#rex lost everybody too

[antianakin]

I've decided that Rex isn't going to forgive Sabine within a timeline where the Ahsoka show happened. Like the MOMENT he hears that Thrawn is back and they have to fight in yet another war all over again all because Sabine was stupid and selfish, that's it for him. He's heard about Anakin at this point, he's gotten enough information to know that Anakin also made a really stupid, selfish choice and it led to the destruction of Rex's entire world. The Jedi gone, the clones enslaved, the Republic crushed. He knows where this kind of selfishness leads now and he's unwilling to stick around just hoping Sabine turns herself around faster than Anakin did. He's been betrayed enough in his life now to know what he's willing to forgive and what he isn't. And Sabine forcing them all to fix a problem they already had to lose people to fix the first time because she got a little lonely and refused to ask anybody for help isn't something he's willing to forgive.

[corrieguards]

Confessions

Captain Rex x f!reader Summary: Fives not so accidentally lets the cat out the bag that the captain has a crush on you. Not quite knowing how to deal with this new information, you start avoiding Rex like the plague. He notices and decides to confront you about it. Word count: 2,6k T/W: none A/N: I am, and always will be, a sucker for soft!Rex so I hope you like this self-indulgent fic as much as I liked writing it <3. Also please enjoy the awkward Rex gif. He is too cute and needs to be shared as much as possible. my masterlist

Being assistant medic to the 501st meant you had a lot of dirt on a lot of troopers. The things these men were capable of coming out with when they were under even the lightest of meds never ceased to amaze you. It was like they lost their filter (not that the had much of one to begin with) and would just blurt out whatever came to their mind without a second thought.

You still remember when Tup had come to after being unconscious and admitted in a fit of giggles that you were “The prettiest girl he’d ever met”

Or that one time you’d had to stay overnight with Hardcase in the med bay after giving him some pretty strong pain meds. You’d spent your whole shift listening to him babble on about some girl who was apparently the love of his life and the one thing he couldn't live without. Later on when you were relaying the story to Kix you found out that he wasn’t talking about a girl at all, rather about his favourite DC-17 blaster that he insisted on carrying with him everywhere.

Anyway, the point was that you were used to having all these weird and random things thrown at you by the clones, so much so that you actually found yourself looking forward to hear what they were going to come out with this time. You were prepared for anything these men would throw at you. Or so you thought.

—

You were currently caring for Fives. He’d got knocked out by a detonator during the last mission, so as soon as you saw him start to open his eyes you rushed over to his side.

“Hey there trooper, how’re you feeling?”

He frowned up at you confused “Am I dead? Is this heaven?”

“Nope sorry Fives. You’re still very much alive” You chuckled “Just got a bit knocked up is all, but I’ll have you right in no time”

He groaned as he started to sit up “Are you sure? Could’ve sworn I was dead. You look like an angel right now”

Gently pressing on his shoulder you tried to get him to lay back down. He huffed but complied, letting you push him back and watching as you dipped a cloth in cold water, gently dabbing it on the gash that went from his temple to his jaw.

You talked to him as you worked, a gentle smile on your face “Trust you to almost die and then the first thing you do when you wake up is flirt with your medic. ”

“Oh no no. I wouldn’t dare flirt with the Captains' favorite medic”

He hissed when you pressed a little too hard on his wound. “Ow, what the hell-?

“What did you just say?”

He scowled up at you “I said ow-”

You shook your head at him “No no, before that. What did you say about Rex?”

“About you being his favourite medic?” he said frowning at you confused when you nodded in response

“Yeah, that”

“I thought it was obvious”

Now it was your turn to frown at him “What’s obvious?”

He lets out an incredulous laugh at your obliviousness, only making you more impatient “Fives, you better tell me what the hell you're talking about?”

“Oh come on, everybody knows the captains got a thing for the pretty little medic”

You freeze, eyes quickly dropping back to the cloth in your hand. “Don’t be ridiculous Fives” you mutter, pointedly going back to cleaning his wound.

He grabs your wrist to stop you, a disbelieving look on his face “Wait- Do you really not know?”

“Don’t mess with me, Fives.” you shake you hand free from his grasp “It’s not funny”

He looks taken aback by the coldness in your voice before a look of realisation crosses over his face. “You like him…” he whispers as if it’s the biggest secret in the galaxy

You blush slightly “No I don’t, I just- well I just-” you clear your throat, avoiding his eyes “I just respect him that's all.”

Fives lets out a chuckle “Bullshit. You like him!"

Shushing him quickly, you glance around at the other troopers in the med bay “Not so loud for kriff sake” you whisper at him harshly. This only makes him smile wider, pointing at your face and exclaiming loudly

“You do! You like Rex!”

You grab his finger angrily, shoving it back down “Ok fine I do. Now can you please shut up before the whole GAR finds out"

He smirks but settles down anyway "I knew it"

You scoffed, picking the cloth back up and wetting it again "Sure you did Fives"

"Did too" he replies smugly. You smile, shaking your head and getting back to work cleaning up his cut. After a few moments silence he breaks it again

"He likes you back y'know"

"Mhm I'm sure he does"

He sits up indignantly "It's true!"

"Fives…" you warn quietly

"I'm serious. He talks about you all the time when he's drunk. And he stares at you so often that it's actually kinda embarrassing"

You pulled back, staring into his eyes and searching for any hint that he's messing with you but were surprised to see him completely serious. A very rare sight for Fives.

Swallowing nervously you take in a shaky breath "Does he really like me?"

"Mhm he sure does. Tries to pretend he doesn't but we all know Rex can't keep a secret to save his life"

That gets a laugh out of you because it's so true. It's actually one of the things you love about Rex. The way he stutters and blushes anytime he tries to tell even the smallest of lies is something you find insanely cute and endearing.

You’d liked him for a long time, and who could blame you? This was Rex we were talking about. Handsome blond Captain Rex.

There was no chance of anything happening between you two. You’d accepted that and were content on just admiring him from a distance, occasionally sharing a few conversations, a couple glances from across the room. Never anything more.

But what Fives had just said lit a small flicker of hope in you. Hope was bad, very bad. Hope meant that you couldn't keep ignoring your little crush and pretending it didn't exist.

Hope meant you actually stood a chance.

You shook your head, clearing your thoughts before you could get too carried away in your fantasy.

"It doesn't really matter, it's not like anything could happen between us anyway"

Fives gaze snapped to you "What are you talking about? You two would be so good together"

"You know that's not what I'm talking about." you rolled your eyes at him

"Then what are you talking about?"

" I'm talking about what would happen if someone found out. Rex would be court-martialed Fives, you know what that means right?"

Fives open his mouth to answer you but you cut him off before he had a chance "This is his whole life Fives, I can't expect him to risk everything for me like that."

There was a moment's silence before Fives softly replied "Maybe he'd think you're worth the risk"

—

It had been a couple rotations since your interaction with Fives, and you had been trying desperately to avoid both him and the Captain, so far succeeding in both.

But as if he insisted on not leaving you alone, Fives voice kept echoing in your head. Repeating the same sentences over and over. Even though you tried to ignore it, it kept coming back and haunting you.

"Everybody knows the captains got a thing for the pretty little medic"

As if your thoughts had summoned him, the very same handsome captain you'd just been thinking about strolled through the mess hall door. His eyes doing a quick sweep of the room, giving you a double take upon seeing you and decidedly walking over to your table.

You quickly ducked your head down, panic beginning to rise in your chest. What if Fives had spoken to him? What if he'd told him about you silly little crush? What if-

Rex's shadow looming over you made you look up, eyes instantly locking with his and taking your breath away. Stars, those eyes.

"He stares at you so often that it's actually kinda embarrassing”

"Hey" his voice shook you from your thoughts "Haven't seen you around much lately"

"Yeah…" you chuckled nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear " Um Kix has been keeping me pretty busy the last couple days"

"Oh." He slipped into the seat across from you "Well if he's working you extra y'know I can always stop by and have a chat with him."

"No no" you shake your head quickly "It's fine. Hard work’s what I sign up for after all"

Rex looks at you doubtfully, taking in your tired eyes and dark circles "Are you sure? You look pretty tired"

"I'm fine Rex." You smiled reassuringly "Promise"

"Okay, if you say so… Y'know I'm actually kinda relieved. Thought you'd been avoiding me or something" he chuckled, hand rubbing the back of his neck.

You stiffened and quickly looked back down at the table. His smile flattered. "But you haven't… right?"

Getting ready to answer you took in a shaky breath " Um…" You stalled trying desperately to come up with some excuse but his worried gaze was making it hard to think of anything

Suddenly you're comm chimed, breaking the tension and making you both jump. You stood up quickly "Sorry Rex, I've gotta go. Duty calls"

He looked taken aback as you hurried towards the door.

"We'll catch up some other time" you said over your shoulder. You heard his voice calling your name, only prompting you to walk faster.

Making it out into the corridor you heard your name again, this time louder. The med bay was just around the corner, if you could just make it there before he caught you, you would be fine

Breaking into a soft jog, you panicked when you heard his own heavy footsteps matching your pace. They were much too close for your liking.

The door to the med bay was just a handful of strides away now. You could see it.. C'mon almost there, almost there…

You almost screamed when you felt a hand grab you wrist, halting you and pulling you around to face him.

“He talks about you all the time when he's drunk”

Rex must've seen the panicked look on your face because he quickly released your wrist and took a step back.

"Hey, hey what's going on? Did I do something wrong?" He was slightly out of breath from running after you

"No no of course not" you shook your head before adding quietly "I don't think you could ever do anything wrong"

"Then why are you running away from me meshla?"

The pet name made your stomach flip, taking in a sharp breath and hesitating from a beat before replying

"It's nothing Rex, don't worry"

"Of course I'm gonna worry," he scoffed. "Something is obviously bothering you."

When you didn't reply he sighed and gently took one of your hands in his, holding it loosely

"I just wanna know what I've done so I can fix it," he whispered. Looking up and seeing the hurt in his eyes brought tears to your own.

"He likes you back y'know"

"It's just… something Fives said the other day" you said, keeping your gaze down to hide your embarrassingly watery eyes.

But he saw them anyway, jaw clenching and a hand tightening it's hold on your own "What did he say to you?" he growled protectively "Because if he said something out of line-"

"No no it wasn't anything like that" you answered quickly. A look of relief passed over his face

"Good. But it still something that obviously upset you"

You swallowed nervously before responding "It was about you actually"

Rex stiffened "Me?"

“Tries to pretend he doesn't but we all know Rex can't keep a secret to save his life"

"Yeah…"

"Well what- what about me?"

" He was suggesting that maybe- that you might-"

Rex could see you were struggling to say whatever it was you needed to say so he took a step closer, leaning in towards you "Hey it's ok, you can tell me."

"Maybe he'd think you're worth the risk"

Squeezing your eyes shut, you somehow mustered up a tiny ounce of courage, letting it all out in a rush "He said that you had a crush on me"

Keeping your eyes shut, you heard Rex's breath hitch and felt his hands tighten their hold on your own. After a few moments silence you slowly peeked your eyes open, heart beating fast as you took in the man in front of you.

He looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Well… I- I don't really know what to say…"

Nodding you tried to hide your disappointment by looking down at your feet. Of course he didn't like you, how could you ever think he did

You bit your lip as tears began brimming in your eyes How could you be so fucking stupid and start to let yourself believe that Captain Rex could possibly like you, a lowly medic.

"It's ok" you whispered, blurry eyes focusing on the ships shiny floor "Don't worry I knew Fives was just messing with me"

That really broke Rex out of his trance " What do you mean?"

"I mean of course you don't actually like me, why would you?" You replied, laughing sadly.

Rex frowned, genuinely confused "What are you talking about?"

When you didn't answer Rex called your name softly, making you look up at him, his breath hitching when he saw your teary eyes

"Oh meshla come 'ere" he pulled you into his arms, your head nuzzling into his neck and his hands finding their home around your waist.

"Listen to me carefully" he whispered into your hair "don't you ever, ever say that again."

You smiled into his neck but he wasn't finished "Of course I like you meshla, have since the moment i met you. How could I not love you when you're so fucking perfect?"

He pulled back and you immediately looked down shyly, avoiding his gaze. Calling your name, he gently lifted your chin with the crook of his finger, making you look him in the eyes

"I want to be able to call you mine"

You could feel you carefully built walls slowly falling down at his confession. Every second you spent this close to Rex another piece of them crumbling.

"But… what if someone finds out Rex. What then? How much are you willing to risk for this?"

He lent in impossibly closer, foreheads touching and lips brushing against yours as he spoke

"For you? Everything"

The last stone in your wall tumbling down, you closed the gap between you, enclosing your lips with his. He sighed into your mouth kissing you back hard, months of bottled up feelings pouring into this one single kiss.

Your hands travelled over his chest, one sneaking up behind his neck and into his short buzzed hair. He growled appreciatively, his own hands already grabbing your waist and pulling you into him, clutching onto you like a man drowning.

Breathless you both pulled back just far enough to catch your breath. He chuckled, nuzzling his nose into yours as you smiled softly.

"I love you Rex"

Your confession lingered in the limited air between you, his eyes flickering down to your lips before he gave them a gentle peck

"Love you more, meshla"

----

tag-list: @mirshebs-meshla

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[merlincmgirl]

I'll Be Your Commander

Summary: While going about your day in the hangar of the Resolute, you can't help but prank your favourite Captain.

Author's Note: I wrote this at 1AM and thought it would be funny. I know he's not a Commander (technically). But I couldn't get his face out of my head. Inspired by Commander by Kelly Rowland.

The clones were all lined up, all of them ready for roll call. Rex was walking along the lines in front of you as you watched from your position on top of a LAATie that you were meant to be working on. This morning was all about the troopers running drills and since you've been the subject of a few of the 501st pranks, now was a perfect time to play a prank of your own. And of course, you were going to go bigger and better than they ever could.

"You all know what is expected of you. After our last battle, I was made aware that we lost crucial time in our attack due to protocols not being followed. Today-" Rex announced, looking at each of his men as he passed. All of them in parade rest, helmets on but he knew that they were listening to every word he said as he made his way up and down the lines.

As he did, you pressed a button on your vambrace. You had set it up perfectly, and you hid your smile as the speakers in the hangar started blaring.

"I'LL BE YOUR COMMANDER! (I'LL BE YOUR COMMANDER)"

Switching it off, you couldn't help but watch as Rex froze before spinning around, trying to find out what the kriff was going on. You fought with yourself to keep a bewildered look on your face, just like everybody else. You couldn't give it away by bursting into laughter.

"Mac, what is going on? Are we under attack?" Rex demanded, turning to the engineer that was already pulling out his data pad to find out.

"I don't believe we're under attack sir, it seems to be coming from a short range device" he reported to his Captain. He was typing away, trying to figure out where the music was coming from.

"We may have a separatist spy on board if that is the case. No-" Rex frowned, turning back to his men as his fingers hovered over his blasters.

Smirking, I pressed the button again.

"NO FEAR, NO DOUBT, I'LL PROVIDE THE ANSWER!"

"Uh, sir... I can track the device used to hack into the speakers. It'll take a couple of minutes" Mac grimaced, seeing the irritated look spread over his Captain's face. Rex just nodded in confirmation, face turning a slight pink in colour, whether from anger or embarrassment, you couldn't tell from your position up top.

"RIGHT NOW I COMMAND YOU TO DANCE!"

There was a few muffled laughs from the clones in front of you and more than a few were rocking to the beat of the song. It was going better than you could have ever hoped for.

"Shall we dance sir?" Hardcase asked, leaning forward to look past Jesse's shoulder.

"Hardcase!" Rex rebuked, as the song continued to play over the speaker, drowning out what he was attempting to say to his men.

"Seems like a prank, sir" Kix told him, glad of his helmet to hide the smile that spread across his face.

Rex scowled, hearing it anyway in his vod's voice before turning sharply to find the culprit.

"FIVES!" Rex yelled, looking at his troublesome brother. He was always one to pull pranks and have a laugh, but he had gone too far this time. Humiliating him while conducting drills was a new one and he was going to make sure he wouldn't forget this punishment.

"What?! It wasn't me this time! Promise!" Fives swore, resting a hand in his heart.

