#Chapter Twenty-Six | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

next-autopsy · 1 month

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A/N: Well, hi there! Another chapter, read away and lmk what y’all think!

Based on the actors portrayal/hbo show and written with no disrespect to the real life veterans. Also all images found on Pinterest.

TW: none I think

Tags: @malarkgirlypop, @panzershrike-pretz

Made of Glass

Chapter twenty six: Half an explanation

“Here.” Connie held her hand out, beads dangling from her palm. Birdie took them gratefully, thanking her friend for the rosary as she sat down on the pew the young blonde was perched on.

Birdie wanted to explain why she was late but the silence in the makeshift chapel was broken by the preacher beginning his sermon, So, Birdie stayed quiet. She listened to his words, letting each one soak into her mind while she fiddled with the borrowed prayer tool.

Bernadette enjoyed being in the chapel, even after the service, it was quiet; a nice place to reflect. The comforting feeling engulfed her, that place was sacred and Birdie always felt welcomed, even on her first visit. It was familiar and soothing.

Connie sat with her, mutely as the two women prayed. Both quietly counted their mumbled worship on the string of beads in their hands.

Guarnere and Muck made their way over to the ladies while everyone else filed out of the building. The two men shuffled into the pew occupied by the women and sat, the presence of her friend next to her broke Birdie from her thoughts.

“You got a lot of explaining to do, missy.” Bill leaned over to whisper to her, even though no one bar the four friends were left in the chapel. She inhaled to begin her explanation but Bill held up a hand to stop her, “You owe it to Toye too.” She shut her mouth.

Bernadette was not looking forward to sitting down with Guarnere and Toye and who knows who else and describing last night's events. She would definitely have to leave some stuff out.

—------------------------

“Jesus. You’re alive.” A sarcastic comment from Toye broke the weird silence as Birdie, Muck and Guarnere walked into the barracks.

“You thought I wasn't?” She was confused, why did he sound so angry at her?

Next to Toye she took note of several other men who all looked upset with her. Great, this was going to be one of those talks. Luz was fidgeting with the edges of his lighter, Muck sat down by Malarkey and Penkala on a random bed they claimed. Bull and Lipton were standing in the corner by Johnny who glared and huffed in her direction.

“You disappeared last night.” Don observed, he had an unspoken rule with the woman to find him before she left any bar or party they attended together and let him know where she was off to, which she typically stuck to but for some reason, didn't last night. He had taken it personally when she avoided him and worried an awful lot once he realized she had taken off without telling him.

“And you didn’t exactly give any of us a heads up.” Alex added. He had not worried as much as the others, knowing she could handle herself well enough and she wouldn’t make dangerous choices, but he still liked to be involved.

“When we got back to the barracks… Looking for you…. You weren’t even here.” It circled back to Toye, he was fuming, jaw clenched. He was definitely the most bitter about her disappearance.

“Well, I- '' Birdie attempted to get a word in but was very quickly cut off by her best friend.

“Do you know how freaked out I was?” Toye stood from his spot in the room and stepped towards her. Bernadette’s full focus was on him, she hadn’t realized he would get this upset about her going off to dance with Liebgott or she would have said something or just not gone at all.

“But-” The woman tried to speak again but was cut off once more.

“Where were you by the way?” Martin spoke up from his corner of the room, arms crossed over his chest and signature glare aimed at her. She wanted to shrink back or leave the room but she knew she owed them something. These men were her closest friends and she had caused them an awful lot of worry with her reckless departing.

“It’s-” For a third time Birdie started to answer and was interrupted, it was starting to get on her nerves.

“Oh and did you think we wouldn’t notice a certain someone was missing too?” The venom in Martin’s voice was unmistakable, he paced near her, stopping only two feet away from the lady. His next words not only shocked her but most of the room occupants, “Please tell me you didn't spend the night with him. Come on, you're smarter than that, Birdie.” That was the last straw, she wasn't willing to stand there and let him speak to her like that, not allowing her to say more than a word and assuming the worst.

“Would you shut up for a second?” It wasn’t a true shout but her voice did rise, “Firsty, I told Frankie that I was leaving and with who and secondly I’m a grown woman. I can make my own decisions, even ones you don’t agree with and I do not need to explain myself.”

“Okay why don’t we just cool it a little.” Lipton stepped between them, a gentle hand on both Birdie's forearm and Martin’s, “All we are trying to say is that we care about you. We were worried, that’s all.”

“So, you wanna tell us where you went?” Bull asked, the men stayed quiet awaiting her answer. Birdie huffed, rolling her eyes. She knew the real answer wouldnt land well so she padded the answer a little, leaving out key details.

“To Richard’s place.” It was the safest thing to start with. Dick was respectable and was a perfect chaperone so she wouldn't have to convince her friends she hadn't snuck off to sleep with someone.

“‘Richard? You mean Lieutenant Winters?” Don’s eyebrows rose, in the running bet of Birdie and Lieb; will they wouldn't they, Malarkey had his money on Winters. He didn't think Lieb would be nice enough to the woman and she’d ended up falling for a complete gentleman like their lieutenant. It wasn't the popular choice but that just meant more money for him when he won.

“Yeah.” She confirmed.

“Do tell.” Skip prompted, eyebrows wiggling.

“We left a pub and found Nixon stumbling around, too drunk to tell us where he lived. Then I remembered the family Dick is bilited with are off seeing relatives for the week so we took him there, and Dick made us stay the night cause…” Birdie trailed off, remembered the reason, not super keen to share as that would only lead to more questions, though it was a bit late now.

“Cause…?” Alex cued, he was invested as was Malarkey, Skip, Guarnere and Luz, all leaning forward to hear Bernadette speaking. The others, Toye, Martin, Bull and Lipton stood further back, mostly because Toye and Martin were all but growling and Bull and Lipton were trying to calm the wound up men. Birdie knew she would have to talk with Toye privately, smooth things over and explain herself properly without an audience, they both just needed time to breathe.

“Cause it was late.” She wanted to leave it there, not have to explain further but she knew her friends.

“How late?” George smirked, he knew what he was doing and Birdie gave him a look to say she knew what he was doing too.

“Like … I don't know… four something.” The southern woman mumbled, keeping her voice low in hopes that they didn’t hear even though she knew it wouldn’t work that way. Birdie didn’t miss the looks sent around the room, if the floor opened up and swallowed her right now, she would be grateful.

“My my, and what were you doing out so late, young lady.” Luz’s shit eating grin spanned ear to ear.

“Shut up, George.” Birdie got up to leave, trying her hardest to avoid the inevitable. She just knew George would weasel the information out of her and twist it into something it wasn’t.

“Oh! So it’s private, huh?” George followed her out the door, leaving their friends behind. Birdie headed toward the mess hall, determined to get her hands on a cup of coffee and maybe some peace from the chatty man, “So, what did you two get up to?”

“Oh Jesus! Dancin’, you happy? We danced.” The woman realised her friend would not drop the topic unless she gave him a few more details, so she went with the bare minimum. She wouldn’t tell him how they sat and talked for hours or about their nicknames for each other, how her heart fluttered when he called her doll, how she shared things with Joey that she hadn’t shared with most people.

And she definitely wouldn't tell Luz about the moment they shared, standing in the road under the stars, leaning towards one another. The moment that was interrupted but if they were given a few extra seconds alone, that moment would have been the beginning of something more. No, she would keep that for herself.

“Ohhhh… So it was a date?” His smug tone was giving her a headache.

“No!” Bernadette called out, louder than she was planning to. Her footsteps halted and she looked over at George before continuing both her words and walking, “No. It wasn't a date. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“So the two of you went off by yourselves to dance the night away and you don't think that was a date? Let me ask you something?.... Did you have anything to drink?”

“Yeah.” Of course they had, they were in a pub.

“Did he order it?” Luz’s smirk was becoming irritating and he had the ‘I told you so’ tone., Birdie was not enjoying this.

“Yeah…” She had a yucky feeling she was about to be proven wrong. But the previous night couldn’t have been a date. Joe hadn’t asked her out… well not specifically, not on a date. And if he had she wasn’t sure she would’ve gone with him. Fraternising was against the rules after all.

“Did you offer to pay for it?” George questioned, he already knew the answer. Bernadette always offered to pay, even though none of the guys took her up on the offer.

“Yeah.” She knew where this was going now. Opening doors for women and paying for their drinks was typical date behavior. The chivalrous acts showed romantic intention and was expected when courting someone you were trying to impress. But it wasn’t a fair argument from Birdie’s perspective, all the easy company guys bought her drinks and took offence when she offered or snuck off to pay before they could stop her.

“Did he let you?” He didn't have to say that but he really wanted to spell it out for Birdie, rub it in, prove his point.

Silence. Absolute silence while Birdie frowned and George grinned, holding back his laughs. He knew she wasn't telling him everything, he just knew Birdie had feelings for the man and now he could bring it up every chance he got and embarrass her. The perfect form of entertainment.

“It was not a date.” She growled out, stomping into the mess hall they had now reached, leaving George to chuckle at her reaction.

A/N: ooooo Birdie is in the doghouse! Lmk what y’all think of this chapter, love ya x

~ Nex ~

Chapter twenty seven

#band of brothers #easy company #hbo war #made of glass #made of glass chapter twenty six #next autopsy

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redux-iterum · 10 months

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Burning Hearts: Chapter Twenty-Six

(AO3 counterpart here.)

A couple nights after the poisoned rat, Fireheart was on his way back to camp from the dirt-place when a quiet clearing of the throat made him pause. To his right, Bluestar watched him with her cool yellow eyes.

“Good evening,” Fireheart said, and set down the foot he had lifted to take another step.

“Hold on.”

For a moment, Fireheart expected her to give him a scolding, and he tried to remember if he did anything to warrant one. Instead, she glanced at the tunnel leading into camp before cocking her head away from it.

“Come walk with me,” she said. Without giving Fireheart time to respond, she turned and set off at a regal pace into the woods.

Fireheart hesitated for just a heartbeat before following her, now definitely sure he was going to be scolded.

But Bluestar didn’t say anything; in fact, she slowed down enough to let him catch up with her, and the pair walked side-by-side in silence for a long time. The tension built up in Fireheart’s spine, but he waited for Bluestar to speak first.

Once they were within hearing range of the river, she did.

“Why is it,” she said, slow and calm, “that I keep smelling Greystripe on the border of RiverClan territory?”

Fireheart opened his mouth, but not a sound escaped him.

“And they haven’t been around recently…” she continued. “But I scented the same RiverClan cat there, too. Over and over.”

Bluestar watched him, unreadably neutral, as he tried to force any explanation out that wouldn’t implicate Greystripe.

He had nothing. He closed his mouth again.

His eyes must have said it, because Bluestar nodded, still slow, with a distant dimness in her own eyes.

“Who is it?” she asked quietly.

Fireheart lowered his gaze to the ground, almost as guilty as Greystripe would’ve been feeling. “Silverstream.”

“Crookedstar’s daughter.”

“Yes.”

Bluestar let out a muted hum, and Fireheart peeked up at her. To his surprise, she almost looked amused, in a very pained sort of way.

“Figures,” she muttered. “Did she break things off?”

“They both did,” Fireheart said. “…Too late.”

“She’s pregnant, then?”

“Yes.”

Fireheart expected some rebuking, or anger, or even just sternness. What he got instead was that pain swallowing up the amusement and sagging her greying face down. She gazed out in the direction of Sunningrocks, looking like she was the only cat in the forest, alone with her thoughts.

“Always that family,” she said at last, still nearly under her breath. “We don’t learn.”

Fidgeting nervously, Fireheart meekly asked, “Are you angry with Greystripe?”

Bluestar sighed. “I should be, but I’m not. I’ve seen him when he thinks he’s alone. I know what he’s going through right now.” She paused, a visible knot in her throat. “Better than anyone else.”

Fireheart stopped fidgeting, his nervousness easing up in the name of curiosity. “What do you mean?”

She didn’t answer right away. Her eyes were still unfocused, her face still turned to the river, whose rumble was the only sound in the woods for a stretched-out moment.

Finally, she said, “Did Silverstream tell Greystripe about her uncle?”

“I…” Fireheart blinked. “I have no idea. He said she told him about something similar to their… thing… happening in RiverClan, but…”

“Then she did,” Bluestar said. “In a way.”

Fireheart squinted just a bit. “What does…?”

“His name is Oakclaw.” She turned her head to him now. “And he was my mate.”

Silence as Fireheart wrapped his mind around that. He stared at his old mentor, unable to find the words for a proper response.

“We saw each other in the exact same place I smelled Greystripe most strongly,” Bluestar said. “And we ended it when I got pregnant.” She sighed through her nose. “Our Clans found out about it. We were punished. RiverClan won’t let him forget, and ThunderClan hides it in shame.”

Fireheart’s ears went back a bit. “Then… no wonder I never heard about it.” A question hit him and he asked it before he could stop himself. “Where are your kits, then? With him in RiverClan?”

Bluestar flicked her tail in the direction of the river. “Buried in Sunningrocks.”

“…Oh.”

