#crosshair fanfic

[freesia-writes]

hello friend, for the valentines rec - would you be interested in doing a fake dating/relationship situation b/w Crosshair and f!reader? go wild with why they have to fake date 😂

thankssss ❤️HB

THE CROSSHAIR EFFECT got me on this one! 😂 Sometimes when I write him, I just get absolutely sucked in. So this one had me in a mood and I quite enjoyed it. It's a little stereotypical or trope-y or something, but it's delightfully indulgent in my doofus opinion. So I hope you enjoy! 😊 Dividers by @stars-n-spice on this post here.

Crosshair x F!Reader Word Count: 2000ish, hehe Content Warnings: just kissin and in-universe cussin

OH, and since this takes place at a fancy gala, I have to link this gorgeous fanart by @perfectlywingedcrusade because it's just fitting and should be appreciated by everyone. They're lovely images of Crosshair and her OC, so check em out!

A kiss on the hand and a cup of the face

Holding each other close in fancy attire

Out for a stroll while lookin good

The grand gala was in full swing, the opulent castle venue aglow with soft, golden light and the murmur of animated conversations. You and Crosshair, disguised as a wealthy couple, moved gracefully through the crowd, your steps synchronized as you navigated the sea of elegantly dressed guests. The stoic sniper's presence beside you was palpable, his every movement calculated and precise. His sharp gaze swept over the room, taking in every detail with a keen eye for potential threats. Despite the formal attire he wore, there was an unmistakable air of danger about him, a reminder of the skilled soldier lurking beneath the facade of a sophisticated gentleman. And it kinda gave you the tingles.

As you exchanged pleasantries with other guests, your mind raced with the mission at hand. The two of you had been tasked with infiltrating the gala to gather intel on a new weapon being developed by the Separatists. It was a high-stakes operation, and the success of the mission relied on your ability to blend in seamlessly with the crowd while discreetly gathering information.

You stole a glance at him, marveling at the effortless way he maintained his cover. His demeanor was cool and collected, his expression unreadable as he engaged in polite conversation with the other guests. You marveled at his ability to remain composed under pressure, and if you were being honest, you’d admired him for a long time, and had given in to an increasing amount of time spent thinking about being with him in various scenarios. So when this mission had come up in such a way that required you to pretend you were in a relationship, you’d had to fight hard to keep your face neutral and even harder to ignore the pronounced eyeroll and scoff of disgust he’d made.

You were still trying to push the thought from your mind as you leaned against the bar, having split up to different parts of the room. You could swear there had been some significant moments between the two of you, conversations that showed some vulnerability, slight softening in his piercing glares… But sometimes you wondered if the entire dynamic was just wishful thinking on your part. 

“Haven’t seen you around here before,” a fellow attendee said, sidling up beside you at the bar. You gave a small smile and a nod, just enough to acknowledge him without being memorable in any way, hoping he would take the hint. 

He didn’t.

“Where are you from?” he pressed, stepping slightly closer and holding up two fingers to the bartender, who had waved to him for his order. “I feel like I’d remember a beautiful thing like you.” You had your selection of default answers, offering some uninteresting and vague information, but he was a bona fide hemorrhoid, weaseling ever closer both verbally and physically. 

“I feel like you’re not being entirely honest with me,” he purred, tilting his head and reaching to trace fingers along your arm. 

“I’m not sure I want to tell all my secrets to someone I just met,” you replied, matching his suggestive energy to avoid triggering any toxic masculinity. You gave him a small smile, but it was met with a furrowed brow that made you start to feel a little anxious at how to get out of this particular situation. 

Right on cue, however, Crosshair stepped in, his arm sliding around your waist as he pulled you close. Your heart skipped a beat as you glanced up at him, face relaxing into content familiarity. 

"Darling, there you are," he said smoothly, flashing the intruder a charming smile. The honey-sweet words in his sibilant, smoky tone were absolutely intoxicating, and you silently cursed the flush that bloomed across your cheeks without your permission. "I've been looking all over for you." 

The guest faltered, taken aback by Crosshair's sudden appearance, and when the sniper turned to face him fully, positively exuding confidence, he excused himself with a polite nod.

"Thanks," you murmured, grateful for the diversion.

"Don't mention it," he replied, his gaze lingering on you for a moment longer than necessary. "We have to be convincing, don’t we…”

“Sorry you got stuck doing this with me.” You felt a wave of frustration wash over you, beginning to feel tired of the way he seemed to jerk you back and forth between softness and harshness, fondness and disdain. You wished he would just come clean one way or the other.

“A mission’s a mission.”

“Mhm,” you agreed, feeling your mood souring by the second.

“Problem?” he asked quietly, forcing the fakest smile you’d ever seen as a couple passed by and fluttered their fans in your direction. It made you want to punch him. 

“Nope. Just… On a mission.” You pulled your fur more tightly around you, scanning the room for the targets who were supposed to have the inside info. You’d had yet to locate them, despite schmoozing for the last hour or two. You didn’t notice the way his eyes followed the flow of your hair into a regal bun at the nape of your neck, nor the way they continued back up across your face, unreadable emotion flickering just beneath the surface. 

“Oh, Chris, you’re hilarious,” you proclaimed, in the snooty voice you’d adopted around others. You could tell it grated on Crosshair’s nerves, and you couldn’t help the smug sense of satisfaction you felt when his steely gaze met yours for a moment in the privacy of a quick sideways look. You knew there’d be hell to pay later for randomly giving him a name like that, but you didn’t care. Your feet were aching and you’d been done with all the fake socializing about an hour and a half ago. But the two of you had finally worked your way into the “inner circle of sleemos”, as your partner had deemed them, and now were the critical moments upon which the entire mission hinged. 

“Not nearly as delightful as you, my little poodoo,” he answered, earning a round of gasps and chuckles from the uppity crowd. 

“I say!” declared a man with a huge space-walrus mustache. “That is quite the nickname, my good boy!” He chuffed heartily, casting a side glance at his tall, spiky wife who clearly didn’t approve. Quickly changing his demeanor, he was shaking his head in somber disapproval by the time he looked back at you. 

“Oh, we’re just so… so close…” Crosshair continued, almost choking on his words as he looped an arm around your waist again and pulled you against him so abruptly that a little bit of your drink sloshed out of the glowing martini glass. You quickly turned your splutter of indignation into a playful giggle, not so subtly digging an elbow between his ribs as best you could. “I could just call her every name in the book,” he gushed, poking the tip of your nose with a single finger. 

“Oh goodness,” you laughed, downing the rest of your drink in one huge gulp. “Would you excuse us? And can I get anyone else another drink?” You turned away so quickly, grabbing your partner by the arm and dragging him along, that you didn’t see Mr. Walrus Stache lifting a finger to take you up on that drink offer. Instead, you did your best to hide the absolute rage you felt beneath the surface as you found a side door out onto a small balcony. There was a single member of the waitstaff there, a Rhodian who was taking a drag off a long cigarette, and his luminous eyes narrowed at the two of you as you appeared, flicking the ash off the end of his smoke and dropping it to the ground before stalking back to work. 

“What’s gotten into you?” Crosshair began, turning on you as soon as the last tails of the server’s apron were out of sight. You looked up at him, too frustrated to enjoy how close he was as he loomed above you furiously. “We finally get--”

“ME?!” you spluttered, grasping the shiny lapels of his suit jacket, “You think we’re gonna get anywhere with you calling me poodoo?!” In any other context, the sheer ridiculousness of the situation would have been hilarious, but the simmering undercurrent had risen to a rollicking boil, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. 

“Well if you weren’t acting like such a little shi--”

“You’re ridiculous!” you yelled, fists clenched at your sides. But before you could finish the rest of your retort, his hand was clapped over your mouth, cutting off any further attempts to lash out at him. It did not, however, help to quell the fury within. You grabbed his arm with both hands, pulling at it in futility, then froze completely as he stepped in close, wedging a thigh between your legs and flattening you against the stone wall of the castle with his entire body. “What the f--”

“Just shut up for one second,” he hissed, and the sheer intensity of his presence combined with the exhilaration of him pressed against you took every last thought and word right out of your brain. You let out a breath, heart pounding against his chest where he’d bent himself around you, eyes large as they locked on his. He slowly removed his hand, wiping it on his pants with a slight wrinkle of the nose, then tucked it into his pocket, leaving the other arm braced on the wall above you. “Listen,” he said, quietly now, with an urgency yet softness that melted you to your core. “Whatever… this… is…” He took a deep breath, then continued, “We need to get that intel. Then you can… take care of yourself…” He finished with a tiny, confident nod, stepping back in surprise when you burst into laughter.

“Take care of myself?” You slapped your hands flat on his chest, pushing him away with playful force as you felt yourself puffing up again to put him in his place. “Crosshair, you don’t have a damn clue, do you…” You ran out of steam as you registered the myriad of emotions on his face, slowly falling silent as he closed the distance between the two of you again, emanating a different kind of energy this time. 

“Care to enlighten me, then?” he asked, tilting his head at you with equal parts condescension and provocation. There was a smolder in his pale brown eyes that made your heart skip a beat, and you were so overrun with feelings of your own that you couldn’t even begin to sort out one from another. You reached for his lapels again, now using them to pull him back against you as you brought your mouth to his with a forceful, determined kiss. His tiny huff of an exhale had a million possible meanings, but you didn’t care, because one of his hands found your waist and the other cupped the back of your head, pressing his face into yours with a hunger that set your… heart… on fire. 

You lost track of everything else as your senses were flooded with every magnificent aspect of him… His scent, touched up with a ritzy fragrance he’d added for the evening… His slightly raspy breathing… The warmth and passion that radiated from his strong, focused frame. The feeling of his mouth on yours was everything you’d imagined it to be, and he pulled back for a short breath of air before turning his head the other direction and capturing your lips again, slightly more open this time as you melted against him.

It felt like a split second and an hour later when you separated, with deep, ragged breaths and a blissfully dumbfounded look on your face, staring at him in awe and unabashed delight. He kept his face stoic, though there was a slight glow to his cheeks and a spark in his eyes that made your knees weak. 

“Now can you keep your head on straight?” he poked, stepping back and straightening his suit. 

“Absolutely not.”

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[stardust-kenobi]

If 46 & 57 are still available could you write them for Crosshair x female reader? Thank youuu

Ooohhhh boy. I’m ready. (Also sorry for the delay, and I hope you enjoy!!!). I’m making this one a full one shot because I got carried away LMAO. Just in time for crosshairs appearance this week

#46 - “Please, ruin me”

#57 - “What are you doing in my bed?”

Ruin me

Crosshair x Fem!Reader

Summary: Crosshair finds you waiting for him in his bed. You pique his curiosity, and he decides to indulge in your interests.

Warnings: smut, rough sex, manhandling, alot of degradation, lil tiny bit of a softness tho, anyways this is filthy…it’s crosshair so y’know

Word count: 2k ish tbh I haven’t checked yet bc I’m on mobile, but it’s a semi short one

It was an idea that floated through your mind ever so frequently, but you’d been too afraid to act on it. That is, until now. You had it bad for Crosshair, and you suspected he felt the same about you. He was an asshole, that much was obvious, but maker, it turned you on.

Crosshair’s bed smelled of cedar and musk, and you embraced the aroma of his natural scent while your lustful thoughts danced in your head. He’d been gone all day, probably training, and was expected to come back any minute now. It was no accident that you put on your tightest, skimpiest outfit. The outfit was close enough to resembling loungewear so as to be not obvious when you walked the halls down to his room, but still inched toward dangerous territory of being lingerie.

Your tits spilled over the top of the thin tank top, pushed from the bra you’d chosen to wear. A ruby red lace bra, one that would leave no question as to what your intentions were, if he decides to undress you, of course. The shorts you wore, if you could even call them that, were high cut, leaving a significant amount of your thighs and hips exposed.

You laid back, taking in the feeling of laying in his room without him knowing, and allowed yourself to become excited with the idea. Pretending that the touch of your fingers traveling up your thighs were his was the closest you could get to feeling him right now, and you hoped he’d return soon.

Just then, approaching footsteps snapped you out of your daze. You swallowed hard, anticipating his arrival. The metal door slid open with a loud hiss, and there he was, stoic in his stance. He promptly removed his helmet before his eyes found you.

Crosshair wasn’t startled, nor was he angry. In fact you couldn’t even really tell what he was thinking. The same scowl he always held was still present on his face. He tilted his head at you, studying the way you laid seductively on his bed.

“What are you doing in my bed?” He inquired curiously. That voice, gods…that beautiful voice. You wanted nothing more than to hear him whisper nasty things in your ear.

“I wanted to surprise you” you purred. Sitting up on your knees, letting him get a full view down the cleavage of your shirt.

“With what?” He scanned your body, seemingly approving, but was followed by a look of distaste.

“Me.” You whispered.

“Is that so?” He pondered with a snarky look, setting his helmet down on the desk by the entrance, “what makes you think I’d want to fuck you?”

“Are you saying you don’t want to?” You leaned back in surprise.

“Oh no, I’m going to fuck you” He said with certainty, sending a fiery heat to your cunt as it fell off his lips, “just curious what made you think I wanted to”

He cut right to the chase. This was happening, and he was ready, but not without a little more teasing on his end.

“I see the way you look at me” You noted, looking him up and down and admiring the outline of his body. He looked so good in his armor.

“How can I not? You’re always dressed like a little slut” He scoffed. He was so fucking hard to read. He wanted you, but sounded disgusted with your behavior at the same time.

“You love it, though, don’t you?” You teased, watching his face grow flustered.

He didn’t answer, but moved slowly to stand beside the bed, staring down at you.

“You want my cock? Hm? Is that what you want, pet?” He asked, his voice flowing like honey on your ears, making you shiver in anticipation of how he was likely going to leave you limping afterwards.

“Please, ruin me” you breathlessly begged. The way he was treating you was so sadistic, but oh it felt so right.

“Gladly” He growled in response.

Quickly, he worked to remove your tank top, finding the lingerie you wore beneath it.

“You wore this just for me didn’t you?” He smirked, taking your lifted breasts into his grasp. He didn’t admire your attire for long, because he removed your bra just as quickly as he found it, “and I bet your cunt is already soaking fucking wet isn’t it?” He asked, pushing you back onto his bed with force, and eagerly sliding your shorts from your hips. Suddenly he plunged two fingers inside of you, allowing him to feel what he suspected, and you gasped in response.

“You need my cock this bad? What a needy little whore” He whispered against your ear, hovering above your completely exposed body. Chills erupted across your entire body, which Crosshair noticed immediately, “Beg for it”

“I want you to- oh my gods- I want you to fuck me, Crosshair. Please” You begged through your whimpering as his fingers pumped in and out with the perfect curl, apply perfect pressure inside of you.

“I’ve thought about it, myself” He began, “thought about the way you’d look squirming beneath me. How pathetic you’d sound begging for me to ruin you. Look at you now. It’s only my fingers” He chuckled, so intent on humiliating you.

“It feels so good” You moaned, feeling a precious tension forming in your lower belly.

“I bet it does” He smirked, immediately pulling his fingers from your pussy and ripping your approaching orgasm away from you, “touch yourself while I get undressed”

You did as he asked, and rubbed your clit slowly as you watch the armor and clothes fall from his body. Maker, he was beautiful. Every scar, edge, and mark creating a masterpiece of his figure. You’d never been this wet before, and it was only getting more intense as your clit throbbed beneath your fingers.

He watched hungrily, trying not to be too be too obvious with how beautiful he thought you looked getting yourself off just waiting on him, but he could watch you do this all day.

“Crosshair” You whimpered as your eyes landed on his cock, he was larger and thicker than you were expecting. He really was going to ruin you. He stroked himself gently, his gaze traveling the length of your sprawled out body. On display just for him.

“Turn over” He demanded.

You flipped onto your belly, and anxiously waited for what was to come next. Your cunt clenched around nothing as you ached to be filled and you groaned in desperation.

“Please”

“Patience, slut” He scolded, letting his new name for you roll off his tongue with a deep satisfaction

Your next breath lodged itself in your throat as the full length of his cock slammed into your cunt, brutally filling you so suddenly with almost no warning. You winced in the stinging pleasure, quickly overcoming the small bit of pain. The pain was nice, and you’ll admit that you didn’t know you even liked pain until you’d just felt it like this. But it felt good.

A loud cry tried to leave your lips but was halted by the wrapping of his hand around your mouth as he leaned down, his chest against your back. To feel him use you like this was exactly what you wanted, and the slight twinge of pain only made it all the better.

“You can take it, Y/N” He encouraged, the first and only bit of praise he muttered.

Your muffled mess of whimpers hummed against the palm of his hand, earning a smirk from him you weren’t lucky enough to see. His thrusts were brutal, fucking you like you he absolutely hated you. The sound of the skin of your ass slapping against him with every motion accompanied the sound of your expression to pleasure.

At first, all that you’d heard from Crosshair were rough and quiet grunts, but he was growing louder, sounding satisfied with the feeling of your slickness and how good it felt to claim you after thinking of you like this for so long.

“Look at you, so desperate for it” He leaned down, pressing his lips hungrily against your neck, moving his hand from your mouth to wrap in the locks of your hair. As he yanked your head back, your moans were amplified and unrestricted.

“You fuck me so good, Crosshair” You looked up and back at him, your gaze almost breaking him, but he looked away from you, and down to where your bodies were fused together. It was unbearable how good it felt, and you were overwhelmed with all of it. Your heated skin, the friction against your clit with every swing of his hips, the sensation of being used by him, and how rough he was with you…that was the icing on the cake.

“Everyone will know if you keep screaming” He hissed.

“I want them to know” You bragged.

“Yeah?” He teased you.

An unexpected flash of burning pain struck your ass, his hand rested against your rear after striking you. You cried out in pleasure, approving of the feeling. Crosshair was happy to take that as a sign to do it again, and it was harder the second time.

His hands moved to tightly grip your waist, using it to his advantage to thrust deeper and deeper. His wandering grip traveled to your breast and squeezed, the soft of your skin driving him wild. With each second, his cock brushed against your g-spot, inching you closer and closer to your climax.

“Fuck” He groaned deep, losing himself in how good you felt, he was getting close too.

“I want you to fill me up” You begged him, needing so desperately to feel his release inside you.

The growl in his moan as he didn’t respond made it clear that he wanted that too. And just hearing you say it sent him over his edge. The pace of his hips slowed, and his expressions of pleasure grew louder, which was music to your ears. Just then you felt the warmth of his cum spill inside you. He leaned over you, pressing his chest into your back, holding you while he came, his nails digging deep into your waist.

You hadn’t come yet, and with him pulling out of you, you didn’t expect to. To your surprise, you squealed as he eagerly picked you up and flipped you over on your back.

“I never leave a woman unsatisfied” He said sadistically.

The hollowness that began to ache you was then filled by his fingers once again. Using the slickness of your arousal and his own cum, he fucked you with his fingers. Crosshair hovered above you, creating a sense of odd comfort for you.

“You gonna come for me slut? Gonna come on my fingers?” He taunted you, his demeaning tone only encouraging your orgasm more.