Oh, this was perfect! You had a feeling that Fives may be blamed for your stunt. He was one of the worst pranksters on the Resolute, and you enjoyed winding each other up. But Fives had nothing on you!

"I'LL BE YOUR COMMANDER (I-I'LL BE YOUR COMMANDER)"

You were having so much fun, watching Rex get more and more irritated as the song continued and his men lost formation and chuckled and snorted in amusement at the words. When you had heard the song, you had instantly thought of Rex and the Commander batch. You were glad that you had the forethought to record this on the surveillance tapes for Cody and the others. They would get a right giggle out of this and add it to their collection of material in which to tease their vod'ika.

"Sir! I found the location of the hacker. They're in the hangar" Mac declared, handing over the data pad to show Rex where and who was responsible for this. He couldn't help but chuckle, this drill had turned out more entertaining than they normally was. It was needed after the last few campaigns.

Rex took it from him, scanning the information on the page. Nodding swiftly, he straightened up.

That should have been your first clue. But you were too busy enjoying your success to notice that Mac had given Rex his datapad. However, as soon as Rex turned sharply and his narrowed eyes met yours across the hangar, you knew you were in trouble.

"Y/N!"

Rex's loud bark of a shout had you cursing, scrambling to get off the LAATie and run for your life away from the furious Captain.

With a speed that surprised you, Rex was already beginning to scramble up the transport vehicle to grab you. Shit how could you have forgotten how agile he was? You had barely made it off the edge before you felt the air move from where his hand had tried to reach for you and missed.

"I'm sorry!" you yelled over your shoulder, ducking around a turbo cart that was in your path as you headed further into the ship. Hearing a loud growl from Rex as he chased you down, you wondered if the General would find the prank amusing enough to get you out of whatever Rex was planning for you.

"Don't run vod'ika, he's your Commander!" Fives shouted after you to the amusement and laughter of his fellow soldiers.

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

DC (Batfamily)

Birdwatch11 by smilebackwards

Tim hadn’t actually meant to start a popular Batwatch blog.

He hadn’t meant to start a blog at all honestly but by the time he turned eleven he’d accumulated hundreds of pictures of Batman and Robin on his Nikon DSLR and it had just seemed inefficient to go through the trouble of printing them and storing them in a box under his bed when BlogSphere had a perfectly adequate platform.

lost treasure by adelfie

"Dad, I don’t want to do this.”

“It doesn’t matter what you want. This is why we brought you here,” Jack hisses. “So we can get paid.”

Or: When a cozy night out with his parents turns into a night of captivity and torture, Tim is forced to seek protection from his worst nightmare - the Red Hood.

Hey There Demons by hitthedeck

Treating magical threats lightly is never an option, especially when that threat tears holes in realities. To combat this danger, a good hero must remain vigilant and in peak physical condition at all times.

Too bad Red Robin never got that message.

Or, in which even demons can't comprehend why Tim Drake is Like That.

Stranger Things

Tell Me "Don't", So I Can Crawl Back In by KiaraMGrey

When Steve finds himself alone and without friends, following his breakup with Nancy, he decides what he needs is a distraction. Maybe some new friends who don't remind him of the bullshit life he gave up. When he literally runs into Eddie Munson, school drug dealer and self proclaimed freak, an idea begins to form. Who better to show him what life outside popularity can be like, than someone who doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks?

And Eddie? Well, Eddie is just bracing for impact.

Everybody's Friend by AmethystUnarmed

"Hey Harrington,” Eddie calls, as Steve books it to the Beamer.

Steve stops, and is only the slightest bit nervous when he says, “Yeah?”

It almost makes Eddie feel bad.

Almost.

“How’s the character creation going?”

The absolute dread on Steve’s face confirms Eddie's worst fears.

“I... I'm not going to be able to play Thursday.”

