#you can use your shipping goggles if you want though

[alton26916]

Why did things have to turn out this way?

Summery: This is basically the ending part of the battle with Garmantuous where Kenny does his thing.

Everyone held their breath. A couple moments pass, and nothing happens. The bomb failed.

Everyone starts to panic. Garmantuous could wake up at any moment, and there was a big chance they wouldn't be able to beat him again, Even if they did the bomb doesn't work. 

Gus is the first to speak. "What now? The bomb didn't work. " He says loudly, his eyes darting everywhere.  "Yeah, what's the plan here? Keep shooting and hoping for a miracle? Sweezy asks, alarm hidden in her voice behind the snark.

Everyone starts racking their brains for a solution.  Kenny looks around at everyone. Hesitantly he comes up with a response.  " I have an idea." Everyone lights up. "Oh, Fantastic!" Creature responds with relief.  "I knew you'd figure it out Kenny"

 Kenny falters a bit at that as he continues. "The bomb might still be functional. I know a way to detonate it." He sighs, gathering whatever courage he has for his next sentence. "I'll go inside his asshole and detonate it..manually"

There's silence, and the bounty hunter holds him close. "Oh. That's...not good." Creature says timidly. Gus looks at Kenny horrified. "Kenny. That would mean..."  “Yeah, I know" The gatlian answers miserably.

Everyone starts to protest. "Kenny" Sweezy says seriously. "We're not letting you do that, ok? There's got to be another way." Kenny looks at her, dead in the eye. "Can you think of anything?" She glances down. "Well, not right now. Is this really the only way?" There’s silence again. "Kenny, there's a big chance you're not going to make it out alive" Gus says gravely. Kenny sighs. "I know" 

He turns his attention towards his partner.  He doesn't dare to look at their eyes, knowing full well he might break down at the look in their face. "Hey bounty hunter" He inhales, trying to continue. "Fighting alongside you has been, well it's been the best thing that's ever happened to me. Thank you for giving me the adventure of a lifetime." He gasps, tears slipping out. He pushes his head on his partner's chest, trying to get as much physical contact as he can, while there's still time.

His partner hugs him back tightly. After a few moments, he gives a wet sigh and leans away. "Now shove me deep inside that monster slug's dirty asshole." He says. A couple seconds pass. "Bounty hunter?" Kenny asks tiredly. "I need to--" 

A sob racks out. Everyone turns towards the bounty hunter, their eyes widening. It's a bit hard to see through the tint the tinted glass covering their face, but you can still see them. They're sobbing, have been for a while it seems, and it doesn’t look like they’ll stop anytime soon. 

Kenny starts crying too, finally looking up at their face. "Bounty hunter, don't cry. This needs to be done. I need to do this. We'll finally be able to defeat the G3 like we've planned. Everything will be worth it after this." They start sobbing even more. Kenny looks at them sorrowfully. He doesn't want them to cry, but they need to do this before Garmantuous wakes up. "Bounty hunter I--" 

"I don't want you to die." A wailing, broken voice whispers. It stuns Kenny and everyone else. No one in the gang, but Lizzie has heard them say anything, not even Kenny who's their favorite. The bounty hunter always used gestures, or the suit’s hologramed keyboard to say things.  

"Kenny.." They wail out, holding him tightly to the point it almost hurts.

Tears run down his face harder than they have in a long time. This was his partner, his best friend, the person who he could always count on. They've never been apart since the day they found him. Even when he’s told them everything, and everyone was against him, they never left him. They were always there for him. They would be overwhelmingly stoic at times, and yet so affectionate to him.

He should have known that they would take this badly knowing this.

He looks around, and everyone seems heartbroken. Probably feeling a lot worse now that they've seen how badly it's affected them. He peers at his partner again. He blinks quickly to fight the tears away. "Bounty hunter." They look at him, tearfully. "I need you to calm down." They laugh indignantly, as they try to control themselves. Kenny hesitates for a bit, looking around everywhere then at them again. "I know this is hard but we need to do this now. Garmantuous can wake up at any moment now, and I don't think any of us can survive another round with him, despite his injuries." He verbally points at everyone's own injuries

He sees them close their eyes in defeat. "We can do this." Kenny says again firmly. After a pause they slowly look at him again. Their gaze is filled with heartbreak, and an intensity he can’t place. 

They slowly move, and take off their helmet. Kenny studies them one last time, trying to take everything in. They try not to cry, and fail as they position themselves next to Garmantuous. Kenny sniffs and then says his goodbyes to the rest of the Gatlians. He turns to the bounty hunter.

"Ok, ok, I guess this is goodbye." He says, sadly.. "You're the best bounty hunter I've ever met, and you're an even better friend. See ya pal." 

Carefully they move Kenny right in front of them, and give him a single kiss on his head, between his antennas. He wheezes slightly, staring in surprise. They give a watery smile, before hugging him tightly. He breathes in, leaning against them one last time. They finally back up. 

 "Don't forget, I'll always be here with you. I love you.” Bounty hunter speaks again softly, so only Kenny can hear. "I love you too." He smiles at them as they shove him inside the hole.

They quickly move back, putting their helmet on again. Just as they get far enough,  Garmantuous explodes. The bounty hunter weeps as they look around to see if there was any chance of Kenny coming out alive. Everyone keeps quiet, not wanting to say anything that might provoke them.

…

They head home with a dead body. 

[nahoney22]

hi so I really love the way you write tech and was wondering if you could write some light angst and fluff with him and female reader for your 4,500 followers (congrats!) I was thinking maybe reader is really missing home and has a small radio type thing that she uses to contact them but one day it breaks. she asks tech to fix it but doesn’t really care too as he’s busy which silently upsets her more. maybe Hunter prompts him too since tech actually has a crush on her… or whatever you think flows best 🤭 but please can I have it so reader kisses him as a thanks? Thanks if you do this! Have a wonderful day 💚

possible prompt if you want to:

17: “I’m always blown away by just how talented you are.”

Thanks okay bye! 😊

Touch of Gold 🌊

🫧 Pairings: Tech X Female!Reader

word count: 1.4k

prompts:

• “I’m always blown away by just how talented you are.”

As the request asks 😌

warnings: Safe for work, fluff, light angst with reader missing home, mutual pining, friends to lovers, Hunter being supportive and a bro, first kiss, tech not reading emotions too well, accidental kiss

authors note: happy tech Tuesday! Enjoy @powertechmove 🩵

The steady hum of the ship’s engines was a familiar sound, one you’d grown accustomed to over countless missions with the squad. But today, it only seemed to amplify the hollow ache inside you. Sitting alone on your bunk, you clutched the small, battered radio in your hands—the last tangible connection to your family, to home. When it had stopped working days ago, it felt as though your whole world had shattered.

You’d tried everything you could think of to fix it, but your skills were no match for the intricate workings of the device. But there was someone who you think could help.

Tech, with his quick mind and adept hands, could likely repair it in an instant. He could fix almost anything, and that was one of the many things you admire about him. And admittedly also one of the many reasons you found him attractive, too.

But even knowing that, you hesitated to approach him. He was always busy, always absorbed in his work and the upkeep of the Marauder. You didn’t want to burden him with something that, in the grand scheme of things, might seem trivial.

Yet, as the days dragged on and the weight of homesickness pressed down harder, you could no longer bear it. Summoning your courage, you found him in the cockpit, tinkering with some equipment. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he adjusted his goggles, completely absorbed in his task. Even in deep concentration he looked so cute. Pushing the thoughts away, you approached

“Tech,” you began softly, not wanting to interrupt too abruptly.

He looked up immediately at the sound of your voice, his gaze sharp and attentive. “Yes? How can I assist you?”

You hesitated, holding out the broken radio. “My radio… it stopped working. I’ve tried to fix it, but I think it’s beyond me. Could you… maybe take a look?”

Tech took the device, his fingers gliding over its worn edges as he examined it. After a few moments, he sighed and shook his head slightly. “The internal components are severely outdated and damaged. Without the proper parts, I don’t believe I can restore it to working order.”

His words hit you like a punch to the gut, extinguishing the small flicker of hope you’d been clinging to. You tried to mask your disappointment, but your shoulders slumped involuntarily.

“I see,” you murmured, forcing a weak smile. “Thanks for looking, anyway.”

Tech nodded, already turning back to his project. “I need to return to more pressing matters.”

You bit your tongue, trying not to take his words too personally. He likely didn’t mean to sound so… dismissive. But as you walked away, the sense of isolation grew heavier. Without that radio, the distance between you and your loved ones felt even more insurmountable.

On your way out, you passed Hunter, who immediately noticed the change in your demeanor. He’d sensed your growing homesickness for the last few days. Naturally, he wanted to help. He wasn’t going to bring it up to you, but he had seen the way you looked at Tech thinking nobody was looking, how you lingered just a tad around him. He wasn’t going to do it just for your sake, however, but for Tech’s as well.

He made his way to the cockpit, where Tech was still engrossed in his work. “Tech, got a minute?” Hunter asked, his voice casual but with an underlying seriousness.

Tech glanced up, his focus shifting to the Sergeant. “What do you need?”

Hunter leaned against the doorway, crossing his arms. “I want to talk about her,” he said, nodding in the direction you’d gone. He watched as Tech’s expression remained neutral, though he caught a slight tension in his posture. “Is she alright?”

��She seems well enough,” Tech replied, pushing up his goggles slightly. “Though her radio is broken.”

“And?” Hunter prompted.

“Unfortunately, it’s beyond repair without the necessary components, which I don’t have on hand.”

Hunter nodded slowly. “I get that it’s not an easy fix. But she’s been down lately, and that radio was her connection to home. Fixing it would mean more to her than you might realise we.”

Tech paused, considering Hunter’s words. “I understand the emotional significance, but I must reiterate that the repair is not simple. Besides, I’m occupied with other tasks.”

Hunter studied Tech for a moment longer, knowing how his mind worked—analytical, logical, always focused on efficiency. But Hunter also knew something else, something Tech might not fully grasp about himself. “Look, Tech, I’ve seen how you look at her. You care about her, even if you don’t always show it.”

Tech’s eyes widened slightly, and he straightened, clearly taken aback. “I assure you, my concern is purely professional—”

“Sure,” Hunter interrupted, his tone gentle but firm. “But maybe this is your chance to show her you’re there for her. You might not be able to say it outright, but fixing that radio would mean the world to her. And it might just help you both cross that bridge.”

Tech fell silent, processing Hunter’s words. The idea of showing his care through action, rather than words, resonated with him. After all, he’d always been more comfortable expressing himself through his skills than through direct emotional communication.

“I understand,” Tech finally said, his voice thoughtful. “I’ll… reconsider the matter.”

Hunter nodded, satisfied. “That’s all I’m asking.”

The next day, Tech found you outside the ship, sitting on a crate and staring up at the stars. The vastness of space had always reminded you of how far you were from home, and today was no different. You were so lost in thought that you didn’t notice Tech until he was right beside you.

He called your name softly, causing you to startle. You quickly wiped at your eyes, hoping to hide the tears that had welled up.

“Oh, Tech,” you stammered, trying to compose yourself. “I didn’t hear you.”

Without a word, he held out the small radio, and your breath caught in your throat. “I managed to repair your radio,” he said, his voice calm and steady. “I was able to source the necessary components from some older equipment we had in storage.”

You stared at the radio, hardly believing it. “You… you fixed it?”

“Yes,” Tech confirmed, his gaze holding yours as he noticed the tear stains on your cheeks. “It should function properly now.”

Tears pricked at your eyes again, but this time from gratitude rather than sadness. You took the radio from him, your fingers brushing against his as you did. “Thank you, Tech. I don’t even know what to say. I’m always blown away by just how talented you are.”

A faint warmth danced across Tech’s cheeks, though his expression remained composed. “It was the least I could do,” he replied, his voice a bit softer than usual.

“I don’t know how to thank you.”

“There’s no need. The repair was quite fascinating, actually…” he began to explain, launching into the technical details of the repair. But you could only watch him, a sense of awe and affection growing as you listened.

Overwhelmed by emotion, you leaned in to kiss his cheek, wanting to show him just how much this meant to you. But as you did, Tech, likely calculating the movement or perhaps just reacting instinctively, turned slightly into you, and your lips ended up brushing against his.

Both of you froze, eyes wide in surprise. Tech blinked, clearly trying to process what had just happened. But before he could say anything, you quickly pulled back.

“I’m sorry,” he began, his tone hurried. “That wasn’t my intent—”

But you silenced him by gently placing your hand on his cheek, guiding him back toward you. No words were needed, and you leaned in, kissing him again, this time with intent and certainty.

The kiss was soft and tentative at first, as if both of you were testing the waters. But then, as if some unseen barrier had finally been crossed, it deepened, filled with the unspoken feelings that had been simmering beneath the surface for so long. His hands rest nervously on your hips, suppressing a quiet moan in his throat as you tilt your head just a touch, your lips dancing together beautifully.

When you finally parted, both of you were a little breathless, a little flustered. Tech’s usually composed demeanor was slightly shaken, his eyes searching yours as if trying to find the right words.

“You don’t need to apologise,” you whispered, a soft smile playing on your lips. “I’m glad it happened.”

Tech’s expression softened, and for once, he didn’t overthink. He simply nodded, understanding what you meant without needing to analyse it. “So am I.”

Tags: @lulalovez @the-bad-batch-baroness @photogirl894

@whore4rex @imperialclaw801 @temple-elder @mysticalgalaxysalad @yunggoblin @imalovernotahater @sithstrings @tech-aficionado @grizabellasolo @therealnekomari @tech-depression-inventory @brynhildrmimi

@greaser-wolf @kaminocasey @marvel-starwars-nerd @ladytano420

@ladyzirkonia @thesith @raevulsix @cw80831 @knightprincess @crosshairlovebot @littlefeatherr @kaitou2417 @eyecandyeoz @jesseeka @theroguesully @ladykatakuri @arctrooper69 @padawancat97 @staycalmandhugaclone @ko-neko-san @echos-girlfriend @fiveshelmet @dangraccoon @plushymiku-blog @pb-jellybeans @nunanuggets @sleepycreativewriter @erellenora @zippingstars87 @ezras-left-thumb @the-rain-on-kamino @lamiliani

[lost-in-fiction-like-ur-mom]

Hello there! 👋🏽 If you don’t mind, I was wondering if I could make a request with Tech? With maybe a bookworm reader if that’s okay? I feel like it would be a cute dynamic! Thank you and have a good day! 🙏🙌

Bookworm

Tech x Reader

Summary- You and Tech have a moment alone on The Marauder. What better way to spend it than reading! Accompanied by Tech on his datapad, of course.

A/N- It's totally okay!!! I figured the best format for this kind of request was bullet point- but I am not very good at those. So, i compromised with this! Hope you enjoy, thanks for requesting!

Word Count- 990

Hunter, Omega, Wrecker, and Echo had all left the ship to go look for some dinner. A job you all completed recently left you with some spending money. You figured everyone deserved a real meal for once.

It left you and Tech alone in The Marauder. You could have easily went to hang out at Cid's bar, but you couldn't stand to be around her. You hated the way she poked fun at Tech's goggles.

Only you were allowed to call him 'goggles.'

The thought only temporarily distracted you from your book. You quickly resumed reading, only to realize you had to restart the whole page. This time actually process what you're reading! You thought to yourself.

Grumbling, you squeezed your eyes shut and straightened up in your seat. You happened to take a spot in the co-pilots chair. Tech always sat in the pilots.

"Something the matter?" Tech asks, not looking up from his datapad.

It was sweet, that he noticed your small movements. "Just trying to focus, I lost my place." You finally found a comfortable position, situating your book back in your hands.

"It can help to fidget with one hand, to increase your chances of focus." He informed, per usual.

You smiled up at him, he glanced up from the pad when he felt your gaze on him. He flashed a very brief smile- more of a grin, it was all you needed though.

You listened to him rant about his findings on 'focus' for a few minutes, knowing anyone else would have shut him up by now. Him talking never bored you or made you uncomfortable, despite many others complaining.

"Thank you, Tech." You simply said, returning to your book. He seemed pleased enough and went back to tinkering on his datapad.

A newfound silence came over, you read your book in peace. The story of the thieves with powers fighting the government amused you. What amused you more was the fact you had personally been on more dangerous missions, yet the book still captured you.

It was nice to imagine yourself in their place, even when you wouldn't change what you have for the word.

You'd go on a million death defying missions if it meant you were with Tech.

While you typically could put down over 50 pages in an hour, Tech interrupted you again. Not with any other intentions than to please you.

"Yes?" You responded after he called your name.

He reached in a compartment to the left of the console. A place Tech used to store his latest experiments.

He pulled out a neatly wrapped gift. It had swirls of color on the paper that wrapped it. He said nothing, just handed the rectangular item to you.

"For me?"

"That would be correct."

You tried to fight the corners of your mouth rising, but it was no use. Tech watched you violently, showing little expression.

You gently took the paper off, not wanting to make a mess of his careful work.

You slowly revealed it to be a new book, the fourth book in the series to the one you were just reading.

"Tech, I- I thought it was a limited edition! There was only a hundred made across the galaxy!" You looked in his deep brown eyes.

"Yes, it is." He confirmed.

"H-how did you get it!" You were baffled, the thought he put into your gift- and for no special occasion.

"It was not difficult. I was able to track all the shipping numbers to their respective planets, and when we had a mission on one- I located the book through its buyers." He said, nonchalantly. Like he didn't easily buy one of the most rare books you knew of.