“They—” Bluestar’s voice caught. She forced out her words. “They didn’t live for very long. I thought it’d be a way for Oakclaw to have some connection to them. He never got to see them.”

The misery dragging its claws over Bluestar’s entire body was agony to see on his elegant leader. Fireheart tried desperately to think of something to say to comfort her, to offer any shred of relief. He couldn’t think of anything. Instead, he stepped closer to her and leaned against her side, watching her face in distress. The faintest tremor went through her body.

It was her who spoke next, after taking a long, long moment to collect herself and steady her voice again. “They’ve agreed to not see each other again?”

“Greystripe has, at least,” Fireheart said. “I’m pretty sure Silverstream will say so too, when she has the kittens.” He hesitated before adding, “Are you going to tell the Clan?”

To his relief, she shook her head. “Only if I have to.” She raised her head again and gave Fireheart a stern look, more like herself. “And he better make sure I don’t have to.”

Fireheart gave her a reassuring blink. “He will.”

“Good.” Bluestar curtly nodded and gestured vaguely with her tail. “You can go home, Fireheart. That’s all I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh,” Fireheart said. “Okay. Um– are you going to be alright?”

The cool, pale eyes turned warm. “I’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Well, I’m gunna.” Fireheart stood straight. “That’s what I do, care and worry.”

“That is what you do,” Bluestar purred with creased eyes. “I’m just going to take a walk—and talk to Greystripe, if he’s out here. Go ahead and get back to camp. There should be a mole on the prey-pile for you.”

Fireheart knew a politely-worded order when he heard one. He dipped his head to her and turned around, trotting all the way back to camp, his mind buzzing with questions and concerns.

---

When the next Gathering came a few nights later, Greystripe jumped at the opportunity to go. Bluestar didn’t ask questions, just accepted his request and took him with her and the rest of the party. Whether or not they had talked, Fireheart didn’t know. He didn’t think it was his place to ask.

Ravenwing had gone out hunting with Whitecloud, leaving Fireheart to sit in camp alone with his thoughts. When Frostfur came out of the nursery, he quickly trotted over to her.

“How is everything in there?” he asked, trying to sound casual while keeping his voice down in case Brindleface could hear him. “Are your kits being troublemakers?”

Frostfur gave him an amused look. “Goldenflower and Cloudkit are fine, Fireheart. You don’t have to keep making conversation with me to ask about them.”

Fireheart deflated a little, looking up at her sheepishly. “Sorry.”

Frostfur waved a paw dismissively. “Relax. Trust me, if something comes up, you’ll be the first to know. They’ve both just been sleeping, when Goldenflower isn’t keeping Brindleface company.”

“She’s still nervous?”

“She’s been steadying out, but I don’t think she was made for sitting in one place for so long with nothing but her thoughts.” Frostfur huffed a sigh. “The moment she can leave those kits for some time, I’m bringing her out for a walk to clear her head a little.”

Fireheart tilted his head. “Wouldn’t that make her more nervous to be away from them?”

Frostfur rolled a shoulder. “I’d say being trapped in a den is worse for her right now. It doesn’t help that it’s crowded in there—”

As if on cue, high-pitched meows and chirps, muffled, drifted out of the entrance behind Frostfur. She sighed again and moved out of the way just in time for her litter to come clambering out into the open, all tottering like they’d just woken up.

“Maybe they’re tired enough to behave,” Fireheart joked, and Frostfur snorted.

Snowkit was the first to have his big blue eyes brighten up some. He picked up his pace into a steady trot, wandering around the edges of camp and sniffing. Fireheart marveled at how he still wasn’t making a single sound, not even stepping on stray leaves or kicking any sand up. Then again, he didn’t appear to notice Mousefur greet him and nearly bumped into Cinderpaw when his nose was to the ground.

Fireheart turned his head to Frostfur again, just about to speak when his stomach growled. He didn’t get a chance to apologize before she nodded to the prey-pile and said, “You’re good. Go get breakfast.”

“Will do,” he said. “Do you want anything?”

“Oh, I can get it myself in a bit.” Frostfur’s eyes creased. “But thanks.”

Fireheart dipped his head to her before turning and making his way to the prey-pile. As Bluestar had said, there was a mole tucked under a dove’s wing, blessedly round and fresh. Fireheart nabbed it and sat down close by, his food between his front paws, as he watched the kits slowly rouse and look around camp, calculating where they could cause the most trouble. As Brightkit and Brackenkit waddled off to the elders’ den, Thornkit went after Snowkit, trying to order him to come with him and being completely ignored.

Much as he wanted to be cheered by the kits’ escalating nonsense, Fireheart’s chest was heavy and stiff. All he could think of was Bluestar’s kits—what they had looked like, if they had gotten to leave the nursery at all before they died…

Would Silverstream’s kits get to see the moonlight? Would Rosy’s play in the sun before they were taken away? Was it worse to never know what happened to one’s kits, or to have them die young where one could see them?

Fireheart’s stomach knotted up and his claws inched out, lightly carving the sand beneath them into little lines. His eyes unconsciously squinted as his mind continued cruelly plucking away at itself.

If anything happened to Cloudkit, even if he made it to apprenticeship… what if he never got his warrior name? What if Fireheart had to go to Rosy and tell her he had failed to keep her son safe, that he had lost his life because the wild was just that unfair? What if—

“Crow-eyes are upon you.”

The rough rasp, so close in Fireheart’s ear, made him nearly jump out of his skin. He turned his head with a choke of shock, only to immediately settle into mild irritation at the satisfied look on Yellowfang’s face.

“You up to trouble, boy?” She thumped her ratty haunches down beside him, one torn ear flicking. “Don’t lie, now.”

Fireheart blinked. “N-no. Just… I was just thinking about stuff. Why would I be up to trouble?”

Yellowfang lifted her muzzle, pointing upward as well as she could with her smushed nose. Fireheart followed her line of sight; a large black crow had landed in the branches of the tree whose roots guarded the nursery. It was peering back down at Fireheart with what seemed to be great interest in its pitch-black eyes, cocking its head like it was studying him.

“Thlainra watches you,” Yellowfang said. “And quite carefully.”

“Who’s Thlai’ra?” Thornkit paused in following Snowkit to frown at the seer.

“Don’t spook him,” Fireheart immediately warned Yellowfang.

She snorted and grinned her frog-like grin at Thornkit. “Take a peek at that crow up there, child. You see its eyes, black as its feathers? Those eyes belong to the Crowmother.”

Unsteady shifting of sand told Fireheart that the other kits had come up to listen, and sure enough, Brackenkit and Brightkit appeared out of the corner of his eye, staring at Yellowfang but keeping their distance.

“Haven’t been told yet, I wager, that crows are not to be eaten,” Yellowfang said, and the kits shook their heads. “Well, that is because they are the eyes and ears of she who serves the Tiger—black as they are, eyes darker, fur stiff like their feathers.” Her voice went gravelly again, as it always did when she told stories, but Fireheart was surprised to see awe on her face as she spoke. “The wisest of all, that speaks through the tongues of her children—she sees all the crows see, hears all they hear, and judges those the crows watch. She sees when trouble is to rise, and she sees who will cause it.” She looked up at the crow again, the kits turning their heads with her. “That bird there, it and its mother understand that which we never could, and through that understanding, it and all of its kind cast judgment that cannot be rejected.”

Brightkit and Thornkit looked a little lost as they scrutinized the crow, but Brackenkit’s eyes were wide with amazement when he looked back at Yellowfang. He said eagerly, “Can that crow talk too? Not just ‘cause of Thlainra?”

“If it has reason to.” Yellowfang nodded sagely. “But they are quite like cats, you know: inclined to do as they please with no care for what other animals desire.”

“Wooow.” Brackenkit’s eyes sparkled. “So– so what does Thlainra do if you’re doing bad stuff?”

“Ah, that.” Yellowfang grinned again and stretched her neck to bring her head closer to the little tom. “Her crows pluck your eyes out, child.”

Brightkit squealed in disgust and Thornkit whipped his head around to glare at Yellowfang, fur puffing up in alarm.

Brackenkit wilted a little, but he bravely kept up his volume. “Well, I’m not doing anything bad, so I’m okay, right?”

“For now,” Yellowfang croaked. “Just catch not her attention.”

Across camp, Frostfur rolled her eyes. “Kits, she’s joking. Thlainra only hurts evil cats.”

“Sinners of any kind will do to feed her flock.” Yellowfang squinted an eye at the much bigger molly. “For eyes are tasty, and a crow is always hungry.”

“Yellowfang, please,” Fireheart said, with more exasperation than he actually felt. “Did you tell kits in ShadowClan this stuff, too?”

“I did.” Yellowfang smirked at him. “And they loved it.”

“You marsh cats would.” Frostfur reached out a paw to gather in Thornkit and Brightkit as they ran to her. “I’ve heard about how much you worship her and her crows.”

Yellowfang gave one firm, curt nod. “One would have to have a death wish to ignore her wisdom and justice.”

“Well, look at that,” Fireheart remarked dryly. “You actually respect someone’s authority.”

Yellowfang cuffed his ear with a snort. It didn’t hurt. Fireheart stuck his tongue out at her before looking down at his mole. His stomach was loose and hungry now, thank the stars. He ate silently, listening with amusement as Brackenkit scooted forward and started pelting Yellowfang with questions about crows and Thlainra, all that she surprisingly was happy to answer.

#warrior cats #redux iterum #iterum #chapter #chapter twenty six #book two #arc one #burning hearts

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monako-jinn-stories · 1 year

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Crosshair X Fem!Reader FanFic

It Started with a Vacation

Main Master List

Story Master List

Chapter Thirty One (PG)

Chapter Thirty One (18+)

Chapter Thirty Three

Chapter Thirty Two

The halls are quiet as you walk through them in the early morning. Bright, warm beams of light from the sun filter in through uncovered windows. You suppress a yawn as your feet try to drag, but you snap yourself out of it as soon as it happens. You just have to make it to your bedroom before you can collapse. It’s not much further…

As soon as your head meets your pillow, you’re out like a rock. Hours later, when Codo and Cyar’ika are at your side, trying to wake you, you still don’t move. They exchange confused looks before shrugging and heading outside to play in the courtyard.

You finally wake up when Tayah wanders in, and she looks down shyly when she notices you’ve woken up. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” she says quietly, “but I was hoping for some help.”

You glance over to the chronometer on your nightstand before your eyes go wide and you push yourself up. “Don’t apologize, Tayah,” you say, “it’s about time I got up anyway.”

“Your clothes are dirty,” she comments, furrowing her brows as she looks at the stains on your pants. “You got it on your bed.”

You look down at your sheets before smiling and giving her a pat on her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve had to sleep on an actual battlefield before,” you assure her. “I’ll wash them later. What do you need help with?”

“My garden,” she sighs, swinging her arms at her sides. “It’s starting to die again.”

You examine her for a moment before standing and resting a hand on her shoulder to guide her along with you. You don’t care to change clothes just yet, instead deciding to take her right outside. Plus, if you’re going to be in the garden, you’ll likely get dirty again.

As you walk, you feel some conflict coming from Tayah’s mind, and you try to figure it out before deciding to just ask her about it. “There’s something on your mind,” you comment, and she pauses for a second before nodding. “Tell me.”

“Well…” she starts, playing with the ends of her lekku, “it’s Ringo.”

“Ringo?” you question, stopping to look at her again. “What about him?”

“I don’t know, something just feels bad,” she admits. “I know I’m young, but I still know when to sense danger. Plus, I’m a Jedi!”

“No, not a Jedi,” you correct, “just a force user.” She kicks at the ground when you say that, and you clear your throat to regain her attention. “It’s not a bad thing,” you clarify, “not all force users are meant to be Jedi. You don’t seem to fit the mold. It’s okay to be different, it’s admirable, even. The only thing that kept me as a Jedi was the hope of making my father proud.”

“Codo?” she asks, and you shake your head. “King Monako?”

You snort at that, letting the words slip right from your mouth as you respond. “Hells no. I couldn’t give a kark what that dirty maggot thought about me. No, I cared about making Qui-Gon proud. I didn’t want to be viewed as a mistake, and though he never said I was, it’s hard not to think of myself as one. Especially with having learned about my birth, and who my mother had been.”

“Did you ever meet him?” she asks, looking up hopefully at you. You give her a small smile and nod, looking ahead again.

“Once, about twelve years ago. Before the Sith attack on Naboo where he died, he had come here to meet me. I was seventeen at the time, and only a few days later is when he was killed. Fortunately, I was able to attend his funeral and got to give my final promise to him.”

“What was your promise?” she asks curiously, looking up at you expectantly. You turn your head, facing straight ahead as you take a step forward.

“I promised to do good by his name, and to keep his life in the stories for future generations. To make sure he is never forgotten as the brilliant grey Jedi he was. Like you, he was different, and it made him stronger and unique.”

