some alterations, and for that, he’d turned to Endi. Neither of them ever seemed to run out of things for the other to fix, Chuckles trading repairs for Endi’s craftsmanship or baking. While it was obvious to anyone with eyes or the biological equivalent what was happening between the two of them, they still hadn’t moved beyond lingering touches and shared glances that lasted just a half beat too long. 

“Hold still, or I’ll make a pin cushion out of you,” Endi tutted as she made adjustments to the hem of Chuck’s shirt, pulling a pin from between her teeth to hold the fabric in place. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled for what felt like the hundredth time. Standing still for long durations had never been a thing he was good at, and Endi’s fingers somehow continuing to find ways to brush against the skin of his back and stomach did little to make it easier. They’d opted to do the adjustments in the classroom since it had more room and a bit more lighting, and while it had only been about twenty minutes, it felt like Endi had scolded Chuckles plenty for squirming. It was never unkind though, only teasing. Now, an easy silence fell between them as Endi made the final adjustments before straightening and admiring her handiwork. 

“I think that’ll do. Let me have it back, and I should be able to get it finished by the end of the week.” She turned her back to him, replacing items into her sewing kit. “That color looks really nice on you, by the way.” 

Chuckles couldn’t stop himself from ducking his head at the compliment. His fingers fumbled with the buttons. Even though she’d turned around, he still wasn’t used to the thought of her standing there while he removed his shirt. He hurriedly pulled his other one back on before reaching over Endi’s shoulder to hand her the teal garment. She took it, meeting his gaze and smiling in the way that made his stomach flutter. 

“When’s a good time for me to come by and take a crack at your heating unit?” he asked. Endi’s heater had broken down at the beginning of the previous spring, and she’d been putting off having it fixed, but they’d agreed that repairing that would be adequate payment for the alterations to the Ayyshus’ new clothes. 

“Are you going to the festival tomorrow night?” she asked. 

Chuckles vaguely remembered Arni and Nita mentioning something about a festival the week prior. “Yeah, I think the kids were planning on going. I wasn’t sure I would, but I can swing by before you head out and see what I need on the unit. If that’s alright.”

She set the shirt down, crossing her arms and leaning back against her desk. “And why wouldn’t you come? The Harvest Festival is so much fun!” 

“Harvest Festival?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow. “This place has never struck me as a farm town. No crops to speak of.” 

Endi shrugged. “Lothal used to have a lot of agriculture, but the planetwide droughts kind of forced everyone to adjust. That doesn’t stop folks from hoping that the rains and greenery might return, and that one day, farming will be feasible again. Even still, it’s a good excuse to dance and get drunk,” she added with a wink. 

Chuckles tipped his head back and laughed at that. “Fair enough. Alright, what time do festivities start?” 

“Fireworks start just after sundown to kick things off, so maybe just a bit before then if you can swing it. Then we can walk over together. If you’d like.”

The invitation was very obviously there. Her eyes darted from his lips to his eyes, and Maker, it would be so easy to just let both of his hands rest on either side of her hips, to lean in and press his lips against hers. But the doubt lingered, the worries that this was a terrible idea, the concern that he was misreading things entirely. So Chuckles didn’t move closer, not yet. 

“I’d like that,” he agreed. 

Endi nodded, something flashing in her eyes that he couldn’t interpret before it disappeared. She sighed. “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yup. Thanks again.”

“Anytime Chuckles.” 

He left, his feet carrying him home as he overanalyzed that moment, tugging on his mohawk nervously as his mind raced. 

Why not? Why wouldn’t you? 

So what if you’re wrong? She wouldn’t make you feel terrible about it. Just apologize and move on.

But what will the kids think?

He almost tripped on the Starlight’s ramp as he finally reached their home. Arni and Nita were already getting out leftovers from the night before, setting the table for and reheating the rice dish. Chuckles smiled. 

This had become a routine of sorts. There had been a few longer nights at the mine recently to meet Imperial quotas, and when he came home late, Arni and Nita had taken it upon themselves to have dinner ready. He’d never even had to ask; they just adjusted, doing what needed to be done. 

One step at a time. Almost settled. 

That wasn’t to say that everything had been smooth sailing. Chuckles had noticed the two younglings starting to bicker more, and after discussing it with Anj and Endi to get their opinions, they decided it might be time to move them out of the shared bunk since it seemed to be the root of the issue. Arni’s limbs were growing at a rate that Chuckles felt would rival his brothers in their growth tanks, and that seemed to lead to frequent disagreements about whose elbows and knees were allowed to go where. It wasn’t unusual for the two younglings to tumble out of the bunk in the mornings, already grumbling at one another in voices that would crescendo to a shouting match if Chuckles didn’t intervene. It had started to wear on him enough to where he’d finally snapped at them, and then immediately apologized. Still, it was a point of contention. 

It was Anj that had recommended converting the main cargo hold to a shared bedroom for the two of them, and Chuckles had been slowly working on sprucing it up the last few weeks. It was an easy secret to keep since Nita and Arni had collectively decided the hold was too creepy to play in their first months on Sorgan, and had since avoided it, keeping the door on the other side of the kitchenette that led to it firmly closed. But Chuckles was optimistic that the lights and strings of reflective stars he’d been hanging up after the two kids had gone to bed would chase any lingering fears away. At least he hoped so. Grinz had also found a pair of secondhand bunks through his network and was having them shipped in the following week. Chuckles still wasn’t sure how he’d get the kids out of the way to install those, but he was confident he could get Helly and Anj to help. Helly had managed to find some unique decorations to hang on the walls, some even coming from her personal collection, and in Chuck’s mind, the hold had started to have a more welcoming feel. The decorations on the walls made it feel less cold and sterile, and the strings of lights cast a warm light around the place, chasing any lingering shadows out of sight. 

