#yes this is about the people who have to start everything conversation about crosshair

[commander-vas-normandy]

Why do people feel the need to be like "I'm not a fan of X, but-"???? Like, you can share a positive opinion or feeling about something without having to preface that you just absolutely hate the thing otherwise.

[eriexplosion]

TIME TO MEET UP WITH LIZARD WIFE.

The fact that Crosshair's wrist is apparently even remotely near a small girls wrist size is hilarious to me. Eat more you skinny creature your limbs are only slightly bigger than a child's. He does say it's not an exact fit but. Close enough to work.

Wrecker doing Gonky lifts in the background is wholesome.

"The Jedi who are all dead?" is still the most 0-100 response, good job on your immediate escalation Tech. He's correct but damn.

LIZARD WIFE LIZARD WIFE

Anyway in case it wasn't clear I am extremely Pro-Cid. I love her even though she has committed crimes and betrayals. She looked really sad while doing it you see.

Tech's COMPLETE distaste for this place is hilarious. MAYBE he was ARRESTED for VIOLATING COUNTLESS HEALTH CODE REGULATIONS. It doesn't look that bad but he is Offended.

Love Omega just instantly tuning into the fact that Cid is engaged in the ancient art of 'straight up lying' while in the background everyone else discusses what their next move is if this isn't Cid's place like they didn't just walk under a big glowing sign that says "Cid's"

God bless them all

Deadly looking Crossbow: Exists

Omega: This is? for me to touch?

Nice foreshadowing to her actually getting a hold of a bow though.

I just love Cid's office full of concerning objects like said Crossbow, a mounted clone trooper helmet, and what looks distressingly like a wookiee pelt on the back of the chair. If Cid can do one thing it's design an office.

Echo is so deeply horrified by the concept of becoming a mercenary. They really were setting up the split early, it was obvious from the start that Echo wasn't going to run with this forever. It goes against everything they ARE.

Wrecker and Omega when Cid calls her the brains of the operation LOL. I love them.

Cid I love u but don't be mean to Wrecker in particular he's an angel and we're glad he's here.

The 'what's a slave trader' conversation is minorly annoying still because 'people can be sold' Omega let me tell you a story about THE ENTIRE BASIS OF THE KAMINOAN ECONOMY. Through Echo's whole explanation I'm sitting here going YOU. THAT IS YOU. YOU ARE THE PROPERTY THAT WAS BOUGHT AND SOLD AND NO ONE IS MENTIONING IT. There are points where it feels like they're just straight up not allowed to imply that while the Empire was WORSE for clones, the Republic was also very bad.

Another great moment though that shows how much Echo already doesn't fit this is when Tech helpfully fills in AS WELL AS EARN A DECENT AMOUNT OF CREDITS ONCE THE JOB IS COMPLETE and Echo sounds so damn downtrodden saying 'yeah, that too' they want to be doing good things for the sake of it not worrying about if it's going to get them paid. Tech meanwhile seems more like. You do a good thing (rescue a child) AND you get a good thing in return (the ability to eat regularly) what's there to be upset about?

Old Ord Mantell is goregoussssss

Hunter like 'I'm going to do a good job of parenting and make Omega stay with the ship' and then NOTHING HAPPENS AS PLANNED.

Truly insane that Echo was assigned to be the eyes in the sky, Echo you have one arm go climb that building right now, do it. I know they're used to having Crosshair to do this but surely secondary duty should fall on ANYONE BUT THE ONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE TWO HANDS.

Echo should by all accounts be severely injured from that fall, almost like people in Star Wars don't take fall damage.

Yes I'm going to be thinking about Tech through every one of these so SUE ME. IF THEY DIDN'T WANT ME THINKING ABOUT IT THEY SHOULD STOP SHOWING ME HIM FALLING.

Anyway after the fiasco in Cut & Run and this it is clear that losing Crosshair dramatically decreased the batch's fighting ability, almost like the family needs to be complete to truly thrive.

"I have my BEST PEOPLE (some guys and a child I met five minutes ago) ON IT"

Every food in TBB is simply some form of cylinder.

Something so sweetly domestic about Omega and Gonky on the ship she's just chilling with the family doggo who is actually a half charged brick of a droid.

Also to be fair to Omega. This time she TRIED to just stay on the ship like she was told.

I love when my faves are endangered so the entire batch being captured by slave traders is like catnip to me. Would watch a whole arc about this, I want them constantly getting hurt to protect each other please. My favorite narrative.

Once again Tech is the one to spot Omega clearly he should have been sent up the tower to be the eye in the sky.

Hunter trying to convince her NOT TO COME RESCUE THEM by insistingly shaking his head. You should already know that won't do ANYTHING Hunter.

This guys design and menacing demeanor go so hard for NO reason he's in it for like two and a half minutes tops.

Also regarding this scene, Echo going with 'the Republic outlawed slavery' is some real 'what do you mean you're being murdered that's illegal they can't do that' energy.

Leading Omega along where she needs to go via loud boasting is a great idea though.

"If you do not comply, the person next to you will pay the price" is a TERRIFYING LINE and it is happening ENTIRELY offscreen and I only know he says it because of the subtitles. More peril please.

MUCHI. GREAT HOW NOTHING BAD HAPPENS TO HER IN THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY RIGHT :'D

Still one of the more attractive things Hunter's ever done and I wish we could see his face for it, you know the stare is INTENSE.

Love Wrecker's tiny thumbs up

The moment of sending Muchi off is cute, GREAT HOW NOTHING BAD HAPPENS TO MUCHI R I G H T

The last bit with Cid <3 my girl I just love a crime grandma okay, I love her. She had no reason to make life that difficult for them she just did it Because. Something is wrong with her <3

[stardusthuntress]

I HAVE MORE

Omega has a tendency to end up hanging outside the ship on ropes, we know this terrified Hunter, and ya really think Tech didn't have a quick way to save her ready to go in his pack?

Remember earlier in the season when he jumped into the darkness without hesitation to save their little girl? And you know how the Mandalorian (via Bo Katan) showed us that jetpacks (if I remember correctly she still wears the same version she wore during the clone wars) work underwater. Do you think Tech didn't find a way to make or otherwise prep a jetpack that could have prevented such a scenario in future?

We have also seen Wrecker, who is terrified of heights, jump off a high ledge to save Crosshair when he slipped and fell. You think Tech didn't have SOMETHING ready for a "what if one of us falls AGAIN" scenario ready to go?

speaking of Wrecker, his thing is to throw people... which means he had to learn how to do so accurately... which means he practiced by throwing Tech, Hunter, and Crosshair.... which means they had to have something ready to go in case he missed... especially since Wreck has a tendency to get shot in the shoulder, which we know makes him drop instantly, which would throw off his aim (pun intended)

Yes, Tech was always ready to sacrifice himself for his family, but he is also the type to prepare for every possible scenario, especially if they have come close to needing a solution like this before

all he had to do was use two basic skydiving maneuvers (flip over and move left/right/forward/backward) to get out from under the railcar, and use a parachute... or a jetpack, we know clones were given jetpacks, and you're telling me Mr. Technology didn't grasp at any opportunity to play with a new toy and learn something that could come in handy all the fricken time?

the one thing I will give them is this: we know jetpacks run out of fuel (Mandalorian), which indicates that he could have run out of fuel when he reached the ground (SAFELY, I refuse to believe that Tech is dead, it doesn't make any sense given what we know about the man), so he's on the run, and the broken goggles could have come from a fight afterwards, or simply been a spare pair that fell out of his pack (we saw him end up upside down as he fell, so stuff falling out of his pack is not unwarranted). Why he didn't just jetpack back up to his bros is beyond me tho, unless there was a problem with his jetpack or something, which is not very Tech-like...

I see why - emotionally and season-motivationally - why they chose this path, but they forgot what lies at the heart of the very man they spent so much time developing this season... they forgot Tech is a problem solver...... and now there are SO MANY LOOPHOLES. They BETTER pick a good one and give him a better story from here on out.

They gave us a very clear parallel to Echo's Citadel respawn. And @rain-on-kamino pointed out during a conversation we had that this Hemlock creep is the start of the making of the Dark Trooper arc we see continued in the Mandalorian (yes, like everything connects these two stories, it's nuts), which means they are probably gonna tie Tech's arc into that....

However, now that they are aware of how many articles blatantly state that ending Tech like this was a really bad move, do you think they will give us out representation character back in a manner that won't ensure we continue to transform into a hoard of shrieking banshees?

I suppose technically, that's up for debate, but I just hope we have made enough of a fuss these last few days, and these next few months, to convince Dave Filoni that TECH IS NOT A CHARACTER YOU KILL OFF!!!

you guys, there are WAY TOO MANY LOOSE ENDS regarding Tech there at the end....

(fair warning, this is another one of my longwinded rants)

"the only thing we were able to recover", his goggles...

which he records everything with... Hemlock knew each of the men and quickly caught on to their paternal attachment to Omega, do you really think he didn't do his homework and find out Tech records everything as a hobby? It wouldn't be hard to figure out. video files are pretty big, so why does a clone like him have petabytes of data? Oh, because they're all recordings of his experiences! gold mine of data, right there. Even if Hemlock couldn't access the files, the quantity, and regularity of how often they were uploaded to his personal data (I'm guessing after every mission or two) relative to how long each mission took would be a pretty clear indicator of what they are

so, what did they see? What did the goggles see? And what did the Empire see in his last moments? What recordings did they pull from his goggles, and what did they leave behind for the batch to find when they download his last recordings? You know Echo is gonna wanna see it. Or did Tech use those last moments as he fell to wipe all his data to protect his family?

they didn't recover ANYTHING from his datapad?

none of his tools from his belt? You're telling me the man doesn't carry duplicates of his intel?

and someone pointed out his goggles were UNDER his helmet... I'd like to add to that, that while that could explain how it survived since it was protected by his helmet, it also seems weird. The goggles mark the weak point in his helmet. His face is only partially protected. that visor doesn't really shield his eyes, and the goggles only sorta make up for that... why are the lenses shattered and everything else is completely intact? That doesn't seem weird to anyone else?

Tech is enhanced. The Empire, and that creep Hemlock, totally would steal anything they could from his remains, including his DNA - so like blood samples or stem cell samples or anything to help them figure out how to make more like him, or to make future clones even less like him (so like easier to brainwash)

And besides, Hunter brushed off a huge tumble down a mountain at the end of season 1. Yeah, he used his knife, the mountain, and the trees to slow his fall, but do you really think Tech didn't have SOMETHING ready for a scenario like this? Sure, this is still a little too high to really prepare for.... but we know jetpacks were even supplied if they wanted them! Do you really think he didn't manage to get a hold of, or build one of his own that could be hidden in that backpack of his?

the backpack, which he is wearing when he falls!

No parachute? Nothing to help break a fall? He already had a box fall on him earlier in the season, you think he wouldn't have something ready to go so that doesn't happen again. Whether it's something falling on him, or him falling on top of something else, it's basically the same thing. Nothing? The genius was not prepared to save a life in the blink of an eye? That doesn't sound like Tech to me

and the parallels to Echo's "end" at the Citadel! We only see his goggles, not his remains. When Echo "died" the first time, we only saw his helmet and Fives' reaction to it. We did not see his body. Echo survived a ship exploding in his face... a ship no doubt loaded with lots of very explosive stuff. Gregor survived the same thing, with a hell of a lot more explosive stuff. They built the clones to be tough as nails! Wrecker and Gregor take multiple stun blasts to drop! And you're gonna tell me the most brilliant mind of them all didn't see a way to survive a fall? While that is technically feasible, it seems very un-Star-Wars-like to me. This is a universe where people survive shit they shouldn't all the time.

Maybe I'm doing this because I'm in denial... maybe. Because I will not accept a Star Wars universe that does not include Tech from this point on.

But I firmly believe there are far too many loose ends here to confirm anything. But of course, they're gonna torture us with it for at least a year, until the next season comes out. They tortured us with Echo's death for far longer than that. And it's not like we didn't all start watching Clone Wars not knowing how it ends. Same goes for Andor. They're gonna use him to torture us for as long as they please. After all, the same man whose job it is to come up with Palpatine's plans is also running this show.... but anyways. Sure, it fits with the tragedy that is Star Wars, but remember how attached Dave also is to hope - it is the star wars catchphrase after all - and to loopholes? He brought Ahsoka back! Now that he knows how much Tech means to us, will he do the right thing and bring him back? I don't think he really realized the extent of Tech's importance to the fanbase, especially after the development he was given this season

What was that he told Omega in the cave, again? Something about we always find a way?

[thebadbatch]

Hii, can I request Crosshair being send by the empire to delay a rebel politician reader with the excuse of protecting her, but it happens to be a mission longer than expected and they start bonding and such? Thank you

A /N: l hope this is what you were looking for! I really liked writing this one so it's longer than the other oneshots I've written because I got carried away!

Imperial!Crosshair x Fem!RebelSenate

Plot: The empire have taken over the planet you try to protect and you've been assigned an imperial guard to protect you from the Bounty Hunter's who want you dead or for their own use. Crosshair ends up being your guard and connections blossom throughout the ongoing mission.

Warnings: Detailed description of Violence and a light mention of blood.

------------

Delay

"Why on Stars would you think I'd accept somebody from the Empire to protect me?" You shouted, anger clearly coating your voice as you spoke to your helpers. One sighed and stood forward, gently walking with you through the large and rather extravagant hallways of the place you were assigned to stay. "Don't you understand I'm a rebel? I speak for peace." Your helper nodded lightly, doing her best to remain professional.

"The planet you speak for is under the Empire now, my lady." She paused as you both continued to walk where you'd be greeted with the being who said they'd have to protect you. Things didn't feel right though, it was all so sudden but you had no choice but to leave your questions unanswered otherwise the Empire would silence you once and for all. "Please, allow them to give you their protection - just until things calm down." Nodding slightly in agreement you couldn't help but sigh as imperial ships came into view, storm troopers littering the streets whilst an admiral came to greet you whilst a darker clothed storm trooper stood behind him.

"Ah, senator y/n - I'm glad to hear the news that you've accepted our protection from bounty hunters set to kill you." Rolling your eyes, you soon narrowed your gaze onto him.

"Well it's not like I had much of a choice, is it?" Your words were coated in venom which only made the admiral laugh lightly  sending wary shivers down your spine. You had spent years giving people hope, but now you were working alongside the very thing you swore to destroy.

"I'm sure time with your newly assigned guard will change your view of things and you'll give out a good word for the Empire." The trooper stepped forward and removed his helmet to place it under his arm. His hair was a light silver, an interesting mark lay over his eye which only left you with burning questions. "This trooper is named Crosshair, he's the current leader of our newly formed Elite squad. This building will be on complete lockdown until the bounty hunters are eliminated, our trooper will be sure to defend you with his life."

"Yes sir." Crosshair confirmed, his voice was filled with mystery and confidence which just made you shiver.

"I appreciate your time and service, admiral." You had to practically bite your tongue to muster out those words. There was no other choice but to go along with it until there was some sort of reliable plan to get out of here. 

Turning your attention to Crosshair you thought the day through, "Come then, i'll show you around." He nodded and began to trail after you, a serious expression glued to his face. Showing him each individual area on the floor you were assigned to did take some time, but it was worth the protection and the longer this lasted the longer you could take to think up a plan to leave. "This is the final room, the Sleeping quarters. There are separate beds so I do hope you're not too fussed on sharing." He took a light breath in as he looked around, walking to the empty bed which would be his.

"That's not an issue." Sitting on your own bed, you watched as he did the same on his. The beds were opposite one another which gave him the best view to ensure you were safe at any given time.

"Well since we shall be spending a week or so cooped up together I thought that we could get to know one another." You attempted a smile towards him, one in which he didn't hesitate on not returning. Everybody from the Empire were so miserable and they were treated so horribly so you understood. "My name's y/n and I'm a politician reader on behalf of the rebels, I believe in hope and peace and know that it shall be achieved one day." A moment or so went by with no response from him, "How about you?" He shifted slightly against the blankets, moving his firepuncher rifle into his hands in a swift moment.

"I'm Crosshair, a sniper and currently your guard. I work alongside the Empire because they did not abandon me, they took me in." Tilting your head to the side slightly, you gave him a questioning gaze. 

"Who abandoned you?" He gave out a hollow chuckle, wiping a spec of dust that had rested against his rifle. 

"Nobody of your concern." 

"You know that there are better places than the Empire? People who will view you as family and not an irrelevant number they can just replace." His eyes narrowed at you as he spoke.

"I'm sick of playing 'families', I'm happy where I am." You soon decided to drop the conversation, not fully willing to make the man who was supposed to protect your life hate you. Allowing silence to fill the room once again, you soon felt comfortable with it. This would only last a few weeks at most, you could get through it.

A week had passed since Crosshair was assigned as your guard and no attempt on your life had been made yet which you found rather surprising. Time had dragged by pretty surprisingly and you couldn't help but start talking outloud to Crosshair who didn't really respond but you knew he was listening and that's all you needed.

