justaparsec94

[justaparsec94]

The ol’ CT-number trick, gets em every time.

Saw a skit of an actual EMT re-enacting a call similar to this and immediately knew this scenario was made for Fives and Kix!

[justaparsec94]

Three Words

Summary: You and Tech spend some alone time together and some words are said. Requested by Anonymous, written for the prompts: Accidental I Love You's During Sex and Nuzzling The Others Neck and Breathing In Their Scent.

Pairing: Tech x fem!reader

Word Count: 6,399

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, Explicit

Authors Note: Finishing off the February Fluff Requests with a Tech-is-alive-and-gets-the-happy-ending-he-deserved-AU. I hope this one turned out ok, Tech might just be the clone I find hardest to write! Thank you so much to everyone who sent in a request during February! I had so much fun writing all of them and I hope you enjoyed reading :)

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A happy sigh escaped you as you stretched, your joints popping, a satisfying pull in your muscles as you moved. You smiled softly to yourself, revelling in the feeling of the sun warming your still-wet skin for your earlier swim in the ocean. The rock beneath you was hot from the mid-afternoon sun, soothing the mild soreness in your muscles. You kept your eyes closed as you bathed in the sunlight, listening to the soft sounds of the ocean waves and the nearby laughter of Omega and Lyana as they played in the surf. 

Another gentle sigh escaped you as the feeling of complete contentedness washed over you. After years of fighting and being on the run life on Pabu was something straight out of a dream. It was still hard for you to believe that such a peaceful and beautiful place existed, especially when it seemed like the rest of the galaxy had fallen to terror and ruin. There were still times when the fear that The Empire would return would creep back in, but on afternoons like this one, it was easier to push those thoughts from your mind. You were fairly certain that you could spend the rest of your life on this particular rock and be happy. The gentle breeze, the warm sun, the feeling of the salt water drying against your skin, it was all very quickly lulling you into a state somewhere between sleep and wake. 

You were moments away from sleep when a shadow suddenly cast across your face, darkening your vision and causing you to frown. There hadn’t been a single cloud in the sky when you had laid down so the sudden interruption was unusual. Reluctantly, you peeped one eye open to look for the source of the disturbance. The disturbance, it turned out, was a welcome one and took the form of a tall, handsome clone. Your frown instantly vanished, replaced with a soft smile, both eyes opening as you gazed up at Tech. One of the very few people who could disturb you from a sunshine nap without consequences. He was still a few feet away but his height had effectively cast a shadow on most of your upper body. You peeled yourself up from the rock slightly, resting on your elbows as you took in the sight of him. 

“Hi,” You greeted softly, your heart rate picking up at the sight of him, just as it always did. 

His goggled gaze was intense as he took another few steps closer to you. His eyes trailing over the lines of your body left fire in their wake and you felt your face heat at the attention. You were wearing your usual swimming attire: a pair of repurposed athletic shorts and a bandeau bra, which he’d seen before but judging by the soft flush on his face it was having some sort of effect on him today.  You took a moment to look at him in return, life on Pabu had been kind to him, his skin glowed with a deep warm tan from days spent out in the sun, and his hair was longer than you’d ever seen it, still short but beginning to curl at the ends, and the simple shirt and pants he wore highlighted just how lean and fit he was. Your face flushed further as your heart seemed to stutter in your chest. Some days it was still hard for you to believe how lucky you were to still have him in your life. 

After a long moment, he cleared his throat, shaking his head lightly before taking another step towards you, “I-I am in need of your assistance.” 

You sat up fully, frowning slightly as worry suddenly bubbled up inside of you. Your eyes scanned him closely, he didn’t look unwell. In fact, he looked the exact opposite but you were concerned nonetheless, “Are you ok?”

“Oh,” Tech replied, sounding somewhat startled by your question, “Yes, I - of course. Nothing is the matter.” 

You weren’t entirely convinced but you accepted the hand he had outstretched to you without complaint. It had taken Tech the better part of a year to recover from the injuries he sustained on Eriadu, and even still there were some residuals. Stiffness in the way he carried himself, an occasional stutter or jumbled word, lapses in a once flawless memory, and a near-complete loss of verbal filter. He was still irrevocably Tech though, still the man you loved with every single piece of your heart. 

“Are you sure?” You asked again as you watched him stoop down to retrieve the loose linen shirt you had worn as a cover-up down to the beach that morning. 

Even before he’d been injured he had always downplayed when something was wrong and that had not changed. Perhaps you were overly cautious, a likely byproduct of watching him be on the brink of death for weeks, but you also knew he didn’t want to worry anyone else when something was bothering him. If anything, that reluctance had only gotten worse since his injury. So you continued to ask, at the very least to soothe your own worries. 

There was a gentle smile on his face when he straightened back up. He had looked somewhat nervous when he’d first approached you, but now all traces of that were gone,  “I am certain. I am currently functioning at an optimal performance level.” 

You chuckled softly at his words as he held out your shirt, gesturing for you to lift your arms. With a smile you slipped in, face continuing to flush as he helped you re-dress. Your skin tingled as his warm hands brushed against your thighs as he straightened out your hem. You smiled up at him as his one hand moved around the small of your back, bringing you in closer to him with a gentle nudge of his hand, the other lifted to brush a stray strand of hair back from your face. Your skin tingled at the contact and you could feel the beginnings of desire starting to pool in your stomach despite the innocent nature of his touch. 

“I am sorry to have disturbed you, you looked very peaceful,” He said softly, his gaze was warm as he traced the lines of your face. 

Your smile widened as you shook your head gently, “You’re never a disturbance, Tech.” 

He soft chuckle escaped him, one corner of his mouth crooking up in a slight grin, “Well, apologies nonetheless.”  

Before you could say anything else he turned his head to look at where his sister and her friend were still splashing about near the shore. 

“Lyana, Omega!” Tech called out to them, “Shep would like you up at his domicile within a standard half hour. He requires your assistance with a task.”

“You got it Tech!” Omega called, throwing a quick thumbs up at him before turning her attention back to Lyana. The three of you often spent your free afternoons either down by the beach or out on a boat. You all loved the water, the clones on the other hand were more reluctant. It seemed a lifetime of living in rainy conditions had made them slightly hydrophobic. 

You turned your attention back to Tech, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow, “It seems like everybody needs assistance today…” 

“It would seem so,” He replied casually, but the way he avoided your gaze had you feeling both amused and suspicious. Usually, Tech was incredibly upfront and to the point about everything, so his vague request for your assistance was unusual. Your eyes narrowed as you looked at him, a question on the tip of your tongue but before you could ask he was speaking again. 

“I will explain once we are home,” He said as he grasped your hand in his own, “Come, cyar’ika.”

You flushed at the term, squeezing his hand tighter and following along behind him willingly as he turned and headed towards the stairs leading up to the top of the island. 

The walk up to the home you shared with the rest of The Bad Batch was peaceful, occasionally the two of you would stop to say hello to a familiar face but for the most part, you went undisturbed. Every once and a while Tech would look over at you, a flush high up on his cheekbones and such warmth in his eyes that you found your curiosity growing by the moment. You gave yourself a mental pat on the back for refraining from asking any more questions as you reached the door of your small home. 

You paused as soon as you passed through the threshold, noticing immediately how quiet it was. Usually, there was one if not multiple people in the house at one time. You knew exactly where Omega was but at this time of day, the absence of his brothers was out of the ordinary. You wracked your brain, trying to remember if they’d mentioned their plans when you’d all sat down for breakfast that morning but you were drawing a blank.

“Where is everyone?” You asked as you shut the door behind you. 

Tech turned around to face you, the same, almost mischievous smile from earlier still on his face, “Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair are currently out helping harvest crustacean traps. They will be gone until this evening.” 

“Oh,” You responded automatically before the reality of his statement sunk in. You were alone. And in a small house with 6 people living in it, alone time was very hard to come by, “Oh.”

Tech chuckled, reeling you closer until your body was pressed up against his own, "Our time alone has been insufficient as of late. I thought perhaps we could spend the afternoon together.”   

You chuckled, shaking your head fondly at the secrecy he had been maintaining the entire walk, “You could have just told me that.” 

Tech smiled, his face flushing even more, “I believed the surprise would be more… romantic.”  

“I suppose you are correct,” You replied with a quick laugh before you were standing up on your tip-toes, pressing a kiss to his lips. He lifted his hands to cup your jaw, head tilting down as he hummed against your lips. He was so warm and solid against you that your body immediately ached at the simplest of touches. 

He pulled away after a moment with a sigh, one hand trailing down to grasp your own once more. He gave your hand another gentle tug before he turned, heading towards the stairs that led to the second floor where your bedroom was located.

The house was tiny, a gift from Shep after they’d returned from Mount Tantiss, but it was yours and you loved it so completely. You and Tech shared one room, across the hall from where Hunter and Wrecker bunked together, Omega was further down the hall, while Crosshair claimed the one room on the main floor. After having nothing for so long, the brothers had come to love having their own space. 

You paused as you passed through the threshold to your room, the sight that greeted you causing your eyes to widen in surprise. Normally, your room tended to look more like a workspace. Bits and pieces of whatever project Tech was currently working on scattered about the place, sometimes even finding their way into the bed. You had lost count of the number of mornings you’d tripped over something or gotten a limb tangled in wire. Now though, the room was completely spotless, everything in its proper place, his projects neatly confined to the desk over in the corner. There was even a vase of freshly picked flowers sitting on one of the nightstands. The window shade had been pulled down, blocking out some but not all of the afternoon sun, bathing the room in a warm, dim glow. Small lights, that looked like spare parts from one of his projects, were a new addition strung around the room.

You couldn’t contain the soft smile on your face as you looked between him and the lights, eyebrows raised questioningly. 

“Ah, yes,” He replied, catching your gaze as he adjusted his goggles, “I conducted some research this morning, however, candles are impractical and an incendiary hazard so I hope these will suffice.” 

You couldn’t help but laugh lightly at his adherence to fire safety but your heart felt as if it was swelling inside your chest. Just when you didn’t think you could love him anymore, he would go and prove you wrong, “Wow, you’re really pulling out all the stops.”

“Well, yes, of course,” He replied earnestly as he toed the door close behind you before he returned to your side. His touch was gentle as he grasped your forearms, his expression achingly soft as he looked at you, “You deserve nothing less.”

You felt yourself flush at the intensity of his look as you took a step closer to him, resting your hands against his waist. You noticed the slight flush had returned to his own face as he lifted a hand to rest against the junction of your shoulder and neck, his thumb gently tracing against your pulse point and sending a shiver down your spine. Your heart was thundering in your chest, desire pooling in your core as he gazed at you. 

You both moved at the same time, his hand sliding up to cup your jaw while your hands slid beneath his shirt to his back, pulling him in flush against you as your lips met. You moaned softly as his nose brushed against your own, his lips were so soft, almost hesitant at first before he deepened the kiss. His free hand moved to the small of your back, pulling you in even closer with a gentle nudge. Your body became completely alive under his touch, every nerve ending singing from the sensation of his skin on yours. 

You nipped gently at his lower lip, pulling a deep moan from his chest. The sound was thrilling, this part of your relationship was still relatively new, so every new discovery you made about him made your heart race. Normally, Tech was always so unflappable, calm, and collected in every situation, so being the one to make him come undone was an incredible feeling. 

Your relationship had progressed slowly, mostly out of circumstance, not because of any lack of feeling. It had only been a few weeks after the two of you had finally admitted to having feelings for one another that Tech had been injured. Afterward, he’d been so unwell for so long that a relationship had been the absolute last thing on your mind. Now though, being able to explore this phase of your relationship together was the best thing in the galaxy. 

Tech’s thumb brushed gently against your jaw for a moment before he was moving, placing gentle kisses down the column of your throat. Your head tilted back on instinct, your body arching forward into his, your skin on fire beneath his lips. He nipped gently at the skin over your pulse point causing you to shudder in his arms, desire flaring in your lower belly. 

Suddenly the fabric separating the two of you was too much. You needed to feel his skin on your own, needed to feel how warm, how alive he was. You moved your hands already beneath his shirt until you were tugging up his hem. Tech caught on quickly, lifting his arms up over his head so you could slide off his shirt. You took a half step back as you tossed it somewhere in the room, eyes raking over him. He may have no longer been a soldier but he was still built like one, all lean muscle beneath golden brown skin. Scars littered his chest and stomach, some much newer than others, some a reminder of what had happened, of what he’d survived. By now you knew every single one and had kissed every inch of his skin, but the desire to do so each time you saw him was still as overwhelming as the first. 

You barely had the time to enjoy the sight of him before he stepped into your space again, the heat of his body radiating through the thin linen shirt you were still wearing. A squeak of surprise escaped you as he suddenly moved, his hands wrapping around the back of your thighs and lifting you up. Your legs wrapped around his waist on instinct, your arms wrapping around his shoulders as he placed another soft kiss on your neck. He took a few steps back towards the bed until his knees hit the edge, lowering you both down until you were straddling him. Everything inside of you ached as he held you flush against him. You ground your hips against him, seeking the friction you so desperately craved and causing a soft moan to escape him. 

A gentle hand on your hip stilled you for a moment before it traveled down and then beneath your shirt, pulling it up and off of you swiftly, your bra following closely after. You shivered, the feeling of being skin-to-skin with him was nearly overwhelming and had you grinding against him once more as heat rushed through you. 