Bedtime was a bit of a struggle that evening, with Nita accusing Arni of laying on top of her trooper doll and Arni grumbling that she left it everywhere, so it was bound to get laid on at some point. Chuckles managed to get them to at least come to a truce before they dozed off, collapsing into his own bunk and drifting off to sleep thinking of golden eyes, dark curls, and fingertips grazing his spine. 

Despite the disagreement the night before, the following morning, every hint of the previous night’s animosity had vanished, completely eclipsed by their excitement for the festival. Chuck wasn’t sure how Arni and Nita would manage to wait all day, and finally chased them outside to burn off some of their excess energy. 

After the kids left, he went through his morning routine on his days off, making himself a cup of caf and a quick breakfast as he scanned the newsfeeds. He’d periodically checked things on Sorgan, but at that point, had been almost afraid of what he’d read. Now, he found himself scanning for the names of his brothers or any mention of Force users, but he always seemed to come up empty. It didn’t stop him from hoping. Hope wasn’t something he’d had a lot of during the war, but here on Lothal, he’d felt it wedging itself in the crevices in his heart, taking root and blossoming. He hoped that they’d stay here. He hoped the kids would continue to find their place and be happy. He hoped he’d one day feel safe enough to relax. 

He almost could forget about the Empire and the Jedi at times, forget about the war and the fact that the three of them were all technically fugitives. That frightened him. Crater had always warned the 28th Wing that becoming complacent was when they were the least safe, so Chuckles did his best to remain vigilant. Still, as he sat there listening to Nita and Arni giggle and shout, for a moment, it was easy to pretend that everything was normal as he set the datapad aside and finished his caf. 

He found himself more focused on what to wear tonight, silly as it was. Whatever shirt he’d wear would likely get covered in oil and grease depending on how extensive the repair to Endi’s heating unit was, but her words echoed in his mind as he poked through his meager wardrobe. 

“That color looks really nice on you, by the way.” 

He selected one of the older shirts he had, one he’d traded for their first month on Sorgan. It was more sunbleached and worn, but it was comfortable and close to the color of the shirt Endi was altering for him. He hadn’t worn it in quite a while, and as he pulled it over his head, he caught a glimpse of himself in the ‘fresher mirror. 

His body had absolutely changed in the last month. The muscles that he’d allowed to grow softer on Sorgan were now more defined than they’d been in a long while, maybe since his training days. His shoulders and back in particular had hardened from the work in the mine, and he had a few new scars he’d garnered from bumping up against the rocky walls or having to crawl through a few narrow spaces. The soreness he’d experienced in the first week had long faded, leaving him feeling stronger than he’d been in a while and seemingly dissipating some of the pains that had lingered after his crash. The shirt felt looser as he pulled it on, rolling the sleeves to his forearms out of habit. The fabric hung in places where it had previously fit a little tighter, and now it fit his back and shoulders better. 

Chuckles examined his reflection further, leaning forward to run his fingers through his faded blue mohawk, and eyeing the dark roots that were beginning to show. 

Might be time to re-dye it. Maybe change the color. I’ll let the kids decide. 

It was trivial, he knew, but he was sad at the thought of covering the color Oksann had so carefully crafted with the kids. It felt like one of the last remnants of their time on Sorgan, one of the last things they’d done with Ry and Oks before they’d uprooted and run. He sighed. 

Our life is here now. And that’s good.

Ry would tell me I’m being an idiot anyway. 

He met his own brown eyes in the mirror, the ones he shared with his brothers. It almost felt as if the next thought came from Crater or Howzer or Two-Pint or any of the ones he was closest with that had offered him advice when it was needed. 

You’ll never be settled if you keep looking back.

—

“Yeah, you just need a new power coupler and heating core. Both pretty standard parts, I think. I’ll talk with Grinz tomorrow and see if he’s able to pull some strings and get them here before it gets too cold,” Chuck informed Endi, wiping the grease off his palms. He’d just crawled out from under the heating unit just outside the apartment’s back door, dusting himself off before Endi handed him a rag to clean off his hands. She stood in the doorway, leaning against it with one shoulder, smiling in that way that made Chuck’s heart flutter. 

“What do you think the parts will cost me?” she asked. 

He shrugged. “Not sure. When I was a soldier, everything was funded by the Republic, so cost really wasn’t an issue. I’ll see if I can barter a favor for Grinz if it’s too bad.” 

“You don’t have to do that, Chuckles.”

“I know, but I will anyway.” He gave her a grin, and he wasn’t certain, but it seemed she flushed a bit. 

“Well, come on in and get yourself cleaned up then. Can’t have you going to the festival with that grease smear on your chin.” 

Chuckles ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck to hide the heat in his face. Stepping back inside, he squeezed past Endi in the hall, making the way to her kitchen and running the water in her sink to better clean his hands. Glancing out the window, he noted the sun was almost fully below the horizon. 

Better hurry if we’re going to make the fireworks. 

“Here.” Endi appeared at his side, handing him a glass of ice water. He took it and drank greedily, some of the water sliding past the corner of his mouth and running down his chin and throat. When he finished, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, swiping at the trails of water that dipped below his shirt. He noted the way Endi’s eyes followed his fingers, her pupils seeming to widen slightly when he nudged the collar of his shirt aside to dab at the dribbles. 

“Sorry I’m such a sweaty, dusty mess,” he mumbled sheepishly. “I meant to try and keep myself clean, but I wanted to do that repair right. Or as right as I could right now.” He tugged nervously at his mohawk, trying not to think about how sweaty the roots felt. 

