16 And Still Do This

Alright Stray kitty 😉

https://youtu.be/3rlJcNg33J4

made me think of you <3

Is this a rick roll

Someone check for me

He’s finally done! The second addition to my Bad Batch pinup series is everyone’s favourite asshole Crosshair <3

I took creative liberties on his tattoos - I’m giving them all one matching tattoo anyway (their teams emblem, just altered to suit their individual personalities) I went with a bandolier around one arm and a snake for him too, because I think that’s extremely fitting.

I’m sorry this took so long, life got very busy, but I’m hoping to do the rest quicker! Who do you want me to do next?

I know I was picking you’re an amazing writer and so excited to see where this story is going!! UwU you’re the sweetest human I swear.

Chapter 5 - Push the Limits

Nocticulent: a Hunter love story

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Read it on AO3! Or here below the cut

Summary: Just when things seem tolerable, Hunter and Lav find themselves in a difficult position as things seem to only get worse after they've gotten better in regards to the Empire.

Tags/Warnings: Lots of angst in this one. I know that’s not typical in my writing but this story kinda requires it (oopsie!). Mentions of slavery and undignified treatment. Mentions of execution, canon typical violence. So sorry for all the angst in this chapter, I promise the next chapters will be a lot lighter!!!

Word count: 9.5k

Notes: this chapter (and the story in general) was inspired by this post right here.

(taglist at the bottom)

That was the first time Lav actually noticed the way the stars shone on Geonosis. It wasn’t the breathtaking, pure glow from Daro, partly due to the emissions from the factories as well as the dust that lingered in the air, but they had something. That combined with the debris rings surrounding the rusty-colored planet gave the stars and any celestial bodies a similar orange hue while the sky had a purple undertone to its midnight blue. In all the nights prior to that one, Lav hadn’t bothered to focus on the sky’s beauty. Only one person had occupied her mind, though it had been with worry. Now, Hunter occupied her thoughts similarly, but in a note of relief and satisfaction as well as the longing to feel his lips on hers again.

Her room was still silent, but its solitude was more comforting than it had been the previous nights. Hunter was okay, he was healthy and recovering quickly, and most important, he not only returned her feelings, but he’d agreed, like her, to finally foster them. It seemed as if things were somehow falling to place; much as Lav still wasn’t infatuated with the Empire, Hunter did help out a lot with that. Working with him made things bearable, made them have a purpose, and she refused to think about things that could change that.

Hunter. She cared about Hunter at the moment. The memory of the sweetness in his eyes when he parted from that first kiss they’d shared had her smiling at nothing as her gaze rested gently on the wall, perched on her bed and not quite bringing herself to sleep yet. She had half a mind to run back outside, go to the med bay, and spend the whole night with Hunter. That would put them both at risk, of course, she’d barely managed to reboot the medical droid attending to him before medical personnel wanted access to the room just before she left. She’d take what she had, and she’d cherish it with her heart.

Her heart… Lav’s hand instinctively went up to her chest, where the folded picture of her family still rested safely inside her blouse. At least now being where she was wasn’t as heavy of a burden. She was confident that the purpose she had with her family and Hunter’s feelings for her would keep her afloat, and she felt faithful she could keep that up. For the first time in a while, Lav began to feel like something better than she imagined was in store for her.

She reached out to turn off the already dimmed lights, leaving her room mostly in darkness except for the faint light that peeked in through the outside. With those memories in mind, she drifted off to slumber, noticing how quiet the barracks were, and her sleep didn’t take long to deepen.

Several buildings away, in the med bay, Hunter also lay in his bed as the lights of the room had also been turned off for the night and it was empty except for him. Though his eyes were closed, his mind continued to wander. Her lips had left a print on his in the form of a faint tingling sensation, and Lav’s scent had also remained on his skin, of which he could catch whiffs of from time to time, further comforting him and lulling him to peaceful sleep. He couldn’t help his smile at the thought of her and how she’d gone to see him, to kiss him. He couldn’t wait to be out of the med bay to see her; just looking at her would suffice. Lavender had engrained herself in his heart, and he was ready to merely stand next to her if that was all he’d be allowed to do from that moment on. He’d take it gladly.

With those thoughts, Hunter didn’t even notice the moment he fell asleep, and the next time his eyes opened, the lights of the med bay were on again and there was movement of personnel up and about as well as the typical morning greetings. He’d had a full night’s sleep, there were no nightmares, no interruptions, not even insomnia. Hunter had slept through the whole night for the first time in ages.

Thanks to a fast recovery and state of the art medical procedures, Hunter was told he’d be able to return to his duties that day, so long as he stayed clear of intense activity. He was confident he wouldn’t need to do any of that, and he found he actually looked forward to getting back to his regular schedule. Of course, the only reason for that could be summed up in that faint, flowery scent that still lingered on him, one that fit all too well with her name, just as delicate as she was.

He gathered his things and left the med bay, not without thanking every doctor, nurse, and even medical droid who had cared for him. He scoffed. Hunter had never visioned himself thanking a droid, but he had the premonition some things could change for the better. He had no trouble finding his way around the compound despite having been wounded the first day he was there and not having had much chance to go around it like others had, and he knew where to go since he was told from the beginning where he would be required. No new orders had been given to him, anyway. He was free to make his way where he’d been told to in the first place.

And there she was. Lav was up and about, her hair braided down her right shoulder like it always was, a datapad in her hand and her clear voice guiding her peers around what had to be done in the factory. She was shorter than the other engineers, and yet, she was clearly the one in charge. Hunter could not have been prouder of her, and she was so dazzling that he didn’t even notice the reinforced security within the factory. He walked over to her and the smile returned to his lips, and he silently cleared his throat when he was behind her, catching her attention and making her turn around.

A smile instantly appeared on her face too and her eyes seemed to gleam when she looked at him, and Hunter barely held enough composure to not fall to his knees or take her in his arms and spin her around. Instead, he stood upright, making Lav’s smile widen a bit more as she addressed him with a light bow.

“Captain,” she said softly. “It’s good to see you around here.”

“It’s good to finally be back.”

“Are you sure you’re up for it?” The concern was evident in Lav’s eyes. “I know you’ve had a good recovery, but maybe you should take some more time. We’ve been making good time and everything’s going well, you can really take more time if you need it.”

Hunter smiled at her. “I appreciate it, but if I can manage moving around, I’d prefer to be here than stuck another whole day in the med bay.”

“Yeah, I get it,” she said, her grin tilting a bit more. “I’d rather you were here too. But only if you can manage it.”

“I would never lie to my star engineer, would I?” His smile remained. “Now go on, tell me how you’ve progressed. Don’t let out any details.”

“Right,” she led Hunter back to the squad, who was running daily maintenance checks on the machines before starting them up fully. “The first couple of days were all about adapting the factory to our current needs and implementing the processes I came up with for our multiple products. The next couple of days were for optimization; reducing startup and idle times, increasing quality ratio, and even monitoring where we could implement some automatization.”

“Hm,” Hunter eyed the machines. “Impressive.”

“It’s standard industrial engineering,” she replied as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“No, you make it sound standard,” Hunter said. “I’m sure it’s far more complicated than it seems.”

“Well, there are a lot of operations to get to the end result, but you get the point.”

“And can I assume you’re making good progress?”

“We’re ahead of schedule,” Lav replied proudly. “So you see, you really could have stayed in the med bay another day to rest.”