“Cyar’ika,” The word came out choked before he kissed you again, mapping a line from your shoulder to your collarbone, to your neck, to your jaw. Your fingers dug lightly into his shoulders at the feeling of his mouth and tongue on you, it was electric. It was both too much and not nearly enough. You wanted him so desperately you felt as if you might simply combust as he finally kissed your lips again, pulling your lower lip gently with his teeth as your hands wound into his hair. He groaned softly as you tugged gently on his curls before he tangled his tongue with your own. Everywhere your skin touched his ached, your pulse was racing beneath your skin as you deepened the kiss, nose brushing up against his own, the edges of his goggles pressing into your face. 

He pulled away after a moment and you had to bite your lip to keep in the whine at the loss of contact that threatened to escape you. He frowned before he lifted a hand and pulled off his goggles, tossing them haphazardly towards the nightstand beside the bed. They landed with a suspicious clunk but you were too busy looking at him to check on their wellbeing. You saw Tech without his goggles daily, he slept without them, but there was something different about seeing him without them in these types of moments. You didn’t mind but you knew he didn’t like the way they would sometimes press into your skin as you kissed and the slight distance they caused between the two of you. 

You lifted a hand to gently trace the lines of his cheekbone where his goggles normally sat, tracing the indent before moving down his face. Your hand paused momentarily, touch featherlight, as you reached the large scar beneath his left eye where his previous pair had cut into him. The wound had been terrible, so much so that even bacta hadn’t been able to fully repair the skin. Now it served as a faint, silvery reminder of everything he’d survived. Of how strong he was. 

“How did I get so lucky?” You asked softly as your thumb traced across his cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment at the sensation before meeting your gaze once more, the look in his warm brown eyes so soft it made your heart feel as though it were constricting in your chest. Before you had met him you had never believed it possible to love another person so much. He just really loved to prove you wrong.

“Technically,” He started, a slight smirk appearing on his face, “the concept of luck is illogical-”

“Oh, no,” You laughed, shaking your head, “Not this again,” Before he could continue the speech you’d heard many times before you were kissing him again, effectively silencing him.

He hummed against your lips once more, one hand reaching back up to cup your jaw as he tilted his hips up into yours, increasing the friction you had been desiring earlier. He was achingly hard against you and the feeling of him pressing against your core had you gasping softly against his lips. He lifted his free hand to trail up your side, touch ghosting against your skin as he made his way up until he gently palmed your breast. Your nipple pebbled against his calloused hand, your own fingers digging further into his shoulders at the overwhelming sensations. 

“Tech…” You groaned, head tilting back as he kissed his way down your neck to the hollow of your throat, both hands moving to wrap around your waist as he continued to kiss his way down your body. His lips were scorching against your skin, every nerve ending on fire as he pressed a kiss to the swell of your breast before taking you into his mouth. You moaned again, hips automatically grinding into his as everything inside of you turned molten, lost in the feeling of his tongue on you. He moaned against you as you continued to seek out friction, rocking your hips into his own.  

Suddenly he was moving, lifting you up and turning before placing you down gently, your back resting against the pillows at the head of the bed. His hand trailed down your body, fingers hooking beneath the waistband of your shorts. Catching on you lifted your hips to allow him to remove your shorts in one smooth motion. You mourned the loss of contact as he pulled away from you, your body aching with desire for him. You propped yourself up on your elbows to watch him better as he removed his own pants. He was so beautiful. Golden skin flushed with desire, hair mussed where your fingers had run through it, chest heaving slightly, warm brown eyes wide as he looked at you. It was thrilling to know you had done that to him. You wanted him just as badly. 

You smiled softly at him, cheeks flushing as you held out your hand to him. He immediately grabbed it, lacing your fingers together as he moved, kneeling on the bed until he was straddling you, long body hovering over your own. The heat of him was intoxicating and you squeezed your thighs together, able to feel where you were already slick and ready for him. 

“Beautiful…” he whispered before he bent his head to capture your lips with his own once more. You arched up into him, arms wrapping around his back, pulling him in close until your chests were touching once more. You shivered as his hand slipped between the two of you and paved a slow, torturous path down your body. You moaned, arching further into him as his hand found its way between your thighs. He hummed with pleasure at the wetness he found there, his thumb rubbing gently against your clit and sending all coherent thoughts from your mind. 

Normally, you loved his hands on you, he was an expert when it came to getting you off with those long, gentle fingers, but right now you wanted nothing more than to feel him inside of you. You reached up to grasp the back of his neck, forcing him to look at you as you squirmed beneath him, your thighs shaking with desire as you clamped around him. 

“Please Tech,” You whined causing him to pause his ministrations, “I need you.”  

His eyes widened, his face flushing a deeper shade of red, as though your words had unmoored him. He moved his free hand to rest against your jaw, his thumb stroking at your cheek for a moment. His voice was full of emotion when he spoke again, his forehead tipping down to rest against your own, “Of course ner kar’ta. I’m yours.” 

You tilted your chin up to capture his lips with your own as he moved the hand between your legs to grasp the back of your thigh. He lifted your leg up and over his hip, giving him the space to slot between your thighs. He was painfully hard, the head of his cock gliding through your glistening folds as he rocked against you a few times. You gasped as he brushed against your clit, pleasure building to a nearly tortuous level inside of you. His breath was shaky between kisses, hair that was beginning to dampen with sweat falling across his forehead. He groaned as you nipped lightly at his lower lip, bringing it to your mouth. You canted your hips up just slightly, crying out with pleasure as he slid inside of you, filling you up so completely. 

The stretch of him was exquisite, it was a pure, blinding pleasure as he remained still for the moment, letting you adjust. His breathing was ragged, the lines of his body taut as he hovered over you. He let out another soft groan, his nose pressing against your own before he slowly started to move inside of you. 

“Gods, Tech,” You moaned as he found his rhythm. You felt as if you were on fire, your skin hot and flushed. Every touch from him made you shiver, your body becoming a squirming mess beneath him. He kept one hand on your thigh, keeping your leg up as he set a slow, even pace. The other went to the hollow of your throat, his thumb resting gently against your pulse point. The pressure inside of you was building at a blinding pace as he moved to kiss you again. 

It wasn’t enough to tip you over the edge of the orgasm that you were teetering on, you needed more. Sensing your desperation his pace increased as you locked your leg around his hip, bringing him in closer to you so that every thrust has him rubbing deliciously against your clit. You moaned, tilting your head back into the pillows as you canted your hips even further, meeting his thrusts. At that angle, he was hitting that perfect spot inside of you with each thrust. It only took a few more thrusts for you to go toppling head-first into ecstasy. 

You cried out his name as your orgasm washed over you, clenching tightly around him, holding him close as pleasure rippled through your body. His pace faltered for a moment and he nipped lightly at your neck, tongue soothing over the spot a moment later as he let you ride out the tail end of your pleasure. Every nerve ending inside of you felt electric, blind pleasure making you feel loose and wonderful in all the right places. 

Finally, as you came back into yourself you lifted a hand to thread through his hair, holding him close as he continued to kiss your neck, your shoulder, down to your breasts. He started moving slowly again once your breathing evened out. The same slow, even pace from before, but you could feel the tightness in his body, feel the control he was trying to maintain as his own breaths were ragged, sweat glistening against his skin.

“Wait,” You whispered after a moment as a new desire suddenly filled your mind. 

Tech paused instantly, pulling all the way out of you and looking at you questioningly. You used his momentary stillness and your own momentum to your advantage, tangling your legs with his own and wrapping your arms around his shoulders. With strength that surprised even yourself you turned you both, pinning him beneath you on the mattress, your legs on either side of him. You smiled down at him victoriously as you braced your hands on his chest. He looked completely surprised, his face flushing red as he looked up at you with wide eyes that were swimming with desire. 

“My turn,” You replied cheekily, leaning down to kiss him deeply before you moved your hips and sunk down onto him.

A choked groan escaped him, his hands flying to your hips as you took him to the hilt. You took a deep breath, head tilting back as you adjusted to the overwhelming sensation of being filled by him in this position. Slowly you rose, finding a steady pace, your fingers digging into the muscles of his chest as you rode him. Within moments Tech was squirming beneath you, his grip on your hips wonderfully tight as he began to meet you thrust for thrust. His skin was incredibly flushed as you placed a kiss on the column of his throat, his breathing even more ragged than before as you slowly began to increase your pace. 

He let out a soft swear, which had your own eyes widening in surprise, Tech never swore. You faltered slightly, wondering if maybe it was too much but his grip only tightened, his voice a raspy croak when he spoke, “Please, cyar’ika, do not stop.” 

It felt as if your heart skipped a beat, your own desire increasing rapidly as you watched him come undone beneath you. You resumed the same pace as before, leaning in closer to him to kiss along his jawline, nipping and lathing at his skin in equal measure as whispered swears and terms of endearment continued to slip out of him. 

In this position you were rapidly building towards another orgasm, your body clenching around him with each thrust, the exact right amount of pressure rubbing up against your clit. Tech leaned up to place a kiss against your collarbone as one hand moved from your hip to around your waist, keeping you close as you continued to ride him. A shaky exhale of air left him as he swore softly once more. His thrusts up into you become more frantic. 

The next words out of his mouth were so quiet you barely heard them, “Gods, I love you.”   

Your rhythm faltered momentarily as your brain caught up with the words he’d just said. Had he actually said that or had you just imagined it? 

Tech had suddenly stilled beneath you, a choked moan escaping his throat as your body clenched tightly around him. When you pulled your head back slightly to look at him his eyes were wide, his cheeks and the tips of his ears red. Clearly, you hadn’t misheard and he had just realized what he had said. 

You tried to ignore it, tried to find your rhythm again, but your thoughts were completely jumbled. The orgasm you had been building towards was now just a whisper of desire in your stomach. He’d never said that to you before. You knew that in his own unique Tech way he cared for you deeply, he called you just about every term of endearment in Mando’a, but the love word had never come up. You knew that it was just said in the heat of the moment, that you shouldn’t look into it too much but now that your brain had caught on to the thought it couldn’t seem to stop. 

A firm squeeze to your hip had you stilling completely. When you met Tech’s gaze he looked embarrassed, his face redder than you’d ever seen it. Your heart felt as if it was bottoming out inside of you at the expression on his face. 

“I-I apologize,” His voice trembled with emotion as he spoke, "I did not intend to make such an admission.”

“Oh,” You managed to squeak out, which was impressive considering the emotions that were welling within you suddenly were completely overwhelming. It was ok, you tried to tell yourself, he didn’t love you yet but maybe one day he would. This was enough, what you had was good, and you could live with this. 

“I have upset you,” He stated matter of factly, drawing your attention back to him. With impressive strength he pulled himself up against the head of the bed into a seated position, bringing you along with him. You moved off of him but remained straddling his lap while your heart pounded painfully in your chest. 

“No, no Tech it’s fine,” You replied, and it was fine. Everything was fine. 

“No, I misspoke,” Tech insisted, his voice taking on its typical clinical and straightforward quality.

You lifted a hand to rest against his face, trying to reassure him as much as you were trying to reassure yourself, “It’s ok, I understand. The heat of the moment and all that…”

Tech’s eyes widened and he shook his head, he lifted a hand to grasp the one you had on his face, pulling it into his own, “That is not what I meant,” He started softly, his eyes suddenly warm with emotion, “I had intended to make that admission in a more… romantic setting. Not during an amorous encounter.”

“Oh,” You started before the weight of his words fully sunk in, “OH.”

Tech chuckled softly as you looked at him in surprise, your voice a high-pitched squeak when you spoke again, “You love me?” 

“Well yes, of course,” He stated matter-of-factly as he lifted his free hand to push some loose hair away from your face. His expression turned serious as he continued, “Though I do not find that one word sufficient enough to explain the depth of my feelings for you.” 

For a moment you thought that maybe you had died, or maybe that it was all just a dream but then he was kissing you again with such passion that you knew it was real. He loved you. 

You hummed with pleasure against his lips, hands moving to wrap around his shoulders as his own arm banded across your waist, pulling you flush against him once more. You felt as if you were floating, your heart hammering in your chest as desire flared in your core once more. He loved you. 

You both moaned as he entered you again, heat pooled in your stomach as you met his thrusts, your fingers digging into his shoulders as you found a rhythm together once more. He moved his lips to your shoulder, kissing a line back up to your throat as he thrust up into you. The spark of desire in you had turned into an inferno, rapidly hurtling towards another orgasm as you increased your pace, taking him all the way into you before nearly rising all the way off. The pull of him against you, the way he filled you so completely was completely overwhelming. You ground against him with each thrust, your clit rubbing against the base of him, you were so close that it was nearly painful. 

Tech placed a kiss beneath your ear before pulling away just slightly, his lips ghosting against the shell of your ear as he spoke again, “I love you,” His free hand slipped between your bodies, and his words combined with the soft pressure of his hand against your clit had you tumbling over the edge once more. You cried out again as your orgasm washed over you, your fingers digging even tighter into his shoulders as your head tilted to rest against his own. You squeezed your eyes shut tight as you allowed the sensations coursing through your body to completely take over you. You felt his pace falter, his entire body went ridged for a moment as his hips jerked against your own. He moaned loudly, burying his face into your neck as his own orgasm followed. 