God. Dammit.

~~~

Steve's budding friendship with the Hellfire Club hits a few snags and Eddie wonders if all of this was even worth it.

Clone Wars

Standards of Professionality by Trixree

"Are we going to pretend I didn’t just find you fucking your General, vod?” Rex hisses over private-comm.

Cody doesn’t even turn his head to look at him. Rex can hear the smile in Cody’s voice when he replies, “No, because I am not fucking my General, Rex’ika. I am fucking Obi-Wan. We are professionals.”

5 times Cody and Obi-Wan struggled to maintain plausible deniability regarding their affections for one another + 1 time they decidedly Did Not

Shadowhunters

prosper matrimonium by smilebackwards

"Gorgeous, sweet, community-oriented,” Magnus ticks off the positive attributes on his fingers. And he’s sure he’ll find plenty more to like about Alexander Lightwood. “I imagine suitors are beating down his door. Please tell me he’s not actually dating Lorenzo.”

Cat hesitates. “Well, if you’re really interested in Alec, you have interesting timing to say the least.”

“How do you mean?” Magnus asks.

“Alec just put his name in for the prosper matrimonium.”

Or: The disaster with the Circle swings the Clave a little more progressive. And if Magnus wants Alec’s heart, he’s going to have to compete for it

The Umbrella Academy

To Be Where You Are (So Very Far) by bobee

He'd thought he'd seen it all.

Forty-Five years in a wasteland and two weeks saving the world, only to be taken for a year by a man guided by his own self-interest. He'd seen the horrors of what this life has to offer. It's all he's ever seen.

He just hadn't known that there was one out there meant for him.

(or, Number Five, the end of the end of the world, and the start of a new one.)

On My Terms by CivilBores

"I did what you asked,” he tells her. “Now, the briefcase.”

Her eyebrows raise in mock-surprise, red lips curling up her face in a sadistic smile.

“You didn’t think that was all, did you?” she asks.

AU: The Handler gives Five a slightly different deal.

[clone-whore-99]

Would it be completely out of line to request a Rex fic? You can say no if it is--it's fine. It's probably not everybody's cup of tea to tackle.

The idea is Rex and fem!reader have been in a relationship for a decent chunk of time (six months min?) and reader has definitely fallen in love with Rex . (Because why wouldn't she--he's REX.) He's her first real relationship and she's had all of her firsts with him except her first sexual experiences (beyond some groping) and now finally feels ready to take that step. Except she's nervous and a little self-conscious because, while she has no experience, Rex does and she's afraid to be a disappointment to him. How he handles that information and what he does to soothe her worries, I'll leave to your discretion.

TL;DR: Can I get some slow, hot, romantic, sweet, sexy first-time smut with Rex, please?

BTW, love your writing. Your Mayday fic was literally the first one I found after I searched him on a whim (curious to see how fast the stuff would be coming out for him). Very nice. Way to get out in front of it all!

Hiiii! No of course it will not be out of line to ask for a Rex fic! I am CLONE-whore-99 after all, not just Bad-Batch-whore-99. Sorry it took me so long to respond btw, life's a bitch but just know I've been working on this since I got the ask

Firsts

Rex x f!Reader

18+ minors will get yeeted

Warnings: so much fluff with a little smut to flavor it, lot of firsts, inexperienced reader, established relationships, fingering/handjob, safe unprotected piv, both reader and Rex are such sweethearts, reader is in a bit of a dangerous situation in the beginning

LMK if I missed anything (❁´◡`❁)

Word count: about 4k

Beta read by: @nunanuggets

Please like, reblog and comment if you like my work, it means more than you know ❤

If you want to, you can also help by buying me a coffee ❤

Rex. The love of your life, Rex. The man you could see yourself spend the rest of your life with.  The man you had all of your firsts with - well, almost all.

The way the two of you met, was a classic rom-com meet cute. Something you’d never thought actually happened in real life.

But it did.

To you of all people.

You had just moved to Coruscant for University, first time being on your own in the big, scary galaxy. You had never really thought of yourself as sheltered or naive, but the other students had apparently labeled you as “gullible” and thought you an easy target for pranks.

Most of these pranks were thankfully harmless, but one did seem to take things a tad too far. They had sent you on a monkey-lizard chase on the lower levels, something you quickly realized after being laughed out of a bar, but not before you had managed to get completely lost. 

As time passed on, more and more… Questionable characters came out, and you felt way less secure and a lot more desperate.

Some of them must’ve picked up on your nervous behavior, as they began to circle you, tease you and comment on how you must be from the topside, that you had no place being down there, ect.

You were sure this was it. This was how you were going to die, within your very first week of being on your own. You were terrified, alone and couldn’t help the tears beginning to stream down your cheeks.

That’s when he entered your life. Your savior. Your hero. Your king. Rex.

With a few stern words, one warning shot purposely missing a perpetrators head by only a hair strand and a few punches for good measure, he had saved you.

He had stayed with you until you calmed down enough to actually talk, made sure you actually got back home to your student apartment and stayed the night on the couch, like the gentleman he was.

The next day was apparently one of his rare days off duty, which he decided to spend with you.

Pretty soon he would spend all of his off time in your apartment, whenever he was planetside. 

He taught you self defense and how not to be so “gullible” when it came to others. He told you about his crazy adventures, about the jedi and the things he faced in the heat of the battle.

In return, you taught him how to relax, to let himself mourn his losses and his brothers and about regular, civilian life. Though, he never really seemed to quite get the grasp of it.

It didn’t take long for you to fall in love with this wonderful man and it appeared the feeling was mutual. When exactly the relationship started, you weren’t sure. It just kinda happened.

Maybe it began when Rex for the first time brought home a souvenir from one of his missions. Nothing illegal or grand really, just a pretty rock he had found while resting, which made him think of you. He was so shy when he presented it to you, rubbing the back of his and stumbling over his words explaining the reason behind it.

Or maybe it was the first time the two of you cuddled together, warming up and drying off after having gone on an emergency grocery run in the pouring rain. Or the first time Rex let you see the emotional scars the war had caused him. Or the first time he had slept in the same bed as you, after you had had a nightmare.

No. It was without a doubt, the first time you kissed. You wanted to make a traditional meal from your home planet, only to accidentally burn it. You were so distressed, wanting nothing more than for this man to experience a part of your home. Rex had calmed you down with a kiss and the two of you ended up going on your first official date, at Dex’ Diner.

Everything about this man seemed perfect. He made you feel like the most important person in the whole galaxy, like you deserved everything good and then some. And you truly felt the same for him.

Which gave you an inkling of guilt. Rex was a rather… experienced man, when it came to bedroom stuff. Obviously. He wasn’t only extremely handsome and sexy, he was calm, intelligent and had an energy about him which made you feel safe. He was ideal in every way possible.

And you… Were you. You hadn’t even as much as kissed a man before Rex, let alone done anything sexual with anyone. You wanted your first time to be with Rex, but you were scared he would be bored or dissatisfied with you.

Why wouldn’t he? There was no way you could give him anything special. Anything he hadn’t tried yet.

You still wanted to try, though. Rex was bound to come planetside within a few hours and you did everything to give him a warm welcome.

You showered, cleaned the apartment, showered again, dressed your bed with new comfortable sheets, made a delicious meal that just needed quick heating once you got hungry, showered one more time just to be sure and went out to get some fancy drinks and sexy lingerie.

Upon returning to the apartment, you heard the shower running. Thinking that you might’ve forgotten to turn it off during the chaos of preparations, you ran to the refresher to fix your mistake. 

How you missed the perfectly stacked, dirty armor next to the bathroom door will forever be a mystery. 

The very next thing you knew, however, was that you had just run in on a butt naked Rex in the shower. And you suddenly felt a whole lot of things at once.

Rex didn’t seem too bothered to cover himself, though he did stand in a way so his more private parts were hidden from you. More for your comfort than his own.

“Y/N, you’re home. I hope it’s okay I let myself in to get clean, our last mission was on this dustball of a planet,” he explained, as if he ever needed a reason to let himself in. You had given him the keycard and code to your door for a reason.

Despite your best efforts, no sound managed to escape your lips. You were kinda just stuck there, staring dumbfoundedly at Rex, feeling your cheeks get hotter and knees get weaker by the second.

After getting a towel to cover himself with, Rex exited the shower and closed the space between the two of you. “Aaaare you okay, Y/N? I really didn’t mean to scare you, if that’s what happened.”

You were somehow unable to move, just staring ahead like a kybuck caught in headlights. Rex placed a hand on your cheek and lightly tilted your head up to meet his gaze. The look on his face was a mixture of worry from your odd behaviour and loving to finally see you again.

“I was gonna surprise you, but I guess you beat me to it.” You finally managed to get out, though your voice was still careful and low for some reason.

“Is that so? What was the surprise?”

Your heart was beating so fast and loud, you nearly feared it might break free from your chest. Your whole body felt like it was burning hot and melting away, with the way Rex was looking at you, with how close he was, nothing but a singular towel to cover himself.

“I was going to make this night special for you,” you admitted, without fully revealing the truth.

“Mesh’la, every night spent with you is special.”

Though his statement was sweet, it was far from what you meant. It felt weird admitting the truth, nerves wrenching your gut. Although you were certain you wanted this that night, with this man, it was still a huge step for you.

Hiding your face in your hands, you pressed yourself against Rex’ bare chest - which did not help with your rapid heartbeat. “I want to have sex with you. I was gonna surprise you with sex,” you admitted, voice muffled from your hiding.

With both hands coming to rest on your shoulders, Rex gave you the smallest shove so you wouldn’t be hiding against him or behind your hands. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure I heard you correctly,” He said, looking confused though you could swear there was something else hiding behind his eyes. “Did… Did you say you wanted to… Have sex with me?”

You nodded slowly.

Rex’ hand moved up to your cheek to cup it, as his lips made contact with yours. It was long and soft, melting away all of the tension you had built up with anxiety.

“Mesh’la,” Rex began, his voice deep and raspy. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

Confusion written all over your face, your eyes searched his face for any sign of sarcasm or joking. “What do you mean?”

A smirk crossed Rex’ soft lips, as if you had just asked him why the sky was blue. “Just that you seem a bit nervous, that’s all. I like this thing we’ve got going and I don’t want to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

Rex’ features had a tendency to become soft in your presence. When you first met him and often when he returned from battle, his features were harsh and rough from the stress of the war. But whenever he was around you, they softened a whole lot, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

It was incredible to get to witness him relaxing and being himself around you. It made you feel more relaxed too.

“I want to,” You replied, upon realizing you had spent way too long studying his features, rather than answering his question. “I really do want to. Why else would I have spent all day preparing for this? It’s just…” Suddenly feeling shy, your gaze averted downwards and to the side. You leant in closer to Rex, resting against his chest, though this time without it obstructing your voice while talking. “It’s gonna be my first time and… You’re, well, you. And I’m scared I’m not gonna live up to your expertise or it won’t be any good for you or… I don’t know! My mind starts running and running so fast I can’t keep up and all these scenarios start playing out and most are good but those that aren’t just -”

With a swoop of his hand, Rex had tilted your face upwards again and pressed a kiss against your lips to shut you up. Your own hands rested against his abs, just around the start of his happy trail.

Breaking the kiss far too soon, Rex’ forehead came to rest against yours. His eyes were half lidded and so easy to get lost in. “How about we just take it slow and see where it ends?” He suggested, before planting another kiss on your lips. Straightening back up to stand tall, an adoring smile crossed his lips. “And I promise, there’s no way anything you do won’t feel good for me.”

With that, the two of you suddenly ended up in your bed together. But unlike all the other times before, this wasn’t for sleeping or a cuddle session.

All of your plans had been thrown out the window. Rex suggested you waited with the food till after, same with the wine as he wanted you to be clear headed for this.

You were still fully dressed, while Rex’ towel was hanging on to dear life. Rex was leaning over you, sloppily making out while one hand kept exploring your body. So far, not much out of the ordinary.

Well, other than only a piece of cloth separating you from his member and your exploring hands constantly inching closer to it.

Rex only broke the kiss for a second, so he could take off your top and quickly went back to kissing you.

His calloused, yet surprisingly soft hands began fondling with your breast for a spell, expertly massaging and pinching them, causing you to be the one to break the kiss this time, with a gasp.

Rex used this opportunity to move his sloppy kisses down your neck, as one of his hands simultaneously traveled down towards the apex of your legs.

“Tell me if you want me to stop, or if it becomes too much.” He murmured against your skin, the vibrations traveling through your body and forced a pathetic whine out of you, as a response.

Upon making contact with your most private area, Rex found that much to his surprise, you were soaked. Beyond sloppy-makeout-session soaked. And as his finger made contact with your throbbing, sensitive clit, your hips instantly buckled against his hand, while your head threw back in a moan.

Rex broke the attack on your neck, so he could look you in the eyes, as he asked: “How long have you been turned on?” His eyes were dark with lust, his tone bordering between being genuine and being playful.

You gave up your attempt to explore his body, in order to hide the shame on your face. Not accepting this, Rex quickly brushed your hands away and pressed his forehead against yours, forcing you to look at him. All the while, his finger did not stop its teasing of your clit, causing pathetically low moans to escape your lips.

“Answer me, mesh’la.” Rex ordered, his voice commanding yet endearing.

“I, ah… I don’t know? Been thinking ‘bout this all dayhhh… But seeing you, in the shower, def - kark - definitely did something to me.”

“You’ve been thinking about me all day? Tell me about them,” Rex egged you on, one of his digits now teasing your entrance while his thumb continued its ruthless pace on your clit.

Speaking was getting harder, while your vision was starting to blur and this knot began tightening in your solar plexus. One hand grabbed tightly onto Rex’ bicep, while the other found its way past the very loose hanging towel and down to hold his cock. You weren’t sure where this new confidence came from, as you had never had contact with another person's genitals.

The throbbing would probably have freak you out, if it wasn’t for Rex’ finger curling into you, while he moaned - the sexiest thing you’ve ever had the pleasure to hear. The thing that was going to tip you over the edge.

Your grip on Rex’ bicep tightened, nails digging into his tan skin, while your other hand began pumping his cock, moving completely on its own accord. “Ka-ark, Rex….” You moaned, your hips thrusting into his palm, as the knot in your stomach snapped and a huge wave of indescribable pleasure washed over you.

Rex moaned praises into your ear, as his hips began thrusting into your hand. He was struggling himself, the feeling of your hand around his cock, while you were moaning his name, made it hard for him not to just cum right then and there.

But he wouldn’t be a very good soldier - much less captain - if he broke that easy. So when you came down from your high, Rex pulled away.

Confused, you pushed yourself up on your elbows, so you could look at the soldier who had by now moved on to pull your pants and underwear off.

“Did… Did I do something wrong?” you asked, slight panic filling you at the sudden retrieval on his part.

Chuckling, Rex replied: “No, not at all, mesh’la. On the contrary, your hand felt so good, I needed to know what the real deal feels like. That is, if you’re alright with it?” He tested, fingers already gripping the band of your pants and ready to pull.

How could you say no? The way he was looking up at you, all hopeful and loving, like you were a goddess and he was awaiting your blessing. Besides, if he could make you feel this good with just his fingers, you could barely imagine how the real deal would feel.

You nodded at him, the grip he already had on your heart tightening furthermore. “Yes, I’m alright with it.” You said out loud, knowing he wouldn’t accept just a nod for a reply.

In a swift motion, the soldier had completely undressed you. His gaze wandered over your nude form, admiration mixed with lust all in one look.

“Beautiful,” he said breathlessly.

Feeling rather shy under his adoring gaze, you tried to somewhat cover your body with your arms, only to have Rex instantly pushing them away again.

“Don’t,” he encouraged, looking lovingly into your eyes. “You’re more beautiful than I ever dreamt about.”

“You dream of me?” You asked, surprised at this new insight.

“All the time, mesh’la.” Rex replied, leaning back over you to bruise your lips with a few more kisses. “You have become a permanent occupant in my thoughts, giving me something other than the Republic and my brothers to fight for.” Rex continued the kisses down your neck, marking you as his with a small bite.

You weren’t sure if the noise you made was a moan or a sob, but it was something in between. How could he say such wonderful, loving things to you, all the while attacking your neck and grinding against your sex.

At last, Rex sat up again, using both his hand and cock to gather as much of your slick as possible. Then, he paused for a moment. “Are you…?” He began, unsure how to properly ask.

“I am,” you replied as if you had read his thoughts - or maybe just his face. “And are you…?”

“Had my checkups before coming planetside, perfect health all around.” Rex replied, reading your mind on the subject.

The fact that neither of you even had to finish your sentences, that the other part just instantly knew what you meant, furthered your belief that this was the right man for you.

“Then let’s do this.”

Rex did not need to be told twice. He lined himself up with your entrance, the tip barely pushing in. 

“Just relax mesh’la and tell me if it becomes too painful, okay?” Rex’ eyes found yours and the lust was temporarily swapped with worry. This wasn’t his first time being someone's first, and he knew the more nervous they were, the more uncomfortable it would be for both parts. And that was the last thing he wanted for you.

It felt like you were about to cry from happiness. He was so considerate, so amazing. You couldn’t find a better man. “I promise.”

Even though you tried your best to just relax, the intrusion of the head and the sudden stretch was a lot. Rex seemingly quickly picked up on this, as he closed the space between your bodies without pushing any further in. 

His hand began stroking your cheek, as he placed small kisses on your lips, your nose, your forehead and eyelids. It worked, as you melted into his touch and began relaxing again. This gave him room to continue.

“You’re doing great, you feel so good, you’re so amazing, I love you,” these and many other things were whispered into your ear, praising you as you took more and more of him. 

You wrapped your arms around his back, needing to somehow feel even closer to him. One hand found home on the nape of his neck, while the other held onto his shoulder. Tears pricked your eyes at the stretch, but it wasn’t unbearable. It was a pleasant burn and Rex made sure to take it slow, so you could adjust.

It felt like he was deeper in than possible, when he suddenly stopped. You moved your hands, so you could look him in the eyes. “Is it all the way in? It feels so big.”