“Let me worry about my health,” he told her with a subtle smile.

“You know I can’t do that,” she answered. “I’m sorry, Captain, but you’ll need to give me a different order.”

Lav turned around and continued to type away in her holopad while Hunter continued admiring her. Back on Daro, Lav hadn’t had much of the spotlight put on her. Her former teammates were the ones with all the attention with their explicit military training while she worked in the labs, hidden from most eyes. It wasn’t until that moment that Hunter noticed what a leader she could be, a swift one who led with charisma, whose kindness motivated people to work with her. While observing her, he also noticed some of the looks she received from the engineers under her jurisdiction. Many of them were legitimately shocked one of their higher-ups, essentially Imperial, could have such a kind and delicate demeanor while getting so many things done.

For a while, even Hunter seemed to be taking orders from her. He didn’t mind; in his own squad, he was never the one who knew about machinery. All he did was direct and rush droids head on. He probably could have done more heavy lifting, but Lav denied any request he made, still concerned for his well-being. In short, Hunter spent most of his time next to her, and Lav mostly just directed the operation.

Still, there were a few small, almost unnoticeable moments in which the two were able to make eye contact, and Lav would direct a tiny smile at Hunter, a detail so small it almost made him love it even more. Every time, despite the obvious risk, Hunter couldn’t help but smile back at her.

In the middle of one of those gestures, the two were surprised by their admiral coming into view. Whether he had seen it or not was irrelevant to them at the moment, the two simply stood up straighter and greeted their Admiral the way they should have, purposely giving off the image that everything was going smoothly.

“Admiral,” Hunter said.

“Captain, good to see you out of the medical bay. I trust you are in condition to be out here again.”

“I am, sir,” Hunter answered. “Though I’m pleased to see Lavender has made good progress in my absence.”

“Indeed,” Rampart acknowledged Lav with a nod. “This is the fastest we’ve seen a factory become adapted to our current necessities, and it’s remarkable given how particular these processes will be. Your engineer has truly done a great job.”

Though never having been the biggest fan of the Empire or many of the things that happened within its walls, Lav allowed herself to feel some pride with what Rampart was saying.

“Thank you, admiral Rampart,” she answered.

“In fact, that is why I am here,” Rampart continued. “I wasn’t counting on you being out of the medical bay, captain, but your presence here only makes things more efficient.” Rampart turned around and began walking towards the exit of the factory that would lead them to the area outside that had been adapted into a hangar for drops and deliveries, and Lav and Hunter followed. The sunlight soon hit them, bright and almost scorching under the Geonosian sky.

“Had it not been for your efforts, the Geonosians probably wouldn’t have been so keen on accepting any deal on our part,” Rampart said. “The only reason they agreed to take a risk was because every design, every process was so thoroughly laid out,” he stopped walking and faced Hunter and Lav again. “That was you, Lavender.”

“Thank you, Admiral,” Lav said again. “Though I wouldn’t want to take all the credit. A lot of hours, days even, went into the work. At times, I was exhausted,” she looked over at Hunter, “but it was my captain who helped keep me on track.”

“I’m aware,” Rampart said, eyeing them both. “Well, the virtue of a good leader is to keep their followers on task. You both are to congratulate. Both of you are held in high regard by the Geonosians and the Empire. I believe it is safe to say you will be part of the Empire for a long time to come.”

Lav mustered a smile of approval in a way that she almost seemed please. Almost, as Hunter could see differently. His enhanced eyesight could allow him to pick up on details others couldn’t, and he could almost hear the way Lav’s muscles went cold when Rampart mentioned staying there.

“I’m honored to hear that, Sir,” Lav said with a subtle stammer.

“As am I,” Hunter agreed, both to follow up and to remind Lav he was still beside her.

The roaring of jet engines filled their ears as a large freighter ship began descending upon the bay. It was just another ship to the uneducated eye, but it had Lav looking in doubt at her holopad, instantly knowing it was a bit off.

“What’s in that ship?” She asked, her eyes still on the holopad. “I don’t have any more arrivals scheduled for today?”

“Ah, this is for a matter of workforce scheduled to arrive today,” Rampart answered.

“Oh,” Lav lit up. “Well, if it’s for the factory, I’d be thrilled to show them around—”

“That will not be necessary,” Rampart cut her off. “I will see to this matter, for now, you two see to the factory itself.”

“Yes, Admiral,” Lav said, stuttering a bit again. She guessed she’d simply grown used to being notified of everything, but she remembered she wasn’t in charge of everything. Somehow, that brought her comfort.

It did except for what Rampart had said about being there for a long time. Yes, it guaranteed good results, it guaranteed everything her family would ever need, but what was it she wanted? For starters, she’d love to not have to sneak around with Hunter. She was positive Rampart had seen the way the two had been smiling at each other, and if he didn’t tell them anything, a thorn nagged at her letting her know it wasn’t a good thing. Rampart wasn’t the type to keep things to himself for purely benevolent purpose, or in this case, letting two people be in love. No, it just didn’t fit him.

“Well, that is all I wanted to tell you,” Rampart said. “That and to congratulate you once more on this achievement. However, I’m afraid I am needed elsewhere at the moment. I suggest you get back into the factory to keep up current momentum.”

“We’ll see to it, sir,” Hunter said.

They saluted and Rampart was off, and in that time, the freighter had just finished up its landing procedures. As they walked back into the factory, they could both hear the steam coming out of the ship’s exhaust ports, and they were inside the factory before its rear door fully opened.

Still, a few steps into the factory, Hunter’s pace began slowing. Lav looked at him, worried he might be feeling bad from his wound, but her concern grew when she noticed the look in Hunter’s eyes. He looked like he was wary of imminent danger, like something was terribly wrong.

“What is it?” The fear in her voice was evident.

Hunter didn’t answer immediately. He focused every one of his senses on that ship. He knew the sudden dark feeling he’d gotten had been from that ship, but why would it be if it was simply workforce? Concentrating, he was determined to find any signs that would point him to an answer: a stale scent, the wave of heat that moved around the already scorching Geonosian air, the very few hushed voices, almost weak, contrasted by loud shouts of command.

“I have a bad feeling about that ship,” Hunter said.

“What about it?”

Hunter continued looking in that direction, after which he looked around their area to see if they weren’t being watched. When the coast seemed clear, he took Lav’s hand and tugged her alongside with him as he made his way back outside, discreetly staying behind the doorway and only looking enough to get a sight of what the ship was.

A small sight was enough to get a glimpse of how awful it was. The freighter was large and could hold many people, but exiting it were too many people. Humans, Twi’leks, Rhodians, males and females of countless species, most of them young with the exception of a few who were older, and all of them frail. Dark spots of dust and dirt covered their skins in patches, and those who had hair wore it messy and tangled. They all walked slowly, only keeping a certain pace due to the Imperial officers shouting at them to keep moving.

Lav felt a mix of horror and dismay at the sight. They were all slaves, there was no questioning it, and the fact that Rampart had described them as workforce now seemed morbid to her. Those people were meant to work at the factory—a factory she had conditioned, enable to produce in the first place, brought it up to working standards enough to require said workforce. She tried convincing herself it wasn’t her fault. She hadn’t ordered the capture of people who had the right to remain free, but that didn’t help her much. Someone else in the Empire had, along with several others who agreed with them, and now those people were condemned to a life of arduous work in less than dignified conditions.