"... And that's why I absolutely dislike the dark." His comm soon beeped, and a different voice was heard filling the room for the first time in the week you shared together.

"A breach has occured, keep y/n safe and with you. We cannot risk her life being taken when she will be valuable to us." The voice fell silent as Crosshair replied quickly, placing his helmet over his head.

"Sir, yes sir." Standing he grabbed his rifle and turned toward you, "Let's go." He walked out of the room you were both in and this time you were the one trailing behind him anxiety and fear filling your chest rapidly. 

"Where are we going?" You asked, trying not to let your voice shake with fear as his pace grew quicker toward a different room. 

"A more secure room, preferably without windows." A loud shatter from behind you accompanied his words before a hand gripped onto yours pulling you into their chest. Before you could realize what was happening, a blaster was against your head and a hand against your throat which made it difficult to breathe. Crosshair had just as quickly pointed his rifle to the person trying to take your life, tension filling the air alongside your jagged and desperate breaths. "Let the girl go." The person simply laughed and stepped back toward the window which only made Crosshair put pressure against the trigger. 

"What makes you think I'll let her go? She belongs with us - her skills could be vital for my kind." He snarled lightly in response as your breaths turned into light whimpers, your hands trying to pry the person's grip off of your neck.

"C-cross-" You whimpered out, voice filling the room. You couldn't see Crosshairs expression behind his helmet, but at your voice calling his name his face flashed with concern, worry and then anger. He didn't hesitate as he pulled the trigger, hitting the person in the head. The grip was freed from around your neck, red marks being left around your neck as you fell. Shattered glass cut into your hand, blood soon trailing down your skin. Crosshair picked you up all whilst activating his comm system.

"The threat has been neutralized." He took a soft breath before carrying you to the room you both shared, sitting you softly on your bed. "Requesting a clean up on the third floor." He ended the communication as he reached for the medkit in one of the draws, crouching before you and tending to your hand. 

"Thank you..." You mumbled, watching him tend to your hand so carefully made your heart swell - it was a sweet action but something you assumed he was hired to do.

"I'm just following orders." He responded as he finished clearing your hand up - his fingertips moving across the red marks upon your skin. You watched his face turn into anger as he viewed the marks, applying some bacta to soothe the sting. "I won't let them touch you again." In all honesty, you felt terrified - everything suddenly felt so real and who knew how many more times an attempt would be taken on your life? Exhaling a shaky breath, you nodded at his words and you finally allowed him all of your trust. His eyes seemed gentle as he gazed at you, only kindness filling them as he stood. "I suggest you get some rest now, y/n - I'll keep watch over you." He pulled the blankets back for you before he moved to his own bed sitting on the edge gripping his rifle as his eyes scanned outside the window. After climbing into bed you felt the previous shock begin to calm down, the absence of the adrenaline leaving you feeling empty and cold along with the realization that your life was on the line kicking in.

"Crosshair?" You gently called his name, "Can you stay a little closer?" Your question felt out of character for you, but things were just so terrifying and uncertain that you were desperate for some comfort - especially from the man who had just saved your life. He didn't respond so you assumed he just ignored your question rather than saying no. Your doubts soon left though as you felt a weight beside you on your bed, Crosshair sitting beside your tired self. "Thank you." You whispered, the room falling into a comfortable silence as his hand rested against your leg covered by the blanket. Sleep was quick to overtake you, all of your previous worry seemingly melting away at his touch. With him beside you, the week ahead would be bearable for sure.

Plans had changed at the news of more bounty hunters being assigned to take you out or with them, now Crosshair was staying for longer until the Empire had things under control. A month had passed since the attempt on your life and you had both grown closer than ever. During your rants he would always respond willingly and help out with things whenever he could for you, in fact you both managed to become close with one another. 

"So," You hummed as he turned his attention toward you, "when do you think they'll let you go back?" He shrugged lightly as he walked closer to you, helmet under his arm.

"Soon." Those words seemed to shatter your heart into literal pieces. "But I have no intention of leaving."  A smile crept onto your lips as you moved closer toward him, eyes lit up like a city at night. Your hands held his own as thoughts raced around your head at an incredible speed,

"Why don't I make you my permanent guard? I'm sure the Empire will be overjoyed that I've taken a liking to their services…" You didn't miss the smirk that placed itself onto his lips, his hands softly squeezing your own. Before he could speak, his comm system lit up again.

"Trooper, are you prepared to move out? We have another mission assigned." Your eyes met him in a gentle gaze praying to the stars that he'd stay alongside you.

"Actually, there's been a delay- a proposition has been made which I'm sure will benefit the Empire." The comm fell silent as You moved closer into his arms before the communication device lit up in confirmation,

"Understood. Take your time." With that, you held his face and met your lips with hisin a gentle get loving kiss. Pulling away you couldn't help but sheepishly grin at him - a rare smile of his falling back onto his face which you adored.

"You'll stay with me?" You asked, voice beyond helpful as he moved closer to you.

"I'll stay - I don't want to leave you like they left me." Nodding softly, you offered him a smaller smile.

"I won't ever leave you Cross like they did, I love you." His lips met yours once again before you both came up with a detailed plan on keeping him with you whilst still getting your hope filled messages out there. You were going to take down the Empire one way or another, but now you had Crosshair with you which made everything better. It was you two against the galaxy for years to come.

"I love you too."

[crab-instruments]

Dust in the Wind Part 3 (tbb)

Master <Part 2 Part 4>

Pairing: Hunter x Secret Jedi! Reader (GN)

Rating and Warning: General audience, not much happens (yet)

Words: 1K

a/n: some notes at the end. I didn't think this would get any attention really and I did not know how good it would feel, so please give that little heart like to the fics you read (not just mine lol). I really liked Fallen Order so if you haven't played it and can, I would recommend it, but I'll be incorporating pieces of that game into my fic. I've been using italics for thoughts, if it's in quotes it just means it's being said at not a normal volume (like through a door or spoken really fast). If that doesn't make sense in the fic, it's something I can work on.

Image Credit

The reflection that stared back at you in the mirror looked like someone else. Your hands gripped the sink hard, in an attempt to focus. In your head, you chanted loudly your new identity. My name is Maxis, I’m a freelance mechanic, and I’m now… temporarily… a part of a crew I’ve never met. Kriff, am I insane? That question was rhetorical, the answer was an resounding yes, although this may not be the most outlandish situation you’ve gotten yourself in.

The necklace under your top felt heavy. You pulled it out, staring at the parts. Carrying your deconstructed lightsaber wasn’t the smartest idea but it was something you couldn’t let go of, even before The Purge happened. Most of the pieces were on a long wire that you wrapped loosely around your neck and it hid fairly nicely, looking like just random junk on a wire. The parts that didn’t fit on the necklace well sat on your wrists as bracelets. You tucked it back in and moved your welding goggles from your head to your neck, hiding it further down.

“That’s fine Hunter, but where are they going to sleep? We barely have space as it is,” a muffled voice came from outside the door, drawing your attention back to reality.

Hunter had stepped out leaving you in the small room alone, thinking that explaining the situation to the squad would better. It had been a few minutes since he had left and by the sounds of it, was still trying to sell the idea of you being here was a good idea.

Moving quietly towards the door, your curiosity got the best of you. You pressed your ear to the cold metal, attempting to listen in on the conversation.

“They can sleep in the gunner’s mount with me!” a small, cheerful voice piped up.

“That’s very kind of you, Omega, but we’ll figure it out later,” Hunter’s voice had a hint of favor to it, he obviously adored the child he who had offered space for you. He was probably giving her a small smile, the thought was contagious enough to bring a small smile to your own face.

“I would like to go back to the fact that we know nothing about this ‘Maxis’ or their past. They could very well be a dangerous criminal on the run, based on the story they gave you,” the very pragmatic voice cut through the rest.

At that accusation, you crossed your arms and pouted. “Dangerous? I’m about as dangerous as a bogling.”

Suddenly, the door you were leaning against had opened, sending you dropping to the ground. You shot your arms out, attempting to grab something to stop your introduction to the ground. Luckily, strong arms grabbed yours, steading you. Your eyes met Hunter’s, and stars, did you wish you could stay there. However, five other pair of eyes were on you. Quickly, you attempted to gain your composure and stand up straight.

“What was that about a bogling?” There was a hint of humor in Hunter’s voice. I barely said that above a whisper, how did he hear that?

You cleared your throat and adjusted your tunic. “Uh, I just meant that… I’m not dangerous to you. I’m just a mechanic and got caught up with... I just…” you tried to swallow the nothing in your dry mouth. “IsabotagedanImperialSoldier’sspeederbecausehewasactinglikealaserbrain.” It was a risk to insult the Empire in front of this crew without knowledge of their current standing but more than likely by their hasty escape, they weren’t friendly with the newer overlords.

Everyone’s eyes went wide at your confession, except for the silver haired man who’s grip on the toothpick in his mouth got tighter.

The little girl, Omega, stepped closer. “You sabotaged an Imperial Soldier’s speeder? He caught you and that’s why you were running?” Her eyes may or may not have held something like admiration.

You nodded. “Yeah… It was… worth it to see the bike fall a part under him while trying to catch up.”

The largest one laughed loudly, probably didn’t have any other setting other than ‘loud and explosive’, but it wasn’t threatening. It seemed he also enjoyed the thought along with Omega. “I think Maxis does belong with us if that’s why they’re running.” The others were also holding back laughs.

“If you know how to put machines together, you know how to take them apart,” a slight smile crossed your face. “Of course, when I’m working on your ship, I’ll only put in quality work. I’ll treat the ship like it was my own. That is… if you’ll have me.” The others gave looks to each other and eventually nodded, looking back at Hunter for direction.

“Of course. We aren’t exactly… on great terms with the Empire either. Well, since that’s settled…” He gestured to the paler man to his left, starting the introductions. “This is Echo, part machine, all tactics. Crosshair is our sniper, doesn’t say much. Tech, on the hand, will talk about everything in the universe. Wrecker does explosives and takes down anything in his path. Lastly, this is Omeg—”

“I’m Omega! It’s so nice to meet you!” She was obviously very excited to meet new people. She grabbed your hand, shaking it. “Hunter, can I show Maxis around the ship?” Her eyes sparkled.

Hunter met your eyes and you gave a slight nod. “Of course.” Omega dragged you past the boys, starting the tour of your new home.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After a few standard hours, you found yourself sitting in the cockpit watching hyperspace fly by, Omega in your lap slowly falling asleep but doing her best to stay awake. How she could become fast friends with you was something you’d never understand, but it felt like you’d known her for much longer than you did.

Most of the others went to sleep for the rest of the ride, Tech seemed to be tinkering with something just beyond the cockpit. Hunter had been with you but stepped back a bit, possibly figuring out space issues.

“Omega, you’ve been a great hostess but you can go to sleep.”

She rubbed her eyes before laying her head back on your shoulder. “I’m not sleepy”.

“Ha, okay.” You brought your hand to her head to stroke it, running your fingers through her hair. She seemed to melt closer to you. Your eyes were also heavy, and this would fix the shortage of beds problem, if you just… slept here. Almost absentmindedly, you started to hum to Omega, lulling her to sleep.

“♪ I close my eyes

Only for a moment, and the moment's gone

All my dreams

Pass before my eyes, a curiosity

Dust in the wind

All they are is dust in the wind ♪”

Unbeknownst to you, Hunter had returned and leaned against the doorframe. In his hand, he had a blanket. He waited until both of your breaths became even to make sure you were asleep before putting the blanket over both of you and took a seat.

Part 4

_______________________________________________________

Notes:

Bogling: basically a racoon sized squirrel. Could be dangerous if they get into the vents of your ship, but otherwise, pretty cute. First Fallen Order "reference".

Dust in the Wind - Kansas: This is where the name of the fic comes from. Roll credits. It'll come up a few times like a connection. There's a reason, not necessarily a good one but it's not like a "aha! gotcha" sorta thing. I hope that it's not too cheesy.

[wanderinginksplot]

If you're still taking requests, can I request either Echo or Tech with hurtReader + fluff? 👀

(your writing is amazing and it melts my heart sndnfjdjdb)

Hi, friend! Thank you for the compliment - you're so sweet! I went a little lighter on the fluff than I meant to, but this is what I ended up with. Thanks for the request! Enjoy!

Tech + Injured Reader + (Minor) Fluff

*WARNING: Slight mention of gore. Nothing graphic, but a head's up.*

Watching the Havoc Marauder touch down was a ritual you followed every time the Bad Batch went anywhere without you on board. Tech liked to believe he was an excellent pilot, but you were of the opinion that flying took more than encyclopedic knowledge of a ship’s internal systems. It took instinct, a feel for the ship’s personality, and a good bit of luck to fly in a war zone.

Tech disagreed vehemently, but you had been assigned to them for a reason. Even if he had found your belief in luck - okay, slight obsession with luck - to be ridiculous, Tech admitted that you were an excellent pilot. It hadn’t been enough for you to accompany them on their mission, but it was something.

The real problem was that the members of the Bad Batch were insanely protective of anything or anyone they saw as ‘theirs’. Privately, you thought it was because they hadn’t had any personal belongings on Kamino. And they definitely hadn't had friends outside of their group. Unfortunately for you, you were also considered ‘theirs’ now and the Batch could be… restrictive when they felt you could be in danger. And since you were assigned to help them fight a literal war, you were always in danger and they were always protective. Especially Tech. You had been dating in secret for a few weeks now - too short a time for anything serious, but Tech let you take absolutely zero chances.

“Sir, we need to get you inside,” one of the troopers on deck told you, his light touch to your arm pulling your attention away from scanning the star-littered space above the hangar bay. The trooper's regulation armor looked oddly plain to you, even with the medic's symbol and the touches of gray that told you he was a member of the Wolfpack.

“I’m sorry, what was your name again?” you asked, partially to stall and partially because your luck senses were tingling.

“That isn’t important right-”

“Please?” you asked again. It was another quirk of luck. If a trooper touched you, you needed to know their name or they ended up dying. Statistically, you knew that probably wasn’t true, but who really wanted to mess around with fate if they didn’t have to?

The trooper blew out a sigh that crackled his annoyance through the speakers of his helmet. “Curl, sir. We really should be-”

“I’m sorry, Curl,” you apologized, interrupting the poor medic again. “I got separated from my team and I need to see that they’re back okay before I can leave. Does that make sense?”

“What team isn’t back yet?” Curl asked, seeming concerned. “I thought Commander Wolffe said that everyone had checked back in?”

“I’m with the Ba- with Clone Force 99,” you told him, changing your explanation to use the group’s official name at the last minute. Professionalism never hurt anyone.

“You’re with the Bad Batch?” Curl asked, sounding impressed despite himself. Without waiting for an answer, he gave a curt nod and lifted his wrist toward the speakers of his helmet. “Sergeant Sinker, Medic Curl.”

“Sinker here,” a voice answered immediately.

“Do we have an ETA on Clone Force Nine-Nine?”

“Hold.”

“Copy.” Curl glanced at you and you nodded to show that you were following the conversation.

“Curl, bridge says they’re inbound, expected to hit the hangar in about a minute.”

“Copy,” Curl said again. “Thanks, Sarge.”

“I’d stand clear,” Sergeant Sinker warned. “The good pilot isn’t on.”

“Are you the good pilot?” Curl asked you. You swore you could hear a smile in his voice.

You smiled back and nodded. “That would be me.”

“Understood, I’ve got the good pilot with me,” Curl replied over his comlink. “We’re gonna spectate, make sure they don’t scratch the paint job.”

“There’s no reason to worry,” Sinker said consolingly. “The GAR stopped springing for paint two months ago. There’ll be none left on that ship.”

Curl laughed aloud at that, shaking his head.

“Cut the chatter,” a harsh voice reprimanded. “This is an official channel. Save your jokes for the clubs on the Triple Zero, Sergeant.”

“Yes sir, Commander,” Sinker agreed chipperly.

The Solidarity’s deck shuddered as the hyperdrive activated, ready to take off as soon as the Havoc Marauder landed, and you stumbled with the movement. Curl caught you - his grip uncomfortable given the harsh plastoid planes of his armor - and shook his head.

“We really need to get you inside, sir,” Curl said again, sounding reluctant but concerned. “You have an appointment in the medbay with me, and I’ll be very offended if you’re late.”

You were about to point out that he would be late, too, when the Marauder zoomed up and around the Solidarity, clearly following a path to land.

“Wait, they’re right there,” you protested. “Give ‘em ten seconds to land and a bit longer for me to gloat, then I’ll gladly go to the medbay.” Curl hesitated and you pressed your advantage. “I’ll be a model patient, Curl. No arguments, no debates, no complaining.”

“I never believe anyone when they say that,” Curl said dryly, “but I guess you’ll survive without treatment for a little while longer.”

“Thanks, Curl!” your enthusiasm was a little… off… but you blamed it on the pain you were finally beginning to feel.

Tech was flying, you knew that beyond a doubt. Not only was he the only person allowed to fly, but the landing performed by the small cruiser was proof that the wickedly intelligent trooper was behind the controls.