Rex gave you an adoring smile, then adjusted himself so you could look down at where your bodies connected. “It’s a bit more than half. I’ll let you get used to it, then slowly start thrusting. It’s gonna make it easier to go deeper and feel better for the both of us. Is that okay?”

“Is it okay with you?”

The answer was within the question and Rex knew it. You were okay with it as long as he was. Just the same for him. So instead of giving a verbal response, he began kissing you. No matter how many times you had felt those soft lips on your own, you would never tire of the feeling. 

He slowly began thrusting and the feeling was beyond anything you had ever experienced. The stories you’ve heard of others, the feeling of fingers and all that was nothing compared to the real deal. You felt so full, so complete in the most incredible way.

Your nails dug into his scarred back, you had to break the kiss in order to moan, your hips began meeting his half way through on their own accord. And when he started going faster, his name left your lips with each exhale.

Something about the way his balls were hitting your ass with each thrust filled you with pride. He was all the way in. And the fact that he also had to stop his kisses in order to moan - to grunt! Oh it was the most amazing sound you had ever heard. It made your body swell with pride.

No, not the pride. Something else. Something better.

It was like every nerve in your body had become ignited with pleasure. Like all of the force, the stars, everything good had connected inside your body and was begging to be released. 

All of your muscles tightened, your vision blurred as your mouth was stuck in this ‘O’ shape. Wave after wave washed over you, cleansing you from your anxieties and troubles. Never had you ever imagined a feeling this good. Never had you thought it was possible.

Rex seemed to be just as lost in pleasure, as he kept muttering something under his breath, something you couldn’t understand, while his thrust became faster and more shallow.

Just as you were at your peak, at the moment you thought it was impossible to feel even better, you were proven wrong. Ribbons of seed spilled into you, painting your insides white and it made you reach a new high, a new sensation of indescribable pleasure.

Rex collapsed onto you, all of his energy sucked out with his cum. He was sweating, panting, and completely exhausted. This soldier who could run for miles, climb impossible mountains and fight for his life without losing his breath. But this… You. You managed to exhaust him. 

Not that you were in a much better state, but you at least had the excuse of being a civilian.

After catching your breath, you finally regained control over your own limbs. Weakly, you slapped the soldier on the side of his arm.

“Ow, what was that for?” 

“Why have you never told sex feels this good?”

Chuckling, Rex replied: “I’ll let you know next time.”

Dividers by: Unknown, @lornaka @freesia-writes and @djarrex

Taglist: @zoeykallus @rain-on-kamino @ashotofspotchka @chxpsi @maulsrightleg @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @wildmoonflower @nunanuggets @lokigirlszendaya @wholesuhmsstuff @pb-jellybeans @dangraccoon

LMK if you want to be added to the taglist (✿◡‿◡)

[stardustandash]

You Are Eternal

The Bad Batch

Words 2,003

“What if you don’t have a body?” Omega had asked Lyana as they watched the boat glowing bright towards the horizon. “Like if someone’s lost at sea?” “Then we send an empty boat or a lantern with their name on it, and hope their spirit finds rest,” answered Lyana. A year after the escape and destruction of Tantiss, the clones gather from across the galaxy to remember the fallen.

ao3 link (registered users only)

Overhead the stars are just beginning to glimmer through the darnkening haze of the horizon. Like most evenings on Pabu, tonight is mild and breezy, carrying the smell of the sea and tropical flowers around the island. Omega breathes it in, tasting the freedom in the wind. It’s been one year since their fiery escape from Tantiss. It feels both like it was forever ago and yesterday.

She stands on of one of Pabu’s rocky beaches with her brothers. All her brothers, not just Clone Force 99. There are the  handful of clones who chose to remain on Pabu, as well as Echo and Rex and some of their troopers. Even Emerie has flown in from who knows where and stands nervously at the edge of the gathering. They wanted to celebrate their freedom, and remember the fallen. It’s not quite one of the usual festivals held by the people of Pabu. The mood seems somewhere between sombre and fond, not cheerful or excited, and none of the other residents of Pabu have joined them to give the clones a moment for themselves.

Omega feels like she’s in a dream. It doesn’t feel quite real, and she’s sure that if she acknowledges any of it, everything will feel all too real. So she’s stuck somewhere between her memories and her body, and all she wants is this to be over so she can go back to the tentative normalcy of life on Pabu. At her side Hunter frowns at the crowd. He looks just as enthused about the gathering as Omega.

“Is it time yet?” asks Omega.

“Not yet. Tide’s just starting to ebb so it’ll be a little while yet. Why don’t you try some of what Wrecker’s cooking up,” suggests Hunter.

Omega glances over to where Wrecker is manning a large, scrapped-together barbecue with several large fish and fruits roasting over coals. It smells good, but she’s not really feeling hungry. She doesn’t really know what to feel, whether to be one of the happier revellers who is remembering the good times, or to be one of the quieter ones, grieving her brother still. But the look on Hunter’s face makes her nod and wander over towards Wrecker.

“Omega!” says Wrecker as soon as he spots her coming. “This is great. Everybody seems to like my cooking, guess those lessons with Shep paid off.”

“Guess so,” says Omega with a half-smile.

Up close the fish smells even more delicious. Omega examines the pieces on the grill. They’re covered in some kind of dark sauce and cleaned of any bones. “What did you make?”

“Something special. Here, try some.”

Wrecker makes quick work of scooping some fish and roasted fruit into a bowl for her and handing it to her with a spoon. Omega blows on it to cool it off before scooping some up and taking a bite. The fish is perfectly cooked and the sauce is savoury and salty, blending perfectly with the sweetness of the fruit. Omega’s stomach does an unsettling flip anyways. Under the glow of Wrecker’s excited grin she finishes her bowl, but with every bite her stomach protests the food.

“It was delicious Wrecker, thank you,” says Omega through a forced smile.

“You sure? Not too salty or anything?”

“Nope,” she says and hands Wrecker back the bowl so he can toss it in his tub of dirty dishes. “Really, it was good. I’m just not that hungry.”

Wrecker’s face softens into understanding. “Listen, Omega, if you don’t want to be here, you can sneak away. I’ll cover for you.”

Somehow the thought of sneaking away to sit at home alone is worse than being in a crowd of people who aren’t all on the same page about how to feel about the party. At home she’d be alone with her thoughts and nothing to distract her. At least here she can glance through the crowd of familiar faces and see her brothers with her. Being alone in the house would be too much like being alone in her cell on Tantiss.

“I’ll stay,” she tells Wrecker in a low voice. “I need to.”

There’s far too much understanding in Wrecker’s eyes, and for a moment Omega wonders if he volunteered to cook just so he would have something to do with himself while they waited for night to fall in its entirety.

“Okay. But if you want you can always help me out here.”

“Thanks, Wrecker. But you know I’m not so good at cooking.”

“Aw come on, setting things on fire is part of the process,” says Wrecker with a booming laugh.

Omega smiles a little, feeling a little bit lighter. As Wrecker goes to say something else another clone comes up to the grill to ask for some food. While he’s distracted Omega slips away into the crowd. Around her the energy picks up the darker it gets, with the chatter getting louder, the scattered laughter more sharp. She wonders whether or not this whole thing was a good idea after all. It seemed like it all those months ago when she first pitched the idea.

A few months after they escaped Tantiss for good, one of the elders living on Pabu died. An older Mirialan man who used to help mend fishing nets. There had been a funeral, the first Omega experienced on Pabu, and instead of trying to bury him in the rocky ground, they had sent him out on a boat, resting atop fishing nets and garlands of flowers, with lanterns around the edge made to catch alight as the boat got further from shore. Omega had thought it beautiful, in a way.

“What if you don’t have a body?” Omega had asked Lyana as they watched the boat glowing bright towards the horizon. “Like if someone’s lost at sea?”

“Then we send an empty boat or a lantern with their name on it, and hope their spirit finds rest,” answered Lyana.

Omega had brought it up to her brothers, who brought it up to the other clones on the island, who brought it up to Rex and his men, until it exploded into this; a night to remember all the clones lost, one year after Tantiss. Now that they’re in the thick of it she thinks she might have preferred to do something quiet, or not remember the day at all. Though she is free, her escape is still full of memories of being handcuffed and dragged away from her brothers, of seeing Hunter in pain and Crosshair barely standing and his dominant hand rendered to a bloody stump, of Wrecker shouldering his wounds to get them all out. Worst of all, now those memories mingle with the grief of losing Tech.

The wind blows cool against her cheek and Omega shivers, though not just with the cold. She tries to tear her thoughts away, breathing deep through her nose like she does for meditation. It takes a moment but she fends off being overwhelmed for another few minutes. She scrubs at her cheeks, willing them not to let any tears fall, and feels a prickle on the back of her neck.

Omega follows the sensation, glancing up to see Crosshair sitting high above the festivities on an outcropping of rock. Though she can’t make out his features in the dark, there’s no mistaking that skinny frame, nor the one of the hulking lurca hound next to him. She gives him a wave that he doesn’t return, instead she sees him shift, the line of his shoulders narrowing to tell her he’s turning to look out across the water.

“He could come down and join us,” says Hunter.

Omega jumps a little, turning to face him. She hadn’t heard him approach.

“It’s okay.”

“This night is for everyone,” says Hunter. “He should be with us.”

“He is, he’s just doing it in his own way, that’s all.”

Hunter sighs, but doesn’t push the point further. “It’s time. You want to stand with me down by the water?”

The words hang heavy over Omega. It’s time. She nods, her throat suddenly tight. She follows Hunter down to the water’s edge. The waves are quiet as the tide ebbs away. Around her the other clones press in at her back, though somehow Echo finds his way to her side, his flesh hand coming up to rest on her shoulder. Slowly the chatter around them dies down until all that can be heard is the sound of the waves against the rocks.

Then, through the silence and the stillness, Omega spots the first lantern. The orange glow of the flame flickered against its white paper body, illuminating the names written all over it. Another follows, then another, until the sea is lit brightly enough by the orange glow to rival the light of the moon. Some of the lanterns have so many names scrawled across them it’s almost impossible to see the light coming from within. Omega spots her own quickly enough. In her clinical, precise handwriting she had written Tech’s name and his designation number large enough to wrap all the way around the lantern. Near the bottom was a much smaller name, an addition by Crosshair, reading Mayday.

Watching the lanterns float out to see makes the lump in Omega’s throat grow. It's like Tech’s leaving them all over again. She sniffles, trying to be quiet and wipes at her face without disturbing Echo’s hand on her shoulder. He must notice anyway, as he adjusts to rub soothingly between her shoulder blades.  

Then, from somewhere deep in the crowd a singular voice says in full battle volume; “Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum!”

The tears stop before they’ve even begun. Omega has never heard the language before and has no idea what the words mean. Before she can ask, most of the others, including Echo, repeat the strange words. Their voices ring out over the water. The words are comforting somehow, even if she doesn’t understand them.

Echo catches her eye and must see the confusion on her face. He bends down to her level and speaks in a low voice.

“It’s a mando’a phrase,” he explains. “Cody in the 212th taught it to me after my first mission. Translated it’s: ‘I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal.’ It means that while we are here to remember them, they will never truly be gone.”

The explanation eases something in Omega’s chest. It makes everything around her feels more real, the lantern lights brighter as they float towards the horizon. She takes a deep breath, truly managing to taste the salt air on her tongue. She’s no longer somewhere between her mind and her body. She’s herself once again.

“Say it again?” asks Omega.

“Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum.”

“Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum,” says Omega, her teeth catching on the unfamiliar words.

Echo smiles at her and pats her shoulder. “You speak it well.”

It’s a lie, but Omega flushes under the praise anyway. She turns to watch the lanterns once more, whispering the phrase again. It does not erase the horrors of the year before but it eases the hurt to have this phrase, this belief that even though Tech is gone, as long as she remains, he will be there in some way.  Even if only in her memories.

Though the others begin to chatter amongst themselves once more, Omega stays at the shoreline with the waves licking at the toes of her boots. Hunter and Echo stand at her side both solid pillars to lean against. She watches the lanterns until they start winking out in the distant darkness where sky and sea are no longer distinguishable. Soon enough the sea is dark once more. A part of her hopes they will do this again, next year. Maybe the next one will ease the nightmares left by her time in Tantiss.

[the-starry-seas]

omg you're a techo enjoyer too??? blessed 🥺 do you have any hcs or plot tribbles about them you'd be willing to share?

So Tech is the person that Echo spends the most time with, when he first goes with the Batch. This isn't because of any desire to connect on Tech's part - the only reason nobody calls him unfriendly is cause Crosshair is right there, in much the way that your neighbour's snarly dog isn't much of a problem compared to a rabid T Rex.

Instead, it's because the Bad Batch realise that, y'know, Echo's been Matrixed into a freezer for a while (timeline is not my strength but it was a few years, I think). Somebody's gotta figure out those cyborg parts and how to fix them, preferably before something breaks. And of course for something that serious, you choose the smart one.

At first, Echo is very awkward about this. The last thing he wants is someone digging around in his parts, even if it's for a good reason. But he also knows that it's going to be even worse for everybody if he has some sudden breakdown that disables him. So he grits his teeth and bears it.

(Tech does not notice shit about this. He has new science to explore, new problems to figure out, and human interaction has never been his strong suit. Autism King <3)

There's definitely some initial awkwardness, but Echo figures out pretty quickly that if he gets Tech rambling about something, the sound of his voice is soothing. Echo thinks nothing of it. (lol. lmao even.) He also comes to find it vaguely endearing when Tech gets distracted in the middle of something because he thinks of some cool upgrade that he can do. The Iron Man-style rocket boots are a total success. Tech is fully convinced his sensation of affection and pride is just because he got the boots working, and nothing to do with Echo himself (again: lol. lmao even.)

Tech pokes at the dataport, frowns, and looks down at his datapad. "Can you give me a hand with this?" A metal arm clatters to the floor next to him. Echo, across the room, hasn't moved from his co-pilot's seat and is still watching the latest episode of his holodrama. "Technically," he begins, adjusting his goggles with an indignant sniff, "yes, that is what I asked for. But I expected better of you."

Echo suddenly has some fucking thoughts about the possibility of Tech praising him, let me tell you. Still, he also has some reservations, because there's times where Tech gets too invested in the ✨ science ✨ and Echo starts feeling kind of like an experiment all over again.

Anyway the two of them are getting along pretty well and Tech is remaining fairly oblivious to both their feelings. (This is not a dig at Tech, I'm simply a huge sucker for ships where one of them doesn't realise their feelings until a Dramatic Moment, generally involving a near-death experience.) Except that Echo doesn't much like talking about his past and all the Clone Trauma™, especially pertaining to his lost Fives, and Tech's a nosy bitch who wants to know everything.

So Tech finds a way to get Echo's file. If the reg's not gonna talk, well, when has Tech ever respected a 'no access' sign? He reads through it and takes some notes, and it seems as though things are fine.

Except once Echo actually does start opening up about his past, Tech jumps in to fill in some details. Details that Echo certainly never told him. And Echo wants to know how Tech knows, and Tech's a shit liar, so the truth comes out.

Echo is not pleased with the truth.

(pain incoming)

"Well, I've... read your file," Tech says, hesitantly. He reaches up to adjust his goggles. A nervous tic, one that Echo usually finds endearing. But hearing that Tech was reading his file makes something twist in his stomach - what's left of it. Especially with Tech nervous about it. Echo's never really seen him like that. Not with him. "Okay," he replies, fighting to keep his voice and expression as close to 'calm' as possible. "And?" "I know it's been, well, hard. For you. For the other reg- the other clones." Echo stares at him, too shocked to attempt a look of neutrality any more. Tech must be joking. He must be. Not about reading his file, Echo had assumed that the Batch had all dug into him to find out who he was. But thinking that he knows anything about what it was like? Just because he read a file? He's seen the kinds of files that are kept on clones. They're dry, succinct, and mention nothing about who a clone is, just a service record like the kind you'd see kept about a machine. Because that's just about all they were, to the people in charge. The clones certainly weren't people to anyone but themselves. "So what's it like, Tech? Go on, you read the file." He waits. It's harsh, he knows, maybe even cruel, but he's not much in a laughing mood any more. "Maybe I... missed a few things," Tech hedges, looking very much like he wants to escape. "How much more do you want to know? Because they carved me out of myself, but they left the memories, and I see all of it every single night, so I can tell you more than the devil himself could stomach." He waits, but Tech doesn't say anything, just shifts his weight, eyes wide, fingers curling and uncurling around his datapad. Finally, Echo says, "You don't know shit, Tech. Don't ever pretend you do. Especially not around me." He leaves. For once, Tech's not distracted. For once, Tech watches him go.

So there's a bump in the road, as it were. Well, more like hitting a moose with your janky 90s sedan. You walked away from it physically fine but you have an overwhelming feeling about how oh god you're so fucked. Also who do you call about that???

Echo calls Rex. Rex does not know what to do about this. He lets Echo vent until they've been sitting quietly for a few minutes, and then suggests that maybe that was just Tech's way of trying to connect to Echo. Not exactly normal, "but you always did say, when you called, that he always paid attention to you and wanted to know more about you. Maybe this is an extension of that, and he didn't realise that he was crossing some lines."

(Yes, in my head, Rex is lowkey playing matchmaker. He's heard the way Echo's voice changes when he talks about Tech, and he wants to see where this goes.)

Meanwhile, Tech is bothering the shit out of Hunter because 'you know how people work, what did I do?'

This is the first that Hunter is hearing about any of this. He doesn't have the slightest idea what's going on, but he does have some experience with relationship difficulties caused by inadvertent assholery *inserts my Cross/Hunter agenda here*

So Rex helps Echo calm down, and Hunter helps Tech figure out how to apologise. Tech doesn't do shit with that knowledge because emotional conversations suck and he'd much rather pretend that just never happened, thank you goodbye. He's just a huge anxious mess because he doesn't know why people think he's being weird or mean or rude when he thought they were Just Vibing.

It takes like two months for Tech to make a move to fix this, is what I'm saying.