“We have to do something,” Lav said quietly as her tension grew, and Hunter could hear the way she was trembling. She stepped forward and went onto the hangar, suddenly realizing there was nothing she could do at the moment. Instead, she looked disoriented standing there, gawking at the sight, her holopad hanging loosely beside her.

“Is there a problem?”

Probably the last voice she wanted to hear at that moment, Lav turned around to see Rampart, his gaze on her harder than it had been before.

“I only came to verify the shipment, sir,” she said, refusing to appear intimidated by him. “Just procedure. I wasn’t expecting this.”

She realized that last statement slipped out on accident, but there was hardly anything she could do about it now. All she could do was keep her back as straight as possible and her body as still as she could manage, but the horrendous sight paired with Rampart made it far harder for her to achieve that.

“Well, perhaps having stuck to your actual duties would have helped,” Rampart said, his voice deceptively calm as he went to stand next to Lav and also looking at the crowd of slaves before them, not looking at her for a moment. “I meant what I said. Do not make me regret it.”

Lav couldn’t bring herself to look at him, not even in the light of that obvious threat. “I wouldn’t dream of it, captain—”

“It’s Admiral.”

She went cold. At last, she had no choice but to look at Rampart, aware this time she’d failed her initial intention. She was afraid, and she was showing it.

“But perhaps you’re right,” Rampart said, his voice now smooth like it always was. “You should return to your captain,” he emphasized the last two words and there could only be one explanation for it.

“Right away, sir,” she answered. Doing her best to keep protocol, she stood up straight, saluted, and went back into the factory, not once daring to look over her shoulder. Hunter greeted her and walked discreetly beside her; he would have taken her hand, made any gesture to comfort her, but he’d seen and heard everything. All he could do at the moment was look at her from time to time and try to keep stable around her as she continued, or rather tried, to keep her fellow engineers working and making good time. But she was off, and everyone noticed. The one thing Hunter knew about her was that she wasn’t one to hide emotions.

The day could not have felt longer for both of them, with the occasional friendly smiles and cute comments completely gone. The whole time, Lav felt a hole in her chest that was already pounding with her heartbeat, a swarm of thoughts devastating her mind, and her trembling barely easing up with time. Like a good captain, Hunter oversaw any operations she led and stuck by her even after downtime, when he found himself walking her back to her room.

The hall was dark, quiet, and empty. Given the events of that day, it was no longer comforting to have a place be so alone. As Lav stood in front of her room door, she looked up at Hunter with wide, sad eyes.

Being aware that no one else was in the hall at the time, Hunter took her hand and squeezed it as he tried to comfort her with a soft gaze.

“Try to get some sleep,” he said.

She averted her eyes. “Hunter…”

He took both of her hands as though he’d be able to make everything right with that gesture. Lav took a deep breath and cleared her throat enough for her voice not to break whenever she spoke.

“I can’t,” she said with a gentle shake of her head.

“What?”

“I can’t let it happen.”

Hunter sighed, his eyes growing sad as well. “There’s nothing we can do.”

When he noticed her lips trembling, it all but broke his heart, and he took a hand to cup her cheek and wipe away any tears that fell.

“That’s what this is,” he told her. “The reason I’m here.”

“And so am I,” she said.

A bitter silence hung among them as Hunter tried to find more words, but he didn’t settle on anything that could improve her mood much.

“Rampart knows,” Lav broke the silence.

Hunter began to take his hand away from her, but she reached for it and set it back on her cheek, leaning into his palm to feel any sort of comforting warmth rather than the suffocating heat Geonosis offered.

“Don’t,” she said. “That’s not what I meant. I don’t want to stop, it’s just…” She trailed off, sighing and feeling pathetic. “I don’t know, Hunter… it’s all so messed up, it’s too much! It’s awful…”

“Hey,” he pulled her into an embrace where she could weep.

“It’s my fault,” she said.

“No,” Hunter managed firmly and looked her in the eyes. “Listen to me, this isn’t your fault, you hear me? You didn’t bring those people here, and you’re not capable of hurting a fly. It’s not your fault.”

“They’re here because of my work.”

“If it hadn’t been your work, it would have been someone else’s. It was not something you could control.”

She leaned her head on his chest again and let a few more tears drop out of her eyes while Hunter gently stroked her hair.

“What now?” She asked him.

Lav felt his chest slowly move up and then down with Hunter’s deep breath.

“I hate to say it,” he answered.

“But?”

“But we go on,” he told her, hating the fact as much as she did. “There’s nothing we can do or say to anyone.”

She parted slightly so that she could look him in the eyes. “It just feels wrong… and if Rampart knows I’m not on board with the idea, he’s going to be on me like a hawk. What if I don’t do enough and I’m thrown out? What if he takes it out on me, or you, or us?”

“Lav,” Hunter spoke with a soft, low voice, its deep hum somehow calming her down. “You’re going to be fine, alright?” He paused to kiss her forehead and resumed stroking her hair. “I promise you’ll be fine. You won’t be thrown out. Do your best with the factory, keep it in good conditions for whoever will work there. And regarding us, if Rampart does know and he hasn’t done anything about it by now, I don’t think he will. He cares about results, and that’s what we’ll give him. You’re in charge of that factory, Lav. It’s in your power to give those people better conditions.”

“He’ll see right through my efforts,” she told him.

Hunter gently stroked her cheek and had her look up at him. “Just do your best.”

Lav sniffled and wiped her eyes dry, all so that she could look at Hunter’s gorgeous, honey-brown irises in the darkness.

“Kiss me,” she whimpered quietly.

With a sad smile, Hunter acknowledged her request. Holding her firmly, yet sweetly, he pressed his lips to her, hoping desperately he could make her feel any better. With his hand, he secured the back of her head, almost molding her body into his, and Lav kissed him in return with strength as a couple of moans escaped her lips. They both needed this, they needed each other. They knew they’d be the only thing to pull them through that entire mess.

When Hunter began to pull away, Lav chased his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him in for another kiss, this time more craving than before. Hunter knew she was vulnerable, and while her passion grew every second, he firmly took her shoulders and held her in place, opting to press a soft kiss to her forehead instead.

Lav sighed, knowing it was right. Her eyes looked at his again as she set her feet back on the ground and settled on one conclusion.

“I don’t want to stay here a long time,” she whispered, afraid unwanted ears would hear her.

Her eyes were wide, hopeful even, and Hunter knew what she meant. The memory of Daro returned to him, of that night in the forest when nature and night wildlife had treated them so well. He’d wrapped his arms around her, pinned her to a tree, been so close to kissing her for the first time. He’d proposed to run away together, to forget the Empire and everything that held them back.

And for every logical reason, neither one of them had acceded to such an illusion. Yet there was Lav, all but pleading Hunter to put that possibility back on the table, and he knew she had every reason to want to leave. Still, she also had reasons to stay, and so did he. He feared what it would take to get them both to agree to leave.

No, he wouldn’t allow himself to think of it at the moment.

“It’s what we’ve got for now, Lav,” he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “Try to rest, okay? You need to clear your mind, but if you need anything, contact me.”

Her heart sank, but she knew he was right. Her thoughts were on a similar line as his, and the realization that they’d both be stuck there for a while slowly spread through her like an illness. He was right, the best they could do was their best. To remain in good terms with the Empire so that they and their own could be safe.

