#but either way it sure helped Crosshair!

[clu-ven]

Better than Meditation

soooo I haven't posted in a very long time but I'm trying to get back into writing!!! (so pls bear with me xoxoxoxoxo)

Summary: you come up with an alternative (smutty) way for Crosshair to gain some control over his hand - based off S3 E08

Tags: SMUT, vaginal fingering, semi public fingering?? (technically it’s done in an isolated but public place), lil bit of plot + smut, smut, smut

Word Count: 2.8k

“He’s still down there, y’know” Omega’s voice brings you out of your thoughts as she slumps down beside you.

You keep your eyes closed, letting the rays of the afternoon sun wash over you. Pabu’s climate is one you could most definitely get used to. It’s inviting and comforting atmosphere makes you feel at ease, a sensation that has become rare since the rise of the Empire.

“Well, you know how stubborn he is,” you reply casually. 

While Hunter and Wrecker are gone to meet some bounty hunter they know, Crosshair has spent most of his time on a secluded part of the beach, focused on correcting his aim.  Everyone has tried to talk to him about it but unfortunately, that only made things worse.

Now Crosshair is more defensive than ever, determined to prove that he is perfectly capable of correcting his shaky hand by himself. 

“Yeah but AZI said it might be some kind of mental block,” Omega sighs, subtly copying you as she closes her eyes too “if he doesn’t open up and let us help him, then how is he supposed to get better?”.

Her concern for Crosshair makes you smile, impressed by how she’s able to delicately balance trying to help her brother without being too overbearing.

The question lingers for a few moments before you open your eyes and glance down at her “And he’s already shot down your meditation idea?”.

Omega briefly mentioned the idea to you that morning and although you were sceptical, you encouraged her determination to help anyway. 

“Of course he did,” she lets out a heavy sigh “saying he didn’t like it is an understatement”. 

A comfortable silence grows between you both as you consider the situation. But before you can speak, Omega quickly becomes restless and blurts out “Can’t you try speaking with him? He’ll listen to you, I just know it!”. 

It’s no secret that you and Crosshair were once close and you can only presume Omega has heard about this from the likes of Wrecker, who wouldn’t give a second thought about mentioning it.

"I can try but..." you trail off, hesitating to make a decision. Doubt clouds your judgement, stopping you from promising anything. After all, you know how stubborn and closed-minded Crosshair can be at times, especially when it comes to being vulnerable.

Omega's face lights up at your hesitant help. "Great! Sometimes trying is all it takes". She seems upbeat and enthusiastic as she stands “I was gonna go introduce Batcher to Mox, Stak and Deek anyways so it’s good to know Crosshair won’t be alone”.

Giving the girl a tight-lipped smile in response, Omega whistles for Batcher. With one last goodbye, she hurries off happily.

You wait until she’s gone before you sigh and slump down again. Although Crosshair has been back for a while now, the two of you have yet to have a proper reunion, leaving you both unsure of how to approach the situation. 

Knowing you can’t put this off for forever, you begrudgingly get up and start the long descent down to the secluded beach. 

The subtle change in weather appears to align with your mood, as the sun dips behind the clouds and a warm breeze begins to pick up. It causes the light fabric of your skirt to dance in the wind as if it has a mind of its own. But it’s only a momentary distraction as your thoughts swiftly return to Crosshair, focusing fully on him and the impending catch-up. 

You and Crosshair were always close during the Clone Wars, constantly laughing at each other’s snide remarks, bickering simply for the sake of it and always trying to get a rise out of the other. Even back then, you knew where the constant teasing would eventually lead to… but then it didn’t. 

Instead, the war came to an end and before you even got the opportunity to speak with Crosshair, the rest of the Batch had turned up at your door and told you that he had already picked his side.

Since then, you have been travelling with the batch. It took a long time to accept that whatever was between you and Crosshair was gone, whether that be a friendship or something more. That died the day the Republic did. 

But in a strange twist of faith, Crosshair is back and so are your lingering feelings. Although, if it was difficult to confront this emotion before everything happened, it’s become utterly impossible now. Neither of you have mentioned it and yet you still catch his longing gaze whenever he thinks you’re not paying attention.

When you reach the beach, it’s exactly how you pictured; Crosshair is alone, his sniper positioned steadily on a rock as he tries to shoot the far off target. A blaster bolt sprints across the water as he fires, missing his target by a few inches. You hear him mutter something under his breath as he tries again.

Flicking his chewed up toothpick to the ground, Crosshair notices you. “Yes?” He asks impatiently, lining up another shot.

“You’ve been out here all day,” you state the obvious “Omega’s worried about you”.

Crosshair doesn’t reply immediately, first firing (and missing) again before he turns around just to make sure you see his eye roll. “Oh, is she?” His tone is underlined with sarcasm. 

A huff falls from your lips and suddenly you know all too well why Omega was so irked after trying to help the man in front of you. Despite the scowl on your face, you refuse to fall into the usual bickering you once had with him. 

“You know she is,” you sigh “maybe you should take a break, come have some lunch and forget about target practice for a while”.

He watches you for a moment, studying you the same way you’ve seen from the corner of your eye “And when did you become mother hen?”.

Scoffing, you walk closer, hugging yourself with your arms “Don’t act like that, you know you’re overworking yourself… Crosshair, please, you need to take care of yourself”. 

The concern in your voice takes him by surprise but Crosshair quickly recovers as he mutters “Oh, so you’re worried about me now?”.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You bat back at him.

“You’ve hardly looked at me, nevermind speak to me since I’ve gotten back” he practically spits the words out. 

You no longer hold back your glare “Like you’ve made any effort to talk to me!”.

“How can I when you don’t even look at me?” Crosshair challenges, his gaze unyielding as your annoyance fades as quick as it came. 

Coming up to the rock he’s based at, you slide down against it to shield yourself from the wind. Crosshair follows suit and kneels beside you, waiting cautiously for your response. 

Your tone holds a sense of sincerity as you speak, your words now free of any reservations. "I do look at you… of course I do," you confess with genuine intent, all annoyance and restraint vanishing within you. 

“Then you must see me staring,” he almost whispers the words, watching you carefully “I thought you would have gotten the hint by now that I’m still interested”.

A soft smile graces your lips and as if taming a wild animal, you slowly reach out for his hand. Crosshair makes no attempt to stop you and you gently slip your hand into his before you tug him closer. 

Settling his hand on to your lap, you begin to trace your finger up and down his palm until finally resting your hand delicately on his wrist. “Let me help,” you offer “seriously, Crosshair”.

“And how would you help?” Though the question almost seems backhanded, you know that’s just Crosshair being Crosshair.

The mischievous glint in your eye paired with the suggestive smirk plastered across your face doesn’t go unnoticed by him. 

“How do you think?” you question. 

He holds your gaze as if to challenge you to make the first move but you hold strong. This is your moment and you both know it.

A secluded beach? A chance for you both to finally reunite in a way you could only imagine? Both of your minds go to the same place.

You give his wrist a small yet reassuring squeeze and before you can make another comment, his lips are on yours. 

With an intensity fuelled by pure need, he slams his lips against yours in a heated display of passion. This isn’t just a build up of years worth of longing for Crosshair. No, it’s much more than that. It’s an act of rebellion against the time he lost with you because of the Empire, both in spite of his own misplaced loyalty to them as well as his time on Tantiss. 

The fiery kiss goes on for what feels like an eternity and yet the time seems far too brief when it finally comes to an end. The passion flaring between the two of you is intoxicating, causing you to crave more.

His fingers twitch on your lap, eager to do more for you. As if on cue, you both look down at his hand, your soft grasp still around his wrist.

“You have to be calm, be able to stay consistent with your shots if you want to hit the target, right?” you ask, trying not to smirk when you see his sudden confusion. 

In a moment like this, you seriously decide to give him some advice on shooting? Crosshair nods, silently waiting to see where this is going.

“Maybe you’re approaching this from the wrong perspective,” you suggest, noticing how his attention shifts to your lips “you’re focusing on your sniper abilities, looking to re-learn your techniques… but you need to re-learn how to use your fingers in order to effectively use your sniper”.

“And how do you propose I do that?” his voice is low, causing the skin on your arms to prickle with goosebumps. You can feel the effect of his voice in your panties.

With your free hand, you begin to bunch up your skirt, first revealing your thighs and then a glimpse of your underwear. Crosshair can’t help it as a groan escapes from his throat.

You guide his hand closer to your clothed core before Crosshair takes initiative and brushes his fingers teasingly against you. 

He can feel the warmth beneath your underwear, feeling more assured in his movements when he hears you take in a sharp breath. But even with the small boost in confidence, Crosshair can’t help it as a small tremor courses through his hand. 

“Take your time,” your voice is soft but firm in your reassurance “and if this is too much then we can stop”. Fearful that you’ve pushed him too far, you slowly begin to close your legs as you nervously fiddle with your skirt “I didn’t mean to push you so-”.

You stop your apologetic remark when his firm grip stops your legs from meeting. A brief look of disbelief flicks across your face as he spreads your legs to his liking.

“No,” there is no hesitancy in Crosshair’s voice as he takes control of the situation “you started this, don’t go shy on me now”. This time it’s your turn to nod silently.

His fingers glide down to caress you again, this time feeling the dampness from beneath your underwear. Each reaction you give, whether a sharp intake of breath or a slight quiver up your spine, only serves to fuel Crosshair’s determination. He savors these small responses, revelling in how you leave each reaction so bare for him to see.

Crosshair smirks “If this is how you react to such simple touches, do you think you could handle me touching you without anything between us?”. 

“You’d be surprised with how much I can handle” you taunt.

Oh how he has missed how you challenge him. Your snarky response is rewarded with a kiss but before you can melt into it, Crosshair brings both of his hands to your hips and swiftly pulls your panties down. 

The eager sight that greets him brings a smile to his face. Crosshair can feel his excitement growing but before he can get ahead of himself, he’s committed to take care of you first. 

Crosshair teasingly brings just one finger down to your core. A slight tremor causes his finger to waver but after a second, it stops as desire overtakes him. His finger teases you, feeling just how much you want him. Before he can make another teasing comment, you pull him in for another kiss, unable to help yourself.

Crosshair is quick to take control of the kiss, simultaneously pushing his tongue into your mouth as he sinks his long finger into you. You welcome all of him, moaning into his mouth. Taking your sounds as encouragement, Crosshair adds a second digit to your core. 

He pushes in until he’s knuckle deep, successfully finding that spot within you. Crosshair takes your advice to heart. He keeps a consistent rhythm, thrusting his fingers inside of you. He listens to each involuntary squeak and moan, adjusting his speed and pressure of each pump of his fingers to whichever makes you react the most. 

There’s not a slight tremble in his entire hand, his attention solely on you. There is no room for nerves or doubt to creep in and cause his hand to shake. That seems almost impossible now, especially with you like this in front of him.

There is nothing but you and him in this moment, the rhythmic movement of his fingers serving as proof that he has full control.

He buries his fingers into you, pressing the palm of his hand against your clit and delivering powerful jolts of pleasure into your body.

“That’s it,” he coos at your moans “you’re nearly there, aren’t you?”.

A flutter fills your chest as your breathing becomes more rapid. "Y-yes,” you manage with a strained voice, your mind becoming overwhelmed with arousal “keep doing that”. 

You squeeze around his fingers, feeling the tight coil in your lower stomach getting closer and closer to finally snapping.

Your body responds to his touch in the most natural of ways, your back arching and head bowing in a display of utter pleasure. Your hand instinctively searches for contact, grabbing hold of his knee as the overwhelming sensation begins to consume you.

Your legs twitch, eyes rolling back in your head and a rather loud moan escapes your lips as the satisfaction you feel begins to peak. 

Bliss floods your entire being and the mixture of your moans and whimpers blend together in a melodic harmony. Every movement of his hand guides you through the waves of ecstasy, sending shivers through your body. 

Crosshair hums approvingly as you come down from your sigh. Almost reluctantly, he takes his hand away from you and examines his sticky but steady fingers. “My hand hasn’t been able to do so much and remain so still since… well, ever since Tantiss” he comments.

Trying to give your shaky legs more time to recover, you fix your panties before you reposition your skirt. Stealing a glance at Crosshair, you’re glad to see you’re not the only one with flushed cheeks. You smile almost bashfully as you lean on the rock to stand. 

Crosshair is there to help, gently holding your upper arm as you steady yourself. Despite the sass you gave him earlier and the bliss he just brought you now, you find it hard to maintain eye contact. 

Clearing your throat, you try to regain some of that boldness from before “Well then… good luck with your target practice, I’ll go see if the others have made contact yet”.

“What?!” the sound is almost foreign to you; the sound of an utterly bamboozled Crosshair. 

Pushing yourself off the rock, you feel his grasp slip away from your arm. You continue to walk as you turn around to savor his shocked expression.

“What about me?” he asks, trying to be inconspicuous as he gestures to the tent in his pants “I thought this was about helping me?”.

“Yeah, I know,” you reply with a smirk “you’ll get your reward when you hit the target”. With a wink, you turn your back to him and begin the ascent back. 

Crosshair’s jaw hangs open as he watches you go, and he can’t help but laugh at your audacity.

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

what’s up! saw your post asking for some requests after tbb ep4 (THEY REUNITED AHHHH)

cough okay back on topic , what if it was a lil sweet wrecker or hunter x reader, maybe one where reader got taken away with omega? And how either wrecker or hunter react to seeing her again after so long? all sweet and hugs and kisses—

(maybe end in some nice cuddles cuz im a sucker for cuddle fics 😝)

okay lovely person have a good day ! feel free to ignore 🫶

Back Home

Wrecker x Reader

Summary- After searching for months, Wrecker is finally reunited with you. You couldn't be happier.

A/N- Thank you for requesting! Sorry for the wait, i'm trying to get through everyone's request. I hope you don't mind I chose Wrecker. He's so adorable at all times! I screamed when everyone reunited, i'm OBSESSED!

Word Count- 1,052

Beautiful pic by @azertyrobaz !

Your leg bounced up and down, you couldn't get it to stop. Nerves coarse through you. It had been months and months since you had last seen, even heard, from Wrecker.