You were both quiet for a long moment, heads resting together as you both tried to regain some control over your breathing. You felt as if you might just completely melt against him, satiated in a way that made your limbs feel completely loose. 

His hold on you was still tight as your breathing began to even out, he moved his head slightly, brushing his nose against you before pressing a gentle kiss to your cheek. You sighed in contentment, there was really nothing more that you wanted than to spend the rest of your days in his arms. 

Eventually, he moved, rolling you both until you were lying side by side in the bed. You curled into him, your head resting on his chest as he pulled a thin sheet up to cover you both, the sweat on your skin was rapidly drying and leaving you with a slight chill. He made a content noise as you nuzzled further into him, pressing your face into the crook of his neck and breathing in his scent as he trailed a lazy hand up your spine. 

You pulled your head back just slightly to watch him as he reached for his goggles, putting them back into place before he turned to look at you once more. His expression was achingly soft as your gazes met. It made your heart twist in your chest, a soft smile forming on your face as you continued to look at him. You stretched your head forward to place a soft kiss against his cheek before you settled back down against his chest. It was quiet for a long moment, his hand continuing to rub gently against your back as you listened to the steady beat of his heart.

“Tech,” you said softly after a while, causing his hand to pause, “I love you too.” 

You tilted your head back up to look at him, meeting his wide-eyed gaze. He looked surprised by your admission which only made you chuckle softly. 

He shook his head after a moment, a small smile appearing on his face, “Perhaps, I am the lucky one, after all.”

Your eyes narrowed playfully at him but you were unable to keep a smile off your face, “You said you don’t believe in luck…”

“Yes, well, I may be convinced otherwise if provided with enough concrete evidence,” He said as he lifted his hand to cup your jaw, “And you being in love with me is very convincing.”

You laughed softly, heart soaring in your chest as you leaned up to kiss him once more. Of that, you were completely certain, despite all the odds you were together, you were happy, and both lucky in love.

[justaparsec94]

Hyperspace

Summary: Unable to sleep during hyperspace travel on The Havoc Marauder you seek out the company of the Batch's resident sniper.

Pairing: Crosshair x fem!reader

Word Count: 3,661

Authors Note: I know that after I took that poll I said I would write a Fives one shot next.... but Crosshair has taken my writing hostage these days. Sorry, but also, not sorry! I wrote this as a prequel to my One-Shot Sniper, but I think it stands on it's own just fine if you haven't read it! Enjoy :)

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

Over the years you’d been on hundreds of different types of ships; shuttles, Venator class attack cruisers, cargo ships, drop ships, modified attack shuttles… you name it and you had likely been on it. Honestly, you’d spent most of your adult life in space but there was still one problem that seemed to plague you no matter how many hours you’d spent aboard a ship. Hyperspace insomnia. 

You tried your best to smother a sigh as you rolled over on your bunk, frustration bubbling up in you at your inability to sleep for more than an hour or two at a time. Every ship you had ever been on tried to maintain day and night cycles to aid with sleeping in hyperspace but it seemed that your body couldn’t be fooled. You’d spent many nights tossing and turning over the years, much to your annoyance. You sighed again before you sat up, deciding to abandon your current attempt at sleep before your restlessness disturbed anyone, which on such a small ship was unfortunately very easy to do. 

As quietly as possible you slipped from the middle bunk on the Havoc Marauder, it was the middle of the night cycle and the ship was silent except for Wrecker’s soft snores. You took a quick look behind you to make sure you hadn’t woken anyone and thankfully Wrecker was still snoring away and Tech was also still fast asleep on the top bunk. 

When you’d joined Clone Force 99 as a medic they had insisted you take one of the bunks as your own. You’d protested vehemently, as there were only three to begin with, but despite your insistence that you could all share the middle bunk it always seemed that it was free for you to use when they discussed their watch rotations each night. Your ongoing protests always seemed to fall on deaf ears though. On nights like this one, when you couldn’t even sleep you felt especially guilty.

You let out another soft sigh as you looked towards the back of the ship where Hunter was asleep in the gunner's mount. For a moment you considered waking him and insisting he take your bunk since clearly you wouldn’t be using it any time soon but even from this distance he looked peaceful and the fear of disturbing him outweighed everything else. 

As quietly as possible you moved towards the midpoint of the shuttle, intent on making yourself a cup of caf. If you couldn’t sleep, you reasoned you might as well just be fully awake. You pulled two cups from one of the cupboards used for storage, there wasn’t a galley so things tended to end up in random places but you always knew where the caf was. You looked over your shoulder to make sure everyone was still asleep as the water boiled, but all three clones appeared dead to the world. You smiled softly to yourself as you poured two cups of instant caf, Crosshair was on watch and you knew from past experience if you made a cup for yourself and not him you’d get the look. 

When you had joined The Bad Batch it hadn’t taken long for you to feel like one of the team. You were experienced, having spent time with the 501st, 104th, and various commando units prior to joining them and they had immediately recognized and appreciated your work. Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker quickly accepted you among their ranks and you were already on very friendly terms with all of them after only a few weeks together. Crosshair, on the other hand, was a much harder nut to crack. 

The Batch’s resident sniper was quite possibly one of the grumpiest human beings you’d ever met, which was saying a lot because you’d worked with Commander Wolffe for months. It was clear that your addition to the team had been unwanted on his part at first, but over time it seemed he had begrudgingly come to accept you. These days you could even say that he was somewhat in friendly territory with you, or at least as friendly as he ever got, but it had taken a lot of work on your part to get there. It seemed your strategy of smothering him with kindness had finally worn him down somewhat. 

The thing was though, despite his surly exterior you actually really liked the sniper, perhaps more than what was considered professional. He was cunning, brave, with a sly and wicked sense of humour, and it was clear that he was incredibly loyal and cared deeply about his brothers. It also didn’t hurt that he was the most handsome man you’d ever met. You tried your best to keep things strictly professional but there were times when his steely gaze would have you turning into a blushing, stuttering mess, much to your own embarrassment. You’d been around the clones since the start of the war, many who were incredibly flirty, but none had ever had the same effect on you that Crosshair did. 

Pushing your emotional problems from your mind for the moment you made your way to the cockpit. Crosshair didn’t even look up from where he was sitting in the pilot's seat as you entered, he simply kept cleaning the firepuncher without even missing a beat.  

“Hyperspace insomnia strikes again?” He asked lowly, still without looking up as you placed a cup of caf on the console in front of him. 

“I think I might be cursed,” You said with a dramatic sigh as you slid into the co-pilot seat, wrapping both hands around your warm cup of caf as you did so. The seats in the cockpit were actually more comfortable than the bunks and you let out another soft sigh as you settled into the seat. 

Crosshair finally looked up, one brow raised just slightly, “Maybe we should get you a talisman, I’m pretty sure I saw someone selling them to ward off curses the last time we were on Savareen.” 

You chuckled softly, shaking your head, “I don’t think I’ve reached that level of desperation just yet.”

Crosshair shrugged, “Your loss,” before returning his attention to cleaning his rifle. You were fairly positive with the number of times you’d seen him clean the weapon that he could do it with his eyes closed. You were beginning to suspect it was more of a self-soothing habit, that weapon had to be the cleanest thing you’d ever seen. In a way though it was soothing for you to watch him do it, you’d already spent many nights awake watching him clean the rifle with a practiced ease.

You pulled your feet up onto the seat, something you only did when Tech wasn’t around since he was very particular about his ship, as you sipped your caf. You switched between watching the stars streak past and watching Crosshair out of the corner of your eye. A sense of calm washed over you in the comfortable silence of the ship.  

It wasn’t until he’d finished reassembling his rifle and reached for the cup of caf you’d brought him that you spoke again, “I don’t know anything about their curse talismans but Savareen is actually pretty famous for its brandy…” 

Spouting off random facts had started as a way to break the ice with him and had then become a way to pass the time when the two of you were paired off on missions, separate from the rest of the Batch due to your respective specialties. Even in the beginning, he hadn’t seemed to mind it too much, likely because he was used to hearing it from Tech, but now it seemed to be a habit you couldn’t break. You enjoyed watching his reactions and every time he’d actually engage in conversation you felt like you’d won a battle. 

“Is it any good?” He asked, his tone was bored but you could tell by the way he turned his seat slightly towards you that he was actually interested. 

“It’s not bad, a bit strong for my tastes,” You replied with a shrug. 

“Not surprising, I’ve seen your tastes,” He said snidely but there was a glint of amusement in his dark eyes. 

“Hey! I’m just not really into drinking,” You protested with a laugh. You weren’t offended at all though, you were, quite famously, a lightweight. You'd been with the Batch long enough now for them to know this about you, “I need to maintain a clear head at all times in case of a medical emergency!”

“Sure,” Crosshair responded, the dry look on his face making you laugh even harder. 

You continued to chuckle softly to yourself between sips of caf as you leaned forward slightly to look at the navi-computer. You could see Crosshair watching you out of the corner of your eye and your face began to heat up slightly at the feeling of his intense gaze on you. 

“Oh, we just passed Mon Cala,” You said softly, mostly to distract yourself from the butterflies that were suddenly making themselves known in your stomach. You looked back over at Crosshair who was still watching you intently as you leaned back in your seat, “Did you know there’s a type of squid that lives there that has a circular brain that their food passes through?” 

Crosshair let out a snort of amusement, "Sounds like Tech.”  

You slapped your hand over your mouth to stifle that bark of laughter that escaped you. It took you a moment to stop laughing before you could speak again, “I’m going to tell him you said that.”

Your eyes might have been deceiving you in the low light but you could have sworn that Crosshair was actually smiling. Well, smirking was more accurate, but in Crosshair's body language, you were going to consider that a genuine smile.

“Go ahead,” Crosshair replied flippantly, “he’d probably take it as a compliment.” 

You chuckled again, shaking your head in amusement at him before finishing the last sip of your caf, “I think I’ll keep this between the two of us. I’m trying to stay in his good books so he’ll teach me how to fly the Marauder.”

Crosshair scoffed, “Good luck with that, he’ll make you memorize every piece of this ship before he even so much as lets you touch a button.” 

“That’s ok!” You replied happily, as you leaned forward to set your empty cup down on the console in front of you, “I like to learn.” 

Crosshair scoffed again as you continued, your tone turning teasing once more, “Plus it’ll give me more random facts to annoy you with.” 

His eyes narrowed at you which only made you laugh softly, “Are you always this happy?” He asked his tone somewhere between impressed and annoyed. 

“Only around the people I like,” You answered as you stretched out a foot to jab his chair with your boot playfully. 

He was silent for a long moment, his gaze intense as he looked at you. The lights of the cockpit were dim but you could have almost sworn that a light flush appeared on his cheeks. You felt your own face heating up at his look. Concern that maybe you’d overstepped suddenly bubbled up in you but it vanished almost as quickly as it had come. He didn’t seem annoyed. 

Eventually, he snorted, rolling his eyes before he spoke, “So, everyone then?” his tone once again characteristically grumpy. 

“I don’t like everyone…” You started but then stopped, laughing at the disbelieving look Crosshair shot you, “I really didn’t like that Admiral we had to work with on the last mission.” 

Crosshair’s face darkened considerably at the mention of the Admiral who was, for lack of better words, a complete and utter asshole. Both to you AND the clones. 

“He seemed to be offended by the fact that I was a woman,” You continued with a chuckle. 

Crosshair shook his head, clearly annoyed at just the thought of the other man, “He was di’kut.”

You smirked at the Mando’a term as he looked back over at you, the dark look on his face replaced once more with subtle amusement, “That’s only one person though…”

“Well,” You started teasingly, “Not all of us have a 30-foot-long list of people we don’t like.” 

Crosshair snorted again, “It’s more like 15 feet.” 

You chuckled, “Now, that IS surprising. You’re going to have to step it up, Cross.” 

This time you were certain your eyes weren’t deceiving you, his face had definitely flushed slightly. His dark eyes had widened but his gaze was no less intense as he looked at you. It took you a moment to figure out what his reaction was in response to but when you did you felt your chest tighten. Although you often referred to him as such in your head, you’d never actually said the shortened form of his name out loud before. An apology for getting too familiar was on the tip of your tongue but before you could get the words out he was speaking again. 

He lifted his hand in a mock salute, eyes narrowed but amused, “Mission accepted, Sunshine.”  

You felt as though you might actually combust. Your face felt as if it was on fire as a nervous chuckle escaped you. You were so kriffed, no one had ever gotten under your skin like this before. You prided yourself on maintaining professional relationships so this was definitely going to be a problem. Feeling somewhat overwhelmed with the surge of emotions suddenly coursing through you, you turned your attention back to the navi-computer. According to it, you still had another 14 standard hours before you reached your next destination. With a soft sigh, you leaned back in your seat, unable to stop yourself from shyly looking over at Crosshair every few moments. 

He had also leaned back in the pilot’s chair, one long leg crossing over the other. His chair was still slightly angled towards you but he was now looking out the windscreen of the Marauder, the lights of hyperspace reflecting in his dark eyes. Silence settled between the two of you but it wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact, once you got over the initial shock of receiving a nickname from him, you felt more relaxed than you had in ages. Sitting with Crosshair seemed to have this effect on you more and more often these days. 