“And I appreciate that,” she replied, taking the empty glass back from him and setting it on her counter. Taking a dish towel from the edge of the sink, she dabbed at his chin. “There, now you’re a little more presentable.” Her eyes flicked to where his fingers were still woven into his hair. 

“That’s your nervous tell, isn’t it? When you tug like that?”

Chuck’s face felt as though it was on fire. “I suppose. I’ve always done it ever since I started wearing it like this, even before I started dyeing it.” 

Endi smiled. “Looks like you’re due for a touch-up soon. Grinz can get you about any color you want. Do you think you’ll change things up?”

Chuckles shrugged. “Not sure. I let the kids pick last time, and I’m a bit partial to it, but we’ll see.” 

Endi set the towel on the counter, stepping closer to Chuckles. He could smell her perfume again, although at this point, he wasn’t sure if it was perfume or just her. It was intoxicating, and he swallowed hard as she reached up to run her fingers through his fading mohawk. “I like the blue,” she said softly. “You should keep it.” Her fingers trailed through his hair, and he sucked in a sharp breath at her nearness. She’d touched him before of course, but it had always been innocent, either a hand resting on his arm or accidentally grazing his skin. This felt intentional, like a test to see how he’d respond. Endi’s eyes met his, gauging his reaction, her golden irises hopeful but hesitant. 

Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.

When he didn’t move, she allowed her fingertips to graze his cheek, tracing the scar at the corner of his mouth before her palm rested against the side of his face. He leaned into it, feeling her warmth against his skin. Her breath stuttered. The two of them stared at each other, clearly waiting to see what the other would do now that lines had been deliberately crossed. The only sounds Chuckles could hear was Endi’s breathing and his own blood pounding in his ears. He was frozen, unsure of what to do until she began to withdraw her hand.

He didn’t want her to stop touching him. 

He wanted her. 

Settled. You could be settled. Maybe with her.

Endi gave him a sheepish grin, opening her mouth to offer an apology, but she didn’t get a single word out. Chuckles crashed his lips against hers just as the festival’s first firework exploded outside the kitchen window.

A/N: Two-Pint is the fantastic @teletraan-meets-jarvis's creation and is introduced in her story "Pieces". If you love compelling Jedi and clone OCs, the Wolfpack, and general shenanigans combined with a delicious slow burn, then I highly recommend you check it out!

Tag List: @seriowan @partoftheeternalsoul @rosmariner @misogirl828 @ellichonkasaurusrex @zoeykallus @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @staycalmandhugaclone @redheadgirl @fordo-kixed-rex @wizardofrozz @ariadnes-red-thread @justanothersadperson93 @leftealeaf @kaminocasey @echos-girlfriend @lucyysthings @obihiddlenox @merkitty49 @littlemissmanga @clonecyaree @baba-fett @sleepingsun501 @rexxdjarin @samspenandsword @babygirlrex0504 @ladytano420 @fxlsealarm @runforrestr @djarrex @corrieguards @the-cantina @witchklng @wolffegirlsunite @fives-lover @rain-on-kamino @ladykatakuri @arctrooper69 @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall

[the-clawtake]

Jehan came too with a fit of coughs that would have had him bent double if it weren’t for the four-point harness holding him in the command chair of his Kodiak, and a sensation of overwhelming agony. He shook his head to clear it, hearing dimly a faint clinking or tinkling as he did. That couldn’t be good. The last thing he remembered was a Blakist Highlander. It had gone over the top of the low warehouse. Lacking jump jets, he had gone through it, and...

Oh. Basement. He blinked. Well, at least the roof hadn’t fallen on him. Between the PPC hit earlier in the fight, and the missile volley his cockpit had caught the fringe of, he’d been fighting without a ferroglass canopy; not ideal, but Blakist resistance had been stiffer than had been expected, and while the Capital Grade Particle Cannon that was – had been – the central focus of this AA battery could not depress low enough to engage ground targets, the Missile and Flak batteries could. The Clawtake could not afford to have an Assault ‘Mech withdraw, and so he had stayed. Until he fell.

He glanced at the various readouts, all dark. Nothing showed on the HUD visor of his Neurohelmet. Experimentally, he flipped the ignition toggle. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Well. That was that then, he was out of the fight. He raised his gaze to peer through the hollow gap where his canopy had been. Maybe not as out of the fight as he thought. It appeared some Blakist Purifiers had decided to make sure of the job, and one of them was just turning towards where he was.

Reaching down the side of his chair, he pulled the release on the strap holding his Wolverine. His was the bullpup variant designed for urban fighting – or Mechwarriors who needed something compact in case they had to eject behind the lines. Pulling it to his shoulder with a grunt of pain, he reached back down for a magazine, feeling the markings embossed on the surface until he found the one marked for armour-piercing rounds, slotting it into place with a click. Then he settled back and flicked off the safety.

An armoured claw hooked over the lip of the cockpit, and then a helmet like a grinning skull. Jehan sighted along the barrel and emptied the magazine into the visor as quickly as he could account for the recoil. The first few impacts accomplished nothing beyond making the armoured trooper rear back, but before it had much of a chance to react one of the tungsten-tipped rounds punched through and the huge figure slumped, the tiny hole in it’s helmet oozing red and grey.