Tayah follows silently behind you for a few moments before stopping again, and you turn to look questioningly at her. “There’s something else…” You nod for her to continue, and she keeps her eyes down as she speaks. “I feel a pull. And I hear a call whenever it’s quiet. I also have dreams of…darkness.” She steps ahead of you before kneeling at her flowers. “And when I try to use the force, it works, but then I can’t stop using it and it just…” She trails off, and you move to watch her as she reaches her hand out and uses the force to grow a beautiful flower, but then you see her lose control, and the flower grows too big and shrivels up and wilts before it dies. As you watch, you can’t help but step away from her slightly, feeling the darkness coming from her. She turns to see the fear and concern in your eyes, and her own expression goes fearful. “Aunt y/n,” she whispers, looking up at you pleadingly while holding out her arm. You instinctively flinch away, but also feel your legs turn weak as she croaks out her next words. “Help me. Save me.”

“I can’t,” you reply almost wordlessly, “I…I don’t know how. I could take you to the Jedi temple, but even then…” You shake your head and close your eyes, letting out a deep breath before looking at her again. Her eyes seem to be unusually golden around the edges of her irises, and you feel the blood drain from you. “When did this start? What are your dreams like? What do you feel and hear?”

She shakes her head, backing away slightly. “I don’t know,” she replies, “they’re dark. I see a dark figure, and a hand reaching towards me. I wake up and feel like I can’t breathe. And then I hear a dark chuckle and someone saying my name. It’s scary,” she says, tears starting to flow. She leaps forward and clutches to your shirt, her eyes pleading as she cries out to you, “I want it to stop!”

You regret your next moves, but it’s like you can’t control yourself. Instead of holding her close and comforting her, you’re overwhelmed by the darkness that exudes from her, and you push her back with the force. Your own expression matches her look of shock, and tears spill down your cheeks as well. “Tayah…” you say, falling to your knees and holding your head in your hands, “I’m so sorry…I’m…I’m just so sorry…I want to save you, but I…” You shake your head, swallowing before looking back up at her. She’s sitting on the ground across from you, her tears silently flowing down her cheeks. “I-I can’t help you…I’m not that kind of Jedi. But I fear you…you’re…” You can’t finish your sentence, and instead hit your wrist comm to contact Codo.

“Y/n, is everything alright?” he asks instantly.

“Have you known?” you reply, and silence follows for a second.

“Yes…but I had hope that you could-”

“You know that’s not how it works,” you whisper, remembering the story of Dooku’s turn. “You know I can’t do it, either.”

“What about Ringo?”

You look back at Tayah, watching her closely. “Do you want to see your brother?” She immediately lights up and nods her head furiously. “Alright,” you say before speaking into your comm again, “I’ll bring Ringo when I come back next week,” you say to both of them, “we can celebrate together, as a family.” Tayah nods, and you wipe the tears from your eyes before reaching forward and gently wiping away hers. “I’m so sorry,” you whisper again, cradling her cheek in your palm. The darkness has calmed, but you can still feel it lingering. “I hope this will help you,” you say before standing and reaching out for her. “Unfortunately, until then, we’ll have to leave your garden as it is.”

“Okay,” she says quietly, looking down shamefully. “I’m sorry I’m not good anymore.”

“No, Tayah,” you quickly correct, “you’re still good. You’re just…being influenced in a bad way. Ringo will help, I promise.” She just nods again and sniffles before silently leaving your side. You watch as she goes, and feel your heart growing tighter. You can tell she’s already too far gone, but maybe, just maybe, Ringo will bring a bit of her back.

After Tayah heads inside, you decide to go find Codo and Cyar’ika, wanting to discuss something more positive. You also haven’t gotten to see your daughter yet, and can feel the anticipation building as you wander around the palace grounds. Ever since Tech had told you it’s possible that she’s growing at an accelerated rate, you’ve been more worried about missing important parts of her life. But you are kriffing sure you won’t miss her first birthday, and you’re going to do everything in your power to ensure Crosshair doesn’t miss it either.

When you find them, Codo seems to be slightly occupied with his thoughts, and you can tell he’s regretting not telling you about Tayah. It doesn’t matter to you, though, because however you could have found out, hearing it from her and realizing it for yourself was probably the best option. “Hello, my little princess,” you say as you bend to pick up Cyar’ika. She grins at you, and you are amazed by how many teeth have already filled in. “Hello, Codo. It’s good to see you, and not just hear you,” you joke, and he snaps from his thoughts to smile at you.

“She’s quite the little weed,” he says, “growing so fast.”

“Well, she gets that from her father,” you reply, “or at least that’s what Tech theorizes. I was going to have some doctors and scientists look at her. We have a Kaminoan here who fled Kamino as well, and I’m sure he’d be willing to help.”

“Ahh,” Codo sighs, “that would be a good idea. And it would explain some things, like how she’s cognitively developed faster than normal as well as physically.”

You smile down at her, and she wiggles from your arms to go back to playing with her toys in the grass. “Her birthday is next week as well,” you comment, “I’m wanting to have a little party for her to celebrate.”

Codo nods, watching his granddaughter as she bashes her dolls together. “So that’s what you meant by celebrating. I think it would be a wonderful idea.”

“I want Crosshair here as well,” you add, and you can feel the shock instantly come from Codo. “He deserves to know, and it’s already been almost a year. It’s just so unfair, and it would also be an amazing gift for her to finally meet her father.”

“What about the others?” he asks, and you shake your head no.

“The less people that know, the better. Besides, Tech wasn’t even supposed to figure it out. But there’s not much you can hide from a genius.”

“That is true,” he agrees. “Well, I support the idea either way. But you have to find out how to do it gently.”

“Yeah,” you sigh, “that’s the hard part. I have no idea how to even begin to explain things, or how he’ll react. It’s all so…difficult.”

“Most things that are this important are going to be difficult, unfortunately,” Codo replies, “but I have faith in you.”

“Thank you,” you say, leaning over to rest your head against his shoulder as the sun warms you. “And thank you for being here so often, giving her a love that no one else could, and helping her grow. I just hope I won’t have to surrender her to the Temple when she’s old enough.”

“I have a feeling things will be different when she’s of age,” he comments, and you lift your head to look at him curiously. “I can’t explain it, but…don’t worry,” he says, smiling at you, “it will all end up being okay in the end.”

