Commander Don’t Be So Serious This Is Better Then A Rick Roll 😂

So, I was rearranging my room and I tripped and broke my bed someone send help… please. My everything hurts as well, that did not feel good.

THE BAD BATCH SEASON 2 IS OUT IN 1 DAY!

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

Shut up Jesse would never do such a thing!!

"not all men" you're right, Captain Rex would never treat me like this

the entire point of life is to be silly, kind, and really weird btw.

my plan was to go to sleep at midnight but then I found this and read all 4 chapters. Now about to go to sleep at 2:20am I love this so much I regret nothing and would do it again gladly.

Chapter 4 - Divergence

Nocticulent: a Hunter love story

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Chapter List

Read it on AO3! Or here below the cut

Summary: The expansion to Geonosis throws a cloud over Lav and Hunter's evolving relationship as their own reasons for being with the Empire keep them for expressing how they truly feel for each other.

Tags/Warnings: light angst, mutual pining, some mentions of injury, but fluff at the end!

Word count: 9.5k

Playlist: Breeze by tysu and Spencer Hunt

(taglist at the bottom)

Just like that, Lav was about to be shipped off to another planet. Barely any time to let her Granny and younger twin sisters know of the change; she hadn’t caught them on live holo transmission and she wasn’t even sure they’d read the message yet. For all Lav knew, they’d hear the news when she’d already be on her way to Geonosis.

Lav had gone to pack her personal belongings while the team was completing their last sessions of training before their first assignment outside of Daro, an ironic indication of how they’d be split after being presented as an ideal team. That was just the way Lav figured it would be from then on: the Empire quickly making its plans and using the people they had available, oblivious to any promises they’d made, any needs those people had. If there was anything the Empire taught you, it was never to take anything for granted.

Her glasses were safe in the compartment in her belt, and the picture of her family was even safer in one of the inside pockets of her blouse, pressed right up against her heart as Lav was desperately reminding herself of her reasons for being with the Empire. Having said the briefest of goodbyes to her team, those three other soldiers who she’d known so little yet she knew were good at heart, Lav was now heading to the shuttle where troopers, CTs and TKs, were boarding to be taken to the Venator that would ultimately transport them to Geonosis. With every pace, Lav replayed Kaisa’s kind eyes in her mind, Kayn’s nonchalance, Warwick’s chattiness, things she had a hunch she wouldn’t find in Geonosis. It occurred to her that she hadn’t thought to ask them what their plans would be now, but it was now to late to ask, anyway. She’d heard they’d been running several intense training courses, most of them led by Hunter, but he was going to Geonosis too and Lav was lost as to what her former team would do now…

Hunter. Just a mere five paces from the shuttle, Lav finally looked up from the ground her eyes had been trailed on, feeling as the tension left her momentarily when her eyes landed on those of Hunter. She knew by that moment his eyes were transparently expressive, never seeming to hide any emotions, from the disgust he’d had at the terrible officer the other day to the desire he’d felt to kiss her out in the forest. Still, when Lav looked at Hunter standing outside that shuttle, his eyes had a look she hadn’t seen before. It looked like dread, but as he looked at her, Lav knew he was concerned for her. She felt her lips tilting up just a bit, flattered that the captain would insist in putting her well-being first.

“How are you?” Hunter asked her, his voice quiet and husky, and with his eyes a faint gleam asked Lavender if she wanted to seize the chance to make a final run for it. The truth was, it was starting to no longer sound like a terrible idea, but Lav had to shake her head subtly to push that thought away.

“I think I’m ready,” she admitted. “I’m just still processing everything. It doesn’t feel quite real yet.”

“You’re nervous,” Hunter affirmed.

“We’re relocating to Geonosis, Hunter.”

The captain snickered, her ironic humor distracting her from the fact that he could hear her accelerated heartbeat as well as see the faint tints of red painting her fingertips, her cheeks, even the tip of her nose, indecisive as to it was because of him or Geonosis.

“Yeah, you have a point,” was all Hunter could say before pausing and examining Lav carefully. “Look…” he stuttered. “I’m going to be there with you, a-and I don’t intend on splitting from your side or being relocated elsewhere. If we stick together, we’ll be fine.”