Lav then nodded and squeezed Hunter’s hands. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

He tried his best to smile comfortingly at her, and after one more kiss on her forehead, Hunter was off down the hall while Lav entered her room and closed the door behind her.

Mindlessly, she took off her armor. The room was so hot that she turned on the air conditioning and took her blacks off, only left in a silk top and her panties, not even bothering to put any socks on. All the lights turned off, she crawled into the bed to try to sleep, but she couldn’t. It seemed she’d been lying awake for hours with visions and flashes of images she’d seen of the people leaving the freighter. There would be no way for her to sleep if she didn’t take it out somehow, and if she was sleep deprived, her mood would worsen, so would her attitude, and who knew what would happen if she was so irritable that she was at risk of disrespecting a higher up, further putting her in a bad image…

She stopped. She sat up and realized there was a storm in her mind, one that wouldn’t get her anywhere. She looked out the small window of her room and was no longer in love with the rusty look the stars had in contrast to the purple night sky. Pacing around the room, Lav tried her best to think of a way to do something. About what, she didn’t know. She just wanted to do something that would make her feel a little less condemned.

After a loud sigh, her eyes drifted to her armor and blacks on the floor, through which the corner of the picture was barely peeking out. She bent over and grabbed it, looking at the picture, barely making out the silhouettes of her Grandma and little sisters in the dark. It then hit her how much she missed them, how long it had been since she’d heard from them and they’d heard from her. With a new spark of determination, Lav went to sit on her bed and pulled the holopad from her nightstand, powering it up and setting it to write a message.

No words came to her at first. Most of the messages she’d written to her Grandma had been in high hopes, talking with optimism about her work if only to try and convince herself even further. But things were hard for Lav, so much harder, and she felt guilty for wanting to leave. She felt guilty for not doing things gladly for her family’s sake, when she knew the right thing would have been otherwise. She thought of all her grandma’s sacrifices when she’d been growing up, all the hard work she had to do that she probably didn’t enjoy, but that meant bringing Lav and her sisters up. But then again, that work didn’t have to do with slavery.

Before she drowned in her guilt, Lav’s fingers began moving instinctively on the holopad, finding words unconsciously as she began writing the message.

Hey, Granny.

I’m sorry I haven’t written sooner. To be honest, things have been really busy since we arrived on Geonosis. Things have been going well, or so it seems. I don’t even know anymore. I know you might get mad at what I’m about to say, but sometimes I don’t see the point of being here. Not because of you guys, though. Believe me, you and my sisters are on my mind constantly. I know I’m doing this for you.

But (and don’t tell anyone about this, please) we had a shipment of slaves come in today. Slaves, Grandma. You know it’s not right. None of it is right, and yet I’m managing the very operation they’re going to work in. I just don’t know what to do anymore. I’m lost. Just when I was starting to feel like something good was going on, like I could keep up the good work here, this happens. And I can’t do anything about it without there being bad consequences either. I just feel trapped.

I’m sorry this message is so downcast, the last thing I want is to upset you with any of this. I just really needed to talk to you, to hear from you, and know that you’re okay. I feel like that’ll sure keep me going longer. Because honestly… I don’t like being here. I never did. The Empire’s awful, they do everything with such a tough hand that I fear, sooner or later, everyone will get a taste of how terrible they can be. I’ve lost sight of a lot of things.

But well, I know a big part of that is just me complaining and I don’t want to bring down the mood with you, you’re free to just not pay attention to my rambling. There has been some good too, honestly. Because you’re still my Grandma, I won’t go into much detail, but I’ve fallen in love with my captain and I really think he returns my feelings. He’s really handsome and strong and protective, I think you’d like him. And don’t worry, we’re being careful and everything—about not being caught, not about… what you’re thinking. (Please don’t get a heart attack).

Anyways, I hope you’re doing well. Say hi to my sisters for me, and tell them to behave in school. If they’re anything like me, they’re around the age when they’ll like talking back to their teachers, and while I’d be proud of them, I don’t want them getting into trouble. And I hope you’re doing fine as well, Granny. I miss you.

With love,

Your little Lavender

Lav debated whether or not to send the message. It was dark near the beginning, but that was the way things were. Was it right to let her Grandma know of everything going on, or should she just scratch the message entirely and rewrite it with a simple everything’s fine! Nothing bad’s happening here! and be safer? She sighed. She figured the worst that could come of it would be Granny worrying for her, and that being the case, Lav could really use someone else listening to her.

Without much more thought, Lav hit the send button and turned the holopad off, putting it on the nightstand again and lying back down on the bed, twisting and turning for another long while before finally sleeping.

The morning following that was neither easy nor difficult. Lav simply put on her blacks and armor after showering quickly with cold water to get her mind in the world, and she strutted down to the factory to get working.

She’d expected there would already be slaves working there, and nothing could prepare her mentally for that. To her surprise, though, there were no slaves in the factory when she arrived. It was just the squad of engineers she’d been working with, and soon, even Hunter arrived. His presence at least soothed her a bit, and she figured maybe there was some hope. Of what, she wasn’t certain. Hunter simply made her feel not everything was lost yet.

She did notice one thing though, which was the absence of the increased number of Geonosians in charge of looking after security. None of them were there, and it was then that she realized the factory was too quiet. Hunter had noticed it too, as he could often hear the clicking and fluttering of the Geonosians. He and Lav exchanged a look, both of them concerned, both still way on edge from the events of the day before. Despite that, Lav continued working, even if the hole in her chest made an appearance again.

A couple of hours went by and it seemed things were going relatively well. Lav made sure to increase ventilation in the factory as well as light intake from the outside, hoping those efforts would keep the factory in humane conditions. It may not have been a lot compared to the bigger picture, but she was satisfied with her little something for the time being. Barely allowing herself to feel positive for the first time that day, she and the others heard the heavy doors of the factory opening, and in came a group of Geonosians led by an Imperial officer.

Nobody knew what was up with them, but somehow, they all agreed their presence couldn’t be a good thing. The officer scanned the group with unfriendly eyes and then spoke, his voice booming and echoing around the factory.

“Lavender Earthapple,” he said.

She became worried instantly upon hearing her name, and she looked back at Hunter hoping maybe he had answers. Still, when Hunter seemed as worried as she did, she began to lose some hope. Summoning all her courage, Lav stepped to the front of the group.

“That’s me,” she said. “What can I help you with?”

“Arrest her,” said the officer, turning around and barely looking at Lav from the corner of his eye as though she were merely dust.

“Wait, what?!” Hunter stood between her and the Geonosians. “She’s not going anywhere.”

“That’s not up to you, captain,” the officer spit the word out. “Miss Earthapple has been found guilty of treason and is to be taken to the Geonosian Arena. An example has to be made of her.” He then pulled out his blaster to threaten Hunter. “Now step aside and don’t make more trouble, your presence is requested alongside Admiral Rampart to witness the execution.”

“Execution?!” Hunter questioned, trying to appear menacing above the crushing fear he felt.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” the officer loaded the blaster.

Hunter realized how powerless he was. Two Geonosians circled around him and went towards Lav, whose eyes were already filled with tears and wide as they looked at Hunter in terror.

“There’s a mistake,” she said as the Geonosians began cuffing her, and she resisted on instinct but only earned a sting from a shocking device they were carrying on them.

“Don’t hurt her!”