“I hope so,” you sigh, resting against him again. “I just want us all to be together, as one family.” Codo remains silent, and you both gaze lovingly at your daughter. You don’t know the thoughts he has, but something is telling you that he’s holding back. Hopefully it’s for the better, and nothing to worry about. The galaxy does have a feeling of change, and it’s only getting stronger each day.

~~~

The second they walk into the bar, all eyes are on them. The patrons turn their heads to look at them with disgust, and one even spits on Wreckers armor. Before he can lunge at them, Hunter grabs his arm and shakes his head. “Remind me why we had to come down here,” Wrecker grumbles, and Tech adjusts his goggles while glaring down at everyone in the room.

“Because, we need to gather important intel, and apparently no one else is cut out for the job,” Tech answers, and Crosshair scoffs behind him.

“No one is as threatening as we are, either,” he says coolly, snapping his eyes to a Nautolan woman who is giving them a sneer. He sneers right back at her while adjusting his blaster on his back.

“We don’t welcome your kind down here,” the bartender speaks as they approach him, “what do you want?”

“We’ve been sent by the Republic to gather information,” Hunter replies, “we were told to come down here and ask to talk to a man named Calrissian.”

“Ahh, so you are the real deal,” the bartender replies, “I’m wondering why they didn’t send a Jedi down here.”

“It was ordered directly by Chancellor Palpatine,” Tech butts in, “he works separately from the Jedi.”

“So I’ve heard,” the bartender replies before straightening up and waving them to follow. Crosshair reaches back to grab his blaster, taking place outside the door that Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech walk into. Normally, Wrecker would stand guard outside, but Hunter changed plans last minute, and Crosshair is now the one stuck with the hostile crowd.

“Ya know, I’ve never seen one of y’all’s type up close before,” a patron says, stumbling over and sloshing his drink. “You look a bit different than I expected.”

“I’m not your standard clone,” Crosshair responds flatly, “I’m special, like the others I came with.”

“Well,” the man chuckles, “that explains why you don’t look similar. So tell me, Mr. Special, do you know what your purpose is?” Crosshair feels his body go rigid at the question, and he nearly snaps his toothpick with how hard he bites down on it. “Well, do ya?”

“Ah, leave the guy alone,” the Nautolan woman says, “he’s not worth it.”

“Come on, babe, someone should tell him,” he replies before narrowing his eyes at Crosshair. “You have no purpose, other than to be an expendable weapon,” the man whispers, before yelling the rest. “You’re useless! You have no point to existence other than to die for the Republic! You have no value, no worth!” Crosshair resists the urge to bite back, instead just glaring down at the man. “What, you got no retort?”

“What am I supposed to say?” Crosshair asks quietly. “Am I supposed to talk back? Argue that you’re wrong?”

“Ha!” the man barks out, “you don’t even see worth in yourself. It’s ‘cause you know I’m right. See, you’re not like us, normal sentients. We have purpose, we have value and a reason for life. Hells, we were born, and not formed in a little test tube.”

“What is your purpose, then?” Crosshair questions, and the man grins at finally getting some snark.

“My purpose is to be a man, to raise a family, to protect them. Something that you’ll never know. I get to find someone who loves me, while you get to die for a Republic that hates you.” The words sink deep, and Crosshair’s fingers twitch on his blaster. “Surely you already knew that you’ll never have a family, that you don’t deserve to have a family,” the man taunts.

“Mik, cut it out,” the Nautolan woman says, grabbing his arm now, “I don’t want you pushing him to blast you.”

“He wouldn’t do that, he’d get court martialed for it,” the man, Mik, replies. “They’d kill him for killing a civilian.”

“And that’s the only thing that is protecting you,” Crosshair snarls. “And you’re wrong. I have found someone who loves me, who will gladly have a family with me when the war is over. When we both come out alive on the other side, I’ll make sure to come back here with her and our future kids, just to show you that you were wrong.” Mik laughs in Crosshair’s face, and the Nautolan uses his distraction to pull him away.

“You talk boldly for a simple minded being such as yourself,” Mik calls as he’s dragged away, “but I happily await your return. And if you don’t, then I’ll just assume I was right about it all.”

Before Crosshair can give another retort, the door opens and the others walk out. Hunter takes a look around the room before motioning for the others to follow him as he weaves his way out. Mik spits on the ground in front of Crosshair as he passes by, but the trooper just ignores him and keeps his face forward, not wanting to give the man any more of his attention.

“You seem tense,” Hunter says to Crosshair when they return to the Coruscant barracks, “something happen at the bar?”

“You could say that,” Crosshair replies, rolling a toothpick between his teeth.

“Care to elaborate?”

Crosshair stays silent for a few moments, debating whether or not he should share his thoughts. “I think it’s best I just try and forget about it. It was just a civvie being a piece of bantha fodder anyway.”

“Well, if it keeps eating at you, we’re all here to listen,” Hunter says, “we’re brothers, and we stick together.” Crosshair looks at Hunter and nods before shifting to lay down on his bunk. “You still seeing y/n tomorrow night?”

“As far as I know, yes.”

“Well, try not to be in a sour mood, then. You guys have been arguing a lot, I don’t want things to get worse.”

“They’ve all just been misunderstandings, we’re fine,” Crosshair counters.

“Either way, I like you guys better together and not mad at each other.”

“I do too,” Crosshair mumbles, and he sighs before closing his eyes, waiting for the familiar nightmare to begin.

The second the chrono hits 1900, you jump from your bed and run to the elevators. You anxiously wait as it descends to the hangar, practically bubbling with nerves and anticipation. As soon as it stops, you step forward, cursing when the old thing takes forever to open. Once it finally does, you take only a few steps before crashing into a familiar chest. You look up and all your worries seem to wash away as Crosshair stares down at you with a cocky smirk.

“Someone seems like they were eager to see me,” he chuckles quietly, and you wrap your arms tightly around him as he returns the gesture.

“You could say that,” you mumble, earning another light chuckle from him. “I missed you.”

“I missed you as well, my cyar’ika.” You pull back and grin up at him before grabbing his hand and pulling him into the elevator as it’s about to close. “Are we not getting food?”

“I already picked it up,” you reply, “I don’t want to spend too much time out, I just want to be with you.”

He smiles softly down at you and presses a kiss to your forehead. “I like that plan.”

“Good,” you reply, stepping away and grabbing his hand as the elevator reaches the right floor. “I hope you don’t mind that I just ordered a meal for us to share. It was the big combo meal at Dexter’s.”

“That sounds alright to me.”

“I also have dessert, and a surprise for you afterward,” you add, and you feel Crosshair’s interest pique.

“A surprise?”

“Yeah. Well, kinda. It’s hard to explain, but I think you’ll be happy with it. I at least hope so.”

“I’m sure I’ll love it, whatever it may be,” he assures you. You nod, feeling the nerves coming back, but you push them from your mind, just wanting to make sure you get to enjoy your night.

“How has everyone been?” you ask when you walk into your room.

“They’re fine, Tech recently had to get his goggles replaced. He wasn’t too happy about that.”

“Did they break in battle?”

“Yes,” Crosshair confirms, grabbing a shawda club sandwich, “he’s had that pair since we were first sent out. It’s like Hunter’s headbands, he was attached to it.”

“And you with your blaster,” you joke, and he rolls his eyes but doesn’t deny the comparison. “Do you ever wonder if there could be someone out there that you’d hold onto for as long as you could?”

Crosshair stops eating for a second to look up at you in confusion. “What do you mean, princess? I already feel that way with you.”

“No, I know. I meant outside of me,” you clarify, “like maybe a kid?”

Crosshair stares at you for a moment as his mind goes back to the previous day at the bar. The words from Mik rattle through his head again, and he has to clear his throat and shake his head to snap out of it.

“You don’t?” you ask slowly, and he snaps his eyes up to you again.

“No, I wasn’t shaking my head no, I was pulling myself back,” he says, “but…I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ll even survive the war. Kids aren’t really on my mind right now.”

“Well, hypothetically,” you say, wanting a solid answer. “Like let’s say we do both survive, and can be together. Would you want kids?”

“I don’t think we should talk about this just yet,” Crosshair counters, taking another bite.

You swallow before looking down, setting your sandwich on your plate as you think of how to edge the conversation further. “Well, I for one would like to have them. At least one, maybe two. I don’t think I could handle more than that.”

“It would be your body doing the work,” he agrees, “so however many you would be comfortable with.”

“What gender would you want them to be?” you ask, resting your chin in your hand. “Of course, we won’t push it on them if that’s not how they feel.”

“I don’t know,” Crosshair replies, his walls going back up. “I don’t really think we have a choice in the matter, either way. Besides, we need to keep our minds on the war, not on a possible future family.”

“We can take one night to think about it though, can’t we?”

Crosshair shakes his head, wiping his hands off after finishing his sandwich. “If we start talking about it, then it will linger on our minds.”

“Alright,” you sigh, “ you win.” You grab the plates and set them in the sink before beginning to wash them. “There’s something else on my mind, and I don’t know what to think about it.”

“If it’s about kids-”

“It’s not,” you cut in, “Well, at least not ours,” you add. “It’s Tayah.”

“Tayah?” he questions, moving to lean against the counter next to you, “what about her?”

You swallow hard and take a few moments to decide if you should tell him or not. Sure, she’s just a kid, but he’s a trooper of the Republic. Dark side force users are a threat, and you don’t want him to have to do something about her. “She’s…going down a bad path.”

“How so?”

“It’s…I don’t know how, but she’s…” You shake your head, unable to believe it, let alone say it. Crosshair patiently waits, not wanting you to get overwhelmed. “I can feel darkness within her, and she knows it’s consuming her.” Crosshair stiffens beside you, his eyes not leaving your face as the words set in. “She told me she has these dreams…someone calling out to her and trying to grab her. And she wakes up unable to breathe…She says there’s something pulling her, something dark.”

“Is she a Sith?” he asks, and you immediately shake your head.

“No, but she’s…she’s got a dark influence. If she’s not saved, we might lose her.”

“How do you save someone who’s getting pulled to the dark side?”

“I don’t know,” you whisper, gripping the sponge tightly, “I don’t know how to save her. I don’t even know how to help, or comfort her. Crosshair,” you say, turning to face him, “she reached out to me, she clutched onto me, and I shoved her away! I can’t even be close enough to hold her. It’s…it’s consuming her completely. I don’t even know if anything can help her at this point.”

Crosshair’s gaze remains steady, but you can feel the concern and conflict in his mind. “How likely is it that she tries to hurt you? Or anyone else at the palace?”

“Not likely,” you say, shaking your head, “but still…the rims of her irises were golden. I’m…I’m worried it’s too late.”

“You’re still going to try to help her, right?” he asks, and you nod.

“I’m going back to Dohbar next week, and I’m taking Ringo to visit. I’m hoping he can help her,” you explain. “And I was hoping you could come as well. It’s…well it’s the surprise.”

Crosshair tilts his head curiously, raising a brow in question. “Is it the project?” You nod in confirmation, and he unfolds his arms to grab a toothpick. “Is it safe?”

“Honestly, probably not,” you admit, “but I don’t think it would be fair to keep it from you for any longer. It’s going to be a year since it was…partially completed. We’re having a celebration, and I want you there.”

“And the others as well?”

“No, just you,” you reply. He nods and watches as you set the plates to dry before walking over to sit down on your couch. He follows silently, taking his spot at the end and letting you slide into his arms. “Do you want to watch a holo video?” you ask, looking up at him.

“If that’s what you want, cyar’ika, then I’ll be happy to.”

You roll your eyes and let out a small snort. “This isn’t ‘my night’, you know,” you tease, poking his nose.

“I want to let you make the decisions, though,” he replies, “my mind is too conflicted right now.”

“Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”

“No,” he replies, shaking his head, “it’s best not to.”

“Alright, but if you decide later that you want to, just let me know.”

“Of course, princess. I’ll tell you if I need to.” You decide that his response is good enough and turn to start watching something. But your mind isn’t on the holo playing in front of you, it’s busy trying to figure out more ways to get Crosshair to talk about children. You need to know how he feels about having them before you drop the daughter bombshell on him.

A shift from Crosshair pulls you from your thoughts, and you look back at the screen to see that the holo video is over. “That was kind of boring,” he comments, and you nod.

“I wasn’t even really watching.”

“What were you doing? Thinking about a handsome man?” he teases, and you give a small smile before shaking your head. He stands up as he speaks, making his way over to the table to grab a snack.

“No, I was thinking more about the future,” you admit while following him. “I think you’d be amazing with a daughter-”

Crosshair slams his hands down on the table, the action cutting you off as you’re startled by his sudden anger. Your eyes widen more when you see his expression as he turns. “Stop!” he yells, “stop with this nonsense dreaming!” He shoves a finger towards you as he speaks, and you step back instinctively from him.

“What are you talking about, Cross-”

“I’m tired of hearing about this stupid fantasy that you have in your head, that there’s going to be something for us after the war! That we’re going to get to have a life together!”

“I was just trying to talk about a future possibility,” you counter, trying to remain calm.

“Why can’t you see the truth,” he says, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What truth is that?”

“That after all of this, we’re going to be nothing!” he yells, motioning between the two of you. “Why can’t you just accept it and stop talking about what you want!”

“I was trying to figure out if it’s what you want as well,” you explain, barely fighting back the anger.

“This, us, it’s all pointless!,” he yells, throwing his arms out. “There’s no point to it other than comforting each other through the agony of this war. Once it’s all over, then we will be too!”

You stumble back, the words hitting you harshly. You’re not able to believe what you’re hearing, this isn’t like the Crosshair you love. He shakes his head, running his hands through his hair as he continues to yell. “When this war is over, you’re just going to go back to being an all high and mighty Jedi and queen, and us clones are going to be forgotten or turned into some stupid guard force. We won’t be needed anymore, while you will still have a purpose!”

“You will still have purpose-”

“What purpose? We’re just weapons created for this war. We’re grown in tubes until we’re old enough to start being indoctrinated by the Kaminoans! While we’re put to more grueling work, you’re going to be back to sitting on your little throne, enjoying luxury, while we’re sent off to do Maker knows what!”

“That’s not how it’s going to go,” you retort, letting a bit of your anger come through, “you know I, and many others, won’t let that happen!”

“You won’t have any influence over it!” he spits, “And your stupid fantasy of us being a happy family will never come true! So just get over it and move on!”

“You know what, then fuck you!” you yell, “If you think that this is all going to end up being nothing, then I’ll make sure that’s how it ends. Fuck you,” you say, stepping forward and shoving your hands into his chest, pushing him backwards. “Fuck every moment we ever shared, fuck every hope I thought we both had, fuck every dream I had of our future! And finally, fuck this relationship! It’s over!” you scream, tears starting to build in your eyes from anger. “Have your fucking lonely life that you so obviously want to have! And leave me the fuck out of it!”