It wasn’t long before your eyes began to grow heavy, the soft hum of the Marauder’s engines and the comfort of the co-pilot seat effectively lulling you to sleep. That last thing on your mind before you finally let yourself succumb to sleep was a pair of dark intense eyes.

*****

You woke with a start, thoughts a complete jumble as you sat up suddenly, looking around yourself in confusion. It took you a long moment to orient yourself because you were no longer in the cockpit of the Marauder, you were back in your bunk. You frowned as you lifted a hand to rub the sleep out of your eyes. It was obviously still early, the lights of the Marauder still dim and Wrecker was still snoring on the bunk below you, but a quick look at the chrono on your wrist confirmed it was morning. Your brow furrowed as you looked around you, Tech was no longer on the bunk above you, instead, a flash of silver hair confirmed it was now Crosshair in his place. 

You were still confused as you pushed the blanket that had been covering you off and swung your legs over the edge of the bunk before quietly slipping out. Unless it was all a dream, and you were pretty sure it wasn’t, the last thing you could remember was being in the cockpit with Crosshair. So, unless you had recently started sleepwalking that meant someone had carried you back to the bunk. Not only that, but they had tucked you in too. 

Your face flushed as the reality of that settled in your stomach, your heart rate suddenly picking up exponentially. While every single member of the squad were capable of carrying you back to bed and were kind enough to do so, the most obvious culprit was the one who was increasingly in your thoughts and was without a doubt becoming a problem for you. Your eyes strayed up to the top bunk to look at Crosshair, he was facing away from you but you could tell from the deep, even breaths he was taking that he was still asleep. 

Heart still racing you headed towards the middle of the ship where Tech was fiddling with a piece of equipment in one of the seats in front of the console. That likely meant that Hunter was upfront keeping an eye on things, something that you were suddenly quite grateful for. You didn’t need him wondering why your heart was racing first thing in the morning, though even with the door of the cockpit between you you knew he likely could still hear it. Pushing that somewhat embarrassing thought from your mind, you greeted Tech softly as you passed by on your way to make some caf. Your mind was still reeling from the revelation that Crosshair might have carried you to bed but you were able to focus enough to successfully make 5 cups of caf. Normally, whoever was first up who wasn’t on watch would make the caf for everyone but Tech could be somewhat unreliable when his attention was divided. Caught, he smiled up at you sheepishly as you handed him a cup. 

You settled yourself into one of the jump seats, pulling your knees up to your chest as you counted back from 10. Sure enough, you hadn’t even made it to 5 before the sounds of movement from the bunks reached you. It was fairly predictable but made you smile every morning nonetheless, there was nothing that could summon a clone faster than hot caf. 

Also predictable was how grumpy Crosshair looked as he made his way over. Without a word or even a nod of acknowledgment, he grabbed a cup, taking a sip before moving to sit on the seat across from Tech. His tired gaze strayed over to you a moment later and you felt your face heat. You managed to give him what you hoped was a normal smile in greeting before his eyes flicked back to focusing on his caf. 

“Chow time?” Wrecker asked as he ambled over, still looking like he was half asleep but the excitement at the prospect of eating was evident in his voice. 

With a sigh Tech set aside his project and stood, rummaging through the cupboard for a moment before emerging with the morning's rations. He handed the first to Wrecker who had been hovering around him excitedly. In general, the clones ate more food than anyone else you knew but Wrecker in particular seemed to have a never-ending appetite. One of your first duties as the team medic had been to put in a request for more rations for ‘medical reasons’. Wrecker had actually cried with happiness when the extra crate had shown up for the first time and your ribs had ached for days from the bone-crushing hug you had received. The memory put a smile on your face as you took your own ration from Tech before he moved on to Crosshair. 

“Thanks, Squid,” Crosshair’s snide comment as he took his ration bar from his brother nearly had you spitting out the sip of caf you had just taken. You looked at him with wide eyes, face heating as his gaze met yours, amusement swimming in the depths of his dark eyes. Not only that, but he was definitely smirking. Smug asshole. 

Tech looked between the two of you, frowning deeply, “I suppose that comment is in relation to one of your late-night inside jokes?” 

Your face grew even hotter with embarrassment at the fact that your little late-night chats with Crosshair hadn’t gone unnoticed. You spluttered, unsure of what to say as Tech simply looked between the two of you for another moment. When neither of you answered he simply rolled his eyes before returning to his seat, his own ration bar forgotten as he returned to working on the same piece of equipment. 

“Please, do not enlighten me,” He continued without looking up, “I am certain it is not as funny as the two of you think it is.” 

This time you weren’t able to stop the laugh that escaped you and it only got worse when you looked at Crosshair to see that he was also snickering. 

Tech sighed in exasperation as he shook his head, “Children.” 

It wasn’t even that funny but you found yourself struggling to regain some composure. You felt giddy, something that you had experienced in ages. And you knew without a doubt it was entirely due to the silver-haired clone who was still watching you with amusement, a subtle smirk on his face as he continued to sip his caf. 

Eventually, you managed an apology to Tech that was waved off, clearly, he wasn’t actually bothered by the teasing and the rest of the morning continued on as normal. A sense of calm finally washed over you as you sat quietly, listening to the sound of The Marauder moving through space and the occasional conversation between brothers. 

One thing had changed though, you now knew without a doubt that you were harbouring a crush on the team's resident snarky sniper. You were kriffed, but you found as your eyes connected with his later on that morning that it didn’t bother you as much as you had once thought it would. And you knew that the next time you couldn’t sleep you’d be right back by his side. Sometimes, you reasoned with yourself as you smiled softly over at him, you just had to live a little. 

[justaparsec94]

All the new Foxiyo appreciators in my notifications make me want to come back to my Foxiyo wips.. one day soon

[justaparsec94]

Of course the Goodest Girls in the Galaxy™️ are the bestest of friends at the space dog park!!!

BONUS doodle under the cut!

[justaparsec94]

PEDRO PASCAL with Sabrina Carpenter, Marcello Hernandez, and Bad Bunny SNL50 - “Domingo: Vow Renewal”

[justaparsec94]

Celebration

Author's Note: Another February Fluff request, requested by anonymous. Written for the prompt: Soft, repeated pecks on the lips, causing the other to laugh/smile against their lips. Beware: Very soft FLUFF ahead.

Pairing: Hunter x fem!reader

Word Count: 4,933

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

Hunter had travelled to many different places across the galaxy in his relatively short life. Unfortunately, though, most of the places he’d seen had been active war zones. For a soldier, death and destruction were just part of the job. But despite all of the carnage he had witnessed over the years there had still been times when he had been able to catch glimpses of all the galaxy had to offer. Wild oceans, peaceful forests, towering mountains, cities that felt like living things, even in the midst of the war beauty persisted. None of it, however, had ever compared to Pabu.

There was still a part of him that couldn’t quite believe that a place so beautiful, so peaceful could exist and that he, Omega, and his brothers were allowed to be a part of life on the island. He would be lying if he said the first few months hadn’t been a major adjustment for them. After a lifetime of battles, constantly watching their backs, and having no true home of their own, going from the structured lives of soldiers to free-will civilians had been difficult at times. Hunter especially had struggled with the change. There was a part of him that still felt guilty to have left it all behind, especially when he knew that Rex, Echo, and others were out there still fighting. It was hard not to think about what The Empire was inflicting on the rest of the galaxy while they were safely tucked away on their island paradise. But those thoughts were fleeting and grew less insistent as the rotations went on. Seeing Omega thrive was worth every doubt that plagued him. For the first time in her life, she was allowed to be a kid, she was happy, she was safe, and that was truly all that mattered to him. On nights like this one, watching her laugh and dance, her pure unaltered joy brimming out of her, he knew he would go through everything a thousand times over if it led to her happiness. 

While he and his brothers had taken time to adjust to life on the island, Omega had taken to it naturally. She embraced every aspect of it, especially the celebrations that seemed to happen regularly. Tonight was Pabu’s annual summer solstice celebration and the courtyard surrounding the Archium had been transformed. Lanterns and string lights bathed everything with a soft glow as the sun began to set, tables of food and drink lined the edges of the courtyard, and it seemed that nearly every person on the island had turned up for a night of dancing and socializing. His heart warmed at the sight of Omega in the midst of it all, her enthusiasm on display for all to see. She had been talking about this night for weeks and was clearly enjoying every moment of it. 

Tonight though, Omega wasn’t the only one who had his attention. In fact, he was having a very hard time looking at anything other than you. You were radiant as you danced with Omega and Lyana, head thrown back with laughter, smile brighter than the sun as the three of you held hands, dancing in a small, wild circle in the middle of the courtyard. Your breezy outfit swirled around you as you spun, your skin glowing beneath the lanterns strung across the courtyard. Even watching you from afar had his pulse racing beneath his skin. You were so beautiful, more beautiful than anyone he’d ever come across, both inside and out, and he had never wanted anyone the way he wanted you. 

He knew that on some level, from the way your pulse would quicken and face would flush whenever he was around, you found him attractive. But every time he thought about making a move, he just completely froze. He couldn’t fully understand it, usually, he was fairly confident in himself. He’d picked up enough dates from various places over the years. But when it came to you everything was different, he supposed it was because he wanted more than just one night with you. He wanted everything and he was terrified of messing things up. 

He sighed and slumped slightly in his chair as he continued to watch you laugh and dance with Lyana and Omega. The sight was causing an ache in his chest that he didn’t even know how to begin to deal with. For a moment, the desire to join the three of you was nearly overwhelming, but it vanished just as quick. Dancing was decidedly not in his set of skills. 

A scoff from beside him had him sitting up straighter suddenly. Hunter turned his head, his gaze narrowed, over to where Crosshair was sprawled across his own chair, long legs stretched out in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest. His hard gaze was trained on Hunter. 

“What?” Hunter asked gruffly, both annoyed that his brother was scoffing at him about something and the fact that his attention had been drawn from you. 

Crosshair rolled his eyes, the toothpick in his mouth rolling from one side to the other before he fixed Hunter with an unimpressed look, “Why don’t you just do something about it already and spare the rest of us from having to witness that sad look on your face any longer?” 

Hunter spluttered for a moment, face heating. Of course, Crosshair would have noticed. He noticed everything, a skill that was incredibly useful on the battlefield but incredibly annoying when it came to Hunter’s currently non-existent love life. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hunter replied gruffly but he was unable to stop his gaze from straying back over to where you were. It was as if you had a gravitational pull that only he was susceptible to. 

“Sure you don’t,” Crosshair scoffed. 

Hunter turned his head back just in time to swat away the toothpick that was headed his way before it collided with his chest. He glared at his brother, the urge to pick up the offending piece of wood and throw it right back at him was almost overwhelming but before he could even think about stooping to get it the sudden appearance of a smirk on Crosshair’s face had him freezing in place. 

“Oh look,” Crosshair hissed, grin widening, “here she comes…” 

Hunter’s head whipped around at an embarrassing speed, and sure enough, for once Crosshair wasn’t just trying to get a rise out of him. You were headed directly their way, drink in hand. When your eyes connected with his you raised your free hand and gave him a quick wave, solidifying your intention to join them.  

Hunter felt his palms begin to sweat as you made your way over to them, his heart rate picking up pace with each step that brought you closer. Your smile was so bright, so beautiful, and trained entirely on him. Before he even fully realized what he was doing he found himself standing up as you reached them. You greeted them both with a quick hello that he couldn’t seem to manage more than a deep grunt in response to. He tried his best to ignore Crosshair’s snort of amusement at his complete inability to keep himself in check as you drew to a stop in front of him. Your gaze was warm as you tilted your head back to look up at him, impossibly your smile seemed to grow even brighter. So much so that he averted his gaze, looking over your shoulder back to where you’d just come from. Misreading the movement as a question rather than what it truly was, a pure nervous tick,  you followed his gaze. 

“I really wish I had even half of the energy that those two do,” You said fondly, voice slightly breathless as you looked back over your shoulder at where Lyana and Omega were still dancing, “I was beginning to think I was about to keel over.”

Hunter’s fists clenched at his sides as he desperately tried to ignore the desire to reach out and touch you as you seemed to unconsciously drift closer to him, you were so close now that the smallest movement of his hand would have been enough to bridge the gap between the two of you. Your sudden proximity was quickly sending his senses into overdrive, every breeze had your scent enveloping him further. As usual, any time you were around you were suddenly the only thing he could focus on. His throat felt incredibly dry, but somehow he still managed to choke out a response to you, “Uh, yeah, those two have enough energy to power a hyperdrive.”

He ignored another snort from Crosshair at his bad joke, focusing instead on your soft laugh and the smile on your face that was so bright that it was nearly blinding. His face felt as if it were a hundred degrees as he watched you take a quick sip of the brightly coloured drink in your hand before you looked back up at him,  “Are you two enjoying your first summer celebration?” 

“Uh, yeah, it’s uh - nice,” He replied as he lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. Generally, parties and celebrations weren’t his thing, not that they’d ever had many opportunities to be a part of them before, but given that all of his senses were dialled to 1000 he tended to avoid crowds. But he supposed, as far as celebrations went this one was… nice. At the very least it wasn’t giving him a headache. 

“Nice…” You repeated with a soft chuckle before your expression turned teasing, “It’s a good place to start, but I guess we’ll just have to work a little harder to make it great.” 