As soon as they had landed, Wrecker burst out of the side door. “Ha! Told ya we would make it back in one piece.”

“More luck than skill, that,” Crosshair countered sourly, slouching from the door as well with Hunter behind him.

“As I said multiple times, everything was under control,” Tech disagreed. He caught sight of you and started in your direction, eyes taking in the way Curl’s gloved hand was still gripping your bicep.

“There, you saw ‘em,” Curl muttered to you. “We really need to go now.”

“I beg your pardon, but where exactly are you trying to go?” Tech asked sharply, glancing between the two of you.

“Medbay,” Curl replied, slipping into the vocal brevity of a career soldier. “Your pilot was injured, but wouldn’t accept treatment until you had touched down.”

“Luck, you know,” you told Tech, who was already scanning your form with his goggled gaze. You smirked at him and shrugged off Curl, who seemed ready to tow you to the medbay himself. “Also, statistical likelihood be karked! I stayed in the ‘safest possible place’ like you told me and I’m the only one who ended up injured! You should listen to me from now on.”

“What?!”

“Injured?”

"How? Where?"

The rest of the Bad Batch had surrounded you and Curl in a moment, all asking different variations of the same question. Hunter’s voice cut through them all. “Trooper, why is she not in the medbay?”

Curl held up his hands as if despairing of the entire situation. “Sorry, Sergeant. Your pilot refused to leave until we saw your ship land. It would be a big help to me if you would just issue an order to report to the medbay so I can start treating the injuries.”

For all that he liked to take a laid-back approach to non-combat leadership, Hunter took the safety of his team seriously and you knew he was about to do as Curl had suggested.

“It’s not even that bad an injury,” you argued before Hunter could speak. “I just got hit with some debris."

You tugged up the rough, canvas-like material of the uniform pants you wore while you weren’t actively flying and showed them your lower leg. You were busy looking at the faces of the Batch rather than the injury, but you knew something was wrong when Tech swore. Tech never swore.

With a frown, you glanced down at your leg. Your mind refused to make too much sense of things, but you saw smears of crimson and a pale flash of something before the dizziness returned worse than ever.

Fortunately, Curl caught you before you could actually fall and Wrecker scooped you up a moment later. He was already muttering soothing nonsense as he lifted you, and it was almost enough to keep you from noticing the pain. “All right, here we are. Everything is fine. Just don’t puke on me.”

“Medbay,” Hunter ordered severely. “Now .”

“Yes, sir,” you agreed, your voice more weak than you liked.

“Finally,” Curl muttered.

“Tech, go with them,” you heard Hunter say from a rapidly growing distance.

There was a sound of jogging steps, but when you tried to look for Tech’s familiar face, the Solidarity leapt into hyperspace and you felt like you might actually pass out.

“What will treatment consist of?” Tech asked. He was trying to mask his worry by being professional, but you could hear a hint of it in his voice.

“Some stitches, probably an antibiotic shot since the debris was metallic, and a check of the nerves in the area of injury,” Curl answered easily. The lack of concern from the medic was comforting in a strange sort of way.

The silence hung for a few moments, interrupted only by the sound of everyone’s footsteps. Eventually, Tech admitted, “I should have been able to calculate the risks more closely. This never should have happened.”

“Aw, how were you supposed to know?” Wrecker asked loudly.

“That’s right,” Curl agreed. “This is war. Unexpected variables are the norm and there are no safe spots. My only advice is to take all of your people with you. After all, your pilot accepted the assignment to be part of your team. Trying to keep people out of the action never works. Take the lesson, learn from it, and make adjustments in the future. You don’t need to do anything more than that.”

“He’s right,” you agreed, the sentiment muffled against Wrecker’s broad chestplate. “Let me do my job and trust that I’ll do everything I can to keep us all out of danger.”

You blindly stuck your hand out behind Wrecker’s back, searching until you connected with Tech’s familiar fingers. His grip was hesitant but steady, and you gave his hand a squeeze of reassurance.

“It’s probably true,” Curl said, apparently backing you up. “Pain is like a truth serum. And with that gash… it’s probably the truth. Even if you did lie about being a perfect patient.”

You chuckled at that, despite the discomfort from your injury, and relaxed a bit as you felt Tech press a kiss to the back of your hand.

---

A/N - This chapter could realistically be called 'Ink will do anything to avoid using the y/n designation'. For those who are unfamiliar, Curl is my OC medic for the Wolfpack and you can read more featuring him in Just for Kix on my masterlist. As always, I'm still taking requests! Thanks again, Anon, for this idea and I'm sorry again about skimping on the fluff! If you want me to rewrite or expand on it, please feel free to let me know.

[clonecest-bin-account]

How about this: the Bad Batch all awkwardly flirting with Echo, trying to bring him into their poly relationship?

(ajhsdsjhk yes please I love this)

Echo is many things, but despite what people might believe, oblivious isn’t one of them. He’s an ARC, trained to notice even the smallest details - and in missions, those usually are the difference between life and death. What he wants to say with this is that he has noticed that the bond that unifies the Bad Batch isn’t just a platonic one; it checks out, he thinks: the only people they can lean onto are each other, so it makes sense that they would seek each other out for that too.

What he wasn’t expecting was for them to try and bring him along for the ride, which he appreciates and all but… Well, maybe it’s still too soon, he thinks; he needs time.

Of course, this doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy their awkward attempts at flirting, and what attempts…

 Since Echo’s healthier now he can go back to physical training, which makes Wrecker the happiest.

“I’m gonna show you all my favorite moves!” he exclaims, eager to get started. Although Echo’s eager as well - he really needs to get back on track - he also knows that if he allows him, Wrecker would wreck his shit - he really can see how he got his name.

“Make sure you don’t break anything important, please? I don’t want to be stuck with physical therapy again…” he warns in fact.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle…” Wrecker immediately says, smirking, although it doesn’t last for long as he realizes the implications of what he just said, which makes him cringe and stutter. “Um… I mean…”

Echo can’t hold back a chuckle, shaking his head. This doesn’t last long either, because in a moment he immediately goes on the offensive, taking advantage of Wrecker’s distraction to land a kick on his knee, making him lose his balance.

What? Last time Echo checked, there’s no rule against fighting dirty.

 Tech’s way of flirting is more ramble-y than Wrecker’s, but Echo still finds it adorable. He’s so earnest in the way he begins to explain some complicated mechanical process that even though Echo doesn’t understand everything he’s saying, it’s still a delight to listen to him.

Right now he’s listing all the features he installed on his new mechanical arm; some have already gotten lost, but Echo’s gotten most of them.

“I figured you’d want to be still able to connect to machinery and such so if you close your pink like this…” he begins, gently moving Echo’s finger in the way he’s supposed to imitate next time he wants to do it, and soon a valve opens at the center of his palm, making space for a plug that begins to come out, just like a droid’s one. “There!”

“I’m sure it’ll come handy,” Echo says, “Thank you.”

“I’ve also adapted the shape to the rest of your body,” Tech continues, barely registering Echo’s reply. “You’re so well proportioned that I couldn’t not do it…”

“Well proportioned, huh?” Echo repeats, fighting back a smirk. He’s definitely heard worse - he really has - but still that’s not what comes to his mind when he thinks about complimenting someone.

After a solid minute of Tech stuttering, Echo thinks that he must’ve broken him. It’s cute but also he feels kind of bad now, so he decides to do something about it.

“Thank you,” he says then. “Took me a while to get back in shape, so it means a lot that you’d think that.”

Those words seem to calm Tech down, who sheepishly smiles at him.

Echo, of course, smiles back.

 Crosshair’s idea of flirting is, apparently, not insulting him, which Echo appreciates he guesses, but it’s still peculiar.

“You shoot well for a reg.”

“Thanks?” Echo says. He’s never sure about how to reply to Crosshair when he tells him this stuff; he supposes it could be worse - he’s heard Crosshair says way worse - but it seems that the sniper has some sort of soft spot for him, not that he admitted it of course.

They’re firing guns at the improvised shooting range they’ve created for Echo. Now that he can move better he needs to improve his aim to get back to his previous levels; thankfully muscle memory is still a thing, so it’s going faster than anticipated. Still, it’s hard to keep up with an expert marksman such as Crosshair, though Echo likes the challenge.

“Really, you’re recovering much faster that I thought.”

Oh, this is new: usually Crosshair is a man of few words, but today he’s trying to strike a conversation - at least this is how Echo is interpreting it.

“I am, and it’s also thanks to you,” he replies, smiling at him, because it’s true: they’re helping him in many ways that he would’ve never expected, and he’s truly grateful that they’ve taken him in with so little hesitation.

Crosshair reels back like he’s just been hit on his stomach.

“Yeah, right…” he mutters. “Let’s get back to target practice. We’ve lost enough time already…”

A chuckle leaves Echo’s lips.

“Yessir.”

 The way Hunter flirts is different from the others’: it’s less wordy or more physical.

Echo doesn’t mind that at all - it reminds him of Fives actually - but there’s always some hesitation in the way Hunter touches him, though he doesn’t know if it’s because he’s afraid he’d hurt him or because he thinks he might be overstepping some sort of unsaid boundary, which is beginning to unnerve Echo, especially if he’s doing it for the first reason.

Eventually, in fact, he snaps: they’re walking back to the Havoc Marauder, and Hunter’s hand is hovering over Echo’s shoulder, barely touching it. That’s the final straw.

Echo takes Hunter’s hand and draws it closer so that it’s actually resting on his shoulder. There.

“E-Echo?”

“I’m not going to break just because of a touch, Hunter,” he explains.

“O-Of course,” the other stutters, making a pause and then squeezing Echo’s shoulder with his hand. “… Is this okay, then?”

Echo nods, his hand still over Hunter’s.

At least they’re going somewhere…

 “Wait! So you knew?”

Echo laughs at those words. Many things have changed since those awkward flirting attempts, and now Echo can say that he’s officially part of the group, officially as in he now cuddles with them and kisses them and… other stuff too.

“You weren’t exactly subtle,” he says then. He feels Wrecker shift from behind, but he doesn’t move away. He’s not going to lie: he missed cuddle piles, especially with these many people.

“Why didn’t you say anything then?” Tech, settled between his legs, asks.

That surely is a question. Well, there are many reasons why he didn’t say anything at first, but Echo decides to just shrug. “Was funnier.”

He hears chuckling on his left and he turns towards Crosshair.

“I knew there was a reason why I like you.”

Echo doesn’t have the time to say anything because Cross’ lips are on his. He smiles into the kiss, especially when he feels Hunter hugging his waist.

“Well, it worked, didn’t it?”

Yes, it did indeed.

Tag list: @maulusque​ @snap-p​ @menac-ika If you want to be added feel free to let me know! Just know that if you are a minor you’ll be tagged only for the sfw fics.

[local-spoon-does-a-thing]

Found ( Part 1/2)

[(Bayverse) Optimus Prime x Reader)

A/N: Okay so this takes place during Transformers: Age of Extinction. When I was younger I loved the movie (mostly because it had dinosaurs) but once I re-watched it...yeah, it was meh for me. In my opinion, first film was better than the sequels. Anyways, I thought “hey, what would happen if reader was separated from Optimus then reunited after all these years?” And so, I did it. I’m dividing this into two parts since I don’t want to make this too long. The second part is mostly going to be the interaction between reader and Optimus. Also, the reader is like in early or mid-twenties.

You can find the second part here!

Summary: 5 years have passed since you last saw Optimus Prime, your guardian. Since then, you’ve traveled with the Autobots and went in hiding with them. Just as you were about to give up hope, Optimus summons the Autobots.

Warning: Angst, angst, angst, angst, spoilers for T:AOE

It’s been 5 years since you last saw Optimus Prime. Leader of the Autobots, your guardian and best friend. In the aftermath of the events in Chicago, you thought that everything would somewhat go back to normal. Hunting down more Decepticons with your teammates, going on missions together, having Optimus scold you for not doing your homework. Though of course, nothing would be the same without Ironhide. His death absolutely destroyed you. But greater matters were forced to be looked upon, such as the public starting to see the Autobots as a threat, which was very stupid considering that they saved the whole damn world, NEST disbanding, the ‘Bots having to be on the run, and finally, Optimus disappearing from the team. With your long time contribution to the team, you were hunted down as well. Cemetery Wind demanded information about the Cybertronians, every single piece of detail, but you didn’t let them. Now with you being wanted and labeled as a fugitive, you could never truly return to your normal life. Your future dream university? Say goodbye to that. Your friends and family? You left with Bumblebee, not wanting to put any of them in danger. If they were, then you knew that their blood would be on your hands and you just could not accept that.

You supported Bumblebee when he was suddenly assigned as the commanding leader of the Autobot refugees. Despite them belittling and discouraging him, you stayed by his side. You always wondered what Ironhide would’ve done. He would’ve probably done things his own way. What would Ratchet do? You missed the grumpy medic and him meddling about your health. And Optimus...you missed him. A lot. You missed the times where he would be off-guard by some of your witty jokes, you missed how he would let you sleep in his alternate form whenever you dreamt of Decepticons, you missed his rare laughs and chuckles. You really, really missed him. As time went on by, you noticed that even Bumblebee was changing. He grew a bit more mature, but you knew that the responsibility of being a leader was too much for him. He missed Sam, and you did too. Though you two were only neighbors at first, you grew close and became siblings with one another. After his run-in with Cemetery Wind, you knew that he wasn’t coming back. At that point, you were growing hopeless. You tried getting along with Hound, Drift, and Crosshairs throughout the years, but you were too tired to hold up a conversation with them. Luckily, they reluctantly accepted you as a comrade.

As everyone was changing, you noticed that so were you. You were no longer joking around as much as you used to. You became quiet and serious. Yes, you would still give out encouragement and words of optimism to not let the flame of hope die out, but lately, it started to feel and sound fake. Were you trying to convince the others to not give up or were you trying to convince yourself? For the majority of the last 5 years, you tried believing that Optimus and Ratchet were still alive, just in hiding. Your poor heart simply couldn’t handle the weight of indescribable sorrow if news broke out that the two were gone. You’ve already witnessed Optimus die once and you couldn’t do that whole thing again. Hope was something that you needed but it started to become something that you could no longer grasp. When your dying flame of hope was at its last breath, that’s when he came in. The voice you haven’t heard in a very long time.

“Calling all Autobots. Calling all Autobots.”

It was Optimus Prime, calling from the radio. Bumblebee abruptly stopped the drive, causing you to almost hit your head against the steering wheel. After you hissed out his name, you turned to the radio in disbelief. Were you hearing things or was this reality? Bee then started to mess the radio until Optimus’s message was playing on repeat. No. Way. This was actually happening. You didn’t even have time to gather your thoughts before Bee started redirecting his coordinate and driving to where his leader was located, at full speed. Your heart was pounding and you were starting to feel the adrenaline rushing in. Reality still had yet to sink in. Everything was starting to get overwhelming, even if only a couple of moments had passed by. This was real. This had to be real.

You clutched your stomach and nibbled the bottom of your lip. This was supposed to be a great thing and it was! Then why did you feel sick to your stomach? You’ve heard of people throwing up from nervousness. Was this what you were feeling? Why were you nervous? You wanted to see him, absolutely! But after all this time, after all these years, were you even prepared? What if it was just a false alarm and you would get trapped by Decepticons or any other enemies? What if Cemetery Wind had already got him and tried to use him as bait? That last thought had almost made you puke right then and there. Whether you were ready or not, it was time. 

You watched as the rest of the team had already met up with Optimus. The color of his alternate form made you stare at him with wide eyes as all the memories of you two together flashed for a second. Your jaw slightly dropped open and so many things ran around your mind. You were so out of reality that you hadn’t even noticed Bumblebee already transforming out of his alternate form and perching you on top of his shoulder. As he walked towards him, you watched Optimus’s transformation one last time and as always, it never ceases to amaze you and put you in a trance.

“Humans have asked us to play by their rules. Well, the rules have just changed.”

His deep voice filled your ears and for the first time, you relaxed. You could never forget what he sounded like, even during your darkest moments when you had tried to forget in an attempt to get rid of the pain that tore your heart to shreds. Words could not do justice to how you were feeling at this exact moment. The moment when you were finally reunited with your long lost guardian. Bumblebee gently let you down from his shoulder and as the team argued and bickered, all you could do was stare and not move. If this was a dream, then you never wanted to wake up. After an eternity of staring, Optimus’s optics met with your [e/c] orbs and you swore that you saw his breath hitch. 

You weren’t the only one that was worried. During Optimus’s time away from the team and trying to stay hidden, there was not a single thought where he would not worry about you. He always wondered if you were okay and...still alive. It broke his spark every time he imagined that you were dead, six feet underground. Or worse yet, if no one had even known where your body was. He thought that once he would get out of hiding, and he knew that he would one day, the first thing he did not want to hear was that you were either found dead or missing. He hoped that you were out there, having a good life and spending your time in university. Until he went to slumber, until the day that he would be found by Cade Yeager, he yearned for the day where he would get to hear your jokes one last time.