If she hadn’t already been nervous, Lav would have just begun to blush the moment he said those words.

“Hunter…” She spoke softly just as a final array of twelve TK troopers entered the shuttle for their uniformed commander to look over at Lav and Hunter’s direction, practically dissecting them both with her gaze.

“Captain, Trooper, you must board now,” the commander said.

Both Lav and Hunter could pick up on the droplet of venom in her voice as she spoke their ranks, suddenly unable to ignore the way her eyes narrowed, particularly at Lav. In turn, Lav straightened up and tightened her arm’s grip around her helmet as she stepped inside the shuttle with Hunter following after her. Being the last two on board, they were at the edge of the shuttle looking towards the door with the commander behind them in the middle, as though she didn’t want to retrieve her watch from them.

The door finally closed and they felt the ship taking off; Lav suddenly felt upset she had no windows nearby, no way to take so much as a last look at the endless forest on Daro. In spite of the hardships, Lav was fond of the planet. The forest, the light rain, the clear sky at night, the bunnies, all those were things she cherished dearly, some of them for the mere memory of having shared them with Hunter. She wished she could direct a gaze at Hunter or a touch, anything to let each other know they were alright, but she couldn’t as long as she still felt the commander’s prying eyes on her. She didn’t deem it fair, though. That commander wasn’t even who she answered to, Hunter was the one for that.

But the commander outranked Hunter and, more importantly, she could relay any suspicion to others, something neither Lav nor Hunter wanted.

“Are you the head engineer?” The commander then asked Lav.

Lav turned slightly, enough to face the commander, her eyes casual as always. “Yes, ma’am, I am.”

“You will remain upright when you address me,” snarled the commander.

Quickly, Lav shifted and faced the door once more, straightening up and pointing her chin slightly upwards. “Sorry, ma’am.”

Despite her apology, Lav felt a rolling boil inside her. She could never understand the fuss behind ranks rather than mere organization, and she hated that people would let a simple word get to their heads, and further, make them treat others like insects. Though Hunter couldn’t read her thoughts, he did know whenever Lav was getting upset, and still standing as upright and professionally as possible, he managed to side-eye Lav, wary of whatever words would follow from the commander.

“It would appear your captain has not enforced that sort of protocol,” said the commander.

Lav was indecisive as to what to do or say. She knew that a simple “with respect” as a preamble wouldn’t be enough for her to speak her mind and shove the commander away. Luckily, the Venator was orbiting just outside of Daro, and that shuttle ride wouldn’t take very long. Plus, that commander was clearly in charge of the troopers she’d escorted rather than a more important operation in the expansion like Lav and Hunter were. This commander, as they were both aware, wouldn’t be involved closely with them. She was just looking for someone to pick on for any flaw, as too many people in the Empire had grown fond of.

“My head engineer spends most of her time in front of computers and machinery,” Hunter intervened. “She has designed key operations and obtained essential data for the Geonosian expansion to be possible. The least I can do to thank her is allow her to stand at ease in front of her difficult work rather than force her to salute me.”

The commander found herself at a loss for words, knowing that Hunter was right even though she disliked being outsmarted by someone she outranked. Lav, personally, found herself struggling with the need to smile, not just at the way Hunter had put the commander in her place, but at everything he’d just said about her. And, though Hunter couldn’t turn around and see Lav due to the commander’s need for protocol, he once again felt her heartbeat accelerate, imagining the way her cheeks would redden any moment now.

“Thank you, captain,” Lav took her right hand up to her temple in a salute. “I feel fortunate to be a part of this expansion in such an important way as you say.”

Hunter felt, for the first time since being with his own brothers, that he was also holding in laughter in front of higher-ups. Once again, Lav had made him feel alive, nostalgic. All he could do at that moment, however, was stick to the imperial protocol that was demanded from him.

“At ease, soldier,” he spoke in his sergeant voice.

No more words were spoken during the shuttle ride. The commander, at least, learned not to pick on those two, but she did know better than to keep her guard down around them. Something about those two was too dynamic, too familiar. Of course, neither Lav nor Hunter were oblivious to that fact, and for the remainder of the shuttle ride, they didn’t so much as gaze at one another, ultimately shutting down the commander’s expectation for any spicy drama she could gossip about with the admirals.