“Hunter!” Lav wept as she began to be carried away by them. “Hunter!”

“Lav, it’s going to be alright!” He called as the Geonosians took her away from the factory, still haunted by the sound of her cries that faded painfully slowly as they got farther.

Everyone in the factory remained silent; Hunter was outraged, afraid, helpless. He wanted nothing more than to go after her, but he already had a blaster pointed at him. Who was to say the officer wouldn’t find a way to take it out on him too, or on the other engineers who were just as terrorized by the scene they’d just witnessed?

Hunter only knew he was disgusted at his inability to do anything.

“You all must be there too,” the officer commanded. “That is an order. Captain, I will not ask again.”

Hunter raised his hands slightly in surrender, and he followed the officer out of the factory, not even being able to look back at the other engineers.

He had to find Lav. He had to figure out where she was and why they’d suddenly charged her with treason. She hadn’t done anything wrong, looking at the slaves and appearing horrified was only a human reaction, there was no treason in that. Or perhaps it was because of her relationship with him—but in that case, he would have been taken too. Or perhaps there was something planned for him he didn’t know about. The possibilities were horribly endless.

Rampart. Hunter knew that, for better or for worse, Rampart could be an answer to their problem. He had to talk to him, appeal to his better nature and get him to spare Lav. Whatever it took, he had to save Lav…

Away from the Imperial compound, Hunter was taken to a large structure embedded within one of the large Geonosian mountains. Its halls inside were dark, and even from there, he could hear the roaring of a crowd, and the sound of clicking and fluttering returned. In little time, Hunter arrived at a balcony that overlooked an arena where large pillars were set, surrounded by cages and with one Imperial guard in each of its cardinal directions, four total.

“Captain, you have arrived,” Rampart began speaking.

“With respect, what is going on?” Hunter asked, the worry unmistakable in his voice.

“Your engineer has committed treason.”

“Admiral, whatever relationship goes on between us, it has not hindered her work. That’s hardly a reason for—”

“That is not why she’s being prosecuted,” Rampart interrupted with a dismissing wave of his hand. “I in fact don’t much care for whatever it is goes on between you and her. You’ll find out the reason for her betrayal soon enough.”

“Sir,” Hunter insisted. “I know Lavender. She wouldn’t hurt anyone or anything. Whatever reason, it must be a mistake. I’m begging you to reconsider, don’t let her be executed. Look at her work, she’s done so much.”

“She can be replaced,” Rampart said without an ounce of care. “We already have everything we needed her to do, the rest can be picked up by other workers.”

Hunter was speechless, indignant at how disposable Rampart regarded her to be. Of course, that was how the Empire saw those loyal to them, and even more so those who weren’t. Even as a clone, Hunter had never heard something of the sort, and he’d been bred to go to the battlefield and possibly die, all for the Republic. It disgusted him.

“Captain,” Admiral Rampart faced Hunter. “You have done a good enough job not caring about those close to you enough for it to step between you and your duties so far. Don’t let that change now.”

Rampart then walked forward to the edge of the balcony and caught the crowd’s attention. “Bring in the prisoner.”

*

She’d barely processed anything. Lavender felt her body shaking, her legs about to give out beneath her. The Geonosians stripped her of her weapons and uncuffed her only to throw her in a cell that smelled like it had been rotting for years. She couldn’t see much, but she heard the roaring of a crowd as well as occasional banging and growling from behind the adjacent walls. Nothing would make her calm down or even see a glint of hope.

She didn’t even keep track of how long she was in there until she noticed the door opposite to the one she came in through began opening, revealing a second door made of bars that began lifting. A guard came in with a spear and began urging her out; the sunlight blinded her the moment she stepped into the sandy ground and she took a while to process her surroundings. The seats of the arena were filled with thrilled Geonosians while the balconies hosted Imperials, and at one section of the seats, the slaves and even generic Imperial workers were hosted.

Lav was forced to walk to the center of the arena facing south, and her heart sank. Next to Rampart stood Hunter, and even from that distance, Lav recognized the agony he was going through. Then, Rampart raised his hands and the crowd quieted down, leaving enough silence for his voice to be amplified and hear by everyone.

“The former Imperial engineer Lavender Earthapple has been found guilty of treason through words that came out from herself,” Rampart began. “Last night, a message sent from her to her family in which she states herself how much she is against the Empire.”

“What?” Lav said quietly, but all for show, her voice was amplified as well.

Rampart then read from a holopad: “None of it is right, and yet I’m managing the very operation they’re going to work in. I just don’t know what to do anymore. I’m lost. Just when I was starting to feel like something good was going on, like I could keep up the good work here, this happens. And I can’t do anything about it without there being bad consequences either. I just feel trapped.

“I’m sorry this message is so downcast, the last thing I want is to upset you with any of this. I just really needed to talk to you, to hear from you, and know that you’re okay. I feel like that’ll sure keep me going longer. Because honestly… I don’t like being here. I never did. The Empire’s awful, they do everything with such a tough hand that I fear, sooner or later, everyone will get a taste of how terrible they can be.”

Lav was disgusted by the dramatization Rampart had given, the laughter and fake shock coming from Imperials and Geonosians alike, and the fact that her message had been intercepted. Rampart had clearly distrusted in her since the ship disembarked, it was the only explanation—and only proof of what lengths he and the Empire itself would go to in order to silence anyone with a mind of their own.

“You had no right to go through that message,” the way Lav’s voice broke betrayed her strong intention to fight back.

“You no longer have any rights,” Rampart said. “We take you in, grant your family everything it needs to thrive and give you high regards within the Empire given your work, and this is the loyalty we get from you?” He looked up at the rest of the crowd. “Let this be an example. The Republic is dead. Its weakness killed it. The Empire is what thrives now, and if you are naïve enough,” he pointed at Lav, “to try and digress from us, you will burn.”

His eyes fell on Lav again, almost in mockery. “Do you have anything more to say?”

She tried her best to steady herself, and while she was still on the verge of tears, Lav knew she had to speak up. “I no longer put anything beneath the Empire. Do what you want now, you’re the one who’s going to burn.”

Rampart seemed almost amused by Lav. “How wrong you are.”

From the center of the arena, Lav continued locking eyes with him. She couldn’t possibly bear looking over at Hunter. Her eyes were still full of tears and her lips trembled as she tried to grasp what was coming, and all she had left now was hanging on to the hope that one day, the Empire would go up in flames.

“Such a waste,” Rampart said dismissively, giving the guards the go ahead to open the rest of the cages.

That final statement tipped Hunter into despair, and he also knew that if he didn’t do anything now, it would be too late after that. As he looked at Lav in the center of the arena, his mind raced. The woman he loved was put in grave danger, and he wasn’t willing to let anything happen to her. He remembered every time she’d smiled at him, how soft she still was, how warm and gentle her touch was, the sweetness of her kisses. He remembered the promise he’d made to himself, to keep her the way she was. Soft. Warm. Hopeful.

He wasn’t arrested, being prosecuted, or anything of the sort. He still had his own weapons. The blaster would do him well and so would the blade, if he played things right, he wouldn’t need anymore. Though, he did realize he was running out of time. Two of the cages opened, one of them revealing a nexu while the other one held a small rancor, most likely one in its early years, but still quite the threat.

Hunter watched as Lav’s eyes widened in horror as she looked back and forth both animals, each one eager to strike at her, baring their teeth and growling. Hunter needed to act now.