“Fuck, yes, please don’t stop”

And he didn’t. His thumb worked softly at your clit, as he curled his digits inside of you. Anyone in the entire wing could’ve heard you now, your moaning and whimpering was relentlessly loud, and gods you didn’t care at all.

He felt you clench around him, and listened to the way you became breathless for a moment before the tension unraveled itself so gracefully. As he felt you come, he stared deep into your eyes, his other hand holding the side of your face. You weren’t sure where this care or gentleness came from, but you savored it, staring back and leaning into him.

“There you go. Come for me” He reiterated, adoring the look on your face while you fell apart beneath him.

It washed over you like a giant wave of ecstasy, filling every inch of your body with an overwhelming tingling pleasure. You’d never felt an orgasm so intense before, and he worked you through every second of it.

You swore that there were stars in your eyes as you floated back to reality, and it was then that you realized you were fully holding onto him, and he was letting you.

“Should’ve got you alone a long time ago” He smirked, still looking down at you, making sure you were okay.

“I guess one of us had to make the first move, huh?”

“Don’t sass me” He playfully scoffed as he laid down beside you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder, pulling you into him.

Maybe Crosshair had a soft spot for you after all.

-

A/N: Apologies for any types my loves, I will try and check for any mistakes later!!

feedback and comments are always so encouraging and appreciated. If you enjoyed this, please let me know❤️

[triptuckers]

just you and me - crosshair

Request: nope Pairing: crosshair x reader Summary: after crosshair flees the empire, he goes to the one place he thinks would be somewhat safe Warnings: spoilers for the bad batch s2e12!! language, angst, sadness, mentions of death Word count: 2.2KA/N: this weeks episode??? god damn that was good !! anyways someone needs to hug crosshair and I needed to write this, enjoy!

everything seems to be blurred together in a haze. for some reason, crosshair can't remember how he got away. he remembers bits and pieces of that night, but he feels like there's some details missing.

he remembers mayday. he remembers going into the caves with him, finding the raiders and fighting them. he remembers how he caused an explosion with a well aimed shot, getting rid of the raiders but also causing an avalanche.

crosshair remembers being buried in snow and then managing to pull himself out of it. he remembers struggling through the snow and pulling mayday out as well.

he fought to take mayday back to the outpost, so he could get help.

but upon arriving there, and telling the lieutenant that mayday needed a medic, the lieutenant turned him down. said they were both expendable. that crosshair needed to get back to work.

and something in crosshair snapped. the empire would always see them like that: expendable. merely tools in their big galaxy. nothing more than a number. no matter how many missions he completed, or how good he was at following orders.

in less than two seconds, crosshair had raised his blaster and shot the lieutenant in the chest. he hadn't thought much about the consequences. sure, he knew they probably wouldn't let him live after that.

but when he woke up in what seemed to be a medical facility, he realised they must have found some use for him. but he didn't intent to wait to find out exactly what that would be. he bolted.

but it's hard to navigate the galaxy when you don't have any resources. no food, clothes, money, ship. luckily crosshair has some skills when it comes to sneaking around.

he managed to sneak aboard a shuttle that took him as far away as ord mantell. that was all he really needed. the thought of going back to ord mantell was enough to keep him going.

even though he was exhausted, he managed to get to the planet without much trouble, and continued his journey on foot from the docks where the shuttle landed.

when a familiar building appears in the distance, crosshair feels such gratitude he'd be willing to drop to his knees right there in the middle of the street.

but he forces himself to keep going. he has no idea if he's even welcome, but it's all he's got right now. he has to give it a shot.

he stops in front of the door. all the lights are off. then again, it was late. he raises his hand to buzz the door.

no answer.

he buzzes again.

still no answer.

crosshair considers leaving and coming back tomorrow, at a decent time. but then he hears a voice.

'we're closed!'

he never thought he'd hear that voice again. apparently, you stuck around on ord mantell. even though you'd complained about it many times. he knew deep down you wouldn't leave this planet. you'd been here for so many years. you couldn't bear the thought of leaving and starting a shop from scratch, of settling down somewhere else.

crosshair buzzes again, to let you know he's still here.

'I said we're closed!' comes your voice from inside the building. 'shop opens again tomorrow at 8!'

just as crosshair wants to buzz the door again, it opens slightly.

'look, I said we're- crosshair?'

crosshair smiles slightly at the sight of you, and the sound of you saying his name. then he all but collapses into your arms. he faintly hears you calling his name before blacking out.

you stumble beneath his weight. you look outside, checking to see if no one noticed. the street is empty, so you awkwardly haul crosshair inside and lock the door.

it takes you a while to get crosshair to your bedroom, and you struggle even more with getting him on the bed. when you've finally succeeded in laying him down, you take in the sight of him.

he's still in his armour, but he seems to have lost his helmet. his rifle that was slung over his back is still in the hallway. you reach out and lay your hand on his cheek, which feels cold.

he must have been in quite the shape, but he still managed to get to your shop. you wonder why he's here. and how he got away from the empire. the last time you saw him, he was still with his brothers. you're still in contact with the rest of the bad batch, but you know they don't speak to crosshair anymore.

you have so many questions you want to ask him. but right now, you can tell he needs sleep. and possibly a decent meal as well.

you move closer to the bed and start to take off his armour, piece by piece. it's easy to remember how to do it. you used to do it a lot when he was still with his brothers. he would seek you out and you'd comfort him. crosshair would put up this defensive shield, but the more time he spent with you, the faster he would drop that shield whenever he was around you.

and you had enjoyed taking off his armour and just sitting with him, sharing a meal, watching a holo movie or just talking. most of the times, just being in each other's presence was enough to comfort the both of you.

when you finish taking off his armour and placing it on the small desk in your bedroom, you pull the blankets out from underneath him and tuck him in.

you hesitate briefly. then you lean in and press a kiss to his forehead.

'goodnight, crosshair.' you say.

it's hours later when crosshair wakes, and his head feels heavy. the light coming from the window is too bright, it hurts his eyes. he rolls over to his other side, and notices he isn't wearing any of his armour, just his blacks. he doesn't remember taking it off.

as he lays there, he thinks back to last night, trying to figure out how he got wherever he is right now.

he remembers being on a shuttle, getting to a planet. a familiar planet, where he thought he'd be safe. crosshair tries to remember what planet he'd feel safe. he can't think of any.

his head is throbbing. probably from his lack of sleep and food.

suddenly, he frowns. whose bed is he in? it's way nicer than any bed he's had in months. he opens his eyes despite the bright light, and sees his armour placed neatly on a desk. crosshair blinks a few times. he remembers that desk. and the sheets that cover his body.

so that's where he is. ord mantell. specifically, your place. why on earth would you let him in?

he slowly pushes himself up to a sitting position, rubbing his eyes. he needed to find something to get rid of that headache. he looks around the room, but you're not there.

crosshair gets up and walks to the doorway. he pokes his head around the corner and his eyes fall upon the familiar living room and kitchen of your small apartment.

'look who's finally up.' comes your voice from somewhere in the kitchen.

crosshair hesitantly walks towards the kitchen. you're rummaging around in there, getting out two cups. you pour caf in them and slide one of them over to crosshair.

you see him hesitate again.

'don't worry, it's not poisoned.' you say, chuckling.

you take your cup and walk over to sit at the table. crosshair takes his cup and sits down as well.

'you let me in.' he observes.

'I did.' you say.

'what if it was an ambush?'

'it wasn't an ambush.'

'but if it was?'

'if it was an ambush, you were pretty fucking convincing on the whole "passing out" thing.'

crosshair looks at you. he's so confused. 'why did you let me in?' he says.

'why wouldn't I?' you say.

'if it wasn't an ambush, I could have used you to find my brothers. or the girl, omega. I could have taken you with me to the empire. I could have just shot you right there. I could have done all of those things.' says crosshair. 'why did you let me in?'

'because it's you, cross.' you say.

there's something about you calling him cross that awakens something in crosshair. he remembers all those months spent together, before order 66 happened and he and his brothers went their separate ways.

the two of you are silent as you drink your caf. you've got thousands of questions you want to ask him. but you can tell he's been through a lot, so you let him finish his caf in silence.

after a while, you speak up.

'are you okay?'

it's such a simple question. yet no one has asked crosshair if he was okay for so long. he looks up at you, and sees the genuine worry in your eyes.

slowly, he shakes his head. you see his hand trembles as he grips his cup tighter. you reach out to him and gently take the cup out of his hand. you hold his hand in yours and look at him again.

'it's alright, crosshair. it's just you and me, no one else.' you say.

within the walls of your small apartment, crosshair lets his shield down and buries his head in your shoulder.

you hold him tighter and whisper soft words to him. crosshair squeezes his eyes shut, fighting the tears. but eventually they fall. his body shakes as you rub circles on his back.

'let it out, crosshair.' you say. 'there's no one here who will judge you.'

and so he does. he lets it all out. his grief over losing his brothers, his fear that he might have made the wrong choice and caused so many people harm, the regret that he continued to work for the empire for so long, and that it had taken him way too long to find his way back to you.

after a while, crosshair's body has stopped shaking. you pull away slightly to cup his face. he closes his eyes, and you know he doesn't want you to see his tears.

'crosshair.' you say softy. 'look at me.'

he does as you say. you smile at him.

'you don't ever have to go back to the empire again.' you say. 'I've learned how to stay off the empire's radar. I can help you. will you let me help you?'

crosshair nods, then lets his head fall to your shoulder again.

for a while, the two of you just sit there like that. you know crosshair needs this. you still have so many questions you want to ask him, but it can wait.

then crosshair mumbles something into your shoulder.

'what was that?' you say.

'he didn't even save mayday.' says crosshair.

'who's mayday?' you say.

'a clone commander. he was stationed at the outpost. I got him out of the snow and back to the outpost. I said the lieutenant needed to get a medic but he wouldn't. he wouldn't even get a fucking medic. said we were expandable.'

'shit, cross, I'm so sorry. none of you are expandable.'

'yeah, well, the empire doesn't give a shit about that.'

crosshair pulls away from you and wipes away his tears. 'are you still in contact with the others?'

'your brothers?' you say. 'occasionally. mostly when they need parts for the marauder. sometimes omega swings by when they're at cid's.'

'don't tell them I'm here.' say crosshair.

'you don't want them to know you're here?' you say.

crosshair shakes his head.

'alright. then I won't tell them. it'll just be you and me.' you say.

'I don't deserve you.' mumbles crosshair. 'I don't deserve any of this.'

you lean in and press a kiss to his forehead. 'yes, crosshair, you do.' you say. 'we all make mistakes. but in the end, you made the right decision. and you did that all by yourself. I'm proud of you for that.'

you pull him in for a hug, holding him close. 'I'm sorry you couldn't save mayday.' you say.

'I don't know what to do.' says crosshair softly.

you heart breaks at the sound of his voice. ever since you'd met crosshair. he was always the quiet one out of the brothers. never saying a lot, keeping his distance. it took a while for him to warm up to you. you know he's convinces he can do everything on his own. he doesn't really ask for help. the least you can do now, is help him in any way you can.

'we'll figure it out, crosshair.' you say. 'you can stay here as long as you'd like. we'll find a solution together. I'm just glad to have you back. I won't tell your brothers, or any of the others here on ord mantell. it'll just be the two of us. we'll figure this out, I promise.'

A/N: If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rulesHere’s the list of characters I write for. Everything that I have written can be found on my masterlist. Please don’t repost my work, as I spend much time and effort on it!! Thank you for reading! Much love, Max/Marit

[crocuta-corvax]

Got Mint? (Part 1) - Isekai Bad Batch

Author’s Notes: Crosshair loves mouth stuff, he especially loves your mouth, the mint is just an added bonus. - I'm going off the notion, if it isn't mentioned in SW canon, i can pretend if it is/isn't real, I've decided mint how we know it doesn't exist in SW universe as far as they know ¬u¬ Haha wow I finished the first half, I have more for this prompt planned. Relationships: Crosshair x Reader Tags & Warnings: Smooching, Oral Fixation, +18?? I think, it's very earnest kissies

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do we do if he sees us?" Both you and Crosshair had been sent to tail a target for Cid, and now together you were standing watching a nervous looking Rodian make his rounds at every stall in the bustling marketplace from a quiet off-the-street courtyard.

"Nothing."

You're familiar with his curt answers now, it wasn't necessarily from rudeness, Crosshair just didn't waste his breath on more words than were necessary.

"Right..." you huff, a little agitated at the waiting and pop a piece of gum in your mouth. Crosshair watches as you do this, he'd always been curious about this gum stuff you always had with you, but never asked, it seemed to be your equivalent of his toothpicks, an oral focus that helped him concentrate. He figured it best to leave it to you, after all, you'd been teleported here from another universe whilst you'd been out doing a "supply run", and of all the food you had with you, this was all that was left. Someone Wrecker had already eaten most of the rest, but you'd staunchly protected the gum like a Pyke with Spice. He didn't want to take your "toothpicks" from you.

You can feel Crosshair's eyes on you as you watch the Rodian slowly make his way toward your vicinity. The feel of his gaze sends a flush of warmth to your face and neck- to think you had THE Crosshair staring at you right now, if the Clone Appreciation Community back on Earth could see this, they'd flip their shit.

Over the past few months of your “accidental” arrival in this universe he'd gone from being deeply suspicious, to warming up to you, to the two of you being so comfortable just existing in each others spaces that you had no doubt that he harboured feelings for you on some level- he'd be busy cleaning his Firepuncher while you would lay across his lap doing the "homework" Tech had given you to help get to grips with this universe. You treasured your alone time, so did he, but being alone with him was somehow so much better.

And of course there was the purposefully teasing you- he enjoyed getting you riled up with rampant flirting, slightly too long hugs, lingering touches and near kisses. You wondered if that's what he was doing right now, with his eyes still fixed on you, plotting a new way to rile you up.

You dare a glance over at him and he's smirking at you, of course he is, "Can I help you?" he drawls, making you roll your eyes playfully,

"You're supposed to be watching." you sigh, casually discarding the finished gum in a nearby bin. He rolls the toothpick between his teeth while maintaining his smouldering gaze on you, "I am."

His words send another flush of heat to your cheeks and he chuckles before flicking away his toothpick and leaning over you, one arm resting on the wall above you, kriff he's so fucking tall, "Our mark is too close, we need a distraction." He gently grabs your chin as you start to turn to see, "Don't look." He leans in closer, and you can feel the warmth of his breath on your face, a soaring feeling rushes up through your body as you bite your lip. In this moment he could do anything to you you realise, and you wanted him to.

"They always get uncomfortable with public affection." he murmurs against your mouth, gently ghosting his lips across yours as a silent request, one you eagerly permit by parting your lips and closing the searing hot space between the two of you.

Your lips practically melt against his as Crosshair gently pulls you closer into his body, one hand secure around your waist, while the other slowly traces along your jaw. Kriff, he's so warm...

Having never tasted mint before, your sweet cold breath had Crosshair intrigued. Running his tongue over your lips to gain entry to your mouth, that you so deliciously granted, had him reeling in pleasure at the taste of your tongue on his. How could someone taste so good? His grip on your waist tightened a little and the hand he had been using to send shivers down your neck moved to the back of your head, running his fingers through your hair and gripping just a little, as he deepened the kiss, causing you to softly moan into his mouth, your fingers digging into his back as you held on to him.  

After what felt like a delectable eternity of his mouth on yours, you pull away to catch your breath, and look up at Crosshair who briefly scans the marketplace before turning back to you with that sly smile of his, "I think it worked."

"Oh, good. Good..." the surprise as to what just transpired has you flustered while Crosshair gazes down at you, revelling in the fact that he finally got to kiss you, and leaving him wanting more of the delicious lingering tingle of mint you left on his mouth.

[craziest-in-the-guild]

I’ve been thinking about it for a couple of weeks, but this weeks TBB solidified it. Crosshair x Ventress needed to be written. I’m a lover of Ventress x Quinlan, but I just couldn’t resist. Episode 9 Spoilers ahead.

[thelovelylolly]

Step on Me

Summary : the order came through and your secret boyfriend, Crosshair, changed. Warnings : mentions of order 66 and canon typical violence, angst, break up/heartbreak, yummy yummy angst Notes : my first crosshair fic and it's angsty?? whaaaa thats crazy! also this is inspired by 'Step on Me' by the cardigans (shocker i know), so i recommend listening while reading!

Oh, I think you're holding the heart of mine

(my heart is yours)

squeeze it apart,

that's fine.

You could feel a shift in the war, everyone did. On Coruscant, everyone was talking about it, especially the clones you served at 79's. They felt like the war was ending, that the Republic was going to win. You ignored it for the most part, just wanting to do your job, but when Crosshair came to see you, things changed. It became real to you.

Something felt off to him, and he told you that the war may be ending, but then what would the clones do? He talked to you about him being decommissioned and what he would do if that ended up happening. Even though his plan was sweet with him living with you and you two not having to stay secret, you assured him that he was one of the best soldiers they had and they wouldn't let him go that easily.

That night, Crosshair stayed with you. Him and his brothers were getting shipped out the next morning, and with the uncertainty of the war, he didn't know if this was the last time he'd see you. He held you a little tighter that night.

--

You didn't see Crosshair for four months. He had left before you woke up that night, leaving a note as a goodbye. Since you two started to date in secret, you were scared that every time he'd come see you would be the last. You wouldn't know if he was alive or not until he come back to you. You couldn't contact anyone to find out how he was doing.

As you counted the days since Crosshair left, you heard whispers of the end of the war. The Separatist forces were struggling, the Republic was going to win. But it all felt too easy to you, something didn't feel right. When the Galatic Empire rose in place of the Republic, you immediately thought about Crosshair.

Where was he? Was he going to be decommissioned? Was he going to fight for this new Empire?

It was half-way through the fourth month of waiting when Crosshair came to your apartment.

You were crossing off the day on your calendar when you heard your front door open. You had given him the code a little while after you started to date, in case he needed to get in while you were asleep. You set your datapad down and walked out of your room with a smile, excited to see him again.

Crosshair had his helmet in his hand, tucked against his side, with his rifle in his other. Usually he would leave it on the Marauder, but things were different. He was different. He was stiffer, his gaze was colder, and he didn't drop his things to wrap his arms around you like he always did.

You stood a few feet away from him, a small smile on your face.

"Crosshair, I didn't think you'd come see me this soon after-"

"We need to talk," he cut you off coldly.

Your mouth opened to reply, but nothing came out. Your smile fell as you met his gaze.

"This," he made a motion between you and him, "has to end. Now."

"W-what?"

"We can't keep doing this. It's against Imperial rules-"

"Since when did you care about rules?!" You asked, raising your voice.

"I'm a soldier. I follow the rules because that's what we do. You and I can't be together."

"I...I don't understand, Cross. This worked for a long time with the Republic-"

"Well, the Republic is gone. I'm an imperial soldier now, I can't have a relationship."