When you finish screaming, Crosshair stares down at you blankly for a few moments before turning and grabbing the things he had discarded on his way in. Silently, he opens your door and leaves, and you slam your hand onto the button to close it. Once you sense he’s gone far enough, you finally let the sobs hit you. You fall to the floor and bring your hands up to your face, crying helplessly into them as reality consumes you. When you pull them down to look at them, you’re shaking uncontrollably.

Without thinking, you jump up and run to your bedroom, grabbing the essentials before wiping your tears and leaving your room. You rush to the elevator and run to your starfighter, taking off in record speed, nearly hitting the ceiling as you fly out. It doesn’t take long for you to weave in and out of the flying lanes, speeding closer to the edge of the atmosphere.

“Woah, what’s that?” Wrecker says as he looks out of the viewport as you pass by.

Tech looks up and adjusts his goggles before responding. “It appears that y/n is heading off in a hurry. I would make a guess that she is headed back to Dohbar.”

Hunter looks out of the viewport as well, watching as your ship starts to disappear. “Why don’t you try and contact her?” he suggests, to which Tech nods and reaches forwards to turn on the comms.

“Y/n,” he states, “it’s Tech. We’re wondering where you are off to in such a hurry.”

When you hear Tech’s voice over the comms, you reach forward and almost answer, but then you remember Crosshair is likely in the ship with them now. Instead of responding, you block the transmission from the Marauder and fly towards a transport ring.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t she answering?” Wrecker asks, and Tech furrows his brows.

“It appears as though she has blocked our transmission,” he explains before sitting up straighter and looking back at Crosshair, who had just entered the cockpit. “Do you know where y/n is off to in such a hurry?”

Crosshair stiffens and looks away, sitting in his seat as he grumbles out a response. “I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

Tech snaps his head to look at Hunter, who wears a similarly confused expression to his brother’s. “Is everything alright, Cross?” Hunter asks, leaning forward a bit in his seat.

“It’s fine,” Crosshair replies coldly.

Hunter exchanges another glance with Tech before pushing a bit more. “Do you want to talk about it?” he pries, and Crosshair snaps the toothpick in his mouth.

“I said it’s fine, so leave it alone,” he snaps before getting up and storming out of the cockpit.

“I think something happened with him and y/n,” Wrecker states, and the others nod in agreement.

“Maybe they are just in another argument. I’m sure it is nothing serious,” Tech says while shrugging. He doesn’t quite believe his own words, but he hopes that they’re true.

Hunter looks out of the viewport again, watching as you take off into hyperspace. He doesn’t think it’s just a fight, he feels as though this is something more, something bigger. It’s unlike you to ignore them, and for Crosshair to suddenly act this way. Sure, he may not be the most open person, but he always shares when something is wrong, unless it deeply affects him.

You barely finish landing in the hangar before you jump out of your starfighter and run to the palace doors. Fresh tears stream down your face as you run inside, sprinting towards the person you need the most. You find him in the halls, looking out of a window as the stars shine above.

When he senses your presence, he turns to you with a look of concern on his face. You don’t say anything to him, instead just running into his arms, wrapping your own tightly around him. He holds your head against his chest as you cry and shake with each sob you let out.

“My child, it’s okay,” he says gently while rubbing your back, “I’m here.”

“W-we,” you choke out, “we got into a fight…and we b-broke up…”

You feel his grip tighten around you as your words fall out. “I’m sorry, my child,” he says, “I wish he wouldn’t have reacted that way.”

You pull back and look at him in the eyes, shaking your head after a few seconds. “It wasn’t his reaction to finding out about Cyar’ika,” you explain, “this was a fight over something else. I-I didn’t even get to tell him about her. I was trying to set it up, to ease into it, but…” More tears fall from your eyes and another sob interrupts you. You lean back into his chest, trying to reach all the comfort that you can.

Codo is silent as he continues to hold you, not sure on what to do. All he knows for certain is that you need him, and he’ll stay by your side for as long as you need him to. “Come,” he says softly after a few more minutes. “Let’s go see your daughter.” You almost counter him, knowing that she would just remind you of Crosshair, but then decide that seeing her would be for the best.

When she’s in your arms again, you nearly breakdown while holding her. All you had wanted to do was tell him about her, but it all went wrong. She deserves to know her father, and he deserves to know her as well, but something had been different about him. He never thought so negatively with you, he always wanted to hear your dreams of the future. He’d even once discussed moving to Dohbar and being a personal knight for you when you went on royal trips, as well as being with you for as long as the two of you lived and loved one another.

But now, that’s all over. He left you broken and alone, and you threw away everything with a few simple sentences. It’s all broken, destroyed, ruined. And you don’t know if there’s anyway to possibly fix it, or if you even want to.

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dyspraxicgamergirl · 18 days

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#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy 14 #osmon #osmon no #this is how it starts osmon #it's not too much in the beginning #a drabble here #a first kiss fic there #then before you know it you're spending hours looking up 14th century armor and in-depth studies of wolves #to make your twenty-six chapter Medieval French ABO story as accurate as possible #walk away osmon #walk away before it's too late

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pinkfey · 1 year

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SHEPHERDS OF HAVEN -> CAPTAIN CHARITY BLOOM

template by @solasan (hi mollie 😚💕💕)

#*pulls up to the function four years late* hi.........#i'm on chapter uhhhhhh six and i still haven't picked a love interest i'm literally just vibing #i love charity sm she's a special one 2 me idk #i've also been awake for twenty six hours so i cannae tell if this is ugly or not #edit*#ch: charity bloom

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seven-stars-in-his-palm · 7 months

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*inhales* I FINISHED ACT ONE, FUCKING FINALLY

#SIX CHAPTERS OUT OF TWENTY DONE AU B HFHFHFHFHHDBDUWHSBXBSJSJSJNSJSJSJSN #be heard

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the-fabulous-51 · 9 months

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"I don't want to," he says, still feeling a little bit manic from earlier. "Call it a night." He'd been playing it in his head all day and can't figure out what he did wrong. He wants to try it again. "Let me go to the track." The sheriff starts, blinking at Lightning. "The track?" Lightning groans low and tries not to throw a complete hissy-fit. "Yes, the track. The dirt track. The one from earlier. That track." or; during lightning's first week in radiator springs, he and the sheriff have a late night conversation

i wrote this instead of studying for a test and im posting it knowing studying instead would not have made a lick of difference in the outcome of that test. enjoy 💛💙

#mine #cars fandom #pixar cars #i love writing missing scene fics can you tell #dude this test was rough #i literally didnt answer a whole page. 24 points. we talked about the subject once for less than 15 minutes in class so i breezed over it #thinking it wouldnt even be on the test because i had SIX CHAPTERS worth of stuff to study for #and then suddenly its twenty four whole points #capital-b 🅱ruh #i just needed to complain #i complained earlier but this was rough yall #anyways i said it in the author's note but ill say it again: writing pre-character arc lightning is actually so fun #hes so mean

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aurora-by-jacqui-natla · 11 months

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26. PROVEN

"PLEASE," RENESMEE ASKED HIM.

His smile turned gentle. "Of course, I have no desire to harm your loved ones, precious Renesmee."

Aro's voice was so comforting and affectionate, it took me in for a second. And then I heard Maggie's hiss from behind me.

He was lying.

"I wonder," Aro said thoughtfully, seeming unaware of the reaction to his previous words.

His eyes moved unexpectedly to Jacob, and instead of the disgust the other Volturi viewed the giant wolf with, Aro's eyes were filled with curiosity.

"It doesn't work that way," Edward said, the careful neutrality gone from his suddenly harsh tone.

"Just an errant thought," Aro said, appraising Jacob openly, and then his eyes moved slowly across the two lines of wolves behind us. Whatever Renesmee had shown him, it made the wolves suddenly interesting to him.

"They don't belong to us, Aro," Edward told him. "They don't follow our commands that way. They're here because they want to be."

Jacob growled menacingly.

"They seem quite attached to you, though," Aro said. "And your young mate and your... family. Loyal." His voice caressed the word softly.

"They're committed to protecting human life, Aro. That makes them able to coexist with us but hardly with you. Unless you're rethinking your lifestyle."

Aro laughed merrily. "Just an errant thought," he repeated. "You well know how that is. None of us can entirely control our subconscious desires."

"I do know how that is. And I also know the difference between that kind of thought and the kind with a purpose behind it. It could never work, Aro."

Jacob's vast head turned in Edward's direction, and a faint whine slipped from between his teeth.

"He's intrigued with the idea of... guard dogs," Edward murmured back.

There was one second of dead silence, and then the sound of the furious snarls ripping from the entire pack filled the giant clearing.

There was a sharp bark of command from Sam and the complaint broke off into ominous quiet.

"I suppose that answers that question," Aro said, laughing again. "This lot has picked its side."

Edward hissed and leaned forward. Bella clutched at his arm, wondering what could be in Aro's thoughts that would make him react so violently, while Felix and Demetri slipped into crouches in synchronization. Aro waved them off again. They all returned to their former posture.

"So much to discuss," Aro said, his tone suddenly that of an inundated businessman. "So much to decide. If you and your furry protector will excuse me, my dear Cullens, I must confer with my brothers."

Aro did not rejoin his anxious guard waiting on the north side of the clearing; instead, he waved them forward.

Edward started backing up immediately, pulling her arm and Emmett's. They hurried backwards with Jacob retreating slowly, his fur on his shoulders standing straight up as he bared his fangs at Aro. Renesmee grabbed the end of his tail as we retreated; she held it like a leash, forcing him to stay with us. They reached their family at the same time that the dark cloaks surrounded Aro again.

Now there were only fifty yards between them and us. Caius began arguing with Aro at once.

"How can you abide this infamy?" He boomed at Aro. "Why do we stand here impotently in the face of such an outrageous crime, covered by such a ridiculous deception?" He held his arms rigidly at his sides, his hands curled into claws.

"Because it's all true," Aro told him calmly. "Every word of it. See how many witnesses stand ready to give evidence that they have seen this miraculous child grow and mature in just the short time they've known her. That they have felt the warmth of the blood that pulses in her veins."

Aro's gesture swept from Amun on one side across to Siobhan on to us.

"Even Gabriel and his coven," Aro added.

Caius reacted oddly to Aro's soothing words, starting ever so slightly at the mention of witnesses. The anger drained from his features, replaced by a cold calculation. He glanced at the Volturi witnesses with an expression that looked vaguely... nervous.

I glanced at the angry mob, too, and saw immediately that the description no longer applied. The frenzy for action had turned to confusion. Whispered conversations seethed through the crowd as they tried to make sense of what had happened.

Caius was frowning, deep in thought. What could he be thinking about? I hoped Bella's shield is there.

"It's there," Joseph whispered. "Don't worry, Violet. Bella's going great."

I could feel a sense of relief washing over me. Those practices did pay off. Carlisle sauntered close to Tanya. Bella's shield followed him. But then, Caius caught his eyes on the wolves.

"The werewolves," he murmured.

Oh, crap, I thought. I hoped Bella was using her shield on the wolves too. This was the only thing I was grateful for Ayla not being there. But then I thought about Seth and Leah. Leah imprinted on Ethan and Seth was away from Ayla. He was missing her yet he was protecting her from them.

"Ah, brother...," Aro answered Caius's statement with a pained look.

"Will you defend that alliance, too, Aro?" Caius demanded. "The Children of the Moon have been our bitter enemies from the dawn of time. We have hunted them to near extinction in Europe and Asia. Yet Carlisle encourages a familiar relationship with this enormous infestation—no doubt in an attempt to overthrow us. The better to protect his warped lifestyle."

They thought that the shapeshifters are the Children of the Moon. They thought that they were true werewolves. My mouth craved into a slight smirk. Edward cleared his throat loudly and Caius glared at him. Aro placed one thin, delicate hand over his face as if he was embarrassed for the other ancient.

"Caius, it's the middle of the day," Edward pointed out. He gestured to Jacob. "These are not Children of the Moon. They bear no relation to your enemies on the other side of the world."

"You breed mutants here," Caius spit back at him.

Edward's jaw clenched and unclenched, and then he answered evenly, "They aren't even werewolves. Aro can tell you all about it if you don't believe me."

"Dear Caius, I would have warned you not to press this point if you had told me your thoughts," Aro murmured. "Though the creatures think of themselves as werewolves, they are not. The more accurate name for them would be shapeshifters. The choice of a wolf form was purely chance. It could have been a bear or a hawk or a panther when the first change was made.

"These creatures truly have nothing to do with the Children of the Moon. They have merely inherited this skill from their fathers. It's genetic—they do not continue their species by infecting others the way true werewolves do."

Caius glared at Aro with irritation and something more—an accusation of betrayal, maybe.

"They know our secret," he said flatly.

Edward looked about to answer this accusation, but Aro spoke faster.

"They are creatures of our supernatural world, brother. Perhaps even more dependent upon secrecy than we are; they can hardly expose us. Carefully, Caius. Specious allegations get us nowhere."

Caius took a deep breath and nodded. They exchanged a long, significant glance.

"I want to talk to the informant," Caius announced abruptly and turned his glare on Irina.

Irina wasn't paying attention to Caius and Aro's conversation; her face was twisted in agony, her eyes locked on her sisters, lined up to die. It was clear on her face that she knew now her accusation had been false.

"Irina," Caius barked, unhappy to have to address her.

She looked up, startled and instantly afraid. Caius snapped his fingers. Hesitantly, she moved from the fringes of the Volturi formation to stand in front of Caius again.

"So you appear to have been quite mistaken in your allegations," Caius began.

Tanya and Kate leaned forward anxiously.

"I'm sorry," Irina whispered. "I should have made sure of what I was seeing. But I had no idea. . . ." She gestured helplessly in our direction.

"Dear Caius, could you expect her to have guessed in an instant something so strange and impossible?" Aro asked. "Any of us would have made the same assumption."

Caius flicked his fingers at Aro to silence him. "We all know you made a mistake," he said brusquely. "I meant to speak of your motivations."

Irina waited nervously for him to continue, and then repeated, "My motivations?"

"Yes, for coming to spy on them in the first place."

Irina flinched at the word spy. What was Cauis on about?