Jehan reached for another magazine, reloaded, and then slapped his harness release. Harness loose, he twisted round and disconnected the leads for his neurohelmet and cooling vest. Reaching around behind the chair, he grabbed the survival kit, dragged it loose, and then froze. He recognized that hum. Ducking low, he hunched as close to the floor of his cockpit as he could. The hum gave way to the roar of hyper-velocity flechettes and a ringing in his ears. As the roar gave way, he peeked carefully over the edge of his cockpit. So. His Guardian Angel had a HAG. Good to know. He pulled himself from the cockpit, grimacing as shattered ferroglass scraped his bare legs, and scrambled off the Kodiak, onto the rubble of the collapsed warehouse.

Slipping into some cover, he removed his helmet and vest and dug into the survival kit. The jumpsuit went on first, over the rest of his uniform. Then the belt, with the holster for his Wolverine and a Shrike, and the long-bladed hunting knife. Next was the radio. Twisting the knob till he found the right frequency, he hit transmit.

“Clawtake Units, Clawtake Actual. Sitrep.”

“Aff, Star Colonel.” He breathed a sigh of relief at Rauda’s voice. “Fire Star, three effectives. Striker Star, zero effectives. You are the only ineffective in Battle Star. OpFors in retreat or disabled, no pursuit. Battery reduced.”

“Aff. Request pick up.”

Another voice came in on the channel; Jorge in his Dire Wolf.

“Star Colonel. Suggest rendevouz. I am due east of your position, immediately adjacent to the warehouse.”

It took several minutes for Jehan to get himself out of the basement, and to climb the technican’s ladder to the Dire Wolf’s access hatch, but eventually he settled into the jump seat. Peering over Jorge’s shoulder, he considered the results of the engagement.

The Shadow Cat was a write-off. Something had set off Lasse’s ammunition, and the combination of Inferno and High Explosive warheads meant there was nothing to salvage. Both Stormcrows and the Black Hawk needed either significant repair work or new gyros. The Mist Lynx would probably be fine, once the water was drained. He remembered seeing Shagufta go through the ice trying to outflank the Blakists – She would be fine, her cockpit hadn’t been breached and so she avoided hypothermia and the water was fairly shallow. The Dragonfly was also probably a write-off. It had taken significant damage to both arms, and had been cored by a well-placed gauss slug from the Blakist Highlander.

Tapping Jorge on the shoulder, he waited for the young Warrior’s attention.

“I need a channel to Command.”

“Aff.” a moment later “Channel open.”

“Touchdown Actual? Clawtake. Reporting Battery RANGER reduced. Clawtake at 53% effectiveness. We will require reinforcement or repair before we can further engage Blakist forces.” His piece said, he slumped in his jump seat. There was nothing to do now but wait.

[probablynot-john]

I posted 89 times in 2022

31 posts created (35%)

58 posts reblogged (65%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@never-ending-fanfic

@mabsart

@astralalmighty

@nikxation

@tsuki-beemei

I tagged 70 of my posts in 2022

Only 21% of my posts had no tags

#star wars - 33 posts

#sw rebels - 27 posts

#hot kallus - 25 posts

#alexsandr kallus - 25 posts

#kalluzeb - 23 posts

#garazeb orrelios - 21 posts

#star wars rebels - 14 posts

#incorrect star wars rebels quotes - 11 posts

#ezra bridger - 11 posts

#sabine wren - 10 posts

Longest Tag: 102 characters

#this has been in my head for years with numerous character combinations but im glad i finally wrote it

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Hello! I made some arts!

See the full post

55 notes - Posted July 27, 2022

#4

*after being captured at Bridger's tower*

Thrawn: I congratulate you on being able to evade capture for as long as you have agent Kallus, you are quite hard to read.

Kallus: Maybe you're dyslexic.

68 notes - Posted July 23, 2022

#3

These three

Are basically these three but without dragons

See the full post

70 notes - Posted October 9, 2022

#2

I'm gonna attack ya'll with the fluffiest headcannon I have:

So Kallus and Zeb are retired and living a beautiful quiet life on Lirasan. As a hobby Zeb starts volunteering at the local zoo (ie. Carl & Ellie), and every year he gives tours to a class of kids from the local school (kids are about 2nd to 3rd grade age). Anyways as kids do, they ask Zeb what his favorite animal is. But Zeb just laughs and tells them "you'll have to wait to the end of the tour to find out".

Here's the thing, the kids have been dying to find out what it is since they found out they were going to the zoo weeks before the trip. Because Zeb said the same thing to the class the year before them, and the year before that. As amazing as loth cats are (another animal they saw at the zoo), by the end of the tour the tiny lasats are literally climbing up the walls with anticipation.

By the time they finally get to the end they come to a big curtain.

Zeb:"Alright kids are you ready for the last animal on our tour?"

Kits:"YEAH!"

Zeb:" Okaaaaay, hear we have my favorite animal my husband Alex!"

*Zeb pulls back the curtain to reveal Kallus standing in a terrarium without glass* Kallus: "Hello children:)"

The kids lose their shit.

When Zeb and Kallus first moved to Lirasan, Kallus was the first human many of the locals had ever seen. As a result many people had questions and some were not as nice about it as others (we've all read the other head cannons). But the kits were always more curious than judgemental. One day a woman made some rude comment about how weird Kallus looked to her and jow he "belongs in a zoo". Unfortunately for her Kallus loves this idea, who told Zeb who started volunteering the very next day.

The rest of the tour is spent with Alex answering all the questions the kits have about being human. Of course Alex get his favorite questions, the one the kids ask every year:"what's your favorite animal?"

Which he answeres by looking longingly at Zeb before saying "loth cats".