"Crosshair, please, we can make this work!" You begged, stepping closer to him. "W-we can stay a secret, o-or you can leave the Empire! We can run away and start a new life somewhere they won't find us."

You reached out to him, but he pushed your hand away.

"I'm loyal to the Empire, not you."

Your heart shattered.

You felt tears start to pool in your eyes, your bottom lip started to shake. You searched his face for any signs of regret, any signs of love left for you. You found nothing but a cold gaze from a soldier.

You took a shaky breath before nodding. "If that's how you feel, Crosshair, then we're done. You can leave now."

He didn't say anything else as he turned to leave. Once the door closed behind him, you crumbled to the floor and cried. It felt like he ripped your heart from your chest and squeezed it to pieces. You two were each other's escapes from the war and reality. You loved him, but he chose his duty over you.

-

Something in the back of Crosshair's mind was screaming at him to turn back around and go back to you. Tell you he was lying, that it was his inhibitor chip, that he wanted to run away with you and start a new life away from war. He wanted to pull your into his arms, tell you he's sorry. He wanted to kiss you, comfort you. But he kept walking, leaving you behind.

Crosshair was a good solider who followed orders. He kept telling himself that he was following orders, he was doing the right thing.

He knew it wasn't right, but the damage was done.

Go on and step on me.

---

this was kinda short but ive been struggling with my mental health lately so i didnt have a lot of energy to write this. srry abt that BUT im going to try to post some more and feel free to send in a request :)

[moonstrider9904]

Passacaille

Chapter Seven of Half-Moon Glow

Pairing: Crosshair x Female OC (Aurora Dawn)

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Summary: After Aurora and the Batch’s encounter with Sobeck and the 104th division on Christophsis, Aurora and Crosshair enjoy a night alone on Coruscant.

Tags/warnings: Explicit (18+, minors begone). Soft smut oral and vaginal sex, and overall just a dreamy, romantic date night chapter. Some PTSD. Hurt/comfort. Brief alcohol consumption.

A/N: My loves… I know I’ve said “I’m back” like four times this year. It has been over one year since I last updated this fic, and a huge reason for that is having moved out of my childhood home where writing just comes naturally. I am writing this as I have returned for Christmas, and being able to write a softer, light-hearted chapter in my current Crosshair fic seems so fitting that a part of me feels it has to be fate. Thank you to everyone who’s remained even while I’ve been away. This blog and writing are a form of a home I can always come back to. I really hope I still got it and that this chapter lives up to what my writing has been in the past. 

Also, not me projecting my dream date in some far-fetched fantasy world lol

Word count: 5.3k

No new assignments had come in.

In the rare peace that came with nothingness—no missions, no wounds to clean, no running for her life—Aurora lay on her bed contemplating the dim gray ceiling above her in silence. She let the sounds of steps and chatter outside her room come and go like the thoughts forming in her mind, basking in the mix of relaxation and tension.

The longest she could go without thinking back to Christophsis was just under five minutes, as she confirmed by tearing her eyes from the ceiling to the clock at her bedside as a way to distract her from the memories. Aurora wanted more than anything else to simply not think of that anymore, and even focusing on Crosshair’s heroic rescue of her didn’t put balm over the wounds. She’d been held hostage while facing heartbreak and her own demise, hurt when she was the one supposed to do the healing.

She’d never felt weaker than she had at that moment.

Aurora sat up on her bed, knowing that lying down wasn’t doing her or her spiraling mind any favors. With a heavy sigh, she tried grounding herself; her hands clenched the bed’s comforter underneath her, the fabric fuzzy and soft against her cold fingertips, and when she let go of the fabric, it didn’t go back to its original state. Her gaze focused on a point between the line where the door met the floor, separating her bedroom from the hallway, and she took a deep breath in while closing her eyes.

It’s okay to still get memories. It’s okay to feel sad at what happened because it was a terrible thing to go through. From being taken hostage to getting a blast wound on her thigh, to believing she wouldn’t see the man she loved ever again, a man who at that point she was convinced she had broken up with for good regardless of whether they saw one another again, all of that had made up the cloud that still loomed in her mind. But I’m not on Christophsis anymore, I’m on Coruscant. I’m healing. I’m safe. I’m wearing part of Crosshair’s armor.

Aurora looked down at her forearm, covered by the gray and black piece of armor he’d given her, and the corner of her lip curved up.

He wants me here.

With her next exhale, Aurora felt tears pooling in her eyes, tears she didn’t bother holding back. After taking that moment to reflect, she felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders, and the hole in her chest seemed to lighten up as well. The point she was staring at seemed to materialize in front of her as she finally returned to the real world, to the safe walls of her temporary room at Coruscant, escaping the cell she was held at on Christophsis. When the tears stopped coming, Aurora wiped her cheek dry and stood up from the bed.

Perfectly timed, her wrist comm began to beep.

“Come in,” Aurora answered.

“You sound more like yourself,” Hunter said from the other end of the comm—he’d be the only one able to pick up on the most subtle signs Aurora could give in regards to her emotions. “Got any plans tonight?”

“I… I think?” She raised a brow, doubtful. “Your brother left me a message earlier to meet him.”

“Are you sure you want to go with him?” Hunter sounded like he was teasing. “You could always bail on him and I’ll make sure to annoy the shit outta him.”

Aurora chuckled. “No, I think he’s apologized enough.”

“So you’re not mad at him anymore?”

“Crosshair’s one of those men you’re always mad at,” Aurora replied.

Hunter laughed heartily on the other end of the comm. “Good answer.”

When Hunter quieted down, Aurora felt her features soften.

“I think…” she began. “I think he really does want me to be here.”

“For the record, we all want you here with us,” Hunter replied. “But you’re right.”

Aurora smiled into the comm. She was confident that Hunter knew his brothers better than anyone else did, and hearing that coming from him warmed her heart.

“So where are you meeting him?”

“He’s actually going to come here—”

“So it’s that kind of date,” Hunter interrupted her; she could hear the wink in his voice.

“To pick me up, and then we’re going out,” Aurora finished as she held in her laughter. “He hasn’t given me more details. You know him.”

“Oh, I see,” Hunter dragged the words out, teasing her.

“You know all about it, don’t you?” Aurora raised a brow.

Hunter chuckled. “Have fun.”

And then the line went silent. As she became aware of the smile that had formed on her lips, Aurora realized it had been a while since she’d had such a sweet comm call. Her attention was eventually drawn to the present moment when a golden ray of sun reflected off a distant building outside, making the warm light land on the walls of her room. The sun was going down, and it was about time she got out of her uniform and into something worthy of a night out.

The nights were getting colder on Coruscant, and with that in mind, Aurora picked out a long-sleeved A-line black dress; its skirt reached halfway down her thighs and flowed gracefully over her hips. The top had a round neckline that went deep enough for the start of her sternum tattoo to be visible, and she had adorned her neck and collar with a dainty chain with a moon pendant. Her legs were covered by black tights thick enough to keep her from freezing—the tights and the skirt fully concealed the fact that her thigh was wounded, but her brief limp while walking would still give her away—and she finished her outfit with a pair of dark brown boots with a small, manageable heel.

Aurora put her lavender hair in a messy bun, perfectly balancing elegance with softness. For her eyes, she coated her lashes with mascara just to give them a subtle lift and added some shadow to her crease for more depth, and her lips were tainted with a berry-wine colored lipstick that made a striking contrast with her blue skin and the golden marks along her cheekbones. And when she looked at herself in the mirror, not only did she feel pleased at how beautiful she looked, but it dawned on her that the last time she’d gotten that dolled-up was on Naboo.

An urge to change the past hit her suddenly. For a moment, she wanted nothing more than to change the way things had happened. If she and Crosshair hadn’t fought during Naboo, maybe Christophsis wouldn’t have turned out so terrible.

Or perhaps you should stop burdening yourself with that, Aurora thought.

She took another moment to look at herself in the mirror hoping with all her heart that despite the events of the previous days, that night would be wonderful. With a sigh of resolve, Aurora walked away from the mirror and went to fold her uniform neatly over her bed. The pile of folded clothing was crowned by Crosshair’s forearm pad on top of it, a place where it would safely wait for her until duty called again. She then looked out the window to a dark sky with more city lights shining than stars.

Aurora sat on her bed and waited as she continued to stare at the city scenery, until at last a knock came at the door of her bedroom. Her chest fluttered, suddenly nervous at the first real date she’d have with a man who’d spent so long driving her crazy in more ways than one, and nevertheless, she felt heat rushing to her cheeks and her full lips becoming a smile. Aurora got up from the bed and went to open her door, and there stood the definition of tall, dark, and handsome, dressed in a black suit and holding a single pink peony out before his chest.

Crosshair’s brown eyes glided over her figure before they finally met hers, and in that gaze was a flood of emotions he’d never dream of speaking out loud.

“Hey,” was all he managed to say.

Aurora gave a soft chuckle. “Hi.”

The sly, snarky sniper found himself at a loss for words. For Aurora, it was her first real date with him. For Crosshair, it was his first real date, and he found himself in uncharted territory where he couldn’t rely on the scope of his rifle to get a better visual of.

“I…” his voice was husky. “I brought you this.”

Aurora looked at the peony and took it from him, her fingers delicately brushing his as she grabbed the flower. She held it up to her nose and took in its scent, and she met eyes with him on her exhale.

“It’s perfect,” she said. “Thank you, Crosshair.”

Her words allowed most of the tension to leave Crosshair, and he felt the muscles of his body relaxing as Aurora went to place the flower neatly on her nightstand. She then turned around and stared silently at Crosshair, her big eyes widening with expectation.

“What is it?” She asked him.

Crosshair smirked. “You look incredible.”

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Aurora replied. “Now where is this sharp-dressed sharpshooter taking me tonight?”

Crosshair chuckled and he held out his bent arm for her to link her arm in it. “This way.”

With a smile, Aurora turned off the lights of her room and walked up to him, taking his arm as he’d offered. As Crosshair began leading her out of the room, closing the door behind him, and into the hallway, he noticed the way she still had to limp between her steps.

His heart sank. Aurora felt his gaze hardening and looked up at him, her gaze soft and reassuring.

“It’s fine,” she said. “Really.”

“Are you sure you can walk?” Crosshair asked.

“I’ll be fine as long as you don’t let go of me,” Aurora smiled.

She’d meant those words literally, but seeing the result of the blast wound on her thigh reignited feelings of regret and of fear within Crosshair. He stopped walking and looked at her, and he used his spare hand to gently lift up her chin and leaned down to kiss her lips.

“I won’t ever let you go again,” he whispered.

Aurora’s cheeks gained a purple tint as she smiled up at him, and she perked up to give him another soft peck before resting her weight on his stable figure again.

“Aurora, I meant what I said when I told you how sorry I was,” Crosshair said. “I fucked up harder than I ever have—”

She cupped his cheek, her eyes softening with the remnants of her sadness.

“Crosshair,” she spoke his name with unimaginable kindness. “If I was still angry with you, I wouldn’t be going on this date with you now. My leg will heal eventually, and as horrible as Christophsis was, it’s already happened.”

He grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. “You and I both know war memories stick.”

“It’s a part of the way we live,” she answered. “And yes, memories of that day do flood me frequently, but I’d rather be here with you now than keep succumbing to them.”

“You make it sound easy,” he smirked.

“It’s easier with you here.”

Crosshair smiled at her response and rested his forehead on hers for a moment before he continued to lead her down the hall and into the elevator that would take them down. When they emerged, they were at the main level of headquarters, and Crosshair walked Aurora over to the transports. As they walked, Aurora began asking herself what Crosshair could have planned for her date, what Hunter could have been so excited about that he had to call and tease.

The first question regarding the date was answered when Aurora spotted Wrecker standing in front of a compact, four-passenger speeder, suited up and holding up a board that read Ms. Dawn.

“Wrecker?” Aurora giggled.

“I do not know of whom you speak,” Wrecker answered eloquently. “I am the driver taking my unknown clients to their destination.”

Aurora laughed as Crosshair gestured for her to step into the vehicle, helping her so that she wouldn’t feel any pain while she did, and then he got in after her.

“Does the plan stand, my good sir?” Driver Wrecker asked Crosshair.

“It does,” Crosshair replied, giving a subtle yet playful roll of his eyes.

“Off we go then,” Wrecker stepped in the pilot’s seat. “No making out in my speeder.”

Wrecker drove off with the couple on the rear seats, and as soon as the speeder got in movement, the city lights caught Aurora’s attention. She watched them as they glided past her gaze and enjoyed the breeze on her cheeks—despite being in the middle of the biggest city in the galaxy, the air felt fresh and even clean. She would barely blink, eyes wide with wonder, and as she stared at the scenery, Crosshair’s ever watchful eyes would only focus on her.

Looking at her that way, Crosshair couldn’t decide if Aurora looked more stunning or endearing.

Slowly, Crosshair reached out for her hand. Aurora looked away from the city landscape the moment she felt his skin come in contact with hers, and with a tender smile, she locked her fingers with his. They didn’t say anything, though Crosshair was about to tell her to turn back to watching the city lights, which he now knew she loved so much. Before any words left him, however, Aurora carefully scooted closer to him, her body pressing to his side, and she leaned on him as she continued to bask in the city’s nightlife.

The ride was shorter than Aurora had expected, and before long, the vehicle came to a stop. Wrecker remained in his chauffeur character and gallantly opened the door for her and Crosshair, only breaking his role to remind his youngest brother to “send food to his loyal driver before he took off”. Crosshair nudged his brother before walking off with Aurora by his side, and he led her into the building.

Aurora couldn’t help but feel out of place. Though they weren’t in the building yet, Aurora recognized the part of the city they were at, one of the most high-end zones of the Coruscant capital. Around them, people of all races dressed in luxurious clothing and adorned with heavy accessories went about their night, some alone, some in couples, some in groups—it made sense why she’d received prior instruction to use her best outfit that night. It was the opposite of being in a war zone or even in GAR headquarters. Heck, the war didn’t even exist in that place.

But a night away from the war and anything to do with it was all Aurora wanted.

They approached the building that towered before them, tall and covered in glass panes that made it appear star-studded in the middle of the city skyline. At the top of the entrance, the word Passacaille was written in large, golden letters beaming with warm light to make them stand out in the night setting.

They were about to enter one of the fanciest hotels on the planet, possibly in the galaxy.

“Cross…” Aurora said, breathless. “Is this for real?”

“Yes,” he answered bluntly.

She let out a chuckle. “You didn’t have to go overboard—how can you even afford this? The restaurant, the speeder, what’s next? Are you going to take me to another planet?”

Crosshair chuckled. “We’re not leaving Coruscant’s atmosphere tonight. As for how I could afford this, call it a mix of my own Sabacc savings and a couple of returned favors.”

“I knew you were good at gambling, but… Returned favors?” Aurora raised a brow.

“Our squad takes on some unforeseen missions, some of them not entirely backed by the GAR,” Crosshair said. “Not exactly dirty work, but we’ve gotten enough members of the high-society and fellow clone squads out of a number of problems to earn their respect.”

The revelation paired with Crosshair in a full black suit and tie made Aurora’s blood flow to hidden corners. She snapped out of how much of a turn-on she found that to be when they reached past the building’s lobby and to the entrance of the restaurant, and Crosshair was greeted by the host to claim his reservation.

“This way, sir,” said the host, and he guided Crosshair and Aurora to a table near the center of the restaurant, placed right under an opulent chandelier that appeared, at least to the untrained eye, to be made of diamonds. Crosshair pulled out a chair for Aurora to sit, and then he took the seat in front of her. The host handed each one a menu and gave a faint bow before leaving them to it, and as hungry as Aurora was, she couldn’t help but gawk at the restaurant itself while listening to the soft piano music in the background and the faint chatter and clanking of dishes and glasses of the people around them.

Even the table where they were sitting was high-end. Made of a dark wood and covered by a dark red cloth, it was adorned at the center by a cylindrical container made of thin glass, filled with beads that looked like precious stones, with enough space inside it to hold two small candles. On top of each placemat, there was a cloth napkin folded into what Aurora felt resembled the peony Crosshair had given her earlier, and there was a set of more cutlery than Aurora could deduce use for.

She knew she’d use the wrong spoon for whatever she ate that night eventually.

“What do you think?” Crosshair broke the silence.

Aurora finally met his eyes again and couldn’t help but let out another breathless laugh. “This is wonderful, Crosshair…” Her chest heaved up and down before she forced herself to keep her feet on the ground. “I don’t want you thinking you always have to spend this much—”

“Enough of that,” he said. “Enjoy yourself.”

“Well, that I can do,” she smiled as she opened the menu and looked at everything the place had to offer. “Do you think they sell choccy blue milk here?”

Crosshair chuckled. “Come on, darling, that’s a joke Wrecker would make.”

“I had to,” she giggled.

Putting jokes aside, Aurora had to hold in a gasp at how delicious everything on the menu looked. It would be hard to only choose one thing, but by the time the waiter came around to take their order, she had decided on the plate of dumplings bathed in a five-cheese and herbs sauce. Crosshair went for a similar choice, except his plate had a spicy sauce. Once their order was taken, the waiter left them a bottle of white wine to enjoy in the meantime.

With their glasses full, Crosshair and Aurora clinked their glasses together and talked. Though they told stories of battles, it didn’t feel like they were talking about the war, and before Aurora even realized, her cheeks were sore from all the smiling. Soon, the subject morphed from wartime tales to Crosshair retelling his many Sabacc victores, which he eloquently disclosed as his foot rubbed Aurora’s calf under the table.

Soon, the plates were empty and the wine was gone. Crosshair paid for the dinner while Aurora watched him, her cheek resting on the palm of her hand with glistening eyes. Had she been less discreet, a dreamy sigh would have escaped her. She managed to hold it in, but not without its difficulties—the sight of Crosshair being a complete gentleman was all she didn’t know she needed.

After a lovely dinner, Crosshair got up from his chair and helped Aurora up from hers. He led her out of the restaurant and across the Passacaille’s lobby, and though Aurora was still mesmerized by the decor, her concentration broke when she realized Crosshair was not leading her to the exit.

“Where are we going?” Aurora asked. “Wrecker must be waiting for us by now.”

“Our chauffeur is long gone, darlin’,” Crosshair answered and made a gesture towards the elevators.

Aurora blushed. “Oh…”

“Is everything okay?” Crosshair asked.

“Yes!” Aurora blurted. “Oh, stars, yes, I just didn’t expect to be spending the night here as well.”

“Believe it,” Crosshair purred, pulling Aurora closer. “Come.”

They got into an empty elevator; Crosshair pressed the button for the penthouse and closed the door before anyone else could get in. As soon as the door closed and the elevator began moving up, Aurora pressed her body to Crosshair’s and wrapped her arms around his upper back. He kissed her without hesitation and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her gently so as to not hurt her. Time seemed to disappear as they sank into one another, hidden from the world and the war and from prying eyes. Their hardships were irrelevant if only for that moment. All that mattered was what they felt for one another, whether they spoke it aloud or not.