Hunter watched with amusement as you lifted your drink to your lips, pausing for just a moment to flash him a wink that had him biting his lip before you downed the rest of the contents of your glass. He watched wide-eyed, face-burning, as you maintained eye contact with him as you put the glass down on a nearby table. 

Your face flushed and a quiet laugh escaped you before you spoke again, “Hunter, would you like to dance with me?”

Of all the things he had expected you to say, that had been very far towards the bottom of his list. He felt his entire body tense as his brain struggled to process the question you had asked. Equal parts desire and fear rushed through him at the thought of joining you out on the dance floor. The thought of being so close to you was overwhelming but even more overwhelming was the anxiety that came with it… he didn’t know how to dance. 

“I, uh,” He stuttered, his face feeling as though someone had taken a torch to it as his pulse raced beneath his skin. You were simply looking up at him expectantly, the same bright smile still on your face but he could see the look in your eyes beginning to shift the longer he took to answer. He wanted nothing more than to finally be able to touch you, to be so close, but the thought of embarrassing himself, of messing things up kept him rooted to the spot, “Uh…”

“One dance, just one - that’s all,” You continued softly with a shrug, still smiling at him,  “I’d like to try and make your night better than just nice."

To an untrained ear you would have sounded casual, light and airy, in your request but he could hear the undercurrent of doubt that had suddenly crept into your tone. As though you immediately regretted asking him, which only made him fluster even more. 

“I uh, don’t think that would be a good idea,” He finally managed to spit out, even though the last thing in the galaxy he wanted to do was disappoint you. And it was immediately clear that he had. Even though your smile barely faltered he still caught the slight downturn, the flash of pain in your bright eyes. He immediately wanted to take the words back but it was already too late for that. 

“Oh,” You replied softly, a nervous chuckle slipping out of you as you fidgeted with the strap of your top, “Yeah, no worries! That was probably a silly request anyway...” 

He was a di’kut. Not just any di’kut either. He was quite possibly the biggest di’kut in the entire galaxy, he decided as he watched your bottom lip tremble just slightly and your cheeks flush with embarrassment. It seemed you were unable to meet his gaze any longer and he watched in silent horror as you looked at literally anything other than him. 

“Well,” You said as you turned your head, clearly looking for an escape from the situation that he had made horrendously awkward, “I should maybe get back out there with the girls.” 

“Right…” He managed to choke out, unconsciously taking a step towards you, an apology on the tip of his tongue. He just needed to explain that you had nothing to do with why he’d turned down a dance. 

“Have a good rest of your night guys,” You continued, your smile still soft but considerably duller. Before he could even form a sentence he watched, frozen, as you slipped back into the crowd without so much as another look back at him. 

He watched you go, a lump forming in his throat as you joined Omega, Lyana, and now Wrecker in the middle of the makeshift dance floor. You were back to laughing and dancing with the group in moments, as though nothing had happened. 

“You’re a di’kut.”

Hunter startled, turning to glare at Crosshair who looked incredibly unimpressed from where he was still sitting.

“You’re one to talk…” Hunter shot back, unable to stop himself. He wasn’t even mad at Crosshair, he was mad at himself. You’d given him a chance at something more and he’d completely blown it.  

Crosshair simply rolled his eyes, “You’ve literally been pining over that woman for months and she finally makes a move you don’t have the guts to and you turn her down. Di’kut.”

He was right. He hated that he was right. 

“I don’t know how to dance,” It slipped out of Hunter before he could even stop it. The thought of eventually doing something that would mess up the friendship the two of you had, of destroying any chance of something more, went unspoken. Because truthfully, that was the root of it. If he kept his distance he could spend the rest of his days in safety, admiring from afar. He was a soldier, he didn’t even begin to know what a relationship would look like, but he was fairly certain he would mess that up. He’d messed up enough for one lifetime. 

“Who cares if you look stupid?” Crosshair scoffed, “Look at Wrecker, nobody cares. Just go dance with her.” 

Despite the truth in Crosshair’s words he stayed frozen in place, watching as you and the girls took turns being spun around by Wrecker, even without his enhanced hearing he would have been able to hear your giggles as you twirled. His heart clenched at the sight, he really was a fool. 

“Don’t waste your chance, Hunter.” 

He looked over at Crosshair who had schooled his look into one of casual disinterest but Hunter hadn’t missed the brief look of regret in his brother's eyes. For the things he’d done and missed out on, for the brother who would never get to experience any of it. Something inside of him solidified in that moment. He might be afraid of what came next but if he didn’t at least try he’d likely spend the rest of his life regretting it. 

Resolved, he was suddenly on the move, weaving his way through the crowd before he could fully comprehend that he was taking advice from Crosshair, of all people. 

He was only a few feet away when you caught sight of him and he watched with amusement as you completely froze in place. Your eyes widened comically as he crowded into your space until you were nearly touching. His heart was racing in his chest, his senses on overload at your proximity but for once he ignored it all. 

“Is that, uh, offer to dance still valid?” He asked somewhat awkwardly, trying his best to ignore the desire to look away from the intensity of your gaze, to fidget with his clothes, or to rub the back of his neck as anxiety coursed through him. 

Your answering smile was blinding, “For you, Hunter, always.” 

He chuckled softly, his heart rate reaching a speed that couldn’t possibly be healthy, “I should warn you though, I don’t know how to dance.” 

You laughed, shaking your head slowly as you grabbed hold of his hands. Your touch sent heat coursing through him like an electrical charge. Your voice was quiet as you leaned up into him, as though you were about to share a secret with him, “I don’t really know either. But that’s ok, we’ll just figure it out as we go."

He had the distinct feeling you were talking about more than just dancing. 

Hunter wasn’t able to stop the soft smile that spread across his face as you pulled away, but only just slightly as you guided his hands to your waist. He felt as if his skin was burning from the heat of you as you lifted your arms up to wrap around his neck. You were suddenly much closer than he had expected, your head so close that it would have taken only a slight turn of his head to bury his nose in your hair. Usually, such closeness was uncomfortable with his senses the way they were, but he found he didn’t mind though, with you it wasn’t nearly enough. He wanted you closer as you started to gently sway to the music. 

His focus was entirely on you as he followed your lead, swaying to music that was maybe a bit too fast for the rhythm you had set but you didn’t seem to care. Your grip on him tightened as you pulled back just enough to be able to look up at him. Your gaze was warm, sparkling with happiness as your eyes met his, “See, this isn’t so bad, is it?” 

He chuckled, his tone teasing, “It’s not the worst.” 

Your head tipped back as you laughed, the sound sending him nearly into heart failure, “‘Nice’ and 'not the worst', I'm really going to have to try harder to impress you.” 

He laughed again, shaking his head in amusement before turning sincere once more, “You don’t have to change anything to impress me.” 

The way your expression warmed at his words had him nervously looking away from you for a moment. A laugh escaped him at the sight that greeted him behind you. Wrecker had Lyana standing on one foot, Omega on the other, twirling the two girls around the dance floor, all three laughing loudly and drawing the attention of most in their vicinity. Hunter suddenly didn’t think he’d ever been happier, watching his family joyfully fool around and you safely in his arms. Even though there was a part of him that was still afraid of the unknown, it was something he could definitely get used to. It was something, he was beginning to realize, that he had always longed for.  

At your quizzical look he spun the two of you around so you could see what he’d been laughing at, “Looks like they’re having fun,” he said as you laughed at the small, silly group. 

“He’s a good dancer,” you replied, tone impressed as you smiled and turned your attention back to him.   

“Yeah, he must not have skipped that class on Kamino,” Hunter joked, earning another laugh from you. 

“Apparently,” You started before your own expression turned teasing, “it must have been while you and Crosshair were off learning to be brooding and mysterious…” 

Hunter snorted, his face heating slightly as he protested, "I am not brooding and mysterious,” At your raised eyebrows and skeptical expression he felt himself flush even further, “Alright, fine. Maybe a bit. Unintentionally.” 

“It’s ok, Hunter,” You replied softly but the amused glint was still in your eyes as one hand drifted further up his neck to his hairline, sending shivers racing down his spine, “You don’t have to change anything to impress me.” 

Undoubtedly, you were going to be the death of him, but what a sweet death it would be. He smiled slightly as he moved to grasp one of your hands, his voice low as he brought it down between the two of you.

“I think I might try though, just a little bit,” before you could say anything else he moved, spinning you out and away from him exactly as he had watched Wrecker do before pulling you back in towards him and spinning you both around in a circle. Your laughter was contagious and his pulse was racing as your body collided with his own as he brought you back in close.

You were absolutely glowing as you looked up at him, your laughter turning breathless as your gazes connected. The look in your eyes stole the breath from his lungs before you moved, arms wrapping around him once more as your cheek rested against his own. He wrapped his arms tightly around your waist, every nerve ending in his body electric as the curves of your body fit perfectly against his own. The two of you were quiet for a long time, swaying slowly to the music once more as you basked in each other's warmth. Everything around him had faded away as he focused entirely on the feeling of you. 

After what could have been minutes or hours you pulled back slightly, looking up at him, your eyes still glowing even in the darkness that had settled over the island, “Come with me,” you requested softly,  “the fireworks are about to start and I know a better spot to watch them.”

He nodded wordlessly, reluctant to let you go he only took a slight step away. His face flushed as you reached down to grasp his hand in your own, smiling softly at him before you pulled him along behind you, making your way easily through the crowd of dancers and other partygoers. You were silent as you walked but every once and a while you threw a look back at him over your shoulder as though you expected him to disappear. The only place he was going though, was with you. 

You didn’t slow until you reached an outlook a few levels down that jutted out over the ocean. With mostly everyone else being up at the Archium the place was completely deserted and Hunter felt his nervous system calm at the quiet seclusion of it. The festivities hadn’t been too bad but standing beside you, looking out over the water with only the soft sounds of the ocean was infinitely better. 

Hunter watched you as you leaned back against the half wall, angling your body so you were facing him. His hand was still grasped firmly in your own and as you smiled softly up at him you tugged gently on it, pulling him in closer to you. He went without hesitation, crowding into your space once more as the lines of your bodies pieced together. You tipped your head up to look at him, warm gaze tracing the lines of his face, as he instinctively reached out to you. One hand went to your waist while the other, ever so hesitantly, lifted to cup the side of your face. You closed your eyes, melting into his touch as your own hands slid around his waist, your touch leaving goosebumps across his skin in its wake. 

You both startled slightly as the first crack of a firework disturbed the silence of the night. You let out a breathless laugh as you turned your head to look, the bright reds and golds of the fireworks bathing you in light. Hunter didn’t even bother looking, he’d seen fireworks before and absolutely nothing compared to you and finally being able to hold you in his arms. 

Seemingly sensing his gaze you looked back towards him, the same gentle smile still on your face as your hands tightened just slightly on his waist. He felt close to combustion himself, every sense entirely consumed with you. He wanted nothing more than to kiss you, to close the final space between the two of you, but he seemed frozen, his heart absolutely racing in his chest at the thought. He wanted to know that you wanted this too, to be sure, because he was certain that once he started he was never going to want to stop. 

Your eyes seemed to be searching his face for something when he finally managed to speak. His voice was a rough croak as everything he was feeling seemed to be bubbling up his throat, “Can I kiss you?”

Your eyes lit up as fireworks continued to flash overhead, bathing the both of you in flashes of colour, “I thought you’d never ask.”

Hunter laughed, his face growing hot for a moment before he moved, finally closing the distance between you. Your lips were even softer than he had imagined, your warm scent washed over him completely as you pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. He moaned softly as you gently nipped at his lower lip, your hands sliding up from his waist to his back as his own grip on you tightened. It was better than anything he could have ever dreamed of. He broke apart from you for a second, his nose bumping against your own as he gasped for air. He felt light-headed, his entire body electric from just one kiss. He’d been right earlier, you were truly going to be the death of him. He felt your lips stretch into a smile before he kissed you again, his hand gently trailing down the side of your face to your neck. He could feel and hear your pulse racing, nearly as quick as his own as he kissed you. It thrilled him to know you were just as affected as he was. 

After a long while he pulled back, chest heaving slightly as he let his forehead tip against your own. Your gaze was a little wild as you looked up at him, lips swollen and red from your kisses and the sight did unspeakable things to him, desire pooling in his stomach at the thought that he had been the one to do that to you. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that,” You finally said, your voice a nearly breathless whisper as he lifted his hand back up to your face once more, marveling at how soft your skin was beneath his calloused hand.

Hunter chuckled softly as you pulled away slightly, just enough to be able to see his entire face, “I actually think I might have some idea.”

“Oh, really?” You asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow at him. 

“Well, if you’re anything like me it’s been from the moment we first met.” 

“Really?” You questioned as a teasing smile spread across your face, “If I remember correctly I’m pretty sure all you did the first time we met was grunt at me.”

Hunter laughed as his face heated, “Shush,” He leaned forward to press another kiss to your lips quickly, “I was just speechless.”  

You chuckled as your hands made their way up to thread through his hair, pulling him in closer to you, “Oh, yeah, sure…”

Hunter shook his head in amusement before closing the gap once more, capturing your lips with his own. He kissed you quickly, repeated, soft pecks against your lips to keep you from further pointing out his previous lack of social skills. His tactic worked as after only a moment he felt you smile against his lips before full-on laughing as he peppered you with kisses. 