The kids all keep the cycle going of not telling the younger kids what Zeb's favorite animal is next year. And thus the legend is born

102 notes - Posted August 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Okay so picture this:

Kallus and Zeb are on a mission together, Kallus does something clever to save the day. But suddenly troopers break down the door and storm the room. As they fight side by side together, Zeb catches Kal's eye, and before he can stop himself he blurts out

Zeb: Hey Kal! Marry me?*throws a storm trooper*

Kallus: Sure. Like now, or later? *shoots a Trooper inches behind Zeb*

Zeb *not fully comprehending what he just said, or the fact that Kal just just said yes*: um, later. But not much later.

Kallus: Okay sounds good.

Storm Trooper: what the hell-*Zeb smashes his face*

*they passionately make out for a few minutes before leaving*

And scene.

117 notes - Posted July 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[handless-and-dangerous]

Collecting Flowers Part 4!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Last but not least, Alyssum. Mmmmm.... just smell these beauties.

Alyssum is a genus in the Brassicaceae family. Brassicaceae is home to many common plants like mustards, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. You can easily identify a many members of Brassicaceae by its flower pattern, which is four petals arranged in a cross pattern.

Hmmm... very interesting...

[deepseacritter]

Echo had a fun today. We started out at a local quilt shop...

He was a fan of dragonfly fabrics.

Then he tried to help pick out some fat quarters...just couldn’t find the right shade of blue.

He really wanted this fabric, but didn’t know what to make from it yet (he’s thinking on it now).

Then he saw this quilt kit, which featured batiks, which he thought was pretty neat. They happen to be my favorite fabrics too. Well, here’s hoping he helps out with making the quilt later.

Then we went painting!

I think things turned out pretty good.

[samspenandsword]

The Coffee House: Commander Fox/Reader (Fem)

Summary: You own a coffee house on Coruscant famed for its especially strong and rare brews. One day, you find yourself meeting the Marshal Commander for the Coruscant Guard.  Pairing: Commander Fox/Reader; fem!reader with no mentions of her appearance.  Rating: GEN — SFW (series will eventually be rated Explicit, 18+) Warnings: None - mentions of caffeine addiction, light fluff and feelings, tiny mention of horniness (bc it’s FOX people) Word Count: 1.2k

Part 2

Inspiration for Fox’s appearance taken from @amikoroyaiart​ because her version of Fox is canon and you can’t convince me otherwise :)

There was nothing quite like the smell of freshly brewed coffee. You took in a deep breath, the scent filling you with a joy like nothing else. To be perfectly honest, you were probably addicted to caffeine. Okay, you were definitely addicted to caffeine. And you were definitely a bit of a snob when it came to your coffee. But to be perfectly honest, you loved it all. Hot, strong, iced, cold brew, espresso, sweet, creamy, black. That was why you had opened your own coffee house on Coruscant. 

You served good coffee. Straight up. You ordered and shipped in coffee from your homeworld Yavin 4, where the tropical environment was perfect for growing premium coffee beans. You had a good variety, but your coffee house was known for its premium roasts and blends. And its strong roasts and blends. 

Your place had been open for about five years now, from before the outbreak of the war. And it had only become more popular since then. The majority of your clientele, pre-war, had been simple civilians and the occasional politician or even a Jedi or two. But now, with each passing month, you found more and more clones frequenting your coffee house. 

And you welcomed them with open arms. 

Those boys had raging caffeine addictions that rivaled even yours. And if you weren’t already so impressed by them, that would’ve done it. Those boys, barely grown and kitted out to the nines, who came stumbling into your coffee house and spent what little credits they had trying to get some decent breakfast and caf before they shipped out again, potentially to never come back. You were endlessly fond of them. 

Speaking of... 

“Beanie!”

A grin lit your face at the nickname as well as the sight of familiar red armor. The vibrant red and white of the Coruscant Guard had become quite a regular sight for you. And those Corrie boys could not survive without their morning caf. You had their orders memorized, even if you’d never met them. More often than not, one or two of them would show up and leave with an armful of orders. And though you would never admit it, you had a bit of a soft spot for these boys. Sure, they may not have been on the front lines, but they were fighting a war of a different kind. An arguably more dangerous one. Personally, you’d go insane if you had to deal with corrupt senators and rich, entitled civilians all the time.

“Good morning, Thorn,” you chirped. “You sound very energetic this morning.”

You could tell by the tilt of his bucket that Thorn was smiling. Members of the Coruscant Guard technically weren’t allowed to remove their helmets in the presence of civilians. There were some exceptions, like in restaurants, cafes, cantinas. Or if they were off-duty. But you knew that Thorn wouldn’t be staying this morning. 

You had set up a row of cubbies along one of the walls of your coffee house for troopers who came in who didn’t want to keep their armor on. Though it had taken a while for him to feel comfortable enough in your coffee house, Thorn was one of the ones who relished at the opportunity to shuck the plastoid. 

So you knew, when he didn’t even remove his bucket, that this would be a to-go order.

“The usual?” you asked, already grabbing the cups and pen. 

Thorn nodded. “No rush.”

You smiled, ringing it up.

You always took delight in creating little doodles for each of the boys on their cups. For Thorn, you gave him a little rose flower. Hound got himself a little cartoon massif. Stone always got himself a little gemstone. And you always drew a blaster rifle for Thire, knowing he preferred his rifle over simple blaster pistols.

You came to the last cup, sticking your tongue out a little as you doodled a little fox. 

You poured the coffee, sealed the cups, and set them all in a tray for Thorn. When you looked up, he had been joined by a second clone. One you didn’t recognize.

He was obviously another member of the Coruscant Guard judging by his colors. But rather than wearing white armor with red accents, his armor was mostly red with white accents. Like Thorn, he wore kamas and a visor, marking his higher rank. A commander, probably. 

But when you saw the way Thorn deferred to this clone, you felt yourself halt.