The couple felt the pull of gravity as the elevator came to a stop, and with a delicate ding! the doors opened to reveal a small, warmly lit hallway. Crosshair regained composure and walked Aurora out of the elevator and up to the single green door that was framed by glass panes, allowing for a tease of the penthouse behind it. He got the door open and Aurora couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her.

The walls were made of glass, and the edges were all lined with plants, from flowers to herbs, even succulents from different arid planets. Entwined in the plants were a series of warm fairy lights, adding a touch of coziness to the luxurious penthouse. On one of the corners there was a small fountain made of rock—water sprouted from the middle of a spherical black stone and fell onto a bowl of grayish marble, and the sound of spluttering water contrasted with the crackling of the fireplace on the opposite side of the room. There were two long couches made of black velvet in front of the fireplace, and behind them was an embroidered carpet made of black and silver threads. Beside the fountain was a nightstand, a large bed covered in a black fluffy comforter, and another nightstand, above which was a small lamp along with the controls to the rest of the lighting of the penthouse, including the artificial fireplace.

“I…” Aurora tried to recover her breath. “I feel like a princess.”

Crosshair gave a low chuckle as he closed and locked the door behind them. “So you like this place?”

“What a question,” Aurora smiled as she walked deeper into the room, examining every detail. She walked past the couches, brushing her fingers over the velvet, and felt a typhoon of emotions forming within her. As she took them all in, she turned to look at Crosshair again, who was already staring at her every move.

“What is it?” He asked her.

Aurora felt the blast wound on her hamstring begin to tingle. “Just a few days ago, I thought it would be over.”

“Hey,” Crosshair removed his coat and set it on the rack beside the door, walking towards her with his hands ready to take hers in them. “You’re here now, with me. In this place. You deserve no less than to feel at home in a room like this.”

“I’m sorry,” Aurora took his hands, her voice breaking. “I’m sorry, this is absolutely beautiful, Crosshair. More than I ever could have imagined. I don’t want to ruin it with my laments.”

“You aren’t ruining it,” he said, taking hold of her waist.

She looked at him with twinkling purple eyes and then gazed out the glass walls of the penthouse at the Coruscant skyline. Slowly, she unwrapped herself from Crosshair’s grip and walked over to the edge to better take in the sight, and Crosshair followed, positioning himself beside her.

“It’s like the war doesn’t exist here,” Aurora said. “And yet…”

“And yet, you and I just had the shittiest mission we can think of,” Crosshair completed for her.

Aurora gulped. “Yeah, that… that about sums it up.”

He turned to face her. “Aurora.”

She looked up at him, his features hardening the way they would when he would struggle to get words out.

“I…” he began. “I really thought I was going to lose you. I was willing to do anything to keep that from happening, but there were moments when…”

“I know,” Aurora said. “Believe me, I know.”

“I never want to feel that way again,” Crosshair admitted. “I had never been more afraid of anything in my life, and that scares me.”

“Cross…” Aurora sighed.

“Do you have any idea the hold you have on me?” He asked her.

“I can only imagine it’s the same as the one you have on me,” Aurora took his hands. “The war scares me too. Losing you scares me too. Losing you to anything, it’s unthinkable.”

Silence fell between them, and Crosshair cupped her warm cheek, tilting her face up to meet her gaze as he pulled her close.

“I wish we could stay here,” Aurora whispered. “I wish we didn’t have to go back in the morning.”

Crosshair acknowledged her words, but then he was the one to look at the city landscape.

“I want what you want,” Crosshair said. “But… don’t get me wrong, but war is my purpose.”

“It was your first one,” Aurora agreed. “But you could find another one.”

Crosshair met her gaze again, and her purple eyes gleamed with hope.

“Right?” She whispered.

His lips curved into a hint of a smile before he took his hands up to the back of her head, undoing the bun her lavender hair had been tied into. Once her hair fell in graceful waves down her shoulders, Crosshair found himself leaning down to kiss her. As she kissed him back, Aurora ran her hands up and down his back feeling the fabric of his black shirt. Crosshair began to lead her towards the bed, stumbling, refusing to break the kiss for longer than was necessary. When they reached the bed, he reached up her back and undid the button and zipper of her dress, and before undressing her, he swept her off her feet to place her gently on the bed—he relished in the soft whimper she made when he did that.

Crosshair climbed on the bed after undoing and removing his tie, as well as his shoes. He kissed her lips again as his right hand reached for the room’s controls, dimming the lights and making the glass walls opaque to conceal them from the world outside. Crosshair broke the kiss to remove the clothing on her, item by item. Her shoes, her tights, with more care than he ever thought he could muster as he gently revealed the bandage on her thigh, her dress. She was left in a black lace bra and panties, and basking in the sight of her, he removed his shirt.

Aurora couldn’t help but moan at the sight of him taking off his shirt and revealing his torso, marked by tattoos and battle scars. The light of the fireplace behind him seemed to make him glow, but the thought escaped Aurora when he leaned back down to kiss her again. Her breathing became heavier and a gentle moan left her as she entwined her fingers delicately through his silver hair.

Crosshair then made his way down to kiss her neck and her collarbone, obliviously bringing a fingertip to brush over the necklace she wore. He made his way farther down, and the lower he went, the more Aurora’s chest heaved. She felt his touch over her skin, shivers dancing wherever his fingers went. Sensations covered her belly, her hips, her inner thighs, and finally he was down between her legs wrapping his fingers around the black lace of her panties and pulling them down.

He didn’t beat around the bush. Aurora gasped and moaned the moment she felt his tongue over her clit, and she couldn’t help her eyes rolling back—he was just that good with her. As Crosshair kept eating her out, one of his hands snaked up Aurora’s body up to her belly, where her hand met his. She moaned deeper and deeper the more he flicked and sucked on her delicate skin, and she was so aroused that it took her no time to fall into bliss. Throwing her head back, Aurora squeezed Crosshair’s hand, her body squirming at wave after wave of pleasure, hearing Crosshair moan as her legs inevitably clenched towards him.

“Please,” Aurora whimpered. “I need you inside me now.”

Crosshair emerged from between her legs and crawled up to be at eye level with her. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t,” she said, mindful of the bandage around her thigh. “I trust you.”

Crosshair was already struggling to hold into more control, but as his dark gaze looked into Aurora’s blissful eyes, he couldn’t keep holding back. He removed his trousers and his boxers and positioned himself above her once more, looking deep into her eyes.

“If it starts to hurt, let me know,” he said.

Aurora nodded frantically, biting her lower lip.

“I need you to promise,” he added.

“I promise,” Aurora replied, pulling up to kiss his lips.

Crosshair eventually settled his weight down and kissed her with more fervor as he inserted himself into her walls, shuddering at how tight and warm she felt around him. Aurora moaned at the fullness inside her, with a hint of relief escaping her voice. Crosshair’s pace began slow, luscious, always careful not to add too much pressure onto her legs. He didn’t need to go any faster—they were already so lost in one another that they were already in heaven with each other. Aurora moaned into Crosshair’s kisses, holding him tighter with every thrust he gave.

Her moans became high-pitched whimpers, and Crosshair increased his pace ever so slightly, enough to send her over the edge. He delighted in the rich moaning that came from her, and he felt the way that she tightened around him as her silhouette squirmed beneath him. He grunted at the tightness, dangerously close to the edge himself, until one last tug of her hand at his silver curls ended him and he spilled thick, white ropes of cum inside her.

Moaning in unison, the two collapsed onto the bed under them and caught their breath, merely enjoying the presence of one another after some long awaited, much deserved loving. Crosshair moved up to meet her gaze, inquiring with his gaze if she had felt any pain, any discomfort.

Aurora smiled in response. “I told you, you wouldn’t hurt me.”

Crosshair kissed her forehead. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Never again.”

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, but with the strength he had, Crosshair picked her up again and carried her over to the couch in front of the fireplace on the other side of the room. He gathered the bed’s comforter and went to sit next to her, placing her body leaning on his before covering them both in the tick, fuzzy blanket, softly kissing her temple when they were finally settled.

“Thank you for tonight,” Aurora said.

Under the blanket, Crosshair’s hand found hers and interlaced fingers. “I’m glad you like it.”

They looked at each other and perked up for another brief kiss before settling on the couch and letting the fireplace lull them to slumber.

{Next chapter} {Back to series masterlist}

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[chaioticcoffee]

Crosshair x Reader

Warnings: small bit of blood, death of reader bc idk

tags: angst that's it

A/N: uuuuuuh yeah idk why I wrote this idk 💀 it wouldn't leave my mind tho

Reader's gender isn't specified

I mostly wrote this as practice so yee I hope you still enjoy if you want to read this!

Repeat Until Death

_______________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

Pain was the first thing you registered as you came back to your senses, as well the slowly numbing cold underneath you.

You struggled to breathe, trying desperately to get your mind back on track to assess your situation clearly. When your eyes finally opened you were hit by the blinding white snow you were laying upon. Your vision drifts further ahead, where your lightsabre lays, behind it was a dead body.

That's when it all came flooding back- you running to Crosshair after his sniping position was revealed, the rest of the Bad Batch too far away so you would have had to handle it yourself. You had no idea just how many troopers there was going to be. You could tell that there were both Clone and Storm troopers going against you, overwhelming you in numbers just like they did Crosshair, who was already down when you got to him.

'Crosshair.'

Your mind reminded you as you force yourself to push through the pain, pushing yourself up with shaking arms, finding that your legs didn't seem to want to cooperate. You let out a weak frustrated breath- it might have been from the pain, or maybe both. You look around as fast as your weak body allowed you to, your eyes finally landing on Crosshair who you found sitting with his back leaning against the rough bark of the tree behind him. You recall him struggling to keep his upper body upright, later using the tree for support so he could help you fight against the troops when it became apparent that you had walked straight into their trap.

Slowly but surely, you crawled your way to him. It was painful, it was straining, but that wouldn't stop you. You had to make sure he was still alive.

Only once you've reached his left side did you allow yourself to take a moment to breathe. Your body was trembling from the strain and from the cold, your previously cauterized wounds from the blasters having opened somewhere along the way to the man you loved.

"(Y/N).." your head snapped to Crosshair, whose head was now turned towards you, expression hidden by his helmet. He immediately saw your shaking body and slowly reached out to you, managing to pull your body close to him with your help and moves to encircle you with his arms as best as he can manage so to keep you as warm as he can.

His armor thankfully tanked most of the blaster shots impacts but unfortunately 3 shots made it past the armor- once in his side, another in the stomach and another that was just below his lungs. It's truly already a miracle that he's still alive and you know very well that he won't stay for long. To be fair, you weren't in a better shape specifcally regarding the fact that you, in fact, did not have armor on you. Your consciousness was already slipping and you could tell that it was the same for Crosshair.

"Maker, it hurts so bad..." Your voice cracks, you clench your eyes shut and Crosshair's heart shatters. "I know.. I'm sorry, I wasn't- able to protect you like I should- have." His own voice was unsteady and he sometimes had to stop shortly to catch his breath.

You shook your head to tell him it wasn't his fault. One solution came to mind, which will inevitably drain you of your energy a lot faster, but it would give Crosshair a larger chance to survive until the squad came back.

The bright sun and the purple-blue sky contrasting with the snow was truly a beautiful sight, the 2 moons of the planet and the bright stars only adding to the beautiful scenery. Crosshair just wished he could have enjoyed it with you under different circumstances. He tightens his grip on you, bringing your body closer to his while all he could do is wait for both of you to run out of time. "I guess- I'll see you on the other side then, Cyare."

Why did he sound like he was crying? Why could you not open your mouth to respond to him? 'I'm not ready yet.' You thought you had more time with him- there were still so many things you wanted to talk to him about. Unfortunately, Crosshair had already succumbed to the darkness as soon as he had finished his sentence. You knew he was still alive, and you wasted no time in using your life force to slowly heal his injuries as your head buried itself deeper into the spot between his neck and his shoulder. You were fully aware that you weren't going to last until his wounds fully healed, but it was worth a shot, right? Is you saving him a bad idea? Is he going to hate you for making him live on without you? No. This is for the best. You just wished you had more time. More time to talk together, to tell him you loved him, to explore planets together, to be just you and him against the world.

Dying was inevitable, you had learned that early on during your training as a Jedi.

'I'm sorry for leaving you Cross... I know I promised I wouldn't.' Your inability to talk kind of frustrated you, but you grew so unbelievably tired that your frustrations were immediately forgotten, it being replaced with the fear of having to leave your beloved so soon. Through the tears you were trying to fight the darkness that threatened to engulf you. It was pointless, and even with your best effort, your eyes slipped shut once again.

_______________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

"Over here Tech!" Hunter called out with a tone of urgency as he made his way to Crosshair's and your position after finally having defeated the enemy reinforcements they had sent. The closer he got the clearer the scent of blood and smoke became, a clear indication of a fight having taken place nearby.

When they finally reached the site, the batch allowed themselves to take a moment to process the view. It was truly a massacre. Dead bodies lay scattered all around and near the middle of it was a trail of blood. Just by looking at the pattern and the displaced snow around the trail of blood can one conclude that someone had crawled to wherever the trail was leading to. Hunter followed where the trail lead to with his eyes and that's how he spotted 2 very familiar figures, you in Crosshair's arms. Hunter allowed himself to panic just this once and he, Tech and Echo ran towards the 2 bodies that were huddled together while Wrecker stayed behind with Omega and tried his best to comfort the poor child as she couldn't hold back her tears at the sight of you both. If it wasn't for Hunter's enhanced hearing, he wouldn't have heard Crosshair's shallow breathing nor his weak heartbeat.

He doesn't think he'll get that mental image of you two like this out of his mind any time soon- Crosshair and you holding each other close, hoping to gain any kind of warmth and comfort while you both waited for death to take you.

All Hunter could do right now though is hold onto you while Tech accesses Crosshair's injuries, ignoring the look Tech gave when he did so. It was obvious that Crosshair shouldn't be alive, and Hunter had a hunch as of how he had survived this long.

[starryevermore]

ghost of you ✧ crosshair

angst city™ library | send in a request (consult request faqs first)

request: Literally…anything angsty. Like gut wrenching, crush my soul, tug and twist at the heart…with anyone. Just need to feel something. AND THAT THING IS ANGST - anon

pairing: crosshair x fem!jedi!force ghost!reader

summary: when the order is given, your lover kills you. but even as he loses his way, you can’t seem to let him go. 

word count: 3,965

warnings?: hurt/no comfort, angst city™ bitch, main character death, not proofread

You knew this was to be your end. You had known for a long time. A Jedi’s vision is often misleading, doesn’t offer the full picture. But, when you saw the man you love aim a blaster at your heart, mutter that “good soldiers follow orders”, before the world faded around you…Well, there was little denying what you saw. Perhaps you wouldn’t die, you supposed. Perhaps you would live and have to grapple with your lover betraying you. But, in your heart, you knew that you would meet your end at the hands of a man you trusted with your life. A bitter end, to be sure, but all’s fair in love and war, as they say. 

So when the day came that the clones on Kaller turned their weapons on you, Master Depa Billaba, and Padawan Caleb Dume, you knew that you would not leave the planet alive. What surprised you, though, was how Clone Force 99, the squad that you led, did not react as the other clones. No, they were okay?…They were helping Caleb escape, they were helping you stop the other clones from killing the young Padawan. All except for your beloved Crosshair, a sniper with a heart of ice that only thawed for you. His weapon turned on you. He only saw you as a target to hit. Any love he had for you, it was set aside in favor of completing his mission. 

But you had your own. If you had to die that day, you could not let the Padawan to die, too. No, he was too important. If order was to be restored to the galaxy, he had to survive. Now was not his time to go. You and Hunter led the Padawan through the forest, trying to find him safe passage away from the fight. A blaster struck you in the side. You fell. 

“GO!” you shouted as Caleb turned, hand outstretched to help you. “Leave me!”

Hunter hesitated. He took a step towards you. “We don’t leave our own behind—”

A gentle lie was better than the harsh truth, so you said, “I’ll be fine. Just get him out of here. That’s an order!”

Finally, they ran. You hissed as you reached down, your hand becoming sticky with blood as it touched your wound. That wasn’t the blast that could kill you, but kriff, it hurt. 

A shadow loomed over you. You didn’t want to look, didn’t want to meet the eyes of your killer, but you knew it wouldn’t change the reality of the situation. You wanted to see him, at least one more time before you were gone. You lifted your gaze, seeing a near-pained expression on Crosshair’s face. 

“Cross,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper, “you don’t have to do this.”

“You are a traitor,” he spat. He aimed his blaster. His finger fell to the trigger, yet he did not pull it. 

“You know that’s not true. This, this isn’t you.” You felt sick to your stomach. You knew this was always going to happen. But…You had to let him know. This wasn’t his fault. “Please, Cross—”

He raised his blaster higher. His usually steady hands trembled, ever so slightly. “Good soldiers follow orders. My order is to kill traitors.”

Any attempt to convince him not to shoot was futile. This was your fate. It had been, for a long time. “I forgive you, Cross. I love you, okay? Even after this, I will still love you.”

“Not just a traitor to the Republic,” Crosshair hissed. “A traitor to your own code. Why should someone whose treachery runs to her core be spared?”

“Then don’t spare me,” you said. Your voice shook despite your best efforts. “I understand.”

Crosshair’s nimble fingers—the same ones he’d use to massage your scalp, to caress you when he thought you were sleeping, to hold yours when no one else was looking—pulled the trigger. Your breath caught in your throat, then released in a bloody scream. Just before your eyes squeezed shut, you watched Crosshair flinch. 

He ran away, and three others ran toward you. You heard your name—Wrecker was shouting. There was a thud as he fell to his knees beside you. He touched the blaster wound. “Tech!” he wailed. “She needs help!”

“Don’t,” you managed to say. “Too late.”

“Don’t say that!”

You opened your eyes to see Echo place a hand on Wrecker’s shoulder. “You don’t recover from a wound like that,” Echo said. 

“She’s a Jedi! She has magic healing powers! And, and with the bacta—”

“Forgive him,” you whispered. Wrecker’s mouth fell shut. “Forgive him. Don’t…Don’t let him lose himself. He needs you.”

“He needs you!”

Tech knelt on the other side of you. “According to my calculations, you don’t have much long left.” He reached out, stroked the space between your brows. “We should be the ones offering you comfort.”

Your breathing became labored. Kriff, it hurt to breathe. “I’ll be fine,” you lied. You knew Tech knew it was a lie. “Find Hunter and Crosshair. Stay safe, okay? I…I’ll see you soon.”

It was obvious how much Tech wanted to refute you. But, he allowed your lie to remain unchallenged. “Rest. You deserve it.”

And you did. Your eyes fell shut. You heard footsteps walk away. One set paused—you were sure it was Wrecker. Then— everything faded away. 

“She’s gone,” Wrecker said. When Tech and Echo looked back, there was nothing left of you. 

Becoming one with the Force was not what you expected, if you were being honest. Even when your former Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, had taught you the secret of retaining your individuality when you became one with the Force, you never expected it to be true. It seemed too…surreal. 

“No, she’s there!” Echo said, pointing. 