"You were unhappy with the Cullens, were you not?"

She turned her miserable eyes to Carlisle's face. "I was," she admitted.

"Because... ?" Caius prompted.

"Because the werewolves killed my friend," she whispered. "And the Cullens wouldn't stand aside to let me avenge him."

"The shape-shifters," Aro corrected quietly.

"So the Cullens sided with the shape-shifters against our kind, against the friend of a friend, even," Caius summarized.

Was this what it was all about? Revenge? Come to think of it, I thought about her apology. Was it genuine or was it just an act? I stared intensely at Irina. She didn't care about Renesmee or this trial. She just wanted to hurt the Cullens and all for what? The wolf killed her mate when he was planning to kill Bella.

Edward makes a disgusted sound under his breath. Caius was ticking down his list, looking for an accusation that would stick. Irina's shoulders stiffened.

"That's how I saw it." Caius conclude, waited again and then prompted, "If you'd like to make a formal complaint against the shape-shifters, and the Cullens for supporting their actions, now would be the time." He smiled a tiny cruel smile, waiting for Irina to give him his next excuse.

Cauis was toying with her emotions.

Irina's jaw jerked up, and her shoulders squared. "No, I have no complaint against the wolves or the Cullens. You came here today to destroy an immortal child. No immortal child exists. This was my mistake, and I take full responsibility for it. But the Cullens are innocent, and you have no reason to still be here. I'm so sorry," she said to us, and then she turned her face toward the Volturi witnesses. "There was no crime. There's no valid reason for you to continue here."

Caius raised his hand as she spoke, and in it was a strange metal object, carved and ornate.

Suddenly, three Volturi soldiers leapt forward, and Irina was completely obscured by their grey cloaks. A horrible metallic screeching ripped through the clearing. Irina's scream abruptly ended as Caius slithered into the centre of the grey ball, and the shower of sparks and tongues of flame emerged. The soldiers jumped back from the sudden inferno, immediately retaking their places in the guard's perfectly straight line.

Caius stood alone beside the blazing remains of Irina, the metal object in his hand still throwing a thick flame into the pile. With a small clicking sound, the fire shooting from Caius's hand disappeared. A gasp rippled through the mass of witnesses behind the Volturi. We were too aghast to make any noise at all. It was one thing to know that death was coming with fierce, unstoppable speed; it was another thing to watch it happen.

Caius smiled coldly. "Now she has taken full responsibility for her actions."

"IRINA!" Tanya yelled and Kate roared.

Continue to 27. THE KNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN

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renee-writer · 11 months

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What If It Were Brian Chapter Twenty -six

AO3

They cover the wagon, hiding the passengers from view Murtagh and Fergus ride in front, driving the team. The horses and wagon are to be sold at the dock, the coins will be used to finance their new life. Claire will work as the ship’s surgeon. Jamie, Murtagh, and Fergus, will be part of the crew.

The ships captain is not loyal to the crown. “Those thieves take to much of my profit for taxes!” He has declared when Murtagh approached him about transport to the colonies. “I could give a bloody hell less about bringing a Jacobite on board, especially seeing as his wife be a healer.”

They just need to get to the docks without capture.

“Recall the quiet game,” Claire tells her son, “we don’t want the bad guys to know we are in the back of the wagon. So, we must be very still and quiet when Murtagh and Fergus say so.”

He nods his head seriously. A bright child, he understands the dangers of their situation.

“Lord alone knows how much I will miss you,” Jenny hugs her brother then her sister, tight. She lifts up Brian into a tight squeeze, “You will grow up to be a good man.” She declares to him.

“Yes auntie.” He squeezes her back. Both their eyes are teary. Ian takes him up then.

“A verra braw lad.” His uncle declares, “like your brother.”

Goodbyes are hard. The older cousins, that he is just getting to know, wish him farewell, with manly hugs and tears. Fergus gets the same.

Claire cradles wee Ian. “Now young man, be good for your mam and dad.” Her throat is tight with tears. This is right. Really, it is the only solution. Still…

“He will. He will grow up knowing about his auntie that delivered him.”

“Letters mam. We shall exchange lots of letters.” Maggie says.

“Aye.” Her mam pulls her close. “We shall.”

The man load up the wagon in a way that the Frasers can hide with room to move about some and breath without, they fervently pray, discovery.

It is time to go. Last goodbyes are said, last hugs given. Claire and Brian enter first. They sit on blankets in the center of the wagon.

“Can you see us?” Claire asks.

Ian and Jamie walk all the way around the wagon, examining from all sides.

“Nae, you are well hidden.” Ian says.

Jamie hugs him, one last time. He looks over his family. A swallow and a nod before he climbs in beside them. Murtagh lifts the last chest into place to seal them in. He and Fergus climb in the front and they are off. Their family watches until they are out of sight.

#my writing #outlander fanfic #what if it were brian #chapter twenty six #jamie and claire #cannon divergence #outlander fandom

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miscstuff · 2 years

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Title: Supermoon Description: Baekhyun has been raised as the perfect vampire in his traditionalist family. He has his uncle’s praise and trust, but everything changes when he finds himself in a bloodthirsty predicament with a human. Pairing: Baekhyun/Chanyeol Rating: R Genre: supernatural, romance, family dynamics Length: chaptered Warning(s): lots of blood, blood drinking

Read here

#baekyeol #baekyeol fanfiction #baekyeol fic #chanbaek #chanbaek fic #exo fanfiction #my writing #mine #so....... this fic hasnt got a lot of attention thats why im promoting it here lol #i really hope more people will read it cuz ive been working on it for a year and i really think its a good work #please give it attention my fellow exol...#baekhyun is returning from the army soon maybe then the populairty will pick up? hopefully #and dont worry i wont abandon it its actually almost done #probably going to be around 80k and twenty six or so chapters #pls pls give this starving author some love #🥺🥺🥺🥺#kpop stuff

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chut-je-dors · 2 years

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SO i finished editing the next 5tl chapter but my god how i’m feeling anxiety over whether it’s good or not,,, jeez honestly, this is ridiculous.

#so out of shape when it comes to writing #sigh #i wonder if i should wait for puck to read the chapter and critically smash it down OR #publish it straight away and let the public do it #hngh #5 thomas lane #it's vera's pov so i'm also unsure about THAT #she's TWELVE #i'm TWENTY-SIX #THERE'S AN AGE DIFFERENCE #:'''''''I #if i choose to have puck read it it's gonna take a few days to publish it cos she's busy #and during that span of time i'm gonna spiral deeper and deeper into the anxiety #ungghhhhhh why is this so fucking difficult #😂 jesus christ it's just a FIC

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monako-jinn-stories · 1 year

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Crosshair X Fem!Reader FanFic

It Started With a Vacation

Main Master List

Story Master List

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty Two

Chapter Thirty One (PG)

Chapter Thirty One (18+)

Warnings:

face fucking, fingering, cum swallowing, oral sex both male and female receiving, unprotected p in v (wrap it up in real life)

“There she is,” Hunter says as he watches you approach, “our little Jedi princess.”

Crosshair snorts, saying “she’s my Jedi princess,” in a snarly tone. You just roll your eyes, folding your arms when you reach them. “Sorry to wake you up so early,” he says, wrapping an arm around your waist, “but this is urgent.”

“I know, I listened to the briefing while I got ready,” you reply, bringing a hand up to stifle a yawn. “I’m not too happy to be going to Ilum, though.”

“According to my information, there is a 86.2837% chance that a snowstorm will occur while we are on the surface,” Tech states. “If we leave now, that is.”

“And what if we delay a bit longer?” Wrecker asks, “I’m not a fan of the cold.”

“What are you a fan of?” Crosshair asks folding his arms after placing a toothpick in his mouth.

“Uh, lots of things!” Wrecker counters, folding his arms to mock Crosshair.

“And they are…?”

“I like explosions, and hugs, and Lula, and…y/n!”

“Aw, I like you too, Wrecker,” you say, walking over to give him a hug. You stick your tongue out at Crosshair while he rolls his eyes, giggling when Wrecker lifts you up and carries you onto the Marauder.

“I am going to set the course and then I would like to speak to you privately, y/n,” Tech says, and you look at him curiously.

“What do you need to talk to her about?” Crosshair asks, sitting in his seat behind Tech.

“One should assume that when another asks to speak privately,” Tech starts, turning in his seat and adjusting his goggles as he finishes, “it is a confidential matter.”

“Since when do we keep secrets from each other?” Crosshair asks, and although you know he’s talking to Tech, you can’t help but notice how he looks at you as he says it.

“We are not keeping secrets,” Tech replies, “we are merely withholding information for the sake of security. When we are sure it is safe for you to know, then we will tell you.”

“Wait a minute,” Crosshair mumbles, narrowing his eyes slightly before turning to you, “is this about that project you have on Dohbar?”

You swallow hard as you glance at Tech before looking down. “I uh…didn’t intend for him to know-”

“So you trust him more than you trust me?” Crosshair snaps, leaning forward slightly.

“No, I never intended for him to know,” you shoot back, “he just figured it out on his own!”

“How? How could he possibly have figured it out on his own?”

“Because there were signs, Crosshair! Signs you apparently didn’t pay attention to enough to notice!”

“And where were these supposed signs?”

“In me!” you yell, “just anything about me! You didn’t notice any changes, but Tech did because he actually pays attention to me and doesn’t just look at my body like it’s his next snack!”

Crosshair opens his mouth to speak again, anger swirling in his eyes, but Tech quickly stands up and gets between the two of you, saying, “all set, now let’s go have our talk,” before grabbing your arm and dragging you away.

“I can’t believe him!” you say, throwing your hands in the air before sitting down on Tech’s bunk. “I mean, seriously? What is his issue?”

“Well,” Tech starts, adjusting his goggles again, “you did say it was a secret project that you had to keep hidden in order to keep him safe. And now that he knows that I figured out what it was, he might feel as though you’re hiding something…serious. Something that could damage your relationship.”

“Well, I mean…” you give him a look, almost as if to say ‘yeah, it could’. You let out a sigh and fall back, your head making a loud thud when it hits the wall.

“Allowing yourself to do that repeatedly increases your chances for-”

“Tech,” you say flatly, “I don’t need you to tell me how this can cause a concussion.”

He clears his throat before looking across the room, mumbling to himself about how he ‘was just trying to warn you’. A few moments pass in silence, and he looks back at you again. “Your comment about him not paying attention to you and only wanting you for your body might have caused a bit of strain on your relationship. I suggest you speak to him about it later.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” you reply, “but…It just sometimes does feel that way. I mean, I was pregnant! How did he not notice my body changing?”

“He could have been trying to be respectful and not comment on your body changes,” Tech replies. You open your mouth to respond but snap it shut, knowing he’s probably right. How was Crosshair supposed to know you were pregnant? He obviously never had to learn about the signs, and who knows if the Kaminoans ever got around to teaching them how babies are made. And you also did everything you could to hide it from him, so really, your comment was far from fair. Plus, he never would say anything about your body, he was respectful to you.

“This whole situation is just one big mess,” you sigh, leaning forward and holding your head in your hands. “I should have been more careful. I should have…”

“Don’t say what I think you are going to say,” Tech says, almost sternly. “You made a decision, and whether or not it was the best one, we still have to see. But, I am proud of you. You’ve done a lot on your own, and not many people would last as long as you have. I am more than sure that things will turn out alright in the end.”

“But when is the end?” you ask, “I don’t know how much more of this war I want to put up with.”

“Well, we are soldiers,” Tech replies, “at least my brothers and I are. You have a life outside of this, but us…” His words trail off and he stares ahead, and his knee bounces as he thinks.

“You’ll always have a home on Dohbar,” you say, setting a hand on his shoulder, “I promise you’ll always be welcome there.”

He returns the smile before sitting up straighter, adjusting his goggles before meeting your gaze again. “I have not talked to you about what I had intended.”

“Oh, well, what’s up?”

“I was going to check in on how she’s doing,” he replies. “She is getting close to a year old, correct?”

“Yeah, she’s doing great. She actually recently said her first words,” you say excitedly. “But please, don’t remind me about how old she’s getting. I just…she’s growing too fast, you know?”

“No, I do not know. I myself grew at an accelerated pace, so I am not sure what would classify as ‘too fast’. Also, different sentient species grow at different rates, and even the foods you eat and the air you breathe and the water you drink can have effects on growth. So therefore, the only way to know if she is truly growing too fast is to compare her to others like her with similar DNA and who eat similar foods, drink similar water, and breathe similar air.”

You stare at him blankly, waiting for him to continue. He just stares back at you, giving you the same blank expression. “I-you know what, I’m not even going to bother explaining.” You let out another sigh, leaning back and facing him. “I just feel like I’m missing out on so much.”

“Well, it’s not like you really have another choice,” he shrugs. “Other than stepping aside from the war completely.”

“That’ll never happen,” you reply. “I can’t leave the 17th, nor can I leave the Jedi temple. I have too many connections, too many people that I love and want to be around. It’s just hard balancing it all.”

Tech remains silent, only giving a small nod in acknowledgement. His brows scrunch slightly and his knee starts bouncing again, and you can tell he’s going deep in thought. “I have a theory,” he states, standing up and grabbing his datapad.

“What is it?”

He types a few things before briefly glancing at you. “I believe she might actually be growing faster than you were expecting.”

“What?” you ask, sitting up straight, “how would that be possible?”

“Well, the clones, including us, were giving a special mutation in order for us to grow faster and be prepared for use sooner than say a normal person,” he explains, and you cringe slightly when he says ‘prepared for use’. “It is merely a fact,” he says, noticing your reaction. “But mutations can be inherited, so there is a chance that his mutation might have been passed down to her. Or, it might have mixed with your aging gene, and developed to be somewhere in between the two.”

“So, she might be growing as fast as Crosshair? Or at least faster than a normal human child would?” you ask, and he nods.

“According to my calculations, if your genes were to mix, she would already be past the one year point in her growth. And if I did this correctly,” he says, typing in a few more things, “Ahah. Alright, so, let me explain.” He plops back down on the bed beside you, holding the datapad so that the both of you could see it.

“That’s a lot of information that I don’t understand,” you comment, but he circles a specific area.

“This is our focus,” he says. “You, as a normal human, reach adulthood at roughly twenty years of age. Crosshair, however, reached adulthood at roughly ten years of age. So, for each year, Crosshair aged two years. Therefore, if your aging genes were to combine, that would mean that she theoretically ages at a rate of one point five years for every year.”