You worried for him desperately, hoping he was taking care of himself. It frequently fell on you to tend to Wrecker. Sure, he was the biggest and strongest clone of the force. Outside of battle, he was just a big baby.

Omega turned from her seat to smile at you, she was positive that they were okay.

The silence from you, Crosshair, and Omega let your memories flow. Many of you helping Wrecker conserve rations, tending to his injuries, and calming his fear of heights. You also thought about the countless times he'd made you laugh, stood up for you, and protected you.

You really missed him... Your days on Tantiss as a prisoner were long and lifeless- quickly relying on Omega's daily stories to keep your spirits up.

All that was over now... You were finally going home. By home, you meant Wrecker.

Swallowing thick, you stood as Omega landed the ship. Tears welled up when you saw The Marauder. You forced yourself to breathe, watching the ship doors lower.

You looked around quickly, wondering why they weren't outside the ship. Then, you saw Wrecker racing down the steps. Hunter was close behind.

You sobbed, running to him. He laughed, always finding the joy in situations. "Now there's a sight to see!"

The second it took you to get to him felt like an eternity. Though, you were immediately lifted off of your feet when you met.

He spun you around, arms locking you to his chest. Your head found a place to rest on his neck. Your nose brushed against the skin peaking out of his blacks.

You let out a contented sigh, the first in a long time. You felt completely safe, an unfamiliar feeling.

He still held you up off of your feet, but pulled back to kiss you. There wasn't a piece of skin on your face he didn't peck. Before you had time to recoup the action, he pulled you close again.

"Wrecker, Wrecker baby. I'm okay..." He sniffled and set you down. You could see out of the corner of your eye, Hunter holding Omega.

He seemed to have more tears flowing than you.

Wrecker turned you around forcefully, but gentle. He looked you up and down for injuries. You stiffed a laugh, "That's my job Wrecker."

"I know! I was just so scared for you two" He whined, lowering himself to his knees for you. Now that he was at an easier-to-access height, you did your own rounds. Something that soothed you and him. An unspoken rule that you did after missions.

"Omega and I are safe. not a scratch on us." Caressing his face slowly, then feeling down his arms. You picked up his right hand, inspecting each gloved finger. You set it down to look at the other. Nothing more than some old scars.

You took in one more deep breath then gave him a real kiss on the lips, this one less frantic and more passionate.

You pulled away to wipe your tears, then Wreckers. You both laughed when Omega squeezed her way in to hug Wrecker. He picked her up as well, but softly threw her up and caught her. More laughter filled the air.

You turned to give Hunter a quick hug, happy to see him in one piece.

It was soon that Wrecker was back at your side, you held onto his forearm to let him know you were still there. That this wasn't a dream.

Hours had gone by and stories had been shared, Omega was already fast asleep in her makeshift room. No one dared to wake her, everyone knew she needed the rest. Hunter took the first watch and you noticed Crosshair lingering around the cock-pit with him. You knew the two of them would figure everything out.

You and Wrecker decided to call it a night and settle in one of the small beds in the back of the ship. He insisted you slept with him, for 'safety reasons.'

It had been so long since you'd been this close to him, and you were feeling on edge. Scared you would ruin the moment by moving the wrong way or touching the wrong spot.

What you had seemed to forget in that moment was Wreckers free spirit, he didn't care what you did. You could have knocked him in the head and he'd find a way to thank you. He was just happy you were with him again. He had no place in his mind for formalities.

"You okay?" He asked you, petting your hair while you laid on his chest. The blanket just under your chin.

"I'm fine now that i'm with you." You responded, despite a lot being on your mind.

"Well uh, you seem all stiff. Did you pull something when I picked you up?" He worried, concerned he did something wrong for you to be uncomfortable. His face showed he was nervous.

This warmed your heart, he was still the same Wrecker you remembered. "No, no of course not."

You propped yourself up, face-to-face with him. You smiled and rested your palm to his cheek. "You didn't do anything baby, I'm just trying to adjust to everything. Big change from a cell to The Marauder..." His hands rested at your waist, where the blanket pooled.

His eyes widened. "Do uh, do you wanna talk about it?" He tried, but didn't really know what to say in this situation.

"In the morning... I just want to cuddle with you right now." He laughed heatedly. "Now that, I can do!"

He nuzzled his way into your neck, holding you tightly. You hiked a leg up over his hip.

He snickered at the position, but wrapped a hand on your thigh to keep you there. His thumb rubbed the skin there. His other hand rubbing your back.

You brought your own hands up to hold his head against you, mumbling sweet things to him.

"How did I get so lucky..." He whispered.

"Did you wish on a shooting star?" You joked back at him.

He laughed, kissing your neck. "Yeah, something like that..."

A/N- Thank you so much for reading!

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

[secondratefiction]

Silly headcanon question: which clones do you think are the cutest first thing in the morning? Which ones are grumpy? Would this change when they wake up with their SO or would SO understand and make caf to help them get less grump?

Ok, I think I went a little overboard... let's break this down into a couple different categories:

Cute, early risers:

Rex - man's got lots of things to do and chaos to try and manage. He usually hits the ground running, and is the one making other people their caf

Cody - again, another one of those 'places to go, things to do', always busy types. He pretty much taught Rex everything he knows

Cute, but disoriented:

Fives - The amount of times this man has tripped over himself trying to get up and out of his bunk... There's a couple minutes of slight bewilderment and trying to remember who and where he is, but then he usually up and ready for whatever he's getting himself into today.

Wrecker - big boi is a solid sleeper that can and will fall asleep anywhere and sleep through anything. He doesn't wake up easy, but he does wake up in a good mood at least.

Adorably and endearingly grumpy:

Tech - did he just wake up, or is he coming off of his third all-nighter in a row? There's really no way too tell because whether it's been a 20 minute power nap, or a 20 hour black out, either way Tech wakes up like he's not sure what year it is, and absolutely prepared to claw someone's eyes out to get to a caf machine

Echo - granted, he's usually low-key grumpy on a regular basis because unfortunately he keeps getting attached to idiots with no sense of self preservation or common sense, but it always seems like no matter how much sleep he does manage to get, it's never enough. He just wants to be able to drink one cup of caf while it's still warm before he starts getting pulled in twelve deferent directions (#momproblems)

Hunter - in a pretty similar boat to Echo with the added bonus of waking up already over stimulated. Don't get him wrong, man loves his brothers (and his daughter) but it is 0600, and his eye is already twitching. It is too early for any of y'all to be this dang loud.

Grumpy and annoyed until fully awake:

Crosshair - usually there is an underlying hint of playfulness to his hostility - kind of like a grumpy old cat... Not right now. He's liable to actually stab someone until he's had some time and at minimum one cup of caf.

Wolffe - again, man is usually kind of grumpy by default. Now we just have the added bonus of 'not a functional human being... yet'. He will come around, he's just going hit anyone who tries to speak to him before that with a glare that's going to make them shrivel up and die a little inside. Don't hold it against him though, man doesn't even have the energy to roll his eyes yet.

[masterjedilenawrites]

hello there. could i request the bois and tbb for their reaction that they would have when they see their s/o wearing a dress, as their s/o normally wears pants and shirts.

Fox, Fives, and Tup eat it up. They start with an endless string of Wow-s, then they'll remember other words exist and insist their S/O spin around or pose for them so they can admire all the angles. They may even insist on some photos, or maybe grab whoever's around so they can show off their partner's look. Otherwise it's praises galore. Regardless how comfortable or not their S/O initially feels in the dress, they're definitely getting a confidence boost.

Jesse, Kix, and Wrecker instantly turn mischevious. They're whistling, they're teasing, they're even getting handsy. It's just too big of a change to pass up an opportunity to have some fun with it. If their S/O's not fully comfortable in the get-up, they'll help make them laugh and loosen up a little. It's just clothes, and at the end of the day they're still the beautiful person they fell for no matter what they wear. But this outfit sure is fun.

Hardcase, Dogma, and Tech honestly won't notice. To say they're oblivious to things like fashion is an understatement. Their S/O will try to casually draw their attention toward it, swaying around or saying things like If only I had pockets to put this thing in... Still nothing. They'll have to stand right in their line of sight and specifically say Hey look! I'm wearing a dress! Then these guys will have a little moment of dazed blinking before giving a shy smile and a nice compliment.

Rex, Hunter, and Crosshair will stop dead in their tracks, mouth agape, speechless at the sight before them. Bonus points if their S/O is really feeling themselves, rather than being awkward or embarrassed. The confidence they exude is more mesmerizing than the dress itself. They never really snap out of it either. They may put on a face, act cool and collected, but inside they're still freaking out. They simply cannot look away. And when the dress comes off and it's back to pants, they'll low-key pout about it.

Cody, Wolffe, and Echo have a less obvious, but no less appreciative reaction. Their face will light up with a smile, their eyes will grow soft as they take them in. If their S/O is walking awkwardly they'll rush up to offer their arm and help put them at ease. Or if their S/O is really enjoying the change of attire, they'll help them find ways to wear dresses more often. They will always be supportive - and enamored - of their S/O's choices in appearance.

Every Character Tag: @dangerousstrawberrypie, @justanothersadperson93, @arctrooper69, @sleepycreativewriter, @techie-bear, @theroguesully, @cw80831

Clone Bois & Bad Batch Tag: @kaijusplotch, @rebel-finn, @lucyysthings, @marvel-starwars-nerd, @nekotaetae, @severalseashellsbytheseashore, @lackofhonor, @flowered-bicycles, @foodmoneyandcats, @nahoney22

✨Join A Tag List Here!✨

☕️ Clone Comfort Hour | 🌙 Master List of Master Lists

[writing-positivelyexisting]

Sometimes. I forget. Just how symbolic some of these clones’ names are.

Dogma? We was dogmatic. He was aggressive and arrogant when it came to following Jedi Krell.

Omega? Several different meanings: gentle and to be a peacemaker or final part. Either meaning fits. Considering the information that the scientists on Mount Tantiss need Nala Se to cooperate and the only way to do that is to capture Omega.

Crosshair, Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Echo, and Fives (and some others) are easier to connect. But it make sense for them to be a little more obvious, especially (and personally) with Echo.

Echo not only repeated back orders like a parrot but he’s the last of the Domino squad. Their last voice of hope. When he joins Rex, he’s not just fighting for the whole of the clones but for Cutup, Droidbait, Hevy, (and Fives even if he doesn’t realize he’s dead).

Commander Mayday, is another one of the obvious names. Left to defend a withering outpost with zero help that he’d requested. A distress signal that was never answered.

Rex, too. It’s origin is Latin meaning “king”. And it fits perfectly for him. Obviously a leader for the 501st troopers but even after order 66, getting his chip removed with the help of Ahsoka, he becomes this sort of new leader, helping the galaxy as he once knew it to be free of tyranny.

Feel free to reblog and add on to this list. I’m sure this has been done before and this is all more apparent to some of you but forgive and humor me, yeah? These clones are special to us and each of them were special to each other. It’s really fascinating to think about. We give family members, friends, crushes, etc nicknames for reasons that are good, bad, funny, and random. It’s neat alright?

[imabeautifulbutterfly]

Hello there!

I was thinking that Cross with 11 and 21 for an enemies to lovers kind of story with a female assassin/bounty hunter would make an awesome story, with your great writing 💛

Thanks for being an awesome fic writer tho

General Kenobi?

Hehehehe, hello anon! thank you so much for the request and for the love. I hope I did your request justice.

Love oo

See Me

Warning: Pranks, enemies to lovers, contention, discussions of assassination, Star Wars cussing, clone's being treated disrespectfully, I think that's it. If I miss anything please let me know.

Main Master List   |  Star Wars Fic Roulette

You couldn’t help the grin that spread across your face as you sat across the Purge Commander Crosshair. His scowl was second to none, and the way his eyes just focused on you like you were trash, well you just couldn’t wait to keep pushing his buttons. So you sat there with a subtle smile that only Crosshair could actually tell. 

“Any questions?” Admiral Rampart asked.

“I have one,” you raised your hand, keeping your eyes locked on Crosshair challenging him with each passing second, “Do I have to work with a second rate sniper or can I simply pay the fine and opt out?” You smirked as you looked at him. 

His nose flared as he glared at you, “I’d say save your fine, and I can take care of this the old fashion way.” He placed his blaster on the table. 

“Promises, promises” you teased.

“Enough!” Admiral Rampart slammed his hand on the desk, “You both will work together, is that understood? These insurgents must be dealt with, and I frankly could care less what either of you want. Dismiss!”

You stood rolling your eyes at Rampart, you noticed the subtle chuckle from Crosshair as he looked at you. You simply rolled your eyes again and headed out of the meeting room, towards your ship. The last thing you wanted was to stay a minute longer, on this ridiculous ship. You notice Crosshair followed without so much as a word. 

“You know you don’t have to do everything he says.”

“Heh! Of course, you would say that? Have you ever had any loyalty?”

You stopped and turned to look at him, narrowing your eyes, “Remember I’m supposed to be watching your back out there. And strangely, this eye” you point to your prosthetic, “is giving me a little trouble.”

“Easy assassin, you’ll have to get in line to kill me. I have quite the list of people who don’t want me around.”

“Oh please,” you roll your eyes, “Just because there’s a long line of people who I don’t doubt want to kill you, however, the only one who gets to kill you, is me.”

“What was it you said again?” He stepped closer invading your space, “Promises. Promises. Promises.” He brushed past you, bumping your shoulder heading towards your ship. Ignoring the glare coming off you on his back. 

It wasn’t the first time you two were working together, and each time, you both somehow found ways to get under each other’s skin. In fairness, he did leave you on the last mission, forcing you to hitch a ride back to base. Although the time before that, you may have left him hanging from a spire on the top of a building. Time before that, he purposefully took your ship when you got into a heated argument. The one before that one, you may or not have dropped his rifle into a pile of mud and prevented him from getting it. 

It was a build of tension, anger, and one-upping each other to see who could piss the other off the most. 

Either way, you were stuck with each other right now. Admiral Rampart, was quite adamant to keep you two working together, you weren’t sure if it was because he had a bet to see who would kill who, or if it had to do with the fact you actually did work well together. 