"Echo?" Tech asks hesitantly. He stands with his hands clasped in front of him, one thumb rubbing over the knuckles of his opposite hand. "Fuck off." Tech winces, but, well - with the way he inadvertently treated Echo, it's not like he can complain. "I- when I mentioned your file-" "Don't." "I was just trying to say that you didn't have to hide anything from me. That you were one of us. And we'd do our best to understand. I didn't- I'm not good at apologies, I'm sorry, I'll go-" "Wait." Tech freezes in the doorway, even more uncertain now. Echo sighs and looks at him. If his gaze is supposed to be communicating something, it's not in a language that Tech speaks. Maybe his uncertainty shows on his face, or maybe Echo was just waiting to collect his thoughts. "Thanks, Tech." Despite the awkward seriousness of their conversation, Tech smiles. "You're welcome, Echo. And if there's- I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to, you know, but if there's anything you wanted to talk about, um, well, I'm only so far away. The Marauder's not a big ship." Echo doesn't say anything else, but he nods, and Tech feels like he actually managed to make some progress as he slips back out to the kitchen.

Anyway Echo has to comm Rex and send him ten bucks because Rex was right about Tech not being an asshole. Rex is only a little smug about this.

Echo slowly starts gravitating back towards Tech after that, and Tech is all !!!! not entirely sure what's happening but apparently the hot one Echo doesn't hate him any more so that's great!

They eventually get back into their groove and Tech makes him those kickass rocket boots to apologise for the whole... whatever that was. Words are hard, inventing is easy. He's still not 100% sure what went down, but Echo seems to have forgiven him, so he doesn't want to bring it up again. (He does, but it's like... a full year later, once he's definitely sure that Echo's not mad at him about it any more.)

Good thing that they do find their way back together, because one of Echo's legs breaks. And of course Tech's the one who immediately gets a little googly-eyed about finally being able to take Echo's leg apart. (He was strictly forbidden from Tinkering while Echo was wearing them, because Echo doesn't completely trust Tech to be able to resist the siren call of becoming a mad scientist. He adores the man, but he also knows Tech's weaknesses.)

Tech does indeed get a little mad scientist-y when he gets his hands all over those legs. He spends a week with a diet of space Red Bull, dry instant ramen, and no sleep, and comes up with Legs 2.0.11.8. He almost blows the ship up once or twice, but nothing seriously affects the life support systems, so it's fine, leave the lab alone.

Legs 2.0.11.8 are lighter, more durable, fit more comfortably, and have not only the fancy rocket boosters, but the ability to switch out normal treads for heavy ones and even climbing crampons! And a thousand other upgrades, but he's talking so fast that Echo genuinely has no idea what's going on. He figures that he can ask to read Tech's file about em later (yes he jokes about that, no Tech doesn't know if he can laugh).

When Echo first tries out his new legs, he loses his balance and goes straight into Tech's arms. Tech catches him and murmurs You're doing great, Echo.

Echo is running on an emotional high of having his legs back, having much better legs than the last ones, being caught by a hot nerd, and being praised by a hot nerd.

There's nothing to do about all that except kiss Tech.

He briefly thinks he's encountered a massive problem when Tech doesn't kiss back, and just stands there with a thoughtful look on his face. There's about a thousand things crossing Echo's mind in that moment, none of them exactly good. Can he get kicked off a squad for kissing someone???

Tech calmly says, "That was unexpected but perfectly acceptable. I commend your technique."

Echo isn't entirely sure what that means for a second, but then Tech pulls him in with both hands and tongues him, and Echo figures he doesn't need to ask.

The Batch is entirely unaware of this until three weeks later, when Echo joins them in the cockpit and sits right down in Tech's lap with his legs crossed. Wrecker wants to know why Echo's not in his usual co-pilot's chair. Echo just says figure it out and nudges Tech's chin up to kiss him.

Okay I've got so many headcanons too hold on

Tech's bunk is full of half-forgotten-about wires, metal sheets, pieces of rebar, loose screws, and the occasional shard of glass. Echo will not get into that bunk, they cuddle in Echo's hammock.

Tech will lay on top of Echo like a living weighted blanket and is perfectly happy to stay there for 12+ hours if he gets really invested in something on his datapad. This is often some design for another improvement to Echo's implants, so double bonus!

Strip chess

They love crosswords but they manage to get really competitive. Usually this means they make out about it, but sometimes they get mad at each other. Scrabble is banned after a few Incidents that resulted in yelling and a little blood, Hunter burned the tiles.

Tech keeps begging Echo into picking up dangerous insects, snails, frogs, and poisonous plants with his metal hand. Echo doesn't have to worry about getting bitten/poisoned and Tech can get a close-up look. Best of both worlds!

LEGO couple. If you haven't seen them for 16 hours? They got deeply invested into space version of some NASA set with 4000 pieces. Echo will bite you if you interrupt them.

Echo doesn't handle cold weather, it reminds him too much of being stuck as a POW. This means that the Batch leaves him on the ship on arctic missions but it also means Tech gets him eight pairs of fluffy socks because he read on the holonet that those are the best for keeping warm. Nobody's allowed to point out that Echo no longer has feet to keep warm. Echo wears them anyway and has favourites.

Sometimes Echo uses his USB hand to lock Tech's datapad when Tech won't go to sleep

He has a body pillow because it helps when his hips hurt. It's custom printed to look like Tech. Tech gets irrationally jealous over seeing Echo cuddle it.

Tech can do that finger skateboard thing and Echo uniroincally thinks it's really clever of him and admires his tricks

Tech makes Echo a new arm that has a human-shaped hand on the end so it has a wider range of function. The USB comes out of the tip of Echo's middle finger, at Echo's request.

Echo shakes hands/takes things from people with his metal hand. Tech is the only exception.

Tech likes crouching and crawling around, instead of walking 'normally'. There's been a few times that his head's popped up from where he's been crawling around on the floor like a snake, and Echo almost kicked him in the face because it scared him.

Echo can do some Black Widow shit with his new metal legs. He tries them all out on Tech cause it gets Tech real hot and bothered

There's been several times that Tech runs away from making out because he had a breakthrough thought on some project. Echo is always a little mad about it.

Tech snores. Loudly. Echo always turns off his hearing aids and lets that be everyone else's problem. He likes the way Tech's chest moves against his when they're sleeping together.

Echo keeps the lights off and his shirt on when they're getting intimate for years. Lot of self-esteem issues related to how his body looks. It's Tech's unfailing admiration for the occasional shirtless look, that eventually helps Echo start to accept himself.

Tech's name in Echo's phone is 'cyare' and Echo's name in Tech's phone is 'Echo 💙'

Echo once casually refers to a 'honey-do list' and Tech needs a reboot because holy shit he's honey!!!

Everyone can always tell when they were making out because Echo has hickeys everywhere. At first he was embarrassed about it but nowadays he shows them off.

Rex once commented 'oh, wow, did Echo get hit in the throat?' and Tech spat his water across the table. That was how Rex found out they were hooking up.

Rex said he was going to give Tech the shovel talk and Tech immediately started talking over him about the types of screws used to connect shovel heads. Rex never got around to his part.

Tech and Echo always walk holding hands. Sometimes the rest of the Batch stops or changes directions, and Tech doesn't notice with his datapad two inches from his face, so Echo gently tugs him in the right direction.

Sometimes the rest of the Batch didn't stop or change direction, and Echo is pulling him into an alley to make out.

Tech still hasn't lived down the time he came back from a detour with Echo and then had to go back to find his codpiece.

They stargaze whenever they're planetside. Tech loves infodumping about the stars and Echo loves to listen. Tech custom-built a two-person lawn chair so they can put their feet up. Echo's fallen asleep cuddled up to him more times than even Tech can count.

Echo has to be physically direct with flirting, cause if he just says something like "wow you're hot", then Tech just says "yes thank you", and keeps doing what he's doing. Gotta distract him from his project by kissing him or sitting in his lap or something before Echo can get to the words part.

[flyiingsly]

What will become of us

Part 1

Square : Is this for me ?

Pairing : Dogma x f!jedi!reader

Warnings : Mention of death and injuries, mention of Umbara, a lot of angst, implied depression

Wordcount : 4,9k

Summary : After the treason of Krell and the disaster of Umbara, you couldn’t stop worrying about Dogma and are determinate to go visit him at the GAR prison, without expecting how much of an impact on your life this decision will soon have.  

A/N : Finally ! My last submission for the @clonexreaderbingo !! I'm so glad and proud to have made it to the end ! This event was such a big and important challenge to me, this year was very messy and awful on so many levels of my life, and writing and focusing on it really helped me go through all of this ❤

Thank you so much to the wonderful @ghostofskywalker for organizing this event, it was sooo much fun :D

That one was reaaaally hard to write ! I really got carried away and it actually moved me a lot and gave me a looot of feels. It was starting to be a bit long and I still had things to add, so I decided to turn it into a two chapters story !

(Now that I'm about to post it, I just noticed that the mention to the bingo square is in the second part ... It really didn't catch my attention until now, I hope it still will count :O )

@dystopicjumpsuit if you're still interested, here it is (the beginning at least) :D

Enjoy ❤

The sky around the ship became clouded as it entered the atmosphere of Coruscant. You barely had a conversion with the others for the entire flight, just a few words exchanged here and there, but you could feel that nobody really wanted to talk at all. So you just remained silent.

It was the first time that a journey with the 501st boys was that silent, and it seemed never-ending. You were just coming back from Umbara with what was left of your battalion. That mission was one of the deadliest you’ve ever been part of, and one of the most mentally destructive, both for you and your men.

Everybody was tired and feeling strange, and as you looked around you, they were all staring into space with empty eyes, still processing what happened on that damn planet. There was usually cheering and agitation when a mission ended and that you were on the way back home. But not this time, and you couldn’t blame anyone for not at least try to relax the atmosphere.

You, too, were still processing what happened these last few days.

When the ship finally landed, you helped the medics carrying the wounded to the med bay. You exchanged a long, desperate and full of pain glance with Kix, before he disappeared behind the walls of one of the many emergency rooms of the building. His mission wasn’t over yet, and you couldn’t even help him with that burden.

You looked around you for a moment, completely still in the idle of the agitation, contemplating the endless flow of blue and orange painted amours passing the doors. You were feeling powerless right now, and tears were starting to form in your eyes.

“General …”

You heard a distant voice, but you were so lost in thought that you didn’t even noticed it was coming toward you.

“(Y/n) …” a gentle hand settled down on your shoulder, making you jump in surprise.

“It’s ok, it’s just me ...” It was Rex. He looked so tired, even more than everyone else. You had spent a couple nights together back at the Umbarian base, unable to sleep and crying your eyes out, hidden in a tiny room so none of your men could see you like that, trying to ease your pain and process this mess of a situation, comforting each other as you were always doing when things go wrong. Although this time, it was worse than everything you ever had to go through before.

“General Kenobi just called me, the Jedi council want to see you as soon as possible. I guess that they need explanations … “

You had broken your commlink on the battlefield, so no one was able to contact you directly. He looked at you right in the eyes, you knew he had noticed the tears, you didn’t even try to wipe them, you just answered his look. You didn’t need to talk much to understand each other sometimes, eye contact was enough.

“I have another thing to do before, they’ll have to wait a bit longer.” You briefly replied.

“As you wish”, he whispered. He knew exactly where you were going, it probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do, but he didn’t protest. He knew you needed it.

“But please”, he added, his look turning more concerned, “be careful, (Y/n), and try to be easy on yourself, there’s nothing we could have done to prevent all of that, it’s not your fault.”

His voice was trembling, you could feel the lump in his throat. You both felt terribly guilty about everything, and you knew that he was trying to convince himself as well as convincing you. You badly wanted to hold him in your arms to comfort him right now, but the only thing that you were allowed to do in front of so any peoples was to, as he did before, to put your hand on his shoulder.

“I will, same for you, please, you deserve some peace too.” you answered with emotion filling your voice, nearly whispering.

“Thank you, (Y/n), I hope to see you later.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

You gave him a soft smile before leaving the med bay, already planning to visit him at the GAR base right after meeting the council.

But for now, you had something important to do.

***

The GAR prison was a vast building appended to the Coruscant Guards base. When you introduced yourself at the entrance, the two troopers watching the door easily let you in. But once in the reception, explaining that you were here to see a prisoner, you were greeted by a surprised and confused guard, who immediately called his superior.

Jedi usually never come at the prison, even less to see a clone prisoner.

You were well known by the Coruscant Guards, for you had already worked with them on several occasions. So, when a helmetless Commander Fox showed a couple minutes later, he wasn’t that surprised to see you.

It was common knowledge to everyone that had met you that you were very close to your men and having a very unique relationship with them. And needless to say that the news of a member of the famous 501st being imprisoned here had already flied around the other battalions. It was something as unexpected as hard to understand. So Fox quickly connected the dots.

“General (Y/n), it’s an honor to see you here !” he greeted you.

“The honor is for me, Marshall Commander.” you greeted him back with a smile.

He opened his mouth to ask you if you were here to see that particular blue armored trooper, but quickly refrained himself. Nobody exactly knew for now what happened on Umbara and why that prisoner was here outside of “treason”, only rumors had filtered, and he didn’t want to become too intrusive by asking. You stared at each other for a moment, before he finally says something, suddenly feeling uneasy under the gaze of his confused soldier.

“I’ll handle that, thank you”, he spoke toward his men, before addressing you, ”Please, follow me.”

You nodded and both headed to his office. It was the first time you entered that prison, and beside your apparent confidence, that place was making you nervous. Fox didn’t said a word until the door of his office was shut close and he was sit at his desk.

“So, I have been told that you were here to visit a prisoner, right ?”

“Right.”

“Nobody told me about an interrogation taking place today”, he said trying to look oblivious, scrolling on his datapad, avoiding your gaze.

“Actually, I’m not here to lead any interrogation … One of my men, a lieutenant from the 501st, had been incarcerated in this prison a few days ago, and I just … I just need to see him, to make sure that he’s ok, you know … That last mission was particularly grueling, things … happened …” you were trying to find your words without revealing too much details, but you were desperate to shorten that meeting, the only thing you wanted right now was to finally see him again.

“It’s not fair for him to be here” you finally carried on, “I just need to reassure him about his fate, to tell him that his superiors are not gonna let him down and will fight for his reintegration.”

Fox raised his head from his data pad, meeting your worried eyes with a look that couldn’t hide his suspicion about your presence here anymore. You exchanged another long and heavy stare, he clearly was in the middle of some big moral dilemma. He finally let out a sigh, putting down his datapad on his desk.

“He’s not supposed to leave his cell for now, so I can’t lead him at the parlor or the interrogation room, and it’s categorically forbidden for him to receive any visitors. Thes orders emanate from the Jedi Council itself, they cannot be bypassed …”

Your heart sank in your chest, you opened your mouth to speak, you were ready to argue, but Fox stopped you in yours tracks.

“But”, he quickly picked up, “I could be in charge of the reception for one night, and be urgently and unexpectedly called by one of my officer, because, you know, things happen sometimes … Which will cause the entrance to be left completely unsupervised … That could be the perfect occasion for an unauthorized visitor to enter here without being bothered …”

He stopped, looking insistently at you. You weren’t really sure what he was driving at, until he came closer to you above his desk, still looking at you right in the eyes, and added in a sadder tone.

“Look, rumors are going on about what had happened on Umbara. Awful things have been said, news spread fast between soldiers you know. We weren’t precisely informed about why that man is here, but if you say that he didn’t deserves it and since you know more than us, then I trust you. To be honest, he was looking so miserable when he came here that I felt sorry for him. Whatever happened had obviously broke him, and I think that he, indeed, deserve some support. The Council wanted him alone in a whole wing of the prison for a reason that I think I understand now, they didn’t want anyone to communicate with him because the situation must be problematic enough for them to keep it undercover. But that also means that nobody will know if someone come to visit him. On the contrary of the civilian prison, there’s no video monitoring in this building, so I think it’s safe.”

Your eyes immediately started to glimmer when you finally understood his point.

“Thank you so much Fox !” you let out with relief, “I could never thank you enough for that !”

“Well, let’s say that you owe me a couple drinks on our next night out at the 79’.” He let out with a teasing grin while standing up from his chair to head toward the door.

“As many as you want !” you exclaimed, following him in an instant.

***

As you entered the corridor leading to the cells aisle, the silence became crushing. The only thing that was breaking it was the repetitive sound of your footsteps on the cold floor, reverberating on the bare walls. You crossed the empty space without a word, until you arrived in front of a massive door.

“Here we are … You’ll need that to get inside and to go out, don’t forget to bring it back to me before leaving the building. This one cannot open the cell if that was what you were thinking about.” Fox joked, holding a pass card to you.

“It’s the cell number 42, take all the time you’ll need, nobody will come until 1900, he’s not allowed to go at the mess hall neither, so we have to bring him his diner here.”

“Thank you again Fox” you answered with a grateful look.

“No problems ma’am !”

As the Marshall Commander left you alone, you presented the pass in front of the locking pad, allowing the heavy curtain to open in a sudden whoosh sound. Once on the other side, you stayed on the doorstep for a moment, contemplating the disturbing, cold and endless corridor framed with little empty rooms on both side.

The ceiling was low and the luminosity wasn’t very high, making the space even more distressing. You flinched a little when the door suddenly closed behind you, pulling you out of your thoughts. You realized that you were awfully nervous as you felt your heart pounding faster in your chest.

You slowly started to move forward, looking around you to find the number 42 cell. It soon appeared into your field of vision, and you reached for it with a faster pace, your anxiety level increasing again and the fear of what you were about to find on the other side of the thick transparent door growing in your mind.

When you finally arrived in front of it, your heart instantly broke. Here he was, sat on the floor at the foot of his narrow bed, curled up on himself with his head settled on top of his bended knees, buried between his folded arms.

Seeing him like that made you want to cry, a mix of intense pity, sadness and despair hit you like a wave. You clenched your fists. He never deserved to be treated like that, you though. All you wanted to do right now was to break through that stupid door and take him into your arms to comfort him, to tell him that everything will be alright.