You knew they saw you. You knew your former Master was right. You swallowed, even though you didn’t really need to, and repeated, “Forgive him.”

You turned, and disappeared. They didn’t need you now.

“Why do you torment me?”

You reached out, caressed Crosshair’s face. Despite his words, he leaned into your touch. You missed this. You missed him, how he used to be, before the Empire took him, before Clone Force 99 left him. Now, only in his dreams, could you touch him, try to break through to him. You feared that, if you showed yourself in the land of the living, he would break further. You limited your interactions to his dreamland. 

“I need you to know that I forgive you.” You leaned in, pressed your forehead to his. “That your brothers forgive you. Even if it doesn’t feel like it.”

He yanked away. He turned his back toward you. You stepped toward him, reached out, but paused. No. You didn’t want to overwhelm. You dropped your hand. His shoulders trembled as he near-snarled, “Why must you keep bringing them up?”

“They were at a crossroads, Cross. It wasn’t a decision they took lightly. They just—”

“Thought I would betray them like I did you?”

Every conversation came back to this point. And every time, Crosshair closed himself off. He would push harder and harder and harder until he awoke. You would leave him for a day or two, let him calm, and try again. The cycle would repeat. It felt never-ending. But you couldn’t give up on him. 

“They still love you. They miss you. If they could safely come back for you, they would.”

Crosshair’s back straightened. “Because I’m such a danger to them.”

And it always came back to this. Crosshair thinking himself a danger to his brothers. Crosshair shutting down any refutation you offered. He was stuck in his head. You understood. Of course you understood why he was like this. 

“You’re not the danger, my love.” You placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched. You weren’t sure if it was at the contact, or if it was at your words. “The Empire, though…They’re not good. The second you are no longer useful to them, they will have no qualm discarding you.”

“Then the Empire is more similar to my brothers than you think.”

“Cross…”

He turned his head toward you, his dark eyes flashing. With anger, perhaps? Contempt? You couldn’t quite tell. Crosshair was always a difficult person to read. He kept his feelings so close to his chest, never let anyone see the turmoil that simmered below the surface. No one was allowed to see it. Not even you.

“Everyone leaves. Why does it matter if I go with my brothers or stay with the Empire? It will turn out the same in the end.”

“I never left you.”

For a flash of a second, so quick you should have missed it, Crosshair’s eyes softened. But then he squared his shoulders, his lip curled. “You’re not really here. This is only a manifestation of perceived guilt.”

“Perceived guilt?” you echoed. You tried to ignore the sinking feeling in your stomach. You knew he was only being cruel because he was hurt. He didn’t mean his words. And yet, the sting left you reeling. You pulled your hand away. Crosshair’s head bows. 

“I did what had to be done.”

Part of you wanted to argue back, to say he did what he was made to do. That this fate had long been since written. That it was the result of a chip in his brain. But, he knew about the chip. He knew that he didn’t have control over his actions at the time. He knew, and he said it anyways. You took a step back.

“It’s almost time for you to wake up,” you said instead. 

He looked at you. If you were looking at him, you would have seem the glassiness to his eyes, how his hand twitched, ready to be outstretched toward you. You turned.

“If you want me to leave you be, I will. I never wanted to torment you,” you said. Was it possible for a Force ghost to cry? It felt like you were close. Like if you stayed here for a moment longer, you would break. 

“It would be for the best.”

You looked at him this time. If this was his wish, you would respect it. You would never bother him again. But if you were to leave him be, you wanted to see him one last time. You looked him over. Took in his gray hair, cropped close to his scalp. His tanned skin, the crosshair tattoo over his eye. His dark eyes, how they wouldn’t meet your gaze. 

“If you change your mind…”

“I won’t.” He didn’t sound convinced. But you didn’t push. You’ve reached his limit. If you went any further, he would fall. You didn’t want to hurt him. 

The dream world faded around you. You watched as Crosshair laid in his bunk, his eyes opening. He let out a deep sigh, a hand coming up to rub his face. You balled your hands into a fist in an effort to resist the urge to reach out to him. It wouldn’t do you any good. Unlike the dream world, you couldn’t touch him here. 

Crosshair sat up. As he moved, you saw the holopic resting beside him. It was of him and you and the rest of Clone Force 99 sans Echo, back when things were simpler. It had been your first mission with the squad. It had gone horrible, in the way that all of their missions went horrible. Which, of course, was to say that everything went to shit, but still managed to be successful. You had insisted on the picture being taken, said something about it being a good memory to have. Crosshair made fun of you at the time, but when the picture was taken, he still stood beside you, a hand resting on your back. He didn’t smile—he never really smiled—but it was the happiest you had seen him. 

Seeing it, it made you want to shatter your resolve. Crosshair didn’t really want you to go. But, he needed the space. You weren’t helping him by constantly hovering. So, as his head turned to where you stood, you disappeared. 

You didn’t seem him again for a long while. 

“Do you think Crosshair will come back?” Omega asked. 

You watched as her legs swung on the Marauder’s platform, how she leaned back, resting on her palms, looking out at the sky as if she expected him to drop out of the air at any moment. Since you left Crosshair be, you returned to Clone Force 99. After scaring Wrecker so bad that he screamed loud enough to wake everyone, you explained how you were there. You tried to offer why you were there, but no explanation felt right. They didn’t ask for one, though. They let you stay, no questions asked. 

For the most part, you stayed with Omega. She was still learning to defend herself, so you took the opportunity to step in whenever she needed help. Those moments were becoming fewer and farther between as she grew into herself. You found yourself teaching her other things, things about the galaxy and the Force and how just to ask questions so that she could get her way when Hunter was being particularly stubborn. It had been many years since you had had a Padawan, but it almost felt like had taken on Omega as one. It felt like she was your child. 

“He…has a lot of inner turmoil,” you said finally. The topic of Crosshair was one rarely breached. It made her brothers uncomfortable, so she learned to not ask often. But when you were with her, watching over her while her brothers were on a mission deemed too dangerous for her, she sometimes ventured into the territory. “Your guess is as good as mine. When I saw him last, he still had so much of that anger and that guilt, that feeling of abandonment.”

“Do you think he’s scared? Out there, working for the Empire, without his vode?”

“If you asked him, he would say he wasn’t scared of anything.”

“But I’m asking you.”

“…I think he doesn’t know what to do. I think he feels like he doesn’t have a place with his brothers anymore. And, while he has a place with the Empire, he knows it’s fleeting. He sees the two options before him and thinks they’re both awful, so he stays on the path he’s currently on.”

“It sounds lonely, living like that.”

“I’m sure it is.” You let out a sigh. You leaned back, lying down on the platform. Omega mimicked your movements. “He doesn’t think he has a place here anymore, though. And I think that keeps him from leaving the Empire, too. He might be lonely there, too, but he doesn’t feel like he has to wait for the other shoe to drop, you know?”

She looked to you. Her eyes had welled up with tears. “Is that my fault? Does he think he can’t come back because of me? I-I’m the reason they left him behind. If I hadn’t—”

“Shh, shh,” you hushed. You sat up and wrapped your arms around Omega. They passed through her, so you hovered around her, not quite touching her. “Listen, Crosshair would have been left behind whether you were there or not, okay? You changed things, sure. But at the end of the day, the chip in Crosshair’s brain…It, changed the way he thought, you know? That’s not something you could have changed by being there or not being there.”

“I just…I don’t want them to regret bringing me with them.” Omega sniffled, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. “I know that they’re on the run because of me. They, they could have settled down somewhere if they didn’t have me. They wouldn’t have to keep fighting. They could have normal lives.”

“Listen to me: They love you, Omega. They would do anything for you. Sometimes, they might get frustrated and it might feel like they regret taking you with them. But they only want the best for you. And things are so crazy right now, it’s hard to tell what’s good for you. And that scares them.”

Omega sniffled again. Your heart ached. You wished you could bundle her up in your arms and squeeze her tight. She didn’t deserve this kind of weight on her heart. She deserved to be a kid. She deserved to run around and play games and not worry about having to survive. She deserved to just live. “You think so?”

“I know so. I've known your brothers a long time. They love with their whole hearts. Once you have their love, you never lose it. And, trust me, they loved you the moment they saw you.”

Omega was silent. Then, she lifted her gaze to meet yours. “So, if Crosshair knew his brothers loved him…He might come back?”

You swallowed. You weren’t sure. Truthfully, you really weren’t. But…Well, gentle lies. “He might.”

Omega seemed satisfied with that answer. She laid back down on the platform, looking toward the sky. Fluffy, white clouds passed overhead. She pointed to one. “That cloud looks like Mantell Mix.”

You let out a laugh. It felt nice to laugh again. It felt so long since you’ve felt so…light. “Sounds like someone’s hungry.”

“Hush and play the game!”

“Alright, alright! Hmm, that one looks like a lothcat.”

“Do you think I could convince Hunter to let us get a lothcat as a pet?”

“You know, I think that’s one of those things where you ask for forgiveness instead of permission.”

“I like the way you think!”  

You watched as Omega ran towards Crosshair. You reached out toward her in vain. They all needed to leave. They couldn’t stay on this platform forever. It was too risky to stay. The longer they remained, the worse things may end up. But, she still ran to him, thanked him for saving AZI, a droid that she had been fond of when living on Kamino. Crosshair told her to consider each other even. You expected her to leave then, but she surprised you. 

“They still love you,” she said. “Y/N said they would always love you.”

Crosshair’s gaze hardened. He turned away, not giving her a reply. Omega hesitated, unsure of whether she should say more or if she should go. Finally, she turned and ran back to Hunter, who led her onto the ship. Moments later, Marauder rose to the sky, leaving Crosshair behind again. You stayed, moving a few paces behind your former lover. 

“You shouldn’t tell her things like that,” Crosshair muttered. It was the first time he had acknowledged you being there. You had made yourself known when Hunter was captured, but Crosshair never looked at you. Never said a word about you. It made you doubt if you were ever really there at all.

“And you should have gone with them.”

He turned toward you, his eyes narrowed. “Why should I care about what you think? You left me, just like them.”

“You told me to go. I was respecting your wishes. I…Cross, you kept pushing. I knew that my being with you was only causing you pain. I worried that if you kept pushing, you would be the one to break.”

“Always so selfless, you Jedi,” he spat. But there was almost no malice behind his words. He looked away, stared out at the water. “I kept waiting. You were never one to just leave, to give up. So many times, you went running back into active combat to save civilians. You’ve made Tech turn the ship around to rescue prisoners. You made sure every woman and child was always spared.”

You knew what he was getting at. He couldn’t say the words, though they were right on the tip of his tongue. So, you said them for him. 

“I should have stayed.”

He gave a curt nod. “You proved yourself to be like everyone else.”

“I'm sorry. Cross, I…I should have been there for you, I know that.” You reached out. He took a step away. You froze, your hand still in the air, before you let it fall to your side. “You deserve better than what the Empire will give you. I understand if going back to your brothers isn’t what you want. But you can’t stay with the Empire. Look how quickly they got rid of the Kaminoans. Look at how they’re already trying to get rid of the clones. How long will it be until you’re considered expendable?”

“Unlike someone people, I understand the value of loyalty.”

You held your tongue. You were half-sure he wanted to get a rise out of you. He loved doing that, when you were alive. He would poke and prod, proud that he knew just what buttons to push. You knew his game, but you refused to play it now. 

“You once said that you would always be there for me. But that wasn’t true, was it? You left. You acted just like all the others. Tell me, why should I care about a single thing you say to me now?”

You remembered telling him that. It was in the early days, when the two of you were just beginning your relationship. You had nearly died on the battlefield. A droid got too close, moved too quick. Crosshair took the droid about before any significant damage happened, but by the time you got back to the ship, you could your spirit leaving you. Crosshair held you as Tech treated your wounds, muttering that you weren’t allowed to go. Not yet, not when he wanted you by his side. You told him you would stay with him for all of eternity, if he would let you. 

“I love you, Cross. You know I do. You can be mad at me, be disappointed in me, hate me for all I care. But that doesn’t change how I feel about you.” You took a step closer, then another. He didn’t move away. “I knew you were going to kill me, long before we ever arrived on Kaller. I knew that I would meet my end at the hands of the man I love. I could have left. I could have asked to be assigned a different squad. But I loved you too much to go. And I love you now, all the same.”

“No one asked you to stay.”

“So don’t you dare put this on me.”

“I’m not. I’m only telling you, because I would do it all over again. I would live through my death every time without change if it meant that I got to love you.”

“Then you are a fool.”

You shrugged. “Perhaps. But I would rather be a fool, a slave to my attachment to you, than survive without ever knowing your love.”

Crosshair grit his teeth, snarling as he said, “Go. I don’t want you here.”

“I’m not leaving you again, Cross.”

“GO!” he shouted. 

You let out a breath and allowed yourself to disappear from his sight. But you remained there. You stayed with him. You stayed all thirty-two rotations on that platform, watching over him. Making sure he was safe. He could tell you to leave, he could act like he never cared. But you knew that he needed you as much you needed him. So you stayed on that platform with him, and for every day that followed. 

Most days, he didn’t see you, didn’t know you were there. But he always knew. He always knew he was being haunted by the ghost of you. 

[echoedcrosshairs]

Dark Redemption: Stranger’s Together - Part II

Summary: After Crosshair joined the empire you went looking for him and eventually found him but he wasn’t the man you remember, temporarily free from the empire Crosshair has to figure out whether he’s staying to make amends or rejoin the empire 🖤Smut with an Angsty Plot🖤

Warning: Cannon typical violence, Order 66, Pinning, former established relationship, emotional turmoil, eventually smut, Crosshair’s depression, Crosshair’s head wound, Happy Flashback. || This is a darker series ||

Word Count: 9k ~ Song Ships in the Night / Mat Kearney

Masterlist ~ Part I

Imaginary red speckled your hands as you searched them, Am I no better then him? I've see what he's capable of, the only one who truly knows and I'm willingly proposing to send him back. A short burst of maniacal laughter spilled out as your heart rate vibrated through your chest. You covered your free willed lips with your trembling hand but Hunter had already walked back in and sat on the beds edge next to you his tenderness squeezing your leg which helped settle your trembling form.

Hunter ignored Crosshairs shallow breathing in the door way when he spoke, "Are you sure you want to go down too why not just let him find his own way?"

"Penance," you whispered the black scar on your heart threatening to rip itself open again, "My Crosshair is gone..." your voice trialed off to finally met Hunter's concerned gaze, "but I have to know without a shred of doubt that monster isn't him."

"He's Crosshair," Hunter whispered answering the question.

"Are you sure Hunter?" You looked away, "I loved him, so much..."

"I know," Hunter replied letting go, "and he loved you," Hunter unfolded a tiny piece of paper and handed it to you, "as much as he tried to hide it."

Weakly you took the paper opening it to find another photo of the two of you together, a tender moment on a Naboo balcony his arm around your waist with his usual expression but their was no mistaking the look in his eyes. You could see the photo had been reopened several times with the deep crinkle marks, "Why did you never show me?" you asked still staring at it.

"Incase there was ever a day you doubted it. Keep it," Hunter stood up staring down at the photo, "Tech says preparing to land." You followed Hunter out taking the available seat.

"Any particular area?" Tech asked as all of you entered the atmosphere.

"There's a small town near the port I'm fond of."

"When where you here long enough to be fond of one?" Crosshair said looking at you.

"Wouldn't you like to know, snarky," the teasing endearment fell out, your upper lip twitched into a sneer before typing in the coordinates for Tech. You felt Crosshair's eyes searing into you as you slide back into your seat. You brought your leg up setting your cheek on it as you unfolded the picture. A small genuine smile gracing your face as you looked at it, not just because of the intimacy captured in the photo but how it had become a playful game between the brothers to catch these moments. How simple life had been. You folded the photo back up and tucked it your pocket finding Omega standing over you who had also been looking at the photo.

"You both look happy."

"Prying is rude, Omega" you replied flatly, "but yes."

"This place is a dump," you heard Echo grumble, looking up you smiled finding the city the same before the Empire, "Are you sure? There has to be better areas."

"No one would think twice of looking for us here. I'll take a com and my go pack," you looked at Echo's grumpy expression as Tech landed. Echo had always been your closes confidant and best friend especially in Crosshair's absences. He was the first out of his seat hugging you ignoring Crosshair's glare that it went on a couple moments to long. "See you later, Corporal," you said cheerfully, goodbye was to final but you both knew the odds. He didn't say anything when he let go giving you a solider's nod which he only reserved for Captain Rex. You would have sworn Wrecker broke a rib picking you up.

"Last chance," Hunter whispered hugging you once the three of you got to the ramp.

"If I die, bury the photos in my place. Don't hate him for it," you swallowed feeling him go ridged, you pulled back giving him a kiss on the cheek, "Take care of Omega, she can have my cookie stash."

"What didn't you tell us," Hunter said deadlocking his grip around your arm knowing their was more to the story as it seemed to lead in a more finale direction.

"I just told you," Hunter's eyes fell to Crosshair who was rigidly postured like a solider waiting for the next set of orders, "I wouldn't have it any other way," Hunter's hands fell to fist at his side, "You were a squad long before I joined and will be afterwards," you stated resisting the urge to embrace the sergeant again.

Descending the ramp was different this time, it was just a mode of transportation to the reality below but this time is a stairway to hell deciding your punishment. They weren't steps, they were echoes of the souls secrets waiting to be judged. You wondered if any sane person would rationally walk towards their possible death before you looked to him, the former soldier of the Republic had done many suicide mission and came back, maybe that was what this was a suicide mission. Consequently whatever this was didn't matter, depending on the outcome. The bags under his eyes were heavy, the small lines in his face more define but how he carried himself showed a broken man steeling himself to the world. You caught him eyeing you in return, shifting your gaze back to the city you silently lead both of you to a hotel. The building was far from fancy but it had a secret reputation.

"A black room if possible, two beds, three nights," you said slipping him a tiny pouch, the man unphased opened it and handed you a key to the suite, "Yes I know the way," you smiled before he could ask.

Both of you went to the fair side of the building ascending the hidden staircase behind a portrait. Crosshair remained silent studying the surroundings as both of you found the black door with the number matching the key. Everywhere else had the generic slide open door however these were old and manual. He took the key from your semi trembling hand and opened it without a word letting you enter first. He took the bed closes to the window, he sat there watching the industrial city move about as small ships flew about and speeders glide.

"I'll find you something less suspicious to wear, are your measurements still the same?" Your voice pulled him out of his thoughts, he gave you a small nod as he flicked a tooth pick into his mouth, "I'll be back in thirty."