He grabbed his blaster and, positioned behind Rampart, he had an opening since everyone’s eyes were on Lav as she was threatened by both creatures. It was then that Hunter aimed the blaster at Rampart and fired it, stunning him and making him land unconscious on the ground. After that, Hunter jumped off the balcony, positioned low enough so that he could survive the fall and land relatively safely.

The crowd roared when they noticed what had happened, but in the middle of the arena, Lav hadn’t noticed any of it. Petrified by the creatures, she barely found it in herself to move before either of them reached her, managing to dodge them and making them crash together, only prompting them to fight each other while she finally found the opening to run away and hide behind one of the pillars. Her chest heaved up and down, shocked that she was still alive, but she was still running out of options. Then, the roaring of the rancor caught her ear and she heard its heavy struts charging toward her, and it then crashed onto the large stone pillar and sent it crashing down.

Once more, she managed to dodge it and get out of the pillar’s trajectory. Its impact on the ground lifted a cloud of light brown sand, making her cough and compromising her vision as well as the rancor’s. When it cleared enough, she noticed the tiny rocks that had split from the pillar after its fall, and she stocked up on several of them to at least have some sort of weapon. While the rancor was busy rampaging and knocking down the other pillars, Lav noticed from the corner of her eye that the nexu was now charging at her. Intimidating with its agile figure, sharp teeth and razor claws, Lav felt she was cornered, and barely saw her life flashing before her when she noticed a figure tackling the nexu away after which she heard the slash of a knife.

“Hunter?!”

“Run!” He yelled in a gruff voice, baring his teeth as he wrestled the nexu relying only on his strength and his knife to keep it away from her. In a split second, he dropped the blaster and Lav took it and tried to find a good angle to shoot the nexu without risking harming Hunter.

Meanwhile, the rancor continued to rampage, and it hit Lav with an idea. The rancor wasn’t targeting her. It was angry, yes because it was in its nature, but because the reason these creatures were extra aggressive was because they were starved and tortured to be conditioned that way. While the rancor continued destroying whatever obstacle it saw, the guards approached it to sting it with their spears, and the rancor had no choice but to defend itself.

Lav knew how to find a way out of there. Running, she caught the attention of the nexu as she made a beeline for the guards and began throwing rocks at them to catch their attention, but also to have the rancor see she was against them as well. The rancor noticed, and the two began fighting against the guards.

It all made the crowd go insane. The rancor had mighty fun fighting the guards, and while Lav ran out of rocks, she pulled out the blaster and stunned the remaining guards, finally clear to go back and help Hunter. Shocked as she was to see the scene, Hunter was still holding his own against the nexu, having successfully kept it away from her and the rancor while they took out the guards. His armor was scratched, but it was nothing too serious, and now, Hunter and the nexu were staring at each other, facing each other like it was a showdown.

Hunter, growling and frowning menacingly at the nexu, held out both of his fists, ready to fight. One of them held the blade, his only means of defense, and while the nexu was getting ready to leap at Hunter, Lav repositioned herself and knelt on the floor to stabilize herself, shooting the blaster and hitting the nexu. The stun mode of the blaster wasn’t enough to take it down, but it did interrupt its leap and it fell limply on the ground, dazed for a moment before it realized Lav had been responsible for its failure. Baring its teeth, it prepared to leap again only to be tackled by Hunter, who finally had an opening to hold the nexu down on the ground.

Lav approached them a bit more and continued firing stun bolts at the nexu. It took at least five more consecutive bolts to finally make the nexu unconscious as its body went limp and it relaxed onto the ground. Hunter sheathed his knife again and ran over to Lav, taking her hand as the crowd began to roar again.

“We have to go!” He yelled.

Just then, Lav noticed more Geonosians were making their way into the arena, unwilling to let them escape. The rancor, still angry and rampaging, helped give them an opening as it threw off any Geonosian who approached. With that opportunity, Hunter and Lav ran into the cells; Hunter slammed into one of the doors and brought it down while Lav stunned any remaining guards. Holding her hand again, Hunter ran at top speed and led her down the halls and outside to the hangar, luckily deserted for the most part as most Geonosians were still in the arena.

That wouldn’t be for long, though, as they heard the sound of wings swarming toward them. Without looking back, the two continued running until they reached the shuttles in the hangar. They entered the first one they saw, a small yet luxurious ship that clearly belonged to someone in the higher ranks. With the door closed, they were at least secluded from the outside.

Lav sat in the pilot’s seat and ignored the way her hands were shaking as she powered up the ship, making sure the engines were at full thrust. By then, Geonosians were already crawling on top of the ship in a fit to prevent their escape, but Lav applied full thrust and got the ship in the air, eventually having it go fast enough to blow off any Geonosians who’d tried to cling to the ship. Soon, they were in space, and Hunter was punching in coordinates and making calculations to jump to hyperspace.

“Make the jump now,” he said, his voice still shaky.

Lav tapped the final controls in order to authorize the jump to hyperspace and finally pushed the lever to the bottom, and in front of them, the stars seemed to displace themselves before they finally made the jump and were surrounded by the white and blue gleam of hyperspace.

Silence then reigned, as if nothing had happened. Lav’s eyes were still wide, and she wasn’t even blinking; from beside her, Hunter watched her, afraid to reach out to touch her in her state of shock. He thought back to everything that had happened and processed what was going on now.

In the most twisted way possible, their idea of running away had come true. They were both alive, that much was important, and what happened after that would be determined on its own. Hunter wasn’t willing to push things anymore, not until he knew Lav was alright.

After a while, Lav finally began blinking, and her breath began to shake. She looked around at the ship, its dashboard, its controls, the flickering lights of hyperspace.

“The tracker,” she said quietly, almost to herself.

“Lav,” Hunter tried reaching her, but she was making her way below the console and dismantling its hull, revealing a bunch of wires and controls. Lav scrambled through them and, while she tried to be careful with most of the controls, she set her blaster to kill and fired at one of the devices inside, ultimately disabling it.

“Lav, what are you doing?” Hunter’s voice was soft.

Lav set the weapon back to stun and locked it, handing it back to Hunter before she hugged her knees on the floor.

“I had to destroy the tracker,” she said quietly. “Now we won’t be followed.”

In silence, Hunter went to sit down next to her. Lav’s eyes were trailed on the ground and she didn’t speak a word, but not long after that, she began to tremble and her eyes filled with tears. On the spot, Lav began to weep, and she instantly leaned her body towards Hunter, who received her in a tight embrace, hoping he could make her feel safe somehow.

“It’s alright,” he calmed her down. “You’re safe, Lav. You’re safe. It’s over.”

Lav continued crying and she wrapped her arms tightly around Hunter and he held her even closer to him, shifting around to cradle her figure in his arms. He pressed kisses to her forehead and temple and stroked her hair while rocking her back and forth, repeating those words over and over until finally Lav’s sobs quieted down.

And they sat together, on the ground of the shuttle’s cockpit, while Lav’s tears flowed quietly down her cheeks and onto his armor. Closing her eyes brought back images of the events on Geonosis, but she found that looking at Hunter’s ingot necklace calmed her down.