You threw yourself down in the pilot seat as Crosshair gently placed his rifle beside him, out of your reach. You couldn’t help but smirk at his actions, “Afraid, she’ll have another nice mud bath” you chuckled.

“Touch her this time and I’ll kill you without hesitation.”

You held your hands up in surrender. It wasn’t long before you were both heading to your destination, the hyperspace lights filling the cockpit and playing off both your faces. “I say we give Admiral Rampart a special treat when we get back.”

Crosshair let a mischievous grin appear on his lips, “I’m listening.”

It was the first time the two of you didn’t actually fall into fighting, instead you both found a common enemy in Admiral Rampart and fell into fits of laughter trying to find the most ridiculous revenge you both could come up with. 

As the ship landed at your destination, a lot of the anger and tension that had been there seemed to have eased off. You both hiked to your final destination, it was a three day journey to walk it. Which was fine for the both of you, neither of you wanted to be out there or even complete the assignment. “I heard you had another run in with the clone rebels you used to travel with,” you offered by way of a peace offering as you both settled down for the evening meal … well what consisted of a meal for two assassins on a mission.

“What of it?” Crosshair mumbled as he bit into the pheasant type animal you had caught for dinner. 

“Heard you got injured” you motioned to the scar on his head, “looks bad. Did it hurt?”

“No, it tickled. Like tookas licking it,” he responded sarcastically, rolling his eyes at you. 

 “Sorry.”

He let out a sigh, tossing aside the bone he’d been chewing on. Leaning forward to pull off some more meat from the carcass on the spit over the fire. 

“Heard you had your own mishap,” he whispered, and if you hadn’t been paying attention you would’ve missed it, “someone tried to hack your eyewear.” He pointed to the prosthetic you wore since your first mission ever. It had been a cocky move on your part that cost you an eye. 

You nodded, focusing on our hands, “Yeah, well they learned not to mess with me after that.”

“Good.”

You knew you shouldn’t but you couldn’t help it, as a smirk appeared on your lips, before you looked at him, “Worried about it?”

“No.”

“I think you were.”

“I think you need to focus on eating.”

“For being someone you hate, I’m sure on your mind a lot. Seeing as you keep tabs on me when I’m not around.”

“Don’t want to train another bounty hunter.”

“Assassin.”

“Bounty Hunter.”

“I’m an assassin, thank you.”

Crosshair shrugged, ”Same difference, you get paid to kill.”

“Like you don’t”

“I don’t.” Crosshair stated matter of factly as he looked at you, shock written on your face, he sighed again, “Clones don’t get paid. We don’t get anything, except our weapons, clothes, and food while we’re on assignment.”

“Kriff! That’s disgusting.” He shrugged, it was his way of life, and he didn’t feel any different about it. You looked at the fire for several minutes before looking at him with determination, “I’ll split it with you.”

His head slowly turned to focus on your eyes, “What?”

“My reward. I’ll split it with you. I’ll set up an unregistered account. Set up a phoney ID, and I’ll put your money there, for you to use as you wish.”

He narrowed his eyes as he looked at you, “And why would you do that?”

“Because … I don’t want to train another assassin, either.” You smirked as you looked at him, realizing why there was so much tension and anger between the two of you. 

“You don’t have to do that, mesh’la.”

“Yes. I do. Think of it as payment for training.” You smiled.

Crosshair looked into your eyes, and for the first time ever in his life, he wanted something for himself. 

Main Master List   |  Star Wars Fic Roulette

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[writing-reaper]

Bad Batch Reacts…

To Falling in Love

(A short Valentine’s Day special)

Note: Two posts nearly back to back?! Impossible! Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope this is tooth rottingly sweet enough to satisfy. I wish you all a happy Valentine’s Day! If you’re spending it alone like me: make sure you take the day to appreciate yourself! Either way, this day is about love so be sure to share it with everyone around you!

Description: After the Bad Batch has known you for a while, they’ve slowly come to realize that they’ve fallen for you.

Warnings: fluff, curses, and more fluff

Crosshair

When Crosshair realized he fell in love, it hit him hard.

Denial, denial, denial.

You’re his friend, and a good one.

Too good apparently.

It started with the little things:

When his sarcasm turned from cynical to humorous,

He no longer distastefully glared your way,

He became more patient,

When you messed up your aim he helped you adjust instead of simply criticizing you,

He wanted to use his humor to make you laugh,

He let you closer,

He opened up more to you,

Your smile drew him in,

His glaring eyes would soften at the sight of you,

He skipped lunch just to see you when you were sick,

And one drunken night, he told you just how much you meant to him.

Even though he was drunk, he remembered word for word what he said and those tears that fell from your eyes as you graced him with a smile he’d never seen.

Then, his heart would begin to race.

He was suddenly self conscious about the little things: his breath, his sweat, his smell.

When it finally hit him that he was in love with you, a piece of that hard exterior chipped and Crosshair fell into a panic, trying to repair it.

He gave you the cold shoulder once again.

If you came to close he’d scare you off with a glare before it would soften as soon as you turned your back.

He’d skip meals if it meant avoiding you and this scary vulnerability he felt.

When he overheard you crying to Hunter about his behavior, he realized this disrepair would never go away.

Maybe he should’ve realized long ago that this vulnerability was ok, even if you rejected him he knew your love was unconditional, but he was just so afraid he’d lose you.

But Crosshair quickly recognized that blocking you out to repair his walls was also causing you harm.

He knew what he had to do.

He was a soldier, he shouldn’t be this afraid.

Crosshair would allow his mind to succumb to a fantasy before he took any action.

It was after Hunter scolded him he realized he needed to act soon, if not now.

Crosshair waited till the early morning, when he knew you’d be awake, to tell you everything.

You at least deserved that.

Fear strikes through his heart once more when that door opens, but he knew he had to do this.

“I need to talk to you.”

Wrecker

When Wrecker falls in love, he succumbs himself to the blissful feeling.

He’ll spend every moment he can around you

He’d follow you to the ends of the world if it were possible.

It took him a while to realize he had fallen in love with you, though he had taken notice of just how much more attractive you’d become the longer he knew you.

He’d become more and more protective with time, and more and more playful.

Wrecker would try to share food and treats with you despite his usual gluttony.

In fact, his brothers would realize before he did that he was head over heels for you.

If you expressed even the slightest annoyance of foot pain or leg pain he’d offer to carry you.

He’d spend every spare second he had on you or assisting you or simply thinking about you.

He’d try to impress you with feats of his strength,

He even offered you Lula for a night after you confessed to having some bad dreams.

However, he still didn’t realize that his feelings for you were no longer platonic.

That was until he did.

It was when the two of you were watching a holofilm when he finally realized what was happening.

You fell asleep on top of him and suddenly his whole face felt hot and all his attention went to you.

His heart was racing as he made his best attempt to be as still as a rock.

Despite being with you all night, he couldn’t fall asleep and couldn’t bring himself to get up and move you.

The first person he tells is Crosshair, technically he rants to Lula first, but she’s not exactly the best at giving advice.

Wrecker didn’t know how to tell you, but he wanted to tell you as soon as possible.

He took some of Crosshair’s advice, but then opted to confide in his other three brother’s who were just as unsurprised as Crosshair at the news.

Wrecker takes all the advice he could get before he pays you a visit.

“I uh… I have something to tell you.”

Tech

Tech realizes quickly, surprised and confused by the changes in his heartbeat.

At first he thought he was sick when his face would get warm and his heartbeat would increase significantly.

However, that wouldn’t make any sense seeing as it only happened when he was around you or thinking about you.

It was easy to conclude this simple solution:

Tech had fallen in love with you.

It wasn’t hard to believe.

Tech found you rather charming.

You were a passionate and curious character, traits Tech admired.

Just to see if this theory was, in fact, true he began a series of tests.

These tests involved:

Standing or sitting close to one another,

Physical touch with the other person (including, but not limited to, the brushing of skin or an admittedly awkward hug),

Flirting (or, at least, his best attempt),

And, finally, a distraction test.

The results of each test relayed the same conclusion: Tech was in love with you.

But was he brave enough to tell you?

Probably not.

Tech would end up taking a similar course of action as Crosshair.

He’d isolate himself, but not to repair his walls.

Rather, Tech wanted to do his research as quietly as possible.

He avoided you, without trying to seem like he was avoiding you, in order to ensure his confession runs smoothly.

In fact, his first written confession was two pages long.

And, while he was certain you’d understand, he wanted to ensure his point wasn’t lost and that point was simple:

He is in love with you.

Tech waits for the right time before knocking at your door.

He’d studied typical romantic customs and revised what he’d say too many times to count just to ensure this moment went smoothly.

He waits at your door, flowers in hand.

“It has come to my attention that I have developed a deep romantic attraction to you. If you find you share my affections, then I hope you will allow me to utilize my research and follow the proper customs as I ask you to join me on a date this evening.”

Hunter

While Hunter didn’t realize right away that he had fallen in love with you, he still realized quite quickly after.

He had always found your company enjoyable and admired many of your traits.

However, it wasn’t until he realized just how much comfort you brought him that he had fallen in love with you.

He admired you as a person, as well as your work ethic, but he never thought his feelings for you were ever more than platonic.

It wasn’t until one rowdy night at 79’s when he realized just how attracted to you he really was.

Normally, the bright lights, music, and heavy smell of alcohol would become to much for him in the short hour or two they were at the clone bar.

But today?

Today you were with them.

You and that sweet perfume you wore around the base, but never on missions.

You’d explained it to him before, and he remembered clearly, about how you didn’t want to wear it in case the smell ever began to bug him.

It was crazy just how drawn he was to that sweet smell now,

Perhaps just simply because that scent lead to you and that sweet smile and loving eyes.

It was the longest they’d ever been at the bar, Tech made that fact very well known on their way back to base.

Hunter realized just how grounded he was when he was around you.

It wasn’t the first time he relied on your familiar and sweet scent to stabilize his senses, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

Hunter knew he had fallen for you, but what he hadn’t realized was just how hard he fell for you.

At least, he didn’t realize before he had absent mindedly followed your scent across base and to your small office space.

The worst lie he’d ever told left his lips before he quickly left, completely embarrassed for doing something so silly.

His feelings for you felt unreal at times, his senses lulling him into a day dream simply because you passed by or sent him a smile.

Hunter could never bring it upon himself to avoid you, already starved for affection and comfort as a soldier.

But now, he had you.

Originally, Hunter didn’t plan on confessing to you.

It wasn’t until he found you were also falling for him that he thought it could be a good idea.

So, at the end of a mission on a serene planet, he’d pluck a flower from the ground and tuck it in your hair.

“I’d normally try plucking the petals, but I know it’d be easier to ask you myself…”

Echo

Echo had become significantly more in-tune to his emotions since his release from the Techno Union.

So when he fell in love with you, he knew the moment his face warmed and his heart skipped a beat.

You were one of the only people who ever brought him this kind of warmth, but even so, his insecurities slapped him with a forbidding cold.

Echo was happy to accept the fact he was in love with you.

The only problem?

He could never accept the possibility that you could love him the way he loved you.

It simply seemed impossible that your unconditional platonic love could turn into an unconditional romantic love; not when you could do better.

Echo would keep his feelings to himself for a while, preferring to enjoy your love in the safest way possible: as your friend.

The Batch had encouraged him numerous times to confess his feelings to you, but he was as stubborn as an old bantha.

It wasn’t until a deep, heartfelt conversation with Rex that Echo realized just how much he had to lose if he didn’t at least tell you.

While he wouldn’t quite panic, he wouldn’t know what to do when it came down to confessing to you.

He tried once, but you were just too perfect in that moment for him to ruin it with these feelings of love he had that felt forbidden.

Unfortunately for Echo, he never truly got the chance to confess on his own.

He wasn’t sure who told you, or if you’d just simply figured it out on your own, but the look of joy on your face when he confirmed that he was, in fact, in love with you made him not care in the slightest who told on him.

“I love you, cyare. And I don’t think I could ever stop.”

[dragonrider9905]

Racing Heart

(Part 1) (Part 2)

Summery: You are an Imperial officer, formerly an intelligence officer of the Republic. You were friends with the Batch before they defected. You miss them, especially Tech. All hope seemed lost of finding them until a lead came up…from Safa Toma. Warnings: Angst to comfort; feelings of conflict; feelings of betrayal

You sat down in the mess hall to eat your evening meal. It's been months since you’ve interacted with the Batch seeing as how they defected from the Empire…and you didn’t. Well, most of them anyway. You still saw Crosshair here and there when he wasn’t off on some mission. You spent time with him and ate with him when he was on base but otherwise, you ate your meals alone. It didn’t start out that way. You ate with your friends, like in the days of the Republic. You enjoyed each other’s company and found a reason to laugh and smile even if there was a war on. But the longer you worked with the Empire, the fewer your friends got. They either moved away, were killed…or went AWOL. The new people who came in…you didn’t share quite the same ideologies. They never served in the Clone War so they didn’t share your appreciation of the clones…also, your passionate service of helping people wasn’t shared. Most of these new officers were more about making their lives powerful than helping people, like you were. 

At first, you didn’t understand why the Batch ran away. You always wished you could have asked them their reasons. Why couldn’t they just fight for the Empire? It was making the galaxy better. The Republic just evolved. That’s all. Same job, different uniform.

That’s what you thought at first.

The longer you stayed, the more you realized just how wrong you were. 

The Empire was hurting people. Not helping. You sighed and picked at your food.

If only you could have asked them. Asked him. Maybe you wouldn’t still be there, fighting for a cause you didn’t believe in or sign up for. Maybe you could be with them. With him . 

The resident genius must have seen coming what you didn’t. You always did like listening to Tech talk. You saw now they were smart to get out while they still could. You wished you would have gone with them or met up with them or something. You were sure if Tech would have explained it to you, you would have understood and even agreed all that time ago. Tech always had evidence for what he thought. Never whims with him. His decisions were always well thought out and backed up. You trusted him completely. 

Oh why couldn’t you have trusted him that one last time without evidence?

You sighed again and grumbled at the same time. The picking at your food got a little more aggressive the more you thought. You felt yourself grow warm with agitation toward yourself but you couldn’t help the spiral of thoughts. They just kept coming. 