He wanted to follow after you but this soldiery time would give him time to think how much had happened today and wonder what was in the pouch. Undoing his armor, he left it in small stacks on the poor excuse for a coffee table as it wobbled lightly at the weight. Just in his blacks he felt naked, overly overexposed to the unknown world around him. He placed himself in the sofa staring at the ceiling, little bits of memory of his life prior to the empire resurfacing. A kiss, a passionate night, fighting, droids, then came the abandonment, loneliness and finally the rage at his brothers but Hunter told him you weren't them. Crosshair replayed your conversation with Hunter what seemed to be a hundred times before it fell into place, if he was ordered too could he? With the chip he could do it as easy as breathing but now without it, he wondered if he still had the resolve. It was to late when he noticed he had curled in on himself when the door opened. When you spend so much time with a person you recognize their tells just from bodily language alone after all this time Crosshair scolded himself for his still being the exact same. He grumbled a noise uncurling himself noticing your eyes peeled themselves from his finely shaped figure and snatched the bag from your hand, "You wish I was that ugly," he snarked. Neatly laying out the new apparel it was reminiscent of time he chose to forget, moments that use to haunt his waking hours in the night. The plan black pants and dark maroon turtle neck fit him best in the moment, he grabbed them and took himself to the refresher to change.

"Only if I could tell if your heart is," you whispered once you heard the door shut. Out of muscle memory you refolded the clothes setting them out in a stack before grabbing your simple entire from the other bag.

"What are those," Crosshair said flatly noticing the still healing blemishes speckled across your shoulders.

"Ask Admiral Rampart," you snapped pulling the shirt quickly on, "Surprised you didn't see us when you walked pass," you knew you shouldn't have said it but the provocation was already out hanging in the air.

"What!" he seethed before backing you into the wall glaring down at you caging you with his arms and his eyes narrowed to slits.

Glaring back at him, "You heard me just fine."

Crosshair's mind flicked to a report he'd accidentally seen on Ramparts desk that he tried to hide, an escaped insurgent and remembered the chipper attitude of the Admiral prior, "What do you know."

"Everything."

His arms dropped, backing away he stuck a fresh tooth in his mouth. Burying his emotions he let his face go blank, "Everything?" he asked flatly not looking at you. Everything to range from absolutely nothing to everything.

"For a man with impeccable eyesight, you didn't see the probe droids."

Crosshair gave a curt nod looking at you looking for any semblance of a lie or sign of rejection but it was like looking in the mirror, nothing. Everything. He looked down at the perfectly stacked clothing, somethings never change even after knowing everything. He took the stack of clothing and put them in the dresser on his side of the bed. Three nights? "What's the plan?" He droned.

"Well I plan to go on a stroll, maybe hit a cantina and a decent dinner. You're free to tag along, or head home, or find company to keep yourself occupied, I hear imps often enjoy the... riveting company" the jab obvious, "However I plan to soak this place in one more time," you shrugged slipping the key into your pocket.

"Have you?" He asked quietly.

"No," you opened the door noting the hesitation before he accompanied you. Electing to ignore the silence, "Ever been here?"

He contemplated the answer and lack of the return question on the matter, "Once."

Pondering if there was a double meaning you looked at him, Crosshair always had the best Sabacc face. Sneaking out the hotel your feet guided you towards an old Cantina on the other side of town. Taking in the bustling little city, it seemed so raw untouched by the empire unlike the other major cities around this one hadn't been collected into the fold yet because there was no strategic value or assets here. One could describe it as beautiful while Echo described it as a dump, to most it was still beautiful no flags hung, no soldiers stationed and no clogged roads for Imperial transports. It was difficult to tell the difference between the natural wind and speeders but after being on a ship so long then only having the freedom to smell the smoke of Kamino it was a lavishly sensation. Noticing an approaching speeder over head, you raised your arms your finger tips catching in the strong wind gusting past and your heart rate picked up at the sensation. Sighing you brought your arms down tucking them at your sides, ignoring Crosshair's questioning expression and impeccable soldier posture, "You need to relax, you stick out like gundark in a room of banthas."

"Don't tell me what to do," he scowled but attempted to relax his posture anyway.

"Says the one listening," you pointed out noticing the tension in his shoulders fading.

"Why three nights?" he got the nerve to ask.

"I'm figuring either you sneak off tonight and contact the empire or we have time to... get to know one another."

"You know me," he said squinting.

"In another life perhaps," you asked looking at him, "know you however? I do not."

Crosshair studied you, "What makes you say that?" he asked watching you stop and stare at him.

You touched the scarred webbing across the side of his head before bringing your hand back to your side, "You're not the same after all of that, you can't be," was all you managed to get out, "I saw everything you did for the sake of that wretched Empire. My Crosshair never would have never slaughtered innocents, wouldn't have followed so blindly... he would never be you."

His hand vice gripped your hand tugging you towards him, "Do you think I had a choice in the beginning," he snarled flashing the scaring, "They knew it activated and never came for me, abandoned me to become a monster for the empire because they prioritized her, the child they didn't even know over me. My brothers," he spat, "betrayed everything we stood for. I had no where else to go," venom laced his words while rage contorted his face, "At least with the Empire I know where I truly stand. Then there's you," he growled, "Treating me as if I'm gone, discarded just like they did to me. You're no better."

"You're right, I am no better. I'm giving you, a monster, an opportunity to survive knowing the devastation you've left in your wake," you hissed back, "I know you didn't have a choice in the beginning, but you do now" you studied him watching the calculation of answers reeling across his face, the rage softening, "You don't have to go back to your brothers and you don't go back to the empire."

"We're both monsters then," Crosshair choose his words carefully, "Neither of us are the same." Do you want to forsake what we had because of what I've had to become to survive? The question died on his tongue, "Why?"

"I'm not ready to give up on Crosshair, I may mourn him but that doesn't mean I'm ready to forget what we had," he didn't even need to ask the question both of you had always had similar trains of thought, "Even knowing everything I know, he is the only thing that kept me going during Rampart's sessions trying to break me." Without thinking about it Crosshair lured you to his barely breathing chest ignoring the public setting as letting his lips brush against yours for a split moment before resting his chin on your forehead.

The speech center of your brain check out for the day at his outburst even through the new clothes aroma he still managed to smell the same. As quick as the outburst had started it ended, he took his arms off of you and backed away as if nothing had happened and started walking. Dazed, you followed after him not sure at this point who was leading who to where. The solidness of him shook you, he was here, alive, not just ghost haunting your memories or a shadow lurking just out of reach. You stumbled over to the nearest ally way, hunched against whatever building trying to get a hold of your spinning head while your stomach grew a swarm of butterflies. How could just a smell do this, but it wasn't just the smell but the eruption of emotions caused by the lips and arms of a ghost. What is happening. You saw him lean against the side of the building looking down at you, "What, thinks it's funny?" You breathed.

"No, let's go back to the hotel," Crosshair kept a collected expression as he recognized the signs.

"If I move I think I'm going to be sick."

"Wouldn't be the first time I've seen you sick," he

mumbled pulling you away from the wall and waiting but a warning never came. Keeping an awkward grip on you, Crosshair maneuvered both of you up in the discreet hotel room above. He placed you next to the refresher feeling your weak grasp clinging to his pants ankle, "Cross," he heard you say weakly noticing how paled your skin looked. He got down sitting next to you, "Yes?" he observed you laying down, setting your head in his lap. Both of you remained silent, but he saw some of your color return. Interesting, he thought. Cross, she said my name. His eyes went wide as he observed your clammy skin and he brought his fingers to your rapid pulse, "What do you need?"

"Nothing," you pulled up disgusting by the show of weakness, awkwardly crawling your way into your bed.

"What do you need." He repeated.

"I need Crosshair," you said tucking your arm under the pillow holding onto it not bothering to peel your clothes as you crawled under the covers. Finger tips finding the photo tucked away in your pocket, you pulled it out and stared at it.

Before you could put it away he snatched it out of your grasp sitting back on his own bed looking down at it, "I'm right here," he muttered staring at it before setting it on the nightstand, "move," he growled peeling his shirt and pulling back the covers climbing in. The sensation of having someone so close made his skin feel as if beetles were trying to burrow out as he pulled your stiff form to him, "relax," he realized how ironic it was due to his rigid nature. Pulling your face to his bare chest, he tangled his legs around yours as he held your waist. Crosshair let out a deep breath as he felt the palm of your hands warm against his chest, finger tips just barely burrowing into him and face pressing into him. He didn't need Hunter's hearing to hear the well practiced silent sobbing, "Cyar'ika," he whispered letting his hand attempt to make soothing circles.

Your hands had a mind of there own as they pushed against him as you stared up meeting the no longer familiar eyes but you saw it just the faintest silver of light in the darkness, "CT-"

"Crosshair," he growled trying to keep the anger from reaching his facial muscles with little result, but it wasn't anger pointed towards you it was towards what Rampart did to both of you. He let you push him stiffening not knowing what you were going to do, "You'll never see me, accept me," forgive me he said flatly detangling himself from you moving to his own bed staring at the ceiling. His fingers traced the familiar tattoo on his face, one you had touch countless times wondering if it was time to also get it removed. He wanted to curse the maker but couldn't find the words to do so that didn't make him curse himself in the process. Slowly everything he was getting ripped away piece by piece and there was nothing he could do about it. He pinched the bridge of his nose squeezing his eyes shut, your whispered confession pulling him out of his thoughts abruptly, "In the darkness hours of the night, I thought of you," he wouldn't repeat what you had said, "the chip didn't take you from me," it was as close to a confession as he could get. He looked over at you, "Were you and Hunter or Echo...?" His stomach dropped at the question that had been gnawing at him at how close you seemed to either of them. It felt like there was more to the story other then just being a squad because there was something there that he couldn't put his finger on.

"No, when you left... Echo is the one who tried to console me so I could keep going, he's my best friend, he was the first person who saw me when they rescued me. Hunter is just Hunter, he's worried about me being with you" you admitted.

"Would you have if I never..." came back?

"No," the answer was quick and precise, "my heart and loyalty was to Crosshair."

"If it wouldn't have been the chip, would you have come with me?" he asked returning his attention to the ceiling.

This time you looked at him, perfect skin, the narrow arch of his nose, a jaw line so sharp it could be use to cut plastoid but there were also unmistakable bags under his eyes, from regretful nights to long missions you couldn't tell. "They asked me that too," you said returning your attention to the ceiling, "My Crosshair would have never joined, at least deep down that's what I hope."

"He's a soldier, what else is there besides war?"

"A family? Kids? Normalcy?" You rattled off several more things knowing it fell on deaf ears.

"Didn't answer the question."

"Don't think I would have lasted long seeing how they treat civilians and clones."

"So you would have betrayed me?"

"I would be betraying the Empire, Crosshair. Everything isn't as black and white as your narrow mind thinks it is."

"Narrow mind?" he sat up glaring, "Betraying the Empire would be betraying me."

"Except Crosshair isn't the Empire, he's just a wheel in a cog propelling it. He's just a man not a concept sweeping the galaxy in eternal dictatorship," you watch his eyes squint but he laid back down.

"I don't think we should talk politics."

"We should before you execute me, make me understand your reasoning."

"I wouldn't."

"Then you would be betraying the empire by going against an order," you stated seeing the contemplation reeling across his face, "when it's given, that is."

He heard his knuckles pop from how hard his fist were clenched, "You claim not to know me, yet you risk your life for mine?" he growled, "What's the point in remembering, if I don't exist?" he got up facing the wall laying his hands flat against it resting his forehead against, "The universe is erasing me, just another meaningless clone in the masses" he whispered. It was the whisper of a man on the verge of snapping. His palm hit the wall leaving an noticeable crack.

You sat up staring at his muscular back, the tension knots visible, "Says the man who will barely look at me and wants nothing to do but pick fights," you watched him spin on his heel standing to full height, very step calculated as he moved as he stared down his jaw set as he leaned down getting face level with you.

"I've never been one for words," grabbing a tooth pick from his pocket he stuck it between his lips waiting to gauge your reaction to the proximity. You're eyes were trapped on him, a memory of a smiled pulled at his lips. The first real one he'd had in a long time, "This is what you wanted," he said noticing the tiny hint of fear in your features. He leaned in, "Omega is right, I don't recognize you either but at least I'm trying."

You bit the end of the tooth pick sliding it between your own tooth, "You don't think I am either."

"No."

You let out the breath, "You're right, all I see is who you've become because I can't see who you were. The man in that photo had love in his eyes for me but you don't seem too," the dagger in his heart twisted, "Crosshair loved me but I don't think you do. I think your chasing a memory to hope to feel something again," the dagger ripping out his still beating heart.

He plunked the toothpick out of your mouth snapping it with his fingers before casting it to the ground, "Are you actually going to force me to say it back?" Crosshair whispered letting fingers found your chin forcing his facial features soften. His face barely felt like his own anymore, the vulnerably and raw emotion he let show across it were so foreign compared to his usual demeanor. Weakness was everything he tried to cull in himself serving the Empire because it wasn't a luxury he couldn't afford anyone to know. Attachment, love, remorse and the unyielding presence of guilt that kept him up in the dead of night regardless of how much he tried to shove it aside it forever lingered on the edge of his consciousness. He waited letting you take in the love, pain and the ache of desperate longing he felt deep with in the dark confines of his broken soul.

His hand was cold against your face but you didn't pull away. You stared at him while the darkness in his eyes was a remainder there was still a beast inside part of who he use to be was fronting. The grip softened, dropping to his knees  forcing himself to look up at you. Confessions of his bared soul laid before you to judge. Silently begging you to deem him as sinner so he could find his penance before begging for the salvation of only thing that could stitch together the remnants of his shattered soul, love. There were no secrets, every transgression you were already privy to. You didn't recognize this side to him, grabbing his hand you pulled you him back up towards you onto the bed. Fingers dug into him pulling him close except this time he was the one who silently wept as he downturned his face into the pillow.

"Cross," you breathed pressing your face into the center of his chest. You felt his legs wrap around yours and his arms cage you, he didn't want you to see him like this and you weren't going to force him to let you.

Finally pain stopped shedding from his once barren tear ducks, his eyes found the wet spot in the pillow and flipped over the pillow to hide the annoyance of the outburst. His thin fingers found the collar of your shirt, he paused for a moment with your tense at the touch before he proceeded to open the collar staring at the injection marks. They will vanish with time. His jaw clamped at the frustration you had been right there next to him for who knows how long and how far everyone went to hide it. He wasn't stupid enough to look you up in the system and when he did ask they had side stepped the question. I am a soldier, stop being so soft. She's capable of handling herself, she knew what could happen. Crosshair let out a deep everlasting breath composing himself. He let himself indulge on the feeling on your warm breath against his pectoral muscles as your fingers clung to him almost in fear that he would disappear if you let go. Two strangers with a lifetime of memories, which once transcended what Crosshair ever thought possible for himself, who both now clung to the specter of the other trying to find any semblance of that lifetime in this one. He wasn't a fool, his story would never have a happy ending but for now he could at least have a tiny slice of what was.

"Do you want to try going out again?" he asked releasing the possible double meaning of his uncarefully spoken words, "I could use a drink," he added.

"Yeah," you pulled away not able to look at him. You fluffed out his shirt and handed it to him. Feeling his slender form blocking your path to door, you finally looked up at him. His face at regained his regular snarky yet stern appearance but you could see the traces of red in his sclera. You watched him put his shirt one, his eyes only for a brief moment breaking contact as he stood there silently observing. "Yes?" you finally asked after he continued not to move.

"We'll never be who we were before," he said this time attempting to choose his words carefully, "If the war has taught me anything, it is anything can be rebuilt with time," he turned leaving you there for moment to ponder his words as he headed for the exit.

You followed after him wondering if he meant the two of you or the Empire. He had always been allusive with his wording, leaving it open ended and up to interpretation when it came to anything that wasn't on the battle field. Noticing his rigid posture return you caught up to his side flicking his shoulder. Hearing a small grunt you saw them relax. Instead of walking this time, you hailed a cab to the cantina. Scowling when you saw the disapproving eyebrow arch of his when the both of you exited the cab at the dingy place. He let you guide him inside, the place was reminiscent of 79's. You walked up to the counter to order drinks surprised when he followed you up.

"Corellian Whiskey," he said before you got the chance to speak.

You arched an eyebrow, "Make that two," you said putting the credits down. The bar tender took them and handed both of you the shots, downing them you both did another around. Crosshair tapped for two more before both of you wandered off to a nearby table.

"Why this place?"

"Just call me sentimental."

"This is boring," Crosshair murmured feeling out of place without a talkative group.

"Dance?" you asked nonchalantly remembering how at peace he seemed on the dance floor.

"Don't have to ask me twice," he said getting out of the seat.

"Actually if you remember, I did."

"You have two left feet and no rhyme."

"You were slow dancing to techno."

"And?"

You rolled your eyes, a pit forming in your stomach at how easy the banter was after all this time realizing how deeply you missed it. Staying on the outskirts of the floor both of you had fallen into step, thankful that your feet remembered even if your mind had almost forgotten saving you the embarrassment of stepping on him. The touch of his hands where cool in contrast with the fire in his gaze. You removed one of your hands from his placing it on his waist and he responded in kind doing the same. His fingers slide up your shirt just barely to where his thumb and index finger rested on your skin, solidifying you were really there. You moved your hand up to his neck letting your fingers dip under the turtle neck barely.

Cautiously Crosshair took one step closer hovering above your face, "Cyar'ika," he whispered ignoring the harshness of the alcohol on his tongue leaning in letting his mouth hover over yours.

"I think you drank a little to much," you whispered but didn't pull back.

"No," he whispered letting his whole hand trail up to your curve while his mouth bridged the tantalizing gap. His mouth was desperately locking with yours, almost a year apart had almost made him forget the sensation of you.

You pulled away panting, "You can't be kissing me like that in public," the words came out slurred not due to the alcohol but the mind numbing sensation of him.

"I can and will," he said pulling your mouth back to his.

You felt the gentle pressure of his tongue press against your lips, your heart was already going light speed but you opened your mouth for him. You let his tongue explore as much as he needed it too, gently time to time nipping down on his tongue playfully. By the time he pulled away your hand was trembling on his neck. Both of you were panting as you looked at each other. Without realizing it you had started crying, "Crosshair." His arms were around you in a moment guiding you away from the crowded dance floor towards an empty both. You watched him flag down the service droid for some napkins. Your fingers bunched the shoulder of his shirt, you wanted to hate yourself for needing him after everything you've witnessed but there was nothing else in this galaxy that could fill the void in your chest except his presence.

Gently his hand covered yours, "What do you need?" He had never been a comforting person, less so now but he always tried.

Your fingers unbunched his shirt just enough to barely pound his shoulder with the side of your hand before you talon cling to the fabric again, "Are you really... Crosshair...?" you choked out.

"Unless you know someone else with that name," he verbalized pressing his teeth together.

"Are you... my Crosshair," you clarified.

"Since day one."

~ Days of the Republic; Reassignment ~

The Corellian Well Cantina, you scoffed at the name as you pushed open the unfamiliar door. Spirits burnt the hairs of your nostrils with the spiced scent of whiskey and poorly mopped up over indulgences. The lighting was less then ideal for this priority meeting nor the atmosphere but discretion had been of the utmost importance for whatever reason. Taking in the clientele you didn't see any familiar facial features of the man you were looking for. Playing on your data pad trying to pass time until you heard the familiar clone voice standing at the end of the table. Shocked you blinked rapid finding him in civilian clothing, one's that definitely were borrowed, and a poor fitted hat but the face, the voice and the scar killed the doubt of who was standing before you.