He turned serious once more as you settled into a different sort of dance, the push and pull of your lips against his was intoxicating. Your kisses were warm and certain and he was breathless and completely lost in you. He wanted more as much as he wanted to keep things slow and savour the moment. 

You nipped gently at his lip one final time before you pulled away slightly, shoulders heaving softly as you attempted to catch your breath. You pressed up into him, nose brushing against his as you spoke softly, “Thank you for dancing with me Hunter.” 

The fireworks were still exploding overhead, bathing everything around you in light. The distant sounds of cheers and music were only just audible to his ears, but once again he found himself unable to focus on anything other than you, “Anytime.” 

And he truly meant it, he’d spend the rest of his life dancing with you if you let him. There were still a lot of things he was uncertain of, old soldier habits died hard after all. Without a doubt, there would be mistakes along the way but he found his doubts beginning to grow silent and the nervousness he’d felt before settling as you wrapped yourself tightly around him, your head resting gently against his chest as you turned your head to watch the sky above. He wasn’t going to waste his chance. He could learn to let happiness in.

[justaparsec94]

Sleep

Author's Note: For @thecoffeelorian . Written for the prompt: Falling asleep in each others arms. This turned out a bit more angsty than I was originally intending but I hope you like it! I always find it a challenge to find the right amount of fluff for Cross.

Pairing: Crosshair x fem!reader

Word Count: 3,617

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

Crosshair shot up in bed, throat constricting painfully as he tried to bring a full breath of air into his lungs. His chest heaved as he looked wildly around the darkened room, pulse racing beneath his skin. It took a moment for him to get his bearings, to realize that he wasn’t in that tiny grey cell on Tantiss anymore. He wasn’t strapped to some examination table in a lab. He was fine, he was safe. He was on Pabu. He was home. 

He groaned softly, his entire body still on high alert from his nightmare as he kicked his legs over the side of the bed. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees before letting his head fall into his hands. The cool metal of his cybernetic hand was both a relief against his fevered skin and a horrible reminder of everything he’d been through. Crosshair remained still for a long moment as he waited for his heart rate to return to a reasonable level, for his thoughts to stop racing on the same panicked loop. He shivered slightly as the cool breeze from the open window whispered across his skin that had been dampened by a cold sweat. 

It was the same nightmare he had had hundreds of times before. But no matter how often the same visions flashed across his mind, he always woke up the same way. Panicked, angry, scared. Kamino, Tantiss, Hunter, Wrecker, Omega, Desix, Echo, Mayday, Tech. Over and over the scenes played in his sleep, each time he watched everything crumble and burn, watched everyone he cared about die by his hands. It always felt so real. 

Crosshair finally straightened once his shoulders were no longer heaving with effort to breathe and his ears were no longer ringing. He turned slowly to look over his shoulder at the bed, trying not to make any sound or shift the mattress as he did so. Everything inside of him instantly softened at the sight of you. You were still sleeping peacefully, thankfully undistributed by his own nighttime troubles. He let out a gentle sigh, grateful that you were oblivious to him at that moment, though it wouldn’t have been the first time one of his nightmares had woken you up. 

He watched you for a long moment, his eyes tracing the lines of your face. You looked so peaceful when you slept, content. Most days, he still couldn’t quite believe that you were there, with him. After everything that had happened, sleeping in your shared bed, looking like there was nowhere else in the galaxy that you would rather be. 

The room was silent except for the soft sound of the waves coming in through the open window and your even, gentle breaths. He watched your chest rise and fall for another moment, wanting to be certain he hadn’t disturbed you. He sighed again, knowing that if he tried to go back to sleep he would just spend the rest of the night tossing and turning. He didn’t need the guilt of waking you added on top of everything else. So he stood, slowly so as to not move the bed. He paused though once he’d reached his full height, turning back around to look at you once more. Before he could stop himself he stooped over the bed, hand reaching out to brush a stray piece of hair that had blown into your face from the breeze coming in through the open window. He tucked the stay piece behind your ear, taking a moment to marvel at the softness of your skin. You let out a soft sigh as he pulled his hand away, nuzzling further into your pillow. He felt as if his heart was being carved from his chest at the sight, you meant everything to him. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for you. He’d do everything in his power to protect you, even if that meant protecting you from himself. With another sight he straightened, slipping silently out of the room and down the stairs.  

The small house was completely still and quiet as he made his way towards the kitchen. Omega and his brothers were likely all fast asleep, as they should be, at this time of night. As always, his eyes were drawn to the pictures lining the walls as he made his way through the house. An enthusiastic Omega and Wrecker, and a skeptical but pliable Hunter had taken it upon themselves to decorate their small home. Their place had very quickly filled up with anything and everything Omega and his brothers seemed to like, the walls filled with their finds. Before, what he would have considered clutter would have bothered him, but now he found he actually liked it. Not that he would admit that to anyone though. But after spending all of their lives with nothing it was still strange but nice to have something that was completely theirs. And now that you were here it felt more like a home than ever before. 

At first, back when things between the two of you had still been strained, you had stayed in Phee’s home anytime you came to the island. But that had slowly changed over time until one day he’d found himself cleaning out a drawer in his room for you. Since the fall of The Republic you’d been working with Rex, then Echo, helping them in any way you could with the clone rebellion. You hadn’t said anything and he wasn’t about to point it out but he had noticed that your journeys off Pabu had grown fewer and farther between lately. If he had things his way you’d never leave again, you were his, and he wanted you with him always. But he also wasn’t about to come between you and doing what you felt you needed to, what was right. No matter how much he might want to keep you with him every moment of every day. 

Crosshair stalked quietly across the kitchen before he stopped in front of the sink, grabbing a glass off the counter and filling it with water. His throat felt incredibly dry, as though he’d been crying out in his sleep. He knew he likely hadn't been if you were still asleep, but he had done so in the past. No matter how much he tried to convince himself he was over everything that had happened, he couldn’t seem to shake the nightmares. 

He gazed out the open window as he sipped slowly on his water, the gentle breeze sending a slight shiver down his spine. It was a warm summer night, but the sweat on his skin left him with a chill. The island was as silent as the house, peaceful, calm, safe. Now if only he could make himself believe he wasn’t in any danger, not anymore. 

Crosshair tensed at the sudden sound of soft footsteps overhead, he'd recognize your light tread anywhere. Guilt washed through him as he listened to you make your way down the stairs, obviously, he'd woken you up after all. He didn’t even so much as turn from his spot, simply continued to watch the waves crash against the shore down below as your footsteps drew nearer. It wasn’t until you crossed the threshold of the kitchen that he spoke, but his eyes remained focused on the quiet world outside the window. 

“Go back to bed,” He hissed, his tone more hostile than he intended but he couldn’t seem to stop the shame that was suddenly crawling up his throat. There was still a part of him that hated to be seen in these moments when he felt so weak. The other part felt so guilty for pulling you into this, how could he possibly make you happy when all he seemed to do was mess things up?

Despite his words, your footsteps didn’t even falter, and before he could even think of anything else to try and say your arms wrapped around his waist, your body pressing tightly up against his back. That part of him, that angry, writhing part, wanted to push away from you. To turn and demand you leave him but he knew you wouldn’t listen even if he did. Instead, he was helpless, melting into your embrace as he felt your cheek rest in the space between his shoulder blades. 

You were quiet for a moment before speaking softly, “You should know by now that it’s not that easy to get rid of me.”

The anger that it seemed he had spent all of his life trying to control suddenly rose up in him again, inexplicably. He wanted to snap, to point out that you had left him once before but the words got stuck in his throat. He knew that wouldn’t be fair to you. He had been the one who had made it impossible for you to stay, after all. And even after everything that had happened, after everything that he’d done, you had still come back to him. You didn’t deserve his anger. 

He let out a deep sigh, hands moving away from the counter to rest over the top of yours. As always, his anger and frustration seemed to melt away as you held onto him tightly. After a long, silent moment he turned in your arms, lifting his hands to wrap around your shoulders, pulling you in close so that your head rested on his chest. You squeezed his waist tighter in response, melting further into him. He closed his eyes for a moment as he rested his chin on the top of your head. 

The two of you held each other silently, the turmoil inside of him settling with each passing moment. It was moments like those, where the two of you were wrapped so tightly together it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended, that he wished would never end. There was a time, not that long ago, when he would have balked at being held like this, at being so vulnerable, even with you. But now no matter how much his mind might war with him sometimes, he couldn’t get enough of you. You’d crawled into his heart, wedged yourself right up beneath his rib cage, and yet he still wanted more. You were his. 

Your voice was barely above a whisper when you spoke again, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” He snapped before he could even stop himself. A knee-jerk reaction brought on by a lifetime of avoiding his feelings. He pulled back slightly, enough that he could look at your face but still within arms reach. Your hands moved from his waist to his arms, grasping his forearms firmly, as though you were ready to stop him should he decide to bolt. There wasn’t any judgment in your expression as you looked up at him though, just the same kindness and understanding as always. It made him sigh, guilt turning his stomach once more, for trying to shut you out when you deserved, more than anyone, to be let in. 

“It was just the same things as always,” He finally said, after another long, silent moment. He turned his head slightly, unable to fully meet your gaze after such an admission.

“Cross…” You said softly, tugging his arm gently until he felt as if he had no choice but to meet your gaze once more. You took a step closer to him as your eyes met, tipping your head back as your bodies brushed against each other. 

“There is nothing that you could tell me that would make me think of you any differently, or care for you any less,” You continued gently as you lifted a hand to rest on his chest, directly over his heart. His skin burned beneath your touch, his heart racing as your fingers bunched in the fabric of his sleep shirt, “I love you. Nothing will ever change that. But it kills me to see you suffering. I want to help you, in any way I can. But I can't do that if you don’t let me in.” 

“I’m supposed to be the one that looks after you,” he hissed, his grip on your waist tightening as shame bubbled in his throat once more. He was a soldier, his entire purpose had been to serve and protect. His entire life he’d been defective but still effective, but now with a missing hand and fragile mind what good was he? How could he possibly be enough for you? 

“It’s not a one-way hyperspace lane Cross, we help each other,” You answered gently, “If you’re not ready to share then that’s ok, but I hope you know you can tell me these things. Anytime. I’m here for you. Sharing doesn’t make you weak or defective, and neither does having feelings in the first place,” you continued as if reading his very thoughts. You’d always been able to see him better than anyone else ever could.

He sighed, taking a step closer to you without thought as if you were the sun his planet orbited around. His heart constricted painfully in his chest, the back of his neck prickled with a cold sweat, the words grated against his throat as he spoke, “It all the things I’ve ruined, the terrible things I’ve done, all of the people I’ve hurt. All those moments when I should have been there but wasn’t. It just won’t stop.” 

He couldn’t bring himself to meet your gaze, turning his head slightly away from you as the shame rolled in his stomach once more. He’d been built to withstand wars, it didn’t make sense to him why he was crumbling now, after everything. 

“Cross,” You said gently as your hand lifted to his face, cradling his jaw and applying just enough pressure until he couldn’t resist meeting your gaze again, “What you’re feeling is normal, it doesn’t make you weak. You’ve been through something so terrible, and yes, you made some mistakes, we all have, but you can't change the past. All we have control over is what we do next, how we move forward.” 

He turned his head away once more, the guilt and anger, at himself, at everything, bubbling in his veins like toxic black sludge, "You should just leave me,” He hissed, body tensing as his heart raced, “Go back to bed.”   

The hand that was still resting on his chest bunched further in the fabric of his shirt, drawing his attention back to you, “I’m not leaving you like this, I love you Crosshair. You’re stuck with me,” You said gently. 

He let out a loud breath of air, one he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding as his eyes scanned your face. As always there was nothing but openness in your face, you meant every word you had said to him. 

When it was clear he wasn’t going to say anything you continued, “I know you think you deserve to be punished for the rest of your life, but you don’t. And I’m going to keep telling you that until you believe it.”  

He bristled for a moment, on instinct, the desire to push you away, to demand you just leave him alone was almost overwhelming but only for a moment. It faded nearly as fast as it had come. He was so used to everyone leaving him alone when he told them off, but you’d always stayed. Truthfully, he didn’t want you to go. He wanted you to stay, always. 

There were so many things he wanted to say at that moment, emotions he didn’t even begin to know what to do with bubbling in his throat. What came out instead was his typical snark, “You’re a pest.”  

The brilliant smile you flashed him was worth every pain he’d ever experienced in his short life, “Yes, but I’m a lovable pest,” you replied as you pulled him back in closer to you. 

“Hmm,” he grunted softly, unable to stop the smirk that was growing on his face before he wrapped one arm around your shoulders. He lifted the other hand to your jaw, tipping your face up to his own before he closed the distance between the two of you. 

He felt you smile against his lips for a moment before you deepened the kiss, raising up on your tip toes to be closer to him. He moaned softly, his thumb stroking the soft skin of your jaw as he nipped gently at your lower lip. Much too soon for his liking, you pulled away from him, a gentle smile on your face as you looked up at him. He simply frowned, eyes narrowing at the sudden distance between the two of you. He was once again overwhelmed with the feeling of never being able to get enough of you. 