Here you were. Alive and still moving with Bumblebee and the others. His expression softened ever so slightly and he felt a big weight being lifted off of his shoulders. He took a long moment just looking at you. You’ve certainly grown and he knew that you were no longer the bratty teenager he grew to love. Sadness washed over him when he realized that he didn’t get to see you grow up as he was absent for the past 5 years. Questions went in and out, but they were going to have to be asked later. He gave you an ever so slightly ghost of a smile and a small nod.

We can talk later.

You snapped out of your trance once Crosshairs and Hound pointed their guns towards the strangers that you had failed to notice earlier. A young lady, a man who seems to be her father, and another boy.

“Stop, Hound- both of you! They’ve risked their lives for mine.”

For a long time, you stood in the same spot Bumblebee had put you. It was like you had forgotten to move. But once you started to walk towards Optimus and the three strangers, each step made your knees feel weak. Nothing was fully sinking in, yet you continued on. You held out your hand towards them and went on to introduce yourself.

“Uh, hey there. The name’s Cade Yeager and this is my daughter, Tessa. I assume you’re with the other…’Bots?” The young girl next to him gave you a shy smile and a small wave before the boy came in.

“Oh and I’m Shane, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

You shook the three people’s hands and gave a small but welcoming smile. At long last, you finally got to meet some humans that weren’t hunting you down and trying to kill you. It felt so refreshing to interact with someone that wasn't an alien, car transforming robot.

“[Y/N], and yeah, I’ve been traveling with the Autobots for umm...a few years now or so. Also, I just want to thank you for helping Optimus. Seriously, you have no idea how grateful I am, along with the others as well.”

The way you spoke of Optimus’s name gave you a foreign feeling. Later during the straggling years, especially recently, you rarely spoke of his name since whenever you did, it always gave you an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach. But now, you were able to say it with ease after knowing that he was okay. Cade gave you a smile and scratched the back of his neck.

“It’s no problem at all, really. I saw the way you looked at him and I’m glad that I could help.”

Optimus stared and observed you during your whole interaction with them. There were so many things to say and so many things to discuss with you. Though as he promised, he would have to do that later. Your hair was a bit of a mess, your clothes were a bit dirty and there were some torn bits here and there from all the battles and run-ins you had with the enemy. If he were to look closer, he would be able to notice scars that have been implanted onto your skin. Gashes, cuts, bullet wounds; they were there. He tore his gaze away from you and looked towards the rest of the team.

“Autobots, we will remain here and recharge for the rest of the day. Once everything is settled, we will discuss further plans with Cade Yeager.”

And so, the whole team went to settle down for the day. To your despair, you had little time with Optimus to discuss pretty much everything that had been going on. He had wanted to talk to you as much as you wanted to talk to him, but he was already occupied with what Bumblebee, Crosshairs, Hound, and Drift wanted to tell him. All the reports and notable news about Cemetery Wind and some bickering between the team. Meanwhile, you tried to distract yourself by helping the Yeagers and Shane set up a camp. Drift had been more than helpful by chopping wood from nearby dead trees with his blades. Before you knew it, night had fallen. Hound was able to set a campfire by using measures that were too extreme for your taste. You sat down beside Bumblebee, staring into the crackling fire. You quietly listened to the conversation that was going on beside you. The Autobots spoke of any possible refugees that had come within the years while Cade was being the typical overprotective dad. That almost made you chuckle. It reminded you of your father whenever he saw you hanging out with a potential love interest. God, when was the last time you had even thought about your parents? You wondered how they were doing and if they were still kicking. You wondered that if you were ever to come back to them, would they ever forgive you for running away and scaring them to death? Your heart ached as you thought more about them. If you could just give them one message that told them that you were okay, that would be enough.

Suddenly, you looked up when you heard Drift talking shit about Bumblebee once again. Almost simultaneously, both you and the giant yellow robot rolled your eyes before he stood up from his seat and approached the giant blue robot.

“He’s like a child.”

“This child is about to kick your ass.”

“He brings us shame.”

It didn’t take long for the two to start brawling. You crossed your arms and legs and sighed as you watched the two of them getting it on. Normally, you would’ve tried to stop them and diffuse the situation, but you were just too tired. Too much has happened in one day and you deserved some rest. Plus, Optimus was here now. He could handle them. Then, you noticed the three other friendlies move towards your side, taking a couple of steps back behind you. You heard the girl Tessa comment on what was wrong with them. Ironically, that was your first thought that came into mind when you first met the refugees. Glad that you weren’t the only one.

“Lockdown is hunting us and humans are helping. We need to know why.” Optimus spoke.

“Listen, I don’t know why, but I have an idea about who.” Cade replied.

That led to you watching a couple of clips that he managed to snatch from a drone. Just as you thought that things couldn’t get worse, it did. You watched as Ratchet and Leadfoot had met their demise by the humans attacking them. Ratchet...the grumpy medic you became very fond of, one of the very first Transformers you’ve met. All the missions you went with him, all the meddling you had to put up with from him, and all the scolding he gave you because he cared about you. Though you weren’t as close to Leadfoot as you were with Ratchet, you knew that he was a good ‘Bot. Two of your closest friends, down and out. Ratchet and Ironhide, both who never got to peacefully pass away. You hung your head low as you rested your elbows on top of your knees. Your hair fell in front of your face as silent, bitter tears fell to the ground below you. “Savages” as Hound had called him. And he was right, that was the exact word that  had described how the humans were in the footage. Ratchet had even begged that he was a medic and an Autobot. Your blood continued to boil even once the footage was finished playing. 

Quickly, you wiped away the tears by harshly jabbing your knuckles into your eyes and looked towards the others as they continued to discuss what was happening. Cade mentioned that the headquarters were located in Chicago and had offered to help them with the mission. He told how if he didn’t help them, then they wouldn’t be able to get their normal lives back. Funny thing was that once you’ve associated yourself with the Autobots, there was no way your life was going to fully revert back to its normal self. You and Sam knew that all too well.

“Autobots, I have sworn to never kill humans,” Optimus said, “but when I find out who’s behind this, he’s going to die.”

This old robot always manages to catch you off-guard. In all the years you’ve known him, you have never heard him say anything with a threatening voice. A scary one, in fact. To you, he was the calmest person you knew. Calculated and dangerous, but he was calm. He defined a true leader. But he was going to kill humans? Just before he declared that statement, he admitted that he swore to not kill humans. You knew that he was enraged with what Cemetery Wind and KSI had done to his close friends and you didn’t blame him for wanting to kill someone responsible. It just seemed so off; so out of character. It was jarring.

[jayjaymorgan]

Shattered Past - Part II

Author’s Note : this is part 2 of a series I’ve been writing. Please remember that English isn't my native language, so there might be some mistakes and stuff. I hope you all like it, have a great day/night!

TW : PTSD symptoms

Countless questions raced through his mind, but before he could go after her and ask for answers he heard a ship approach. He looked up and saw his and his brothers’ ship, Stalker. It landed a couple of meters away from him and the hatch opened. “C’mon, Rex!” Omega called out to him and ran to the ship, where she was greeted by Crosshair. Rex glanced one last time at the village, then started walking towards the ship. Hunter waited patiently for him next to the hatch, smiling warmly at him. “Everything okay?” his smile disappeared when he saw Rex’s face. “You look like you saw a ghost.” “I did... in some way. I’ll tell you later, let’s go.” They both walked inside the Stalker, closing the hatch behind them. They made their way towards the cockpit, where the rest waited for them. “We got 250 credits.” Hunter announced proudly, tossing the money pouch on the table. “That should be enough to buy another month worth of food.” “If our diet doesn’t change it will cost us... 198 credits.” Tech didn’t even look up from his datapad. “To be honest – I kinda had enough of portion bread.” said Crosshair. “Yeah, me too.” Wrecker added, sitting more comfortably in his chair. Rex listened to this conversation with only one ear, his attention focused on the small package in his hands. It was heavy and hard, he was almost sure it was a piece of metal. “What do you think, Rex?” He snapped out from his thoughts and looked up at Cross, who was watching him closely. “What do I think about what?” “We need to find a way to make more money, we can’t live on portion bread for another couple of months. Do you have any ideas how we can do it?” Rex sat in silence for a moment, trying to come up with any ideas. “I know a few places where we can work as mercenaries against the Empire.” he finally said. “Okay, that’s a good idea.” Crosshair admitted, glancing back at Hunter. “We don’t have any other options.” “Fine, who will we work with?” “Hondo. I think.” Rex put the package away and got up. “The last time I checked on him he said that he and his men were on Vanqor.” “That’s... acceptable.” Hunter sighed, turning on the hologram and searching for Hondo’s contact. “At least he’s one of the people who keep their word and don’t try to kill you once the job’s done.” He searched through the contacts for a moment and finally found what he was looking for. A few seconds later a bluish hologram appeared, showing Hondo. “Hunter, great seeing you!” he exclaimed cheerfully, greeting the man. “How can I help you?” “We’re looking for a job as mercenaries, are you looking for any help?” “Actually, yes, you have perfect timing.” he said, sitting more comfortably and taking a huge sip from a mug he was holding. “I have problems with transporting some... important technology from Sriluur to where we are camping currently. Our transporters are not suitable for the job, so I would be grateful for the help.” “How much are you willing to pay?” “100 credits per container.” he informed, taking another sip from the cup. “Do we have a deal?” “We sure have.” “Great! I’ll send you the coordinates. We need those containers as soon as possible, so please hurry.”

The call ended and Hunter stood up, stretched out and sighed, looking around at his brothers. “Tech, start the engine and set the course to Sriluur. We should get there before nightfall.” he gave out orders, his brother nodded and walked up to the control panel. “Wrecker, Rex and Cross – help me with clearing the hangar, we need to fit as many containers as possible.” “What about me?” Omega asked. “You can also help with the cleaning.” he said. “Rex, go change into some more comfortable clothes. We’ll meet you in the hangar.”

Rex nodded and went back to his room, threw the mysterious package on his bed, quickly changed into the same clothes he wore in the morning and proceeded to the hangar. “Wrecker, put that over there, against the wall.” Crosshair pointed to the other side of the room. Wrecker picked up an old engine they found on battlefield some time ago and put it where his brother asked him to. Omega was carrying smaller parts and throwing them inside a small box next to the engine, while Hunter and Crosshair parked the speeder bikes closer to the wall. Rex looked around, his eyes stopped on the mess of wires and metal pieces in the centre of the room. He sighed and started to clean up, dragging the bundle away. Most of the things in the hangar were Tech’s, he always tried to find something new to improve the ship and stuff, but it was annoying. The rest were getting tired of tripping over wires spread along the ship’s halls, the droids and many of Tech’s inventions, but they had to admit : all of that was really helpful. The droids were taking care of most of the ship’s machinery and thanks to them they needed only 1 active crew member instead of 46 to pilot the Stalker. Tech upgraded the ship, making it faster and more maneuverable, now it was able to outrun most of the Empire’s star fighters and cruisers. He installed new power generators, better shields and a 1 class hyperdrive generator instead of 2 class one. All of this saved their lives countless times, like that one time when the Empire chased them into a asteroid field and sent star fighters after them. The improved maneuverability made it much easier to avoid the asteroids and the auto-piloted turrets shot down all of the enemy’s ships. “Rex! Could you help us with this?” Hunter’s voice made Rex turn around in his direction, where his brother was struggling with a small container filled with droid spare parts. He ran up to him and helped him carry the box across the room, where they put it down next to the speeder bikes. As they did so the lid of the container fell off, showing the contents.

For a moment Rex’s heart stopped beating.

Staring at him were the lifeless eyes of a battle droid. Million memories flashed before his eyes as he pulled out his gun and aimed it at the droid, like he did thousands times before. He was breathing rapidly, his hands slightly trembling as the panic settled in.

For a moment he just stared at the droid, not knowing what to do : fight or flight? “Rex?”

The man glanced at Hunter, who was standing right next to him. He had a worried expression on his face, his hands raised slightly as to show that he doesn’t want to hurt him. “You can put the gun down, it won’t hurt you.” he said calmly, slowly walking closer to his brother and reaching out for the gun. “Everything’s okay, it’s just the head of the droid, it can’t hurt you.” Rex hesitated for a moment, looking back at the droid. Hunter waited patiently, in complete silence, as Rex took a step back from the container and handed over the gun, looking down in embarrassment. “Sorry, I...” “Don’t apologize, it not your fault.” he patted his brother on the back. “I’ll talk to Tech and make sure that he gets rid of this thing.” He turned around to the rest and gave them a thumbs up, saying that the situation is under control. Seeing that Omega ran up to them and hugged Rex tightly, making sure that he’s okay. He returned the hug, hiding his  face in Omega’s hair. “Alright, I think we’re done here.” said Crosshair, looking around. The hangar was now mostly empty, not mentioning the pile of scrap in the corner. Now they had plenty of room for the containers, which meant more money. They walked out from the hangar and separated, going to do their own thing. Hunter wandered off to go and find Tech, probably to scold him for keeping a clanker in the hangar. Wrecker and Crosshair returned to their rooms, while Rex and Omega went to the living area to play some holochess.

…

When they finally arrived to Sriluur, it was late in the evening.

They landed near Hondo’s base, but it was too dark to pick up the containers. After a brief discussion they all decided to do it first thing in the morning, right after breakfast. After dinner, which consisted of ration packs and tarine tea that Crosshair found somewhere in the ship’s pantry. “As soon as we’re done with the job we can go and visit the market, maybe they’ll have some fruits for sale or something.” said Hunter, trying to cheer up his siblings. They nodded their heads in agreement, the thought of something else that conserved food was really appetizing.

Rex wished his brothers and sister goodnight before going to his room and laying down in his bed. He could hear the droids wandering around the ship, making sure that everything’s working as it should while the crew were asleep. As the wave of tiredness washed over him he remembered about the package that was now laying next to his bed, but he was too tired to do anything about it now. He decided to open it tomorrow, after they load the containers.

With that in mind he fell asleep, no nightmares disturbed his rest for the rest of the night.

[itsclydebitches]

About crosshair. Again lol

Regardless of his scar not lining up with chip scar or the headaches or “soldiers follow orders” again. Or him without a chip being a liability to the empire. I just don’t buy his personality change in the end. I’m the pilot episode they hammered it over our heads it’s very unlike him to follow orders. He said himself “empire or republic, what’s the difference?” But now in the end he cares about the empire protecting the galaxy? Responds to hunter his choice is “soldiers follow orders”? Wtf, really? So he genuinely believes his only personality is being a soldier now? when it’s been established in both in cw and tbb that cf99, including crosshair only cared about completing the mission. I get that people change but not that abruptly especially if we are to believe techs “unyielding” description of him to be true. Echo is the one true soldier of the group. He keeps repeating to hunter “we are soldiers not smugglers”, “there is no other way than being soldiers” etc. but he is clearly loyal to the republic. And I never saw echo and crosshair to be similar in that

So yeah , I think it’s very out of character for crosshair to just see himself as soldier and being content with following order or being a pawn(which he must realize he is cause he’s not dumb) especially with his mega inflated sense of self importance. Just my two cents

Crosshair is a complicated character! There's a lot to discuss :D

That's a good point though. And yeah, as acknowledged the quick personality change could be chalked up to chip influence if it's still having some kind of impact... but if it's not, then what do we make of that?

Putting aside the "It's just bad writing" possibility, I think there's a key difference between not following orders and not being loyal to the organization giving those orders. They're not necessarily the same thing, though it's easy to lump the two together. Yeah, we see early on that the Bad Batch isn't known for doing things the "right" way. Rex and Jesse are pretty unsure about their methods when the Batch first shows up in TCW. In the pilot Tech has a line about how "We're more deviant than defective" emphasizing that they tend to do things differently. Crosshair's sudden willingness to follow orders to the letter, not just in spirit, is questioned during their time in the cell, etc. So yeah, they don't obey the rules, but I don't think that's because they're not loyal. They're not refusing orders because pff, screw the Republic/Empire, who cares about those guys. They're refusing orders because they recognize that their way of doing things—the unconventional methods that deviate from the standard clone playbook—is more likely to net them, and the Republic, a success. They seem to be against the Republic's rules because they want the Republic to succeed, recognizing that their way is the best way to get that. Wrecker takes great pride in their successful missions, keeping tally marks on their room's wall. Crosshair is constantly pointing out how the higher ups called them in because the Regs couldn't complete a mission, likewise emphasizing his pride in being needed. When Rex and Hunter finally start bonding, it's through Rex's decision to charge the droids head on, precisely like the Batch would, rather than following the "correct" strategy of carefully picking them off from the tree line. They bond over the understanding of, "Yes. This is the best way the Republic wins." Perhaps most significantly, the Batch was still willing to complete missions for the Empire up until they were ordered to kill civilians. Killing Jedi resulted in an acknowledgement of how messed up that was... but no solid intent to leave.