It took long, but she finally stopped crying. Hunter’s low, smooth voice whispered soft and comforting things in her ear, until at last he convinced Lav she wasn’t in danger anymore. She was safe, in the arms of her Hunter, the man who’d protect her with his every breath. Pressing her body tighter onto him and with her hands balled up into fists, she finally dared to close her eyes until she became so tired she dozed off.

Feeling her body relaxing, Hunter leaned back on the wall and closed his eyes too, falling asleep with Lav in his arms.

-----

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Definitely not the only one 🫥

Qruhususjw I'm on a course for work and I barely have time to write snippets of things. someone please tell my why my head is empty and all that occupies it is Crosshair from Bad Batch??

OUT OF ALL OF THEM

W H Y I S IT

C R O S S H A I R

HES LIVING IN MY HEAD RENT FREE?!?!?!?!

Is anyone else experiencing this or am I tripping

🎃 ★ ° 🕸️ O c t o b e r : Movies You Can Watch This Halloween 🕸️ ° ★ 🎃

Aww poor hunter. You get Sunday, because those are days of relaxation and you need relaxation and @superiorsniper gets Saturday because Saturday is everyone’s favorite day because it just is there’s no real explanation besides it being the best day of the week. Like how there is no explanation that Crosshair is the best. He just is.

Please humor this Tumblr noob's novice tagging question. I've seen this done both ways. Is the correct day of the week tag #sniper saturday or #sniper sunday? Not that I have any problem using both...

The fandom lacks consensus over which weekend day goes with Sniper and which goes with Sergeant. And you know I just hate stealing appreciation days from Hunter like that

As someone dealing with a Chronic illness this should be said more often. YOU ARE NOT A BURDEN! 🫶🏼

you are not a burden.

mental illness is. chronic pain is. prejudice is. hate is. harm is.

but you, you are not a burden. the things you endure are the burdens.

This is beautiful

Reblog with your favorite clone wars / Star Wars reaction memes, I’ll start-

Do you regret it yet?

Not yet, there have been some real friendly messages, I'm pretty appreciative.

Worried

A Bad Batch one shot

Summary: When y/n is injured, they try to hide the severity of it, causing the boys to panic when it’s worse than they realized.

Pairings: None. Implied attraction to Hunter because, well, he’s hot.

Warnings: SFW. major injury/nausea/passing out. Doctor Tech. Comforting Wrecker. Also Guilty Wrecker. Comforting Hunter. Sassy Crosshair. Concerned Hunter. You know—the necessities of a hurt/comfort oneshot.

Word count: 2.5k

Disclaimer: this was originally posted on my other account @thereforepizza

if there’s anything else y’all see that needs tagged, please lmk and I’ll gladly tag it here !

Consciousness stirred you awake with a hesitant hand. You groaned, setting both feet on the floor and rubbing your eyes. If there were ever a day you wished you might forget, yesterday was it, yet the memory came back to you in an instant. The darkness. A shuttering breath. One mistake after another.

You made your body move, though each sore, aching muscle protested. With an effort, you got to your feet. Your right leg gave out. Cool, metal floor boards slapped your hands. Your lips loosed a whimper. Shaky, you got up, and a hand found the far wall for balance.

You caught your breath, wincing.

The next attempt to stand on two feet left you grimacing, acid rising from your stomach. This nausea plagued you from the moment of your injury. When you had risen from your place under the stones, you had instantly lost the contents of your stomach. This struck the entire squad by surprise because you possessed a stomach of steel. They brought you back to the ship and you passed out the moment your head hit the pillow of the lowest bunk. It wasn't your bunk, you realized, but nobody cared. The last thing you remembered was seeing the look of concern in Tech's eyes your focus waned. Looking back, it takes a lot to get Tech frazzled, so something must have been wrong.

Something was very wrong.

As your mind raced, your heart begged to be with the batchers. Something in your soul could sense that you needed to get their attention. If not that, then at least be near them. Tech could fix you. Hunter could comfort your fears. Wrecker could distract you. Crosshair… well, he might not appear to care, but you knew he’d want to do something.

You tried to stand again without being as gentle. Perhaps the mundane ache would be drowned out if you experienced something sharp and quick. You pushed against the wall and tears blinded you. You found your footing. Caught your breath. Fighting the urge to cry out, you limped through the cabin of the Marauder.

Every step made you sicker. Your fists balled at your sides. The pain was masked by numbness and an ache that crept clear to your shoulders as you moved. Perhaps your reaction was dramatized… Pride donned the poker face you plastered on as you sauntered into the cockpit. A last second call said they didn't need to see you wimping out on them.

"That's precisely my interpretation of the data, Hunter. We will deplete our stock of supplies in..." Tech trailed off, squinting at your newly arrived form. You nodded a greeting and found a seat, uncomfortably aware of the four sets of eyes on you.

"Go on,"

Tech adjusted his goggles. “You should be resting.”

"I'm not wasting that much energy, am I?"

He frowned at you, then at his beloved data pad. "We will deplete our supplies in two weeks. It is time we return to Kamino to regroup and restock any items that are low in our inventory."

"How long has it been?" Hunter glanced at you.

"According to each solar—"

"A long time," you hummed. You leaned forward on your elbows in an attempt to distract your mind. "I estimate two and a half months."

Tech paused, gears grinding. “You are almost correct. Two months and nineteen days. How'd you know that?"

A shrug and tilt of your head. “Good internal clock."

"My internal clock says we've been gone for forever!" Wrecker leaned back in his chair and you swore you heard it creak. "I almost lost track a how many successful missions we've done. Don’t you worry, though. It’s twenty-nine.”

Your hand slipped to a fresh bruise on your forearm.

“If it hadn’t been for someone’s recklessness, we would have had thirty.”

Wrecker’s voice sounded strained. “Shut up, Crosshair. It was an accident!”

You stood atop a hut raining hell on the droids around you. The mission’s end was in sight. The town’s liberation close at hand.

“Sure.” Crosshair’s voice turned cool. “But accidents happen when you’re too reckless.”

Boom

Hunter hushed them. “That’s enough, Cross. Arguing about it won’t change what happened.”

Misfire from a destroyed cannon did its job. The surface dissolved under you. Your fall was brief. Wrecker lifted a wall from you only minutes later. When you stood, the world danced, and not in a pleasant way. You threatened to shoot Tech when he tried to look over you for injuries. You pushed away Wrecker’s attempts at apology—claiming he had nothing to do with it even if he was the catalyst. On your way back to the shuttle your mind replayed a single, wistful phrase: ‘I’m not hurt.’

"How you holding up?"

You looked at Hunter. His eyes bored into yours. The question was aimed at you.

He let out a deep breath. “Thought we’d lost you there for a minute."

Your frown traveled to take in each of the batchers. They shared the same expression: concern. It sent you curling up into your seat.

“I was thinking.”

"I do not wish to alarm you…” Tech hesitated and looked at Hunter.

"You look sick. Your face is pale." Crosshair leaned forward. His serious tone made your heart drop.

Wrecker sat up. “You good, y/n?”

Your trademark tough shell shifted. "Wh—what?"

"Are you okay?" Hunter got up and closed the distance between you. "Be honest. Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Sarge.”

The look in his eye spoke enough for you to admit defeat. Of course he would know. He could probably smell the blood.

"I believe it is necessary to examine you further.” Tech’s message was stately. You stood no chance arguing. "Crosshair, please take the controls.”

An extended hand grounded your scattered mind. You glanced up at Hunter. "Where we going?"