You worked with the Bad Batch on many missions and became really good friends with all of them. What you shared with Tech, well, that was a little more complicated. Being an intelligence officer, you spoke more to him. First for work…then because you enjoyed it. You really wanted to believe he did too, seeing as he sought you out for your opinion on things, even if they were trivial, but you didn’t know for sure so you just took the friendship for what it was, not wanting to touch or ruin it. The longer you knew him, the more you denied how you increasingly began to feel, convinced he didn’t feel the same; but when news of the Batch’s death on Kamino reached you…You finally came clean with yourself and admitted what you wouldn’t before. You loved him. 

Realizing you loved him, and that he was now gone with his wonderful brothers, your friends…was crippling. You cried yourself to sleep for a long time wishing that you had told him how you felt, that maybe the information was wrong, that maybe they could somehow be alive still. You saw the video of the destruction though. No one could have survived that. He died, never knowing your secret and now you were burdened with regret and the might have beens. 

When Crosshair was saved, you visited him in the hospital every day, just grateful to have one of them back. One particularly tough day where everything went wrong, you couldn’t help but to miss Tech even more. He always knew what to do when you were in a jam or how to make you feel better—not because he was great with emotions but because he knew the real you. Your emotions bubbled to the surface. Not being able to share your grief with anyone for so long made your chest feel like lead. 

“So what’s wrong?” Crosshair had asked. You had been sitting there with a grumpy look on your face and not saying hardly anything. You usually did most of the talking when visiting him. Being mostly silent, Crosshair knew something was up (as if the sour look on your face wasn’t an indication already.)

 You looked around cautiously, not wanting anyone to hear you say you wished you were with a group of men once wanted by the Empire. It was treasonous to be sure.

You were sad, angry, depressed and annoyed. At yourself, the galaxy, the Batch, the Empire…You wanted to tell everything to Crosshair but you didn’t know how much you could trust him. Thinking you couldn’t just spill everything like the old days hurt you, but every day in the Empire taught you to be more and more cautious. How much did Crosshair believe in the Empire, you wondered? Cross was still Cross but he was … different. Sadder? Angrier? You couldn’t put your finger on it exactly. If you got more time with him, you were sure you could figure it out. But you didn’t, so trust was fragile, and oh how you hated that. Maybe he was more along your line of thinking than you thought…but you couldn’t know for sure unless you had more data. After all, he could have escaped the Empire and left with his brothers if he had wanted. But he had chosen the Empire after all…

You hesitated. Instead, you turned pink and only told Crosshair about your feelings for Tech (and nothing else) he merely rolled his eyes.

“‘Bout time one of you finally admitted it to yourselves. It was so obvious.”

You chuckled sadly. “Doesn’t matter much now, does it.” You look away all pink faced and blue mood. “They’re all dead.”

Crosshair’s playfulness disappeared and was replaced with a deep soberness. It was Crosshair’s turn to look both ways, and consider something before sharing it with you. 

“He’s not dead.”

That one sentence changed everything.

“W-what do you mean…he’s not dead?!?”

Crosshair couldn’t quite look at you, and you didn’t know why. Perhaps he felt guilty for not realizing how the news of their deaths was affecting you and that they were related to the dark circles under your eyes. But you suspected there was more to it as well. You didn’t press him. 

“It means he’s not dead. They made it off Kamino alive.”

Your mind reeled. Were you given a second chance?

“Just thought you should know.”

After you learned the true events of Kamino from Crosshair, you spent every spare moment looking for them. You used your advanced and massive skills to try to track them down. You had more knowledge about them than anyone else next to Crosshair and Cody. You tried to use that to your advantage.

At first you were full of energy and enthusiasm with your new found chance but now, sitting in the cafeteria surrounded in a sea of faceless, personalityless gray, you felt your energy waning. That day in the infirmary with Crosshair felt like ages ago and you were starting to give up. You didn’t want to give up, but right now, your heart couldn’t handle any more disappointment. Day after day of no results…who could blame you. You had to give them that though, at least they were well hidden and hopefully safe.

You stopped meddling with your unappetizing food and looked down at the gray uniform you wore on a daily basis. It was neat, tidy, impeccable, just how you liked things. In fact, some say it could have defined you. Back in the day, everyone always joked that you were so much like Crosshair because next to him, you would have been the neatest one in the squad (if you belonged with them). But it was so devoid of life. Somehow when the Batch wore gray, it was exciting. When you wore it, it felt meaningless. Your heart thudded a little harder, causing your chest to ache. If Wrecker was here, surely he’d slap you on the back like he always did. He’d cause you to throw your soup off balance and spill it on the spotless clothes. You’d scrunch up your face in false anger, complaining how long it’d take you to get the stain out and he’d laugh…

You got tired of your thinking and picked up your datapad, flipping through the channels for a distraction. You found yourself going through some unusual channels, ones the Empire didn’t approve of (you bypassed those codes so you could access any information you could—just one of many things Tech taught you) and ones you never really cared about. You also widened the range so you could gather information and watch things from all the Rims. You just hoped to come across something distracting enough to get your mind off this for a bit. Then you could start your search again with a fresh mind. You turned down the volume so you wouldn’t be detected or bothersome to the quickly filling cafeteria. No one came to your table in the corner yet. That suited you fine. You didn’t feel like being bothered.

One channel offered cooking. Not interesting enough for right now. Ring fights. You quickly turned that off. Riot racing…you almost switched the channel but your hand hovered for a minute, reluctantly curious. Might be interesting. When you served some time with General Skywalker, he mentioned pod-racing a few times and how fun it was. Maybe this was like that. 

You set the datapad down, leaning it against your water capsule and propping it up with the tray and soon you were sucked into the world of racing. It was enthralling. Spellbound, you were glued to your screen and your chair, losing all interest in the happenings around you. The track was dangerous and unpredictable. The contestants even more so as it seemed anything could go in this game. You knew Safa Toma was sketchy. A lot of the Outer-Rim planets were dangerous this way. Not to mention all the behind the scenes gambling to add to the pressure. Your mind started turning wheels, thinking about the contestants and why they were racing. 

You had to admit, you understood the attraction. You were having fun yourself watching the races, trying to predict the unpredictable, and rooting for a racer. Your eyes went wide and a smile started to form at the corners of your lips. This was just what you needed. You missed the first race but the recaps served you well. You were able to catch up in no time. TAY-O was a new racer but very keen. He won the first, but you watched him crash in the second. That was too bad. You sort of felt sorry for him even though he was a droid. Being double teamed was such a rude move! You decided you wanted to root for him in the next race. 

There was a brief intermission, so you started to search details about the place and the racers and their sponsors for fun. Seeing as how this was live, it was pretty exciting. You shifted in your seat and put your legs up on the chair in front of you to get more comfortable. Then you relaxed against the wall. There were a few races left and your shift ended for the day. You could sit here all evening if you wanted to…

The announcements started for the new race which called your attention back to the games. You switched the screen back to the track. Your stomach rumbled and you realized you hadn’t touched your food in the first race. Somehow, it looked so much more appealing now than before. You eagerly rearranged your tray so it was closer. A stupid grin started to form on your face. This race was going to be good, you could just feel it!

“All right! Place your bets! Our racers are ready. Safa Toma’s Riot Champion, Jet Venim! Bosco, “the Mad Bomber” Brix….” The announcer’s voice boomed into the microphone, excitedly listing off the names.

Spooning your soup, you let your mind wander, having already read about all them during the break. You wondered if TAY-O would win again. His strategy seemed…flawed, you couldn’t help but notice. After all, he was nearly destroyed in the last race. No doubt this Cid person had him put back together. The animosity between TAY-O and Venim would be big this game. Something had to be between the gamblers themselves for those two racers. They singled out each other too much. 

You reached for your cup of juice and brought it to your lips. You wanted to be fully attentive when the racing started. Then the announcer hit you with:

“And finally, Teeeeeeeeech!”

You nearly jumped out of your seat, spitting out your juice, dangerously close to tipping your soup and coughing as bad as General Grievous. Tears sprung to your eyes and adrenaline started to course through your veins. 

Excuse me? What? It couldn’t be?! You wanted to squeal.

You grabbed your datapad and brought it close to your face so you wouldn’t miss a thing. 

The crowd went silent, you noticed, and so did your heart. It seemed to have stopped. 

“Tech? Anything else on this guy?” the announcer continued, “No? Guess he’s a late arrival. Is that his name? Tech? Just Tech?”

“Oh leave him alone!” You said out loud. Too loud. A few people looked over to you and you rolled your eyes, gluing them back to the screen. You didn’t even know if it was your Tech but the idea of anyone making fun of that name just bothered you. Tech is a brilliant name, you ignoramus. You growled and liked the announcer a little less. It had to be a coincidence. Tech could be short for a lot of things. Technically, technology, Techno… It couldn’t be…..

Then the screen panned to a man preparing his racer, looking up a little annoyed at the camera. There you saw the familiar goggled eyes, the helmet, and the unmistakable expression you knew so well…

There he was. The man you’d been searching for…

Tech.

Tech in a racer.

Tech in a racer on Safa Toma.

But why was he racing? Where were the others? What was going on? Why was he there, in a gambling pit and not even using an alias!?! Sure it was a backwater planet…could hide there…maybe he felt safe using his real name for that reason. You’d have to sort that out later.

“Okay, and here we go!”

You nearly stood from your seat as the racers went off but you forced yourself to stay down and you held your breath.

“Go get ‘em, Tech, you can do this.” you whispered to yourself. 

It wasn’t lost on you that TAY-O was no longer racing, and Tech was in the same racer. Your heart started to beat faster the more the gravity started to pull on you. Tech was racing for a racer who was out. Was TAY-O beyond repair? Surely the team had time to fix him before the race. You noticed there was animosity between that Venim person and TAY-O…were you right about the people they were racing for… were they enemies? What had Tech gotten himself into…

“And they’re off!”

It was barely seconds into the race when one of the racers started firing on the others. Everyone was fighting for the lead…except Tech, who stayed in the back. 

You’re last?!?! You’re losing! You can’t lose, Tech! You were afraid of the consequences if he didn’t win…yet, he did seem safer back there for now, letting the other racers fight it out and thin themselves a little. You knew Tech knew what he was doing so you decided to trust him. You had to. You always did before. And you had to admit, that was actually pretty strategic for a game like this.

Sure enough, the other racers were destroying each other—and you saw it all. Whenever you’d see Tech’s racer on the screen you’d get excited and nervous. You couldn’t tell if it was better to see him or not seeing him. Not seeing him, you knew he was safe, but seeing him…well, you got to see him and his genius flying but you couldn’t help but wonder if something bad was going to happen since they seemed to show every accident victim on the screen. 

You started groaning when he was getting shot at.

His shields are overheating. If you’re not going to use your weapons, divert the power!

The next moment, he dropped all his weapons at the pit. 

Your jaw dropped as well. Not what I meant, Tech. You need those!!!!

The camera stayed on the shocked faces of the race crew. You smiled when you recognized Wrecker, a small worrying feeling shot threw you not seeing the others …but there could be a million reasons why they weren’t there; they weren’t necessarily gone…like that. Maybe they went to get food? Hunter would probably die if he saw Tech doing this , you thought. You saw Wrecker shyly wave at the camera. Something warm bloomed in your chest and your throat started to tighten. You couldn’t help but to wave back, even though you knew he couldn’t see you. You smiled looking at him all flustered. Trust me, Wreck, I know the feeling. You chuckled.

Wrecker went from shy to concerned, plastered all over his face. A small, blond girl stood next to him, the same concern reflected on hers. It was interesting to see how deep her connection to Tech seemed to be. Her time on the screen was brief, but you couldn’t mistake the look on her face because you knew the feeling well. 

You wondered who the kid was and how long she’d known them. Maybe she could help you find them. She might be easier to locate than them if she was involved in the races there. You took a quick screen image to study later. 

“Looks like Tech has got a vaporization wish! And has removed all his weapons!”

“Oh shut up.” You mumbled. 

You bit your lip, that bubble of anxiety starting to nest in your stomach again, but you immediately recognized why Tech did what he did. 

His speed. He’s a lot faster now.

You watched as he zipped along the track. You could almost see the focus in his eyes. You knew it was there of course, from experience. You could picture what his face under his helmet was. 

Lips drawn in determination and clamped shut, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

Your heart was thumping as fast as his speeder. He was catching up…

Then the two that wrecked TAY-O last race started to box Tech in. 

Oh no. You knew what was coming…it was as if you were given a snippet of the future through the eyes of someone else. A sense of deja vu. You bit your lip harder. You vaguely tasted blood in your mouth and your lip swell. But it was all numb. Tears sprung up again and your breath hitched. An image of the accident flashing across your memory. 

Please don’t get caught! Please don’t get caught!

You watched the two racers fire on Tech, closing in. They were lining up…he was losing his shields!

You wanted to scream but you had no air in your lungs. 

You saw the razer leave the ship in front and your eyes went wide. 

Tech! Your heart made one last agonizing plea as the next seconds went way too fast and way too slow. 

You watched the ship behind Tech prepare the clamper. You wanted to look away but you couldn’t. If something happened to Tech, you had to know. Then, just as the ship reached out for Tech, Tech made his move. He swiftly turned out of the way and dropped back, letting the two plotters destroy themselves. At the last moment, he sped ahead and crossed the finish line.

“Aaaand the winner iiiiissssss! Teeeeeech!”

You watched as the crowd rallied and cheered Tech on, chanting his name over and over again. Tears filled your eyes again but they were good tears. Relief flooded your body and you didn’t realize how tight you were holding your datapad. Your fingers hurt from clutching it so hard, not to mention your jaw that had been clenched tight the whole race. You rubbed your cheeks to try to loosen the muscles stiff and sore.

Pride took root next. The smile from your mouth spread to your eyes. You were glad he was getting the attention he deserved. His skills deserved to be recognized. 

He did the lazy salute you were always so fond of and the crowd went wild.

You crazy idiot. You chuckled to yourself and fell back against the wall, winded and exhausted as if you were racing yourself.