All of the above is important because it establishes the Batch's need to be loyal to something other than themselves. The kind of loyalty that is shown through intense, life-threatening acts of service. Hunter's line about them being loyal to each other rather than some Empire, while true, is a simplification. Their loyalty to the Republic and their loyalty to one another overlap in many, many significant ways, simply because the Batch was created for the Republic. They have literally spent their entire lives living, breathing, fighting, and almost dying for the Republic. Their core identities stem from the Republic's desires: skills they want them to cultivate and even personalities they want to foster, if Tech's theories are to be believed (that conversation with Wrecker in the mess hall). The loyalty the Batch feels, those bonds they formed over the years, stem entirely from completing missions for the Republic. Their love for one another is, at least at the start, a product of the Republic's desire for Good Soldiers. And yeah, they sometimes did things the Republic technically didn't like, but it was always in service of achieving the Republic's end goal, whatever that may have been. They were very good soldiers, just soldiers that understood the value of creative thinking. "You want me to reach this location? Of course! I'll reach it by cutting across the grass, despite you asking me to follow the path already laid out. But our goal and the Regs' goal is exactly the same: fulfill your mission. That's our purpose in this life."

And then the Republic became the Empire.

Every one of these characters has a need to serve some higher purpose, to complete missions for the benefit of another. Overlooking the very literal ways in which they may have been genetically predisposed towards this (like the chip), and the cultural brainwashing that went on the second they were born (this is your duty, this is your purpose, this is all you exist for), this is, simply put, all they've ever known. Though it's possible to walk away from that need, it's by no means easy. So what saves the majority of the Batch from falling into that "Republic, Empire, what's the difference?" thinking out of a need to serve someone?

Omega.

I think it's crucial that the second they abandon one mission—killing civilians for the Empire—there's already new mission waiting for them to focus on instead—rescue and protect Omega, indefinitely. That's Hunter's thinking. We're not going to do A, we're going do B instead. All they did was put that single-minded focus onto a new target, but the focus—the need—still exists. And we see that throughout the first season, where everything the Batch does is in service to Omega. Their life decisions revolve entirely around her, from very small things (here's your own room on the ship) to the much larger (we need to stay on the move to help you avoid bounty hunters, even if we may want to find someplace to stay). The purpose of a soldier has been mapped onto the purpose of a parent, with the new, ongoing goal being "Raise Child" as opposed to "Win War." Putting aside for the moment the fact that this is an action-adventure show and thus exciting plot has to happen, I think it's notable that no one suggests non-soldier-y things to help them make money. Tech isn't offering his intellect as an easy way to make credits, nor Wrecker his strength. No one is seriously thinking of a planet they could hide out on, even from bounty hunters, so as to raise Omega in peace. They are still, fundamentally, the people they were during the time of the Republic, people who need to fight for something. Literally fight. It's just now they're chaotically fulfilling missions for Cid so they can give Omega a halfway decent life, rather than chaotically fulfilling missions for a general so they can give the Republic a chance at winning the war.

Omega is the new focus, the new Republic stand-in, but what happens if she's not an option? (Would have been really interesting to see what the Batch did if she'd actually left with Cut.) Without the chip affecting his thoughts, I fully believe Crosshair would have left with the others. Why wouldn't he? That's his family and, per Hunter's orders, Omega is the new mission. But the chip ensured he missed that chance and by the time he came out of it (if he came out of it), it was too late. His squad was gone, they never came back, and Crosshair needs to find a new place in this galaxy, just like they did. Except his options are far more limited and suck a whole lot more. I can't recall anything that implies Crosshair thinks the Empire will save the galaxy, but he does think it's going to control it and he's looking for his own purpose in this new life. Why not find purpose in the winning side? He can serve the Empire just like they served the Republic. He can serve the Empire just like his squad now serves Omega. The need to belong somewhere, to have that larger goal, outweighs those pesky ethical issues, at least for now. Though to me the "Good soldiers follow orders" really, really still sounds like chip influence, it can also be read as a broader acknowledgment that yes, they are fundamentally soldiers and yes, they do need orders of one kind or another. They need that mission. That goal. That purpose. Someone who helps to guide them in this new, crazy galaxy. Yeah, they've always bent and gotten creative with the orders, but until 4/5ths of them left the Empire, they'd never ignored the orders as a whole. None of the Bad Batch went, "I'm not taking this mission because the Admiral was an asshole to us about it and I don't feel like it :/" They suck up all the hard parts—the awful treatment, the danger, the general difficulty—because they have a goal to fulfill. They live for having a goal, literally in the sense that this is what they were made for. The Bad Batch is still doing that with Cid, putting up with bad treatment, dangerous situations, and general difficulty because they have that larger goal of taking care of Omega. Crosshair missed out on that, so he latched onto the Empire instead. Which circles right back around to previous points that if the Batch had tried to rescue him and/or been more welcoming when offering his return, Crosshair likely would have joined in on the Omega mission too. It's the best new purpose for all of them.

Crosshair sees himself as a soldier because, right now, being a soldier of the Empire is the only way he can find the purpose and belonging that the rest of the Batch maintained with each other and Omega, back when he was left behind. No, he's not dumb, but the logistics of the situation outweigh his knowledge that things are far from perfect. Do we think the Batch doesn't also realize that Cid is continually taking advantage of them with 70/30 splits? Of course not. But they need a way to survive and, right now, this is it. Crosshair likewise recognizes that the Empire is treating him as a pawn—I think he was in denial prior to the bombing, but now he definitely knows—but what other option is there? Not his squad. As discussed, he feels strongly that he's no longer welcome with them, with good reason. The only other option is to go off on his own, something that's incredibly foreign to clones who were bred to serve that higher purpose alongside many, many brothers. Yes, we've seen one or two who manage that—like Cut—but they're the outliers. Rex found his new purpose fighting the Empire with Ahsoka. The Batch found their new purpose taking care of Omega with each other. Crosshair's new purpose is... nothing. Not unless he swallows down his misgivings (and his ego) and keeps serving the Empire until a better purpose comes along.

[greenygreenland]

Shy: Bad Batch x Reader

Summary:

Initiallly, you are worried about meeting the Bad Batch but eventually come to some mutual understanding of what it feels like to be the odd one out.

-i never finished this until now lol

-i wrote this as soon as s7 ended what

-now it's nov and i'm quaking

The Bad Batch: an abnormal bunch, rowdy group of weirdos, the black sheeps of the GAR, a bad batch, dysfunctional, et cetera, et cetera. You heard so many rumours and comments floating around about that group while other times, nothing at all. They were science experiments made by the Kaminoans and absolutely nothing like their brothers, both in looks and personality.

They had been trained separately from their brothers, and from what you knew, were practically a family on their own.

"So, this is the 'Bad Batch'?" you whispered to Cody. His lips were pressed into a thin line while his brows knitted together. Either he was in deep thought, or uncomfortable (you sensed it to be the latter) with how close you two stood. He had told you a few stories of his own adventures with the group, and although they didn't seem all too bad, you weren't so sure about these boys. "Remind me why I'm here Cody." you whispered. He raised a brow and said, "You were assigned to aid Clone Force 99 in their upcoming mission. You are expected to complete the mission and were given a full seven rotations to do so. A quick summary is that you were tasked to infiltrate and destroy a Seperatist base and return--safely on General Kenobi's request."

"Only because they didn't know where else to deploy me." you grumbled. Turning to Cody, you dramatically sighed. Only being Knighted as of yesterday left you in an odd position. Where were you to go now that you didn't follow your ex-master, Obi-wan, like a lost puppy? Where were you to go now that you were fully independent from him? Cody patted your shoulder, a gesture solely reserved for you. "They aren't too bad Com--General."

"That's not the point Cody. If they're as good as I've heard, I'll only be extra luggage." Cody frowned. "That's not true." He tone was firm and you sensed he meant it. "You're as capable, maybe even more, than them. I have no doubt that you will be completely immaculate on this mission." He paused thoughtfully, giving the open docking bay a good survey. "You're strong General," he added. "Don't ever forget that."

You smiled at him in appreciation. "Thanks Cody, for being here for me as always." He returned the smile. "We're...we're friends, yes?"

"Without a doubt." You fixed your gaze on the approaching men and folded your arms over your chest. They were, as expected, as odd bunch. One was super macho while another was as thin as a stick, another looked like a total nerd while the last of the four looked...pretty normal compared to his brothers. You shifted from foot to foot. As they stared you down, you couldn't help but feel the slightest bit intimidated.

"I'm worried." you whispered, eyeing the clone who wore a red headband-bandana-thing stepped forward. He nodded your way, eyes sharp and calculating. "Don't be." he said. You instinctively turned to Cody with a silent look for help. "Hunter has enhanced senses." he explained.

You suddenly felt very, very dumb. "Why didn't I know that?" you whispered. Cody had the strong urge to roll his eyes. "Because you weren't listening when I briefed you this morning. You were caught up in finishing something assigned to you last week." You blinked, a sigh escaping your lips. "Right. Right. Thanks Cody." You turned to the Bad Batch, whom were sending each other amused glances. You sensed a shared bewilderment among them relating to your dynamic with Cody, but none had the guts to speak about it.

At least not yet.

Offering a small wave, you said, "Hello there. I...assume you already know me--or at least have heard my name."

"You're General (Y/n) Skywalker." the nerd said. "Younger sister of General Anakin Skywalker by three years, recently knighted--yesterday--and known to be fierce in battle, which earned you the name--"

"Oh shut it Tech."

You cast a glance at the one who had spoken: Mr. Macho. He gave Tech a punch on the arm, but not enough to hurt him. "I see he has done an...extensive amount of research." you commented. Cody nodded in agreement and Tech merely smiled in response. "Besides my extensive amount of knowledge, allow me to introduce you to Clone Force 99, or as you may have heard, the Bad Batch. I'm Tech. That over there is Wrecker." He pointed to Mr. Macho. "That's Crosshair." He pointed to the stick-man. "And that's Hunter, otherwise known as our self-proclaimed leader." The boys chuckled at this, leaving you slightly less intimidated by their demanding presence. Cody patted your shoulder and you turned to him uncertainly. He subtly smiled at you reassuringly. "I'll leave you to it. Take care of the General."

"Not to worry Commander," Hunter said, "she's in good hands." You sensed a mix of dount and amusement roll off Cody's shoulders, but he kept his mouth shut as usual. He sent you a nod in farewell before walking off into the hanger. You watched him disappear in the sea of sweaty men and droids. Boy were you going to miss him. A frown etched its way onto your lips as you awkwardly turned to the Bad Batch. "So, about the mission?"

---

The trip through hyperspace started off as quiet, save for the occasional joke thrown by Wrecker. Although large and macho, he was a real sweetheart, much like your late friend Waxer. Wrecker knew you were nervous around them, so he unconsciously took it upon himself to break the ice--which didn't exactly work as he anticipated.

Crosshair had been sending you subtle glances of judgment every now and then. When you caught him staring, Hunter spoke in his place. "We don't usually work with clones outside our squad, especially Jedi for that matter." he smoothly offered. "Don't take it personal if we're not...used to having you around." You nodded in understanding from where you sat. That was reasonable, especially since they were build and trained differently from their brothers. They all seemed so close-knit, so it would make sense for you to be an outsider. You didn't know what to say, so you kept as quiet as a mouse.

It was really uncomfortable though. Why did it have to be so awkward? Why were you so awkward? Why couldn't you just hold a conversation?

"I've heard stories of General Skywalker." Tech chirped. "Your personality contrasts from his." You shrugged, forcing a smile to break the ice. "That's what I'm known for. My friend Ahsoka used to say I was born with all the brain cells." There was a pang in your heart and again, silence in the ship. You tried to tell yourself to push back all the dark thoughts and quickly building stress, but it was hard to when it was so damn quiet. You suddenly wished you hadn't been knighted, and that you were still a padawan stuck by Obi-wan's side with the comfort of Cody. You didn't think you were ready yet. It was too early.

Hunter eyed you carefully and it suddenly occured to you that maybe he could hear how loud your heart rammed against your ribs. Cody said he had enhanced senses, and that was a good thing for him, but you couldn't say the same for yourself. "I don't mean to be rude, but you look worried." Hunter began. "I don't mean any offence General--"

"No, no." You softly smiled to ease the suffocating atmosphere. "I'm out of my comfort zone is all. That and..." You didn't know how to say that you were shy and a bit scared to talk to new people. A Jedi was supposed to be calm, collected, and ready for the unexpected during these tough tines. You were a General now, not some little padawan afraid of her own shadow.

"You're shy." Tech realised. You folded your hands together on your lap with a small shrug. It was hard for you to admit it out loud, but you agreed anyway. "Maybe a little." Crosshair gave you a stare you couldn't decipher. It was everchanging with his emotions, first intrigued, then surprised, then...what was it? You weren't sure. He was harder to read than most people you've met.

"It's okay if you're shy." Tech said. You liked how amiable he was. "I used to be shy too, but then I realised there wasn't much point in it when I wanted to share all the things I've learned." You drank in every word he said, appreciating how wise they were. Kaminoans always said clones were only tools bred gor war, but you always disagreed. They were human and had feelings. Some were gentle like Tech, others standoffish like Hunter or Wolffe, and a wonderful few your best friends.

"Is there a reason why you're shy too?" Tech inquired. Hunter looked like he wanted to step in and tell Tech he had crossed the line by asking a Jedi a personal question. You took note of that and waved it off. Yes, being a Jedi meant you had authority, but did it mean people should be afraid of their own curisoity? No. They had a right to ask, even if it was personal.

"My brother's rambunctious, loud, and incredibly reckless at times. He's emotional, sometimes a bit rude, and not the ideal Jedi people would think of when they hear 'the Chosen One'. I'm quiet. I prefer books over a good 'negotiation'." You 'pffted' and met the eyes if your new companions. "By that, I mean running head-first into battle while swinging your lightsaber." The boys nodded in understanding and you continued.

"Sorry if I sound so...direct, especially since I've only met you all today, but I feel like I'm too different. Like...like I'm the odd one out." You thought back to how Anakin won your freedom all those years ago through that stupid pod race. He was a natural at everything, and you had to say, luck favoured him over you. You didn't know how to repair ships, spin around in space to avoid enemies, or do all the things your brother succeeded in. All you had was a title for being deadly in battle, which in itself was a curse.

You were a Jedi, a 'keeper of peace' who was supposed to be good at meditating. You weren't a soldier like Cody or all the other clones, in fact, you were nothing compared to your brother. He was known to be a great Jedi Knight while you considered yourself lucky for being Knighted so early. Leaders or Generals weren't supposed to be shy like you. They asserted dominance, or rather, took charge and led from the front, not the back.

"I'm not as good as my brother at anything. I'm not good with people, I'm not a leader. I only have one title because I'm 'good in battle', or whatever... Farfiek, how did I even become a Jedi Knight anyway? Ni'm an di'kut." You kicked at air, completely oblivious to the surprised faces of your companions. "Hah!" exclaimed Gregor. "So she knows Mandalorian!" Tech blinked, scratching at his temple absentmindedly. "And apparently a bit Huttese."

You sensed the positive shift in the atmosphere and turned to meet their gazes. Hunter tried for a smile, but it was almost impossible to see. "With all due respect, I don't think you're as useless as you think, General. Can you speak Mando'a?"

"Elek Ni liser."

"Huttese?"

"Tagwa."

"What about...Jawa?"

"Ibana."

Hunter and the boys exchanged glances of approval with each other. Tech smiled brightly. "That's amazing General! In total, you speak four languages including Basic while the average person speaks either one or two at most. How did you learn all those languages?" You shrugged. "I read a lot in my spare time and practiced on Cody. He speaks a good amount of Huttese now because I practiced that with him the most."

Tech looked like he would cry from joy. You assumed he was simply that impressed by your 'skills' that it brought tears to his eyes, but you couldn't be sure. "Tech's a real nerd." Crosshair suddenly said. "He probably thinks you're a goddess right about now." You chuckled a little as Hunter pulled out a holoprojector. "It's good to see everyone's warmed up a bit." he admitted. "Who's up for reviewing the mission plans?"

You glanced at the faces of your companions. The atmosphere had changed again, and it made you feel all warm inside. Perhaps Cody was right. You were going to do fine on this mission.