But you couldn’t.

So you just closed your eyes, took a deep breath and did your best to regain your composure, before reopening them and addressing him gently.

“Dogma ?” you let out in a soft, interrogative tone.

Your words were nearly a whisper, but still loud enough for him to hear you. His head slowly rose from his knees, and his eyes widened at your sight. You noticed that he must have been crying recently and probably was severely sleep deprived by the bags under his eyes, making you feel even worse for him.

“Ge … General ?” His voice was weak and trembling. “What are you doing here ? I thought I wasn’t allowed to see anyone …” He stood up with difficulty, nearly stumbling on his feet.

“I know” you breathed out, as he came closer, placing himself in front of you, “but let’s say I got a little help to bypass the problem.” you added with a smile.

A sudden expression of confusion crossed his face.

“Why would you do that ?” he asked.

“I needed to make sure that you were ok, I wanted to see you again, you know, I … I was worried about you.”

He was, indeed, looking miserable, and you could see by the sudden watering of his pupils that your concern was touching him deeply. He lowered his head, trying to hide his pain.

“Thank you … You didn’t had to, nobody care about murderers and traitors …”

“I care … What’s happening to you is not fair, and I needed you to know that I’m not gonna let you down, I will fight to get you out of here and to have you rehabilitated. I’m never leaving any of my men behind, you’re not alone Dogma.”

He couldn’t refrain his tears anymore, and he raised his hands to his face in an unsuccessful attempt to cover it.

“I will never get out of here ! The only think that I deserve right now is to be court marshalled and properly executed. The Jedi are never gonna let that pass.”

You throat tightened, tears raising at the corner of your own eyes. You wanted to stay strong, but it was becoming harder and harder not to fall apart.

“Please, don’t ever say that, it will not happen, I will never authorize it.” your voice was soft but determined, and you were putting all of your remaining energy into preventing it from cracking, “Listen, you did your best, you took the right decision …”

“But I nearly made you shot ! And all for nothing ! I acted like a fool, following orders blindly, and for what ? I nearly executed my own brothers ! You should hate me, all of you ! I’m a monster !” he harshly cut you, almost screaming with rage and frustration, his hands curling into fists against his distorted face.

The roughness of his words took you aback, you could hear his suffering piercing through his voice, and you had no idea what to answer him at first, your mouth staying open but no sound escaping it.

You stayed silent for a moment, searching for the right words, before swallowing hard and trying to articulate something.

“Dogma …” you murmured, “I don’t hate you, none of us do …”

His whole body was shaking, and you could hear the muffled sob he was trying to contain, but he wasn’t moving otherwise, his body like paralyzed with pain. You took a deep breath before going on again.

“Please, don’t be that hard on yourself, you did your best, you did what you thought was right, and nobody can blame you for that. I don’t want you to end up executed, I will never allow that, I promise you, I will plead your case in front of the Jedi Council. You’re a good soldier Dogma, and a good man, whatever mistake you’ve made, it’s hard enough to bear for you, I know your guilt is already enough of a burden, I don’t want you to be punished more than that. I’ve said it and I’ll say it again, you did your best, you deserve to live, and as any other of my men, you’re more than just a number to me, and I will do whatever I can to help you overcome all of this.”

The gentleness of your voice and your reassuring words soon made him calm down. His fists slowly unclenched and relaxed, his hands ending up slipping from his face as his sobbing turned into a silent whimper.

He was still not looking at you, but you knew by the twitching of his eye leads that he wanted to, but probably was too ashamed to do it.

“Thank you …” he shyly mumbled, still sniffling.

“It’s okay, you’re gonna be safe, I promise you” you muttered, absent mindlessly settling your hand on the clear door.

He caught a glimpse of your gesture from the corner of his eye, and it made him raise his head, surprised, his dark brown orbs finally meeting yours.

You stared at each other for a few seconds. The way he looked at you was so intense that it made your heart skips a bit. Then his gaze slowly lowered to land on the spot where your skin was touching the door. And without a warning, he raised one of his hand and gently placed it on the other side, his large palm and strong fingers entirely covering yours.

You saw him blink a few time, like if he was just realizing what he was doing, a faint shade of red appearing on his cheeks, but neither of you could remove your respective hand from the surface, too afraid to end this special moment and break the connection.

His body warmth was irradiating through the transparent material despite his thickness, and for a moment, you got lost in it, wondering about that strange feeling of being so close and so apart from each other at the same time.

***

When you showed up at the Jedi Temple later, you were having a knot in your stomach. You had the feeling that you were about to go through an excessively long interrogation. You were the only jedi to have witnessed what happened on Umbara, so you were a very important element for the understanding of the situation.

You were right.

The council spent hours questioning you on every little detail of the events. You did your best to stand for Dogma, to make them understand that it was the best thing to do, and that his action was a courageous and selfless one. But the council only listened to you, never showing what they were really thinking about it. They just sat here without a word, while you were pleading his case.

When you finally get out of the Council Chamber, you were feeling exhausted and empty. It took so long that the night was now upon Coruscant. The worst part was that you had absolutely no idea about what was going to happen now, and you couldn’t do anything more about it.

You sigh when you catch the view of the military prison while standing at the temple’s forecourt. You were supposed to go take some well-deserved sleep, but you wanted to visit the 501st before. You just needed to be surrounded by your men, to spend time with them, to talk to them, and to show them your undefective support. You were all in this together, after all.

Without even looking back, you go down the temple stairs and headed toward the GAR building, disappearing into the darkness.

***

As you were about to leave the prison on your first visit, Dogma asked you if you were going to come back again. And of course, you promised him that you will as soon as possible.

At that time, the Jedi Council had decided to not assign you to any new mission until the situation has been clarified. They needed to know how and by what means General Krell ended up betraying the Order and the Republic, how nobody was able to notice it sooner, and if anyone else among the jedi or the clones could have been or could still be complicit in the treason.

It was a really big deal both for the Order and for the GAR, and as you were a key witness, they needed you to stay near, both to protect you and to watch you, and you found yourself assigned to stay on Coruscant, while another jedi was temporarily affected to assist General Skywalker with the 501st.

They were still conducting interrogations among the clones, soldiers as well as officers, and you have already been auditioned several times yourself after meeting the Council, by the GAR committee of inquiry and even by the Chancellor himself.

But things weren’t going as easily as they should have. The whole situation seemed to be dragging on, and the pressure and suspicion that were weighting upon on you were harder and harder to bear. Even if the council wasn’t saying it out loud, you could feel that they were doubting you.

You were stuck on Coruscant, far from your battalion and worrying about your men, unable to help them when you should have been by there side to support them, and it was making you sick.

You had absolutely no idea about how long all of this was going to last, and the only thing you had been allowed to do was to helplessly wait until things could finally move on a little. It felt like a punishment to you. Maybe it was a way for the Council to test your nerves and patience, you couldn’t tell at this point.

It was hard and uncertain times for you. You could feel the distance growing between you and your fellow jedi every time you were trying to reach for one of them, to engage a conversation, to seek their company.

Something had changed in the way they were perceiving you, you knew it, but you couldn’t blame them, despite feeling lonely and outcasted. In all your spare time, you started to question yourself a lot, thinking about the purpose of this war, of the Order, even about your place in all of this, wandering if all of these sacrifices really were necessary, and if justice was finally going to come someday.

The Council eventually ended up assigning you to help Master Jocasta in the archives department, asking you to be patient, simply telling you that their investigation was progressing, although they never gave you much more details about it.

You kept asking them about the fate of the prisoner, but they just told you that it wasn’t the first priority right now, and that they’ll treat his case later.

You did your best to look as impassive and unaffected as possible during all that time, to not let your emotions and worries show too much to anyone, feigning to resiliently handle the situation. But on the inside, you were starting to grow more and more tired and desperate every day, and as much as you appreciated to work with Master Jocasta, you were badly craving to leave Coruscant and go back on missions again.

Since the beginning of the war, you had never spent as much consecutive time on that planet, and mostly, you had never been separated from your battalion for so long.

Of course, you always stayed in touch with them, no matter how far they were send to, but still, it was impossible for you not to worry about them. So every time they were back on Coruscant, you took the chance to spend as much time as possible with them.

Nothing was the same without you as they say, and nothing was the same without them. Despite all the hard times shared together, there were also moments of pure joy, fun and complicity, and you were missing those deeply.

You were missing each one of those clones very deeply, in fact.

That’s how your daily appointments at the prison began. Nobody knew except for Fox and Rex, to who you were regularly giving news about his soldier. You were extremely lucky to have the Marshall Commander on your side, you could have never done that without his help, at all. That man was a blessing, even if it had costed you so many drinks already. You’ll be forever owing him that favor.

Your routine was every day the same : you were leaving the Jedi temple at dawn, entering the prison by a hidden service door known only by the guards, and sneaking into Fox’s office to retrieve the pass before heading to Dogma’s cell.

Sometimes the Commander was here in his office to greet you and give it to you, sometimes he wasn’t and you were picking it up by yourself. He was trusting you blindly, as long as the pass was back in his drawer the moment you left. To be honest, you were a Jedi General, you were basically having the authorization to access to any office in the building if you really wanted to.

The only thing that was ultimately forbidden to you was to open one of these cells by yourself without the permission and supervision of the Senate or the Jedi Council.

Since you were visiting him, you could see that Dogma was in better shape than the first time you saw him. He was slowly regaining a bit of hope, and even if guilt was still hitting him hard sometimes, he started to understand that what he did was the only possible outcome at the time, it was going to happen anyway, whether by Rex’s hand or his own.

It seemed like your presence was the only glimpse of joy given to him in the never-ending state of isolation he was forced into, and witnessing his face enlightening and a warm smile growing on his lips as soon as you were showing in front of his cell was making your heart melt every time.

Every one of those encounters always ended up the same way : before leaving, you laid your hand against the door, and Dogma put his on the other side, in front of yours.

It was the gesture that comforted him the most the first time you came, and on the second visit, it was him who initiated it. He didn’t need to ask you, for you immediately understood what it meant when he settled his hand on the glassy surface, answering his move without a word.

The truth was, you needed comfort too, you were feeling absolutely down staying at the Temple, and you were even starting to lose track of time when remaining there for too long without going outside. The high and thick stone walls of the sacred building became more and more oppressive and started to feel less and less like home to you. All you wanted to do was to escape from here as much as you could, even if it was a very hard thing to accept.

In this context, visiting him soon became the only thing that was giving you a reason to keep waiting and to go on without losing your mind. It turned into the time of the day that you were waiting for the most, a very special and intimate moment that you wouldn’t miss for anything in the world.

You were opening more and more to each other, sharing more and more personal things at each occasion, to the point that you came to knew each other nearly better than anyone else ever. A very strong bond built up between the two of you. Something that emerged from loneliness and concern at first, but quickly evolved into a sincere and fond connection. You could both feel it, even if you weren’t understanding the true nature of it yet.

As the days passed by, you started to badly wish that you could cross the prohibition and open that door, to finally be able to touch him for real, to feel the warmth of his body and the contact of his skin against yours without any more filters or boundaries.

You weren’t supposed to allow yourself to get attached as a Jedi, but deep inside of you, you knew that it was too late, and this since a long time already.

But little do you knew that you weren’t the only one to feel like that.

[4-as-in-a-trenchcoat]

MY AUS✨

Here's a list of all my aus + tiny explanations about them! Might make separate posts for all of them someday idk

1. Dad!Rex au

-Of course, the only au I've been public about so far. If you've seen my other posts about it, you already know what this is about, but if not, it's basically just a child (Theodore) crashing in Undar while Emmet/Rex's still there. Theo helps with trauma, Rex realizes he doesn't want anyone to go through what he went through and as a result, Rex adopts more children. Basically just wholesomeness yesyes

2. Dualistic Sides au (idk)

-In an alternate timeline, Emmet gets saved a year before he becomes Rex. He's still traumatized though, so he's basically just Emmet with PTSD and trust issues. After like, maybe a few months, this version of Emmet, who let's call.. Evan, starts to get really depressed and misses being his past self, so he decided the only logical thing to do is to travel back in time to before he crashed in Undar. But of course, our Rex also still has that idea, so now it's basically just an 'angel and devil on your shoulder' situation as both Rex and Evan try to guide Emmet in their own plans respectively. Evan genuinely wants to help, but Rex just wants to manipulate Emmet. (Edit: I just realized that this au is REALLY similar to @thinknamewhat 's Time Rivals au so credits to them! shddhhsh I did not mean to practically copy paste it with just a few tweaks sorry 😭)

3. Undar Explorer au

-Instead of being paralyzed, Emmet can still move in Undar. But with his ship still destroyed, he's forced to survive in Undar all on his own. And instead of Undar being a barren planet, there are just enough life forces that it becomes a challenge. Oh also, his friends eventually crash in Undar as well a few years later, for drama✨ (this au is basically just a copy paste of Della's situation in DuckTales and. yeah 🙂)

4. Switched Situations au (Idk either 😭)

-Instead of Emmet crashing in Undar, this time it's Mayhem, Lucy, Unikitty, Benny, Metalbeard and Batman who crashes. Emmet's the one who manages to get through the Stairgate, but when he doesn't find his friends in the Systar System, he accuses Watevra of kidnapping them, and in turn, Watevra accuses Emmet and the other Apocalypseburgers of kidnapping Mayhem. Angry and devastated, they end up starting a deadly war against each other. And the ones who got stuck in Undar time travel to the past to: stop themselves from crashing, stop Emmet from confronting Watevra, and most importantly, stop the war.

5. Criminal au

-Self explanatory, instead of being masterbuilders who fight for a righteous cause, the masterbuilders are actual criminals who do crime and end up accidentally dragging Emmet into everything (happens during the first movie).

6. Ghost!Emmet au

-After Emmet sacrifices himself in TLM, he doesn't come back to life. He does come back as a ghost though. ..Yeah that's all there is to it, really.

7. The Worst Timeline/Replacement au

-Basically another dead!Emmet but so much worse! So here, Lucy doesn't arrive on time and Rex ends up killing Emmet. Everybody (as in, even the citizens of Apocalypseburg and the Systar System) eventually arrives to see Emmet dead and Lucy in complete despair. Rex explains everything and then just.. fades away because. Emmet's fucking dead. And now everyone's in even more despair. A year passes, and nobody has fully moved on yet, until eventually, it all becomes too much and Lucy and her friends all agree to time travel to the past to kidnap past Emmet, from wayyyyy back before the Duplos invaded, but still after TLM. They essentially gaslight and manipulate Emmet into thinking this was his original timeline. And.. yeah.

8. Lost Memories au

-Emmet just loses his memories after crashing in Undar. ..Actually I'm pretty sure someone already made an au about this, but I'm not sure?? If someone knows if anyone made this au yet, please tell me and I'll remove it here.

9. Mother Knows Best au

-Doris, Emmet's mom, got worried over Emmet's lack of contact, since he always contacts her, even after moving away. She decides to visit Apocalypseburg, only to find Syspocalypstar, and a memorial statue of Emmet, much to her surprise. After she finds Lucy and the others and gets them to explain, she begs them to help her find him. So feeling guilty, they all agree. And.. they do end up finding Emmet. Doris gets angry at Emmet's friends, thinking that if they've just searched more and put more effort in trying to find him, then he wouldn't have to have been so traumatized. She prevents Emmet from seeing them and becomes really overprotective. E.

10. Kids au

-Again, self-explanatory, it's basically just a prequel to TLM and it's the main cast (except Watevra and Mayhem of course) as children. It's literally just an excuse to write fluffy and angsty backstories about them, actually :b

11. Keeper Of The Timelines au

-After Rex back-to-the-future's in the 2nd movie, he becomes some sort of keeper of timelines, having access to the past, present, and future, he kinda subtly tries to keep everything going smoothly. From Emmet meeting Lucy, to him becoming the Special, to him meeting Rex, etc. And even though he knows not to interfere with already existing timelines, he still ensures that no more Emmets get stuck in Undar, or have to go through the same fate as him. Not if he can help it.

Yeah, that's all of them so far! Feel free to ask me questions if you're curious about any of them :)

[aestariiwilderness]

Bad Batch Season 3, Episode I Don't Even Know And Honestly Will Not Be Keeping Track * SPOILERS * (solely because Mina Nunyabiz *REAL NAME REDACTED* has gone on so many diatribes about this inexcusable social faux pas on Tumblr known as failing to accurately and comprehensively tag your posts for pieces of media which some people haven't gotten to watching yet and this means that if they wish to be on Tumblr without getting unwanted foreknowledge they have to undergo some vast and imprecise tribulation known as filtering by tag)

I have come to two, nay, three, EIGHT whole conclusions: a. Tech hacked the Star Wars Internet. b. Tech was the Star Wars Internet. c. Pabu does not have Star Wars Internet. d. The Batch cannot function without their Internet. e. The Batch has lost its sole functioning strategic brain cell. Hemlock caught it when Tech fell. The muscle and the face are kind of just winging it now; the auxiliary brain cell said "haha see you later, losers, I need to be Rex's chauffeur"; and the attitude's first and only plan is, as always, just "KILL". f. These men are adorable and also utter morons. g. Crosshair has no experience with women. Ever. He doesn't even know how to talk to them. They're a different species to him even when they aren't literally a different species. His two methods of social interaction just recently expanded to three (murder, snark, and now mother hen) and still none of them have anything to do with proper behavior towards adult females. Let alone one who doesn't share his genes. You can tell by the way he wildly swung from default "PICK FIGHT/KILL" to "offer genteel non-sarcastic hand up to my ship without sarcasm after you almost got my Stockholm syndroming sister killed by a giant turtle because if I can't kill you I literally am at a loss for how to behave towards you". h. Tech was the only member of the squad who ever bothered to get a newspaper and check to see who they were actually fighting.