The shuttle landed in the Venator’s hangar and its door opened upon touchdown. Lav and Hunter were the first ones down, both of them exhibiting military discipline as they were greeted by Admiral Rampart, saluting him while Hunter began to address him. As the rest of the soldiers left the shuttle, Lav noticed the commander from the corner of her eye directing a final look at her and Hunter, convinced (much to her distaste) that there was nothing to say on the matter. At long last, she disappeared into the crowd of TK troopers while leading her squad.

“Right on schedule, captain,” Rampart said and addressed Lav. “I must admit, Lavender, I am as pleasantly surprised with your work as the rest of the committee in charge of the expansion.”

“I am honored, sir.”

“Geonosis is far away from Daro; it will be quite a long voyage from here,” Rampart continued. “You will reside on the medium level of the barracks. Head there and unload, I will need you in half an hour on the bridge for the general briefing. Captain,” Rampart addressed Hunter now, “your orders are the same.”

“Yes, sir,” Hunter said.

Rampart nodded and left them both at ease to then make his way across the hangar. Exchanging a quick look, Lav and Hunter made their way to one of the nearby elevators, somehow being lucky enough to be the only two in there once the door was closed.

Giggles coming from Lav engulfed the elevator as they descended to the medium level of the Venator, followed by the sound of Hunter’s own laughter.

“I seriously wish I could have seen the commander’s face when you stepped up,” Lav said.

“I shut her up, didn’t I?” Hunter smirked. He then sighed as the laughter died down. “I only told the truth, though.”

Lavender looked at him, finally able to freely turn and face him. “Really?”

Hunter only nodded, focusing closely on Lav as she bashfully blushed and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“That’s very kind of you,” she said quietly, the shade of pink on her cheeks threatening to drive Hunter to his knees.

There in the elevator, both of them alone, their minds began to wander to the same place, the tension that was inevitably building between them as they shyly looked each other in the eyes. Behind closed doors, with no cameras in the elevator through which indiscreet eyes could see, it would be very easy for them to lean in, press their lips up against each other, finally feel what they’d been longing to for so long. Hunter scanned every detail of the young engineer, nearly finding himself pushing her against the wall, caging her with his arms and finally claiming her as his. Before he could pay mind to such an impulse, they both felt as the elevator slowed down, both of them knowing their time alone would be over in seconds.

Though Lav’s cheeks were still fairly tainted, she kept an upright composure with serious eyes and her arms firmly at her sides, as did Hunter, when the door of the elevator opened to reveal a group of commanding officers waiting to get on. They parted to let Lav and Hunter go through to that they could later get on the elevator, a scheme that was executed wordlessly in a silence that was chafing for the captain and the engineer. They both looked back at the closed elevator door as they stepped away from it, only for their eyes to meet with a blend of relief and disappointment, after which they were left not quite knowing what to say.

“Which room is yours?” Hunter broke the silence after a series of heavy walking down the corridor.

“M-231,” Lav answered as she verified the detail on her holopad. “It shouldn’t be far from here. Which one’s yours?”

“M-212,” he’d been told before leaving Daro. “Not very far from yours if you were to need anything.”

Lav’s mind wandered again. What would she need in a Venator when everyone was sleeping? She knew she’d have all necessary things in the room. The only circumstance in which she’d leave her room to go find Hunter was if she needed him.

As he eyed her from the side, Lavender’s blush was intensifying again.

“Is something wrong?” Hunter asked her.

“N-no,” Lav stuttered back. “No, nothing’s wrong. Just thinking.”

When it finally hit Hunter, his eyes widened. “Oh, I didn’t mean anything like that—”

“Of course not!” Lav yelped. “Like that, like what? I didn’t mean anything like that either…” She trailed off, merely relieved nobody was around to hear her ridiculous response. Fantastic, she thought. She’d probably just made a fool out of herself in front of Hunter, after which all she could do was make sure nobody had heard. Sadly, it seemed that was routine whenever she was around Hunter, and having to hide or reprimand everything would begin weighing on her very soon.

“I’m sorry,” Lav said, her eyes becoming sad.