[majorshiraharu]

Echoes In My Mind; Chapter 7 - Maddening Mission - EchoxReader Fic

Previous Chapter ————————————————- Content Rating: Mature+ (18+)

Warnings: Kissing Suggestive themes Crying If there are any warning labels I’m missing please inform me Notes: Y/O/N = Your characters original name (before they went into hiding) Taglist: @grand-admiral-luna ————————————————- "You boys wanted me?" "Ahh yes, Y/N we're going to need you to deliver this guy to the same Imperials you met before, okay? They'll give you the payment, after that just come right back to the ship," Hunter said to you. "Okay, but what's if they don't want the guy, he's not exactly the one they were looking for." "Leave him there anyway," Crosshair said with a smirk.  "If they're not willing to take him, we can bring him back to the planet." "Understood, and what's if they want us to do another job?"  "Decline," both of them said at the same time. "We don't want to work with the Empire more than we already had too, this was only so we could get supplies and fuel, hopefully, we'll never have to see or work with them again," Hunter said with a solemn expression. "I understand, I'll do my best." "We know you will," Crosshair said to your surprise. "You know the Empire isn't normally kind to people like me," the guy held captive scoffs, "Turning me in makes you no better than them, doesn't matter how you feel about working with them, you're helping them right now." "If you keep talking, I won't be kind to you," Crosshair huffs placing a covering over the man's mouth.  "I'll be happy to have him out of our hair," Hunter said shaking his head with an exhausted expression covering his face. "Don't worry I'll get him out of here once we land," you say. Just then over the com system of the ship Tech's voice echos through, "We just landed, the Imperials are waiting for you, probably want to get going before they get impatient." Grabbing your helmet you slide it over your head, activating the voice changer before taking hold of the prisoner, leading him to the exit of the ship, taking him outside, and heading towards the building that you had been in not too long ago. -You couldn't help but wonder if Cody would be there again, if he was alone this time, maybe, just maybe you could talk to him... clearly he didn't look happy working for the Empire, but the Empire probably didn't give him much of a choice. All he knew was the Republic and when they switched most clones were forced to continue their service, the older ones had the chance to retire, but they got nothing if they did, unless they retired to Kamino to train new recruits, even someone of Cody's rank might be out of luck, just wandering the galaxy like you and the Bad Batch were. Everyone always thought Cody was a stickler for rules and would follow every rule, but he wasn't and he didn't. As his friend you knew him better than most and saw how truly caring he was, he had a good heart, a sense of humor, loyalty to his brothers, and the Jedi. He served because he didn't know anything else, at the time of the war he didn't want to think about it much outside of the battles, sometimes you would talk about the future and if the war ended where he'd want to go, what he'd want to do. He kept saying that he needed to be focused, for his brothers, for his Jedi general, and for all those the Republic was trying to protect, he was bred for war, to serve no matter what, and even though he did, he didn't always agree or want too... The Empire wasn't the Republic, that was clear from the outside, but people often forgot those like Cody, who were made to fight for the Republic, they lost everything they had, their world view was shattered, and their loyalty broken. - With the Republic and Jedi gone, they had nothing else but the Empire, no one else to follow but the Emperor. It was probably designed this way, whoever planned this whole war out, they knew, they used and manipulated everyone, most of all the clones. The train of thought you had was broken with a sharp pain in your side, as you snap back to reality you see your prisoner running off after punching you, - it takes a moment to recover and regain some air in your lunges. As you take a deep breath in you start running, pulling out your blaster and setting it to stun, yelling at him to stop, but he doesn't comply, so you take aim and shoot. - He gets stunned he stumbles landing on the ground, you reach him and make sure he's okay before picking him up and taking him to the building. Knowing you were later than you already had been before he tried to run off, you apologize as you enter, "Hey, sorry I'm late, this guy tried to run off," you said entering the room, dragging him behind you. Cody looks up from his datapad, stopping his conversation with Pryce as he looks to you and the prisoner you just dropped on the ground. "Guess I should have knocked," you joked, eliciting no response from either of them. "Tough crowd," you mumble this time you see the side of Cody's mouth twitch into a small smile before you continue, "Oh, he's not the one you were looking for, but that guy was off-world so we brought you this guy instead, the second in command," you tell them lightly kicking the guy on the floor. "Since he's not the one we asked for, but still is valuable to the Empire we can accept him, the reward will be reduced some though," Cody says typing something into his datapad and motioning Pryce over. "Understood," you say. "Get the prisoner out of here, I'll finish this up," Cody told Pryce.  "Glady," she replied walking towards you getting the man off the ground, and leading him away, -- before the door closes behind her she turns to you, "Good work bounty hunter." "Well, that was surprising," you accidentally say out loud.  "Her father's mining company is worth a lot, as is their family's reputation." "I don't much care for either the company or her family, Cody," you scoff, quickly realizing your mistake, you've slipped up again, you know that he's caught on this time. "So, who are you?"

"Just a bounty hunter here to pick up my reward," you say reaching out for the credits in the case on the table, - he grabs your wrist, "Who are you? - I'll give you one more chance to answer." "I told you already, besides it's not your job to care."  "No, it's not my job, unless you're someone important." "I'm not, now can I go?" You scoffed. Ignoring you, he continues on with his interrogation, "You knew my name."  "Of course you told me your name." "No, when you first came here, you stopped yourself before saying it fully, but you were going to say my name, so I'll ask you again, who are you?" "Why don't you guess?" You say sarcastically making him annoyed.  "Get out of here," he says releasing your wrist. "What? Why?" You say now confused by his sudden change. "Unless you want me to arrest you, go, - now." Your head tilts down, staring at the desk, "Cody there's more out there than you know, more beyond the Empire." His brows furrowed at your statement as he turned his head away from you. "You know I can't...Y/O/N."  "How did you know...that it's me." "You're one of the best soldiers I ever fought with, it's not hard to imagine that you survived."  "And you won't turn me in? Surely now that you know who I am you'd have to turn me in." "That's not one of my orders..."  "That's a lie and you know it, the Empire would want me dead." "But you are," he says with a small smirk, "- Now go." "Thank you...Cody...I'll make sure that you aren't stuck here forever, I know this isn't what you want, the life you want, -- I'll find a way out for you," you tell him grabbing the credits and walking away, only turning to look at him as he said his goodbye. - "Take care of yourself, -- and the others," he says before the door closes behind you. You can't help but let tears roll down your face, covered by your helmet, but no less painful. - Slowly walking back to the ship your mind is filled with thoughts, should you tell them, they were clones too, Echo of all people would want to save his Commander, his friend, but Cody was clear. - He knew if you tried to help him get away from the Empire that you'd be found out and probably killed. He gave you a chance to escape, and you would return the favor, you promised him and yourself, this wasn't something you would let yourself forget. Maybe you could find a fellow bounty hunter, enlist one of your friends to save him, you'd find a way, any way, Cody deserved to be free, to have an actual choice and not a forced decision. -- When your thoughts reach their end you're standing in front of the Havoc Marauder, choking back your tears as you com Tech to let you in, walking up the steps into the ship before the doors close behind you. You place the box of credits down on the nearest flat surface you found, walking off to your room despite hearing the sound of someone's voice. They were trying to say something to you, but the words didn't register in your mind instead just echoing like your head was nothing more than an empty room. The person calling out to you was Tech, - Wrecker, and Crosshair by his side, wondering what was wrong with you, since you brought the credits they assumed it was a success, but then why were you acting so strange. Tech tries to follow you but Wrecker stops him, "Let her go, I don't think she wants to talk right now." "Something is clearly bothering her, and besides we need to know if we can leave this planet, the Empire isn't going to happily wait for us." "Well she brought the credits, and there are no Stormtroopers chasing after her so I think we're in the clear to leave," Crosshair said opening the case to show Tech the credits. "Okay, I'll get us out of here then..." he said hesitantly and with sadness. He sits down and starts up the take-off procedures, soon after the ship leaves the ground and the planet off to find a refueling station. You feel the ship shake and turn as you sit on the ground, knees against your chest, listening to the sound of your own breathing. Why were you so upset, you promised to help Cody...you couldn't get him out now, he refused and it never would have worked...but what if it did. Now he's still stuck there, you knew there wouldn't be a better chance to get him out unless the Empire hired you for another job. But knowing Cody he'd probably make sure you guys never showed up anywhere near Imperials again. Knowing plenty of Bounty Hunters, surely, you could find someone who would be willing to save him, but it wouldn't be an easy job, not to mention you don't have the credits to pay for the kidnapping of a high ranking Imperial. There was one person who might be able to pull it off, if you talked to Echo he would be up for helping, right? Cody was a good friend of his, and maybe if the Bad Batch joined you'd all be able to rescue him. There’s so much worry in you, - that maybe he decides not to leave, you can free him, but after that, the only life he would have is being on the run from the Empire, or if you faked his death a life like you, jumping from job to job. That's not something he would want or was it...you were his friend but even you are unsure of what Cody wanted out of life, all he ever talked about was his service and doing his best to keep his brother and the Jedi safe. With that all gone...what does he have, what does he want? Maybe this wasn't something to worry about, but, you couldn't help it, your mind always wandered off into every possibility no matter how unrealistic, this ability helped during battles and the war, but wasn't much of a help during non-combat times...becoming more of a hindrance than a help. "Where's Y/N?" Echo asked Tech as he and Hunter enter the cockpit of the ship.  "She went off somewhere, I'm assuming her quarters," he responds, his eyes focused on the view outside the ship. "Did something happen, is she okay?"  "We're not sure if something happened, she didn't talk when she came back, just dropped off the case of credits and walked off," Crosshair says. "Yeah she didn't seem to be too happy, or even notice us talking to her," Wrecker added a sad expression arising on his face as he spoke.  "You should probably go check on her Echo," Hunter said placing his hand on Echo's shoulder, noticing the tension in his body. "I will, I'll be back later," Echo said turning around, walking off to your room. When he reaches the door he pauses for a moment, hesitant to open it, -- he knocks and says his name but there's no reply... "Y/N what's wrong, you know you can talk to me, about anything." His words cut deep, part of you wanting to be left alone and the other part just wanted to cry into his chest...he attempts to ask again, still met with no response, his words making your heart hurt more each time he spoke, you could hear the pain in his voice, the worry, the desire to help. You hear what sounds like his back hitting the door sliding down to sit on the ground, he really wasn't going to leave you, slowly you get up and walk over, unlocking the door. As it slides open Echo catches himself not having expected the door to vanish on him, as he looks up he sees you, looking down at him, tears visible in your eyes. "Y/N what happened?" He asks softly, getting up to stand in front of you stepping forward slightly so the door could close behind him before he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you against his chest as tears started to roll down your cheeks. "It's --" you're unable to get the words out, instead just relaxing into his body, trying to breathe through the sobbing. - He leads you over to sit on your bed, pulling you onto his lap before he scooted back to lean against the wall. "I won't push you to talk about it, just know when you're ready I'll be here to listen," he whispers gently placing a kiss on your forehead. Despite both of you being fully covered in armor it was still comfortable, just the feeling of leaning against him was enough to calm you. Composing yourself some you pull back placing your arms on his shoulders to balance yourself as you looked at him. "It's kinda a dumb reason...I mean I'm just overthinking things again like I always do and I'm just making myself worry and become upset... I'm...I don't know, I shouldn't be crying about this and I shouldn't be worrying everyone and -- hmmp." - Your incoherent rambling is cut off by the feeling of his lips pressing into yours, they weren't moving...they were still, just gently pressed against your own lips, almost as if he was giving you a moment to quiet your mind and gather your thoughts. When he pulls away you find yourself leaning towards him, chasing that feeling again, wrapping your fingers around his head pulling him back for a kiss, this time both of you moving your lips. His hands slide down some to rest on your hips as they pressed into his own, a low moan travels through his throat as your tongue starts to explore his mouth. You weren't exactly sure why your emotions swayed so strongly from sobbing like a child to wanting to kiss Echo, you'd never felt anything like the feeling you had for him, nothing more you wanted than to be around him and to show him that affection. Especially after finding out that he was alive and that he’d been through so much without you by his side. Before either of you has any chance to go further you pull back, not wanting to stop, but also just wanting to talk, to explain what's bothering you. You could tell he was still worried about you, feeling it in the way he kissed you, more like he was trying to comfort you and help you think about something else. He watches you as you're trying to find the words, as your mouth moves to speak taking a moment before your mind catches up and formulates a sentence, "What's bothering me is...that I -- I saw Cody, he was the one that gave me the mission details and the credits when I left. I asked him to come with, I knew he wasn't happy there with the Empire, but he refused, he didn't want to put us in danger... We have to get him out of there, but I don't know how or if he'll come, the only life he's know is his service and I'm worried he won't be any happier living a life like this." Echo looks at you with a shocked expression, trying to comprehend everything you just said,  it was a lot to take in and he honestly wasn't sure what to think or say. "You're sure it was Cody?" He asks only to gain himself more time to think of a response. "Yeah, no doubt, he knew who I was too..."  "Knowing Cody he wouldn't go, but only because he cares about those he served with and would never let them put their lives at risk for just him." "So how do we get him out of there, I might be able to get a Bounty Hunter friend of mine to take the job but they couldn't do it alone..."  "Hmm... even if they're able to get him out of there on their own, I don't know what he'll do after that, I know the boys would be more than happy to take him in, but I doubt he'd accept." "That's what I'm worried about..."  "But Cody is our friend and my brother so I feel like we should try, I guess we'll just have to figure out the rest afterward." "Thank you Echo," you whispered leaning against him as his arms wrapped around you.  "Don't worry, we'll get him out of there, I promise." -- After a while of just enjoying the feeling of each other's embrace, you pull back, moving off of him so he could get up and join you as you walked to the bridge, telling Echo that you guys should all discuss this together and figure out a plan. -----------------------

"So, you guys want to rescue Commander Cody from the Empire?" Hunter asks, double-checking that he heard everything correctly, feeling the same overload of information that Echo had. "Yeah," Echo responds with a worried look, unsure if this was something you guys could pull off. "Well, he is the reason we're all here today, so I'm in," Hunter replied with a reassuring smile.  "Me too," Tech said looking up from the datapad he had been typing information into.  Wrecker and Crosshair nodded, not feeling the need to repeat words when they knew that their brothers felt the same way as them. "Then it's settled, the next mission will be getting Commander Cody out of the hands of the Empire!" Hunter says placing his hand on Echo's shoulder as the worry drained from Echo's face, happy to have his brothers supporting this endeavor.

------------------------ As all of you plan and talk about how this will work, you send a transmission to your friend, hoping they will be able to help, to everyone's surprise, they accept the request for help and send you some detail on where they are and when they'd have time to help. -- "Well, they're in, just finishing up some bounty mission, and then they can join us for this!" You tell the others with excitement, happy that a plan was coming together. "What are they charging for their service?" Tech asked.  "Nothing, they said they owed me still for a mission we did some time ago, so they're just doing this to help." "We can still give them some compensation like fuel cost or ammunition," Hunter replied not liking the idea of someone doing a job like this for free. "Sounds good! Oh, Tech once you've finished the details of the plan let me know so I can send it to them," you say handing your datapad over to him.  "Will do, we should probably go over this one more time before I send it to them." 

Everyone gathers around the holoscreen to review everything. "Okay, so I'll send Cody a coded message using the same system we used to contact him for the mission, he probably won't agree to our little rescue mission, but all I need is for him to respond so I can hack into the Empires system and give us landing access. -- Once we have that we'll land on the outskirts of the base, you and your friend will go with Hunter and Echo steal some Imperial and Stormtrooper outfits and hopefully, by then I'll have a scan that show's us Cody's location. -- I'll tell you the information through an earpiece, hopefully, he won't be too far away from where we have to land so you don't have to risk being there longer than needed," Tech says pausing to let Hunter continue. "Once we know his location it'll be stealth, Y/N you and your friend will pretend to be Imperial officers looking for Cody for a special mission requested by the Chancellor, and then when we get to him we'll just be able to take him with us without a problem."

“That's if they believe us," Echo said worried you all might get caught.  "Don't worry Echo they're pretty dim," Crosshair joked patting his brother on the back. 

[37-children-of-the-dreams]

Day #5 of Crosshair x Korkie

I’m gonna write this like a fic.

It’s going to be long and full of bickering.

Crosshair wished he could just break the silence by putting a toothpick in his mouth, but he didn’t think that could even work.

“Kriffing Korkie and his dramatic ass,” Crosshair thought.

Kenobi and Korkie kept saying nothing to each other as they looked at the similarities. Korkie’s hair was showing some auburn roots that were hidden along dyed blonde hair. The same color that plaster Obi-Wan’s hair. Korkie’s eyes were a shade closer to Obi-Wan than Satine. And their facial features were close.

Obi-Wan was looking at a mirror of himself, but with Satine Kryze’s grace mixed in the boy.

“I never knew,” he finally said.

“I only learned the truth the day my visions came back,” Korkie said. “I guess she wanted to keep this a secret.”

“Possibly because she thought it would protect us. That was Satine for people, she makes the hardest choicest for herself, but she forgets there are others who want to help her with the decision.”

Korkie laughed. His mother was like that. Every time he wished he could help her, Satine would already have a list of other things Korkie could do. He had to see the woman who raised him work herself to death without giving Korkie a choice to help her.

“Basically Korkie here was living a lie?” Crosshair asked.

Father and son looked at him and Korkie was ready to apologize. Crosshair was biting his toothpick and crossing his arms. He looked amused at the sight of them finding out their relationship with each other.

“Crosshair, please don’t.”

“No no Korkie. I was just finally figuring out this weird puzzle piece called your life and now you shuffled the puzzle and put in more pieces.”

“I didn’t mean to lie.”

“So you’re saying that your information that we’ve been using for bounty hunting came from your half Jedi side? And I am supposed to go along with that?”