"Com- Cody," you whispered motioning for him to sit.

"Sorry for all the secrecy," he said scooting in besides you, "but this unfortunately requires it for the time being," he passed you a data pad, "You're being reassigned to a Kaminoan black ops squad, Experimental Unit 99, effective immediately as their handler."

"Sir?! My other-."

"Everything has already been taken care of. We head to Kamino when your finished reading."

"Do you vouch for this?" you stared into the eyes of best man and friend you've known since joining GAR.

"I have taken them personally on black list missions. Their not like my men and I, their wild and unorthodoxed but unquestionable resolve, determination and they get results we need. I vouch for them and you taking this assignment."

You nodded turning on the pad, eyes going wide reading about their individual enhancements, "I didn't even know that was possible," you were aware that commando's were made differently and enhanced but nothing like this. Barely done reading Cody was already tugging on your sleeve to leave. You followed him with your face still in the pad reading their personality profiles scowling once you read Crosshair's, "He's going to be fun," you grumbled.

"Crosshair?" Cody smirked seeing the small nod.

"Trust me, you've worked with Neyo. Crosshair pale's in comparison."

"Is this my apology for you assigning me that asshole?" You deadpanned.

"More or less, these boys could change the tide in this war. However their.. lack of people skills and lack of following direct orders posses a problem."

"Which is why I'm going to be the diplomatic buffer," you sighed, "You're lucky you're my favorite."

The jump to Kamino was silent, by then the Commander had stripped himself of the civvies back into his white and orange armor, "They'll be making their debut soon, with you officially now on this assignment I wouldn't be surprised if they moved it up but it'll give you time to meet them."

You've been on Kamino before but the path you were taking was foreign. It was the service passages, 99... you bowed your head for a moment of silence for the man who once roamed these halls. Catching back up to the Commander you saw he was thinking about him too, the stern expression but the distance in his eyes. He was just letting his body just guide him through his halls. "I'm glad you trusted me for this assignment," the interruption was enough to pull him out of his head as you recalled that he was here at the bold attack of Kamino.

"They won't be here much longer as their getting our own barrack room with everyone else," Commander Cody knocked on the ancient door before letting the both of you in. They were already standing at attention when the both of you entered, "Woman in company," he said your name then repeated each of there's as a formality even though you had already read their files, "At ease," quickly they relaxed sitting back at the large table in the center, "All of your stuff is in the room next door."

You rolled your eyes, "Of course it is."

"I'm the sarcastic one," you looked up to see the grey haired man rolling a toothpick to the other side of his mouth smirking eying you over the dismantled weapon he was cleaning.

"Technically she wasn't being sarcastic but-"

"Shut up," Crosshair grumbled.

"Tech's head is full of knowledge he likes to dump at every opportune moment, you'll get use to it," Hunter said studying you trying to get accustom to your scent and sound, "or use to drowning it out."

"That knowledge has saved our lives on multiple occasions-."

"We get it four eyes," Crosshair said flicking his tooth at his brother who batted it away without looking. He returned his attention for the most part back to the weapon keeping you in his peripheral vision amused that Wrecker ran over picking you up squeezing you before dropping you back down.

"Huh, you're small."

"Astute as always, Wrecker," Crosshair grumbled.

"Everyone is small compared to you," you pointed out smiling.

"That's true," Wrecker admitted going back to his seat.

"There all yours," Cody laughed, "Boy's, this your personally assigned liaison. Since you don't have a chain of command to report to, she'll be the middle man."

"I am quiet capable of handling and reporting our assignments," Tech said defensively.

"What does this civvie know about the war?" Crosshair said pointedly.

"This civvie," you said curtly, "has been apart of GAR probably longer then your creation, so really what do you know about this war?" you tossed back.

"She's served with the 91st Mobile Reconnaissance Corps during the Battle of Geonosis and as aid of the 212th since. I expect you to treat her respect," Cody eyed him.

"Crosshair didn't mean any disrespect ma'am," Hunter tossed a glare at his brother.

"I've had read his file, I am aware of his quips but thank you."

"Good luck," Commander laughed, "I have to get back, I'll send Neyo your regards."

"You can send him to hell instead," rapidly batting your lashes at him.

"He's already going there," Cody coughed under his breath waving as he left.

Hunter at pulled out another chair offering you a place to sit. He hadn't taken his eyes off of you since you entered the room. None of them had been around female nat borns as all of their instructors had been males and even when they had gone off world on assignment they mostly ran into separatist forces. On the occasional they had ran into the native inhabitants Commander Cody had dealt with them and Tech for his helmet translator. Hearing Tech whisper that staring was impolite, he finally turned his attention back to the vibro blade he had been sharpening.

"This is weird," Wrecker nervously chuckled.

"There is nothing we can do, we must accept her assimilation into this squad and continue," Tech replied trying the chess board, singly playing it by himself as that was the only way it was stimulating, "Perhaps some training simulations to test her aptitude in combat?" Tech purposed.

"Let's show her how a real squad handles themselves," Crosshair smiled reassembling his fire puncher.

"Practice or live rounds?" you folded your arms over your chest.

"Li-," Crosshair started before Hunter interjected, "Practice."

"Boring," you scoffed, "I'll grab my gear, sim room 2b good enough?"

"Yes that shall suffice," Tech nodded standing up from him game grabbing his helmet off his buck.

You saw Hunter cock an eyebrow when you said boring but before he got a chance to question it you turned dipping into the room next store, smirking when your armor attachments had already been laid out. Cody had probably assumed this was going to happen sooner or later. You flicked on the familiar armor sliding the various weapons into place. Each of them were already armored up by the time you were done and waiting outside the room, "I would have caught up."

"Sure," Crosshair said sarcastically.

"I'm not the old man," you shrugged pointing at the silver peppered with night and salted with light hair much to his offense.

"Haha she called you old," Wrecker said clapping his brothers back.

You noticed the glaring squint in his eye as you entered the training room, "I'll take west, you take east end?" you smiled at the sniper, who only rolled his eyes, "Your loss."

All of you waited in the center of the room waiting for the droids to activate. The boys were saying something but the adrenaline had already awoken shooting through your blood stream. The moment the droids activated all of you were off. Much to the annoyance of Crosshair you beat him to and up the west tower.

"Knife!" Crosshair called staring at the droid in Tech's blind spot watching you instinctively throw it at the droids head, he shot the knife watching it drop perfectly into the droids skull.

From the perch above the two of you worked in unison picking off droids, Hunter was impressed by the advanced skill. Recon officer? Hardly. He saw Crosshair eyeing you from across the battlefield, one eye on the battle field, one eye on you the whole time. There was an very noticeable shift in the group with the new addition, especially with Crosshair. Hunter felt the shot before his eyes had captured what had transpired, a droid actually climbing up to Crosshair's advantage point then you taking a shot at the droid wizzing passed Crosshair's ear. He turned for a moment watching the droid fall to the ground before returning his attention to the battle. Always watching his brothers back, he often forgot to watch his own not that he would never admit it.

Wreckers jaw slacked witnessing it, "Did you see that?" hollered to Tech.

"That's never happened before, both the droids climbing nor Crosshair missing such an obvious-."

"Shut up," Crosshair seethed through the com, thankful the simulation ended. He jumped down bouncing between the wall and the tower and sliding down to the center platform. Slinging his fire puncher across his back he watched you poorly climb down the tower and head there way. At least she doesn't have all of my tricks, Crosshair thought.

"I am impressed," Tech admitted once you had caught up.

"Marshal Commander Neyo is unrelenting in training."

"So I've read," Tech said staring at the clone's profile, "I think that simulation has provided me with enough data that I can make an accurate assessment of your combat skills without needing another trial run."

"She got lucky," Crosshair sneered removing his helmet.

"I think you got lucky."

"Oh I haven't gotten that lucky yet" he leered in your ear walking pass sticking a toothpick between his lips.

"I wouldn't blame you for suddenly being reassigned," Hunter grimaced staring after his brother.

"I'm use to it," you shrugged staring after the enigmatic man. There was something dark stalking his uncommonly dark irises compared to his brothers, a lone predator always circling but never pouncing. While his brothers eyes echoed burning bark, Crosshair's were the color of the forest floor riddled with hidden dangers. While Neyo's eyes terrified you to even look at, Crosshair's made you want to study them whether it was face to face or under a microscope was still up for debate.

"Something in your mind?" Hunter smiled staring at your lost in thought expression.

"Huh? Oh nothing, just wondering how the boys are reacting to my reassignment."

"Your scent says different," he chuckled, "His too."

"I already hate this."

"Between Hunter's senses and our close proximity to one another, there is never any secrets between us. There is never such thing as privacy with us just so you are aware," Tech pointed out.

"You're slow," Crosshair mumbled from his bunk.

"So is your charm Cross," you said sliding back into the chair digging out your pad finding a short 'Congrats on the promotion,' from Neyo. Anything is a promotion away from you, you were tempted to type back but instead going the safe route saying thank you.

Hours later the boys were ready to turn in for the night so you excused yourself from their quarters disappearing into your own, it was cramped having an apartments worth of stuff cramped into the small space. Even though Cody or whoever had tried to perfectly replicate the set up it just hadn't felt relaxing enough to sleep. You took yourself up the ship docking bay watching the waves crash against the wall.

"Where do you think you're sneaking off too?" Crosshair mused joining you at the railing after he had discreetly slipped from the bunk room after hearing the faint opening on your door curious if you were leaving after his comment.

"Somewhere far away from you," you said sarcastically.

"You didn't go far enough," he poked back failing to hide the amusement at your witty tone relaxing that you weren't upset with him.

"Excuse me, let me just go grab my bathing suit," you rolled your eyes finding his for a moment looking into yours.

"Is it black?" he said mischievously.

"Like I'd tell you."

"I rather you show me."

"Step on a duresteal bolt," momentarily the soldier was standing in front of you glaring. The darkness consumed his eyes but sparkled his frosted hair. Long thin fingers gripped your chin, you watched as he turned shooting his toothpick into the ocean below before his attention returned to you.

"I'm the sarcastic one in this squad."

"We'll see," the comment turned his blood to a consuming flame. Crosshair wasn't use to anyone challenging him let alone anyone competent enough to keep up with them or enough to watch his back. He waited but you didn't pull back, a predatory smile tugged at his lips, "Go to bed, Cyar'ika," he pulled away, the pounding of his heart barely keeping his breathing even. His eyes caught your confusion at the sudden lack of physical contact and the pet name, "Did you think I was going to kiss you?" he let out one laugh trying to conceal the nerves threatening to spill over, "Not on the first date," he added before you had a chance to speak before weak limbed walking himself back to his bunk.

"Calling dibs?" He heard Hunter chuckle.

"Shut up," he menaced.

"Not pairing I forecasted," Tech muttered taking out his pad, "statistically you two had the lowest probability, I shall need collect further data about her."

"Shut up," Crosshair repeated.

"You would be teasing one of us, Crosshair if the roles were reversed."

"No I would be shooting one of you," he snarked, his lip twitching up into a sneer already uncomfortably with the thoughts of them being around you knowing if his mind was this clouded their's had to be the same way, "Go to bed," he growled turning towards the wall. His mind was foggy with anticipation he saw across your face regardless of his poor attitude and how perfect you looked on the tower as much as his failure to notice the droid enraged him. He was astonished at how quick you responded to the threat and didn't seem to hold the failure over his head nor hesitated coming to his defense even after his generally rude behavior. Out of all them, he was the last one who deserved a chance but he may have been cocky enough to believe he was the handsomest out of the bad batch. At some point during his self scolding he had passed out not before realizing how far he had fallen.

~

Crosshair pulled you out of the resurfacing memory, brushing your hair back with his hand. While he was still upset at the idea you didn't want to see him, he wasn't going to deny himself the small luxury of being touched. Once he would pulled away at the public display not wanting anyone to see the man under the suit of armor but he wasn't that young and naive anymore. Older now, he learned you could lose everything on a moments notice. While losing Kamino hadn't necessarily upset him as it had been hell for every CC not to mention dealing with the regs, his brothers betrayal had scarred him greatly.

"I don't know how you're still in there," you whispered taking in the familiar structure of his face. You let your fingers trace the tattoo around his eye which you had done thousands of times before.

Crosshair squeezed your wrist, "please stop implying I was gone," there was an edge to his voice anger or desperation he couldn't tell.

You swallowed staring at him then your wrist finding finger imprints from his grasp. Rubbing the tender spot, he placed the cold glass of water the droid had brought over with the napkins to dull the ache. He pulled the glass back after a couple minutes of silence rubbing it with his thumb before you looked back at the returned stern expression, “I’m okay Cross…”

“I’m going for a walk, alone,” he said sliding out, “Stay here.” Crosshair ran his hand against the hideous scar which set his teeth on edge. Nothing but a disfigured monster, he thought, I’m a soldier bred for war and for a purpose of bringing peace, kark the empire for the chips but this is what we were all made for in the end. Crosshair carefully walked down the street eyeing every land mark so he could back track. Thoughts darted through his mind like a native mon calamari bouncing between water currents. Every thought making his skull rattle from one bouncing thought to another. He had prayed that the solitude would help but it had the opposite effect leaving him more confused and angry.

You sat alone for eternity before letting the batch know that for now you were safe and fine. Smiled when Echo replied instantly that they all missed you and to keep them appraised when you could. Peering out the black out blinds you noticed the light was rapidly suddenly setting like the feeling in your gut about how long he had been gone and that you had no way to get ahold of him. Peering around the now crowded space, you noticed a couple wandering gazing on you further making you anxious wondering if it was because you were beautiful or because they had seen your photo on a most wanted holo. You couldn’t risk finding out, carefully you ducked out of the building before awkwardly waiting out front for a little while longer to no avail. In the past, you had etched the layout of this city into your cortex of Cross was loss you would find him. Just that one day sitting in that cantina had change your life, sure the structure and discipline of your previous assignments had been nice but there had been something so liberating about the change and meeting the batch. Meeting Crosshair. Knowing his eyes you walked opposite of the sun. Your eyes scanned each side alley way with no sign until you looked down finding a single tooth pick.

“Toothprick,” you muttered, continuing your path making sure to periodically look down every handful of paces. You found him slumped up in one of the only trees near the hotel staring towards the sunset, “Get lost, Loth-cat?” you asked.

“I told you to stay there,” he replied flatly staring at the array of colors in the sky.

“And how long ago was that?”

“Lost track of time,” he admitted rubbing his scalp. One leg tucked to his chest with his elbow resting on it touching his head, one leg outstretched and his other hand laid across his lap, he realize he probably looked like a mess. Forcibly straightening out he looked down finding the concern in your eyes, he sighed hoping down landing gracefully on his feet tucking his hands in his pocket. “What are you looking at,” he muttered.

You raised an eyebrow, “You, Loth-cat,” you teased at his sniper’s fondness of being off the ground, “You look good up there.”

“I bet I look even better above you,” he quipped reflexively but his tone didn’t match the words.

You hovered close to him not trying to interrupt his mind, “Back to the hotel?”

Crosshair’s gaze lingered on the setting story of the day, his mind, stomach and heart twisted at his decision wondering if at the end of the day if it was the what was best for the both of you or the galaxy. He offered a single stiff nod matching your pace with his calculated steps so every step fell into sync. Using the corners of his eyes, he watched your pondering expression, “What?”

“I’m surprised you didn’t want me to climb up there with you,” you fibbed.

“Liar.”

“I don’t remember you being this moody, well unless it was in a fun way.”

“Why do you keep trying to force me to be who I was?” he snapped, “Can’t you just accept me for who I am now?” his head feeling like it was going to split at that ugly seam, “This is who I am,” he added flattening his tone. The rest of the walk to the hotel in pain filled silence.

[hischeapcigar]

the bad batch spoilers pt 3

how would that be for crosshair to wake up from his “recovery” to find omega is captured (he almost lost his life to tell the batch to keep omega safe) and that tech is dead (bc tech wanted to save him, “he’s still our brother”)

[clonesuperiority]

I really only wanted to show my Clone OC's Tattoos, buuut who was ever hurt by shirtless Wolffe, Rex, Cody and Jesse? 👀

I'd kind of love to draw some fanarts of canon Clones ... Which ones would you like to see?

[moonstrider9904]

Lake Shores

Chapter Eight of Half-Moon Glow

Pairing: Crosshair x Female OC (Aurora Dawn)

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Summary: Clone Force 99’s respite continues on a distant forest planet, which makes meaningful declarations arise between Aurora and Crosshair. In the midst of it all, a new and daunting mission assignment reaches the squadron.

Tags/warnings: Explicit (18+, minors begone). Making out, armor kink, brief mentions of injury, light angst, but also lots of fluff and soft!Crosshair. One (1) terrible pun. 

A/N: here’s a small filler chapter with the best of both worlds. Good ol’ fluff and good ol’ Clone War angst. Just a lil something to move into the next arc of the story. Enjoy!

Word count: 4.3k

Aurora questioned whether she preferred the opulent, elegant Passacaille hotel on Coruscant over the chilly air, swaying leaves and cloudy skies of the forest she currently sat on.

She felt the dirt and dry leaves, cool against the soles of her bare feet. With her knees hugged close up to her chest, her gaze shifted between the green spruce trees and the bright clouds, never finding even a glimpse of blue in that misty sky. The singing of the birds in the background magically complemented the occasional drip and drop of the lake before her, its shore starting not five meters from her, all entwined in one beautiful melody of peace.

“You’ll get dirt stains on your uniform,” the voice of her beloved filled her ears from behind.

Not looking at him yet, Aurora smirked. “You can always pat me down to get it off.”

“Is it possible for you to already be such a tease this early in the morning?” Crosshair chuckled as he sat on the ground next to her. “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing and everything,” Aurora replied. “The absence of anything human made is kind of the appeal of this place.”

“Yeah,” Crosshair agreed as he too gazed at the vast nature before him. Being the sniper that he was, he was more used to seeing the broader landscapes a planet had to offer than the average soldier, usually from atop a cliff or a tree or a tower, always ready to look into his scope at the slightest of movements. Being there on the ground with Aurora made him reminisce of that, but it also could not have been more different.

“Where are the others?” Aurora whispered, almost as if she were afraid to break the silence.

“They went to set up the comms antennae,” Crosshair said through gritted teeth, having started to chew on a toothpick without Aurora noticing. “So much for having nothing human made in this place.”

“I’ll take it,” Aurora spoke in a normal voice. “Sending us here for that sole purpose while we waited for another mission was probably the best order we could have gotten.”

“Well, it’s an order we actually followed,” Crosshair smirked. “That ought to tell you.”

Aurora giggled and looked over at Crosshair while he kept examining the landscape, finding herself at a loss for how the sunlight filtered through clouds made him somehow seem warmer.

“I see you looking,” he muttered.

“Do you?”

Crosshair shrugged and leaned back, resting his weight on his forearms on the ground and crossing one leg over the other. “I know, I’m gorgeous. You can’t help it.”