“Don’t be,” Hunter reassured her even though his eyes reflected the same emotion, after which he finally sighed. “It’s going to be complicated, isn’t it?”

Hearing him say that made Lav aware of the situation between them as well as the way Hunter saw it. The fact was they hadn’t kissed yet, but they both knew of each other’s feelings. Hunter had made it obvious that night in the forest of Daro, having almost kissed her out there, in front of her barracks, only to then settle for a kiss to her hand. With each of those gestures, Lav had all but melted in his arms. After all of that, Lav and Hunter knew they were an item, though sadly for both of them, not enough had transpired between them in that aspect, and the only reason for that was the Empire’s strict regulations on comrade relationships.

“Considering the fact that we’re both considered somewhat important for this operation and that we’ll be surrounded by troopers most of the time for who knows how long…” Lav began.

“Right,” Hunter said quietly as they both walked a bit more.

“Hypothetically,” Lav began, “what would… happen…?”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “If we… were to show it?”

She nodded, suddenly thinking it was a dumb question.

“Well, anyone working for the Empire by pure free will would simply be laid off and replaced,” Hunter said. “But in my case, I have no choice but to be here. Either I’m threatened or my brothers are.”

“And I kind of have to oversee the implementation of my work,” Lav continued, “but we’ve seen that’s as much importance as I’ll be given before I’m easily replaced or relocated. Once that’s done, I’ll be laid off, my sisters will lose their education, my Granny will lose the money.”

“You might just be warned and transferred elsewhere.”

“Yeah, away from you.”

Hunter thought his response carefully, dying to hold her in her arms for preferring to be with him rather than anywhere else, but knowing it would be the most inappropriate action given the conversation they were having.

“Wouldn’t it be worth it?” He said. “If your Granny and sisters were alright?”

“Or your brothers,” Lav said, her voice now tinged with a sad creak as they both stopped in the middle of the brightly lit hallway, only able to look at each other as the weight slowly crushed them a bit more.

Lav sighed. “Is it a bad idea?”

Hunter’s immediate answer would have been no. No, it was not a bad idea. He hadn’t felt for anyone what he felt for the young woman standing in front of her, with her big eyes, her braided hair, her full lips, her intelligence and kindness. But the events of the past months had made him a hesitant man, always cautious and, though he hated it, afraid. He was always the protective one, always the one making sure those around him would be okay despite their occasional recklessness. Lav was similar to him; she had too much at stake, and he couldn’t, wouldn’t allow himself to be the reason for everything to go wrong for her. Still, he wanted to speak some sort of comfort to her, but he couldn’t seem to find any words.

But Hunter’s silence answered Lav’s question, and her eyes trailed away from his figure. The blend of melting for Hunter upon laying eyes on him and feeling her heart breaking wasn’t something she wanted to feel much of. Lav’s eyes landed on a familiar number on the wall next to a gray door, her sadness growing just a bit more despite knowing it was probably best to end the conversation there.

She looked straight at him first, her eyes on his armored chest as the moved up, scanning the ingot necklace he wore before finally looking him in the eyes.

“Here’s my room,” she said quietly.

Hunter looked at the door over his shoulder before gazing back at Lav. “Right. Go in and unload, try to relax a bit before the briefing.”

She nodded in response. “I guess I’ll see you there.”

Hunter didn’t need enhanced senses to pick up on the dismay that flooded her voice. Being the hardened soldier that he was, he kept it to himself despite wanting to do something to help her, but that was the catch. The one thing he could do to ease Lavender’s sorrow was forbidden.

“I’ll see you at the briefing,” he said in an effort to bring their relationship to a military level.

Lav smiled softly at him hoping it would convey the message that she had no hard feelings against him. She never could have them. With a brief nod, Lav walked past Hunter and made her way into her room, barely looking back at him before the door closed between them. She leaned back on the wall trying to get a hold of herself; she knew that if their kissing or holding hands didn’t give them away, her silent yearning and sad eyes would. With a long sigh, Lav did as Hunter asked of her and unloaded, trying to relax and prepare for the briefing, hoping a while surrounded by admirals and officers would help her get back into the role of engineer as opposed to that of a love interest.