"To the back. Tech wants to check you."

"I uh… I heard that.” You hopped to your feet and everything went black.

You drew a sharp breath. The bunk above you shadowed your eyes. Head foggy, you took in the room. Hunter leaned against the wall, arms folded, scowl engrained in the skull adorning his face. Unmoving, he studied the floor.

You motioned to move and Hunter whispered. "Stay there, y/n."

He passed over to the bunk and pushed your feet back to the middle of the bunk before your mind caught up. The wealthy of Coruscant were more in tune with their surroundings than you. You bid your eyes close, and sleep greeted you again with far softer arms.

You awoke to the sound of two distant voices.

"She will need more rest, but we cannot wait to set it."

"Do you know how to do that?"

A beat. "I have read extensively on the topic. I have never needed to preform the operation, but I believe my knowledge is sufficient."

"Then do it. I reckon you'll need more local anesthetics?"

"No need. The supplies from this med-kit will work."

A sigh. Hunter’s voice softened. “Please don't get this wrong, Tech."

"They will be okay. Don't worry."

His gentle hand pushed your shoulder and you drew a breath, slowly coming from a sleep you didn’t know you’d fallen into. A frown mushed your face.

"Good morning, y/n.” Hunter hummed with a smile in his voice.

Your lips failed to formulate an intelligent reply, so you mumbled your similar return.

"Since we don’t have the right equipment, we need you to be awake so we can test these pain killers. Once we're sure they work, you can relax."

You nodded. "What is it?"

"You broke your... Tech, which bone is it?"

"The Tibia,"

"You broke your Tibia. Shin bone. We need to reset the bone so it doesn’t fuse wrong on the way back to Kamino."

"Do you feel this, y/n?"

A moment of confusion was followed by your looking down at Tech. He pressed on your exposed shin with a couple gloved fingers. The pressure didn't cause any reaction, but the sight of your wounded leg did. Fascinated, you wanted to touch it.

"No, no—lay back down." Hunter pushed you back onto the bed.

"Do you feel this?" You frowned down at Tech, wondering why he'd repeat his question when it struck you. His hand rested on another part of your leg. Satisfied, he turned to his datapad.

"I don't feel any of that. Is that bad?"

"Quite the opposite."

You caught Hunter’s shoulders relax. He turned to you and you met his eyes without a sound. A reassuring smile crossed his lips and you caught yourself thinking about just how handsome this man was. It took a moment to pull you back. Then you heard what he was saying to you.

"You can relax. We'll take it from here."

He didn't have to tell you twice. You were already embracing the darkness. A long time passed, you couldn't be sure how long. When you finally came to, you found yourself drifting away again. This became common until one time, you were able to hold onto a relative instance of consciousness. The dim room shifted as you sat up and scooted to lean your back against the wall.

This was not the Marauder.

Slow eyes scanned the disastrous room, hesitating on the fresh tally marks carved into the wall. They moved to the droid head on a table in the center of the space where Tech and Hunter sat. Eventually your gaze drifted to the pile of dirty blacks and then to the window that was pelted with large raindrops. You hadn't been on Kamino in a long time.

"Glad to see you awake.” Hunter greeted you, setting aside the armor he had been polishing.

"It hasn't been two weeks already, has it?" You noted that Crosshair and Wrecker were gone. "Tech said two weeks."

"It's been three days actually," he moved to lean over your... his bed. Resting his arm on the wall above the rather large alcove, he looked down at you. From there he went into the lame-man’s explanation of your surgery. It wouldn’t take long to heal, so the squad would head out in a few short rotations.

"The operation would have gone better if you were transparent about the extent of your injury." Tech had both elbows resting on the table and he looked up from the data pad in hand. He paused, eyes darting to the side. "On a… similar note: I should have recognized the symptoms immediately. Nausea and fatigue following a traumatic event are trademark symptoms of serious injury. I assumed that you were exhausted from the mission or perhaps angry at Wrecker. Had I been more thorough..."

"Hey.” You waited until his eyes met yours. "Don't blame anyone. We’re not gonna start that. I’m not upset at you for anything because it was out of your control. You were respecting my wishes to be left alone.”

A heavy sigh left his lips and he bobbed his head in agreement. "My apologies. When you fell in that building I knew it had to be worse than you let on."

Hunter frowned. "None of us realized how bad it was till you passed out in the cockpit."

Your chest grew heavy. "I'm sorry. I should've been more forthright."

"We forgive you. I want you to know that we care, y/n." You found Hunter's dark eyes. "Please tell us next time if you need help."

A beat followed before you nodded. "I will."

A minute later, the door hissed open and in came Wrecker shoving Crosshair. The sniper punched him in the gut and Wrecker grunted, swinging again. Cross dodged it easily. Hunter coughed pointedly. They both paused, staring your way. An enormous smile struck Wrecker and he clamored over to you like a little kid. Your entire body was buried in huge arms.

"How are you doing, y/n?" He held you at arms length and looked at you, brows stitched together. "I was worried sick!"

"I'm doing good, Wreck. I am pretty tired though." You stole a glance at Crosshair who stood near the door toothing a toothpick. "Apparently I have a good poker face.“

The sniper huffed, the corner of his mouth twitching into a small smile. You turned back to the large man who moved next to Hunter. His arms crossed and you caught a look come over him. His shoulders were a little more slouched than normal and after his initial reaction to seeing you, his brows furrowed at the ground.

“It’s come to my attention that there’s a bit of guilt going around you boys,” you said, trying not to directly aim your words at any of them. “But I want you to know that fretting over the past won’t make anything change. It won’t fix me. You know what will? Good vibes and a decent breakfast.”

Hunter smiled at them. “What do you say, boys? One of you wanna grab ‘em some grub?”

Wrecker whooped in approval and the others followed him to the door while Hunter stayed behind. He sat on the edge of the bed.

"You not going to eat?"

He shook his head. "I ate before they got up."

You hummed.

Steady raindrops filled the silence that ensued. The empty look in Hunter's eyes drew your observance. He stared at nothing, all the while looking at the galaxy. Those were the eyes of a burdened leader. You wondered if he knew he did this from time to time.

"Are you okay?"

The light reignited in his eyes and he turned his focus to you. "I will be,"

"Oh?" You raised an eyebrow. “What's up?"

He hesitated, eyeing the floor. "Just... when you passed out? I haven't lost any of my brothers in this squad. For a second, I thought I was going to lose you. I've never really let myself think about that before."

The expression on his face when you had woken a few days ago spoke a novel when paired with those words. Every mission that went well grew confidence in the boys. You saw this consistently. That confidence probably shattered the moment they realized one of them could get hurt. Did all of them feel the same fear?

That image made your heart race. You imagined their reaction when you failed to hide your pain. The thought of their worry plagued you. It was... mortifying.

"But you made it," he whispered. “And you're alright."

"I am,"

It took half an hour for the others to return. When they did, you found yourself watching them in a new light. Truly, these boys were different. You knew you'd be in good hands while you recovered from this inconvenient injury. The best part was that you'd have four... well, three really caring clones to keep your spirits up as you did so.

//~//~//

Thanks for reading!

Please reblog and comment to show support! At the end of these one shots I like to have a question to boost interactions—feel free to respond!

Q. Have you ever broken a bone? If so, would you be interested in sharing the story?

A. Nope! I've been close a time or two, but I have yet to break any bones