"Why? Did I miss an anniversary?" You were slightly confused on why he gave you the gift. You hoped you weren't supposed to also have a gift prepared.

"Uh, no. You mentioned exactly 129 rotations ago that you wanted the book. I saw no problem in getting it." He remembered...

You were moved to small tears, now flowing down your cheeks.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes, Tech. Of course I am." You rose to your feet, throwing yourself on him in a big hug. He hugged you back. While he didn't completely understand your acclimation to physical affection- he didn't mind you doing as you pleased to him.

He gently patted your back, and you pulled away. "Thank you, i'm going to have to finish this book quickly now. I can't wait to read it..."

"You are welcome." He responded, you let him be and lifted yourself off of him. He grabbed his datapad and clicked away.

What you didn't know was that sometimes Tech would watch you read. In times like these, when you found yourself sitting or laying next to each other. You reading, him on his datapad.

He would study your face, taking in every expression. He would think about what you were reading- was it sad, happy, thrilling? Feelings were a trivial matter to him, but he was always thinking of ways to make you happy.

He loved it when you read, sometimes out loud to him. It was soothing to hear your voice when he worked on a project or was fixing a part on The Marauder.

The way you tapped your foot, or bounced your leg when you got to a complex part in a book. Or, when you were both laying down together and accidentally hit Tech in shock at a twist in the story. He loved every bit of it.

You turned back to your original book, now more determined than ever to finish it.

You did, however, catch Tech staring this time. You met his gaze, a wide smirk on your face. You couldn't help but giggle briefly. He gave you an odd look, but went back to his datapad. Just as you went back to your book.

A/N- Thank you so much for reading! Requests are about to be open, just one more to fulfill! As always, I am open to constructive criticism.

Tags- (LMK if you want to be tagged as well!) @thethreeeyed-raven @knight-of-flowerss

[queenariesofnarnia]

late night confessions

tech x f!reader

gif not mine! creds to the owner

wc: 1,800

warnings: 18+ content! MDNI!, piv unprotected sex! (wrap your willy and don't be silly), consensual recording of sex, truth or dare, slightly dom! tech, porn with minimal plot in my opinion :) ENJOYYYYY

Shore leave on Coruscant was rare, however it never stopped the batch from having a bit of drunken fun. Tonight, they even got you to tag along, and their plan to see you drunk for the first time was successful to say the least. They had a decent time at 79’s but brought the fun back to the ship. Wrecker suggested a game of truth or dare, as childish as this would have seemed among the batch when sober, how could they say no right now? You always encourage them to have some fun on leave, and that’s what lead to your dare.

“I dare you to share what I overheard you sharing with Commander Tano the other night.” Crosshair and Hunter smirked. You had a feeling someone heard you, all that mattered to you was that it wasn’t the person it involved.

“I tell her a lot of things gents be more specific” you tried playing it off by crossing your arms over your chest leaning back into your chair.

“You know exactly what we mean” Cross said pointing his toothpick towards his goggle wearing brother. It was now or never, the worse that can happen is that he doesn’t want that, and you can hopefully move on or just throw yourself out the ship while in hyperspace.

“Tech my darling” you called, his attention turning towards you with a slightly confused look on his face. “How would you feel about recording me like you record everything else?” your tone sultrier than the boys have ever heard it. Feeling his face heat up as you lean towards him giving him a better view of your cleavage that’s been on display all night. While his brothers got a good view of your rear, hoping their brother gave the right response.

“In front of my brothers cyar’ika?” he asked hopefully hiding the tremor in his voice due to your closeness. The sweet nickname in Mando’a sending tingles straight to your core.

“Wherever you want me Tech” you whispered in his ear kissing his jawline before settling  back in your chair, a smile gracing your lips. Taking a moment to compose himself, Tech stood up taking your hand marching off the ship.

“I was hoping for a show!” Crosshair called after you two followed by laughter.

“Where are we going Tech?” you asked as he began to weave through the busy street to a small hotel. The twi’lek at the front desk offering you a smile and a room. You spaced out as Tech began to talk to him.

“Let’s go cyar’ika” Tech said guiding you to the lift, you wished the twi’lek a goodnight and his response was “have a good one for the both of us hon!”  Once in the lift Tech’s hands were at your waist pulling you close to him before his lips crashed into yours. The doors opened to your floor; he led you to a room at the end of the hall. Soon as the lock clicked his hands were back on your waist, your arms around his neck. Pulling each other close until there was no room left between your bodies. Whatever you awakened in Tech tonight you did not regret. He pulled away from the kiss causing you to whine.

“No need to whine cyar’ika. I’m going to make sure you get precisely what you requested from me. Go sit on the bed” he commands directing you towards the bed in the center of the room. You crawl onto the bed sitting in the middle of the bed, sitting with your back against the headboard.

“For a moment I thought you were pulling my leg when you asked me. However, the way your pupils dilated once you were in close proximity to me. I also notice each time your thighs clench when you’re given an order by any of us. Though you are in a position to give orders you much rather them be given to you. Am I correct?” he asked as he got closer to the edge of the bed you nod in response. “Use your words cyar’ika or you won’t be receiving the night of pleasure I promised you.” The tone in his voice is one you’ve never heard him use, your arousal increasing by the second.

“Yes, you’re correct” your confident voice left behind on the ship. A chuckle escaped his lips at the sight of you, thighs clenched and pleading eyes for him to touch you. The way your confidence left you once you had his full attention made his cock twitch. Stripping out the top of his blacks discarding it on the floor. Bottom lip between your teeth as you admire how well built he is. He removes his shoes and his bottoms before sitting on the edge of the bed. He motions you towards him with the skillful fingers that you were hoping he was going to use on you tonight. Before you could fully reach the edge of the bed, he grabbed you pulling you into his lap. Your hands finding themselves on his shoulders. For a moment you sat and took in each other’s features. You knew he was handsome; the definition of his facial features made him even more stunning to you. His hand slid up your arm before cupping the back of your neck pulling you down for a searing kiss. The hand he placed on your waist pulled you closer to him.

“Strip for me cyar’ika” giving the command just above a whisper as he pulled away from your lips. Your fingers reach for the hem of your dress pulling it over your head tossing it somewhere in the small room. Stealing a quick kiss before sliding off his lap to pull your panties off.

Before they touched the floor he pulled you back into bed, quickly maneuvers himself above you. You can’t fight the urge to smile at him, even during this intimate moment your smile was still smitten. He gave a little smile back dipping down to kiss your lips, before moving down to your neck. He nipped and sucked your sweet spots leaving marks that you’ll have to cover once you’re back in the field. His hands cupped your breasts in rolling your nipples between his fingers deepening the kiss, tongue slipping in your mouth exploring it. His hands began to explore your body, his callouses against your smooth skin sent tingles through your body. Once he got to your thighs he groaned into the kiss. You’ve seen him stare at your thighs on numerous occasions, but you didn’t expect him to enjoy the feel of them this much. He begins to massage your thighs purposely going close to touching your soaked cunt before moving his hands away. Placing kisses and bites down your body, taking his time to elicit each sound from you. Sounds that he will listen to later in a case you aren’t in his reach. Finally reaching your clit, flicking it with his tongue causing a whimper to slip past your lips.

“Judging by that noise, you’re a little sensitive. Aren’t you cyar’ika?” he questions teasingly, before licking up your juices before sucking your clit in between his lips sucking on it gently while increasing his speed. Without breaking eye contact, two of his fingers enter your cunt going to work on your g-spot. The way his skilled fingers brushed against the spongy spot causes your legs to shake around his head instinctively trying to clamp shut. “Don’t” he growls pulling away from your clit for a split second before getting back to work. Your fingers find his light brown curls making a mess out of them as you reached your orgasm. You were barely forming words, coming out as broken babbles and breathy moans. Your orgasm came quickly, yelling out a stream of curses mixed with his name. Pulling out his fingers slowly he brings them to your lips for you to taste yourself and you do so without hesitation. He groans at the sight of you with his fingers in your mouth, pulling you into a dominating kiss once he removes them. “I want a taste for myself, but that will have to wait. I fear that I am far too impatient to wait to be inside you” he kneels between your legs easily wrapping them around his trim waist. He lines himself up with your entrance, before slowly entering you. Eyes fluttering shut at the feel of your velvety walls hugging his shaft. Head tossed back in pure bliss you barely believe that this is happening.

“Kriff Tech” you moan attempting to pull him closer with your legs. He pulls out of you slightly before thrusting back in, adjusting himself if need be. Finding a comfortable position his picks up the pace of his thrusting. Pinning your hands above your head with one hand as the other toys with your clit.

“You’re doing so well cyar’ika. Look at how pretty you look taking me” his praise makes you whine his name in a begging tone. “Imagine how pretty you’ll look once your full of my cum” His voice deeper than you’ve heard before. Your back arches, the thrusts hitting you in a more pleasurable way. The sound of skin slapping together echoed through the room, mixed with the moaning, whimpering, and groaning coming from the both of you.

“Tech I don’t think I’m going to last much longer” your sentence broken between moans.

“I’m not either cyar’ika” he grits out as the pace of his thrusts slow down. His cock twitching in you, “Where do you want me?” he asks finally letting go of your hands giving you the chance to wrap your arms around your neck.

“Inside please” you beg, nails digging into his upper back. One more thrust and he orgasm hits him, releasing in you but his thrusts don’t stop. He continues to lazily thrust in you rubbing your clit when you hit your second orgasm of the night. Screaming Tech’s name, not caring who heard the name of the beautiful man that brought you pleasure. You pull him down for a kiss as his cock begins to soften in you. “We’re doing this again sometime” a tired laugh escapes you.

“I agree. As well as I was correct about how pretty you look with my cum dripping out of you” he says pulling away, making sure this moment was in the recording, before ending it. He gets up going to the fresher, you hear running water, and a smile makes its way to your face. He walks back out picking you up with ease, carrying you to the shower. Let’s just say the neighboring rooms probably didn’t get much sleep tonight. This was the best confession ever made.

[leapingbadger]

Amends

Summary: Takes place after the season 3 episode “The Return”. Hunter and Crosshair trust each other again and are on their way to a reconciliation, but they still need to communicate. That’s where Wrecker comes in. Read on AO3

Notes: This follows along with canon for the most part. If interested, you can also check out some of my other stories at these links: Hope; Sunrise; Sunset, Goodbye, Tattoo, Tested and Safe

Word Count:2644

Wrecker stood at the foot of the steps to the Marauder. The Pabu sun was beating down on him, sweat prickling at his neck. He hesitated before taking the first step up to the ship. It had been three days since they had returned from the ice planet. Things were better. Hunter and Crosshair weren’t actively avoiding each other anymore, but the tension was too much for Wrecker to take.

Hunter had been like his old self since Omega had returned and Wrecker was so relieved. He’d spent months trying to keep hope alive, trying to keep Hunter alive, despite his best efforts. His strong and steady sergeant had become a walking hazard. Erratic, volatile and with no regard for his own safety.

He was surprised to come across Crosshair first. Wrecker knew he had been deliberately avoiding the ship. Maybe there were too many memories tied up in it for him. He was sitting at the Comm station, carefully holding Tech’s goggles. He hastily put them down as Wrecker entered. The glass clinked as they landed face down on the control panel, a sliver of yellow glass falling out and onto the floor.

Crosshair hastily picked them up and put them on the shelf they had found themselves on since they had arrived back into their lives without their owner.

“Don’t worry. Happens all the time,” Wrecker said matter-of-factly. He picked up the glass shard, carefully tucked it back into the frame and replaced them on the shelf again.

Both he and Hunter had held vigil over the goggles as the long search for Omega had continued. They had become a kind of shrine they prayed to in the dark, as though Tech would bestow some wisdom from the grave.

Crosshair looked embarrassed and turned away from his brother. “Was just looking,” he mumbled under his breath.

“We do it all the time,” Wrecker said with a shrug, “keeps him close, you know.”

Crosshair scowled but didn’t reply.

“You’re going to have to talk to him eventually, you know that, right?” Wrecker said, sitting in the seat opposite.

“It’s fine, Wrecker, we sorted it out.”

Wrecker paused and looked down at his hands. Hunter and Crosshair had always been close. They were so similar. The quiet, observant members of the team. Crosshair would occasionally bristle when Hunter didn’t agree with him, but he believed in Hunter, respected him. That’s why Wrecker couldn’t stand this, how far they had come from who they used to be.

“He didn’t let Omega get taken to Tantis,” he said quietly. Crosshair raised an eyebrow but didn’t reply, “your comms were on. We all heard,” He added.

“It doesn’t matter, Wrecker,” Crosshair hissed, clearly not wanting to have this conversation.

“It does,” Wrecker said louder than he intended. He wanted to defend his brother. Defend himself. Crosshair paused and looked at him, clearly not sure what to do next.

“You haven’t known Omega for very long. She’s a great kid…really amazing, sweet, caring, and funny. But she’s also willful and stubborn and has no sense of self preservation,” he chuckled, “Just like Hunter, actually…He told her to find Echo. Told her to run…I…I wasn’t sure he was going to make it, Cross…after we lost her…and Tech.”

There was a sharp intake of breath from Crosshair at the mention of Tech’s name. They both instinctively looked at the goggles and Crosshair’s mood seemed to sour further.

Wrecker blinked at his little brother, suddenly realizing. This wasn’t about Omega. It was about Tech. Crosshair had always had the ability to wound with words alone. This talent had landed him and the whole squad in trouble when they were cadets. Most of their fights with the Regs broke out because of Crosshair’s mouth. Wrecker was surprised that he was holding this back. That even Crosshair knew that to bring this up to Hunter, to start a fight about Tech, would be something they might not come back from. But they still had to have the conversation.

“You really need to talk to him,” Wrecker said again.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Crosshair hissed, swiveling the chair so his back was to his brother, “Tech’s dead.”

The words were sharp, cutting like a virboknife to the face. Wrecker closed his eyes, anger bubbling up inside of him. Anger at himself, at their situation, at Tech, and at his remaining brothers. It wasn’t a conscious decision. His body moved before his brain was fully aware but Wrecker stood up, grabbed Crosshair at his waist and threw him over his shoulder, carrying him with heavy footfalls through the ship to the cockpit where Hunter sat.

“Wrecker, what are you…” Crosshair spluttered as his toothpick fell from his mouth and onto the floor. Wrecker all but threw him in the seat next to Hunter.

Hunter was in the pilot seat, leg propped up on the console, eyes closed. Wrecker knew he wasn’t asleep, that he’d likely heard their hushed conversation with ease.

“What’s your damage, Wrecker?” Crosshair spat, squaring up to his enormous brother.

Wrecker pushed him back into the seat again.

“Sit.” He looked from Crosshair to Hunter and back again, “Don’t come out until you’ve talked about it. I’m sick of this.” He scowled as he walked to the ramp of the Marauder.

“Hey, Kid, wanna get some icecream?” Wrecker called down to Omega.

“Yeah,” she called back sunnily, unaware of the turmoil within the ship.

“Talk,” Wrecker barked again, before heading down the ramp and closing the door. Shutting off the sun and leaving his brothers in darkness.

***

“He’s had one too many blows to the head,” Crosshair said, standing up and brushing himself off.

Hunter remained in the chair; eyes still closed. “He’s right,” Hunter said quietly, “he usually is about this kind of stuff.” He sat up and took in his younger brother.

Crosshair was glaring, but not at him. He couldn’t seem to make eye contact and Hunter wasn’t going to push it. He noticed him favoring his right hand and frowned as he noticed it shake involuntarily. He’d have to ask Omega about that later.

“I already know what you need to say,” Hunter continued, standing up, “just say it and we can try and move on.”

Crosshair looked at him with narrow eyes, turning and walking to the back of the ship. He was pacing like a caged creature. He paused again and turned back. Hunter knew that look on his face. He had seen it thousands of times, from when they were cadets to when they were in the field. Crosshair wasn’t angry, he was wounded, and he was searching for the words that would hurt the most.

Hunter tried his best to prepare himself, knowing it would hurt. Knowing it would cut to his core and knowing that while this may make things easier for Cross, it would likely kill him on the inside. But he waited.

“You killed him,” Crosshair growled, his eyes so narrowed his iris’s looked like black holes.

Hunter felt a weight drop in his chest and stay there. He couldn’t speak, a rock had landed in his throat too. But he nodded and croaked out, “I did,” in a strained voice that didn’t sound like his own.

“I told you to hide,” his brother spat.

“We don’t leave our own behind. We had to try and get you out,” Hunter said.

“And look where that got you. Tech died because of your negligence,”

Hunter felt like he’d been stabbed between the ribs. He couldn’t get enough air in his lungs, but it was nothing that he hadn’t said to himself already. He knew anything Crosshair would and could say would pale in comparison to the destain he already had for himself, every day, every second since his brother fell.

“Don’t you have anything to say?” Crosshair said, taking a step closer.

Hunter did. He could have said any number of things to defend himself. But he didn’t want to. His squad had had a one hundred percent success rate. They didn’t fail in anything until they left Kaminio, until they were on their own, and until Crosshair got left behind.

“I’m sorry. For leaving you on Kamino. You were tying to kill us. But we should have taken you with us. Somehow.”

Crosshair balked. Shaking his head as if to shake the memory out. “This isn’t about that…I…this is about Tech.”

Hunter nodded, “I failed you Crosshair, in the same way that I failed Tech, and the same way that I failed Omega, and Echo, and Wrecker.”