You sat there dazed. What had you just seen? Was this real? You had to get more information on the racers…who they were racing for…their backgrounds. That would lead you to him. You’d find him. You were so close now, you could taste it! You’d have to get a replay of the race, just in case there were clues you missed. You were sure you could find it. You were still salty he used his own name and was on the holoshow, ruining his cover but as long as this didn’t exist in Empire data, he’d be safe. You’d make sure of that. Maybe you could…

Your train of thought was interrupted by a TK-trooper, who seated himself at your table.

“What’s got you all smiling pretty, hey there gorgeous?”

You smiled the brightest smile you could. “My man was just making me proud.” You waved your datapad, careful not to show the screen. 

He got the idea and got up. “Uh, I think I forgot something.”

There ya go. Then a thought hit you. What if he liked someone else? You could easily see someone with more confidence than yourself flirting with him. He was an amazing guy…and now that he was a racing hero as well…you sighed. One thing at a time.

But now you had hope, hope you could see him again and finally tell him how you felt, how you didn’t want to leave him again, how you would help him survive against the Empire and fight against it if it came to that. Being by his side again in the field would be enough for you even if your other hopes weren’t realized. 

You couldn’t stop smiling. You couldn’t believe it. You’d found him.

The world around you kept moving. Trays clanked against tables, people’s talk kept getting louder, troopers were moving too and fro, coming in after their shifts to finish the day with a tasteless meal and the nightshifters rushing in to get their fill before reporting to their posts. 

All of them living unaware of the adventure you just had in the same cafeteria. A few minutes which could change the course of your life. That made the last few months worthwhile. So you continued sitting there, unmoving in the churning rainbow of white, gray and black.

But now what? So much information was still missing…you could deal with that. After all, hope had been restored. Anything was possible now. Your head buzzed. You now had a lead and you wanted to follow it…

“Food’s going to get cold if you keep staring.” a familiar, snakelike voice said, not unfriendly. You’d know the jest in that voice anywhere.

“Hey Crosshair!”

“What’s got you smiling all pretty and in a daydream?”

 You opened your mouth to say more but stopped. 

You wanted to tell him. You wanted to tell him so bad. You wanted to see him proud of his brother. After all, he did have a right to know he was safe, right? But was it a good idea? Perhaps…Tech would be safer if you didn’t. If you kept this to yourself. If you just snuck away and found him…You didn’t know what to do. Crosshair did stay loyal to the Empire. He returned instead of leaving with his brothers. Yet he lied for their safety.

You heard a slight cough and looked up. Crosshair had one eyebrow raised curiously, almost teasingly.

“So?”

You realized you hadn’t answered. He was still waiting for a response. 

So you had to give him one.

Trust or not to trust. That was the question.

(Part 2)

Dividers by @djarrex and @ve-ti-ver

[stardusthuntress]

Triggered

TBB x female!reader (pronouns only) 

Word Count: ~3.5k 

Summary: Tech accidentally triggers your body dysmorphia. The Bad Batch team up to prove to you that they all love you dearly. Angsty comfort fic. 

TW: This actively talks about body dysmorphia. Tried not to be too specific so it would be more generic and just comforting, but it does start with a kinda mean comment from Tech, he means well tho. No smut or nothing, but since it is potentially triggering for those with body dysmorphia, I am gonna label this as 18+. 

A/N: Just felt like this needed to be written. Based on my own personal struggles, but also inspired by a conversation with someone on here who might also struggle with this. Hope this helps at least one person out there. 

hyperspace dividers my own, tbb dividers by @/djarrex

Sitting in the cockpit, working on a project, Tech continues what is, to him, a normal conversation with the woman sitting next to him. 

“I have noticed you are shaped differently than most women.” 

He turns towards the copilot seat where she was sitting to find the seat spinning and vacant. He turns towards the door, only to see her exiting the ship. 

Echo appears in the doorway, a flash of anger on his face. “What did you do? Why was she so unhappy?” 

“I did not do anything,” Tech blinks at him in confusion. 

Hunter appears next to Echo. “He told her she’s ‘shaped differently than other women’.” Of course he heard the whole thing from the other end of the ship, but Tech notices his tone implies that he, Tech, should not have said that. 

“To us, ‘different’ is a positive character trait. Why did she leave the ship?” Tech asks, perplexed. 

Echo sighs searching for words, but it’s Crosshair who answers, “to nat borns, being too different is bad,” is all he says. 

Echo scratches the back of his neck and explains, “Most of them don’t like that ‘different’ is negative, but it takes a lot more work than you think to get rid of an idea that is so deeply ingrained in a culture.” He looks at Hunter and glances towards the open ship door. 

Hunter returns the look and nods towards the door, “Go talk to her, we got him,” He gestures at Tech. 

Tech blinks at them confused as Echo jogs out of the ship after her. Tech looks at Hunter then Wrecker, awaiting the usual explanation that followed his lack of emotional intellect. But they both seemed hesitant to start. 

Over the comms they could hear Crosshair’s voice telling Echo where to find her. Cross was in his favorite quiet place, sitting atop the ship watching their comings and goings like a vulture. 

Echo finds her hugging one knee and staring off into the distance atop a rock, overlooking the ocean. 

“He didn’t mean—“ 

“—I know” she cuts him off. “But that doesn't mean I can always control how I react to it. I don’t want to feel this way, but my experience has taught my subconscious to react like this. I wish I could make it stop too, but that takes a lot of practice and a ridiculous amount of time. I’ll get there eventually,” she sighs. 

He scoots next to her on the rock and just watches her. She glances at him, wishing he wouldn’t, starting to feel nervous about the way he’s looking at her, turning away to hide her face. That is, until he starts to talk again. 

“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your eyes look when you’re lost in thought?” 

She huffs out a small laugh. “Even when they’re starting to get puffy and red?” 

“Yes,” the confidence in his voice is unmistakable. “Has anyone ever told you that?” 

“Not that meant it,” she mumbles into her knee. 

He pulls her into a tight hug, and they sit there in silence for a while. 

Echo’s not sure what to say exactly, all he knows is that there’s a lot more that has to be said before either of them are willing to return to the ship. 

Echo pauses briefly as he passes her sleeping form curled in a chair. 

Tech watches as Echo’s expression softens, and he just looks at her for a moment. Tech tilts his head to one side, like a tooka trying to see if the world makes more sense from a different angle (Tech finds it amusing to take these things literally and figuratively). As he watches, Echo leans down and presses a gentle kiss to the top of her head, and whispers something in her ear. She stirs slightly but doesn't wake. Echo stays put, brushing a hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear and petting her head until he’s sure she’s back out. 

Tech feels a pang as he watches. Then his vitals monitor beeps at him. He looks down at his datapad, eyes scanning quickly, looking for the results from the algorithm he wrote to help him connect the way his body reacts to the emotions he struggles with. Sure enough, at the bottom of the screen, his “most likely emotion” algorithm flashes a single word at him: Jealousy. 

When she’s settled back down, Echo continues walking to the cockpit doorway where Tech stands. 

Echo, “I think we got lucky she was willing to come back onto the ship.” 

“She’s not really back,” Crosshair’s voice snakes it ways into their minds, voicing the one thing they’re all worried about and prompting them all to look at her, curled into a tight ball, her head slipping onto her knees. 

“She is sad,” Tech analyses. “I did not realize what I said would affect her this much, nor this negatively.” 

“I think it brought up old stuff for her. She’s kinda like you, Tech. She needs evidence in order to believe something is true,” Echo notes. 

“You are suggesting that I have to prove to her that being different is a good thing?” Tech asks. “I have ample evidence that she already knows that, but I do not understand why she did not take my statement in that way.”  

Again, Echo sighs, “When I went after her, she told me… she’s spent most of her life just wanting to be as normal, as pretty, as the other girls, and all she ever got was a lifetime of evidence proving that she wasn’t.” Echo’s voice was quiet. He didn’t like saying it any more than they liked hearing it. 

There’s silence as they all take this in. Crosshair had joined them, leaning in the doorway, still watching her sleeping form as they talked. 

“But,” Tech is confused, he has a datapad full of evidence to the contrary, “we all react to her in ways that show how we feel about her. Do you mean to say she is incapable of seeing that?” 

Echo chuckles darkly, gaze drifting to the floor as he scratches the back of his neck. He wouldn’t have put it quite so bluntly. He searches for a nicer way to explain it to Tech’s analytical mind. 

“Yes,” Crosshair got tired of waiting for someone else to answer, “Nat born women are conditioned to doubt.” 

Tech opens his mouth to protest, he wants to know what she is doubting, specifically. 

But Echo starts talking first, “Nat borns don’t get a choice in the cultural conditioning that plagues them any more than we get a say in how the Kaminoans’ conditioned us. It’s up to us to prove to her that she just isn’t seeing the full picture.” 

Tech blinks at the two of them, hoping someone will explain exactly how to do so and what exactly she is conditioned to think, but they don’t. To their surprise, Wrecker, who had been napping in the cockpit, is the one who answers. 

“Don’t hide anythin’.” His voice is surprisingly quiet, his expression soft. They don’t often get a chance to see Wrecker this gentle. 

They all look to Echo, he has more experience with women than any of them (except maybe Cross, but it’s not like he’s going to explain it to them unless he is forced to), not to mention more experience with the emotions of their brothers and the trauma of his own. Echo nods in agreement, “every glance, every time you want to brush her hair out of her face, or pull her into a hug just to feel her close to you. Don’t hold back. She needs to see it. But for now let’s let her sleep. Hopefully that will help a little.” 

Tech finally gets a chance to talk to her the next morning. He had been hoping a fresh day would wash it all away, but it looks like today might be harder than he anticipated. She’s just laying in her bunk, curled into a tight ball on her side, hugging a pillow to her chest, staring off into the distance, a lost expression on her face. As he sits down on the bed by her feet she hides her face behind the pillow. 

“I only meant……….” He sighs “To us, being different is good. I didn’t know nat borns don’t see it that way. I apologize.”

It’s quiet for a few minutes. 

“I have never experienced sexual attraction to a being until I met you.” 

She is still quiet. 

He’s racking his brain for some way to comfort her. He’s no good at this part, usually emotional reactions were Wrecker’s department. So what would Wrecker do? His mind travels back to when they were cadets and he had yet to get his emotions under control. There were more than a few nights when he cried himself to sleep on Wrecker’s shoulder. Wrecker used to rub his back and tell him he’d never let the Kaminoan’s hurt Tech. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done, so telling her he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her wasn’t an option. He felt like he already had. 

Touch! That was it! She usually responded well to the everyday touches from Wrecker, Hunter, and Echo. So he reaches out and gently places a hand on her knee. She’s wearing sleep shorts, and had tossed the covers off, so Tech’s hand sits directly on her skin. He didn’t usually go for touches like this, because he didn’t understand them, but this one felt like the right thing to do, so he went with it, starting to rub, slowly, up and down on her calf. She didn’t react, but she also didn’t push his hand away. 

“Is this okay?” He asks, tentatively. 

“Yeah,” she mumbles into the pillow. 

He sighs and slumps a bit as he relaxes a little. 

They sit there in silence for a few moments, just his hand running up and down her leg. 

Tech sits up a little straighter, a look of eureka on his face. 

“I can prove it,” he offers. 

Finally, she begins to peek out from behind the pillow, and he knows this crease on her brow is curiosity. 

“I can prove that I find you sexually attractive.” He clarifies. She just looks at him, curiosity piqued, though not like he’s used to seeing when she’s found something she’s excited to learn more about. Those are his favorite moments with her. When she’s excited to learn something new, and they can talk about the possibilities and implications that has on their day to day life, rapid fire. Learning more about the universe together. He vows to find a way to bring those moments back as soon as possible. They both need it. 

He pulls his datapad out and brings up some data. “This data shows my vitals from the moment we met, overlaid on the footage I was recording so you can see the implications of visual stimulation on my vitals.” He sends it to her. 

Her datapad lights up, it sits next to her head beneath the pillow that still hides him from view. Tech can see the light from under the pillow and watches as the pillow shifts a bit as she picks it up and looks at it. 

After a while the pillow shifts again and the light goes away as she puts the datapad back down. She peers at him over the top of the pillow. She doesn’t have words to say anything. He takes that as a sign that he’s the only one who needs to keep talking right now. 

“It took me a while to figure out what I was feeling. You know that I do feel emotions, but I struggle to understand them. But I compared it to the data I have of how my brother’s reacted to you and asked them about what they were feeling and how they could tell. I discovered that we have all become rather smitten with you, myself included.” 

“That’s bound to happen considering I’m the only woman you’ve been around for months, and probably the only one you’ve been around for an extended period as grown men,” she mumbles. 

“But that would take several months to begin to show an effect, yes?” 

“Yeah…?” 

“I can prove that our feelings began during our first mission with you. I can pinpoint the exact moment for most of us. I am always monitoring our vitals, so any spike in heart rate, or hormone levels I have recorded.” 

He sends her his documentation, where he was attempting to understand what they were feeling. Complete with notes about ‘Echo explained that this is common during human attraction’ and ‘Hunter tells me this is a normal reaction to seeing a beautiful woman’ and even ‘Crosshair has indicated that I should talk to her about this’. 

“You now have access to the file so whenever it is updated, you will be notified. I tend to update that one quite often. I hope this is a sufficient way to apologize. I am not sure how else to do so.” 

“I’m sorry, Tech,” her voice is timid and quiet. 

“Why are you apologizing?” Tech asks, nose scrunched, he does not understand. 

“I’m sorry I walked out on you without saying anything.” 

“I have come to the realization that when topics may be triggering, it is often easier to simply leave the room. I surmise that is why you left?” 

“Yes.” 

He didn’t want to force her to tell him more, so he just stayed quiet, hoping she might volunteer more information if she felt comfortable doing so. 

“I never wanted to be this different,” is all she says. 

“I like your ‘different’,” Tech volunteers. 

“Is that you talking, or your brothers? What did they tell you to say to me? How much pity did they recommend you bring to the table?” Her tone of voice suggests she is getting mad again. 

Tech’s eyes widen and he shakes his head rapidly. “No! Echo said to never pity someone. He said pity only hurts people. He made us all swear never to pity you for anything. I did not mean to imply that. I like your different, I mean that.” 

“Sorry,” she whispers, sinking into the pillows again. 