Omega IS unsettling. Well noticed Venti

Hunter, continuing to be the king of asking the specific follow-up questions that the audience feels is relevant and the askee absolutely cannot answer without losing their mysterious vibes (see: season 1 finale -- "WHEN did you have your chip removed, exactly" "Does it matter?" "YES")

Hunter, continuing to be the king of not getting an answer to his very reasonable specific follow-up question

For special ops commandos in a war they were literally created to fight, these guys do not seem to have much of a concept of "stranger danger"

"ASKING FOR A FRIEND" omigosh Omega. I have never been so ashamed of you. The big fascist experiment-happy regime is after you. WHY CAN YOU STILL NOT LIE

Why is Omega just. In charge now

And still the most unbelievable thing about this episode was like half a minute in with Crosshair willingly helping a random Pabuan AND not mercing them when they dared to smile, thank him, and use his name

HOWEVER MANY EPISODES IN AND WE JUST GOT TO THE ANSWER THAT EVERYBODY ALREADY KNEW ABOUT M-COUNTS

WAY TOO MANY EPISODES IN AND WE STILL DIDN'T GET A STRAIGHT-UP ANSWER ABOUT OMEGA'S

Qui-gon had a blood test! With a little litmus stick and everything! The crazy weed-addicted space monk had a scientific stick he jabbed baby Anakin with and HEY PRESTO M-COUNT SPREADSHEET. WHERE IS THAT HANDY BIT OF TECHNOLOGY HUH

[thecoffeelorian]

The Transport On The Left, #5

Title:  The Transport On The Left

Chapter:  Five

Genre:  Drama/Mystery

Word Count:  1.1 k.

Characters Included:  Wrecker, Captain Rex, and Commander Wolffe.

Brief Description:

"Does it make him a giant nerfherder to wish for something else besides working for scraps from others who don’t exactly enjoy his company, let alone having to stare down the barrel of what’s left of his life and spend it in total maddening silence?

Or should he just swallow all these feelings down like they’re a tasty milkshake from Dex’s Diner, force a smile, and go on doing whatever Hunter wants…?"

AO3: Link Here

No-Pressure Tags: @theosb0rnway @skellymom @gun-roswell @called-me-vicky @momojedi

@littlefeatherr @storminormins @thesmollestnerd @ilovemedia @sunshinesdaydream

@theta11lili @random-user753 @donut1642 @victorianretrogeek @thats-cacti

@gray-paladin @turkishfreak101 @idkwhatdoyouwannabecalled @riverside-of-neverland @wendywilliamsleftlip

@carlycrays @danger-noodles22 @lightninged @ladylienda @marvel-starwarsfangirl

@serinzatravel-blog @archaicsymbols @melymigo @wanderneverlost @spacemagicandlaserswords

@i-dont-know-how-this-site-works @moonstrider9904 @yeehawgeek and anyone else looking for a story where nobody dies.

Special Notes: This divider was created by @djarrex , and so I give all credit to her. :)

One // Two // Three // Four // Five// Six

Five

They’re gonna yell at you for stormin’ out like that.

Let ‘em yell all they want.

Hunter doesn’t like it when you do your elopement thing.

Hunter can deal with it just like everybody else.

Wrecker’s steps echo a bit too loud in the station’s corridor as he walks, a somewhat achy reminder that this station has, unfortunately, lost its purpose in life. Once, it held the solid position of tending to the wounded of the G.A.R., and as such could see up to two hundred Troopers a day if the fighting grew that heavy.

Nowadays, however, even though it’s got enough supplies for the welfare of around two battalions, it’s lucky to see a grand total of ten Troopers or less. Maybe that’s the amount of people in here right now, because even with his bad ear, Wrecker hardly hears anyone else out here besides himself. That’s got to be a good thing, then, because it means less chance of discovery and attack by any unwanted visitors, sure…but then again, it also means there’s almost nobody to talk to.

Especially not when the good Captain’s team of rescuers delivered Crosshair into their hands one minute; then had to go off to a different area of the station the next. Not when they’re still waiting for the grand return of AZI-3, as well as the chance of putting at least one unsolved mystery to rest.

Still…would it really have hurt Cap so much to stick around for more than a few minutes?!

Wrecker lets out a loud sigh and plops himself down in front of the nearest skyhole, his annoyance fizzling up ever so slightly. Okay, so he DID lie about going to find Fireball, but then again, he could cut the tension in that hospital room with a lightsaber, so he had to get out of there FAST. After all, he needs more to do lately, even if he won’t say such things out loud.

On the one hand, yeah, he IS happy to do other things besides fight and blow things up all the time. He’s finally bought his own paint set with the credits Cid managed to toss his way, so obviously, he’s learnin’ how to use ‘em. Already he’s tried his hand at painting a few tookas on the walls of the Marauder—red and black, of course, although he won’t exactly say no to the other colors as well—and so far, everyone seems to approve. Kriff, even Tech got so excited over his new talent that he almost dropped his datapad to get a closer look, and Tech NEVER puts that thing down. That has to count for SOMETHING.

On the other hand, though…painting and scrapping for barely fifty credits apiece seems to be ALL that he’s good for lately, because not only has he NOT had a good brawl in ages, but unfortunately, there’s been almost NO explosions whatsoever…and honestly?

The lack of any real action is becoming just so…BORING!

And if he has to be honest with himself, which he WILL—Wrecker really and truly MISSES IT.

He misses the way he and the rest of the boys could push their way through enemy lines with nothing but sheer determination and a really big ship door.

He also misses how, even though some of the locations they were dispatched to looked nothing but impregnable, they always managed to find their way in and out with barely a scratch gained in return.

And third, but certainly not least, he misses—other people. Other Troopers who not only could back his squad up in times of trouble, but also WOULD lend a hand without ever thinking twice about it. Is it SO wrong of him, then, to want SOME part of this to come back in his life?

Does it make him a giant nerfherder to wish for something else besides working for scraps from others who don’t exactly enjoy his company, let alone having to stare down the barrel of what’s left of his life and spend it in total maddening silence?

Or should he just swallow all these feelings down like they’re a tasty milkshake from Dex’s Diner, force a smile, and go on doing whatever Hunter wants…?

It’s about a minute or two later when Wrecker starts hearing voices coming from down the hall, two in total, and they sound kinda annoyed with each other. Does this mean Captain Rex is circling back around…? It might be great if he did! At least he might have somebody to vent to about his thoughts, then—that is, if Cap isn’t too busy with anything first!

“—don’t understand why—have commed—while, SIR.”

“We’ve—through this, Wolffe—utmost secrecy…”

And that’s just without the added bonus of getting to hear something, ANYTHING, about all of the Trooper rescue efforts going on behind the scenes. How wizard would THAT be if he did…?!

“I am sorry—Venator disaster, don’t get me—but it’s better if—things are kept—”

“—Who’s. There.”

All three of the men in this hall—Wrecker, Captain Rex, and a second Commander who also looks like he’s missing one eye—immediately fall still and silent, their respective focus turning to size the others up.

“Excuse me, sir, but I don’t believe we asked for eavesdroppers.”

Wrecker himself suddenly gets the feeling he’s standing before that nexu back on Saleucami, only this time, it’s learned to take on Trooper form so that it can catch human prey ten times easier.

At least, that’s the way he reads the room until Cap steps forward, one hand raised in a calming gesture.

“Easy, Wolffe, he’s a friend.”

“You’re SURE.”

“Yes. Wrecker’s—friend of Echo’s, so by association…”

“…He’s a friend of ours.”

“Correct. Now, could you PLEASE stand down…?”

Wrecker swears that he sees Wolffe’s mouth twist into a downward turn of disapproval, a lot of Troopers had done that to him before—yet, thankfully, he also must have thought things over as well, for the next thing he knew, Wolffe had let some of the tension out of the room by taking two steps back.

“There we are...thank you, Commander.”

A collective sigh spreads around the little gathering there, and Wrecker can’t help but grin a little in relief. Things are tense enough everywhere, he knows, so obviously he doesn’t want to make any rough situations even worse.

“Yeah…thanks, Commander! Er…d’ you want me to go back with the others?”

“Well, I’m afraid that depends, Trooper. What brings you out here?”

The time has come, he thinks with a little shudder, taking in a quick breath and then breathing it out again. It’s now or never, Master Billaba give me strength...

Wrecker stood up straight, made eye contact, and began to speak his peace.

[unlitten-lamp-au]

Skylander Boy and Girl are stronger in this zone

Your backs against the wall up in a brawl

Use Your Imagination!

I got the power of the crystal that they call

Creation creation!

If you can think you can make it

We got the power and no one can break it

Portal Masters, get up in this fight

And bring your imagination to life

So I could make a snowman? (That's right)

But tell me can I make him dance? (All night!)

Give Luminous pants. (Sure man!)

Change the color of his skin? (Yes you can)

Can I make him really small? (Ha! sounds cool)

Never mind I want him tall! (Sure, that too)

Everybody can be a creator when you playing Skylanders: Imaginators

Somebody tell me where the battles at

Because we ready with every attack

Pick any battle class, we got 10

Up first is King Pen

He's a brawler baby watch when he swings them

Fists of ice 'bout to blast your face

With a nice cold blade

That'll turn the place into a blizzard arena

Icebergs be falling you know who to call in when you need some brawlin'

Right on! It's time to get our fight on

With two swords of course that's the weapon of force

Swashbuckler class faster then fast they got double the blade for double the slash

The speed of light is coming torwards ya

Nice nows who that Aurora

She dashing through enemies at blinding speeds

Light it up and don't try to find her feet

How 'bout battle class Bazooker blowing things up not afraid to shoot a rocket (locked and loaded)

They are the masters of blasters of blaster artillery galore

Just ask the Chompy Mage raining a shower of chompie power

Enemies cower

Getting devoured by a pile up! (Ow!)

Why do I have a bazooka now cause it's awesome

But I need to caution you you'll be lost in your brain if you do

Pop in the game a crystal of creation unlocking your imagination

So I can make a t-rex (that's right)

Give him cave man legs (all night)

With a Ninjini chest (sure man)

With a spark tasset (yes you can)

With a Kaos backpack (ha sounds cool)

Pick theme music rap (sure that too)

Everybody can be a creator when you playing Skylanders: Imaginators

Small but mighty fighting with knives nicely throwing stars precisely

Take a guess who it might be

Why you can't see them cause they sneaking to get ya come on

And enter the class of the ninja

Tell us your name Starcast

He's from outer space throwing metal star from four arms without a trace

In shadow form going dark is what's he's doing flying on a shuriken

Flying saucer cruising

Shooting is what the next class pursuing

Quickshot booming double guns they using

Mix it with goo and you know who the dude is

Dr. Krankcase

His aim game's improving

Oozing with victory losers it's over

When he throws the hat from his head and blows up

Into a robot minion attacking for him

The doctor is in

Sspeaking of dual the Sentinels next

Acrobatic tricks so quick they break necks

Get wrecked when you step in double sided weapon

Barbella pinwheels and double blade aggression

Spinning and slashing Ember in action

Samurai backspin with fiery passion

She laughing while meteor smashing

Grand slam pain fan the flames imagine

If you could create your own skylander

Oh waits it true you know it

Now put your hands up

Woohoo i wish i had a body

Who's that, Eon? oh what up kid!

Yo did just bring the hit

Yeah ya you did

I think we should them what time it is

So we can make a big squid (thats right)

And mix parts of a pig (all night)

Put armor on the wrist (sure man)

Give it ears like a fish (yes you can)

Change the style of their voice (ha sounds cool)

Make then have a fart noise (sure that too)

(Tri-Tip interruption)

Everybody can be a creator when you're playing Skylanders: Imaginators

Smasher that the class we talking 'bout

Axes crashing down fast how it the ground

Hand them a hammer then pulverize again and again

Face the mace hes a triceratops man

Tri-Tip the name tar pit of pain

Attacks insane like asteroid rain

Next is Golden Queen

Unleash her Sky-Chi for a massive team of scarab beetles that will reign supreme

She turns giant eyes shooting laser beams

But can you guess the class

They attack with a staff

While floating defeating foes with a blast

You guessed it. It's the sorcerer

Mystical magic packed in the warrior

Where my chompies at where they at

Cuz we'll have them for target practice

Arrow and bow action you know what that class is

Bowslinger

Archer marks on lock

Let There Be Rock!

Wolfgang coming in summoning a stage performing a deadly song

And it's all full of rage

His speakers will beat the enemies that creep up

Weed 'Em and Reap!

Ambush came to meet ya

Part of the knight class he got the right slash

Meditate to increase his sword slice attack

Melee gladiators thats what the knights about

Mystical Tree Fighter calm while he fight it out

Life element but he's a chill dude

Bamboo moves got them saying 'oh shoot!'

Got it yeah get it it's a pun

Having fun is what Skylanders is all about, son

If you can think you can make it

Use Your Imagination

We got the power and no one can break it

Creation creation!

If you can think you can make it

We got the power and no one can break it

Portal Masters, get up in this fight

And bring your imagination to life!

[machlover54666]

Skylander Boy and Girl are stronger in this zone

Your backs against the wall up in a brawl

Use Your Imagination!

I got the power of the crystal that they call

Creation creation!

If you can think you can make it

We got the power and no one can break it

Portal Masters, get up in this fight

And bring your imagination to life

So I could make a snowman? (That's right)

But tell me can I make him dance? (All night!)

Give Luminous pants. (Sure man!)

Change the color of his skin? (Yes you can)

Can I make him really small? (Ha! sounds cool)

Never mind I want him tall! (Sure, that too)

Everybody can be a creator when you playing Skylanders: Imaginators

Somebody tell me where the battles at

Because we ready with every attack

Pick any battle class, we got 10

Up first is King Pen

He's a brawler baby watch when he swings them

Fists of ice 'bout to blast your face

With a nice cold blade

That'll turn the place into a blizzard arena

Icebergs be falling you know who to call in when you need some brawlin'

Right on! It's time to get our fight on

With two swords of course that's the weapon of force

Swashbuckler class faster then fast they got double the blade for double the slash

The speed of light is coming torwards ya

Nice nows who that Aurora

She dashing through enemies at blinding speeds

Light it up and don't try to find her feet

How 'bout battle class Bazooker blowing things up not afraid to shoot a rocket (locked and loaded)

They are the masters of blasters of blaster artillery galore

Just ask the Chompy Mage raining a shower of chompie power

Enemies cower

Getting devoured by a pile up! (Ow!)

Why do I have a bazooka now cause it's awesome

But I need to caution you you'll be lost in your brain if you do

Pop in the game a crystal of creation unlocking your imagination

So I can make a t-rex (that's right)

Give him cave man legs (all night)

With a Ninjini chest (sure man)

With a spark tasset (yes you can)

With a Kaos backpack (ha sounds cool)

Pick theme music rap (sure that too)

Everybody can be a creator when you playing Skylanders: Imaginators

Small but mighty fighting with knives nicely throwing stars precisely

Take a guess who it might be

Why you can't see them cause they sneaking to get ya come on

And enter the class of the ninja

Tell us your name Starcast

He's from outer space throwing metal star from four arms without a trace

In shadow form going dark is what's he's doing flying on a shuriken

Flying saucer cruising

Shooting is what the next class pursuing

Quickshot booming double guns they using

Mix it with goo and you know who the dude is

Dr. Krankcase

His aim game's improving

Oozing with victory losers it's over

When he throws the hat from his head and blows up

Into a robot minion attacking for him

The doctor is in

Sspeaking of dual the Sentinels next

Acrobatic tricks so quick they break necks

Get wrecked when you step in double sided weapon

Barbella pinwheels and double blade aggression

Spinning and slashing Ember in action

Samurai backspin with fiery passion

She laughing while meteor smashing

Grand slam pain fan the flames imagine

If you could create your own skylander

Oh waits it true you know it

Now put your hands up

Woohoo i wish i had a body

Who's that, Eon? oh what up kid!

Yo did just bring the hit

Yeah ya you did

I think we should them what time it is

So we can make a big squid (thats right)

And mix parts of a pig (all night)

Put armor on the wrist (sure man)

Give it ears like a fish (yes you can)

Change the style of their voice (ha sounds cool)

Make then have a fart noise (sure that too)

(Tri-Tip interruption)

Everybody can be a creator when you're playing Skylanders: Imaginators

Smasher that the class we talking 'bout

Axes crashing down fast how it the ground

Hand them a hammer then pulverize again and again

Face the mace hes a triceratops man

Tri-Tip the name tar pit of pain

Attacks insane like asteroid rain

Next is Golden Queen

Unleash her Sky-Chi for a massive team of scarab beetles that will reign supreme

She turns giant eyes shooting laser beams

But can you guess the class

They attack with a staff

While floating defeating foes with a blast

You guessed it. It's the sorcerer

Mystical magic packed in the warrior

Where my chompies at where they at

Cuz we'll have them for target practice

Arrow and bow action you know what that class is

Bowslinger

Archer marks on lock

Let There Be Rock!

Wolfgang coming in summoning a stage performing a deadly song

And it's all full of rage

His speakers will beat the enemies that creep up

Weed 'Em and Reap!

Ambush came to meet ya

Part of the knight class he got the right slash

Meditate to increase his sword slice attack

Melee gladiators thats what the knights about

Mystical Tree Fighter calm while he fight it out

Life element but he's a chill dude

Bamboo moves got them saying 'oh shoot!'

Got it yeah get it it's a pun

Having fun is what Skylanders is all about, son

If you can think you can make it

Use Your Imagination

We got the power and no one can break it

Creation creation!

If you can think you can make it

We got the power and no one can break it

Portal Masters, get up in this fight

And bring your imagination to life!

i dont play skylanders,,

[clonemedickix]

You remember that whole Umbara Arc, when Kix lost his cool and so desperately tried to pull his brothers to safety and render aid, even though it was hopeless and at risk of his own life? Everybody was present with him that day, given a little insight into his perspective. Or, who remembers the medic from Saving Private Ryan, who did the same in more graphic fashion, risking his life and losing it because it was better than watching others suffer?

I know how they felt. Not in the sense of my brothers and sisters are dying in a war, though we fight a different type or war. But in the perspective of watching the inevitable clutches of death take your patient, no matter how you fight, no matter the highly trained skills, no matter the expensive equipment and priceless experience brought to bear. Or when you realize that perhaps you’ve gone past the point of humane, trapping a soul in a broken body that can no longer support them. When no one listens to you, when you want to help but have your hands tied. When that ONE THING eludes you that could have helped. When you’ve moved so past the point of desperate that your team’s humor takes on a dark shape and you can only laugh to stave off the feelings of insanity at what you’re doing, how hopeless you feel, how much you’d like to leave and scream in a quiet place. When you feel invisible because everyone else has such tunnel vision they can no longer hear a voice of concern or reason.

It’s not because people don’t care. Rather, everyone cares so much that they really no longer know what to do. And so every team member walks away wondering if they did enough. Did they fail the patient? Did they miss the piece that could have fixed it all? Were they too afraid to speak up when that would have helped? Could they have saved that patient if only they’d done a little more, had some other idea, pushed that blood faster… anything. At the end of it all you’re left in silence, trying to recover and make sense of the storm. You’re left with ghosts, which will never leave you. Haunted by those you couldn’t save, who whisper to you in the quiet.