“Wha…just stop…Hunter…” Crosshair’s hand was shaking more violently now. He brought it to his forehead, as though trying to wipe away his thoughts. He was shrinking in on himself, retreating entirely.

Hunter moved forward and went to put his hand on Crosshair’s shoulder, but his brother caught it, his left fist reaching out instead, punching him in his side. Hunter winced as he let his brother land the hit. He staggered back and knelt down; arm wrapped around his side. If he thought he couldn’t breathe before, he really couldn’t now.

“All that time with the Empire and they still couldn’t train you to hit better?” Hunter growled. He didn’t know why he was baiting his brother. Maybe the same reason that he had been throwing himself into more and more dangerous situations of late. Because deep down he felt like he deserved every bruise, stab wound, blaster bolt that came his way. If he hurt enough, maybe that would be enough penance for Tech. Maybe every drop of blood was a sacrifice.

Crosshair launched himself at his brother, knocking him to the floor. Hunter let him land every punch, kick and bite. He let his brother unleash his fury, his hurt, his loss on him in the dim hope that maybe afterwards, he could heal. Hunter gave no thought to his own healing though; he knew that wasn’t possible.

“Fight back,” Crosshair yelled. But Hunter didn’t move to protect himself. He continued to bait his brother.

“Is that all you’ve got, Commander?” Hunter asked.

“Arrr…. I hate you,” his brother screamed, tears welling up in his eyes, “I wish…It should have been… you…I wish you died instead of Tech!” Crosshair froze, as if horrified by his own words. His fist was raised, pulled back to his ear, ready to unleash another blow.

“Me too,” Hunter said looking directly into his little brother’s eyes, voice gravely and horse.

Crosshair collapsed to the floor with a clank, wiping the sweat and tears off his face. Hunter sat up with a wince, wiping the blood that was pouring out his nose. He tasted copper on his tongue and could hear Crosshair’s erratic heartbeat gradually starting to slow.

Hunter looked wearily at Crosshair. He was cradling his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees, silent tears falling on his cheeks.

“He was the best of us, Crosshair,” Hunter said through sniffs of his likely broken nose, “that’s why we have to be better. For him,” he slammed his palm on the door release, letting the Marauder swim with light once more and slowly walked into the sunlight.

***

The moon shone bright white on the dark Pabu Sea as Crosshair made his winding way down to the beach. He fought against the memories of earlier, attempting to push them out of his head but failing. He shook his head to rid himself of the image of his big brother, covered in blood, wincing but taking every blow he threw at him or Omega and Wrecker’s horrified faces as Hunter left the ship, bloodied and bruised. His stomach dropped in shame, and he tried again to shake the memory out.

The warm Pabu air was usually comforting, peaceful, but now it felt lonely and oppressive. The lights of the island cast shadows as he walked. He hesitated to round the corner, unable to see what was ahead but not wanting to turn back.

When he reached the beach, he struggled to find him, noticing some of his clothes, bandana, blaster and virboknife were scattered in the sand. His heart sank and he started searching for the water in earnest. Wrecker had told him how Hunter had changed, and Crosshair feared it was more than not being cautious, his brother had a death wish.

“Hunter,” he shouted, urgently, panicked.

“Hmm” came a grunt from the water.

Crosshair got closer to the water to find his brother, floating in a star shape, long, dark hair trailing behind him. His eyes were closed, and he barely moved, except when the waves lapped around him, slowly moving him this way and that.

“What are you doing?” Crosshair hissed quietly, trying not to intrude too loudly on what seemed like something important.

“The saltwater helps with the bruises and the pain,” his brother replied.

“I’m…sorry,” Crosshair said in a whisper. His brother didn’t respond, and he wondered if there was any way back from this, from what he’d said, from what he’d done.

“I know.” Hunter said

“I don’t just mean about today…I…”

“I know, Crosshair,” Hunter interrupted.

“Will you let me finish?” Crosshair spat, exacerbated, “I’m sorry…for all of it. I should have come with you on Kamino…I should have been there…help with…I don’t know. I’m just…” he trailed off. How could he apologize for all of it. For all the pain he’d cause. He nearly killed them multiple times. How would he be able to live with himself if he had?

And then it occurred to him, that’s what Hunter was feeling. Hunter thought he’d killed Tech. Crosshair had told him he had. And Hunter couldn’t live with himself.

“You have to stop,” Crosshair said into the darkness. His brother had floated further out, his silhouette dancing on the moon lit water.

“It’s just water, Crosshair. I’ll be out in a minute,”

“Not that. You have to stop blaming yourself. It’s killing you. It will kill you,”

Hunter pulled himself upright in the water, he wet hair plastered flat against his head, the long tendrils covering his skull tattoo. He ran his hand through it, to get it out of his face.

“I’m fine,” he said.

“You’re not. Wrecker told me. You’re the leader.  You don’t get to go to pieces. The squad needs you. I need you; Omega needs you.”

Crosshair noticed something change Hunter’s face at the mention of Omega. He looked past his brother and up at Pabu and the Marauder, the warm light shining through the gunner’s mount as the ship rested by the weeping maya tree. And he suddenly understood. Omega wasn’t just some kid, and she wasn’t just his sister either. Crosshair had been right all along.

“Stop pretending to be something you’re not, Hunter” he had told him on Kamino. But Hunter wasn’t pretending, he was like a father to her in the way that the rest of them just weren’t.

“You need to stay around, for her, if nothing else,” Crosshair continued. “Tech would want you to survive. He’d want all of us to survive.”

Hunter was still looking at him with an expression Crosshair couldn’t quite place. He nodded, an almost imperceptible nod and started to swim towards the shore.

Crosshair noticed a collection of new scars on his brother’s torso that he’d never seen before.

“What’s all that from,” Crosshair asked suspiciously.

He was surprised to hear Hunter laugh, “ran in with a few bounty hunters, the Pikes and a Hutt or two,”

“So, you did have a death wish,” Crosshair said gravely.

“Desperate times…” Hunter started but didn’t finish.

“Are any of those my fault?” crosshair asked

“You wish Crosshair,” Hunter said with a grin, “you still hit like a cadet,” he clapped his brother on the back as they started to make the winding trek back to the Marauder, together.

[athina-blaine]

kb/ms is truly transcendental yaoi, spectacular, amazing, 10/10, no notes ... from the perspective of a mithrun enjoyer

as a kabru enjoyer, however...

I'll start off by saying that of course Kabru doesn't want or need a romantic relationship to be fulfilled, especially not with a white man, none of them do, it's all non-canon, Dungeon Meshi isn't about romance or shipping, yes yes yes, but none of us are here for that right now!! We're here to fruitlessly argue why my blorbos kissing makes more sense than your blorbos kissing!! You know it, I know it, none of us are free of cringe!! Clown on clown violence!!

That being said ... 🤡

I just don't see what Kabru gets out of kb/ms. With Mithrun, it makes sense; Kabru has a huge impact on him and ultimately helps him reaffirm his will to live. That's very exquisite drama and excellent character writing. But with Kabru, I just don't feel that Mithrun's character interacts with his personal flaws and would instigate his growth anywhere close to the same degree. I have to imagine most fics involving them focus more on Mithrun's baggage and how Kabru helps him heal from that ... because that's mostly all that happens between them in the main story, lol!

And like, that makes sense, because ultimately chapters 61-62 aren't about Kabru and Mithrun; they're about Kabru working through his conflicted feelings in helping Laios conquer the dungeon. I think it's ironic seeing people complain about kb/ms having Kabru be Mithrun's accessory when, if anything, Mithrun's main narrative purpose, outside of illustrating the danger of the Winged Lion, is to serve as Kabru's obstacle. I'd even argue Mithrun represents Kabru's personal bad ending; Mithrun wants him to kill Laios and surrender the dungeon to the canaries, preventing the short-lived races from ever understanding how dungeons function and returning to the status quo that had gotten Utaya destroyed. It's only when Laios practically forces Kabru, straight up puts his thumbs to the screws, to work past his reticence and be emotionally vulnerable that Kabru finally puts himself on the right path to achieve his goals (it's, uh, still a bit of a bumpy ride, but they get there in the end, lol!). If he'd been this way with Laios from the beginning, he might have understood Laios' intentions from the start and saved himself a lot of pain, but it's only because of Laios' influence that Kabru is able to grow as a character and get his happy ending.

(And even if one were a Mithrun enjoyer, ultimately the main source of Mithrun's life affirmation comes from the canaries. In that final scene, Kabru gets the ball rolling because he's outside of the canary hierarchy, but the scene ends with Mithrun being embraced by the canaries and as far as I'm aware the two don't interact with or reference each other post canon at all. Hell, it's Senshi who really drives the point home. Not that it matters when we're all wearing shipping goggles here, but it felt remiss not to mention it.)

At most, I can see how taking care of Mithrun would force Kabru to reexamine how poorly he takes care of his own body and that could make for some good drama. But even then, that change is ultimately instigated by Laios' influence on him, an extension of how Kabru wants to understand how Laios can see the value in monsters in an attempt to better understand his own trauma. If a person were to get into Dungeon Meshi specifically for Kabru and wanted to ship him with someone in a way that's most interesting for him, I'd be hard-pressed to argue there's a better choice than Laios (although who'd be cringe enough to do something like that haha right guys ... [sweating])

(Side note, though, I really don't vibe with the argument that kb/ms "reduces Kabru to a caretaker role" and that's why it's bad. There's plenty of instances where Kabru shoulders his friends' burdens (helps Kuro learn common tongue, listens to Daya's fiance about his relationship troubles, etc) and, more importantly, is seemingly happy to do so. I think Kabru genuinely enjoys looking after his friends and in the story seems to find plenty of personal satisfaction getting Mithrun to eat. I understand it has the potential to be more troubling considering Kabru is a brown man and Mithrun is a white man, but idk, it just feels on the same level as people trying to discount labru by saying Laios wouldn't take enough of an interest in people to want to start a romantic relationship, when his whole thing is that he does want to connect with people and just feels like he can't. It's not a bone I feel like picking, haha)

I honesty don't mind characters being "mischaracterized" in fandom or fic even to a large degree, I know it bugs a lot of people but I respect that ultimately fandom is little more than picking up the vague outline of a doll and playing with it and mashing their faces together. Besides, if I'm really worked up about it I can just write a fic and set the record straight myself, haha. This post is merely inspired by the supremely annoying subsection of twitter that acts like labru is the ship where it's just two dudes sitting in a room together. I'm just saying, Kabru ends the series whispering into the ear of another man as his day job and it's not Mithrun lmao

[mcrdvcks]

could you do ❛ i want you to forget this ever happened. ❜ and ❛ kiss me again. ❜ with hunter from tbb?? 🥺

A Moment of Silence

Summary: You and Hunter are quick to deny anything between you two, even with Omega's insistence.

Word Count: 3.2k+

Pairing: Hunter x fem!reader

Notes: thank you to anon for requesting this! this is my first time writing a reader fic so hopefully it's okay. it does use she/her pronouns, but i'm going to try and get better at making it gender neutral. enjoy!

AO3 Link For Chapter

Hunter watched as you talked animatedly to Tech, your hands moving around with every word you spoke, and occasionally Tech would glance up from his datapad to respond to you.

The blue lights of hyperspace always seemed to contrast your skin and energy perfectly. Hunter couldn't help but smile as he observed you interacting with Tech. Your enthusiasm was infectious, and even though he couldn't hear the specifics of your conversation over the ship's hum, he could tell you were engaged. He leaned against the bulkhead, arms crossed, content to watch you for a moment longer.

Omega, perched nearby, glanced at Hunter and then at you with a mischievous grin. "You know, Hunter, if you keep staring like that, everyone's going to figure out that you've got a soft spot for her."

Hunter raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about, Omega."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, sure. Just like you didn't know how to fix that engine last week until she showed you."

Hunter's lips twitched into a half-smile. "She's resourceful. Knows her stuff."

Omega nodded knowingly. "Uh-huh. And you're just really interested in her knowledge of ship mechanics, right?"

“Well, she is a mechanic.” Hunter responded.

You had been originally working with Rex, helping him with small things like fixing his ship and piloting it. But then when you had met the squad and Omega, you couldn’t help but feel a bit of pity for the boys who knew nothing about women.

And while they were doing a fine job of taking care of Omega, you knew that it wouldn’t hurt for you to give them a helping hand.

“Yeah, but all you needed to do was connect some wires, which I’ve seen you do on your own before.” Omega shot back, taking a seat next to Hunter.

"Yeah, well, maybe I just enjoy her company," Hunter countered with a playful smirk, his gaze flickering towards where you were still engrossed in conversation with Tech.

Omega snickered, nudging Hunter's arm. "Sure, sure. Company. Right."

Hunter chuckled softly, shaking his head. "She's just easy to talk to, that's all."

Omega's grin widened mischievously. "And she's not bad to look at either, right?"

"Omega," Hunter warned, trying to hide his amusement.

"She's like sunshine on this ship," Omega continued, unabashed. "Always bringing a smile to everyone's face. Even Crosshair cracks a grin when she's around."

Hunter nodded in agreement, his expression softening as he watched you. "She's got a way about her. Makes things feel lighter."

Omega leaned closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "So, when are you going to make a move?"

Hunter sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know, Omega. It's complicated."

"Complicated how?" Omega pressed, genuinely curious.

"It's just... timing, I guess," Hunter explained vaguely. "We've got a lot going on right now."

Omega rolled her eyes. "There's always something going on. You can't keep waiting forever."

Hunter glanced at Omega, grateful for her straightforwardness. "I know."

"Just don't take too long," Omega advised, nudging him again. "You might miss your chance." Omega stood up, skipping into the cockpit where you and Tech were. “Starry! Can you help me with my homework?”

Tech adjusted his goggles, “your homework is your homework, you are supposed to do it on your- ”

You scoffed, standing up and patting Tech’s shoulder, “want to do flashcards? Or a pop quiz? I can give you some tricks on how to remember Imperial ships.” You asked Omega, cutting off Tech’s sentence.

Omega grinned mischievously, jumping at the chance to avoid her homework. "Ooh, tricks? Like what?"

You leaned in conspiratorially, glancing over your shoulder to make sure Hunter wasn't listening too closely. "Alright, here's a tip. The Imperial Star Destroyers? Think of them like giant flying triangles with a gazillion guns. If you imagine them like that, you'll never forget."

Tech, ever the factual one, chimed in with his usual precision. "Actually, their geometric structure adheres more closely to a quadrilateral than a triangle, and their armament- "

You interrupted with a playful eyeroll. "Tech, I'm trying to simplify things here, not go into architectural specifications."

Omega giggled, clearly enjoying the banter between you and Tech. "You make learning fun, Starry."

Tech adjusted his goggles, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Indeed. Your educational methods are unconventional but effective."

Hunter observed the exchange with a fond smile, leaning against the wall nearby. "See? I told you she's good with them."

Omega nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, she's way better than Crosshair at explaining stuff."

Hunter chuckled. "Well, Crosshair's got other talents."

You grinned, feeling a warmth spread through you at the camaraderie. It had been a few months since you joined the squad, and despite the challenges and dangers, moments like these made it feel like you were part of a makeshift family.

---

After completing their mission for Cid, which was just recovering some sort of chest, you and Omega sat in the parlor while the guys gave the chest to Cid and received the payment.

Echo, Wrecker, and Crosshair stood around the chest, engaged in a serious discussion with Cid about the details of their payment. Meanwhile, you and Omega found a quiet corner to relax, away from the business dealings but still within earshot of the ongoing conversation.

Omega flopped down onto a worn-out couch, kicking her legs back and forth. "That was easy, huh? Just grab a chest and boom, job's done."

You chuckled softly, sinking into an adjacent armchair. "Sometimes the simple ones are the most satisfying. No complications, no surprises."

"Yeah, but surprises can be fun sometimes," Omega replied with a mischievous grin. "Like when Tech accidentally set off that alarm on Corellia. That was hilarious."

You grinned, recalling the incident. "Tech's face was priceless. I think he's still figuring out how he managed to activate a security protocol just by trying to hack into a data terminal."

Omega laughed, leaning back against the couch cushions. "I think Echo was about to burst a fuse trying not to laugh too hard."

The banter between you and Omega was easy, filled with shared experiences and the camaraderie of being part of the same makeshift family.

Across the room, Hunter caught your eye briefly before returning his attention to the conversation with Cid and the others. He seemed deep in discussion, his brow slightly furrowed in concentration. It wasn't lost on you how his presence anchored the group, his leadership and steady demeanor keeping them together through thick and thin.

"So," Omega began, breaking the comfortable silence between you, "what's the deal with you and Hunter?"

You raised an eyebrow, "what do you mean?"

Omega rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, come on. You know what I mean. You two have been dancing around each other for months now."

You chuckled softly, not quite sure what Omega was talking about. You liked Hunter, but only as a friend. Though, it was quite confusing as to why your stomach seemed to flip when you were in his presence. "We're friends. Teammates."

Omega smirked knowingly. "Sure, sure. Just friends."

"It's not like that," you insisted, though a small part of you knew she was onto something. Hunter's presence had grown more significant to you over time, his protective instincts and quiet strength drawing you in despite the complications of their missions.

"Uh-huh," Omega teased, nudging your arm. "You're both hopeless."

Before you could respond, Wrecker's booming voice cut through the air as he exclaimed triumphantly, "Got the payment! Let's celebrate with some Mantell Mix!"