“So, when she has her first birthday, she’ll be the equivalent of a one and a half year old?”

“Precisely. But, this is all theoretical. I cannot simply determine if she actually does age quicker than normal. You would need a doctor or a…licensed scientist for that.”

You sit in silence for a moment before shaking your head. “She can’t…I had a normal length pregnancy.”

“Did you?” he asks, and you give him a questioning look. “Well, you did not know you were pregnant for quite some time, so perhaps it was not for as long as you thought?”

“Maybe,” you sigh, “but I don’t know.” Another silence falls between the two of you, and he continues to work out a few formulas while you consider that maybe Cyar’ika does grow faster than normal. It would explain a few things, like how she’s talking so soon and crawled around sooner than normal, but still.

“When are you going to tell him?” The question cuts into the silence like a dull knife, painfully and slowly. You knew the question would come eventually, but you still don’t have a great answer.

“When should I?”

“Do you want my honest answer?” Tech asks, and you shake your head, already knowing he would have wanted you to tell him before she was born.

“What about on her first birthday? Or right before? I can take him to Dohbar as a sort of present for her?”

Tech thinks for a few moments before nodding. “Yes, I think that sounds like a good idea.”

“And her birthday is soon, so it won’t be long,” you add.

“Yes, it won’t be long,” he says before standing up. “I am going to go back to the cockpit. Feel free to move around as you wish.” You nod and he gives you a small smile before he leaves you, and you rest back with your head on your arms as you stare up at nothing.

“Okay, so, does everyone understand the plan?” Hunter asks, and you all nod as you stand around the bunk area. Crosshair is apparently still upset with you, as he didn’t stand next to you and hasn’t even bothered to really acknowledge you yet. Not to mention you’re paired with Tech for this mission, so you can sense a little jealousy coming from him. “Good, now let’s go.”

Crosshair jumps out of the ship first, heading off quickly to scout the area ahead while the rest of you make your way to the Jedi temple.

The Separatists are currently trying to figure out a way to break into the Jedi temple here on Ilum in order to get access to kyber crystals. While the Republic does not know what exactly they want them for, it cannot be anything good. The Jedi are especially worried about losing the crystals, as well as important items hidden within the temple.

“I remember when I came here,” you say as you pull your coat tighter, “it was also freezing then.”

“So all the younglings come here to find their crystals?” Hunter asks, but you shake your head no.

“There’s other planets as well. I believe this is the most popular one, though.”

“Hah, the most popular one is also the coldest one,” Wrecker comments. “I hate the cold.”

“So do I,” you reply. “It isn’t too much further, though. Once we’re inside the temple, we’ll be out of the wind.”

“The temple entrance is blockaded.” The sudden comm from Crosshair startles you, and you look at Hunter and Tech, waiting for their reactions.

“We could scale the outside,” Hunter suggests.

“That is a possibility, but we would have to be very careful not to slip.”

“Why don’t you use the jetpack and carry us up there one at a time?” Wrecker suggests, and Tech pauses for a moment.

“I suppose that could work. Although I’m not quite sure I like the lack of safe ways to get down in case of danger.”

“Well, Wrecker, Crosshair, and I can grapple up, and you can take y/n with the jetpack,” Hunter says.

“How would she get back down?” Wrecker asks. A presence at the side of the group catches your attention, and you turn slightly to see Crosshair stopping at Wrecker’s side.

“She’s a Jedi,” he says, startling Wrecker and making the other clone jump, “she can use the force when she jumps to soften her landing.”

“A little warning next time before you sneak up on me!” Wrecker protests, shoving Crosshair to the side. Crosshair turned to glare at him from behind his helmet, fists clenched at his side before Hunter got their attention again.

“That works. Sounds like a plan. Y/n and Tech, you head up first and we’ll start the climb,” he says, and you nod before turning to Tech.

“Shall we?” you say, holding out your hand.

“We shall,” he replies, and you can hear the smile in his voice before he grabs your hand and pulls you against him. His arms wrap securely around you before he takes off, and you can feel the burning glare coming from behind Crosshair’s visor.

Once you land, you comm the others to let them know you’re secure before you and Tech start scoping out the area. The Separatist base is small, and as far as you can see, it’s run solely by droids, mostly mining droids. “This should be easy enough,” you say to yourself. You start heading a bit closer, but a quiet click under your foot catches your attention. You freeze as your heart seems to stop. “Tech…?”

“Is there something wrong, y/n?”

“Uh…yeah,” you reply, “I think I stepped on a pressure plate.” You look over at where he is to see him snap his head towards you.

“Do not move an inch,” he says, beginning to run over, “do not shift any of your weight, either.”

“I know,” you say, keeping the panic from your voice. When he reaches you, he immediately falls to his knees and starts brushing the snow from around the plate, trying to clear the area. After examining it for a minute, he sits back and looks up at you with a slight bit of relief in his eyes.

“You can move,” he says, “it was an alarm plate. Likely to signal to the droids in the base that there is a possible intruder. It won’t explode.”

“Are you 100% sure?” you ask, and he nods. You take a deep breath before slowly lifting your foot up, and after waiting for a few seconds, you set it back down in the snow. “Thank the Maker,” you sigh.

“Don’t thank the Maker quite yet,” Hunter says, “look.” You follow Hunter’s arm, and your eyes land on a cloud of snow rushing towards you.

“Droidekas,” Crosshair states, mounting his sniper on his shoulder and taking a shot. One of them is hit, and careens off to the side, breaking into pieces as it hits a sharp rock. You thrust a hand out and use the force to knock them off their path, sending them rolling towards the cliff instead. They manage to stop just in time and uncurl to shoot at you.

“We need to disable their shields if we want to be able to destroy them,” Hunter states. “Wrecker, do you have grenades?”

“Always,” he replies excitedly.

“Alright, go ahead and toss them. Y/n, guide them under the shields so that they can disable them.” You nod and step forward, one hand swinging your lightsaber around to deflect the droideka shots, the other using the force to guide the grenades. “Crosshair, are you ready?” Hunter says as the grenades roll to a stop. Crosshair doesn’t verbally respond, but the second that the shields go down, he lets out a shot that bounces between the droidekas, taking them all out.

“Nice shot,” you say, turning to offer Crosshair a smile, but he just shoulders his sniper and begins moving ahead. You look at Tech who just shrugs his shoulders before joining the others. You take the rear, following behind the others as you keep a lookout around you.

“Alright, we need to spread out along this front side,” Hunter says. “Two of you go left, two go right, and I’ll take center.”

Crosshair begins to walk off to the left, and so you chime in, “I’ll take left.” Hunter nods before motioning for Tech and Wrecker to go right. You have to jog to catch up to Crosshair, which isn’t exactly easy in the snow. “Hey,” you say, reaching his side, “can we talk?”

“Seems like I’m not the only one to not notice things,” he replies with a bitter tone.

“What? What am I not noticing?”

“That we are currently on a mission,” he says, stopping to look at you briefly as he speaks, “not a couples therapy appointment.”

You let out a huff and fold your arms, giving him the same look you know he’s giving you under his helmet. “Just because we’re on a mission, you can’t talk to me?”

“I’d rather keep my mind focused on what’s important,” he replies before turning and heading off again. You clench your jaw and follow, but not as quickly, allowing some space to fall between the two of you.

“I’ve reached a good spot,” you state blandly over the comms, and Hunter replies that he has as well. Crosshair gives a brief acknowledgement that he’s in a secure spot while Wrecker and Tech make it to their positions.

“Looks like your pressure plate alarm has the defenses up and ready,” Wrecker comments lightly, “lucky for us, these puny little guards won’t stop us.”

“The guards might not, but there’s a good fight to be had against the cannons,” Crosshair replies. “I can see at least three, and quite a few sniper towers.”

“Crosshair, you focus on taking out those sniper towers,” Hunter says, “y/n, you focus on getting close to those cannons and destroying them. Tech and I can handle the ground defenses while Wrecker, you can lay down the blast charges. When we’re all done, we’ll meet back up at the spot we climbed up.”

You glance over to where Crosshair is before taking off, igniting your lightsaber at the last moment before the droids start shooting at you. The cannons are located towards the center of the base, so you have a lot to get through in order to reach them.

Hunter and Tech do their part by clearing out a lot of the droids. Hunter provides you with cover while Wrecker is covered by Tech, and occasionally there’s a covering shot provided by Crosshair from across the base. “I’m taking my chance,” you tell Hunter before sprinting over and hiding behind the cannon. You quickly take out the minigun on the underside before running around to slice off the muzzle. Droids pop out of seemingly nowhere and you take care of them easily before rejoining Hunter.

“I’ll cover you to the next one, but then you’ll be on your own,” he says.

“Alright, let’s go, then,” you reply before the two of you run off to the next one. You take this one down just as easily, and after you’re done Hunter runs back to the center while you head off to the far right side. Tech uses one blaster to cover you while the other blaster covers Wrecker as you run by, but soon after he’s back to covering just Wrecker, and you’re on your own.

The droids are less concentrated over here, thanks to Tech and Wrecker having already come through, but there are still a good amount protecting the cannon. They haven’t spotted you yet, so you sneak around some rubble and make your way behind them. You use the force to grab something off to the side and make it rattle, and the majority of them walk over to investigate. “Now I got you, suckers,” you mumble as you throw both of your hands out and push the cannon over on top of them. Then you jump out and take care of the rest of the droids before cutting off the minigun and the front muzzle of the cannon. “Cannons are all clear,” you say over the comms.

“Good,” Hunter replies, “Crosshair, Wrecker, and I are already almost back to the cliff. Tech is on his way too, you’re the last one there.”

“Might wanna hurry it up,” Wrecker warns, “these explosives are on a timer, and it’s getting close.”

You don’t bother to respond, instead just breaking into a sprint. A stray droid must have escaped being destroyed, because you’re shot and knocked to the ground. “Shit,” you say, looking at your leg briefly. It isn’t bad, but it won’t be fun to run on. “Tech, would you be able to give me a lift? I don’t think I’ll make it far enough in time.”

“I’m on my way,” he replies, and you see him turn around with the jetpack and start speeding towards you. You push yourself up and run a bit more, trying to help get distance, but you don’t go far before his arms wrap around you and lift you up. Once you’re safely in his arms, you look at him with a smirk. “Did I tell you how cute you look today?”

“Did I tell you how many stupid things you’ve said today?” he shoots back, and you huff and roll your eyes.

“I was just trying to lighten the mood.”

“You can lighten the mood when we’re all back on the-” Before he could finish his sentence, the explosions go off, and the shockwave they create sends you flying out of Tech’s grip and towards the cliff. You try to stop your body from rolling, but the effort isn’t enough. You feel the ground drop away underneath you, and all you can do is scream out as you feel yourself begin to plummet. Tech barely catches himself with his jetpack as he falls, and you can hear yelling over the comms as you try and right your body to be able to stop yourself. Your body won’t stop twisting around, legs and arms uncontrollably flinging through the air. You catch a glimpse of the ground rushing towards you, and take a final steadying breath, closing your eyes.

With only mere feet before you crash into the ground, you’re able to maneuver into a position and throw your arms out, softening your landing. Your legs crumble under you when you land, and you hold yourself up on shaky arms and knees. “Are you okay?” Tech asks as he runs over to you. You nod, grabbing his hand as he helps you up. “I am sorry for letting go of you.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” you reply, “the blast knocked me out of your grasp. I’m just glad we both were able to land safely.” You turn and see the others walking over as well. “And I’m glad you all got down safely as well.” Crosshair had moved to stand beside you, and you can hear his heavy breathing through his helmet. You decide not to say anything though, instead turning around and taking his hand in yours as you all begin your way back to the ship.

“That droideka trickshot was pretty good,” Hunter says, “I think it even topped the base explosion.”

“What? No way!” Wrecker argues, pushing his way to your side. “My explosion was much cooler!”

“Well, seeing as how we were not able to get a good view of it, and how it almost killed me and y/n, I will have to agree with Hunter that Crosshair’s droideka trickshot was more impressive, and topped your base explosion.”

“Wha-no fair!”

You hear Crosshair give a light chuckle under his helmet as his fingers tighten slightly around yours. “Sorry, Wrecker. I’m with the others on this one,” you say.

“Not you too!” Wrecker cries.

“Don’t worry Wrecker, I barely get to top him,” you add, flashing him a smirk as you walk beside him. It takes him a second to understand what you mean, but when he does, he gives you a disgusted look and walks faster, getting away from you. You just laugh at his reaction and link your arm with Crosshairs, who looks down at you lovingly from behind his helmet.

Once you reach the ship, you take off your heavy coat and boots and pop into the refresher, running your hands under hot water to warm your body. A knock on the door is followed by Crosshair crowding in, and he leans against the door when it closes again.

“So, about earlier,” he starts, and you let out a sigh as you turn the water off and dry your hands.

“Look, Cross, I’m sorry. What I said, it was completely uncalled for. And I meant it when I said that he figured it out on his own. But I also did my best to hide things from you, because I didn’t want you to piece it together like he did. So blaming you for not paying attention was a low blow, and I’m sorry.”

“So there’s not some little thing going on between you and Tech?” he asks, and your eyes widen as you give him a look as if he’s crazy.

“Me and Tech? Are you kidding? I mean, I guess he’s the best looking after you, but really?”

“Well, with how the two of you have been acting today,” he says, shrugging as he finishes.

“I’d never be with Tech,” you assure him, “and I’d never cheat on you. Maybe I cheat in games and competitions, but that’s it. I love you, Crosshair. And I’ve never loved anyone like this before, and I won’t love anyone else this way.”

“Promise?” he asks, and you smile softly at him.

“I promise, Crossy.”

He huffs and rolls his eyes before stepping forward and pulling you into his arms. “I’m sorry for arguing with you again, Princess.”

“It’s okay. And I promise this is the only secret I’m keeping from you. This project, I mean.”

“I’ll try and be more patient.”

“Don’t worry. I have plans to tell you soon, when the time is right. It’s coming up.”

“Is it a special occasion?” he asks, pulling back to look at you.

“Well, sorta,” you say, “it’s hard to explain. But there is a certain date that is perfect to tell you. Don’t worry, you’ll understand.”

“Alright, I trust you,” he replies with a soft smile. You return the expression and begin leaning in for a kiss, but both of you jump back when a fist pounds on the door.

“Stop making out in there, some of us have to use the refresher too!” Wrecker yells.

“I guess we should let him in,” you sigh.

“Hmm,” Crosshair hums before leaning back down and kissing you. “Now we can.” You just smile and roll your eyes, letting him head out first. Wrecker runs in after, locking the door before the fan is heard turning on.