His bucket turned towards you.

“Order’s up, Thorn.”

Thorn turned around, reaching out to take the tray. You inclined your head towards the second clone.

“Good morning, Commander.”

You’d never actually met Commander Fox before now, but you’d heard plenty from his brothers. You’d always sort of quietly admired the man. He definitely didn’t have an easy job. But he also, like you, drank your strongest coffee blend. 

You liked him for that fact alone. 

It was a special blend, the strongest stuff in-house. You’d created it yourself from a mix of beans and roasting methods. You’d even experimented with brewing methods, perfecting the recipe until it was a seamless blend of velvety flavors and an unreasonable amount of caffeine.

So it wasn’t exactly for the faint of heart. 

Naturally, it was your favorite. Commander Fox had always only ordered it as well. 

You watched as Commander Fox reached out for the cup with your fox doodle. With one hand, he tore the bucket off his head, then raised the cup to his lips and downed the coffee in one. 

You and Thorn stared. 

Fox slammed the cup down, and you found yourself stunned. You didn’t think you were supposed to find the sight of a man chugging coffee attractive, but here you were, both unreasonably flustered and turned on. 

Also mildly worried.

“Refill, Commander?”

“Please.”

You watched Fox from the corner of your eye as you refilled his cup. He had wonderful hair, with black curls falling in front of his eyes and grey flecking the strands at his temples. He looked tired, but he was, like all clones, unfairly handsome, and you felt warm for a reason beyond the steam rising from the coffee pots and percolators. 

Thorn shuddered as you handed the refill to Fox. “How can you two drink that rotgut?”

You gripped your own mug and smirked behind the rim. “The caffeine addiction helps.” 

You couldn’t see it, but you knew Thorn was smiling. He looked at Fox. “Commander, this is Beanie. The only person in the whole galaxy who drinks more caf than you.”

You smiled angelically, batting your eyelashes. 

Fox raised an eyebrow, sipping his caf. “Beanie?”

You smiled and nodded. Beanie. That was the nickname the boys had given you a while back. Because you always smelled like coffee beans. “I like it.”

“Of course you do,” Thorn preened. “It came from me.”

“It did not.”

You could hear Thorn’s pout. “You could pretend.”

You giggled. “Nice try, Thorn. But you know my heart is taken.”

He shook his head. “I swear, Beanie, you’d marry coffee if it were possible.”

You winked. 

But Fox was merely looking at you, still thinking of your nickname. With a simple nod, he said, “It suits you.”

And you proceeded to blush very prettily.

Before the boys left, and before Fox’s face disappeared behind his bucket, you could’ve sworn you’d seen him smiling a little. 

Biting your lip, you decided you definitely liked Commander Fox. And you couldn’t help but eagerly anticipate the next time he came to your coffee house. 

[blackkatmagic]

If your doing prompts could you PLEASE do anything with Captain Keeli and Genereal Di?? Just somthing soft pls, that would really brighten my day!!

The general’s glasses are in Keeli’s pack.

Startled, Keeli pauses, staring down at the tiny pair of spectacles tucked carefully, securely into one of the interior pockets of his kit, wrapped in a bit of torn cloak to cushion them. General Windu's cloak, if Keeli remembers correctly; he’d sacrificed it in the name of saving a handful of troopers from assassin droids, and when Keeli had tried to return it to him, he’d waved it off as a justified sacrifice. So Keeli had just…taken a piece.

Ima-Gun is always carrying his glasses in his sleeve and then breaking them, and when Keeli had found the glasses, he’d kept them. Kept them safe, because Ima-Gun only uses them in his downtime, between missions, and Keeli hasn’t had reason to remember them before now. They're always fighting, with almost no time to spare, but—

Things are quiet right now. The cruiser is peaceful, and there's almost a week to their next campaign. There's nothing but downtime, and these should go back to Ima-Gun.

But.

Keeli sinks down on his bunk, pulling the glasses out and unwrapping them. He holds them in his palm for a second, a little unsettled by how fragile they feel in his grip, how easily they could have been broken. A whole campaign, a whole planet saved, and the whole time Keeli had these in his pack, like a touchstone. Like a good luck charm. The glasses didn’t break, so their defenses didn’t break, so the planet wasn’t taken.

Snorting a little at his own whimsy, Keeli turns the glasses over in his grip, then catches a flicker of motion at the corner of his eye and looks up.

“Ah,” Ima-Gun says, a little curious, a little amused. “I was wondering where those had gotten to.”

“Sorry, sir,” Keeli says, rising to his feet and holding them out immediately. “Guess I had them in my pack and didn’t even realize.”

Ima-Gun chuckles, approaching to pick them up from Keeli's palm. “Likely they were safer with you than they would have been with me,” he says, all self-directed humor. “I've never met a pair I didn’t break within a week.”

Keeli looks at the delicate glass and wire, raises his gaze to his general. “I’ll keep them, next time we’re in the field,” he offers before he can think better of it. “If you want, sir. Just until you need them.”

Ima-Gun blinks, then smiles, and lays a hand over Keeli's shoulder, squeezing gently. “I believe I would appreciate that greatly, Keeli,” he says softly. “Thank you.”

Swallowing, Keeli reaches up, slides his hand over Ima-Gun’s. Grips, just for a moment, and says, “It’s my pleasure, sir.”

[On AO3]

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

Here’s a snippet from a really goofy wip that helped me out a writing block. You really can just draw inspiration from anywhere.