Echo and Crosshair exchanged amused glances, knowing Wrecker's fondness for the local snack. They joined in, laughing and teasing Wrecker as they prepared to wind down from their mission.

Hunter approached you and Omega with a small smile, his gaze lingering on you for a moment before addressing Omega. "You finish your homework?"

Omega rolled her eyes dramatically. "Yes, Starry made me do flashcards."

You chuckled, amused by Omega's playful exaggeration. "Hey, learning doesn't have to be boring."

"Tell that to Tech," Omega quipped, earning a mock glare from Tech himself as he passed by with a datapad in hand.

You noticed how Hunter rubbed his forehead and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was the beginning of an overstimulation headache, probably caused by all the shouting Wrecker did during the mission, complaining about heights.

"Hey, I think I left something on the Marauder," you said, looking up at Hunter with a sheepish smile.

Hunter's brow furrowed slightly, concern flickering in his eyes as he took in your expression. "What did you leave?"

You shrugged lightly. "Just some tools. I was fixing the comm array earlier, and I might have forgotten them."

His expression softened, and he nodded. "Alright, I'll come with you."

You led the way back through the ship, weaving between crates and equipment until you reached the Marauder's storage area. It was quieter here, away from the bustling activity in the parlor where the rest of the squad was celebrating their successful mission.

"I'll just grab them real quick," you said, stepping into the storage compartment. You rummaged through a toolbox, searching for the tools you had used earlier. It was true, you were fixing the comm array earlier, but really you just wanted to take Hunter away from the loud noises.

Hunter leaned against the wall of the ship and closed his eyes. Being away from the crowds of the inner city made his headache lessen, if only slightly.

As he stood there, taking a moment to collect himself, he heard your footsteps approaching from behind. Opening his eyes, he turned to see you with a toolbox in hand, a faint smile on your lips.

"Found them," you said, holding up the tools triumphantly. "Forgot I left them here."

Hunter nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Good. Wouldn't want to leave anything behind."

You stepped closer, standing on the wall across from him. The ship's low hum filled the quiet space between you, a comforting background to the rare moment of solitude.

"Thanks for coming with me," you said softly, glancing up at him.

"Anytime," Hunter replied, meeting your gaze. There was a warmth in his eyes that sent a flutter through your chest, a feeling you tried to ignore.

The moment lingered, both of you caught in a silent exchange of unspoken thoughts and emotions. Hunter was normally composed, steady in the face of danger, but something about being alone with you seemed to soften his edges.

"You doing okay?" you asked, breaking the quiet.

"Yeah," Hunter answered, his voice low. "Just needed a moment away from all the noise."

You nodded in understanding. "I get that."

There was a pause, filled only with the sound of your breathing and the distant murmur of the celebrations continuing in the parlor. Hunter shifted slightly, his gaze flickering towards you as if searching for something.

"I understand, you know? I grew up in a small village, everyone knew each other, and it was… homely. When I went to Coruscant for school everything was so much bigger and louder than I ever thought was possible," you shared with Hunter, your voice carrying a nostalgic tone.

Hunter listened intently, his gaze softening as he took in your words. He could relate in his own way, having grown up in a vastly different environment as a soldier, where noise often meant danger or chaos. "Yeah, I get that," he replied quietly, a hint of empathy in his voice. "Must've been a big adjustment."

You nodded, a small smile playing on your lips. "It was. But I learned a lot there, too. Met people from all over the galaxy, experienced things I never would've imagined back home."

"Sounds like quite the journey," Hunter remarked, his tone warm. "What made you decide to leave the village and go to Coruscant?"

You shrugged lightly, leaning against the ship's wall. "Curiosity, I guess. But I also got into the engineering school there. It seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up.” You adjusted the toolbox in your hand as a hydrospanner fell out of the box onto the floor.

Before you could bend down completely to grab it, Hunter did it for you. He stood up to his full height, the distance between the two of you much, much closer than before. Hunter handed you the hydrospanner as you gave him a shy smile in return and slowly grabbed it from his hand.

"Thanks," you murmured softly, feeling a subtle warmth spread through you at the proximity. Hunter's presence felt comforting, his quiet strength a contrast to the chaos of the mission and the constant hum of the ship around you.

Hunter's gaze held yours for a moment longer than necessary, and you felt a tension in the air, unspoken words hanging between you like a delicate thread. His hand lingered where yours briefly brushed against his, a fleeting touch that sent a shiver down your spine.

For a heartbeat, neither of you moved, caught in a silent exchange of emotions too complex to put into words. The ship's vibrations seemed to fade into the background, leaving only the echo of your breathing and the weight of Hunter's gaze.

You were the one who tore the gaze reluctantly, looking down at the toolbox in your hand as you placed the hydrospanner in its rightful spot. A gentle, gloved hand was placed on your jaw, as he tilted your head up.

His touch was tender yet firm, his eyes searching yours with a depth that spoke volumes. The quiet intensity between you hung in the air, unspoken words threading through the space like a fragile web.

"I..." you started, unsure of what to say, your heart pounding in your chest. Hunter's expression softened further, his thumb brushing lightly against your cheek. You felt a rush of emotions, a mix of nervousness and a strange, fluttering excitement.

Before you could gather your thoughts, Hunter leaned forward, closing the gap between you. His lips met yours in a gentle kiss, a moment of hesitation followed by a surge of warmth that spread through you. It was soft, tentative, as if testing the waters of something unspoken yet palpable between you.

Your mind raced, trying to make sense of the sudden shift in dynamics. Hunter, your teammate, your friend, was kissing you. The realization sent a jolt through your system, igniting a swirl of conflicting emotions.

Hunter pulled back slightly, his eyes searching yours for any sign of discomfort or hesitation. His hand lingered against your cheek, a silent question in his gaze.

"I..." you began again, but words failed you. Your mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, grappling with the implications of this moment. Hunter's expression was a mix of concern and something deeper, something you couldn't quite decipher.

"I want you to forget this ever happened," Hunter murmured softly, his voice barely above a whisper. His thumb traced a gentle path along your jawline, a gesture both soothing and heartbreaking.

Forget? The word echoed in your mind, conflicting with the rush of emotions coursing through you. Could you forget this moment, this kiss that seemed to unravel a tension that had been building between you for so long?

But before you could respond, Hunter's expression shifted subtly, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his features. His hand dropped to his side, breaking the connection between you.

"I'm sorry," Hunter said quietly, his voice tinged with regret. "I shouldn't have done that."

The words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken implications. You wanted to reach out, to reassure him that it was okay, that you didn't want to forget. But Hunter stepped back, putting a respectful distance between you.

“What if I don’t want to forget?” You spoke quietly, placing the toolbox down on the seat by the console.

Hunter's gaze flickered with surprise, his eyes meeting yours in a moment of uncertainty. His hand, which had dropped to his side, twitched almost imperceptibly as he processed your words. The ship's gentle hum seemed louder now, echoing the intensity of the emotions swirling between you.

"You... don't want to forget?" Hunter's voice was soft, tentative, as if he hadn't expected your response. His brow furrowed slightly, a mix of confusion and a flicker of hope crossing his features.

You nodded, your voice barely above a whisper. "No, I don't."

A myriad of emotions played across Hunter's face- relief, hesitation, and something deeper that he couldn't quite hide. He took a step closer, his expression searching yours for any sign of uncertainty.

"I shouldn't have kissed you," Hunter murmured, his voice tinged with regret. "It was... unprofessional."

"Maybe," you replied softly, your gaze meeting his with unwavering honesty, "but I'm glad you did."

Hunter's resolve wavered, his hand reaching out tentatively to brush against your cheek. His touch was gentle, a silent question lingering in the air. The warmth of his fingers against your skin sent a shiver down your spine, a rush of anticipation mingling with the lingering uncertainty.

"I... don't want things to be complicated," Hunter admitted quietly, his thumb tracing a delicate line along your jawline. "We're a team, and- ”

You cut him off by closing the rest of the distance between you two, your hands were now resting on his chest plate, which was the only thing stopping your chests brushing each other’s. “I want you to kiss me again.”

Hunter's resolve wavered, torn between duty and desire. He searched your face, seeing the honesty and longing reflected in your eyes. Without another word, he closed the distance between you, his hands gently cradling your face as his lips met yours once more.

The kiss was different this time- less tentative, more urgent, as if both of you were testing the waters of something that had been building between you for far too long. Hunter's touch was tender yet firm, his lips moving against yours with a hunger that mirrored your own.

You responded eagerly, your hands sliding up to curl around his neck, drawing him closer. The weight of his armor pressed against you, grounding you in the reality of the moment even as everything else seemed to blur around you.

As the kiss deepened, Hunter's hands tightened slightly around you, his touch seeking reassurance and offering comfort in equal measure. His breath mingled with yours, a shared heartbeat beneath the armor and the weight of duty that bound you both.

Slowly, reluctantly, you broke the kiss, your breaths mingling as you rested your forehead against his. Hunter's eyes searched yours, a mix of vulnerability and desire flickering in their depths. His hand cradled your cheek, his thumb brushing lightly across your skin.

"I..." Hunter started, his voice low and filled with unspoken words. He hesitated, searching for the right way to express what lay between you.

You placed a finger against his lips, silencing him gently. "Shh," you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper. "Sometimes words complicate things. Let's just... be."

Hunter nodded, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His hand slipped from your cheek to entwine his fingers with yours, a silent promise in the touch.

[theheroheart]

Rogue got delivered a day early.

Gonna put a whole bunch of quotes and observations and things under the cut, very Rogue focused.

SPOILERS, OBVIOUSLY.

Also I will say, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE buy this book, it absolutely deserves it, I adored it. It was wonderful and gave us SO MUCH.

Rogue's former partner is a he, and he's Rogue's boyfriend. His name is Art, which is indeed short for Artificer (reference to D&D). And Art is confirmed dead at this point, and has been for 5 years. Rogue and Art were together for 10 years.

Rogue jumps off a building at some point, knowing Art will save him.

Art was tall with shoulder-length curly hair and wore a sleek purple tunic, rolled up at the sleeves. On top of this was a metallic chest-piece that crackled with electrical energy. On his head he wore a pair of steampunk goggles that complemented his hazel eyes. As he pulled on the net, a long grey scar could be seen on his arm, a memory from a battle lost years before. As the net neared the ship, Rogue smiled up apologetically at Art. But judging by the icy look he got back, well - he couldn't smile his way out of this one.

Rogue doesn't like parties. Partly because he prefers "a good night in". (Though Rogue cannot cook, lmao.) And partly because while "watching the wealthy gorge themselves" he knew "most of the population was living in abject poverty." Rogue says eat the rich.

It was an odd feeling to think that nights like that wouldn't be on the cards for Rogue and hadn't been in fact for a long time. It's strange, the shape time takes when you lose someone. One morning they are next to you, on their pillow, and the next morning you realise they haven't been sleeping there for nearly five years. The five years had gone by slowly and quickly, all at once, Rogue's bounties all blending into one another. It wasn't that Rogue hadn't continued to live, or even to love a little bit. But when you felt you'd lived through the main event of your life, everything else - that extra bit of life you found yourself wandering through - was a bit like an epilogue. Rogue would walk the ship, each night, inspecting every weathered part. A fading heartbeat of a life once lived. He could no longer think about that day. That time. He felt more ghost than man at this point. That was why it was so surprising when Rogue gazed down at the ballroom below and suddenly found himself transfixed. There was a man in the middle of that dancefloor. A gorgeous man. But this wasn't just shallow attraction. There was an energy to the man. An unfiltered joy. Something Rogue instantly knew he wanted to be close to.

There's minor dialogue changes, as there usually are.

'You know, I can help you,' the man went on. 'Trouble, I am good at.' It was then that Rogue emotionally left his body and starting panicking a good 50 feet above the scene playout out below. Was this man handsome? Yes. Was there a bit of chemistry here? Yes. Did the man smell surprisingly nice for someone from 1813? Absolutely.

Instead of going outside, Rogue and the Doctor get punch and actually chat together.

Rogue recognised her as the woman the Doctor had been spinning joyfully across the dancefloor. "You okay?" the Doctor said, concerned. "Yeah. Just, avoiding engagement." She noticed Rogue. "So you found a scandal, then?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her as if to say - you behave! - but she just laughed and rushed off down a corridor. Rogue watched it all play out, intrigued. So his dance partner does know him then. But how well? The Doctor turned back and looked into Rogue's eyes, apparently noticing his puzzled expression. "Don't trouble yourself, love; she won't need me till there's screaming, or smoke, or both. Or Goblins. Right now, I'm all yours." Rogue nodded. Okay, Goblins - interesting - but the Doctor could just be a fan of fairytales.

Rogue imagines conversations with Art sometimes, and in this case, Art is encouraging Rogue to flirt with the Doctor. "The fantastical joy of dead boyfriend imagination theatre."

Usually, the imaginary conversations Rogue had with him were when he was alone in the ship but in moments of crisis sometimes, he would imagine him, a life raft in a sea of social interaction nightmares. "Would you let go, for a second. Flirt back. Ask him about his favourite paintings, the wonders of the universe." Rogue looked at Art. "He's from 1813." Art laughed. "Okay, well ask him about the wonders of lawn bowls then, who cares." Rogue sighed. "It was always so easy with you. Why can't it be easy with anyone else?" Art gave him a knowing smile. "You gotta be willing to let it be easy." He gestured back to the Doctor. "Now, come on, you can't just bat your pretty eyes at him." Rogue looked at Art and batted his eyes. "Oh, I absolutely can." "What are you blinking at?" the Doctor asked, intrigued, and Rogue found himself snapped out of his daydream and back into reality. Rogue apologised. "Sorry. A ghost."

The Doctor continued to sip. "You know, I think it's kiwi. No, they aren't here for another century. So what are the green bits?" Immediately, Rogue let go of his fleeting feelings of enjoyment and replaced them with cold resolve. How could the Doctor know something like that? He talked about the present and future like they were all the same to him. No, Rogue had found his bounty and it was time to get back to work. The manor was too busy, too full of guests. He needed a safer place to capture him. Somewhere he could get him alone. "Why don't we continue this conversation in the garden?" Rogue said, a flicker of mischievousness in his eyes. The Doctor laughed. "Fast mover, let's go."

The dialogue confirms again and again that they are SO FUCKING THIRSTY FOR EACH OTHER THE ENTIRE TIME. Besties, please.

He looked back at Rogue, walking, brooding (of course), and had to remind himself that this was an interrogation, not a date. "I love these old skies. Ripe with constellations being found and named." He gestured above, pointing out his favourite constellations. "The bear, the ram ... the poop-deck." "The romance of the night sky," Rogue replied sardonically as he gave the Doctor an oh really look. That stare of his. The Doctor laughed. "Don't blame me! De Lacaille chose them! Great astronomer, bad with names." Then he smiled cheekily. "But if it's romance you're after? He also named those stars there the pump, the chisel, and Norma." Okay, he was flirting now. Ruby would be furious with him if this silly side quest was what got him killed. "Not what I'm after," replied Rogue, his tone back to matter-of-fact but his face blushing a little.

Rogue made the gun himself!

"Keep moving," Rogue replied languidly. Another day at the office for this guy. The Doctor turned his head back to check on the glowing chamber of the blaster. "Is that a glo-stick?" He knew he had said something good because he got the biggest reaction from Rogue yet, hearing him grunt then look immediately offended. "Glo-stick? I made this!" Rogue bit back. Okay, we have an ego here and apparently an inventor, thought the Doctor. That's- "Cute," he said, which only spurred on Rogue. "It's not cute, it's a disseminator. It's very complicated." "Like its owner." The Doctor grinned. He figured if he was going to get killed, he might as well enjoy himself.

Their ship is named the Yossarian.

You can tell a lot about a person by the ship they fly in, thought the Doctor. It's home away from home. Which explained why he was shaken by what he say. Granted, he had made some assumptions about Rogue, but this dimly lit and cluttered space was not what he had expected. It was an absolute mishmash of tech, half-made projects, tools and strange-looking things in piles or cages. It looked and smelt like a mechanic's workshop. In the corner was a cockpit for flying, pretty much hidden behind a stack of metal toolboxes and a hammock slung in the corner, he assumed for sleeping but perhaps eating as well? Oh, Rogue, he thought. What happened, love?

The mess aside, the make of the ship did not surprise. It was an old asteroid hawk from the 50-56, often sold on the cheap in many star systems. In anyone's ship was a shed, this was the one. He looked across the console, trying to see if there might be anything useful to help him escape or at the very least steer the conversation towards suggesting Rogue should get a broom. [...] On the console was an Ood translation sphere, plugged into the ship's controls. It would allow Rogue to understand the local languages wherever he travelled, but the Doctor's attention was taken more by the can of unfinished Gurgle balanced dangerously on top. It was a dusty can. Left there a long time ago.

The spaceship scene is very similar, just tiny differences. Although it confirmed that the Doctor has played D&D, specifically with the Paternoster gang, and that Strax played a bard with a beautiful singing voice.

The Doctor also thinks about Fourteen, thinking that he likes him and hopes he's living his best life right now.

Different past selves of the Doctor, different genders and ages, all projected on top of his current form. Right now, standing in the middle of the Yossarian, he was revealing his true heart. His power. His strength. His undeniable wonder. The Doctor looked from the scan back at Rogue, right in the eye. "I am not a Chuldur. I am something much older and far more powerful. I am a Lord of Time from the lost and fallen planet of Gallifrey." He took a deep breath. "Now, let me go, Bounty Hunter. We have work to do." Rogue just started in awe, taking in the Doctor, all of them. "You're beautiful," he said.