Again his mind reaches for something to help comfort her. He doesn’t like how she seems to be conditioned to apologize so often for things that are his mistake and not hers. Again, touch finds its way to the forefront of his mind. So he reaches out physically this time, for the hand resting on top of the pillow she still clutches. 

His hand gently slides underneath her own, threading his fingers through hers. He’s struck with the urge to kiss her hand. He’s not sure why. He’s never felt this before. He tries to hold back. 

Until Echo and Wrecker’s words surface amidst the confusion in his mind again, ‘don’t hold back’… ‘don’t hold back’… ‘don’t hold back’… 

So he stops trying to hold back and lets go, and leaning forward, lifting her hand slightly, to press a soft kiss to the back of her hand. He doesn’t mean to let it linger, but he’s never felt this way before and he wants to remember it forever. 

She looks at him with surprise. And then smiles a little. His heart skips a beat. Again, his vitals chart blinks at him, drawing his attention from her eyes. He laughs softly when he sees the new “most likely emotion” blinking at the bottom of the screen, so he shows it to her. 

‘Adoration’, the blinking word reads. This time the smile doesn’t leave her face. It still hasn’t quite reached her eyes, but it’s starting to get there. As she stares in disbelief at the word on his screen, a new message from Echo pops up at the top of the screen. 

Tech feels it buzz, but doesn’t take the datapad back, knowing now how important that one word is to her. 

Her brow scrunches when her gaze drifts to the message from Echo. 

She raises a finger to tap on it, but stops, realizing it’s not her datapad. 

“You may open it, if you wish,” Tech offers. “I wish to show you I trust you.” 

She smiles, the turbulence inside her beginning to settle again as she taps on the message from Echo. 

As the message opens, she begins to shift. Moving the pillow around so she can sit up. As she settles, her hip presses into his own. He does not protest. He likes this touch. He moves to hold the datapad between them so they can both see it. It’s a photo of a beautiful waterfall sent to the group chat with the caption, “you guys would love this place”. He and Hunter were out scouting the camp site while they await their next set of orders. 

From the increase in noise just outside the ship it seems that Wrecker is excited to go exploring. 

“Would you like to go on a walk?” Tech asks. 

She nods, squeezing his arm to her side briefly, whispering a quick “thank you” into his ear. He looks up at her happily as she stands up, letting his gaze linger on her as she bounces to find some civilian clothes to change into. She spots his look and pauses for a moment, confusion on her face. 

“I like your happy, too,” he tells her. “You know we pride ourselves on being different. It was meant to be a compliment. I did not understand how sentient beings could be considered attractive until you joined us.” 

She smiles at the floor, tucking her hair behind her ear. 

“I like your shy, as well,” he adds. 

She giggles. 

…‘Don’t hold back’… he’s learning what that means. And this time he wants to hug her. So he stands up and opens his arms to her, a question on his brow. 

She beams and throws herself into his arms. He wasn’t quite prepared for her enthusiasm. It sends them both back a few steps, until his legs hit the bunk and his hand reaches for the one above to stabilize them. 

Today might be okay after all. 

When the two of them arrive outside they find the commotion was Wrecker putting together a picnic. Crosshair pretends he didn’t help. They all know he did, but they let him think they believe him. Donning the packs Wrecker holds out, the four of them hike their way out to the coordinates Hunter sent them. 

After they’ve eaten, as they are enjoying the sunlight and time off, Crosshair stops her for a moment, tilting her chin up to look deep into her eyes. Where confusion paints hers, his show only confidence and lustful smirk. In a split second the moment is over, he places a kiss on her forehead and walks away like nothing happened. His brothers pretend they didn’t see. Moments later, her datapad lights up with an update from a document of Tech’s. It’s the document he sent her earlier, the one filled with all his evidence that they all adore her. The newest entry is a snippet of a video of her and Crosshair from just a moment ago. She glances at Tech and nods a shy ‘thank you’. 

That evening, Tech exits the cockpit to find her laying with her head in Echo’s lap as he pets her hair and they both study their datapads. Again, Tech feels a pang of jealousy, and it is once again confirmed by the flashing word at the bottom of his screen. 

He sits down by her feet, pretending to be enraptured by something on his datapad too. She looks over at him and smiles, he returns his signature half smile, with half lidded eyes. 

Hesitantly, she stretches out a foot and places it in his lap, biting her lip as she looks at him to ask if this is okay. 

Tech holds her gaze and places his hand on her leg, stroking it just like he did before in answer to her question, and letting the hand holding his datapad rest on her ankle. Tech has never been so intimately close to a woman’s ankle before. He’s seen her’s plenty of times, she likes wearing shorter things that let her ankles breathe from time to time, but he’s never had a chance to really memorize every curve of them before, no matter how archaic a fascination with ankles may seem, it’s new to him, and he enjoys it. 

Echo glances over, to exchange ‘told you so’ looks with Tech, but Tech is still looking at her, fascinated by the studious look on her face as she goes back to reading something on her datapad, still biting her lip as her mind returns to her work. 

Instead Echo exchanges one with Hunter, who has just entered the ship, brushing rain from his ruggishly handsome locks. 

Hunter stands in the doorway for a moment, before stepping forward and placing a kiss to her shoulder, then heading to the fresher to find a towel for his hair. 

In Echo’s lap, he can feel her cheeks warming as she tries to suppress a small smile. This is new to her too, but who would say no to 5 sweet, handsome men doting on them? 

Please don’t steal my work! I pour my heart into these so if you like it please reblog to share instead of reposting it!

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

BB Season 3 Title Speculations

Just my theories as to what could happen based on the episode names.

"Confined"- This will be strongly Omega and Crosshair centric. I think a lot of clips, including the ones from the trailer where they see each other and the leaked clip, will take place in this episode. It's clear that Crosshair is at his all time lowest so it can only go up from here. We probably will see a glimpse of Hunter and Wrecker, but the name suggests a strong focus on Omega and Cross. This is pre-time jump btw based on Omega's hair. We might also get that Palpatine scene of him saying how important Hemlock's work is as well.

"Paths Unknown"- this gives me strong Hunter and Wrecker vibes. I think it's safe to say that this episode will focus on what the two have been up to since Omega's capture and Tech's "death." Hopefully, we'll see a bit of Rex and Echo as well. However, I feel like this will be more of the boys trying to pick themselves up and find out any info on Omega. We might also see the scenes of them talking to Rex.

"Shadows of Tantiss"- again, this sounds very Omega and Crosshair centric. The use of the word shadows indicate dark times for the pair as Hemlock's control tightens and Cross presumably retreats even further within himself. Maybe this is the episode where we get the time jump since the word "shadows" could mean that time has passed since we last saw the pair.

"A Different Approach"- This could mean two things: either Cross and Omega try a new way to escape or Hunter turns to bounty hunters to help. In the trailer, Fennec is visible with Hunter and Wrecker when they take that boat in the swamp.

"The Return"- this episode name could have a double meaning like the last one. The most obvious one is that it's the return of Crosshair. We know that he and Omega potentially escape and crash land in a ship. I have a theory that they'll both make it out, however, Omega gets captured again, sacrificing her freedom for Crosshair's. Another meaning could be the return of Ventress. It makes sense since she's a pretty big character within the animated shows. I think that we'll meet her on Teth. However, I'm unsure.

"Infiltration" and "The Extraction"- these two episodes seem to go hand in hand. I'm not sure what could happen based on the trailers. Maybe the Batch has to go somewhere to retrieve information or an item for a mission. Maybe that turbo tank chase is during these episodes because Phee comments "not exactly a stealth exit boys." However, I think that could actually be the episode "Juggernaut." Since this is a two-parter, I speculate that we might also see bounty hunters after the Batch.

"Bad Territory"- this episode feels more mission-y based because of the name. It sounds like the Batch are going to a planet where hijinks ensue and they wind up in trouble. It could also mean the return of bounty hunters like Cad Bane or clone assassins but who knows.

"The Harbinger"- now this is where things get interesting. At its most basic definition, a harbinger is person or thing that signals the arrival of something, a herald so to speak. I think this is the episode where we see the mysterious imperial take front and center. Maybe he's a harbinger of doom that the Batch have to out maneuver. Or maybe the Batch receive a warning that Omega's life is truly in danger and they need to act fast. It could also be the episode with CX-1. He does warn (the Batch I assume) that they're being hunted.

"Identity Crisis"- my theory for this episode only makes sense if Tech is the one under the mysterious imperial's mask. This episode could very easily apply to Cross and Ventress as well. However, if it's Tech that's under the mask, then it this title makes perfect sense. He's fighting the imperial programming while the others try to bring him back. But Tech's survival is controversial so I can't confidently say that this will happen

"Point of No Return"- this feels like an ultimatum type of episode. The Batch know that what they're going to do will lead to their demise or survival, including Omega's. On the other hand, this could be the episode where Pabu gets invaded. If that happens, then it tells the Batch that there's no turning back for them; they have to save Omega and stop Hemlock or else they will lose more of what they care about. The Empire took enough from them; now, the clones prepare their final stand.

"Juggernaut"- I think this is episode where we get the turbo tank chase. We know that Cross, Hunter, and Wrecker are together again along with Phee. Alternatively, someone suggested that Wrecker dies in a giant explosion based on the name "juggernaut," but I'd rather not think about that.

"Into the Breach"- according to Google, this phrase means that a person steps up to do a task when someone is unable to do it or there's no one else available. This raises questions: who's stepping up? What task is being conducted? I hate to be that guy, but it's possible we might see Echo or someone die. Think about it: one of the Batchers or an ally gets badly hurt trying to do something and someone else steps up. The episode is a big fanfare of things that go boom and epic music as the task is completed but at a grave cost.

"Flash Strike"- this feels very action heavy. There are many clips near the end of the trailer showing the Batch hijacking ships and troopers fighting/being shot at. On google "flash strike" can refer to workers going on strike without notice. This episode is probably where we see the clone rebellion truly begin to act out against the Empire and Tantiss.

"The Cavalry has Arrived"- the grand finale of it all. It's poetic that the final chapter in the story about a group of special clones is titled after their very first line in their very first appearance in Clone Wars. Like the Batch arriving on Anaxes to help the Jedi and Rex, I think this episode will be the full culmination of the clones' stand against the Empire. We will see the Batch reunited and Omega will be saved... but at what cost? If this show parallels the OT (which I think it is), then we probably will get a happy ending. However, I'm leaning more towards it ending with just Crosshair and Omega left.

Anyways, these are just my theories and speculations. Feel free to share any theories about the episode titles down below. And one quick note about the poster: Hunter's helmet kinda mirrors Jesse's in the final episode of Clone Wars. It's probably symbolizing the end of an era for the clones as a whole. Spooky.

[smolbean-17]

SEASON 3 THEORIES

Part 1 (Episodes 1-3)

I never made any theories for Season 2, but quite a few of my theories from Season 1 were really close to what actually happened, so I figured I’d give my shot at theorizing Season 3.

I can’t really guess how exactly these plot points will land and in which episode, but I think these things will happen in the first 3 episodes, in no particular order. We’re getting all 3 eps in one night so they’re going to be establishing quite a bit.

Ep1 - Confined

This is the episode where we will see Omega and Crosshair confined at Mt. Tantiss together. Omega has her Season 2 hair, and seems more optimistic than she does later on in the trailer.

At this point I don’t think Omega is treated as a prisoner. I think she’s restricted of course, but it seems to me from the trailer that she’s serving as more of an assistant to Nala Se with limited freedom. Hemlock promised her she’d be treated well, and I feel like he was telling the truth. And maybe Omega has chosen to behave herself (for now) and has made a plan of luring them into a false sense of security so she can find a way out.

And then she sees Crosshair up and alert and not being tortured (and being escorted to another part of the facility? More cloning experiments?) and she decides to escape with him somehow.

Crosshair is disheartened and incredibly sad, maybe because he found out about Tech and perhaps believes his other brothers were captured/killed. Who knows. Someone either screwed with his emotional state before this shot, or maybe he’s just drained from his captivity. But I think it’s the former.

It will show more of the inner workings of what’s going on at Mt. Tantiss, but it won’t reveal too much. I think it will mostly establish what Omega is doing there.

Ep2 - Paths Unknown

As for the boys, we will see that there’s been a passage of time. How much time, I’m not sure. But probably a few months. That’s when we hear Hunter say the famous “Omega’s been waiting for us a long time. I’m not making her wait another day.” (pretty sure that’s all one quote that’s been sliced up)

It’ll establish that Echo has left again with Rex, probably to liberate more clones and look for hints about where Omega is along the way. Hunter and Wrecker are alone. They set up base on Pabu, recruiting help from Phee who is more than willing to help. But they never stay there long, and they run themselves ragged trying to find Omega and not getting any closer. Both Hunter and Wrecker are more angry and determined than we’ve ever seen them.

Ep3 - Shadows of Tantiss

Meanwhile, Omega finally hatches her plan to escape…

Things obviously don’t go according to plan, and she doesn’t get too far before she’s stopped. Just in case, they inject her with a tracking implant…

and she gets imprisoned.

It looks like this little cage situation is the same as this one from the leaked trailer:

Omega’s hair situation is really the only thing throwing me off lol.

So she meets Crosshair again. She tries to get through to him and show him that she hasn’t lost hope. He argues and Omega gets through to him in the way only she can. She finally gets him to agree to an escape.

The episode could end with Hunter and Wrecker getting a call from Rex and Echo that they finally have info on Omega, thus leading into Ep4, A Different Approach (which would make since if you consider they have new information).

So these first 3 episodes will be jam packed with information, and maybe not a ton of action, but will be establishing episodes to move the story along.

Another thing I noticed from the leaked trailer…

Are we getting a flashback(s)? That looks like Hunter’s old armor paint job, and that backpack and helmet to the left is very distinct and only belongs to one person…

I would seriously love to see Clone Wars era Bad Batch again. Maybe flashbacks are interspersed throughout the season for extra exposition/character development/emotional damage. Maybe the first episode opens on a flashback!

Let me know what you think! Part 2 coming soon!