“Come back to bed, my love,” You said softly, hands trailing down his arms until your fingers interlocked with his. You gave him a gentle tug and he followed without hesitation, all of his previous worries forgotten for the moment. At that moment, there was only you. And he was powerless against you, he always had been, and truthfully he didn’t mind. He would do anything to make you happy. Even if that meant having to confront his own fears. He could do it, with you, for you. 

You were both silent as you made your way back up to your bedroom, trying to not wake anyone else. Once the bedroom door closed behind him you turned back towards him, his hand still clasped in your own. You smiled softly at him as you backed up towards the bed, pulling him along with you. You sat once your knees hit the back of the bed, looking up at him expectantly. He didn’t waste another moment, moving swiftly he wrapped his arms around you, smirking at the giggle that escaped you as he rolled the two of you over onto the bed until you were a tangle of limbs. He tightened his hold on you as you snuggled into him, your head pillowed on his chest, right over his racing heart. This time though, it was racing for a completely different reason, not one of fear. 

Neither of you said anything for a long moment, the only sound was your combined breaths and the waves of the ocean floating in through the open window. It was peaceful, and being here with you was really the only place he ever wanted to be. He just wished so desperately that his thoughts would stop tormenting him in his sleep and ruining the peace he’d found with you. 

As if sensing his sudden uptick in anxiety you spoke, head still resting on his chest while your free hand traced gentle patterns across his abdomen, “What’s one thing you can hear?”

Crosshair knew what you were doing. He recognized the tactic instantly, but usually, you used it on the nights when his dreams were so bad it woke you both up. When his system was completely in fight-or-flight mode. But even though he was relatively calm now, he still felt his heart rate slow as he focused on your words. His nightmare from earlier began to fade away into the furthest corners of his mind.   

“The ocean,” He answered quietly as he let his hand trail down the line of your body: arm, rib cage, waist, hip, thigh, knee. Back and forth, focusing entirely on the feeling of being with you. The softness of your skin was grounding, confirmation that he was here, that he was safe. 

“Something you can smell?” You continued your voice a gentle whisper that he felt rather than heard.  

“Your hair,” Clean, something warm, like sunshine, and fresh like the spray of the ocean.  

You chuckled softly, as your hand stilled on his abdomen, fisting once more in the fabric of his shirt, "Something you can feel?” 

“You.” 

His answers were usually always the same. Because when you were around you were all he could think of. Even when you weren’t physically with him he could still feel you, in his very soul, as though you’d become a part of him. In his darkest moments, you were always there. It was as if something clicked in that moment, maybe with you by his side, he could make it through. Maybe the future didn’t have to be as dark as his past. 

His eyelids were beginning to feel heavy as he listened to the sound of your breathing, as he focused on the lines of your body pressed into his own. He let his head tilt down to rest against you, his nose pressed into your hair, breathing in the familiar and calming scent of you. 

“I’ve got you Crosshair,” You said softly, “We can get through this together.”

For the first time in a long time, he felt a very small spark of hope. Maybe he could learn to let you in, to let you help him in those moments when he felt weak instead of running. As he drifted off to sleep he wrapped his arms tighter around you, unwilling to ever let you go. He felt your own arms tighten in response as your breathing began to even out. The last coherent thought he had before he drifted off to sleep was that you were right, you were in this together. 

This time the nightmares didn’t find him in his sleep. And when he woke up in the morning you were still wrapped in each other’s arms. Exactly where you had always belonged. 

[justaparsec94]

#peak comedy #lives rent free in my head

[justaparsec94]

This

And part 2 Another one

@isurrendertoclones

[justaparsec94]

Girl Dinner

[justaparsec94]

The readers have spoken! Thank you so much to everyone who voted! I'm honestly kind of surprised by the results, I thought for sure it was going to be Crosshair LOL. If your pick didn't win, fret not! I do plan to actually write most of these at some point but this poll has helped me prioritize! <3

Choose Your Own Adventure - Clone Fic Edition

I'm trying to keep myself motivated to write and since my last few posts haven't gathered much interest I'd love some input! Let me know what you'd like to see me write next! Also, my requests are always open! :)

[justaparsec94]

February Fluff/NSFW Clone Fic Prompts

Hello lovelies, for the entire month of February I'll be taking requests for Clone x Reader fics! Send me a prompt number, your favourite clone, and please specify fem, masc, or gen neutral. I'm also very willing to write for other Star Wars characters or pairings as well, just send me some names! No clonecest please!

Carding their fingers through the others’ hair and playing with the strands 

Spooning and back hugs 

Nuzzling the others neck and breathing in their scent 

Sex in front of a big window where anyone could glance up and spot them

Hugging the other from behind and kissing their shoulder 

Taking a bath together 

Slow sex while one or both are injured 

Kiss on the temple 

Body worshipping 

Finding a somewhat private area at a fancy party to fuck 

Kissing the back of their hand while holding hands 

Quickie where they don’t take any clothes off, just tug and pull and expose the essentials 

Getting a little too handsy on the dance floor

Falling asleep in each other’s arms 

Jealous sex in the alleyway behind a bar

Accidental 'I love you’s' during sex 

Stroking the others hair while they’re asleep 

Sleepy domestic sex

Soft, repeated pecks on the lips, causing the other to laugh/smile against their lips

Cuddling to keep each other warm 

[justaparsec94]

Friends at the end of the Republic | Ahsoka & Rex, by illustrator, Veronica Ruffato

[justaparsec94]

Echo putting the bad in Bad Bitch with this move

[justaparsec94]

Choose Your Own Adventure - Clone Fic Edition

I'm trying to keep myself motivated to write and since my last few posts haven't gathered much interest I'd love some input! Let me know what you'd like to see me write next! Also, my requests are always open! :)

[justaparsec94]

Arrival

Summary: When Echo and his crew rush off on a rescue mission you're left behind to wait, hoping to be reunited with the one person in the galaxy that you want to see most.

Pairing: Howzer x Reader

Word Count: 4,812

Author's Note: Inspired by those airport arrival videos and the haircut that Howzer was somehow able to maintain during his time in prison.

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

You shifted nervously from one foot to the other as you stood on the landing platform, heart racing in your chest. There was a cold, nervous sweat running down your back but at least you had finally stopped pacing. But that was only because you’d realized that you might have been drawing unwanted attention with the pacing, not because you’d felt any less settled. Every few moments you looked up, trying to spot any signs of the familiar ship as your stomach rolled with anxiety. You weren’t sure if you were going to throw up or pass out, but currently, neither option was out of the question. 

They’d been gone for what felt like ages and with each passing moment, despite knowing that these things took time, your anxiety only got worse. Every single horrible ‘what-if’ scenario that had kept you up the night before was now running through your head with nothing to do but wait.

You took a deep breath, trying to distract your mind by counting back from 100 under your breath as you kept your eyes peeled, looking for any sign of The Remora. If everything had gone according to plan, they should be returning any moment. Hopefully, with the one person you wanted to see most in the galaxy on board. 

You’d met Howzer during the war on Ryloth. There had been an instant connection between the two of you but during the war and even after it had ended the two of you had really only ever had a handful of stolen moments together. It hadn’t taken you long though to realize that he was unlike any man you’d ever met before. What you felt for him was different than anything you’d ever felt. He was kind, brave, and loyal to a fault. When you were with him you felt so completely safe, a feeling you had been searching for most of your life. The list of reasons why you’d fallen head over heels for him so quickly was endless. 

The day you found out he’d been arrested was something straight out of one of your nightmares. It had taken you months to find a way off of Ryloth and get in contact with Rex and his crew of rogue clones. With each passing day your fear had grown, the thoughts of all the horrible things The Empire might be doing to him kept you up at night. But even worse was the thought that you might have already been too late to save him. 

You knew Rex and his crew were competent though, you’d seen them in action enough times over the past few weeks to know that if anyone could rescue Howzer it was them. 

As if summoned by your thoughts, Rex suddenly appeared at your side. He didn’t say anything at first but you could see him looking up at the sky out of your peripheral vision. You let out another breath that you’d been holding. You hadn’t known Rex for long but you had instantly liked the former clone Captain. He was stalwart and steady, he rolled with the punches in a way you admired. His calm presence at your side had the anxiety in your stomach settling, but only just. 

“They’ll be fine,” He said finally, breaking the relative silence on the landing platform. You weren’t entirely sure if he meant to reassure you or himself, but you appreciated it either way. 

Your own words were stuck in your throat, so you simply nodded in return, heart beating so quickly that you could feel your pulse racing beneath your skin. 

Finally, the familiar sight of The Remora broke through the hundreds of ships up above. It seemed impossible but your heart rate picked up even more as you watched it slowly lower towards the landing platform. 

Rex gave you a meaningful and reassuring look before he moved away from you, heading towards the ship as its landing gear touched the ground. You stood rooted to the spot, frozen in fear and anticipation of what might be awaiting you when the ramp lowered. If they had failed… if he was already… no, you couldn’t go there. Not right now. The hydraulics of the ship hissed as the door to the ship opened, the ramp lowering as it began to power down. 

You suddenly moved a few steps forward, unconscious of the movement, as Echo came down first. You only just registered him clapping Rex on the shoulder before your gaze returned to the ship. You stopped, fear making your limbs seize once more as Fireball and Nemec exited the ship followed by three other clones dressed in grey and navy prison garb. Your breath caught in your throat at the familiar sight that followed them. Dressed in the same navy prison uniform, was Howzer. 

Your heart was pounding painfully against your rib cage as you watched him walk down the ramp. You couldn’t believe that he was actually here. You’d hoped every single day that you would see him again but now that it was happening it felt like it was all a dream. Even from this distance, you could see he looked different, paler and slimmer than he had been before but still undeniably Howzer. You took a few more steps forward, almost in a daze before another thought had you freezing in place. Would he be happy to see you? You might be undeniably in love with him but you’d never actually said that out loud to him. Maybe you’d over-estimated the depth of the bond you had, misread the words and intimate moments the two of you had shared…

Suddenly, every worried thought that had flooded your mind faded as you watched Howzer’s steps falter on the ramp as his gaze found you. A jolt of electricity shot through you as your eyes connected, every emotion you felt for him rushing up inside of you as he seemed to freeze in place. His warm eyes widened in shock, even from this distance you could see the disbelief on his face. Time seemed to stand still as you looked at him, joy bubbling up inside of you, replacing your earlier disbelief. He was here. He was safe. You hadn’t been too late. 

Howzer finally seemed to unfreeze but you stayed rooted to your spot, everything else that was happening around you faded away as he made his way straight towards you, covering the ground between the two of you in a few purposeful strides. There was only him. There had always only been him. Before you could even think of uttering a greeting his arms were around you, crushing you to his chest so tightly you felt the air leave your lungs. Your eyes burned with tears as you held him back, melting into his embrace. 

“You’re ok,” your voice croaked with emotion, eyes squeezing shut as you held him tightly. You weren’t sure if it was a question or a reassurance to yourself that he was actually there. Tears slid down your face as he cupped the back of your head, pulling you in even closer to him. Everything about him was the same, the lines of his body that had always fit so perfectly with your own, his gentle but reassuring touch, the soft rise and fall of his even breaths. Even his smell was the same, clean with the faintest hint of blaster fire. It was overwhelming to be so close to him after having spent so many nights dreaming of him. You had missed him so much. The ache had been unbearable. Being in his arms again was like coming home, you’d never felt safer. 

“I’m ok,” he finally replied, voice a soft whisper against your ear as his hold on you tightened even more. He swayed slightly, rocking the two of you back in forth as you continued to hold on tightly to one another. You squeezed your eyes shut tightly, burying your face into his neck as a soft sob escaped your mouth. You never wanted to let him go again. He turned his head, planting a soft kiss on your hair, your cheek, anywhere he could reach with how close you were. Your eyes continued to burn with tears as you basked in the feeling of being held and loved by him once more. 

Eventually, he did pull away, but only just enough that he could look at you fully. His hands remained on your waist, a warm and comforting weight. His eyes were wet as they traced your face, the same disbelief that had been present earlier was still there. 

“How are you here?” His voice was rougher than normal, as though he hadn’t used it in ages. 

“Well, someone had to find a way to rescue you,” You teased softly as you lifted your own hands to gently grasp the underside of his forearms. It felt good to touch him, a physical reminder that he was here and not about to disappear at any moment. 

“Without Y/N we wouldn’t have known to look for you specifically on the prisoner lists,” Rex’s voice sounded suddenly, causing both of you to jump slightly. You’d both been so lost in one another that you hadn’t noticed the rest of the clones gathering around. You felt your face flush slightly at the realization that they’d probably witnessed your entire emotional reunion but that feeling was gone in an instant as you looked back at Howzer who was looking at you in astonishment.

“And here I was spending my days in prison planning how I was going to get back to you on Ryloth,” He said with a chuckle. He shook his head slightly in disbelief but the pure joy you could see on his face filled you with happiness. 

“Saved you the trip,” You replied before closing the distance between the two of you once more, wrapping your arms around his waist as you gazed up at him. 

He laughed again, squeezing you tightly, “How did you pull this off?” He looked away from you for a moment to survey the space around them and the small group of clones that had rescued him.

“Well, first I feel like I should say I’m sorry that it took so long,” You said, a wave of guilt washing over you at the thought of all that might have happened while he’d been imprisoned. 