And then you get a long lovely flashback to Art and Rogue having a romantic dinner. (And I would just like to say that I 100% called the Artificer thing.)

"You are so stubborn!" Art said, lowering his spoon. "I told you not to put more chilli powder in, yet here we are." Rogue laughed. "Look, I tried really hard to make us this terrible meal." "Now, hold the phone, I did not say this was terrible, I just said you deliberately ignored my advice." "Unwanted advice," Rogue replied. As he took another mouthful, a tear started to form in his eye. The stew was too hot, but he was never going to let Art know that. "I can see you crying," Art said. "There's a literal tear, rolling down your face." Rogue looked at him, faux dramatic. "I'm just feeling really emotional about my chair over there, that you still haven't fixed. Art laughed. "Oh it's your chair now, is it?" Rogue smiled and wiped away the tear he had pretended was not there with his sleeve. He continued to look around the ship, at the home he and Art had made together. Art had built everything on the Yossarian and nearly every gadget Rogue used on the missions. The emphasis on 'nearly' was because Rogue had foolishly attempted to build a few of his own. It was a learning curve for him. A steep one. Where Rogue had charm in spades, Art had a talent for turning a kitchen spoon into a deadly laser ray. He could do anything. The name Art had also come from Dungeons & Dragons, a shared pastime and passion between them both. Art was short for Artificer; this was a class in the game known for their invention and incredible ability to see the full potential in objects, and it suited Art to a tee. Rogue could never pin down exactly when the nicknames had started. Like so many things when you've been with someone for a very long time, it had begun as a cute reference, but then the nicknames just became everyday for them until, eventually, the old names just didn't fit any more. They were just Rogue and Art to each other. And that suited them both fine.

"You know, I could go undercover next time," Art said. "Oh yeah," Rogue said playfully. "Last time we tried that, you gave someone our actual contact details." "We got on! An alias shouldn't prevent an actual friendship." Rogue nodded. He got up, went round the console and put his arms around Art, nuzzling into his shoulder. "I guess it's how I met you," he said, and the pair of them laughed. Art smelt like a warm fire. He was taller than Rogue, only by a bit, but it meant he looked up to him slightly, which was a bit of a novelty for Rogue, who was usually the tallest in the room. He took in Art's face: every line, pore, the stubble, the striking, hazel eyes. Art looked back down at Rogue, and it looked as if he was about to say something deeply profound or romantic. "So, is this your apology for dinner?" Rogue leant in closer. "Oh, never," he murmured.

Oh also, Rogue hadn't meant to give the Doctor that name.

"Does 'not a Lord' have a name?" "Rogue." Immediately, Rogue panicked. It wasn't his actual name - Rogue was the name that Art had given him - but it would do fine. For now. [.....] "You ready for this, Rogue?" It was funny hearing someone else call him that, but his name sounded good being said by the Doctor. Rogue liked it. It fitted.

Also Rogue "immediately recalled a quite complicated winter with Houdini". Apparently him and the Doctor has an ex in common.

They explain what happened to the gun.

"Now, trap, please." Rogue handed it over but immediately regretted doing this so willingly. Sure, this man's ship was brilliant. But the trap, that was his. "And your disseminator?" "Only if you handle it carefully," said Rogue, keeping his eyes locked on the Doctor, worried what the plan could be for his precious creation. The Doctor took it calmly. Then he snapped the disseminator in half. "Hey!" Rogue shouted. "Do you want to save everyone or not? Look, watch me." And Rogue did, as the Doctor moved some parts from the disseminator into Rogue's trap, then attached it to the TARDIS, using cables. Rogue found himself fighting not to remember the hours of work that building the disseminator had taken. He had to let this go. "Okay, past me the hyperdyne link," said the Doctor. "Blue wire, under the switch, there." Rogue did as he was told, eager to see exactly what new monstrosity the Doctor had turned his favourite gadget into. The Doctor grabbed the cable and plugged it into the newly upgraded trap. It sizzled slightly. "I can't believe you broke my stuff!" Rogue complained. The Doctor stopped what he was doing and looked at him, dead serious. "Whatever the Chuldur have done, I can't let you kill them. I also can't let them kill others. So, instead, we'll send them to a random, barren dimension. No one to hurt there and no way back." "Random? So I can't trace them," Rogue protested. The Doctor just nodded as the trap continued to whirr behind them. "Don't pout too much. When we're not trying to kill each other, we're a good team."

"You know, you don't have to stay a bounty hunter. You could travel with me. Oh the worlds I could show you, Rogue." "And what if I like what I do?" Rogue got the feeling that when people met the Doctor, they would often uproot everything for him. Why should that always be the case? Rogue had just as much to offer in adventure.

"I'd like that." Rogue felt that swell in his chest, that nervous energy as he took another step towards him. He was very aware that their faces were almost touching. It would only take one of them to lean in a bit closer, and they were already so close, so close that they could almost-- Ping! The console in the TARDIS chimed. "The trap is ready," the Doctor said, and the moment was gone. He moved back to the console as Rogue stood there, recovering. He could hear the Doctor speaking down at the console, but he barely registered what he was saying. He just nodded, lost. What was he getting himself into?

And then I went ahead and typed up the entire chapter 19, because the whole thing is an imaginary letter from Art to Rogue.

Chapter 19 A Letter to Rogue Dear Rogue It feels silly, writing you this letter, but I hope it finds you. So we're clear too, I don't want this as a Please don't mourn for me or some other such nonsense. Honestly, I am quite irritated that it wasn't you that died... Would I say that? I suppose. Whatever helps your imagination. I know you've likely dreamt up and read this letter many times. I fully understand why; I was good chat. However, if only for your negotiation skills, I hope you've made at least one friend since my passing. Imaginary letters from dead boyfriends can't be your only form of communication. Of course, if the person reading this is his only friend then I gleefully warn you: Rogue is stubborn. He says he will clean that particular corner of the ship, but I promise you he won't. I spent ten years asking and I could have put that time into something actually productive. I could have learned at least five more languages in the time I would have saved. So take my advice. Give in to this reality. Admit defeat. It will never happen. A few other things to note: his snoring can and will wake up the most dangerous animals, and for some reason - despite eating pretty much everything - bread with any kind of seeds or olives in is an absolute no. I agree, it's a real failing on his part. Apart from this, however, what you will find is a great man who I loved with every part of my soul. Please give him a hug from me and do not name a child or dog in my memory when you move in together. A cactus is fine, though. And Rogue, if it is you reading this letter, don't let me worry about you. I did enough of that when I was around and oh, the time I wasted. Don't hide. And please don't go fixing up our ship for ever. I was the mechanic anyway. Live. Talk with everyone. Laugh. Dare to ask someone, 'Is this seat taken?' And, most importantly, don't forget to dance. That's the best part. Yours, Art

So anyway, after that heartbreak, it's back to more action.

"Should we be telling humans?" Rogue asked cautiously, leaning in behind him. The Doctor noticed Ruby's curious expression. "Oh! Ruby 2024 and Emily 1813, this is Rogue, he's a bounty hunter and almost incinerated me." "A mistake he said he was letting go of." Rogue held out his hand to Ruby and Emily, who both went for it at the same time and ended up shaking it together.

"But what does it all mean?" Emily gasped. "Are we all going to die?" The Doctor and Ruby exchanged a look: Who is going to take this? To their surprise, Rogue stepped up. "There's a creature from another planet at this party," he said. "Highly dangerous, it can look like anyone it's killed and if it gets you ---" He looked at her, dead serious. "It'll drain your life in a second." Emily's eyes widened and she hurriedly began to fan herself, presumably as an alternative to fainting. "We need to work on your people skills," the Doctor said as Ruby put her arm around Emily, trying to calm her. "Now, let's find our Duchess!" He looked over at Rogue, exhilarated. This was one hell of a first date.

The Doctor could already feel people starting to turn and whisper but his focus wasn't on that. All he was thinking about was Rogue. Rogue's hand on his shoulder, his chest. Rogue's eyes locked with his as the pair of them turned and twirled across the floor.

"We need to have a big fight so I can storm off alone and draw her to us," the Doctor said, spinning Rogue away from him. "Can't I storm off alone?" said Rogue. "I would rather not talk in front of this many people." "Oh, come on, Rogue," said the Doctor. "I'm sure you talk to lots of people. Your bounties for a start." He gave his hand a little squeeze and whispered, "I believe in you." "Doctor, please!" Rogue protested. He was too late. The Doctor pulled away from him and gasped. "How dare you, my Lord!" he shouted. He was incredibly pleased to hear the music stop immediately, the crowd turning to stare. It was so deliciously dramatic. "You would ask me to give up my title, my fortune -" he chewed up every word, really hamming it up - "but what future can you promise me?" Rogue didn't say a word back. He just looked at him pleadingly and stuttered slightly. "Say anything," the Doctor whispered, then raised his voice again. "Tell me what your heart wants, or I shall turn my back on you for ever." By way of illustration, he literally did turn his back on Rogue. He looked at the crowd, hearing nothing but silence behind him. Then a gasp. The Doctor turned and faced Rogue again, who was now down on one knee. He had pulled off a ring from his finger and was holding it up to him. Rogue was proposing. Fast mover indeed. The Doctor knew this was a moment of fun, for the drama. Despite that, he couldn't stop a jolt of panic. "Sorry... I can't," the Doctor said. He raced out of the ballroom, and Rogue chased after him.

The worlds I could show you. That's what the Doctor had said to him in the TARDIS. A phrase that was playing over and over in his head. Rogue looked over and saw the Doctor, waiting for him, hidden behind a hedge. He felt a rush of excitement as he tried to focus. He'd not been asking the Doctor for marriage, but for some simple commitment. A sign he could stay longer than this one adventure. To see those worlds he'd promised. At least for a little while. Now he couldn't stop wondering how much of their connection was real and how much had been for show.

To escape the Chuldur, Rogue and the Doctor dive into the lake, where Rogue finds the body of the real Lord Barton. He almost panics and has to go back up, but the Doctor takes his hand and calms him down, so they can stay hidden long enough.

They get out of the lake soaking wet, and the Doctor makes a comment about "Ruby was right, this is a bit Mr. Darcy."

Then there's a wonderful additional scene, where Rogue is initially refusing to help because it's too dangerous, and he's too scared after having lost Art.

He had expected one Chuldur, that was the contract. Not a family. He'd counted at least five. These were very bad odds. "I'm not being paid enough for this." "Paid or not, people have died." The Doctor had his sonic screwdriver out and he was fiddling with the waterlogged trap while they walked. Rogue thought he was as focused on fixing machines as Art had been. Annoyingly, both of them had the ability to do that and argue at the same time. "We go back there, we'll die," Rogue insisted. "So you'll just walk away?" Rogue stopped.

Rogue had read about family of Chuldur. One that had destroyed every place it visited, leaving no survivors. In the past, he would have dived headlong into this kind of danger without batting an eyelid. He loved the rush of adrenalin and he had that stubborn will to reach his target, whatever it took. Then he had suffered the cost. The Doctor was wrong. He wouldn't just walk away from all this. He'd run. "There's too many. It's not my problem." Rogue quickened his pace away from the manor and towards the Yossarian. This time, the Doctor did not follow him. He had stopped still, determined not to take another step. Rogue reluctantly stopped too and turned back to face him. "If it's not our problem, whose is it?" The Doctor's voice was cold, angry. "Who do you think will help these people if we don't? You're here. You've seen what they're doing. You are choosing not to care." In the dark garden, Rogue stood defiantly across from the Doctor, his breath shallow and fast. He'd hit a nerve. Rogue had had years of practice at not caring and didn't want to change now. The Doctor was calm in comparison, determined and immovable. Rogue knew that if he chose to walk away now, he would be walking away alone.

Rogue agrees to help, but is still scared and trying to convince the Doctor to leave with him, and WEEHH GUYS.

The Doctor was about to clamber through when Rogue reached for his hand. "Are you sure?" Rogue asked, his voice soft. They were facing beings that had destroyed cities, taken countless lives. How could the two of them stop such creatures? And with one shot? He felt a deep ache in his chest; he couldn't lose someone else. Rogue looked pleadingly at the Doctor. If he gave himself enough time and distance, he could learn to forget his troubles and bury his guilt. He could stop himself from caring. Rogue had done it before. He could do it again. He could show the Doctor how. "We could go anywhere," he said. "I'm going in here," replied the Doctor. Not a waver in his voice, not a second of doubt. Rogue looked into the Doctor's eyes and knew that he would never stop caring. Could never stop wanting to help, to fight, to go on. That was who he was. The Doctor let go of Rogue's hand and climbed in through the window, and Rogue did what he knew he would do for ever. Follow him.

Absolutely unhinged content, thanks Kate and Briony. Rogue wanting to leave makes his ultimate sacrifice SO MUCH MORE INTENSE.

When the Doctor finds out about Ruby, he almost lunges himself at the Chuldur, and Rogue has to pull him back so they can remain hidden.

And then, absolutely heartbreakingly, as the Doctor tries to find some other solution for maybe bringing Ruby back:

He was desperate, and Rogue's silence gave him every answer he didn't want. Rogue slowly opened his arms, and the Doctor fell into them and sobbed. "I'm sorry," Rogue said over and over.

The Doctor absolutely hams his speech up, and there's a minor change as Rogue is there to help him set up the triform trap. (Emily, like a fool, just accidentally walks straight into the trap!)

And then we reach the final sacrifice.

Seven… Rogue didn't want to push him, but they were running out of time. "They'll kill us, then everyone here. They'll destroy this world.' Six… Rogue was next to the Doctor now. He could hear him breathing hard. "And you know that, you absolutely know that." All that torment was wrapped so tight around his chest that Rogue could feel his heaviness, his dread. "So, can you do it? Can you lose your friend to save the world?" Five… The Doctor started to cry. "No." "I know." Rogue smiled at the kind, brilliant, amazing man in front of him. Four… Then he stepped forward and wrapped the Doctor in his arms and kissed him. It was a soft, passionate kiss, full of promise. The moment was tender. Romantic. It was theirs. Three… Rogue stepped back and gave the Doctor one last smile, revealing he had taken the trigger device from him. Then he turned quickly and ran full pelt into the trap. Two… It flicked on and off as the Chuldur tried to scramble to the edges. Emily moved a step towards Ruby, grabbing at her as Rogue barrelled in. He knocked Emily to the trap floor, causing Ruby to be thrown free. Only one shoe left behind. One… Rogue looked down at his feet inside the glowing triangle and back up to the Doctor. He was now trapped with the Chuldur, but he was not afraid. Rogue could not have let the Doctor say goodbye to the person he was closest to. He knew that pain too well to let the Doctor hold it, even for a second. And so he'd known the decision he had to make. He couldn't lose anyone else. But he was ready to be the one who was lost. Zero. "Find me," Rogue said as he pressed send. The patch of triangular floor turned jet black, as the Chuldur started to scream and fall. Rogue caught a last glimpse of the Doctor before he dropped down into the darkness of the Transport Gate. As he fell, his mind had one, clear thought. Worth every second.

The rest goes about as it does in the episode. We don't get the Doctor's immediate reaction to the loss. But as Ruby hugs him, "The Doctor leant into it and let himself feel what he had buried for a moment. Not all of it but just enough to carry on with the day."

And then of course he discovers the ring in his pocket and he puts it on. "A little piece of Rogue to go with him."

And you'd think that would be the end, but there is ONE MORE CHAPTER, which I'm just gonna quote in its entirety, because it's insane, you guys.

Chapter 33 The Forgotten Place A howl in the darkness. The wind growled ferociously around a barren and abandoned planet, far out in the forgotten reaches of space. Giant grey rocks covered the surface. As the wind hit them, charcoal-sand blasted up, creating sandstorms wherever it hit. This was the only movement on the surface and, at first glance, it would have seemed the only sign of life. But if you looked more closely, there was a light. From the mouth of a cave, the bright glow of a campfire burned through the grey. Inside, sat a man. Rogue. He was trying to keep warm. Rogue had been there for what felt like months. The cave had been a saviour, sheltering him from the environment but also from the enemies sent here with him. He had lost them, at least for now. As time passed in the cave, any concept of a day had folded in on itself. Rogue kept his mind busy with the simple tasks of staying alive: build the fire, watch the fire, build the fire again. Rinse, repeat. Thankfully, there was some food to be found on this planet - mainly winged dalnats and other small cave-dwelling creatures. But they were not enough. Rogue knew that if the cold didn't get him, starvation would. What this planet didn't know, however, was that Rogue could not be broken so easily. He had made a promise to himself. He had agreed that he wasn't going to be lost any more. Because Rogue had realised he was worth finding. As the fire began to die, Rogue thought of the man he had come here for. The magnificent being who was beyond any comprehension of existence. The one known to most as the Doctor. Of all the timelines they could both have inhabited, Rogue was grateful that their eyes had met on this one. What a great surprise that had been from the universe. Yes, right now, he was lonely, but time wasn't linear, and this was his favourite thing about it. Rogue was sitting in this cave, but he was also walking with the Doctor in the garden, he was laughing with Art in the Yossarian, he was falling from a building, he was running from one memory of his life to another. All at once. Rogue was in the Doctor's arms, spinning around and around, for ever.

So there it is. Absolutely gorgeous book.

There's a bunch of stuff I didn't include, a bunch of extra stuff about the Chuldur. But also the first adventure with Art, and a bunch of extra minor stuff.