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

[drafthorsemath]

Crosshair’s Redemption

I posted this here in response to an earlier post, but also thought this should just live on its own on my blog, so apologies if you’ve seen it twice. Essentially, here are some thoughts about whether Crosshair should be held accountable for his actions with the Empire. Spoilers for The Bad Batch Season 2.

I’ll start by saying that Crosshair is already holding himself accountable, even if he’s not calling it that. When people say they want redemption for Crosshair, often, from what I’ve seen, they either implicitly or explicitly want him specifically to suffer in some way and many don’t seem to realize that he is already suffering.  They seem to think he deserves that suffering and then some.  In some cases, they flat out want him dead and think that is the only way for him to “pay” and be redeemed.  I won’t even pretend I’m not projecting when I say that as a cult survivor, that hurts me to my core because I relate to him so much and I suppose I’m at the point in all this when I can talk more about what it’s like to be in a cult and why people do what they do.  (If you want to hear what it’s like growing up in a doomsday cult, I’ve been interviewed for two podcasts and can direct you there and my DMs are open.)

No, I didn’t murder anyone, so you might think Crosshair has done worse than I have.  I’m not here to argue about that, but in some ways I think helping to destroy someone’s life or sense of self without killing them can be just as bad, no? I definitely hurt people, even if I didn’t kill them. I hurt them deeply, just as I was hurt, but is that an excuse? No. But also, I was under the influence of many layers of authority in my cult.  Did they put a gun to my head and “make” me do hurtful things? No, but they also constructed the situation so that it very much felt like life or death.  I did what I had to do to survive.  Does that mean I’m not accountable? Also no.  Amazingly, it’s complicated.  I’ve certainly paid for my time in the cult even though I was born into it.  No one else showed up and passed down a punishment, but figuring out how to grieve, make right, help others, and build a life while thoroughly traumatized was pretty damn punishing.

How is my survival in a cult any different than Crosshair trying to survive? Different than Crosshair telling Hunter there is a place for all of them in the Empire? Any different than Crosshair saying he made his choice and the clones that matter will be just fine?  Crosshair may try to play it cool and seem unaffected, but this man is doing what he feels he needs to do in order to survive in circumstances that are not of his choosing.

I think by The Outpost it becomes very clear that Crosshair is changing, even though we see glimpses earlier.  He was literally pushed to the point where he thought his life would end for killing Nolan.  You can argue that he didn’t know for sure if his life would be over, but when he killed that asshole, he could have been shot where he was and he knew it.  He knew by that point that the Empire did not care about him at all and he still pulled the trigger.

Crosshair started holding himself accountable the moment he started making different decisions.  The moment he went from playing along to survive to actively going against the Empire was when he started holding himself accountable.

We should also talk about the chip that was (is?) in his head.  He was very much being controlled at least at the beginning of season 1.  We know that the clones acted the way they did during Order 66 because of the chips.  Should he still be held responsible for what he did under the influence of the chip?  Then what about Cody and Bly and Wolffe and every other clone who killed or tried to kill the Jedi?  Like where do we draw the line?  Is it even our job to draw the line?  Is it the job of the Rebellion to draw the line? I don’t think it is.  I think it’s fine for the Rebellion to say, “if you don’t see what you did as a problem, then we don’t want to work with you,” but I don’t think they should get a firing squad or pass down a punishment.  In Rebels, did the Rebellion not want to work with Rex, Gregor, or Wolffe? Kanan had feelings about it, sure, but ultimately no one made them atone for being clones under the influence of a chip.

It’s always interesting to me that people talk about Crosshair atoning, but not Vader or Sidious or Kylo Ren or any number of lower level cult leaders like Rampart.  Maybe it’s because we already know what will happen to Vader, Kylo, and Sidious.  Maybe it’s because they die and we figure that has to cover all their transgressions, but we don’t know how Crosshair’s story will end and people want to make sure there’s some “justice.”

Throughout season 2, although there’s not a ton of Crosshair shown, we see he’s really miserable. He’s not sleeping, he’s not eating, he was left on the platform for 32 rotations.  He looks like hell and he feels like hell.  He is so expressive and it’s clear he’s miserable by the look on his face.  Isn’t he already paying for his bounded choice? Being in a cult is already awful, it’s really traumatizing, but people seem to love to pile on more guilt and then blame cult members like if they just weren’t so stupid none of this would have happened.  Ultimately, the only people in cults who are irredeemable are the upper cult leaders.  Sidious does not care about anyone but himself. He can’t be redeemed.  Everyone else though?  There’s hope for them.  Don’t we want a better world where people can learn from their mistakes and help others?  Where growing and bettering oneself is an ongoing process that lasts a life time?  How many awful things need to happen to Crosshair before people will say “okay you ticked enough boxes, I forgive you now”? He is a complicated man, but he has empathy and he loves and cares for his family.  Again this doesn’t mean he gets off without paying for what he’s done, but also, he’s already paying for his choices by living in a version of hell.  Being in a cult is terrible and soul-crushing for everyone but the top cult leader.

I also would be remiss if I didn’t mention how Crosshair spent the end of season 2 strapped to a table, able to fight drugs in his system to get far enough to warn his siblings that the Empire is after Omega.  While the full message didn’t get out, he did his utmost to warn them.  He didn’t try to run for himself. He tried to save his family. If that isn’t Crosshair trying to do better and holding himself accountable then I don’t know what is.

Ultimately, I think when people want someone to hold Crosshair accountable, they are missing a part of his humanity and they assume he must want all that has happened.  It’s like they think someone must dish out justice because surely he doesn’t realize how badly he screwed up, but Crosshair knows he messed up and now he has to reckon with it.  Assigning the Rebellion or some person or group the job of holding him accountable only furthers the us versus them that cults instill into their members. It will only push him away further.  Do you want to know what happened between me and the people who felt I needed to be held accountable for my time in a cult (that I was born into, just like the clones)?  I never spoke to them again and I had one less person offering support as I tried to build some semblance of a life.  The few threads of connection that I had were ultimately severed because they felt I hadn’t gone through enough.  

Let Crosshair go on this journey.  Let him try to do what is right, because he’s well on his way.  Let him grieve for all that has happened and all he’s done.  Because I promise, he’s grieving.  He’s lonely and guilting himself to his core.  It’s written all over his face.

[cross-my-heartt]

I am so sorry for prattling on about this but I'm a million miles down the Crosshair rabbit hole and I WANT TO HUG THIS MAN SO BADLY.

I'm supposed to make this post about all the reasons Crosshair had for wanting to stay with the Empire in season one right? And I wanted to make it solely based on the information he has (from his limited pov) without involving morality or the role his personal biases play in his decision.

I decided to leave all that for another post. Look at just what he has to work with from a factual standpoint for now.

But then I was going through Aftermath and it's so interesting to hear what Crosshair has to say about the Republic and the Empire. I mean sure, he has his chip then but some of the things he says don't sound like chip talk and are all stuff he echoes when he's free of it.

And oh my god, the level of cynicism of this man. I am going to make a full post about it but there's just something heartbreaking when you think about how distrustful and paranoid and just pessimistic he is.

The reason the batch desert is because they believe the Empire is worse than the Republic. If Crosshair doesn't because he's naive that means he believes that's false, that the Empire is just as good as, if not better, than the Republic.

Except that Crosshair is the opposite of naive. He's not naive he's cynical because to him, the Republic was just as bad as the Empire.

To Crosshair the world is a sh*tty and merciless place. The Republic couldn't be trusted, the Empire can't be trusted, leaving either is a death sentence (and is he really wrong? just how many times do the batch have a close brush with death after they desert and survive for the sole reason that Crosshair is on the other side?), the rest of the galaxy is dangerous and the only way to survive is selling your skills for the basic right to live.

You're on your own (nobody wants to help you right? the regs rarely did. the Kaminoans saw you as an experiment. the Republic sent you on suicide missions) and the only thing you have is the handful of people you love and the usefulness you have to offer to those who hold power over you.

This is the nature Tech spoke about - that unyielding cynicism, that perpetual harsh distrust that paints the word in such a brutal light.

And all of this makes the rage he feels at the end of the Outpost so much more impactful. Because Crosshair played the game. He felt like he saw through every slimy institution that ever threatened to wipe him and his family out, he did what was necessary, he calculated the risks, he took all the facts into account and still, still, the universe crouched down, looked him dead in the eye and spat in his face.

And I honestly don't know how you even begin to recover from a blow like that.

[littlemissmanga]

I just need opinions on how you think any of the 501st men or Clone-Force 99 would handle chronic pain, something like migraines maybe, in their partner? I love all your work btw it's really incredible 🩵🩵🩵

Aw, thank you, Nonnie!

So this is something I think about a lot as I have a fucked up back. Fortunately, I have a really good group of drs so I've been able to go longer and longer without a flair up, but when I'm incapacitated on my couch, thinking of how these guys would react brings me so much comfort.

I think most of the boys would be really understanding and helpful. But let's get into it! HCs below the cut :)

Hunter may be able to sense acutely when you have a bad day before you even notice the symptoms (those heightened senses strike me like the way medical alert dogs can sense a seizure coming on in their human). His first instinct is to hold you against him, but he holds off until he ensures you are in the most comfortable place, your environment is perfect for what you need, and you have any medication needed. Then he'll wrap around you and do what he can to make you feel better. IDK why, but I feel like he'd gently hum a little tune as he holds you, literally trying anything and everything to soothe you. If he can't take away the physical pain, he can make damn sure you feel cared for.

Wrecker is also someone who's gonna try and cuddle you through an episode. If that's something that helps you, you'll be in heaven. He'll literally make a nest for you and bring you all the snacks. If your condition comes with muscle pain, he'll give you the most gentle and soothing massage. He will get that sad look in his eyes, though. Personally, I like seeing my partner care but I know some people don't like to feel pitied so if that's you, you may need to have a conversation with him. Similarly, if physical contact isn't helpful for you, you'll have to let him down gently. Best to give him something else to do - like help with the responsibilities you can't do - because Wrecker really doesn't like feeling as if he can't help.

Tech is going to learn everything about your condition itself. And I mean everything. He'll become the (secret) preeminent expert on your condition if he has to - and he'll very much believe he has to because frankly he doesn't trust previous doctors who told you this was just a condition you'll have to live with. You have to have a few talks with him that his insistence on trying new approaches to "cures" isn't helpful when you're having a flair up, and that while you love the intention behind it, you need him to either help you in the moment or leave it to you. That sobers him up a bit. But he mostly just puts the "cure" search on the backburner and focuses more on finding the optimal remedies for your symptoms in the moment. He won't really cuddle with you unless you expressly ask but he absolutely will bring his datapad into the room and research/work by your bedside so he can monitor your progress. He'll wake you every few hours to give you more medicine and make sure you stay hydrated.

Echo also studies up on your condition, but unlike Tech, he only cares about remedies. He'll run his findings by Tech, but generally trusts the literature regarding mitigating symptoms. If you find something that works better than other remedies, he's a stickler about making sure you have access to that remedy at all times. He's a big believer in being prepared. He may have some small treats for you, but he'd prefer to have nutritionally balanced food for you during a flair up to give your body everything it needs to get through this and recover. He usually doesn't cuddle with you, preferring to give you the space you need to settle in and recover. But he will be touching you constantly - caressing your head or arm - and talking softly with you if you're up for it.

Crosshair doesn't like admitting your condition scares him. You've explained it's not fatal or anything but it does cause you pain on the regular. And he doesn't like how matter of fact you are when you tell him you experience pain strong enough to put you out of commission with enough regularity that you have a plan for what to do when it happens. He knows you're not a complainer and you tend to push yourself, so for something to knock you out means it's serious. He feels useless and weak at not being able to help in what he feels is a meaningful way.

At first, he'll pull away, selfishly hiding from the sight of you in pain because he doesn't want to confront it. But if he does see you struggling or if he hears you in pain/call his name, he'll be right at your side. You need him. You asked for him. He won't leave you alone again. It'll take him a bit to figure out little tricks to helping you/making you feel better, but eventually he'll get into a rhythm. And woe be to anyone who crosses your path if you have a flair up in public - Crosshair is very much a shoot/punch first ask if they were a threat to you (in act or attitude) later.

501st Boys

Jesse, and Fives are going to learn all they can about the best way to make you feel better not through research but literally by quizzing you. They try asking the first time they see you in an acute flair up and realize those questions will have to wait until you're feeling a little better. And by quiz, I mean these guys prove why ARCs are made different. They'll get down into the minute details. The next time you feel your pain coming on, they'll make sure the environment is perfect for you to rest - as dark and quiet as you need, with all the water and snacks you could possibly want. And they'll totally give you snacks you want that'll make you feel better emotionally more than good for you snacks. If they can stay, they'll bring you bring you fresh, cool towels to drape over your forehead or ice packs/heating packs for your muscles every 30 minutes. Both feel like failures when they have to leave you during an episode.

Between the two, Jesse definitely relies on his humor and tries to keep you talking (if it doesn't hurt you more) to get you through this, and you love that he treats you like normal, that there's no pity in his eyes. But for Fives, this is a situation where he actually gets quiet, lowering his energy to give you the space to rest up.

Kix is, like Tech, going to do all the research. Unlike Tech, Kix has access to military-grade medical facilities. And he WILL use them to get a thorough understanding not just of your condition, but how your body handles the condition. He hates to see you in pain, and it's a negotiation with him as to how much medication you want/need as if Kix had his way, he'd just stick you in a bacta tank each flair up to minimize your pain and any damage ... which obviously isn't practical. Also, there's no "Maybe I can push through it, this flair up feels manageable." The moment Kix knows you're feeling symptoms, you're in the medbay. You'll also find the smallest of treats next to your bed when you wake up.

Dogma similarly, tolerates no negotiation. Sure, you've been dealing with your condition for a while, but if you're not following dr.'s or Kix's orders to the letter, he will make you. I feel like Dogma is incredibly passionate and feels deeply, and he will not risk your health or well being, even if you ask him to just trust you. Eventually, you need a mediation with Kix so Dogma gives you a little room to breathe. Like Wrecker, it helps to give Dogma things to do while you have a flair up so he feels like he's helping. He'll bring you everything you need and then go tidy up your living space or do your paperwork on your behalf or just general errands you need to run. Acts of service is his love language anyway, so this is a system that works really well for you both.