Obw-Wan looked at Korkie. “You used the Force for what?”

“Bounty hunting,” Crosshair pointed out.

“I never used the Force for years!” Korkie stated. “Also, he would never let off Kalevala if I didn’t use it.”

“So bounty hunting was the only choice?”

“Maybe? I was desperate to do something with my life.”

Obi-Wan sighed. He knew Korkie from Ahsoka and said the boy was prepared to be a leader of Mandalore, which meant that he was raised well and looked after by Satine. So what happened? Exile couldn’t have been that bad.

He looked at Korkie again. The boy was looking at his partner in anger. The other man gave him a tired glare. It was almost like he knew Korkie was going to do something dramatic and was about done with him.

“You know,” Obi-Wan broke. “It is nightfall and you two are exhausted. Let me lead you both to your room.”

“Fine!” They shouted.

Korkie pouted the entire way while Crosshair broke his toothpick and replaced it with another one. The room was small, but had enough space for both bounty hunters. When Obi-Wan left the room, he swears he heard the start of a long argument.

At his own room, Obi-Wan sat on his bed analyzing the conversation he had with his new found son. He knew Korkie chose to be a bounty hunter in desperation, that he and Crosshair knew each other long enough, and that he had the Force, but only uses visions and nothing else.

He was intrigued by the fact Korkie mainly uses visions because Force seers were rather rare and he only saw a few in his time as a Jedi Master. To have his own son be one was a surprise.

“His son,” he thought. “His son, that was going to be a new one to normalize.”

Obi-Wan wished Satine was still here. He had a million questions for his late love and he wished she could answer them. What made her hide their son from him? Did she know he had the Force? Did she do something about it?

He rose from his bed and walked back to Korkie only to hear them still bickering.

“What do I have to do to have accepted this apology? I told you everything about me! You know me now!”

“And still you forgot to say you were part Jedi and I could have died by being near you.”

“I needed some time to fully trust you.”

“Do you actually trust me? Or are you using me?”

“Maker, you are dense. You have more power against me, I stopped wanting to use you after realizing how I was over my head in this situation. I’m powerless and I’m just following your lead.”

“So you trust me?”

Obi-Wan heard a slap and Korkie came out of the room red in the face. He saw his father and left. Crosshair was sitting on the bed caressing his face. He looked at Obi-Wan.

“You have one dramatic son,” the clone stated.

“He gets it from his mother,” he explained. “I‘ll talk to him.”

“Good luck. He might make nuclear food first.”

Obi-Wan walked to his son and found him in the kitchen looking for recipes.

“Korkie,” he softly said. “Let’s talk.”

Korkie said nothing and pouted at his father.

“Please?”

Suddenly, Korkie opened his mouth and spilled everything. His reasons for acting this way, his need for doing anything, and his partnership with Crosshair.

“I don’t even like him and I still want to be next to him!” The broken boy exclaimed. “He’s nothing like me and I trust him. I think I’m going mad just being next to him.”

“He’s the first person that you befriended in a long time isn’t he?”

“Yes. I guess I’m so desperate for someone I might trust I latched onto him.”

“But you’re both bickering and fighting?”

“Maybe, but he’s also nice to me when he wants. I know my antics are bad, but no one told me how to act when I’m finally independent. I guess I just want Crosshair to argue with me about it because I wasn’t raised like him, I was raised like a royal and I want him to tell what I’m doing wrong.”

“Because you don’t actually know anything?”

“Because my visions only work when I can actually control them. I only learned to use the Force a few months ago. Let’s just say Mandalorians know how to make Force suppressing pills.”

“Understandable. Now, what are you going to do with him?”

“I’m in it for the long run. I’m just going to make this partnership work and we will get along one day.”

Obi-Wan nodded and the two went back to the room. He heard Korkie apologized for his behavior and Crosshair accepted the apology. When Obi-Wan left the room, Korkie and Crosshair were busy talking to each other.

“Satine,” Obi-Wan thought. “If only you were here. The sight of our son having a bounty hunter for a partner is quite amusing.”

[alyblacklist]

New theory flying around that Katarina is an imposter like our Red, the real Katarina is dead... what do you think Aly?

New? I’m not sure that it’s all that “new.”  This “Fakerina” or “Fauxrina” theory started mere days after Rassvet aired last April, pretty much as soon as the first spoilers leaked of Laila Robins’ scene on the street with Red in the S6 finale.  (The point at which I commented to a fandom friend that old theories die hard and that apparently theories will need to be pried from people’s hands).  It seems most popular among those who either don’t accept the Red imposter reveal (i.e., those who still believe that Red is original Raymond Reddington, Navy officer and biological father of Liz, and that the bones in the bag were someone else) or those who continue to insist that our Red is himself Katarina.  So I guess it’s no surprise, given that I don’t fall into either of those camps (which I’ll lump together as the Red is bio-parental camp), that I also don’t think that this woman is an imposter Katarina.  Are there a few facts that raise some questions?  Sure.  But not enough at this point to cause me to change my view that Laila Robins’ character is the real deal — Dom’s daughter, Liz’s mother, the present-day version of Lotte Verbeek’s Katarina Rostova — who has clearly been through a LOT since the events of Rassvet.  And who as far as I am concerned is the ONLY living bio-parent Liz has to date on this show.  

Why do I think she’s real?  Primarily because this Katarina still shares an emotional connection with Red that is consistent with two people who once shared a deep emotional bond (like Katarina/Ilya in Rassvet, for example).  I thought Laila Robins did an absolutely amazing job conveying that in her scene with Red in 7.02, which I’ve partially giffed here.  She is very conflicted about hurting him, but at the same time she feels deeply betrayed by him, and as we later learn, apparently by her own father as well.  At the same time, Red admits he cares about her and never meant for whatever happened in Belgrade to happen.  He also clearly knows exactly who she is, both on the street in Paris in 6.22 and when he brought up the Belgrade incident in 7.02.  To me, this emotional connection between them is entirely inconsistent with the “Fakerina” view that this woman is some other woman who either shared a fictitious Katarina Rostova identity with Liz’s real mother in the past (as some sort of operative) or was hired to impersonate/draw attention away from the real Katarina following her flight after the fire. By contrast, the emotional conflict between this Katarina and our Red is completely consistent with the clues we have been given for seasons now that something else happened after the night of the fire (and after the events of Rassvet) that hurt Katarina and that our Red either orchestrated or was at least involved in:

For example:

- the conversation between Red and his hallucinated Katarina in 3.19:

Red: It was a Hobson’s choice. There was a woman and her child. Both were doomed. Both would die. I could either save one or lose both. I chose the child. It was… it was the worst thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. Worst thing by far.

Katarina: You didn’t have a choice.

Red: There’s always a choice.  I was arrogant.  I presumed that there was an order to things, that there was… that if I nourished and protected and taught the child, she would be safe…and happy.

Katarina:  And she was neither.

- Red’s conversations with Dom in 3.20:

Dom: Then what are you doing out here? These boxes are all I have… all I have left of my daughter.

Red: I’m sorry, Dom. I understand.

Dom: No, you don’t. You don’t understand. You think because Masha’s dead, now you… you can understand me? You can… you can share my misery?

Red: I feel bereft, just like you.

Dom: No, not just like me. She’s gone because of choices you made for both of them. First Katarina and then Masha. As far as I’m concerned, you killed my entire family! No, you’re not like me.

- And later:

Red: You still have family.

Dom: Who? The baby? I won’t live long enough to see her out of nappies. If I’m allowed to see her at all. I had to make do with photographs of Masha. Did you even tell her about me?

Red: I couldn’t. You know how complicated it was.

Dom: There was nothing complicated about it. We had to back out of Masha’s life to keep her safe, after you made a colossal mess of everything. Only you couldn’t stay well enough away, could you? Now you… you come to my house with this sorry tale of loss, like you’re the only one affected by this. You’re the only one whose feelings matter. Well, guess what, Raymond? Masha was my granddaughter, and now she’s dead without even knowing I existed. All my sacrifices shot to hell. I could’ve spent the last 30 years just being her grandfather… You selfish prick.

- And Dembe’s words to Red in 4.22:

Raymond I’m not sure Elizabeth will ever be ready to learn about what you did to Katarina.  

Second, while Bokenkamp hedged a little on admitting outright that this woman is the real Katarina Rostova when he was asked that question directly last spring, I think both his comments and Eisendrath’s this season land on the side of Katarina being real.  I know some people place little stock in the Jo(h)ns interviews (and some even go so far as to outright bury their heads in the sand and believe nothing they say about the bones or anything else).  Do they use double speak and hidden nuance?  Sure, sometimes.  But in my book they have never outright lied to the audience and I don’t think they’re about to start now.  From where I sit, all signs point to Katarina being real, and precisely the sort of formidable “big bad” that only a real Katarina —not a fake one — could provide for this season.  

For example, to TV Guide: 

“She is going to be the main antagonist this year,” said executive producer John Eisendrath "And what’s exciting is that that, I think, makes good on the promise that’s sort of been baked into the series from the beginning, that at some point Liz would be part of a triangle between herself and Katarina and Reddington. It becomes the family drama that sort of has always been foreshadowed.”  

To AM New York:

“His life is in real danger. This situation is as bad as it has ever been for him,” executive producer John Eisendrath teases. “Katarina is as worthy an adversary as we’ve ever seen him go up against. Or, perhaps, a more worthy adversary. She is someone we built up over this entire series and here she is, this notorious former spy.”

Like Reddington, Katarina’s full and true identity isn’t known to all of “The Blacklist’s” key players, and Eisendrath says that’ll be a theme present throughout the season.

“Our hope is that season 7 will make good on the promise that we would at some point dive headlong into the family drama and triangle between Liz, Katarina and Red,” he says. “That is essentially the core emotional story through the season.”

To Parade:

“The goal of season 7 is to dramatize the battle between Katarina and Red, to raise the question of who is going to win that battle, and to put Liz squarely in the middle between Katarina and Red,” executive producer John Eisendrath told Parade.com in this exclusive interview. 

It wasn’t that long ago that Liz had come to terms with Red. Her attitude toward him had mellowed, and now, going into season 7, she thinks she might lose him.

“The arrival of Katarina Rostova is going to make season 7 the kind of family drama that will put Liz in between her parental figures and force her to decide who to trust more, Katarina or Red,” Eisendrath continues. “And so even though she comes into the season feeling pretty good about Red, Katarina is going to do her level best to raise the question of whether Liz can trust Reddington.”

To Entertainment Weekly:

“Katarina is a character we’ve heard about for a number of years now. However, until this point she’s been a specter,” [Jon Bokenkamp] told us. “Katarina’s arrival now introduces a whole new set of very real problems for Reddington, most specifically because this is a woman with a deep, intimate and very personal understanding of Reddington. Her knowledge of Reddington and the truths he’s holding presents a very tangible threat to Red, and places him in an incredibly vulnerable place, not only in the criminal community, but with Liz. In terms of how Katarina’s arrival impacts Liz and Red, hang tight — this could be a bumpy ride.

Also to Entertainment Weekly:

EW:  How does Agnes being back with Liz figure into this season’s story

JB:  The table is set for a very strange and unusual familial dynamic. You know Katarina is living across the hall. Daughter is reunited with mom, and Reddington isn’t aware of this. I think we’re we are certainly aware of the fact that Agnes is home and it’s a new dynamic for Liz. She’s a working mom who is juggling all the all the jobs that a working mother does, and yet her super-spy mother is living across the hall looking for answers. Well, that could go in any number of strange and unexpected directions. So, yes, I don’t want to say Agnes is in jeopardy, but I think her story line in coming home presents the show with some really unique opportunities.

******

Liz is her access point to Red’s orbit. Katarina living next to Liz and the promise of her inserting herself into Liz’s life is less about Liz becoming a target, although that very well may happen. It’s more about using Liz to try to get information and trying to get answers about Reddington. So Liz, and therefore Agnes, are sort of in the crosshairs. They’re not necessarily her target, but I think we’ve done a nice job of demonstrating just how diabolical this woman is. And on top of that, I think it gives us a lot of really interesting familial territory to cover, and it gives the show a unique way to explore those relationships without being overt about it. 

To TV Insider:  

How worried should we be about Katarina moving in next door to Liz, especially after Liz’s concerns earlier in the episode about bringing Agnes home?

John Eisendrath: Hopefully the audience will be extraordinarily worried for Liz because we’ve spent seven years building up how diabolical Katarina Rostova is and the first two episodes of this year dramatizing the lengths to which she will go to get the information she is looking for, which are extraordinary. She is now sitting right across the hall from Liz and her daughter. It’s a position that we love having on our show, where the fox is definitely in the hen house.

Jon Bokenkamp: It’s a unique situation on the show where the audience is a step ahead of both Liz and Red. They’re in on the secret on who this woman is and what her agenda is, and yet Red and Liz have no knowledge of that yet.

To Variety:

“We’re really positioned with this season to be what is ultimately sort of a small family drama,” creator Jon Bokenkamp says. “The table is set for something that’s really fresh and new for us. We’ve got this father figure of Reddington, we’ve got the former spy and mother, the FBI profiler and daughter and the granddaughter, Agnes. Thanksgiving dinner could be awkward this year.”

************

Variety:  What viewers know of Katarina has largely been told through Red’s eyes, so what kind of a challenge was it bringing that character to life and bridging his fantasy with reality?

JB:  One, trying not to give away everything about her. In presenting who she is, we were trying to keep some sense of mystery. One of the first questions was how do we do that? But the thing we tapped into that is unique about her, and it is a bit odd and the audience can see is different this time around, is that it’s incredibly emotional. She’s not a Big Bad who is looking for money or revenge. Well, she might be looking for some revenge, but her history with Reddington pains her. Hurting him pains her, she doesn’t want to be doing this. There’s an emotional component between her and Red and probably Liz and Dom — there’s this whole weird family dynamic that the table is finally set for. It’s different than what we’ve ever had before with any of the other Big Bads. That was both the challenge and what is the most exciting. The questions, the answers that she wants, all are coming from an incredibly emotional, sometimes desperate, sometimes very ventricle place.

Variety:  Does she have that “mother gene”? By the way she inserts herself into Liz’s life in the cliff-hanger it seems like she will potentially become Agnes’s new nanny?

JB:  Well your intuition is good. The fun for us is for the audience to be one step ahead of both Liz and Red. They know that “Mommie Dearest” is living next door. And with Liz having her daughter now home and potentially needing some help, that might introduce some rather disturbing parental situations for any single mother. It’s a dynamic that we’re going to explore in terms of who Katarina is and who she presents herself to be, sort of the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Keep in mind Liz hasn’t met her mother. She has no idea that this woman is her mother and she has no reason to suspect anything other than she’s the lovely lady next door. What Laila Robins is able to do — the way she plays between this very serious, dangerous woman and this incredibly sweet lady next door is an absolute blast to watch.

I noted before that there are some facts that raise questions - like how did Katarina not know where Dom lived when she supposedly last saw him almost 30 years ago in the rear view mirror of his Wagoneer at a P.O. Box in America?  Well, that P.O. Box is supposedly in Wilmington, New York, upstate New York - very close to the Canadian border (according to episode 6.17 when Ressler visits there).  I’m not sure that’s anywhere near Dom’s house, which certainly seems a good bit closer to Washington DC given the speed with which everyone seems to be able to get there from DC, Annapolis, etc.  And there’s millions of houses between Wilmington, New York and Annapolis, Maryland.  So while I know the Task Force and others seem to move at warp speed in this show, for now, I’m willing to accept that what they stated is true, and that Katarina didn’t know exactly where Dom lived until she followed the tracker in Mila’s neck.  It’s not a huge plot hole to me.  

Likewise, Masha/Katarina’s drawings.  I saw a post (I think on Reddit) saying that the fact that Liz (and perhaps Katarina?) once drew a brown house with a blue door is concrete evidence that Liz must have visited Dom’s current house as a child.  I found the drawing from Katarina’s trunk from the Artax Network (3.20).  I couldn’t find the second one (supposedly Masha’s) from quick skim through Tom Connolly, Braxton and Ivan (the fire memory episodes) though I vaguely (very vaguely) recall that it exists.  Maybe I missed it.   

Regardless, I guess I don’t place much stock or emphasis in props these days, four seasons in to following this show pretty obsessively.  As far as I am concerned, props are there to create atmosphere – the mood and feel of a scene.  No one but the diehard fans will ever look at them again, much less recall them a season later.  (And not even all diehard fans since even I can’t find the supposed twin easily while actively looking). Frankly, as the mother of a daughter who loves to draw - a blue door on a child’s drawing (with purple curtains!) means nothing other than those are the child’s favorite color of the moment for a house.  No house my daughter has ever drawn looked anything like the houses she has lived in or visited during her life.  Nothing about this drawing(s) is enough for me to say aha! - Masha/Liz definitely visited Dom at his current home with the blue door (which btw definitely doesn’t have purple curtains and otherwise looks nothing like the drawing).