So please please do get the book if you can!

[froggywritesstuff]

pros and cons | rise!donatello

ship/pairing: rise!Donatello x male!reader

fandom: rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles

warnings: fluff, cuddling, mentions of a.i., not proofread

word count: 796

A/N: idk man. 18+ people DNI

There are a lot of cons to dating a mutant turtle who lives in the sewers. One, being the fact that he lives in the sewers, and you have a sense of smell. Among others was your friends constantly nagging you to introduce them to him, or to at least show them a picture of your boyfriend that they were getting more convinced everyday that he was an a.i. bot.

Although the list of cons might have looked like an extremely long list to anyone else, you focused on the pros. In your eyes, the cons were but a small hill compared to the mountain of pros. To name a few, having a really smart boyfriend meant never having to go to a phone repair shop. Considering how many times you’ve dropped your phone in the lair, this was a very big pro. And with a mutant turtle boyfriend apparently came three mutant turtle brothers that you had become fast friends with.

Being friends with them, there wasn't much difference between your friendship with them and your friendships with non-mutant people. Aside from the secrecy, the sewers, and all the weird places they'd take you and/or tell you about. You did have sleepovers though. They were always fun. It’s just less fun when you're sleeping in your super smart boyfriend's bed and he's suddenly super busy super late at night with some super smart and super loud project.

Now you could cover your ears with your pillow and count a million sheep while you will yourself to sleep, ignoring the sounds from Donnie's lab and trying to gaslight yourself into thinking it wasn't that loud. However, leaving the lonely bed to sit with and annoy him sounded much more fun. After little contemplation, you slide out of bed, trudging over toward where Donnie sat in his chair. With no explanation, you flopped into his lap, readjusting to make the both of you comfortable. Donnie paused what he was doing, pulling his goggles over his head and staring down at you.

”…Hello.”

He felt you smile into the crook of his neck, followed by the vibrations of your muffled voice, “Hi.”

”What are you doing?” He asked, idly continuing his work but still giving you his attention.

You stay quiet, answering with a simple shrug.

”Are you gonna go back to sleep?”

"That's what I'm tryna do."

"Then go back to the bed?" He suggested as if it were obvious, to which you scoffed at.

”Uh, rude.”

Donnie rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t deny the smile tugging on his lips as he talked with you, “Y/N, I doubt that my lap is a better place to sleep than the bed, in fact, I’m almost certain of it.”

A frown formed on your lips, and you shook your head, “Keyword; almost. So no, I will not be leaving. I just got comfortable. And you’re nice and cool.”

"I assume I don't have to warn you of this, but it's gonna be loud."

"I know," you said, "It's still loud when I sleep in bed." Donnie's shoulders sagged at the realisation that he had woken you up. You felt the subtle movement, and looked up at him to meet his eyes, "If you like, actually want me to, I can go."

"No," he shook his head, "You can stay."

"Are you sure? You're not just saying that?"

"I'm sure Y/N." he smiled at you.

A sigh of relief left your lips at the confirmation that your physical touch wasn't making him uncomfortable, and you let your head rest against his plastron, "Nice, I'm super tired and I don't wanna walk all the way to bed."

"I understand, that sounds so hard." Donnie drawled, a rare occurrence of him using sarcasm.

"Right? Can I sleep like this every time I sleep over? Wait, don't answer that, I've made up my mind and I wanna."

"Sigh," Donnie sighed, but you could still see the slight smile on his lips, “Get a boyfriend they said. It’ll be fun, they said.”

"I heard that." 

"Good, it was intended for you to hear." he pulled his goggles down, and handed you a pair of noise cancelling headphones. Thanking him, you placed them over your ears, yawning as you readjusted to a more comfortable position.

You fell asleep shortly after that, and woke up in bed, cuddled up to Donnie. He was still sleeping soundly, and judging by the bags under his eyes, you assumed you got a better night's sleep than him. You smiled, cuddling closer to him as you let yourself sleep some more. There was truly no better feeling than waking up next to him. The pros definitely outweigh the cons when it comes to dating Donnie.

[velvet4510]

Wolverine, Cyclops, and Learning to Respect Your Rival in Love

I have thoughts on Logan and Scott’s relationship in the Fox films. (I’ve never read the comics; this is strictly a commentary on the movie-verse.)

I always say ship and let ship. If you wanna look at these two through shipper’s goggles, fine. I won’t stop you.

But when I look at these two, I don’t really see something shippy. I see something actually quite remarkable, something that is very rarely depicted between rivals in an onscreen love triangle, and something that speaks to Logan’s incredible character development.

We are used to love triangles where the rivals despise each other to the point of competing, name-calling, fistfighting, and even duels to the death. Two people who have the same love interest are stereotyped time and again in fiction as bitter enemies who don’t care about the other’s wellbeing at all.

But Logan and Scott are different. Logan’s feelings toward Scott have a total 180 arc throughout the series, and it’s a phenomenal piece of character growth to witness.

X1 and X2

It’s no secret that they start off very jealous of each other and there is a mutual dislike as a result. They both want Jean. Logan is upset that Scott already has Jean, and Scott is upset that Logan is trying to steal her away. And let’s be honest, Logan is pretty disrespectful to both Jean and Scott’s feelings in the first two films. He shows no shame in flirting with Scott’s girlfriend in front of him and trying to get her to cheat on Scott when Scott has been kidnapped. When Jean insists she loves Scott, Logan just asks “do you?” as though she doesn’t mean it, and then kisses her despite her saying no. His desperation for love and attention makes him disregard and try to ruin Jean and Scott’s committed relationship. It’s not good behavior, and it’s probably Logan’s greatest character flaw in X1 and X2. Scott has every right to hate Logan for this.

But then something changes.

Then Jean disappears and is presumed dead.

Suddenly Logan and Scott have something in common. Suddenly they both are thrown into unimaginable grief and agony. Suddenly they are sharing something.

And then Logan comes clean with Scott. “She did make a choice. She chose you.” Finally, he understands Scott and says something respectful to him.

The Last Stand

And then a few years later, Jean reappears, not herself, and it is Scott who vanishes. Suddenly Jean is not only alive, but kissing Logan just as he has always desired. He becomes lost in the passion for a moment, because omg this is it, she changed her mind, she wants me, miracles do happen … The Logan of X1 and X2 would’ve gone all the way with Jean/Phoenix with zero hesitation.

But then Logan does something incredibly admirable and mature.

He stops.

He lets himself think, and he realizes: This isn’t Jean. The Jean he knew committed herself to Scott. The Jean he knew loved Scott, not him. This is wrong. She’s suddenly making a move on him, with no mention of Scott? This can’t be right.

So he asks what happened to Scott.

Scott, a man who Logan once dreamed of getting out of his way, is now a man whose life actually matters to Logan.

Then the rest of The Last Stand happens, and everything falls apart.

Days of Future Past

And then comes the greatest test that Logan has ever faced when it comes to this messy love triangle.

He travels back in time to change history. Back to a time before Jean and Scott ever met, before he ever met them. He finds himself sitting before a young Charles, the man who introduced Jean and Scott in the first place, wbo introduced him to his beloved Jean and to Scott in the first place. A young Charles who has read his mind and seen his memories of his love for Jean.

And here, right in front of him, is an opportunity to get what he would’ve done anything to get in X1 and X2. A chance to perhaps prevent Charles from ever introducing Jean and Scott, so he can be with Jean in the new future. To not tell Charles about Scott, to only tell him the names of Jean and his other friends like Storm to ensure they are still with the X-Men in the future.

But instead? He says this:

“Promise me you’ll find us. Storm. Scott. Jean. Remember those names.”

He mentions Scott! He mentions the man who he once envied, who held Jean’s heart and held onto it even as Logan gave his own heart to her. A man whose life and future he has now learned to appreciate and grow protective of.

He lets go of his jealousy, of his resentment, of his own desires. He honors Jean and Scott’s feelings, not his own.

He makes sure that Jean and Scott will still meet in the new timeline, that Charles will still bring them together, that their love will still grow this time around.

Then he goes back to the future and finds that it worked beyond his expectations. The Last Stand never happened. Jean and Scott are alive, well, and together.

In the end, Logan finally understands that Jean and Scott truly belong to each other, and that he was wrong to get in the middle, and so he sets off the domino effect that ultimately creates true happiness for Jean and Scott.

Logan changes from prioritizing his own feelings to prioritizing Jean and Scott’s feelings. He goes from trying to break up Jean and Scott, to personally ensuring that Jean and Scott still find each other even when history itself has changed.

Rather than destroy his rival in love, Logan instead ensures his rival’s salvation.

If that isn’t character development, I don’t know what is.

[perfectserendipity]

It makes sense

Delusion and shipping logic aside. Ianthony being romantically involved with each other and dating would make lot of sense.

I know that a lot of fans feel like they have to ''defend'' them from shippers. I get it, I really do. I can understand why a lot of people react defensively, in an effort to protect them, and push the ''they are just friends and that's great'' narrative, (exactly like we have seen them do with Shourtney before the marriage announcement).

But even though that is a valid sentiment, I also feel that trying to stop fans from hoping there might be something more (especially when there definitely are a lot of things pointing in that direction) and dismisisng everything as ''delusion'', is not the way to go.

Most operate under the assumption that the shippers are seeing things that aren't there, ... but what if that is not entirely the case?

I think that both sides should keep an open mind and just see what happens.

I love Ianthony, yes, but even putting the shipping goggles aside, I still think that it makes a lot of sense for many reasons.

If you don't see it (or think you have to pretend that you don't because of your fear of being parasocial and invasive) it's ok. But as long as they are respectful bout it, there is nothing wrong with some seeing something there and hoping for the best.

Even because, to be completely honest, I don't think shippers are the only ones believing there could be something going on.

Even when they read ''childhood friends turned lovers'' Reddit story, it seemed pretty clear to me that both Shayne and Courtney were trying trying to encourage Anthony (and Ian) in some way. Those two know exactly what it's like to be in love with a friend and coworker and can probably read the signs better than anyone else, and they definitely seemed to have be wanting to say something to Anthony.

Of course, you can say that it's just reading too much into things and that Shourtney's comments, the reason the story was picked in the first place and Anthony's emotional reaction to it, can all be explained away in a different manner, but it's just yet another thing to add to the list that has been growing for quite a while.

In the end all I am saying is that none of us know, but especially after the Shourtney thing, I think that shippers (the respectful ones of course) should be given a bit more leniency.

Nobody knows what will happen. I think it would be amazing if they started dating, and I'm really hoping for it, but in the end I just want them happy, we all do. So fingers crossed and let's wait and see, there's no hurry.

[urfriendlyneighbornightfury]

Lightsaber Shenanigans

Part of @cloneficgiftexchange for @flyiingsly

May have changed the prompt a bit to better fit the dialogue

Warnings: fluffy, Crosshair being a litte shit, flying fruit

Echo only mentioned, he’s just away to decompress from his squad

Hunter x Reader

No matter where you looked, you could not seem to find your lightsaber anywhere. You could have sworn you left it on your bunk while you went to take a shower, but upon returning, it was nowhere to be found. You asked Crosshair, who was lounging in his bunk the entire time, but he decided to be unhelpful. As usual.

Letting out a frustrated sigh after combing the entirety of the Havoc Marauder for your lightsaber, you went outside to look for any of the other Batch members under your command.

You spotted Tech working on the hull of the Marauder and decided to ask him if he had seen your lightsaber.

“Hey Tech. Have you seen my lightsaber anywhere?” you asked the goggled clone. He turned his attention to you, surprised.

“You’ve lost your lightsaber?” he asked incredulously.

“No, I didn’t lose it. I had it on my bunk and I went to go take a shower. But when I came back, it wasn’t on my bunk. I checked everywhere, and even tried sensing it with the Force, but it’s nowhere I can sense,” you said, letting out a huff of frustration. “Crosshair was there the entire time, but he won’t help me.”

Tech nodded, pushing his goggles into place. “Yes, he is still rather bitter of having to have a Jedi General running with us. One would think that after nearly a year, he would have gotten used to it by now. Regardless, you should perhaps ask Hunter. He might be able to help you find it.”

A light blush rose to your cheeks at the mention of the Sergeant of the Bad Batch. You had grown rather fond of the dark and broody clone in a way that the Jedi would disapprove of, but lately, you cared less about what the Council wanted. Even before the war, you weren’t a big follower of the Jedi Code, and got into trouble for it, but you were still a very good Jedi. Now a days, the Code and the Council were less than favorable to you.

Thanking Tech, you turned to look for Hunter, finding him not much later sitting under the shade of a tree, looking out at the lake. The six of you touched down on this lovely planet to make urgent repairs to the Marauder and to get some much-needed R&R after the grueling mission you all were on.

You approached the sergeant who glanced up at you as you drew close and grew concerned as he sensed your frustration.

“What’s wrong, General?” Hunter asked, brows furrowed in concern.

“I can’t find my lightsaber anywhere! I left it on my bunk before I took a shower, but its not there anymore. Crosshair was no help even though he was there the entire time, I searched the entire Marauder, and not even Tech’s seen it!” You complained, running a hand through your hair in stress.

Hunter let out a sigh. “I’ll go talk to Crosshair. He should really get over his ego and help you,” he said, getting up and marching over to the ship. You went to protest, not wanting to agitated Crosshair further, but decided against it. Instead, you slowly trailed after the leader of the Bad Batch.

Hunter marched right into the Marauder, and you waited at the base of the ramp outside. Not even a minute later, Hunter returned.

“He’s not in the ship,” he reported. “Tech, have you seen where Crosshair went?”

Tech poked his head up from the hull, a frown on his face.

“No, I was unaware that Crosshair had left the ship,” he replied.

“Right, I’ll track him down,” Hunter said, turning to you with a nod. You let out a small sigh, now believing that Crosshair had nabbed your lightsaber and hidden it to annoy you.

“Right, lead the way,” you said to Hunter, who gave you a small smile that made your heart race.

The two of you walked through the nearby forest, Hunter pausing once in a while to check to see if you were still on the same track.

It wasn’t long before you heard the sound of Wrecker’s jubilant laughter, Crosshair’s snarky comments, and the unmistakable sound of your lightsaber.

Concern immediately took over, and you rushed to wear you heard the sounds coming from, Hunter right on your heels, and stopped short in a clearing, taking in the unbelievable sight in front of you.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Hunter barely managed to contain his laughter as he stopped next to you and saw what you did: Crosshair throwing fruit at Wrecker, who had your lightsaber and was slicing at the fruit as they came sailing towards him. They were playing Fruit Ninja with your lightsaber.

“You little liar,” you accused Crosshair, who smirked at you and chucked a large fruit at Wrecker, who sliced it with your lightsaber, laughing as he did.

“What? Are we not allowed to have a little fun?” the sniper asked, snark clear in his voice.

“Yes, but you cannot use my lightsaber for this kind of thing! Especially without asking me first!” You retorted.

Crosshair shrugged, still throwing fruit at Wrecker, who only now noticed that you and Hunter appeared. He froze, a fruit bouncing off his helmet, and said sheepishly, “oh, hey General.”

Letting out a deep, annoyed sigh, you pinched the bridge of your nose. “I swear, Echo and I are the only responsible ones on this team,” you muttered. Hunter gave you a brief annoyed look, paused, then looked away sheepishly, knowing he was just as much trouble as his brothers were.

“Fine, you can keep playing Fruit Ninja with my lightsaber. Just clean up afterwards, and don’t break my lightsaber,” you warned. Crosshair rolled his eyes but agreed with a grumble, and Wrecker gave a loud cheer.

“Yeah! Thanks, General!”

You turned and marched off, and heard Hunter trotting after you.

“Hey, sorry that Cross and Wreck took your lightsaber,” he apologized once he caught up with you.

“Don’t apologize for them, Sergeant. They’re adults, they should be able to do that themselves.”

“Yeah, good luck getting an apology out of Crosshair. Wrecker on the other hand… you’re his favorite nat-born. And that’s including General Skywalker, who let him blow up an entire warship.”

A smile tugged at your lips. “Aww, that’s actually sweet of him.”

“To be honest, you’re a favorite of all of us, including Crosshair.”

Now you were blushing, especially with how softly Hunter was looking at you.

“Thanks, Sergeant.”

Hunter stepped in front of you, causing you to stop. He gently grabbed your chin, and said with a soft, almost loving smile, which made your blush deepen.

“Call me Hunter. At least while we’re not on missions,” he insisted softly. “I think its about time we moved passed formalities.”

“As long as you do the same,” you countered. Hunter nodded, saying your name softly, and it sent chills up your spine at hearing him say your name in his deep, smoky voice.

You don’t know how long the two of you stood there, gazing at each other, when Hunter’s eyes dropped down to your lips, his thumb brushing lightly along the bottom of your lip. Your heart skipped a few beats, and Hunter noticed.

“May I?” He asked softly, shifting closer to you, so that your noses just brushed.

“Yes,” you breathed out, heart racing and Hunter closed the gap, his lips pressing softly against yours.

The kiss was brief, but it conveyed just how much love and yearning the two of you shared. When Hunter pulled away, you swallowed back a whine of disappointment.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” Hunter rasped, his eyes staring into yours, his pupils dilated.

“I could say the same thing, Hunter,” you replied, and Hunter had to close his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them again, he asked, “can I please kiss you again?”

“Please,” you replied, not even waiting for him to close the distance again, meeting him half-way as you both kissed again, this time for much, much, longer, and far deeper and much more passionately.