-

2525 UNSC General Purpose Emergency Ration MRE Review Taste Test

Posted by John2511MREInfo - 1,363,548,684 views - June 5, 2558

The newest video starts with the camera focused on a small metal tin stamped with the UNSC logo. It’s an unassuming thing and the camera focuses on it as edits jump to show the sides and bottom where the key rested waiting for the trooper to open it. There’s some old yellowed tape across the top that covers part of the label.

“Today we have a second generation food ration that replaced the original 2515 version with it’s more compact, longer lasting design with a slightly higher caloric value.” A deep voice rumbles. It sounds rough and a bit stilted, and there’s the faint sound of a woman’s voice in the background. 

Massive pale hands cradle the can in front of the camera as the voice continues to speak and the host turns the container in his hands. The tin is dwarfed by them, but the real eye catcher is the scarring up his hands and along his arms. Fine lines and warped scar tissue cover huge patches of skin, the coloration showing both old and new scarring overlapping in marbled knots of flesh. 

“Now this generation of emergency rations was first produced in 2525, just like the one I got here, and it replaced the tropic and arctic survival rations for the UNSC until the next generation was developed and released in 2531.”

He turns the ration as he speaks and flips it for the camera. His hands make the meal kit look like a child’s toy but he continues his speech with an almost practiced ease.

“The general purpose rations are used by all branches to sustain an individual in survival situations, including escape and evasion under all environmental conditions.” He hefts the can in one hand and speaks to a person offscreen, “I wish we had gotten these when they came out but when we were on -------------- then we got even older stuff, guess it was easier for them to get their hands on. ---- almost got sick from one of the 2490s we had after bootcamp. Wouldn’t stop complaining about it.”

He pauses and then rotates the tin again, closer to the camera this time.

“Always check the seals and look for damage. You don’t want anything rancid. Ruins your day.”

He turns it over again and hums before setting it down.

“Now this type of ration comes with the key on the bottom and a p38 can opener attached to the lid. Let’s see what we got.”

The tiny can opener seems even smaller in his grip as he flips the tin and cuts open the flimsy metal with quick sawing motions. It’s a smooth movement that lends itself to years of practice. The first puncture breaks the seal and the camera mic picks up the release of air.

“Nice hiss.”

---

“Tell us how it is.” The woman’s voice is back, and there’s an undercurrent of glee in it. 

“Oh, right.” The voice is muffled by the food in their mouth. There’s a pause as the figure swallows and an imperceptible shiver goes through their massive frame. “I’ve had worse.”

“And?” 

“It’s awful. The smell alone would have a marine running. Remember when we--” the audio cuts out for a few seconds. Time ticks by on the bar at the bottom of the video and he sets the tiny spoon down on the tray in silence before gesturing in the direction of the unseen speaker. “--and the smell of plasma on Brute hide was worse with the ruptured coolant spill, didn’t know those things could smell worse. Even with the filters.”

“Uh huh. And why are you doing this again?”

“Sharing my knowledge. Finally getting a hobby. Besides, you’re always bothering me to eat more.”

“Not my point and you know it.”

“Maybe.” he huffs, his voice low and pleased. 

“Do NOT eat the cheese...product.”

“I’m going to eat the cheese.”

---

[ner-runi]

I Need to Feel

Pairing: Fives x fem OC!medic (Brynn - nicknamed “Tiny” cause she SHORT)

This is also in first person POV—not entirely sure how that will play in, but I figured I should let y’all know💕

Rating: E 18+ ONLY

Warnings: mention of alcohol abuse, trauma, OC has a prosthetic forearm/hand, smut, inappropriate use of ARC Trooper pauldrons i.e. oral (f recieving), unprotected P in V sex (wrap it up y’all), if I missed anything please let me know.

Word Count: 1.3K😳

Background Info: Ok so this happens within a MUCH larger work so a little bit of background: This takes place shortly after the Battle of Lola Sayu, aka The Citadel. The explosion that took Echo is also how Brynn lost her hand. Brynn is trying to cope with the “death” of Echo, and Fives is there for her. 

Feedback is always welcome! 😁

“Shut your damn mouth Fives,” I hiss into the ARC trooper’s mouth, “Stop talking and just fuck me.”

“Brynn…” he responds, breaking away from my desperate hold, “Brynn, you aren’t in your right mind.”

“You have my consent and I’m sober for the first time in days. Just,” I take a deep breath, “let me feel something other than pain.”

           After Lola Sayu, if you were to ask any other member of Torrent, I spiraled. Echo is my first real loss after the clusterfuck that was our defense of Rishi Station. In the end, it was only Echo, Fives, and I. I had no one else, I survived with no one else. So why not seek out a quick distraction with the final person I have closest to me? 

“Please, just one more time for my piece of mind,” Fives grabs my wandering hands from his armor. I am brutally reminded that I can only feel from one of them, my cybernetic fritzing once again as I get any sort of worked up. This Maker-forsaken thing will piss me off to no end. 

“Fives, you are all I have left. Beginning to end, I’ve had you by my side,” My eyes cant downwards, tears beginning to brim over my eyes, as I force the words in a single, desperate breath, “I may not be a whole, complete version of myself, but I need to know that I can still feel something other than pain and loss. Do your favorite medic a favor.”

Driven by desperation, I lock eyes with the ARC trooper in front of me as I push him further into my desk in the medbay. Grasping the back of his neck and bringing him down to meet my lips, I manage to maneuver him to the edge of the desk before further driving my weight into the fully kitted ARC. Fives collapses against the durasteel frame and I follow him down, moving to straddle his thighs without breaking my desperate kiss. Feeling the codpiece on his armor catch the seam of my blacks, I stifle a moan before knocking the contents of my desk—my datapad and a few other bits of flimsi, onto the floor. 