Sorry this got so long but I wanted to give what I hope is a thoughtful response to your ask.  I’m really interested to learn what turned Katarina so hard against Red.  I’m also interested to learn whether it’s connected to Braxton’s Belgrade references and to Red’s apparent slip (or was it?) to Ressler in Zarak Mosadek when he referred to him trying to kill him in Belgrade rather than Brussels as we believed from Anslo Garrick.  These are the questions I’m most interested in going forward, not whether Liz’s mother is or isn’t the real deal.  

Thanks for the ask!

[amorfatihq]

I spotted ISAAC DAVID BUCHANAN in Diagon Alley early today. Have you heard the rumors? Supposedly the PURE BLOOD is affiliated with NO ONE. Born on DECEMBER / 23 / 1957, they are TWENTY-FOUR and identify as CIS MALE (he/him) and HETEROSEXUAL. They work as a HIT WIZARD IN TRAINING; it makes sense, given they are CYNICAL & STOIC but also CRAFTY & GENUINE. When I think of them, I think of old worn-out coats, powedered pills and potions, and creased love-letters. .

The Buchanan line used to be a proud member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. The clan took pride in that. So much so that it was a family tradition to marry young and bear as many children as they can to spread the family name. But now, the family name has been wiped out of the list as the clan split into two: those who adamantly kept to their pureblooded ways and those who became blood traitors.

All it took was one family member. One Squib. And one book. The legendary Angus Buchanan who left the Wizarding World and found fame and glory in Muggle Sports was a lightning that struck the Buchanan family tree, leaving it split in half and ablaze.

After his book, My Life as a Squib, received Wizarding World acclaim, half of the Buchanan line shuddered in horror as their name became associated with a Squib who practically lived as a muggle. When wizards hear the word Buchanan, the first thing that pops into their head was no longer the proud pureblood family, but rather Angus and his tell-all book that fought for the dignity of Squibs everywhere.

But as time fades everything, those who don’t follow the comings and goings of the pureblooded families lost any opinion they might have had with the Buchanans, concerning Angus or not. Especially after seventy-seven years since the book was first published.

The family, however, remained broken. Those who were descendants of Angus’ siblings who loved him dearly became blood traitors and those who came from the cousins, aunt’s and uncles who still insisted that the Buchanan line should remain pure differentiated themselves and ostracized the former.

Isaac Buchanan came from the side who publicly disowned Angus Buchanan. His great-great-grandfather, Abraham Buchanan, was Angus’ first cousin. He was the one that rallied the other relatives against Angus and his siblings, thus causing the riff that would affect them for generations. Growing up, Issac has heard all the rhetorics about how Squibs are unnatural, a sign of impure magic or how mudbloods are unnatural, proof of muggles stealing magic. Even before he went to Hogwarts, his father, David Buchanan made sure that Isaac was going to be around the right people. That he’d be friends with heirs of other Sacred Eight families, hoping that it would give Isaac the proper connections Isaac will need later in life.

And so, upon entering Hogwarts, Isaac stuck with people who shared the same views. Fortunately, they tolerated his presence as well. Isaac as a young kid preferred more to listen instead of talk. He gathered every bit of information first before even weighing in on anything. His stoic and nonchalant appearance as his brain makes careful calculations causes him to appear apathetic. Yet, Isaac possesses undying loyalty to his closest friends. The enemies of his friends are his enemies, no questions asked. Isaac has definitely helped his friends gang up on certain individuals because they crossed them, multiple times in the past.

Isaac’s life turned upside down when his father had an unfortunate accident involving an obscurial that left him badly injured. With his wand snapping in two during the incident, David Buchanan was left stranded and helpless. He would have died if he hadn’t been found by a muggle couple who took him in and nursed him back to health. From then on,  David Buchanan swore that their side of the family had been wrong all along. Muggles shouldn’t be hated or feared. Just like wizards, there were good and bad muggles. After all, without them, he wouldn’t be able to walk away and tell people otherwise.

Isaac was in his sixth year when he heard the news that his father was missing. The boy couldn’t sleep for weeks until he finally received the news that his father was finally found. Even then, Isaac didn’t stop worrying until he finally saw his dad during the Holiday break. But there was more news that greeted him home. Unfortunately, his change in perspective has brought about consequences as well. Their close relatives no longer wanted anything to do with them with his father’s actions branding them as blood traitors and cutting them off from the family wealth. Even David’s marriage quickly crumbled, resulting in a divorce initiated by his wife.

Young Isaac was conflicted. He was happy to see his father safe and yet at the same time, it felt like his father had died, replaced by someone whom Isaac didn’t recognize.

His own relationship with his father started to become tumultuous as they struggled to get by. One of Isaac’s older cousins, Zechariah, saw him as a victim and offered to help out. If Isaac really wanted money, he could sell some of the products Zechariah and his mates were making. Desperate for some cash, Isaac said yes and in no time all, he acquainted himself with few yet very loyal customers.

As the years passed, David started becoming financially independent and stable. He even met a new girlfriend whom Isaac didn’t know how to feel about. David has continued to try and undo everything he taught Isaac about being a pureblood. But old habits die hard. Old beliefs die even harder. Isaac would simply nod and agree even though each lesson would usually just enter in one ear before exiting through the other. Even if a tiny part of him was starting to believe that his dad may be right. Isaac felt that he didn’t have a choice. Not when wholeheartedly siding with his father meant losing his friends. Especially since even his friends have heard about David Buchanan turning over a new leaf and Isaac had to assure them that he didn’t feel the same way. It sucks that he has to endure them ridiculing his dad but it sure beats not having friends at all.

Having lost the connections to their rich and powerful relatives, Isaac was forced to use the connections of his father to land him a slot amongst hit wizards in training. However, even now that he’s learning to fight crime, it’s hard to shake off his old ways. After all, even after leaving Hogwarts, some of his clientele still depended on him.

While Isaac’s belief mostly remained unchanged throughout the years, his life will be once again changed when he meets a young muggle woman, Rosalind. After getting caught in the crosshairs between a scuffle between two rival wizards, Isaac was supposed to rid her memories of the entire thing. Yet somehow, he couldn’t bear to remove her memories of him. Without telling her about his background, Isaac began to befriend the young lady. A simple follow-up of how she was turned into long conversations. Long conversations turned into dates. And the dates just might turn into something else.

ISAAC is played by Marcel and portrayed by GABRIEL DARKU.

[mrswhozeewhatsis]

A Woman of Letters (Getting a Feel for Sam Winchester) - Chapter 11

Summary:  You’ve just opened an occult bookstore in Lebanon, Kansas, when you fall for a tall, handsome customer…literally. You soon find out that there’s more to the world than you ever suspected, including you. Discovering your heritage puts you directly in a witch’s crosshairs, though, so the Winchesters offer to take you in and teach you how to protect yourself. As you discover your own family history with the supernatural and your own hidden talents, you can’t help but wish a certain brother was as excited about your interest as you are.

Total length: 43 chapters, 70,247 words - Read on AO3 - Series masterlist

Chapter word count:  2236 words

Pairing: Sam x Reader

Warnings: Canon-level angst and violence

You

Once you and the brothers had returned to the bunker and unloaded the car, they left you alone to unpack and get settled in to your room. They had questioned you about your time alone with Crowley, and you assured them he hadn’t hurt you in any way. As you emptied bags into drawers, you went over the events of the past 24 hours in your mind. Impressions and feelings flitted through you as you reviewed your talks with the brothers and with Crowley.

Your heart to heart with Dean the day before, short as it was, had made a huge impression on you. As you had approached him, you somehow knew he blamed himself for everything, he loved Lisa and Ben like he loved his brother, and losing them had been as painful for him as losing your family had been for you. When you took his hand, your heart just broke for him, and when he had hugged you, you pictured in your mind that were trying to glue broken pieces of a beautiful crystal bowl back together. Something told you that you and Dean could be close friends, if time allowed. Breakfast this morning had only reassured you of that.

Your time with Sam was different. Something about Sam just screamed warmth and safety to you. The fact that he’d been your savior both in real life and in your dream told you that. It didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes, too. Oh, and not to mention a wonderful sleeping partner. There was something more there, though. What you already felt with Dean was clear and easy. Sam, however, seemed like a slightly tougher nut to crack. Although you thought he liked you, especially since he came running when you cried out in the night, he did seem awfully anxious about the idea of you sticking around.

And then there was Crowley. What a dichotomy of impressions you had of him. On the one hand, he’s the freaking King of Hell, a demon, and completely malicious and untrustworthy. Your brain kept chanting that over and over again while you sat in a booth at a bar with him. Demon, demon, demon. But when he sat down and chatted politely with the brothers, you had a hard time seeing him hurting the Winchesters. Honestly, if he weren’t the King of Hell, or even a demon, you would have quite liked him. Up until the point where he rescued you and left the brothers alone with Rowena, that is. When you had realized what he had done, you had scolded him, which only made him smile. He had chuckled as he told you that his plan was to let the boys try to kill Rowena, while keeping you out of harm’s way, and maybe using you as a hostage in the future to keep the Winchesters on task. If they lived. Part of you had wanted to yell at him and demand he rescue the Winchesters, but part of you knew better. So, you asked him nicely.

“Please, Crowley. Please bring them back here.” You had grabbed his arm with both of your hands and looked into his eyes with your heart on your sleeve. “Please don’t leave them there alone.” Crowley had gotten a strange look on his face, then he seemed to soften towards you. His gruff, sarcastic, evil exterior melted a bit, and he had almost smiled at you. He took a deep breath, shook his head with a sigh, and snapped his fingers. As the Winchesters had appeared next to you, you had smiled at him, earning you an almost confused smile in return before his usual manner returned and he faced the two men.

The whole exchange brought up so many questions and feelings. The King of Hell saved the Winchesters simply because you said, “please.” Or, at least, that’s what it seemed like. Were demons just that rude to their king that a little polite kindness had him melting all over you? The whole thing didn’t make sense.

Late in the afternoon, you opened up the final bag of belongings and stopped in surprise. Photo albums, picture frames, and a few of your favorite books were inside. You knew you hadn’t packed these items, and you certainly wouldn’t have included them in a list of necessary supplies, though you were glad they were there, so who did? As you carefully set up the picture frames on the long shelf above the bed, Dean walked in.

“You getting all settled in okay?” Dean was smiling when you turned around. “Is there anything we missed, or anything we need to pick up at the store?”

“I’m good. Everything’s here that I can think I’d need, and more. Were you the one that packed this bag?” Dean looked at the contents and shook his head.

“Nope. The only books I would have grabbed were cookbooks.” Dean shrugged and grinned. Sam did it. Sam thought to save the irreplaceable. You smiled, then pulled your thoughts back to the conversation.

“Then you would have been disappointed. I’m not much of a cook. I can follow a recipe, but I don’t have the talent my mom did to just whip something up out of nothing.” Dean shrugged again.

“No biggie. We do a lot of take out around here, when I don’t feel like cooking. Sammy’s good with grilled cheese sandwiches and salads, but that’s about it. Speaking of, you okay with burgers for dinner? You’re not vegan or anything, are you?” Dean looked absolutely horrified at the prospect, making you laugh.

“Oh, no! Burgers sound great! I love a good burger, and some pie.” You grinned, and Dean’s face lit up for a moment before he gave you a serious look.

“Hey. No stealing my pie. You’ll have to get your own.” Dean shook a finger at you and you laughed.

“Then you better not leave your pie unattended!” You laughed while Dean’s face got overly serious and he cocked an eyebrow at you.

“Nobody touches my pie.” You raised your hands in surrender and he smiled. “Anyway, I’ll go start dinner, so be ready to eat in a few.”

“Mind if I follow you? This place is like a maze. Leave me to myself, and you might never see me again!” Dean smiled and nodded, and you followed him out the door. On the way through the hallways, you considered the man next to you again. Yes. Clear, open, and easy. As long as you don’t eat his pie.

Over dinner, you chatted with the brothers about the Men of Letters and your uncle some more. Sam and Dean both couldn’t believe you had read the books and still didn’t believe.

“Sam, I bet those books are about transgender issues in pregnant shape shifters or digestive tract anomalies in vampires or something ridiculous like that. I mean, I can believe she thought they weren’t real.” You smiled at Dean while you swallowed.

“One is about dermatitis in werewolves, and another has to do with demonic healing properties as related to poor vision and dental decay. Seriously, I thought they were some kind of alternative writing style for really boring horror stories.” Both brothers chuckled while they ate. “I was never able to read my uncle’s journals, though. They’re in some kind of shorthand. I don’t know if the Men of Letters had a secret language or what, but I could never make heads or tails out of anything he wrote. It’s definitely not English, though.” Dean waved at Sam while he spoke.

“Sam’s your man, there. He gets all nerdy about languages and old books, don’t ya, Sammy?” Sam gave Dean a solid bitch face. Dean put a hand up by his mouth as if Sam couldn’t hear him, and whispered loudly, “Dusty books in dead languages are better than porn for him.” Dean smirked while Sam cried out and threw his napkin at Dean. You giggled and tried not to stare at Sam’s face as it turned bright red. You tried to settle your face into a reassuring smile and put a hand on Sam’s arm.

“It’s okay, Sam. I owned a bookstore for a reason.” You gave him a wink, and his face somehow got even redder, but a small smile played on his lips. You found yourself staring at that smile for a moment too long, and took a swig of the beer you were drinking as you pulled your hand back. You dug back into your burger as Dean picked up the conversation again.

“I can see how those books wouldn’t convince you that the supernatural is real, but you owned an occult bookstore. If you didn’t believe in otherworldly stuff, what did you believe in?” Normally, questions about your beliefs made you uncomfortable, but coming from Dean, it seemed completely natural and safe.

“I know a lot of folks assume that an occult bookstore owner is automatically a Wiccan, or a psychic, or something like that, but I’ve always been on the skeptical side. I started the store after my uncle died because he had a store just like it before my parents died. I loved that store. I’d spend time there after school, and he put me to work during the summers. When there wasn’t much work to do, I’d read the books. I could always tell that he didn’t think much of most of the books he sold, so I took it all with a grain of salt. Astrology, spirit boards, and love potions all got disinterested sniffs from my uncle, so I laughed at the books and such and moved on. What I do believe in, at its most basic, is energy. I believe everything and everyone has energy. Some people can see it, as in auras, some people can interpret it better, like psychics, and I believe everyone can feel it, to one degree or another. Anything else I believe in stems from that.” Sam and Dean both nodded thoughtfully, and then Sam huffed with a smile.

“I’m not sure about astrology, but spirit boards and love potions are real.” Sam’s smile turned into a frown and Dean looked startled at Sam’s statement.

“Really?” You weren’t sure you wanted to make Sam tell whatever stories he was obviously referring to, but you were deathly curious.

“Sam got whammied by a love potion once. He even married her while under the influence.” Dean chuckled. “That was an interesting Vegas trip!” Dean chuckled and Sam flushed again.

“The marriage was never consummated, and we had it annulled immediately after taking care of the demon responsible,” Sam assured you quickly. Dean finished chewing a bite of his burger, and looked at Sam questioningly.

“I forget, did Pamela use spirit boards?” Sam swallowed hard and shook his head.

“Not Pamela. Another psychic I used once had one on the table, but didn’t use it.” Sam took a deep breath. “Remember just before Dad died? When you were in the coma?” A shadow passed over both of their faces and your heart ached for both of them.

“Oh, yeah,” Dean said quietly. Sam cleared his throat.

“Dean was in a coma, but I was able to talk to him with a spirit board. My guess is, if you’re not psychic, then you probably can’t control who answers when you use a spirit board, but something will answer.” You nodded.

“Speaking of spirits, what about ghosts? I mean, they’re energy, so I’ve always believed in ghosts. I’m half afraid you’re about to tell me the one thing I do believe in doesn’t exist.” You chuckled, and the brothers chuckled, too, lightening the mood.

“Yes, ghosts are real. But they’re usually not nice. The longer they hang around, the angrier and more vengeful they get. You have to salt and burn their bones, or whatever they are attached to in order to get rid of them.” Dean finished off his dinner and his explanation with a smile. “And on that note, I’m off to do some reading about how to kill a 300-year old witch in spite of the fact that she’s got her paws on the most powerful book of evil crap ever created. I cooked, you two clean, and I’ll see you all in the library later.” Dean got up and left the room, resting a hand on your shoulder as he walked behind you. You smiled up at him and covered his hand with yours for the half second it was there.

You and Sam cleaned up the dishes in a silence that was almost companionable. You felt like Sam was distracted by something, but you guessed it was the situation with Rowena, so you didn’t ask.

That night, you had another nightmare, and again, Sam was there to comfort you. As you settled into the warmth and comfort of his arms, you ignored the tiny voice inside your head telling you that this was a mistake. That someone as handsome and brave and all-around wonderful as Sam could never like someone as simple and plain as you. That feeling these feelings would only complicate what had already become a very complicated life. As you snuggled into Sam’s side, his arm firm around you and your head on his chest, you breathed in the comforting scent of Sam and felt yourself immediately falling asleep.