From that moment on, your relationship with your Sergeant changed for the better.

[ghostofskywalker]

May I please request something where the (gn preferably) reader breaks their glasses during a mission so tech makes them a pair of goggles like his?

anon this is actually the cutest idea ever and as someone whose eyesight is terrible without my contacts (i used to wear glasses but not as much anymore) i understand the struggle <3

words: 2,454

summary: when an accident on the marauder leaves you without your glasses for an unknown period of time, tech takes matters into his own hands and makes you a replacement pair of goggles that match his own.

clone troopers masterlist

Seeing Double

“Kriff!” you swore slightly louder than you originally wanted to, but in your defense, this situation warranted it.

“Everything okay?” Hunter’s voice echoed from the device on your wrist, and it was at that point that you realized you had apparently forgotten to mute yourself on the comms, so the entire squad had just heard your outburst.

“Yeah, just that my glasses broke,” you said, trying to find collect the pieces from the dashboard of the Marauder. Normally it wouldn’t be an issue, except for the fact that it was currently nighttime and you needed them to see where you were going.

“Can you still steer the ship?’ Echo’s voice came through the device next. “We’re going to need a pickup soon.”

You weren’t too confident about your abilities at this point, but you also couldn’t let the team down. “It’ll be fine for a little while, but once you get back someone else needs to handle the controls.”

“Alright, as long as you don’t need one of us to go back there now.”

That was the last thing you wanted, because you were still a new member of the team and you definitely didn’t want them to think you weren’t capable. “No, just let me know when and where you need to be picked up from.”

The communication device went silent not long after that, and you were left to sit down in the pilot’s seat and attempt to repair your glasses. The actual lenses themselves seemed to still be intact, but one of the supports that rested behind your ear had come off (due to the fact that they had fallen to the floor and you stepped on the one side before you realized what had happened). But there was one flaw when it came to attempting to appraise the damage, and that was the fact that when they weren’t on your face, you couldn’t see all that well.

You weren’t blind per se (they had let you into the GAR after looking at your eye charts and seeing the glasses you wore every day), but you certainly didn’t see the world in high resolution when you didn’t have the lenses on your face. You had previously considered those tiny clear things that you saw friends put into their eyes, that would completely negate the need for you to wear glasses, but at the same time the idea of putting your fingers too close to your eye was a little bit nerve wracking (you knew the process certainly wasn’t for the faint of heart).

And you hadn’t experienced any issues with your glasses interfering with your work so far, or at least, not until now. Clone Force 99 had accepted you with open arms (well, it had taken a while in the case of one particularly grumpy sniper) when you had been assigned to them. Your technical title was “medic,” although you were also well-versed in mechanics and was qualified enough to repair the ship if necessary. You sometimes wondered if that acceptance had something to do with the fact that one of the members of the squad also wore lenses of some kind on his face, and if was, you were grateful to Tech.

If asked, you would probably cite Tech as your favorite member of the squad, and it wasn’t just because of your shared facial accessory. Even if you didn’t know whether or not his goggles were prescription or he just simply wore them for convenience, the two of you got along fairly well, which was a surprise because you were essentially assigned to them to do some of Tech’s job. But even though others might have seen you as a threat, you and the squad’s resident genius worked well together.

Bringing your focus back to the situation at hand, you realized that there was going to be no way to reattach the arm of your glasses without some kind of bonding agent (due to the place that the material had fractured and split apart when you stepped on it), and you gently pulled them up to your face. They certainly drooped on the side that had no support, but you would be able to see well enough to fly the ship for a few minutes until someone else could take over.

And it was a good thing that you could see at all, because the batch radioed in just a few minutes later, sending you a set of coordinates and telling you to step on it because they had met some hostiles.

Getting in the air was the easy part, but a flying animal that came out of nowhere shocked you to the point where you had to stop short, and your glasses came flying off your head. There was nothing you could do but watch as they clattered down the dashboard of the ship and once again fell and skittered across the floor, so far out of your reach that you knew there was no chance you could recover them before you had to move again. Instead, you would be flying blind (in the literal sense of the expression).

You were sure that the rest of the squad could tell that something was up when they saw the ship arrive at the coordinates, flying slightly tilted and having stopped short before you extended the ramp for them to get in. “Can someone come up here and take the controls?” you called out.

No one answered, but soon footsteps approached the cockpit and you turned around to see Tech walking towards you with his helmet under his arm. You stood up to greet him, but right as you opened your mouth to speak, the sound of transparisteel breaking filled the space, and the two of you looked down in horror as Tech lifted up his boot slightly to reveal your glasses, now completely shattered beyond repair. “Oh my,” he said as he looked at the carnage on the floor. “I deeply apologize, I did not know that was there.”

“It’s okay,” you said, still in some form of shock, but you didn’t want to make Tech feel bad over something he couldn’t control. “It wasn’t your fault, we’ll just need to put in an order with the Republic for some new glasses the next time we reach out to them.”

“That may be quite a while,” Tech responded, having reached down to collect the bent and disfigured remains of the glasses frame off the floor. “I may be able to-”

“Tech,” you cut him off gently, and he looked up at you as you placed your hand on his shoulder. “It’s not a big deal, I’ll be able to survive without them for a little while.”

“Alright,” he said, standing up. “In the meantime, you should rest. The assignment was a success and I will fly the ship until we stop for fuel or the next mission objective comes in.”

You just nodded and headed off to the bunks. You knew that sometimes if you went for a while without your glasses it could lead to headaches as your eyes strained to perform their usual function, so you wanted to avoid that as much as you possibly could (especially if you weren’t going to get new ones for a while). And as you drifted off to sleep to the sound of Gonky moving across the ship in the background, you really hoped that you’d be able to contact the Republic soon.

***

As he watched you leave the room, Tech couldn’t help but feel bad. You had assured him that none of this was his fault and that you weren’t angry at him, but he also knew how stressful it was to be living a life without corrective lenses when your eyesight was not that good. He had seen your glasses before and guessed that your level of nearsightedness was similar to his, and he would never want to spend any amount of time without his goggles, let alone an uncertain and extended period of it. He cleaned the small pile of debris off the floor and placed them in a small container once the ship had entered hyperspace, and for a while he just watched the blue streaks pass him by.

And it was as he watched out through the windshield of the ship that he had an idea.

His goggles were a thing of his own creation, and sometimes different parts needed replacing. Because of that, he had began keeping a small box of parts and pieces on the ship, with enough to make at least two other sets (just in case his primary pair was ruined beyond repair). If your prescription was similar to his, you might be able to wear a matching pair of goggles for a while, or at least until they could contact the Republic and order new glasses for you.

Right as he got up from the pilot’s seat, Hunter stepped into the cockpit. “Oh good, I was just about to call for you,” Tech said. “Can you watch the ship for a little while? I have something urgent to attend to.”

Hunter just nodded, and Tech was thankful that his brother didn’t ask too many questions so he couldn’t be slowed down. He wanted to have them ready for you by the time he next saw you, this way you didn’t have to go too long without any kind of visual aid.

He found the box of parts under his bunk, and after checking to make sure you were asleep in yours, he got to work, pulling the curtain around his cot to keep some privacy about what he was doing.

The shattered pieces of your original lenses turned out to be of some use to him, because he was able to calibrate the goggles to perfectly match your needs. It was much easier than he originally thought it might be, and by the time he could hear movement from outside his bunk, he was just putting the finishing touches on the goggles.

Wondering whether it was you or Wrecker that had woken up, he poked his head out to see you yawn and stretch. Quietly calling your name as to not startle you, Tech got out of bed and beckoned at you to follow him. “Is everything okay?” you asked, blinking as a brighter part of the ship came into view, and Tech quickly moved the hand that was holding the goggles behind his back so you couldn’t see what they were.

“I still feel terrible about your glasses,” he said. You opened your mouth (no doubt to reassure him that it wasn’t his fault), but he held up one of his hands to stop you and the other with the pair of newly constructed goggles in it. “And since I know the repercussions of spending extended periods of time without them, I made you something. I apologize if it is not a style you like, but I only had the materials to reconstruct my goggles and I figured it was better than nothing.”

You were silent as you took the goggles from his outstretched hand, but from the smile on your face, Tech knew that you weren’t spurning his gift. “Thank you,” you eventually said as you placed them on your face. “I love them.”

“I was able to use my scanner to match and calibrate this pair to the same level of magnification as your glasses,” he said.

You nodded, looking around the ship. “Thank you so much Tech. I really can’t believe you would do something like this, I’m so grateful.”

Tech went to respond, but you pulled him into a hug before he could get any words out. “You are very welcome,” he eventually managed to say.

“If you ever need anything from me,” you said. “Please don’t hesitate-”

He cut you off before you could finish your sentence. “I don’t want you to think that you are somehow in debt to me,” he said. “I did this because I wanted to help you, not because I wanted to gain something.”

For a fleeting moment, you looked like you were going to cry, and Tech’s eyes widened as you leaned in to place a kiss on his cheek, your goggles knocking slightly against his. “I know,” you said. “But still, I want to thank you somehow. Maybe if we can get away from your brothers, I can take you out to dinner the next time we’re on Coruscant?”

“Are you asking me out on a date?” Those words were accompanied by a surprised (and hopeful) expression. He had of course taken you in as a member of the team, but it had recently been more apparent to him that how he felt about you was different than how he felt towards other people. He had always hoped that you felt the same way, but was never sure how to broach the topic.

“Yes,” you said, a smile on your face. “Are you accepting?”

“Yes.”

Tech stared at you for a moment, and you stared right back. He started to lean in, and you mirrored his movements. He was just finishing up calculations on how to best kiss you without bumping either set of goggles when he heard footsteps approaching, and he instinctively pulled back.

You apparently had the same idea, and the two of you turned in shock to stare at Hunter, who had just stepped out of the cockpit and had an exasperated look on his face. Whatever hope Tech had of keeping this new relationship development a secret was now completely dead, because with Hunter’s enhanced hearing he must have been able to hear everything before this moment.

And with the two of you wearing both matching expressions and goggles, it must have been a sight to behold for his brother. Hunter opened his mouth, but then closed it before taking a breath. “I’m going to take a nap,” is what he eventually settled on. “Can you two watch the cockpit?”

Tech was halfway through a confirmation of Hunter’s request before his brother had walked completely past them to disappear in the direction of the bunks, and right as he disappeared you quickly leaned in to place a soft (and far too quick, in his opinion) kiss on Tech’s lips.

The cockpit offered a better view anyway, and although it wasn’t completely shielded from his brothers, it was much more private than just standing in the middle of the ship. They didn’t have a lot of time before everyone else woke up and their little secret spread like wildfire through the ship, and Tech wanted to make the most of the peace and quiet.

- the end -

i no longer have a taglist! if you're interested in being notified when i post, you can follow my library blog @ghostofskywalker-library and turn on notifications!

[sailorkamino]

you can sit with us

wildflower masterlist

relationships: twi'lek!jedi!reader x bad batch, background reader x plo koon & 104th battalion [gn, can be platonic or romantic]

summary: you're knight aola, a jedi with an abnormally strong connection to the living force and commander of the 104th. a reassigment leads you to kamino where you meet some equally unique (and chaotic) men, clone force 99.

word count: 1.6k

warnings: no use of y/n (reader will be called commander aola or smth flower related), proective!wolffe, shinies are in love with you, one mention of slavery, set 1 yr into clone wars so no echo yet

ryl translations: aola - flower

mando'a translations: Gar copad at jorhaa'ir laam, vod - you want to speak up, bro?

gif found on pinterest! credits to owner

When Yoda suggests getting your own special forces unit after your knighting you know you had to meet them before making any decisions.

You decide to go to Kamino rather than have them come to Coruscant, that way you can train together. Besides, you like to visit Kamino between assignments when you have time. Shaak says it’s good for the clones’ morale… mainly because they start showing off as soon as you enter the room. Plus the employees are on their best behavior when they have an audience.

That’s how you find yourself a few days later in a large mess hall. You can feel hundreds of brown eyes on you as you hold your tray. Beside you Wolffe glares at as many of them as possible. Your co-commander had brought you to the ocean planet to meet your new squad and ship, he only needed to drop you off but he seemed determined to stay as long as possible.

You assume it has to do with the young shinie’s who keep ogling you. A few have already approached you in the hallways on the way here but Wolffe took it upon himself to scare them away.

It's not hard to spot clone force 99 amongst the sea of identical haircuts. Like all vode they're completley unique in the force: from deep browns, to vibrant pinks, to dusty yellows, to blood reds. Oddly enough no one else is sitting with them. You lean towards Wolffe's ear as you get closer to the table. “Play nice.”

“I’m always nice.”

You hold back a snort at his deadpan tone. You pull your lips into a polite smile as you come to a stop. “Is this seat taken?”

Instead of a verbal response the four clones gawk at you. The pricking of jealous stares from all around the mess hall make your lekku twitch but you don’t let any discomfort show on your face. You once again remind yourself these men have very limited experience with nat borns.

“Yeah, of course, general!” The big one answers. He hastily makes room on the bench, almost shoving his grey haired brother to the floor in the process.

You hold back a laugh as you sit beside him yet the new title rings in yours ears. You never wanted to be a solider in the first place and now you're a general? You do your best to release your feelings to the force before introducing yourself.

Wolffe still hasn’t spoken. You subtly kick his boot under the table. “Commander Wolffe. He/him."

“You want to sit with us?” The goggled one asks with a cocked head, reminding you of a curious purgil. Ah, he must be Tech. “I do,” you respond confidently. Although you’re a bit confused they don’t know who you are, weren’t they briefed on their new officer? They probably weren’t shown a holo of you though. Well, this should be fun.

Your response seems to break the long haired clone out of his stupor. “I’m Sergeant Hunter. This is Wrecker, Crosshair, and Tech. We're all he/him."

You note it will be easy to remember who specializes in what. You can sense the batch glancing at Wolffe’s cybernetic eye and you know he can too. They haven’t been deployed yet so it’s most likely the worst injury they’ve ever seen. Without looking up from his food the commander simply says: “lightsaber.”

The clones around you not so subtly glance to the two sabers at your waist. You slap his armored shoulder indignantly. “You can’t just say lightsaber, it looks like I did it!” You look at the curious shinies around you, tilting your head in Wolffe’s direction, “that would be courtesy of Dooku’s apprentice, Ventrass. But I think it just adds to his roguishly handsome vibe.”

Wolffe scowls but his cheeks flush at the compliment. You were there for every step of his recovery and since then you had taken it upon yourself to be his personal hype man. Plus seeing the stiff commander flustered is just too entertaining to pass up.

“Is their name really Ventrass?” Tech asks curiously.

“No, it’s Ventress, but she’s a real ass. Hence the name.”

You look down at your tray as they process the new info. “Ugh, this food should be considered a war crime. Remind me to never complain about the temple’s cafeteria again.” Wolffe doesn’t react, long used to your non sequiturs. The other clones share bewildered looks.

"As soon as I take you boys off world I’m getting you real food.” You add for good measure. Now you can literally feel the confusion radiating off of them.

"What do you mean 'off world’?” Hunter asks.

You look at him curiously. Okay maybe they don’t know they’re getting a new officer at all. “Wait, you guys haven’t talked to master Ti yet?”

“No, we haven’t.”

“Oh, well that explains your confusion. We’re gonna be working together.”

Hunter and Tech’s eyes widen comically. Crosshair squints suspiciously. Wrecker chokes on his mystery meat. You pat his large back to help it pass, wordlessly handing him some juice. “Sorry boys, it was kind of a last minute assignment but I was hoping you’ve been briefed.”

A stunned silence follows that quickly becomes awkward. You clasp your hands in front of you, “well that’s alright! After you eat we can run a sim together!”

Your comm pings. You've never been so greatful for a distracion because clone force 99 is still gawking at you. Then you see the sender and any gratitude drains from your body. You roll your eyes without realizing it (a habit you picked up from your co-commander.)

"How do I diplomatically tell Tuan We to kriff off?” You ask said clone.

Wolffe's lips twitch up, which is his version of laughing. “Negotians are your department, sir.”

“You don’t like ‘em either?” Wrecker asks, wonder in his voice.

You lean towards him with a conspiratorial whisper. “Jedi aren’t supposed to be vengeful but between us I’m about one interaction away from drop kicking the prime minister.” Pride feels your chest at the shocked laughs you recieve. Even Crosshair and Wolffe are unable to hide their amusement.

Another alert from your comm has you prepared to cut it in half with one of your saber's but then you see the sender: Master Shaak Ti! You have always been quite close to the togruta who brought you to the jedi order (and subsequently saved you from a life of slavery.) You haven’t got to see her in person in forever. She must’ve been pretty busy lately if she wasn’t able to brief your new unit on your arrival.

You look at the table of clones with a cocky grin. “Hey, have you boys ever seen a lightsaber duel?”

You pointedly ignore Wolffe’s eye roll. You’re convinced his cybernetic eye is gonna get stuck in that position one day.

💀

Shaak Ti happens to be a master of makashi, aka the form both Dooku and Ventress prefer. That’s why neither of you are trying to end the duel by winning. It’s more of a studying opportunity. Especially considering you have a nasty habit of pissing off sith. To be fair what was Master Plo expecting when he asked Obi-Wan to teach you about negotiation?

You flip to avoid a graceful lunge from the general. Her violet eyes shine with pride. “Your ataru has greatly improved, young one.”