It’s not really even their voices you hear - it’s your self condemnation for not beating Death, for not being enough. Or at least, that’s what a good medic hears. The ones who care enough to let it drive you to save the next one. The ones who fight on in your memory, learn from the mistakes and the pain and the loss, who willingly carry your ghost with them for the rest of their lives and to the end of their usefulness.

I once had an experienced coworker from another specialty tell me, “You’re not normal. This unit is not normal. You should not walk among the dead like you’re in a war zone, and just go on to the next patient. How do you do this job?”

Because there’s always the next person you COULD save. Because life is worth fighting for. Because even after all the grief and failure and loss and heartbreak, somehow we stand up to try again. Because we have hope. Or at least, that’s what we tell ourselves when the call comes out for the next run. When we pull ourselves back together, shut our eyes to the devastation, and try again. This time we will win.

In the silence, I know what Kix felt, when Rex wrenched him from the line of fire. We can’t save them all, but by god will we try.

[fleshwallter]

Master Eon: Skylander Boy and Girl are stronger in this zone

Your backs against the wall up in a brawl

Use Your Imagination!

I got the power of the crystal that they call

Creation creation!

If you can think you can make it

We got the power and no one can break it

Portal Masters, get up in this fight

And bring your imagination to life

So I could make a snowman? (That's right)

But tell me can I make him dance? (All night!)

Give Luminous pants. (Sure man!)

Change the color of his skin? (Yes you can)

Can I make him really small? (Ha! sounds cool)

Never mind I want him tall! (Sure, that too)

Everybody can be a creator when you playing Skylanders: Imaginators

Somebody tell me where the battles at

Because we ready with every attack

Pick any battle class, we got 10

Up first is King Pen

He's a brawler baby watch when he swings them

Fists of ice 'bout to blast your face

With a nice cold blade

That'll turn the place into a blizzard arena

Icebergs be falling you know who to call in when you need some brawlin'

Right on! It's time to get our fight on

With two swords of course that's the weapon of force

Swashbuckler class faster then fast they got double the blade for double the slash

The speed of light is coming torwards ya

Nice nows who that Aurora

She dashing through enemies at blinding speeds

Light it up and don't try to find her feet

How 'bout battle class Bazooker blowing things up not afraid to shoot a rocket (locked and loaded)

They are the masters of blasters of blaster artillery galore

Just ask the Chompy Mage raining a shower of chompie power

Enemies cower

Getting devoured by a pile up! (Ow!)

Why do I have a bazooka now cause it's awesome

But I need to caution you you'll be lost in your brain if you do

Pop in the game a crystal of creation unlocking your imagination

So I can make a t-rex (that's right)

Give him cave man legs (all night)

With a Ninjini chest (sure man)

With a spark tasset (yes you can)

With a Kaos backpack (ha sounds cool)

Pick theme music rap (sure that too)

Everybody can be a creator when you playing Skylanders: Imaginators

Small but mighty fighting with knives nicely throwing stars precisely

Take a guess who it might be

Why you can't see them cause they sneaking to get ya come on

And enter the class of the ninja

Tell us your name Starcast

He's from outer space throwing metal star from four arms without a trace

In shadow form going dark is what's he's doing flying on a shuriken

Flying saucer cruising

Shooting is what the next class pursuing

Quickshot booming double guns they using

Mix it with goo and you know who the dude is

Dr. Krankcase

His aim game's improving

Oozing with victory losers it's over

When he throws the hat from his head and blows up

Into a robot minion attacking for him

The doctor is in

Sspeaking of dual the Sentinels next

Acrobatic tricks so quick they break necks

Get wrecked when you step in double sided weapon

Barbella pinwheels and double blade aggression

Spinning and slashing Ember in action

Samurai backspin with fiery passion

She laughing while meteor smashing

Grand slam pain fan the flames imagine

If you could create your own skylander

Oh waits it true you know it

Now put your hands up

Woohoo i wish i had a body

Who's that, Eon? oh what up kid!

Yo did just bring the hit

Yeah ya you did

I think we should them what time it is

So we can make a big squid (thats right)

And mix parts of a pig (all night)

Put armor on the wrist (sure man)

Give it ears like a fish (yes you can)

Change the style of their voice (ha sounds cool)

Make then have a fart noise (sure that too)

(Tri-Tip interruption)

Everybody can be a creator when you're playing Skylanders: Imaginators

Smasher that the class we talking 'bout

Axes crashing down fast how it the ground

Hand them a hammer then pulverize again and again

Face the mace hes a triceratops man

Tri-Tip the name tar pit of pain

Attacks insane like asteroid rain

Next is Golden Queen

Unleash her Sky-Chi for a massive team of scarab beetles that will reign supreme

She turns giant eyes shooting laser beams

But can you guess the class

They attack with a staff

While floating defeating foes with a blast

You guessed it. It's the sorcerer

Mystical magic packed in the warrior

Where my chompies at where they at

Cuz we'll have them for target practice

Arrow and bow action you know what that class is

Bowslinger

Archer marks on lock

Let There Be Rock!

Wolfgang coming in summoning a stage performing a deadly song

And it's all full of rage

His speakers will beat the enemies that creep up

Weed 'Em and Reap!

Ambush came to meet ya

Part of the knight class he got the right slash

Meditate to increase his sword slice attack

Melee gladiators thats what the knights about

Mystical Tree Fighter calm while he fight it out

Life element but he's a chill dude

Bamboo moves got them saying 'oh shoot!'

Got it yeah get it it's a pun

Having fun is what Skylanders is all about, son

If you can think you can make it

Use Your Imagination

We got the power and no one can break it

Creation creation!

If you can think you can make it

We got the power and no one can break it

Portal Masters, get up in this fight

And bring your imagination to life!

this is why i should turn off anon asks

[aut-with-tism]

So…I wrote a thing

It takes seven weeks for the press to move on.

At first, it seemed it would never end. Relentless. Brutal. Owen likened them to the pterosaurs let loose on Main Street. She’d laughed at first - some foreign, high-pitched and breathy squawk - before she realised. They both fell silent.

Eventually, though, there’s a new story. A new disaster. New people whose lives have been turned upside down to hunt and prey on, tearing into them at the first sign of vulnerability.

She’s seen dinosaurs with more mercy.

It takes seven weeks before she can leave the hotel without being swarmed, seven weeks before she can finally breathe again.

The first few days are once, almost. She goes out, picks up groceries - hell, takes a fucking walk - without a leering crowd waiting for the right moment to go in for the kill. Owen, too, takes advantage of their newfound freedom; running a few miles every morning.

She gets it.

She wakes up to the memories of teeth, blood, screams. The crushing heaviness on her chest is the weight of all the lives lost because of her and all she wants to do is run. Run as far and as fast as she can. Run like she did at eighteen and never look back.

But look where that got her.

It takes eight weeks for the reality of the situation to hit her, full force.

It comes out of nowhere; an Indominus-Rex lurking in the forest, camouflaged and waiting. Only this isn’t over as quickly.

At first, she thinks she’s losing her mind. And maybe she is. Maybe she already has, because why else would she do the things she did? Why else would she so carelessly, stupidly, endanger the lives of thousands? Who even does that? Her. If she isn’t insane, she must be incredibly ignorant. Or both.

It’s little things, to start.

Like brushing her teeth in the morning and being so certain she can hear the heavy stomp of dinosaur footsteps in the distance.

Or falling asleep with Owen curled around her, waking up thinking the harsh breathing against her neck is that of a hybrid and not a human.

Then, she’s almost certain that she catches a glimpse of red eyes and bloodied teeth, taunting her in the dark.

The more time passes, the more it affects her. The worse it gets. She has to clamp her eyes shut to wash her hands, because if she opens them, she sees blood. It stains her skin. It tints the water. The blood on her hands is no longer a metaphor, it’s real; it’s real and the word ‘murderer’ echoes through the deafening silence in her mind. She’ll never be clean. But she can come clean.

That night, she releases a statement admitting fault in it all. Explaining her part in the events and how it was her who signed the paperwork authorising the creation of Indominus, how it was her who exploited the animals for money, how it was her who was to blame. She lists the names of every life lost that dreaded day, and in the days that followed. She lists the causes of their deaths.

Her. All because of her.

She deletes all her social media, after, shutting off her phone and throwing it hard off the balcony. It forms a pile of broken pieces on the ground below. For a moment, she contemplates joining it, doing the same to herself as she did her mobile.

It wouldn’t be punishment enough.

Instead, she steps silently back into the room, putting the leather notebook of deaths back into its place at the bottom of the nightstand. She made it a few weeks back, after the guilt started to be too much. Not that she needed it. By week five, she’d already memorised the names of everybody who had been killed. The names of those whose lives had been taken from them far too soon.

The names and faces will haunt her as long as she lives. She supposes, maybe that is her punishment. To never live a life free from them. To never live a life free from herself.

She slips back into bed, facing away from Owen. Staring at the wall in front of her and waiting for him to wake up, because sleep doesn’t come easy these days. Not that it did, before.

She doesn’t know how much time passes before he stirs. Truthfully. It could be minutes, it could be hours; it all feels the same these days.

The mattress dips behind her as he rolls towards her, pressing gentle kisses to her shoulder that have her stomach rolling and the nausea creeping up her throat. She doesn’t deserve this, him, his kindness. Doesn’t deserve anything.

By week twelve, the nausea has grown and the ability to keep meals down has gone. Though that’s nothing new, she supposes. She looks in the mirror after throwing up and sees her twelve year old self. Drained. Alone. It comes to little surprise; it was about time for the ghosts of her past to rear their ugly heads, again.

A part of her has missed this.

She’s mostly surprised that she’s made it this far without it. But, then again, she’d been relying on the routine of it all to get through. And Owen routinely made sure they had three meals a day, minimum.

Speaking of, he notices the change in her behaviour. Of course he does. He’s an animal behaviourist - it's his job to notice these sorts of things - and she’s lost all rights to humanity. He must notice her rushing off to the bathroom during or shortly after mealtimes. Must notice the sound of spittle and spew hitting the toilet bowl.

For a moment, she thinks he gets it. Until he catches her with her fingers jammed down her throat and loses his shit.

He holds her tightly, that night, whispers soft words and apologies into her ear that make her want to curl up into herself and cry. But she doesn’t. She can’t. She doesn’t deserve his kindness and she reminds herself of that by digging her nails into her thighs, leaving red scratches in their wake. Reminiscent of raptor claws. Perhaps that’s the only reason Owen loves her.

(She’s considered it, before. Contemplated the way he looks in her eyes as if she’s a scared animal that needs reassurance, or the surge of pride he gets when she seems to be doing well, before the sadness glosses over. She’s never been what everyone’s needed of her. Never been right.)

He drifts off, some point between midnight and the early hours of the morning. She peels his arms off of her waist and paces around the kitchen, until he wakes up and starts off his morning routine.

Breakfast is awkward. She doesn’t know what to do, but she thinks he doesn’t, either.

It’s the first time she realises it’s his first time experiencing all this, too.

The guilt swirls around her stomach, creeping its way up her throat and into her mouth. The bitterness lingers on her tongue. Thick, heavy, warm. Like the jungle air back on Isla Nublar - the air that still suffocates her fifteen weeks after.

It takes sixteen weeks for her to tell Owen this.

She’s tired. She’s so tired and the exhaustion is deep within her, settled in her core. Maybe it’s a part of her.

He comes home from his job interview at the zoo to find her pressed into the corner of the closet, hyperventilating and on the verge of passing out. There’s blood staining her skin and it’s on the walls, it’s on the floor, it’s everywhere. Teeth, blood, screams. Teeth, blood, screams. Teeth, blood, screams. All her fault. Her. Teeth, blood, screams. Stop. Make it stop. Teeth, blood, screams. Her.

She’s tired. Too tired to protest when they manage to even out her breathing, too tired to say anything when he makes the decision to scoop her up and carry her out of the closet. Too tired to think about the fact that she feels six, again, being cradled and comforted by her sister after their dad had too much to drink and lashed out. Too tired to tell Owen this.

She hasn’t told him anything about her dad, yet.

There’s parts of her he doesn’t understand. But there’s also parts of her she refuses to let him see.

They slept together, the first night. It was a spur of the moment sort of thing, but she doesn’t regret it. Knows he doesn’t, either. But still, he would never understand her need for control, for the lights to be off, for the chance to run away in the middle of the night.

He sees her every day, but he’s never seen her. Not the way that she sees herself.

It takes nineteen weeks for their first argument.

Well, not really. There’s been many before now; it’s just usually hot-headed and stubborn and snappy. Quick. Like the two of them.

But this is different.

This has been brewing for weeks - a hurricane building up and building up and ready to hit land. Katrina, all over again.

She’s lost weight. She’s lost too much weight and she can’t eat and she can’t sleep, but she can muster up the energy to scream at him for four hours. Maybe more. He’s worried and she pushes him away because she’s suffocating, and why can’t he just see that?

He goes out the next morning, earlier than usual. No morning kiss on her shoulder. No standing in the doorway, watching her sleep. (Not that she does - they both know better than to think that.)

She’s long gone by the time he gets back.

It’s week twenty by the time she returns.

Five days since their argument and four since she left, she knocks awkwardly on the door to their hotel room. He opens it quickly - too quickly, as though he was standing on the other side of the door - and she pushes that thought aside as he steps away to let her in.

They don’t even manage five minutes before his lips are on hers, her hands are pulling at his shirt and they’re stumbling in the direction of the bedroom.

She hears him moan and it makes her close her eyes.

Teeth, blood, screams. All over again.

Just like the first night, they fall asleep in the dark; a mess of tangled limbs and sweat. Too exhausted for the nightmares to reach them.

It takes everything within her not to cry when she wakes.

He sleeps longer than she does, heavier, the weight of her leaving pulling him down and running him to the ground. There’s bags under his eyes that liken her own. For a moment, she looks at him and sees herself.

But then she blinks and he’s there, breathing deeply as he stirs and reaches out for her. His hands are warm against her skin. It makes her flinch.

He asks how she slept and for once, she doesn’t have to lie. He breaks out into the biggest, brightest grin, and she has to try not to cry again at his purity. Her resolve crumbles. He’s warmth and light and rough but gentle hands guiding her away from the darkness pulling her down. For a second, she thinks he’s saving her. Until she realises that he can only save one of them, and she’s been pulling him down with her since the moment she showed up at his bungalow.

He doesn’t deserve this.

And she doesn’t deserve him.

They make an agreement to get the hell out of the hotel that afternoon, when he sees her curled up on the stool in front of the kitchen counter. Curled around herself. Protecting herself. Protecting him.

They don’t have to keep running, but maybe they should never have stopped.

So, run they do. All the way back to America. They start in California, where Owen purchases a beat-up van with their ‘severance pay’. Hush money, he calls it.

Blood money.

Stained by the lives lost at the park. She funded this. She funded them. Her.

They go on a road trip, of sorts, travelling from state to state with the rough plan of spending a few weeks in Wisconsin and seeing her sister and nephews. They have weekly phone calls now, but it’s been too long since she saw them last.

It’s only been four months since they spent the weekend around their house. The old Claire would’ve thought that to be days. The Claire that remains understands that you never know which day will be your last. (She always hopes for tomorrow.)

It takes twenty-three weeks for her to wrap her arms around her nephews and, for the first time in years, not comment on how much they’ve grown since she saw them last.

Still, Gray is very much almost as tall as her, especially without her heels on. (She briefly thinks about the fact she went twelve years wearing a pair every day, to simply…not.) He bounds up to her with too much excitement and it makes her heart pang. He’s always been a child. He was even younger than this at the park, when he could’ve died.

Because of her. Her.

It takes everything within her not to ask how he still has that childlike joy. She didn’t, at his age. But, then again, they aren’t anything alike. They grew up completely differently, which gives her hope for him; for them both.

Zach, on the other hand, is exactly the same as he was last. Quiet. Angry.

Disapproving.

Her sister tries her best to fill the time with various days out and family activities - Karen has always been a mother, in that sense - but it never seems right. It suffocates her, being in that house.

It takes twenty-four weeks until they’re on the road again.

Owen is quieter, too, now. It makes her worry. Worry that he’s finally had enough of her, worry that he’s finally starting to see through the haze and realise that all of this is her fault. She doesn’t sleep. Can’t sleep. Scared that she’ll close her eyes and he’ll disappear forever. Or maybe she will.

They stop in a motel on the outskirts of Augusta, Maine. He doesn’t know her dad lives here now and she doesn’t tell him.

She’s not sure what to think of it, anyway.

He falls asleep before his head hits the pillow and she paces the small room until she worries about the neighbours complaining to reception. She stops. But the thoughts don’t and the quiet of the night only seems to amplify them.

For the first time in years, she isn’t alone anymore. But god, she’s never been so lonely.

She lays next to Owen, flat on her back and staring up at the ceiling. She counts the number of stains and marks on the peeling, ivory paint. She mentally traces the outline of the areas the paint is missing. But then, she’s counting the number of people who died because of her, and she traces the outline of their lifeless bodies and the teeth of the Indominus. Teeth, blood, screams. Teeth, blood, screams.

They visit a nearby diner in the morning for breakfast and she gags at the sight of raspberry jelly smeared across a piece of toast. For a moment, the bite marks in the corner aren’t human. And, for another moment, the toast bitten into isn’t bread.

Teeth, blood, screams.

Owen squeezes her hand gently, pulling her attention back towards him. They only got seated moments before - he hasn’t had the time to order coffee, yet - but she looks up at him and begs to leave. They do.

He doesn’t ask anything in the car but he doesn’t have to. He already knows. He always does.

They carry on into the city and she spends most of the drive looking out of the window, wondering if any of the houses they pass are her father’s. Wondering if he looks out the window, too, in search of her. Wondering if he feels ashamed of all he did. Of all he didn’t do.

Would he even recognise her, now?

She doesn’t recognise herself.

Once they’ve reached the beach, it seems to hit her. Again. Everything, everywhere, all at once. The water laps around her ankles and she’s drowning, she can’t breathe; the world spins and her head feels all fuzzy and she’s gonna die. She deserves to die.

She’s fifteen again and the world is ending. She’s fifteen and she can’t find an escape, so she makes her own. She’s fifteen and she’s dying, and she’s never felt happier.

But then, there’s strong arms wrapped tightly around her and she’s not dying anymore. Someone speaks to her so softly that her head spins more, stomach lurching as she turns slightly to the side and coughs up the meagre contents inside.

“I’ve got you, Claire. I’ve got you.”