The trip back goes smooth and quick, as most of you fall asleep and don’t notice the time go by. But once you land, the boys are eager to go out and celebrate another successful mission. You excuse yourself to head back to your quarters to change into a more comfortable outfit as the boys get themselves ready for a night on the town. When you meet back up with them, Crosshair is in a fruit-print button up shirt, with the top three buttons undone. Wrecker is in a sleeveless tee, Tech in a plain colored button up, and Hunter in a tank-top.

You all walk out together onto the street where Hunter hails a taxi big enough for all of you. Crosshair helps you climb in before joining you in the back, along with Wrecker who expresses his annoyance with having to sit with the ‘love porgs’. Hunter and Tech sit in front of you and Tech tries to tell the droid how to fly to get to 79s the fastest.

Crosshair’s arm is resting behind your shoulders as you hand rests on his inner thigh. You catch a glimpse of him biting a bit hard on his toothpick when you put your hand there, and you smirk to yourself at his reaction. The ride is filled with small talk between the five of you, and soon enough you’re at the infamous clone bar.

You sit next to Crosshair at the bar, who turns and talks to Hunter, continuing a conversation they had started on the ride over. You hold your drink in your hand and watch the room as clones dance around and laugh. It reminds you of all the nights you’d come down here with your own battalion, with Sans always trying to get you to dance, and Steele and his boyfriend hitting on any lady who might want to join them for the night, while Tie ran off with his own boyfriend for the night. You’re too busy being in your mind that you don’t notice at first when a clone walks over and sits by you.

“What's a pretty jedi like you doing in a clone bar?” he asks, gaining your attention. You raise an eyebrow at him, about to give a snarky reply when you feel an arm wrap around you.

“Watch it,” Crosshair sneers at him, giving him a deadly stare to emphasize his words.

“Just trying to chat up a lady,” the clone responds innocently.

“Yeah, we’ll this lady is taken,” Crosshair shoots back, gripping your waist tighter, practically pulling you into his lap. The clone throws up his hands in surrender and gets up to walk away, mumbling to himself about the ‘defect squad’.

“Someone’s territorial,” you tease, looking at Crosshair who was still watching the clone retreat back to his friends.

“Only when it comes to what’s most important to me,” he replies, turning back to look at you. “And what’s mine.” You feel yourself blush slightly at his words before he pulls you fully onto his lap and wraps his arms around your waist, locking lips with you. You smile into the kiss, bringing your hands up, one going to wander through his hair while the other holds his cheek. He bites your lip and tugs it playfully, earning a small squeal from you.

“Ahh, get a room, you two!” Wrecker says from across the bar. You giggle as you pull away to look at him. He’s pretending to gag at what you were doing, making a group of ladies giggle at his side.

“Grow up, Wrecker,” Crosshair calls, “we all know you’re just jealous.” The last word drips from his mouth slowly, causing you to bite your lip to keep from laughing out loud.

“Yeah, right. I’ve got all these ladies at my side tonight,” he laughs, and his arms wrap around as many of them as he can reach, “maybe we should go get a room.”

“I already have one, and it’s got a king sized bed,” a Rodian woman giggles, and Wrecker grins as he gets off his seat, takes a last swig of his drink, and escorts the women out to get a taxi.

“Who knew Wrecker was such a player,” you say, but Crosshair doesn’t respond to your comment.

“You know, getting a room doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” he whispers in your ear.

“No, it doesn’t,” you agree, climbing off of his lap. He wraps an arm around your waist as he throws some credits on the counter, then leads you out of the bar. He quickly pulls you over to the nearest hotel, not bothering to find anywhere fancy, and asks the employee for the closest room available.

“Actually,” you interject, “give us the farthest available room.” The employee nods before giving you your key card. You turn and smirk at Crosshair, who was eyeing you with slight annoyance.

“What are you playing at, Princess?” he asks.

“You sir,” you start while walking towards the elevators, “need to learn some patience.”

You glance over your shoulder at him as you get in, only to see him quickly press the top floor button and look back at you sinisterly. “Oh, I know how to be patient,” he says, getting closer to you, “I think it’s you who needs to learn how to wait.” Your bodies are dangerously close to each other when you feel the elevator stop, indicating that you’re on your floor. You quickly leave and find your room at the very far end of the hotel.

***

You open the door and walk in, and the second the door closes, Crosshair's hands are already pulling your shirt over your head and discarding it across the room. Your hands reach up and pull apart his shirt, and you barely notice the sound of a few buttons popping off and bouncing across the floor.

Crosshair grabs your waist and guides you backwards until you’re pressed against the wall. His kisses trail down your neck to your collarbone, leaving sparks of heat in their path. You bite back a soft moan when his lips meet that utterly sweet spot, making your knees weak. The fanning of his breath across your skin tells you that he found it amusing, and you decide to get back at him.

You guide him back up to your face and connect your lips in a heated kiss. Your hand then trails down his neck, to his chest, then down to the tops of his pants. Your fingers toy with the button, and you feel him grind forward slightly, clearing asking you to do something. You slowly unzip them and find his hardening cock still protected by his undergarments. You feel him tense slightly under your touch as you palm at him. His breath hitches as you pull it out, hand already gripping it firmly. You pull away from his lips and look at him, seeing the questioning look on his face.

“What are you doing, cyar’ika?” He quietly asks. You don’t respond, but kneel down before him, and while keeping eye contact, you slowly lick from the base of his cock to the tip. You watch his eyes fill with something wild as you do this. You repeat the action, this time bringing your lips together at the top. You watch his surprised expression closely as you let him fill your mouth up, going all the way to the base before you pull back.

“My, cyar’ika, you’re still full of pleasant surprises,” he groans as you repeat your action. You hum in response, making him clench his fist that he’s using for balance against the wall. The sight of him so weak for you made something swirl deep inside your body, and you could feel your own arousal growing by the second.

When you reach a hand up to massage his balls, his hips give an involuntary jerk forward, causing you to gag slightly. “Sorry,” he blurts out quickly, but you pull back and surprise him with your response.

“Do it again.” He stares down at you blankly, so you prompt him again. “Thrust your cock down my throat and fuck me like that.” He doesn’t waste another second to question you, and does as you say. He starts off slow, not wanting to hurt you, but eventually you encourage him to go faster.

“Kark…” he mutters, head falling against his arm as he looks down at you, still on your knees. “What…are you trying to do to me…” A hum vibrates around him, and he lets out another deep groan as your cheeks hollow out. “Kriff…feels s’good…shoulda tried this sooner…” His free hand slips down to hold the back of your head, pushing it forward slightly as he thrusts into your mouth. Your free hand has gone down between your thighs, massaging yourself through your pants, trying to get a bit of relief for yourself.

“I’m…getting close,” he warns, and you quicken your pace, causing him to match his to yours. You glance up and watch as he throws his head back, his veins in his neck straining as he clenches his jaw. You feel him stutter and stop, releasing inside your mouth. He moves a few more times after he regains himself, riding out his orgasm before pulling out and stumbling back to sit on the edge of the bed.

You look up at him, feigning innocence as he watches his juice drip down the side of your mouth. You slowly wipe it with your finger before sticking it in your mouth, still holding his gaze. You then crawl over and lick the rest up off of him before you stand up again. You see the absolute hunger and desire in his eyes as he gazes at you in awe. “I think it’s time you return the favor,” you reply while pushing him back against the mattress.

He quickly scoots back further, and you slip out of your pants and crawl over him. You lean down and kiss him deeply, allowing his tongue to slip into your mouth and his hands to trail over your body. When you break apart, both of you pant heavily as you catch your breaths. You watch as a smirk comes over his lips and he adjusts his head slightly, placing a pillow under it and getting more comfortable. “Ready to take your seat?” he asks, and you bite your tongue as you flush at the suggestion.

“On your face?” you ask hesitantly, and he lets out a small chuckle.

“Princess, where else would I want you to sit?” he asks, his hands resting on your waist, urging you forward slightly. You swallow hard before letting him guide you up, and feel another tingling in your core when he lets out a shameful sound. When he motions for you to lower yourself down, you oblige, but you aren’t prepared for how he dives in completely.

You let out your own shameful sound as his tongue works wonders on you. You barely notice when he slips his fingers in. He does so gently, and his eyes widen as he lets out a small chuckle. “If I knew you were going to be throbbing this much,” he almost growls, “I would have teased you longer.” You don’t give a response, instead letting your hips jerk forward in order to help him reach that special spot inside.

He begins to slowly work his fingers in you, causing small moans to leave your lips. His tongue returns to your core, making sure your clit doesn’t miss out on any stimulation. His free hand rubs up and down your side, soothing you as he prepares to ruin you. You let out a whine when he leans back to watch his fingers work. “Something wrong, Princess?” he asks teasingly, and you open your mouth to respond but are cut off when he slips his hand from you and pulls you back down onto his face.

You fall forward again, holding yourself up with shaky arms against the wall. He groans against you, sending vibrations over your arousal. Involuntarily, your hips buck forward again, and another lewd moan slips out of you. His pace slows again, and you open your eyes to glare down at him. There’s a mischievous glint in his eyes, and you open your mouth to ask what it’s about, but are interrupted by his next action.

Crosshair pulls you away before guiding you down to lay on your back, and once you’re settled, he plunges his tongue and fingers back in. His actions are almost harsh and entirely pleasurable. When you open your eyes, you look down to see his own hips rutting against the bed, and the sight of him being so desperate sends a wave of heat through your body. “C-Crosshair,” you stutter out, “want you…inside…”

“My fingers are inside already, cyar’ika,” he responds, but you shake your head. He stops his hip movements and grins up at you. “Not until you finish without it.” You let out a whine, after which he pulls his fingers out of you and uses them to quiet you down. Your eyes roll back and you suck harshly on them, and his tongue goes back down to your clit. Then the feeling of his lips pursing around you and then sucking pulls you back to reality, and you feel as though all the energy in your body rushes down to your core before exploding through your veins.

Loud, obnoxious sounds leave your mouth and your core, but you don’t care at this point. The wet sounds bouncing off the walls are barely heard over your moans. Crosshair’s own quiet groans reverberate around, and only after you push him away from over stimulation do you quiet down.

“Kriff…” you mutter, a hand falling to your chest as he lays beside you. “So…good…”

“You’re telling me,” he replies, wiping his face with the back of his hand. “Tell me when you’re good to go again.”

“Now,” you reply almost instantly, propping yourself up. “I’m ready now.” He just chuckles at your eagerness, sitting up as well before leaning over you and pressing his lips to yours. Your hands reach up to wrap around his neck as he positions himself, and a nip on your bottom lip is the only warning you get before he pushes in.

“Karking hells,” he gasps, “m’never gonna get used to that.”

“Don’t want’chya to,” you reply, biting your lip as he sinks his hips into yours. You share one more kiss before he begins to move again, and you instantly match your pace to his. It doesn’t stay slow for long, and before you know it, you’re crying out his name as he’s biting onto your shoulder, both of you trying not to let go too soon.

“Cross,” you moan out, hands running down his back to try and pull him impossibly closer.

“No,” he growls back at you, “say my full name.” He thrusts into you again, hitting everywhere you need him to be. It’s amazingly overwhelming, and you can barely even tell if you’re on Coruscant or off somewhere in the force.

“Crosshair,” you moan, louder this time. That seems to please him, as he slips a hand down between your bodies to massage your already oversensitive clit. You jerk your hips up, heavy breaths turning into whimpers below him.

“Kark…” he bites out, his hips quickening again before he pulls himself out quickly. “Knees,” he blurts out, and you roll over and push yourself up for him. He pushes back in almost immediately, and he barely holds himself up before dropping down and letting his chest press into your back. The position creates a whole new feeling of euphoria, but you don’t want it to end, so you keep holding yourself back. Crosshair’s hot breath fans across your neck, and you shiver at the feeling. His hand slips around again to keep massaging your clit, and you cry out again as he thrusts deep and hard. His chest rises and falls quickly against your back, and when you feel him push himself back up, you know he’s close.

“Can’t…hold back…much longer,” he hisses through clenched teeth. His groans are desperate, and his movements accentuate how much he needs to let go. You push yourself up onto your elbows and he stops, pulling out as you roll back over.

“Wanna watch you,” you pant out before he leans down to kiss you as he pushes back in. He pulls back, and you both watch each other as your ends come. You lose yourself first, and grip tight to his arms on either side of you, chest arching up as your body shakes and trembles in euphoria. You can hear the lewd sign of your release, and when you open your eyes, Crosshair squeezes his shut as he stops and lets out a long, deep groan. His hips shove themselves forward as far as they can go, and you gently run your hands along his arms as he moves again, riding his high out.

He stops moving once both of your bodies calm down, and rests his forehead against yours as he holds himself up, catching his breath. You feel him twitch inside you, and he winces slightly before slowly easing himself out, and down onto the bed next to you. “I’ll get a towel in a second,” he says, but you just smile at him before using the force to bring one to you. “Or that works.”

You sit up and lean over to kiss him before cleaning both of your bodies, discarding the towel off to the side somewhere. Crosshair props himself up and looks at you quizzically before speaking. “Should we clean up in the refresher?”

“That sounds like a good idea,” you reply, “maybe a nice bath?”

“On it,” he says, slipping from the bed and making his way over.

***

You frown to yourself as you watch him walk. Maybe you should tell him to start doing some squats so you have something nice to look at as he walks away.

As he gets the bath ready, you make the room look a bit nicer, fixing the sheets and putting the pillows back into place. As you’re about to go join him, you hear a knock on the door. “Hello,” you say as it opens to reveal a hotel worker.

“Hello, I was sent up to tell you that we received some noise complaints about your room. If you could try and be a little quieter, that would be greatly appreciated.”

“Oh,” you say, your face instantly heating, “yeah, sorry.”

“It’s alright, have a good night,” she says before walking away.

“Guess I should have found a way to keep you quiet,” Crosshair chuckles from behind you. His hands go to your waist as he leans down and kisses your cheek.

“Oh, shut up,” you say, “get back in there, I’m not done with you yet.”

“Yes, Princess,” he says, shooting you a cocky grin before walking back into the refresher, with you following close behind.

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