The slightly breathless praise has you grinning, feeling like an eager youngling again. You skillfully dodge her green blade, “am I tiring you out, master?”

She tries to appear disapproving but you can feel her amusement. “A jedi should be humble.”

You beam at her through the clash of your sabers. “I’ll have you know humility is one of my best traits.”

A beeping goes off from Tech’s datapad, alerting the end of your allotted sparring time. You come to a halt. The adrenaline of a good duel leaves you both glowing softly in the force.

“Woah! That was awesome!”

The bellowing voice makes you grin. “Thank you, Wrecker."

You power down one of your lightsabers, clipping it back to your hip. You extend your now free hand as you call your water bottle into it. Shaak Ti bows, bidding goodbyes to you and the clones before making her leave.

“What is ataru?” Tech asks, fingers stilled above his datapad screen.

You take a few gulps before answering. “Form four of lightsaber combat. It’s known as the aggressive form but really it’s more acrobatic than anything.”

Wolffe mumbles something along the lines of ‘show off.’ You aren’t surprised. He’s never been a fan of ataru. He thinks all the flips are impractical. “Gar copad at jorhaa'ir laam, vod?” You tease. Your eyes flick to the bad batch, noting their confusion in the force. “Do you speak Mando’a?” You ask and immediately regret it. You didn’t mean to put them on the spot.

“Some. Tech knows the most,” Hunter answers gruffly. His tone makes you think there’s a deeper meaning to them not knowing the language. You and Wolffe share a curious look but neither of you say anything. “Well I just told him to speak up,” you translate a bit awkwardly. You don't want them to feel excluded.

“How many lightsaber forms are there?” Tech suddenly asks.

You shoot the genius a thankful look for breaking the tension. “Seven. I can show you if you’re interested?”

“That would be fascinating!”

You’re starting to really like Tech’s enthusiasm. You glance at his brothers. They don’t necessarily feel bored but they aren’t as excited as Tech. “You boys don’t have to stay for this if you don’t want to.”

“Are you gonna do more tricks?” Wrecker asks. You can’t help but chuckle. Despite his size he reminds you of the younglings back at the temple. You miss them.

“I am.”

“Then I’ll stay!”

Crosshair tries to seem uninterested. “I don’t have any other plans,” he simpers. You can tell bonding with this vod won’t be easy but you’ve always liked a challenge. You look at Hunter expectantly since he has yet to speak up. “Sounds interesting," he shrugs.

“Great. Tech, you can record this if you like.” He flashes a small, grateful smile as he clicks away on his pad. You leave your shoto by your waist, igniting your regular saber as you fall into a familiar stance. “The first form is the most basic, shii-cho…”

As you move through katas you know you’ve found your answer for Master Yoda.

[nahoney22]

Heyyyyy love, I absolutely love everything you write. I have an itty bitty request!

Would you be able to write a cute fluffy fic with a plus sized female reader with tech with just a touch of spice to it?

You could also make it fun and do one for all the batch members?

Please and thank you if you can!! 🥰🥰

*fun fact - I made that tech edit many moons ago so I’m happy to see it still be used! 🥰🥹*

Embracing the Curves***

All Bad Batch Boys X F!Reader

warnings: Mild NSFW, suggestive themes, plus sized female reader, confident reader (we’re all beautiful plus size or not!), mentions of a busty reader in some parts. Tech and Hunters parts are with an established relationship, others are not.

Authors note: decided to do small one shots for each of them in this post, write more for Tech and Echo because… it’s them ♥️ hope that’s okay with you @clonehoe- sorry for the wait !!!

Masterlist

Tech

Tech was watching you work with great interest, proud of the progress you had made in learning all the tips and tricks necessary for ship repairs. As he observed you beneath the control panel, clad in a snug tank top and form-fitting black pants that accentuated your every curve, he couldn't help but feel his heart rate skyrocket.

"Has the light come on yet?" you asked, your voice slightly muffled by the spanner between your teeth as you glanced up at him for assistance. The ship was scorching hot and it didn’t help that you were settled on a planet that had two suns to add to the heat. The heat system has always been faulty and despite you telling Tech you wanted to focus on fixing that, he was set in you fixing the hyperdrive first.

"Not yet. Try rotating the wiring counterclockwise. That should do the trick," he replied, his voice strained as he watched you work under his guidance. "There it is..." he murmured, his gaze darting to the lights above the control panel as you worked to fix the hyperdrive. "Good girl," he added, his endearment causing a flurry of excitement in your stomach.

Despite the nickname making you momentarily lose your concentration and hit your head against the side of the panel, you managed to remain focused on the task at hand. "Is it working now?" you asked, seeking confirmation with a smile as you wiped sweat from your forehead with the back of your hand.

"Yes, I have to say, I'm very impressed with your skills," he said, helping you out from under the control panel until you plopped down in a nearby seat to catch your breath.

"Yeah?" you asked, seeking reassurance.

"Absolutely," he replied, though his eyes were preoccupied with the alluring contours of your physique. "Perfect," he added, struggling to meet your gaze.

You couldn't help but smirk as you watched Tech struggle to keep his composure under your teasing gaze. Folding your arms over your chest, you subtly pushed your bust up to enhance your assets, causing Tech to wipe the steam that had suddenly formed on his goggles.

"Anything in particular that you're impressed with?" you asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"W-well, it's hard not to be entranced by you looking the way you do while working under my command," he stammered, sitting up straight and tucking away his data pad. "I've adored your appearance since the first day we met, and seeing you all - forgive me - sweaty and wearing tight clothes is quite a fever dream," he added, his words causing a blush to rise on his cheeks.

You stood up slowly and took a couple of steps towards Tech, tilting his chin up to meet your gaze. "That's very sweet of you to say, Tech," you replied, your voice dripping with false innocence and a hint of teasing. "I am feeling a little sweaty though. Perhaps a shower would cool me down," you hinted, hoping he would pick up on your not-so-subtle suggestion.

Tech stood up abruptly, his hands flying to your waist and his fingers digging into your fleshy skin. "Perhaps since you helped me repair my ship, I could help you get freshened up," he offered, his lips trailing down your neck and over your chest despite the sweat that covered your skin.

"Eager, are we?" you asked, wrapping your arms around the back of his neck and suppressing a sweet sigh.

"Very much so," Tech groaned, holding you as close as possible. The two of you were rarely alone on the overcrowded ship, and with his brothers gone on a mission, Tech wasn't about to waste the opportunity to map out your whole body with his tongue.

Echo

"Trooper, what appears to be the issue?" Your entrance into the medbay had Echo stunned, his eyes locked onto your stunning, curvaceous figure and beautiful eyes.

He found himself gaping, struggling to find his words as he wished he had accepted help from the medical droid instead of being left in this state of awe.

"Trooper?"

Apologising for his silence, Echo managed to inform you of his injury to his femur that he sustained during a mission that had left him more grumpy than usual but your soft smile and calm presence helped to ease his nerves. Though, he was a little preoccupied on how your uniform was snug but not to the point it looked bad. It look really good.

He always took himself for a gentleman but as he gapes at you with hungry eyes, it was hard not to get enthralled by you.

You sat down next to him with a datapad, ready to take notes. "Can you tell me how this happened?" you asked with a soft smile.

Echo explained that he sustained the injury during a mission when heavy debris fell on him. You expressed sympathy and asked, "Are you in any pain, sweetie?" You were surprised by the endearment that slipped out of your mouth, although neither of you mentioned it. Then again, you did think he was much cuter than any other clone he had seen.

"Just a little, not as much as before," Echo replies steadily, hoping his blushing cheeks aren't too noticeable.

"I see. Have you been taking any medication for it?"

“No ma’am,”

You nod in understanding and stand to your feet again, placing your device to the side and slide on a pair of gloves. “Do I have permission to touch your leg to feel for any breaks?”

“Yes please.”

You both blink at one another and the quick realisation of what Echo just said sunk in fast but, you were blushing which was a good sign… wasn’t it?

“I mean, uh, do what you have to do ma’am.” He clears his throat, keeping his eyes diverted away from you but you could only smile at him in return and proceed to gently caress his thigh.

“Does it hurt here?” You ask, adding gentle pressure.

“No,” He says through gritted teeth, absolutely loving the touch of your hands on him - even if you were a stranger and even if it was simply your job.

“And here?” You ask again, applying pressure to a different area and as he winced in pain, your question was answered.

After a few more assessments, you highlighted that his femur isn’t fractured, only bruised and should heal naturally on its own. As you give the diagnosis, it went through one ear and out the other because again, his eyes being to wander and land on your hips as you turn away but caught him looking as you turn back to him.

You place your hands to your hips and smirk, “See something you like, Trooper?”

Echo’s eyes widened and he mumbled a thousand apologies at once, stumbling off the bed and thanking you for the help. You had a inkling that you may be seeing him again sometime. Well, you hoped so.

Hunter

Watching you work out was one of Hunter's favourite pastimes. The day was sweltering, and you naturally dressed in less clothing than usual for your workouts.

"Can I join you?" Hunter approaches you with a grin, sporting nothing but shorts that accentuated his tanned and toned body in the sunlight.

Finding yourself gaping in awe at his body too, you can only smirk back, slipping into a fighting stance and recalling every technique that Hunter had taught you. "How could I say no to you?" You ask and as you move, sweat drips from your body, enhancing your already alluring figure and heightening Hunter's senses.

"Good form," he compliments, stepping closer to you. His tone hints at his admiration for not only your workout performance but also your physique.

"Oh really?" You turn your head to glance at him, your eyes twinkling with amusement. "Why don't you demonstrate some other stances for me?"

Hunter relishes in the playful tone of your voice and steps up behind you, placing his hands tenderly on your hips, which he always yearns to touch. "Angle your body to the left and add a bounce to your knees," he instructs, guiding you through the movement. Though he knows you are capable of executing the exercise on your own, he can't resist the opportunity to have his hands on you.

You follow his directions but find yourself a little distracted by his touch. Even with his heightened senses, it feels as though Hunter is transferring his energy to you as his fingers caress the curves of your hips, trailing down to your thighs and back up to your arse, sending shivers down your spine. “Hunter…” you find yourself moaning his name, earning a low chuckle.

“Don’t get distracted by me,” he breathes down the nape of your neck but with his bare torso against your back and his hands roaming your body, it was so hard not to.

Wrecker

Wrecker had always admired your body, but it was your thighs that truly captivated him. At first, he was drawn in by your beauty, and it took some time for him to realize the full extent of his fascination. It wasn't until he saw you wearing shorts to bed one night that he truly understood the power of your curvy legs.

Now, as you lay on your cot reading a holobook, legs propped up in the air, Wrecker found himself once again unable to tear his gaze away from your thighs. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice you watching him until you decide to speak up.

"May I make you an offer, Wrecker?" You asked, and he nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of your voice. He cleared his throat and tried to act casual as he responded.

"Sure, what is it?"

"If you promise to stop staring at my legs all the time, I'll let you come over and give them a massage," you smirk, lowering your holobook to look him in the eye. Wrecker felt his face flush with embarrassment. Had it been so obvious that he couldn't take his eyes off you?

He started to stammer out an apology, but you cut him off with a wave of her hand and a soft smile.

"I don't mind," you say, sitting up until you’re sitting on your legs and teasingly entice him over by beckoning him with your finger. “I like to think they’re my best assets,” you comment, patting your legs that made them subtly jiggle which almost made him drop his helmet he was cleaning.

“Well, they are pretty.” He stands and comes closer until he sits on the edge of your bed watching you shift from your current position to you sat with them laid out. “Did ya mean your offer?” He asks, fingers twitching to reach out and touch your skin.

“I did,” you smirk, “go ahead.”

His hands come down to your thighs, large and rough yet gentle as he caresses your skin. He watches you for your reaction and as you tilt your head back and sigh in satisfaction, he knew he made the right choice in accepting your offer.

Crosshair

Crosshair watched as you struggled to hit the bottles he had set up as targets. He shook his head in disapproval and clicked his tongue, his new found admiration for you mingling with his frustration at your poor performance. But, he couldn’t help but also admire the view of you.

"You're doing it all wrong," he chided from the sidelines. To which, you let out a heavy sigh and nearly threw the rifle to the ground in frustration.

"I'm standing exactly where you told me to," you huffed, earning an eye roll from Crosshair. He approaches you, a small smirk on his lips as he positioned himself behind you.

"No, you're not," he teased, but he softened his tone as he sensed your frustration growing. "Stand here," he instructed, pointing to a spot next to him.

Reluctantly, you obeyed, standing close to him as he instructed you to raise the rifle and relax your shoulders. Crosshair watched you with his sharp eyes, feeling a sense of power as he towered over you.

"Okay, now what?" You asked, breath steady as you glanced back at him. You couldn't help but feel weak in the knees whenever he looked at you like that. He always had a hold over you, and him being so close to you now didn't help.

"Don't look at me, look at the target," he commanded. His voice, which usually dripped with venom, was surprisingly soft and alluring.

Turning away, you let out a small and surprised gasp as his hands come to your waist but to your surprise, he let out a small gasp himself.

“Wow princess,” he cooed, his fingers melting against the curve of your body, “I always knew you had a beautiful body but to touch it… stunning.” He breathes down your neck.

Your eyes widened at his words but you succumbed quickly to his touch, your back pressed against his chest as his hands begin to roam your body. “Y-you like my body?” You question with a hint of insecurity but your question is answered as he finally places his lips to your neck.

“I love,” he sighs, caressing your body from over your clothes, “every inch.”

You end up dropping his weapon eventually, it clanging to the floor with a thud and as you go to apologise, he spins you to face him, close and dominant. “Screw it,” he grunts, devouring your lips with his own.

That was enough teaching for one day…

Masterlist

My Kofi

Tags: @nunanuggets @andyoufollowyourheart @littlefeatherr @kaitou2417 @eyecandyeoz @captxin-rex @cwarssimp @jesseeka @ashotofspotchka @oohyesplease @megafrost4 @theroguesully @equalityforcats @mustluvecho @misogirl828 @ladykatakuri @jambolska-grozdova @chxpsi @arctrooper69 @padawancat97 @rain-on-kamino @either-madness-or-brilliance @staycalmandhugaclone @ko-neko-san @echos-girlfriend @fiveshelmet @dangraccoon @plushymiku-blog @chrissywakingup @kixs-husband @pb-jellybeans @tech-aficionado @grizabellasolo @therealnekomari @tech-depression-inventory @brynhildrmimi @greaser-wolf @tinyreadersmur @seriowan @agenteliix @kaminocasey @marvel-starwars-nerd @ladytano420 @imalovernotahater @swiftiexstarwarssimp @the-good-shittt @whore4rex @imperialclaw801 @temple-elder @erellenora

[i-miss-summertime]

What's your Ianthony Orville Peck song analysis!? And I'd be interested in any other Ianthony song analysis pieces you want to share too!

anon, i love you for enabling me <3

The song I'm obsessing over for them specifically is "How Far Will We Take It" by Orville Peck and Noah Cyrus and the lyrics are so perfect for their time apart and early reunion (beautiful song as well btw, the production is great if anyone wants to listen lol)

This verse feels based in Ian's perspective in the between years. Continuously waking up and showing up to this business that started from this crazy thing he and Anthony both created and shared.

Then the second part where it feels like it speaks to his perseverance of being able to step up with Defy shut down and became president of Smosh. Anthony and other cast continuously mention how it couldn't have survived without Ian leading the ship and by the time Anthony came around again, it was still succeeding with Ian's hard work.

Second verse feels more like Anthony coming back. As much as he loves Smosh as well, what brought him back was his love to create with Ian. It's rooted in their friendship and being able to be with Ian again feels like a major aspect of what Anthony came back for. And also the visual of Ian welcoming him back and closing the door behind him like "you're here and we're in this together for the long haul" as they literally bought a company together (still baffling if I think about it long enough lol)

Also "felt the fire but couldn't see the flames" reads to me like Anthony feeling the anger and sadness of the last years at Smosh but not able to understand his negative emotions were aimed at Defy and not Smosh/Ian until later. Like feeling the pain but not able to identify the real source.

This part of the chorus and the line "I know that you felt the same" though! Even if Ian was more resistant to talk about their feelings during the NYC trip ("cause I've been waiting, don't wanna face it", they both felt things weren't the same and they weren't as close of friends. Neither of them could break through to each other in the state they were in being overworked, unhappy, and not having the chance to grow more as people.

"We're all alone now, how far will we take it?" like they had to have time separate and see how to succeed on their own. And they both did a really good job at it! They were both able to find ways to step up and push themselves as independent creatives without being Ian-and-Anthony. But even then, still not getting the real chance to find someone who could match their energy in their comedy writing and the pure history they have with one another as childhood friends ("No getting used to living without you"). They were still soul tired, even if they were doing well, they still felt the desire to be with each other regardless of a brand or company.

Now this last variation on the chorus kills me cuz it feels like early reunion to the max, I love it!

"I tried to love you" like shipper goggles aside, its very hard for men to be able to express love for their friends and it's clearly still not natural to them but they're trying! The I love you during Anthony's funeral? Clearly a bit awkward to get out but still he said he loved his friend!

"Cause I've been waiting, don't wanna waste it/ We're all alone now how far will we take it?"

This fully reads as them going independent from Mythical after buying back Smosh. They don't want to waste it, they know they want to do this as long as they possibly can and are working so hard for Smosh to succeed together.

They're alone but now they're alone together, Ian and Anthony at the helm of the ship again, now they're seeing how far they can take it :')