“Gods, Fives please,” I practically beg. The ARC trooper grasps the back of my thighs before flipping us over.

“You want what you want mesh’la,” Fives gives a lopsided grin, “Just promise you won't fall in love with me,” he finishes with a quick wink.

Deft fingers move to the band of my blacks, grasping them before pulling them down over my knees. After my pants hit the floor, Fives makes quick work ridding me of my blacks entirely, leaving me in only my chest binder and my comfortable, regulation underwear. 

“It could be sexier, I know,” I tell him hastily, “But this isn’t supposed to be sexy. Now fuck me within an inch of my life.”

Fives replies with only a grin before he places my thighs over his pauldrons, pressing his face into my aching core. 

“Stars, darlin—you always smell so sweet. I know you taste even better.” Fives barely pulls my underwear off my legs before latching his lips over my clit, roughly tracing his tongue over the bud.

“Fuck, Fives!” I shout as I throw my head back against my desk. I thread my fingers into his curls, moaning at the feeling of his tongue over my folds. 

Fives pulls his lips from my center, sucking so hard an audible pop sounds as he looks me in the eye.

“Don’t act surprised Tiny, you created this.” Fives shoots me another smirk before setting off to remove his armor pieces. I stare at the meticulous routine set before me, marveling at him as inch after inch of tanned skin is exposed to my wandering eyes. I stand back up to the ARC trooper, forcing him to look down at my wide eyes. 

“You’re Force-damned right I did. And will never regret it.” I whisper at him before placing my palms on his chest. Curling my fingers, I lightly drag my nails down his torso as I lower myself onto my knees before him. I feel him shiver under my touch when my hands reach his hip bones.

“Ah ah ah, mesh’la. Tonight is about you,” he stops me from raising his hard cock to my lips. Bringing me back up to my feet, the ARC trooper drags my body closer to his bare chest. I feel Fives’ calloused hands down my arms, reaching to my side to release the concealed zipper of my binder. The fabric drops from my body and Fives continues to inch his warm hands further down my body. 

Rough hands find the soft flesh on the back of my thighs and Fives whispers in my ear, “Jump, sweet thing,” he nips at my neck as he moves to press me against the chilly durasteel wall. 

When my legs wrap around his narrow hips, I feel him, achingly hard against my center. Smooth thrusts bring the head of Fives’ cock against my swollen clit before catching at the opening of my soaked core. 

“Just like Rishi, sweetheart,” breathless words ghost over my ear, “Take me like I know you can.”

With one slow thrust, Fives buries himself in me. He chokes on his moan and my eyes roll into the back of my head. The familiar stretch of his cock does more than my fingers have in weeks. The tension rises low in my belly, consuming my body in a few deep thrusts. I have a fleeting moment of thanks that I am not on my feet, because I would surely be unable to support myself. Digging my nails into the meat of the ARC trooper’s shoulders, I throw my head back towards the wall. 

“Look at me sweet girl,” Fives brings one hand up to caress my jaw, angling my head towards his sweet honey eyes, “Fuck Brynn, you’re doin’ so good for me.” His hand leaves my face to snake between our hot bodies. 

“Maker Fives!” I keen as his free hand makes contact, rolling my clit between his calloused fingers, “Fives, I want to feel cum you inside me.” The tension begins to crest, my walls clenching around Fives’ deliberate thrusts.

“I can feel you. Cum for me, sweet thing.” With his words I feel my pussy clench down on his rigid cock, milking the ARC trooper for everything he’s got. My head rolls back again as Fives continues to thrust into my spent cunt. His grunts send shivers down my neck and he thrusts one final time, deep into me. His hot release fills me— I lock onto the feeling and abandon everything else. 

Against the wall of the medbay office, Fives rests his forehead on my shoulder,

“Maker, I always knew you’d be the one to forever make a mess on my cock.”

I reply breathlessly, “I taught you everything you fucking know. Back on Rishi you’d just be cumming in your blacks. I taught you—never forget that. “

Fives laughs at my admission, “Was that distraction enough?” Bringing my cybernetic hand to his lips, he lays gentle kisses against the metal, 

“Fives, you have no fucking idea.” 

“You know I got more where that came from.” He smirks while raising his eyebrows suggestively.

My head finally feels clear as Fives pulls himself out of me, the pain of loss no longer at the forefront of my mind. I maneuver him towards the cot against the back wall,

“Stay with me tonight?” I ask, “Please?” When I fall onto the stiff cot, I turn to see Fives bringing over our undergarments.

“I’m all for sleeping naked with you, but we probably shouldn’t scar Lyra so soon in her tenure with the 501st.” He pulls up his grey boxer-briefs over his hips and I stifle a giggle as I put my binder and underwear back on.

“Thank you for reminding me that I can still feel the good emotions, Fives,” I say, laying down on Fives’ chest.   

I only hear a mumble of Mando’a before succumbing to the sweet pressure of sleep.

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Tagging who I think would enjoy ❤️

@rowansparrow @djarrex @truechaoticneutral @writingbylee

[phoenixyfriend]

For the first sentence thing, if you're still accepting them: They shone around him, glittering like tiny suns on the soft teal sand.

let’s do that thing the cool kids are doing Leave the first sentence of a fic in my askbox and i will write the next five.

They were winking out, life by life, the glint of each light just guttering out as their hearts did.

Kit dragged in another breath, coughing on blood-drenched water. His gills weren't meant for the tack and heave of what was meant to stay safe in human veins, and his air lungs were still encountering a bit of resistance.

He flipped over onto his stomach, breathed a shred easier, and steeled himself to move. Digging a hand into the beach, he started pulling himself to the nearest trooper.

If he could save even one life not his own...