He pulled back slightly, brow furrowing but you continued before he could protest, “It took me a while to find a way off Ryloth. After you were arrested everything became so chaotic, there was so much civil unrest,” Howzer frowned at that, which wasn’t surprising. He loved Ryloth and its people, something that you loved so much about him, and he had worked so hard to protect it. To hear that all of that had essentially been for nothing would be heartbreaking.

“I eventually managed to stow away on an Imperial supply transport. After that I was able to meet up with the clones that helped rescue Cham and Eleni, they put me in contact with Rex,” You explained. You’d lived through a war and most of your life had been spent in conflict, but the last few months had been some of the most stressful you had ever experienced. The stress of not knowing if Howzer was still alive had eaten away at you. 

Sensing your distress, Howzer pulled you close once more, wrapping his arms around you tightly as he pressed his face into your hair, “Thank you,” His voice was so quiet that only you would have been able to hear his words. 

Howzer pulled away from you again after a moment but he seemed unwilling to go far, you could feel the heat radiating off of him, his hand still on your waist. You both finally looked away from one another as Rex and Echo stepped closer. 

“We’ll let you give him the tour,” Rex said to you before he raised a hand to rest it on Howzer’s shoulder, “We’re happy to have you, brother.”

Howzer smiled, “Thanks for the rescue boys.”

Rex clapped him on the shoulder once more before he and Echo moved off, likely to help the other three clones that had been rescued get settled as Gregor, Nemec, and Fireball moved the Remora into the hanger. 

“Come on,” You finally said, reaching down to grab Howzer’s hand with your own, “I’ll give you the grand tour.”

Howzer’s smile widened as he followed along behind you willingly, the weight of his large hand in your own was reassuring as you showed him around the Martez sisters’ garage.

“It’s not much, but it does the job. At least, for now,” You explained to him as you headed back towards where the bunks and the single refresher were. Rex and the others had been talking about finding a new base for a while but so far they didn’t have any leads.  

“It’s definitely an upgrade from an Imperial prison,” he said lightly, but you didn’t miss the dark flash of his eyes. You squeezed his hand in comfortingly as you pointed out the door to the refresher. 

“All we’ve got is a sonic but I figured you might want to use that…” 

He chuckled, “The hair could use a refresh for sure.”

You laughed as he leaned forward to press a quick kiss to your cheek. He was notoriously meticulous about his hair. 

When he leaned back his gaze swept over you once more from head to toe, a mix of both disbelief and relief on his face, “I can’t believe you’re actually here,” He said softly, hazel gaze warm as he squeezed the hand that he was still holding. 

“I can’t believe it either,” You said just as softly, heart thrumming in your chest as you looked up at him. You lifted your free hand to trace the lines of the scar on his face, as you had done what felt like hundreds of times before. He closed his eyes, leaning into your embrace for a moment. 

“Go shower,” You said after a long moment, smiling softly at him as you let your hand fall away from his face, “I’ll wait.”

He took a few steps back, pulling your hand along with him until just the tips of your fingers were still touching. The gesture made you laugh softly before he spoke again, “Don’t disappear on me.”

“Never,” You assured him, giving his fingers one last squeeze before you separated. You watched him until the door of the refresher slid shut behind him before you turned back and headed toward your bunk. It was slightly away from the rest, tucked behind a half wall to give you some sense of privacy. The clones were used to sleeping in close quarters but it had been an adjustment for you after having spent so much of your life alone, so you had appreciated their effort to make you feel more comfortable. Now though, as you sat down on your slightly lumpy mattress, you wondered if you should move it closer to the rest. The idea of being away from Howzer, even if he was just across the room, didn’t sit well in your stomach. You frowned though as the earlier doubtful thoughts that had plagued you returned. Maybe he would prefer the space…

You shook your head, trying to clear your mind of any unwanted insecurities. You sighed as you leaned back against the wall, suddenly feeling so very tired. It was as if all of the worry and sleepless nights had finally caught up to you now that he was safe. A massive weight had lifted off of your shoulders, the relief you felt was astronomical, but the fatigue was an ache deep within your bones. You closed your eyes, tipping your head back against the wall as you took a few deep breaths, trying to rid yourself of any remaining tension. Howzer was safe. You were safe. Tomorrow might bring a whole new set of problems, but for today you were together again and that was all that mattered. 

“Bored already?” Your eyes popped open once more as the mattress dipped and Howzer’s voice broke through the sleepy fog you had been quickly falling into. 

You smiled at him softly as he climbed onto the bed, leaning against the wall as he angled himself towards you. Somehow he looked better already. The prison uniform was gone, replaced by a standard set of blacks that highlighted the weight he’d lost. But his warm eyes seemed brighter, his skin less pale. His hair was clean and meticulous as always. Your memory hadn’t served him fully, he was so handsome. Your heart ached just looking at him. 

You shook your head, focusing on his earlier teasing question, “No, it’s just…It’s been a….” You paused though, completely unsure of how to describe the last few months. Honestly, the last few years. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d truly felt at peace. Likely long before the war had begun. 

Howzer’s answering chuckle was soft, “Yeah, you can say that again.” 

You turned yourself slightly so that you were facing him, knees bumping against his own as you instinctually reached out to place a hand on his arm. Anyone else might have missed the dark undercurrent in his tone, but you knew him better than that. 

“Are you ok?” You asked softly. You didn’t want to push him, but at the same time, you wanted him to know that you were there for him. No matter how dark things may be.

Howzer chuckled again before shrugging his shoulders, “It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.”

You raised a brow at him questioningly as you gently squeezed his bicep, "You don’t have to lie to me.”

“I’m not,” He smiled slightly, the warmth from earlier returning to his eyes, “It wasn’t fun but I swear I’m ok." 

You looked at him for a long moment, studying the lines on his face and trying to find any sign that he was hiding something from you. But his expression was relaxed once more, if there was anything it was buried deep. 

“Well, if you ever want to talk about it…” You started. 

“I know exactly who to go to,” He finished before he lifted his hand to wrap around your wrist, “C’mere.” 

He didn’t even leave you a moment to protest before he was tugging you towards him, pulling you both down onto the mattress. His warmth immediately seeped into you as he wrapped his arms around you, your body lining up perfectly with the lines of his own as you laid on top of him. The list of things you loved about him was endless, but moments like this one, being wrapped up safely in his arms were definitely near the top of the list. 

You let your head rest against his chest, the steady sound of his heart in your ear as you tipped your chin up slightly so you could still see his face. He’d closed his eyes but the soft smile from earlier was still present on his face. Your own heart fluttered at the sight and unable to resist anymore you stretched your neck slightly to plant a soft kiss on the scar on his jawline. As you pulled away you didn’t miss the way his smile grew even wider. 

Smiling, you closed your eyes and snuggled further into him, relishing in his warmth even though there was still a part of you that couldn’t fully believe he was there with you. You were afraid that you were suddenly going to wake up and discover that this was just another one of your dreams. The warm weight of his hands on your back, his fingers tightening just slightly in the fabric of your shirt, reassured you. 

The two of you were quiet for a long moment, simply basking in the presence of one another. You could tell though, by the way his breathing had slowed and evened out, that he was beginning to fall asleep. Your thoughts from earlier resurfaced and a wave of anxiety quickly washed through you. You pushed it aside though, you knew that it likely wouldn’t be long before the rest of his brothers started to filter into their makeshift barracks. Howzer had always been fairly private so you weren’t sure how he’d feel about his brothers seeing the two of you snuggled up in your bunk. 

Your eyes popped open at the thought and you lifted your head just slightly to be able to get a better look at him, “Your brothers set up a bunk for you over with the others if you’re tired and want to get some actual rest…” You hated how unsure you sounded but it was too late now to do anything about it. 

Howzer didn’t open his eyes but you knew by the way his breathing picked up just slightly that he was still awake. It was a long moment before he spoke, eyes still closed but one eyebrow rose questioningly, “Across the room?”

Too far, you wanted to say but stopped yourself, “Yeah, next to Fireball, I think.” You had appreciated their optimism at the time, setting up a bunk before they were even sure he was still alive but now you very much regretted agreeing to both let them set up his bunk there and for having your own across the room.

Howzer’s eyes popped open and he tilted his head slightly to meet your gaze. His eyes were warm with a hint of amusement flashing in them, “Why would I go across the room when I’ve got everything I need right here?”

Your heart was suddenly racing in your chest and you could feel your face growing warm, “You don’t want your own bunk?”

His face suddenly turned serious once more and you could see the tips of his ears turn red just slightly, “Well, unless you want your own space…”

“No!” You cut him off so quickly that you felt your face grow even warmer with embarrassment, “Erm, well, no it’s ok. You can stay here if you want to. I’d like you to,” You added the last part shyly. 

Howzer was quiet for a long moment, a soft but contemplative look on his face as his hand drew soothing circles on your back. 

“What is it?” You asked after another few moments, unable to ignore the look he was giving you. Your heart was fluttering in your chest and you could feel your face growing red. He had always had a way of looking at you that felt as if he could see exactly what was going on inside your head. 

“I don’t want to move across the room,” He repeated softly, lifting one hand to cup your jaw gently. The touch set your skin aflame, just as it always did. You wanted nothing more than to simply melt into his touch, it had been so long. 

Your brow furrowed in confusion slightly though at his words, you’d already told him he didn’t have to, “I don’t want you to either.” 

The corners of his mouth flicked up just slightly in a smile but his gaze remained intense, his touch soft as he cradled your face, “I thought of you every moment we were apart.”

The words you had been about to say were suddenly stuck in your throat, your eyes began to burn at his admission as your heart pounded against your ribcage. 

Howzer continued, his thumb stroking gently against your cheek, "Thinking of seeing you again was the only thing that kept me going,” He paused for a moment, his tone suddenly mournful, “The regret kept me awake at night.”

You lifted your head even more to be able to see his face better, “Regret?”

He was quiet for another moment, his thumb stilling on your face. His gaze was suddenly so intense that you felt as if you would melt under the weight of it, “That I never told you how much I’m in love with you.” 

Your breath caught in your lungs at his words and it felt as if your heart was swelling in your chest. You lifted a hand to cradle his face on instinct, suddenly overcome with emotions. Your eyes were stinging but your gaze was sure as you looked up at him, “I love you too,” You replied softly, watching as his expression lit up, a smile forming on his face, "Being apart from you felt as if I was missing a piece of myself,” You continued as you let your other hand move to rest over his heart. The steady pound of it beneath your fingers anchored you in that moment.  

He let his free hand fall to rest overtop of yours on his chest, fingers squeezing your own reassuringly as he smirked at you, "Well good because you’re stuck with me forever. Even if I die I’ll haunt you.” 

You laughed softly, tilting your head further into his hand, eyes narrowing playfully “How… romantic?” 

He laughed but before either of you could say anything else he closed the distance between the two of you, his kiss stealing the breath from your lungs. He moaned softly as your lips parted for him, his tongue brushing along your bottom lip. The heat of him was searing as he used the hand on your face to angle you up and deepen the kiss. Everything completely faded in that moment, there was only him. The absolute love of your life. 

When he finally pulled away, both of your chests were heaving and your entire body felt as if it was on fire as he rested his forehead against your own. You let your eyes fall closed, focusing on synching your breathing with his own. 

He was still so close, his nose brushing against your own as he spoke again, his voice a soft, gentle murmur, “Thank you for coming back for me.” 

You opened your eyes again and met his gaze, the hand you had resting over his heart fisting gently in his blacks. Your voice was sure and steady when you spoke, every ounce of emotion that you were feeling present in your tone, “There is nothing in the galaxy that could keep me away from you. I will come for you every time, Howzer.” 

He was quiet for another long moment, his expression one of mild disbelief, “Did I mention how much I love you?”

“Yes, but I’m not opposed to hearing it again," You laughed softly, stroking his jaw with your hand gently.  

This time when he kissed you it was slow and gentle, as though you had all the time in the galaxy. His hand slid from your face, back into your hair as his tongue slipped into your mouth, tangling with your own. A thrill shot up your spine as his other hand moved to the small of your back, pressing you further into him with a gentle touch.  You want nothing more than to stay in that moment with him forever. 

Eventually, you pulled back slowly as you felt his kisses begin to change. They were soft and sleepy, like the ones he used to give you in the mornings back on Ryloth after you’d spent the night together. Your own eyes felt heavy as you brushed your nose against his, giving him one last lingering kiss before fully pulling away. 

His eyelids were heavy when you looked up at him, but he was smiling so brightly it made your heart skip a beat. Sometimes, you didn't fully understand how you could love someone else so much. 

“Get some rest,” You said gently, stroking the scar on his face once more as his eyelids dipped. 

He let out a deep sigh, both arms moving to wrap around your back once more, pulling you in close as you rest your head against his chest. From this spot, you felt his next words more than you heared them. 

“I’m afraid if I go to sleep this will all be a dream,” He murmured, arms tightening around you instinctively. 

“I’m here Howzer,” You reassured him, resting your hand over his heart once more as you moved to press your face into the junction between his shoulder and neck, “We’re safe.”

He hummed slightly in response as he tipped his head to rest against your own, “You’ll still be here when I wake up?” 

“Always,” you replied as you closed your eyes, drifting away as his breathing evened out. Of that you were certain, you would do everything in your power to stay with him, forever. You didn’t know what tomorrow would bring but you knew that as long as you were together you would make it through.