Rex hates that he can't always be with you during a flair up. He literally has a list of people you can call (in order of those he trusts the most to take care of you) if you need assistance. But you've come up with a code to message to his datapad in case he can't be there. If he gets your message, he'll excuse himself as quickly as possible to call you and just talk you through the worst of your flair up and ask if you need someone to be with you.

If he can be there, you won't find a more attentive and gentle person to nurse you through. He'll make sure you're settled and have everything you need and he'll talk you through it until you fall asleep. Then, he'll straighten up your living space and make some food for you for when you wake up. When you do, he'll give you a small portion to start with and hold you against him when you're done.

Tup will run you the most perfect bath ever. Water at the perfect temperature, no harsh smells in case that makes things worse. He helps you get settled then starts helping you wash. And by helping I mean he refuses to let you do anything for yourself. Getting your hair washed by Tup is a spiritual experience and something that, even if your pain persists, reenergizes your soul. He'll dry you gently with the fluffiest towels and then settles you in your room with all your comforts. He's another who will sit by your side until you feel better and he'll cuddle on request if it won't hurt you more.

I hope this is what you were looking for!!

Taglist: @clonemedickix @idontgetanysleep @sunshinesdaydream @dystopicjumpsuit @dreamie411 @secondaryrealm @wizardofrozz @wolffegirlsunite @blueink-bluesoul @wings-and-beskar @freesia-writes @multi-fan-dom-madness @starrylothcat @sinfulsalutations

[thesith]

— Chapter Three: Favorite Clones

Bedtime Story Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

“I asked Echo to swap shifts so I could tell you this part of the story - it… means a lot to me.” Hunter started, ready to reminisce about his beloved Commander.

“Where’d ya end up getting your tat anyway?” Wrecker asked while once again scavenging your kitchen for food. His brothers also looked at you for an answer, scanning your figure for any sign of the ink.

“Tats,” You corrected before sighing, pulling down the collar of the shirt you’d been wearing, revealing the insignia over your heart. You could sense the room fill to the brim with emotions, even from Crosshair. A groan of joy escaped Wrecker’s mouth as he brought you into a tight hug - one containing so much love.

“I think it’s perfect,” slipped from Hunter’s lips, who decided to join in on the hug - subsequently the other two brothers followed. “Good choice, Commander.”

You smiled and removed your hand from Wrecker’s back, placing a hand over the new 99. You hadn’t expected to form such a strong attachment to the group, but looking back on everything, it was inevitable. “Okay, okay - guys let’s not get sappy now!”

Wrecker wiped his tear-stained cheeks, “It- It’s just that…”

“We know, Wrecker. They’re one of us,” Hunter cut in in an attempt to console his brother, “They will always be part of our squad.”

With a new-found freedom from Wrecker’s arms, you remembered, “Hey, Wrecker? Remember how you wanted to try my lightsaber and we forgot?”

As if on cue his eyes brightened and he held out his hands, squeezing his fingers to his palm in a ‘gimme’ motion. The sight made you laugh while you used the Force to bring your lightsaber to your hand.

You went over the basics with the larger clone, his brothers watching in awe as you ignited the lightsaber on a lower setting so no real damage would be dealt to your living room. The green light shone on Wrecker’s face as you handed it to him, which ended with him waving it around in an attempt to imitate the few Jedi he’s seen.

“So,” Hunter started while watching his brother swing the lightsaber at non-existent enemies, “Tech told us that you helped him feel the Force.”

“Aw, are you jealous?” Crosshair teased with a smirk on his face.

Hunter immediately shook his head (which looked suspicious, but you let it slide), “No, just wondering how you did that. Could you do it with us, too?”

“I honestly had no idea that it was possible until I tried with Tech - I’ve always been more in tune with the Force than many of my peers, save for Anakin Skywalker, and been able to wield it in ways many cannot.” You started, hoping to give Hunter a satisfactory answer, “I could most likely do the same for the rest of you, if you’d like to feel it.”

“A consular, then?” Tech questioned your reply, “I’ve been studying articles on the Jedi since your arrival with us - if I’m not mistaken, Jedi Consulars tend to not use their lightsabers unless it’s a last resort, which I have observed in your combative style. They also use a green blade most frequently, rather than the blue and yellow of guardians and sentinels, respectively.”

You nodded, “You’re correct, though I wouldn’t expect otherwise from you. My green blade reflects my status, but the crystal chooses the Jedi - not the other way around. Honestly if I had my choice of color it’d be purple.”

“Like Master Windu’s, then? I have never understood why he wields such a color.”

You laughed, “Honestly, I’m not sure either. I think it’s because of the form he developed and uses - it’s close to using the dark side of the Force.”

”Ah, I see. You believe it to be a combination of the Sith’s red and Jedi’s blue?”

You nodded, turning your attention back to the faux-Jedi Wrecker, who’s having the time of his life with your saber. You had to stifle a laugh at him running around the room, attempting to twirl his lightsaber behind his back.

“Okay, Wrecker - that’s enough. Give the Commander back their lightsaber - we have work to do.”

Wrecker huffed, not wanting his fun to end. Eventually, he flipped the ignition switch and returned your hilt, which you hooked back onto your belt.

Hunter spoke your name from beside you, causing you to meet his gaze. “Are we your favorite clones?”

“I’ve been living with you for half a year and you’re asking me that?” A rhetorical question, “Yes, you are my favorite clones. Though, there was one clone I was very close to from General Skywalker’s legion, the 501st.”

“Just haven’t seen him in awhile?” Hunter pushed, wanting to know more about this clone.

You averted your eyes and looked everywhere but at him, “Yes, I haven’t seen him in awhile. He… died. A couple years ago. It was a mission to retrieve information from a Jedi Master, who was locked in the Citadel on Lola Sayu.” You rubbed the fabric of your robes between your pointer finger and thumb, “He was so brave and kind, always eager to learn - his batchmates named him Echo.”

Hunter placed a caring hand on your shoulder, “I’m sorry for your loss, Commander. He sounds like a great guy.”

You could only nod, accepting Hunter’s comforting touch. You lifted up the hem of your robes and traced your fingers over the new ink that laid on your ribcage - 1409. The gaze on your tattoo was heavy, yet no words were spoken by anyone in the room.

Your short-lived vacation on Coruscant had finally come to an end, and it was time for your squad to set back out into the galaxy - part of you was grateful to be leaving the bustling ecumenopolis, but you would definitely miss the downtime. You had a feeling that the next time you returned to Coruscant would be your last time with the Bad Batch, and you weren’t ready for that day to come.

“Wait a minute,” A sleepy Omega asked her brother, not knowing whether the tiredness made her hear things, “Echo died?”

“He’s here with us, so no,” Hunter neglected to explain what really happened, “That is why he hasn’t told any of the story yet, though. He was… away during this time period.”

By the time Hunter finished his sentence, Omega was fast asleep with soft snores leaving her slightly-open mouth.

[writing-positivelyexisting]

Sleepless 3AM’s

The Bad Batch/Reader. Headcanons. | writing-positivelyexisting🫧

Hunter

How it happens is usually a bad dream or something on the Marauder creaked a little too loud and stirred your slumber. It’s not often but it happens.

Being in the same bunk with Hunter meant no easy escape. One or both of his arms holding you close to him. That didn’t stop you from trying, though.

Hunter feels you moving his arms off, trying to sneak out of bed as quietly as possible so you didn’t wake him up. Sometimes he’d stay behind for a few minutes to humor you, but he would wake with you regularly.

He would follow you to the cockpit, his blanket over his shoulder, and wait for you pick a spot. (Usually on the floor, but sometimes you would ask to sit across his lap in one of the chairs). Then, Hunter would place himself next to you and wrap the blanket around both of you.

He never questioned this tiny habit and you were grateful. You couldn’t offer up a reason. It was just something that happens and this is how you would deal with it. Hunter didn’t mind. He just wants to be sure you’re alright.

If it was a particular bad night, a nightmare, you would lean against him and talk. He always listened, taking your hand to touch and draw shapes in your palm or to gently massage each finger. Maybe a kiss to your temple every once in awhile.

“I don’t want to lose any of you… I wish this timeline was different. We could have already been married.”

“One day, cyar’ika. One day.”

Your talking would eventually turn into soft mumbles as your eyes became heavy with sleep again and Hunter makes sure not to move you back to his bunk until 15 minutes passed (just in case you woke up)

Tech

This man hardly gets sleep as it is but always advocates for the others to get valuable rest. So you usually curl up in his bunk, happy with just his scent to put you to sleep.

Whenever you do wake up, or just couldn’t sleep, you’d make your way to find the genius. He was always either working on his data pad or something on the Marauder.

Once Tech noticed your presence it’s always, “Ah, I did it again. I’m sorry.” Or, “My riduur, what’s keeping you up?”

If he knows he should sleep, he’ll walk you back to his bunk and hold you close to him. Most nights like this, listening to his breathing and heartbeat while his fingers brush through your hair knocks you right out.

When it takes a little more effort, Tech speaks softly on the latest upgrade he’s done to the ship knowing that you love his voice and do your best to stay awake and listen. (It tuckers you out more to fight the sleep like this and he knows it, using it to his advantage).

If something has kept you up, he offers you a place by his side to watch, listen, and/or help if you’re feeling up to it. When too much time has passed for you to still be out of bed, he forces himself and you to get a little shut eye.

“I’m not tired.”

“Your health is my upmost personal priority, riduur. Come; sleep.”

He takes your hand in his and leads you back to his bunk where both of you promptly fall asleep, just so unaware of the fatigue your bodies were holding.

Wrecker

To be fair, it’s hard to wake up when you’re with Wrecker. He’s like a heated weighted blanket. With arms and legs and a face. That gives you kisses and loves you. It’s hard not to be comfy with him, okay?

Yet, some nights are just too stubborn. Most nights it’s just nerves. You slide up to sit in his bunk with your knees tucked under your chin, your eyes watching this gentle hunk of a guy sleep.

Watching his rhythmic breathing kept your mind-fuzz to a minimum.

When Wrecker’s sleepy hand touched the empty space you reach out to grab it. Sometimes he doesn’t wake up right away, but as you touch and rub his hand to keep busy Wrecker wakes.

“Cyare? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I can’t sleep.”

He sits up with you, touching your face with a soft hand and asks you what you wanted: water, caf, snacks, Lula, Crosshair’s super soft blanket that was left behind but he would shoot someone point blank if they used it?

The blanket bit always earned him a quiet giggle. “Water and a holomovie. And Lula. Please.”

Wrecker takes care of everything, stopping you trying to help with a deep kiss to your lips, slowly pushing you down on his bunk.

And when you wake up with tears in your eyes trying to keep yourself quiet (for him and your captain), Wrecker is wide awake.

“Oh no, mesh’la, what happened?”

You tearful face triggers his own water works but he keeps it controlled, pulling you in front of him to rock you side to side in a lulling way.

“Everything’s going to be okay. I’ve got you… I’ve got you,” he whispers, kissing the top of your head.

Eventually your crying subsides and you do end up falling asleep in the intimate hug. Wrecker doesn’t give two shits that he can’t move to sleep next to you, keeping the rocking steady until he falls asleep, too.

Echo

Despite being an ex ARC trooper, you’re able to slip out of his bunk pretty easily.

When these kinds of nights happen, you usually make yourself a cup of caf and head to the cockpit to stare up into the sky.

Echo wakes up when he turns a little too much and thinks he’s accidentally hit you with his scomp link. When he finds you missing, his lips pull into a half frown half smile.

He knows exactly where you are and leaves to find you in the same spot, over and over again. You’re consistent and he likes it.

You offer him up a small sheepish smile when he stands next you every time. “Found me.”

“Found you.”

The two of you stand together, looking at the stars and finding the moment serendipitous. There’s no blaster fire. No alarms blaring. No shouts, screams, cries, or yells. Nothing is at risk. This moment is untouched, unscathed, uninterrupted.

It’s peace.

After a while, Echo takes your caf whether you’ve finished it or not and sets it on a safe spot on the control panel to take your hand for a tiny dance.

It’s silent in the Marauder so you two keep your footsteps feather light.

Echo spins you and waltzes in a small circle, smiling at you as the star and moon light showers you in its beauty. His mind pictures a better scene, one where you and him aren’t on Ord Mantel but somewhere elegant and far from war, dressed to impress with serene music playing for you.

When he pulls you back into him and slows the dance to a side step, Echo leans in to kiss you which you reciprocate every time. This kiss was a promise. That one day everything will be better.

Crosshair

Being sleepless in his bed was a circus trick. You couldn’t stop tossing and turning, willing sleep to take you but it just didn’t.

“Stop. Moving.”

You freeze and take a breath. “I’m sorry.” Slowly, you decide that you would sit up. You weren’t going to win this fight to rest.

You look at Crosshair who’s laying on his side, facing away from you, seemingly asleep. You reach to touch his back, gently so you didn’t irritate him, and traced the muscle definitions.

He never seemed to mind this soft act of affection. Just the constant movement when he was trying to sleep, which was understandable.

When your mind blanks out and your touch stilled, Crosshair turns around to look at you. The rustle gains your attention and you mutter another apology.

“Quit it.” He reached out to you and pulls you back down, having you lay on his chest.

“Quit what?”

“Apologizing.” His other hand touches your cheek, sliding over your ear into your hair. “You’re not the only one who can’t sleep.”

It makes you smile. His tone can be sour but he usually cares in reality. Your arms find themselves comfortable hugging him, giving him a quick loving squeeze.

When the nights are terrible and aren’t so easy to soothe, Crosshair always finds the reddest part of his heart again. His voice is just above a whisper, his body providing warmth, his arms acting as shields.

He’s got you.

“I’m so scared, Crosshair… that you’re going to disappear…”

“Cyare.” He pauses. “I love you too much to just die. I will live for you and your love.”

*riduur - wife/husband/spouse

Everyone has had these thoughts right??? These have been keeping me up most nights just to get an idea for what each of them would do (call it method writing haha). Also, Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️

tag list: @dangraccoon (I wasn’t sure if you wanted to be included in headcanons, so I tagged you anyway. I hope that’s fine!)