Aurora laughed and extended her legs too, shifting her weight closer to him. “Well, that you are, even if you’re a proud—”

“Ouch,” Crosshair groaned in fake pain.

“-arrogant,” Aurora continued.

“What did I do to deserve that?”

“-insufferably cocky—”

“Last I checked, you didn’t have a problem with any of that, darlin’,” Crosshair purred, flicking the toothpick aside.

“Flattering yourself much?” She leaned in to kiss his snarky grin.

Crosshair gave a deep chuckle into the kiss as he felt Aurora’s hand brushing his chest over his armor, and to add more heat into the kiss, he sat up so that he no longer had to rely on his arms to hold his weight, allowing him to instead wrap them around her waist. It was one of the things he loved doing the most, to hold her soft curves in his hands where she would be close to him, where he could feel she was his.

“We’re all alone, you know,” Aurora whispered between pecks.

“What are you suggesting, doll?” Crosshair prompted. He went on to plant a series of butterfly kisses over Aurora’s cheeks and cheekbones, and he let one of his hands travel to the back of her head where he could entwine his fingers in her lavender locks.

“You know what,” she purred in return.

Crosshair chuckled again and he broke the kiss to firmly hold Aurora’s torso, lifting her and himself to standing. Briefly, his heart sank when—careful as he was—Aurora winced in pain and looked down at her thigh.

“Aurora—”

“No, don’t worry.” She squeezed Crosshair’s bicep with her hand. “Please.”

He sighed quietly, his brown eyes filled with worry.

“I shouldn’t have been on the ground in the first place,” Aurora reassured him. “The harder it is to get up from a position, the more risk there is of some discomfort. It wasn’t your fault.”

Crosshair took his hands from her waist to the top of her neck and brushed his thumbs gently on her cheeks. “You know how I feel about that blast wound.”

“If you weren’t the one pulling the trigger, then it isn’t your fault,” Aurora said. “A lot of feelings come up when I think back to Christophsis, but blame set on you isn’t one of them.”

Crosshair gave one more sigh.

“Please, trust me when I tell you I’m okay,” Aurora’s voice softened. “And that I do not hold you responsible for this wound, or for what happened back there.”

An unfamiliar emotion took over Crosshair as he felt himself compelled to press Aurora to his body. He embraced her fully, arms tightly securing her as if he were suddenly afraid someone, or something, would try to take her from him.

Maybe that was what he was so afraid of.

Maybe he would have that fear for as long as she was in the army.

“Hey,” Aurora whispered. “You okay?”

“Sure,” he answered dryly.

Aurora parted enough from the hug to look him in the eyes, raising a brow. “Bull.”

Crosshair sighed. “You… know I’m not much for conversation.”

“You have your moments,” Aurora smiled at the thought of their night out at Coruscant. “But you don’t have to say anything now. I just want you to stop blaming yourself for all of it.”

“It’s not just Christophsis.”

“Whatever happened between us during our messy start, we’re past that,” Aurora wrapped her arms around Crosshair’s upper back, stroking his nape gently. “Aren’t we?”

“Yes,” Crosshair answered without hesitating. “I just…”

What was happening with him? Why did he feel a knot in the middle of his core?

“Cross,” Aurora whispered.

His thoughts quieted and he set his brown eyes on her purple ones.

“I love you,” she said.

The softness in her voice was unfathomable to him, the beauty that her unique timbre gave to those three words took the air from him, sending him into a brief yet sweet vertigo. Crosshair removed immobile, but not unmoved, as the softening of his usually hard, precise gaze gave him away. For all he felt at that moment, her words gave him care, hope for redemption, but hardest of all was the helplessness at not saying it back when she finished uttering the phrase.

“Cross?” She asked him, her voice shaking with a hint of insecurity.

Crosshair tightened his grip ever so slightly in reassurance. “Aurora…”

“Do you feel it too?” She inquired softly.

His gaze relaxed and he looked straight into her eyes, able to stop the trembling in his body. “Yes.”

She smiled. “Then I can wait for you to say the words, however long it takes.”

With that, Crosshair crashed his lips down onto Aurora’s. One of his hands maintained its gentle hold on her jaw while the other one, with a hungrier touch, clenched the hair behind her head. Aurora shifted her weight onto her good leg and perked herself on the toes of that foot so that her torso could press up to his, and now there was no space left between them. Their kiss was luscious, and it held a hint of desperation, an incessant need of one for the other.

They paused their kiss and looked each other in the eyes, panting to catch their breath. Between them arose an unspoken agreement to take things to the inside of the ship—it’s not like anyone would see them. They were alone as it was, and it would be even better if they were secluded within the steel and glass of the Marauder.

Crosshair took Aurora’s hand and led her up the steps of the platform with care and pulled it up once they were both inside. The air was warm inside, cozy, even, and not a sound could be heard. Gone was the singing of the birds and the swaying of the spruce trees in the wind. It had been replaced by the couple’s breathing, which grew shorter and needier with every beat of their hearts.

Aurora stood there, her figure contrasting with the light that came in through the Marauder’s windshield. For all the blood and horrors and fears she had seen throughout the war, she seemed so soft and gentle, with her wide curious eyes and delicate curves, and the way her straight-wavy lavender hair fell down her shoulders. So worthy of protection.

At that moment, Crosshair felt as if war was no place for her.

His gaze softened at her and he walked up to her. Aurora was ready to kiss him again, but Crosshair went and wrapped an arm around her waist as he bent down to support her legs with the other. He sat down on the copilot’s seat with her in his arms, resting her legs over the armrest while he supported the rest of her weight.

“Does that hurt?” He asked her.

“No,” Aurora sighed, unable to contain the desire to kiss him any longer.

Hungry as it had been before they’d made it into the ship, the kiss grew in heat when Aurora pressed her body closer to his, positioning herself at a taller height. Her hair fell down the sides of her head, brushing against Crosshair’s cheekbones where he could pick up on her sweet scent—it tore him from reality. His mind raced as he felt her touch over his body. Aurora’s hands trailed up his arms and onto his shoulders, passing the edge of his armor where his skin began at the sides of his neck. When her hands went downwards over his chest, her fingertips caressing every texture on his armor, she let out a moan followed by a giggle.

“Have I ever told you how much I love your armor?” Aurora purred, biting her lower lip.

Crosshair chuckled. “Is that so?”

“You look incredibly handsome in it,” she said before nibbling on Crosshair’s lip, making him shudder with delight.

“How about without it?” Crosshair prompted.

“Mm,” Aurora straightened her back, pausing their kiss, only to look him in the eyes. “Would you believe me if I told you I’d rather you kept it on for the next part?”

“I can find my way around most of the things you like with it,” Crosshair smirked. “But there’s one large thing I wouldn’t be able to use.”

Aurora laughed. “Well, I suppose one of the pieces of your armor can go.”

“Atta girl,” he whispered, pulling her back down towards him.

She kissed him with more heat and ran her hands over his chest plate. The sensation of the plastoid against her palms contrasted with the warmth of Crosshair’s skin and the coarseness of the shadow of his beard beginning to come in. That was yet another detail that she loved about him, and it sent her mind reeling. Aurora’s lips trailed kisses on his jawline, switching between them and tender nibbles, enjoying the low-pitched hums escaping from Crosshair. The need of him took over her, and her hands grasped at the pieces of his armor, tugging on them, teasing him, as she made her way down just enough to begin tugging at his codpiece, the one piece she was intent on removing.

The Marauder’s platform hissed and it began to open and descend, announcing the arrival of company. Aurora and Crosshair squirmed out of the pilot’s seat as fast as they could—it could had been faster had it not been for the blast wound—and while they were both on their feet by the time the other three members of the squad climbed on the ship, Aurora’s messy hair and Crosshair’s crooked plastoid pieces told the tale.

“Hey,” Hunter cooed. “Are we interrupting?”

“Get out,” Crosshair replied.

“Your rooms are right there,” Tech’s hand movements appeared cross-wired as he attempted to choose between gesturing at the bunks and facepalming.

“Crosshair, get your fucking codpiece straightened—” Wrecker looked away. “My EYES.”

Crosshair rolled his eyes and readjusted his armor while Aurora blushed and looked away, softly trying to recomb her hair with her fingers.

“So…” she began. “How are the comms beacons?”

“Fully erect,” Hunter wiggled his eyebrows, only to earn himself a shove from Wrecker and a grimace from Crosshair.

“If you would behave like civilized, intelligent beings,” Tech rubbed his forehead. “We would be able to discuss the fact that the beacons are now fully operational. Now that they’re put in place, we just have to wait for confirmation from the other squadrons sent out on similar missions on different systems. If we all succeed—”

“The Republic will have a higher capacity for long distance comms,” Hunter said proudly.

“Which will prove advantageous,” Tech said. “Placing these on remote planets with little to no inhabitants, the Separatists would take too long to find and disrupt the source of these comms even if they caught on.”

“We did our job correctly, now we wait,” Wrecker pouted. “We don’t do waiting.”

“I’m waiting now,” Crosshair slurred through gritted teeth.

“It should not be long before our next assignment,” Tech tried to reassure them.

“He’s right,” Hunter said as he made his way over to the passenger seat on the opposite side of the cockpit. He sat down and took out his vibroblade to spin it between his fingers with enough expertise to not need to look at it. “Best enjoy ourselves. We won’t be here for longer than tomorrow.”

Silence fell inside the Marauder. Judging by how the previous few missions had gone, every one of the members of the squad felt dread over what was waiting for them next.

“Um…” Aurora broke the silence. “Has… anyone mentioned resuming the mission on Christophsis? Setting up the base?”

“Like hell I’m taking you back there,” Crosshair frowned.

“It is my understanding that the base on Christophsis has been postponed indefinitely,” Tech consulted the information on his datapad. “High command will most likely look for a different planet to continue the mission in. There is no telling how many hostile forces were actually on the planet, and it is highly unlikely that our encounter finished them all off. Besides, the Republic’s eyes are on another objective already that could potentially replace the effort for Christophsis, or similar.”

Hunter met eyes with Tech as he spoke those words, his gaze hardening. Aurora noticed and focused on Hunter’s movements—the way he stopped spinning his blade in his fingers, his grip tightening around the handle, the furrowing of his eyebrows that was so faint it was nearly invisible. Being the sergeant, he obviously knew what Tech was talking about, and he must have known what that “other objective” was.

But judging by Hunter’s demeanor, Aurora could only assume the mission wasn’t worthy of any optimism, and that was as alarming as going into a mission blind and unarmored.

“Wherever we’re sent,” Hunter sheathed his vibroblade within his armor, “I suggest we all get some more rest. Can’t get too much of it with our lifestyle. And eat up, too. We’ll get a fresh stash of rations before setting off anyway.”

“Sarge ordering us to eat and sleep,” Wrecker chuckled. “That’s an order I can follow.”

“Don’t finish all the food,” Hunter told Wrecker as he got up and made his way into his bunk.

“You had to ruin it, didn’t you?” Wrecker groaned and followed after him.

Tech shut off his holopad and looked at Crosshair and Aurora, his expression blank. “If you two insist on consummating, I must ask you not to do it in the ship’s cockpit.”

“Is your room available?” Crosshair grinned.

“Not there, either,” Tech answered, and he too made his way into his bunk.

The couple were left alone once more in the cockpit in a silence that was perhaps more dense than before. All the teasing seemed to escape from Crosshair and he walked over to Aurora, hands reaching out for hers. “What do you want to do?”

She smiled with drowsy eyes. “I kind of just want to lay on a bunk with you.”

Crosshair’s features softened. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I am,” she blinked. “It just suddenly sounds like a nice thing to do.”

Crosshair squeezed her hands in his and didn’t say another word. He led her to the back of the ship where the small rooms were, three of them with their doors closed already. They entered Crosshair’s room and he helped her onto the bunk, after which he went back out of the room. Aurora watched the empty space between the doorframe, puzzled, until Crosshair’s silhouette emerged once more as he held a fresh box of rations.

Aurora beamed at the sight of Crosshair closing the door behind him with the rations in hand, and when he caught onto the way she was looking at him, he laughed.

“What?” He asked. “I thought you liked lying in bed with snacks.”

“I really am a simple creature,” Aurora sat up on the mattress and held her hands out to grab the box. “Please tell me there’s cheese in this.”

Crosshair sat next to her, their backs resting against the wall behind them. Her body once again was pressed up to his, and he wrapped his right arm around her, pulling her even closer. Aurora opened the rations box, her eyes twinkling at the sight of multiple rolls of cheese with what appeared to be ham. She grabbed one and took a generous bite of it, holding it up close to Crosshair’s lips as she chewed.

Gently, Crosshair kissed the side of her head. “It’s yours.”

“I’m not offering again,” she teased. “I will finish these.”

With a deep chuckle, Crosshair accepted the bite she’d offered. He took what was left of the roll, holding it between his teeth with half of it still out, facing down at her. Aurora perked up and took the remaining half with her teeth, letting her lips brush against his before pulling back down with a giggle.

“If you tell anyone outside this room I did that, I’m going to deny it,” Crosshair said.

“I understand,” Aurora grinned with mischief. “It’s probably the cheesiest thing you’ve ever done.”

“Go to your room,” Crosshair said bluntly before matching her grin, earning musical laughter from her.

They finished what remained of the ration box without much conversation, and when all that was left were crumbs, Crosshair set the empty box aside. Aurora scurried on the mattress to fully lie down, with her head resting on Crosshair’s chest. Crosshair did the same, and with the ration box gone, he now had both of his arms available to hold Aurora close to him.

And they lay in silence. Through his armor, it was harder for Aurora to hear Crosshair’s heartbeat, but if she focused, she could feel it there. But stared up at the gray ceiling, and while Aurora’s mind quieted down, Crosshair’s mind was racing.

Why couldn’t that fear leave him alone? He was so afraid of Aurora’s wound so much as acting up with an ounce of pressure being placed over it. The knowledge of their next mission assignment not being even one full rotation away put a weight over his shoulders that he had to carry alone.

What was he supposed to do, tell Aurora to leave the army? Leave with her? They’d both be prosecuted for that, and neither would have any chance of winning.

Time moved forward imperceptibly for Crosshair, and though the clouds and the small size of the window between the wall and the ceiling of his room wouldn’t let him see the sun gliding across the sky, he could eventually tell when it was getting darker. Aurora’s breathing deepened and she seemed to become warmer, and in her deep slumber, her grip tightened around Crosshair. The only thing he could have possibly wanted at that moment was to remove his armor so that she would have a softer pillow to rest on, but he was certain any movement would wake her.

He didn’t have the heart to interrupt her dreaming. She deserved to rest.

In the silence and the darkening sky, Crosshair fell asleep too. He had no way of knowing how long it had been when his eyes opened again, only then there was no more gray daylight coming in through his window. Instead, a soft silver gleam crept in through the glass. In the hours that had passed, the dense clouds had cleared from the sky, and now the little piece of sky that he could see was laden with stars and decorated with a half-lit moon staring right back at him.

Crosshair lay in silence long enough to notice the occasional cloud drifting past the moon and the stars. Through the window, Crosshair watched the half-lit moon, its ethereal light hazy in the thin layer of clouds coming and going. It seemed to watch him back, at times brighter than others, even if it wasn't in full splendor due to being in its first quarter, or was it the last quarter? Crosshair couldn't tell on his own account.

Aurora was the one who'd know that detail, but he wouldn't wake her up to ask.

She rested so soundly in his arms. Her breath fell over his chest as she nuzzled his skin, breathing deeply in her slumber. Crosshair held her protectively, enveloping her body with his, keeping her warm and safe.

Suddenly, he wanted her to wake. He wanted to hear her voice, to look into her eyes, to kiss her. He wanted to speak the words boiling in his chest, the ones that had refused to leave him when she wanted to hear them. Crosshair wanted her to hear them now, and he only hoped she could. He didn't think it would be right to stall it further.

"I love you."

A whisper in the night, one heard only by the moon herself, and after the words were in the air, the light of the half moon vanished behind the clouds, as though in saying so, he could finally let her rest.

*

When morning came, Crosshair found that Aurora had woken up before him. When he moved his body, he found himself sore from sleeping with his armor on, but he hardly cared, not as long as Aurora wasn’t equally or more sore, anyway. He opened his bunk room’s door and was met with an empty hallway, but he was able to hear the faint chatter of two of his brothers coming from the cockpit. Eventually, the sound of Aurora’s voice could be heard as well—he relaxed, finally knowing where she was.

Before he could go to her, he felt a hand firmly clenching his left shoulder, making him turn around to face a stern-faced Hunter.

“We need to talk.”

Crosshair raised a brow, prompting his oldest brother to speak. Hunter crossed his arms and exhaled, his gaze falling to the floor briefly before he looked up at Crosshair again. “It’s as we feared.”

It didn’t take long for Crosshair to catch on. He’d heard the comm chatter and the rumors too. That other objective Tech had talked about the day before, the one that would blow off any of the GAR’s interests on Christophsis and any other planet for that matter. The one that was famed to be the toughest warzone the war had seen yet.

“Umbara.”

“This time, it’s General Skywalker who needs us,” Hunter nodded. “The only reason he does is because he won’t be with the 501st himself.”

“Hunter, I can’t take Aurora there,” Crosshair blurted.

Hunter looked up at Crosshair, not surprised that she was his first concern. “She’s still a part of this squad, and we need medics over there.”

“She can’t even walk properly,” Crosshair whispered, his gaze hardening. “And even if she could, have you heard who’s taking over for Skywalker?”

“Yes,” Hunter nearly growled. “Which is why we have to show up. No matter how much we may not want to.”

Hunter could see the worry culminating in Crosshair’s eyes, and with a sigh of resignation, the sergeant came up with a plan.

“I’ll let Cody know Aurora’s still in recovery,” Hunter said. “He won’t force us to take her there if she’s wounded.”

With a long exhale, Crosshair managed to release some of the tension, and he looked into Hunter’s eyes without any barriers, as honest as he ever could have been to his oldest brother.

“Thank you.”

Hunter nodded and gave Crosshair’s shoulder pad a brotherly tap. “Now we have to tell the others.”

Crosshair nodded at his brother while he walked by, and the two made their way into the cockpit. When they were there, Crosshair locked eyes with Aurora as Hunter broke the news of what their next mission would be, and as he spoke, Tech began plugging in coordinates back to Coruscant, though his usual resolve in doing so had faded. Wrecker made no jokes. Hunter, for a moment, couldn’t meet eyes with any of his brothers—he’d be leading them into what felt like a deathtrap.

And Crosshair locked his gaze on Aurora’s, giving a faint shake to his head. Though wordless, Aurora seemed to understand what he was trying to say, for in her eyes, the trepidation grew.

Crosshair knew she would want to go with them. But he also knew, better than he knew anything, that he’d do anything to protect the woman staring back at him.

Anything.

And that sometimes, a goodbye would serve a better purpose.

He just wished he’d come back in one piece.

{Next chapter (coming soon!)} {Back to series masterlist}

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