*

Lav wasn’t the last one to arrive to the briefing, but there were already plenty of officers and crew filling up the bridge, including Admiral Rampart. Despite the turmoil that had cast a shadow over her and Hunter earlier, she couldn’t help but scan the room to see if he’d arrived yet, which, much to her dismay, he hadn’t. Pushing all the thoughts away and suddenly becoming aware of the folded picture that was still pressed up against her chest under her armor, Lav realized there were chairs set out on the eastern side of the holoprojector in the middle of the room designated for the engineering crew, and she assumed her place was there. Not wanting to call attention to her, she sat down on the seat furthest to the right, remaining in silence as her eyes scanned the room and heard soft voices speaking about many different subjects, but all of them having something to do with Geonosis. The factory, the few Geonosians left, those of which most were on board with the expansion, as well as their savage ways, all of them things she assumed would be treated in the briefing if they were actually important.

The door to the bridge hissed every time it opened and closed whenever someone new entered. Lav’s eyes drifted to the door just when Hunter walked through it, his helmet secure under one of his arms. His mere presence was imposing, and she noticed several pairs of eyes turning to look at him as he made his way inside. As she looked at him, Lav felt like a schoolgirl waiting anxiously in the cafeteria for her crush to arrive, and suddenly she reminded herself to look away from her captain so as to not make trouble.

Hunter walked across the bridge to where he was supposed to be, directing a short look of reassurance to Lav. She smiled back as confidently as he could, no one would suspect of that, right? Regardless, they’d agreed not to do anything now. It wasn’t like there was anything else to hide. After Hunter, only a few more people arrived before Rampart made his way to the holoprojector, sending a signal to everyone present that the briefing was about to begin as all the people took their places and quieted down.

“Officers, troopers, engineers,” Rampart began, a total speaker whose presence flooded the room, “all of you minds comprising this team. The time has finally come for one of our most important expansions: Geonosis. The system is key to fortifying the Empire’s military and make it worthy of its name as well as what it represents.”

That which the imperial army represented was exactly what Lav feared.

“To provide weaponry and munitions to our troops is one of the first steps necessary to take, and the factories on Geonosis that once served the Separatists during the barbaric Clone War fueled by the extinct Republic, will not only help support our troops and provide them directly, but it will also serve as a refinery to put some of our Emperor’s own plans in progress.”

Wondering what those plans of the Emperor could be wasn’t as important to Lav as looking over at Hunter at the way the Republic had been disregarded as well as the Clone War, the very reason Hunter existed. It seemed insulting to Lav and she wondered it might have had the same effect on Hunter, but when she looked at her captain, he didn’t seem bothered. If he felt anything toward it, Hunter was good at hiding it, but something told her his mind had gone places with that statement.

“The initial terms of our negotiations with the Geonosians still stand,” Rampart continued. “We will not only provide with a percentage of raw material which will be extracted from planets already occupied by us as well as those we will occupy in the future, but we will also provide technology to acquire and process these minerals prior to the manufacture of weaponry.” Rampart then turned to Lav. “For that, one of our engineers has developed and successfully used this technology, and with her efforts, has made this expansion possible. Miss Earthapple, if you could please give us a general explanation of their formality,” he gestured to the holoprojector as he powered it on to display images of Lav’s devices.

She went cold. She was aware her work had importance to the whole Geonosian operation, but the way Rampart put it exceeded her expectations. She didn’t expect to be held in such a high regard, much less speak in front of so many big shot officers during a briefing of the expansion itself. Still, Lav was good at speaking in front of crowds, and she was able to hide her nerves as she stood up from her chair and approached the holoprojector. The devices were all hers, she’d developed them, she knew them front and back.

“Thank you, Admiral Rampart,” Lav spoke, her voice loud and clear, unwavering even with the countless pairs of eyes currently on her. “Iron and copper are the two main minerals that will be used as well as trace amounts of other metals in order to manufacture the alloy of durasteel required for our weaponry. Back on Daro, we first monitored how much of each element we had using this drill,” she amplified the image of the drill in the center. “What it does is go below ground; I’ve designed it in a way that it can adapt to different types of soil, making it functional on different planets. It will dig down and send out electric signals, after which it will measure how fast they travel through different elements in the ground. Once it matches these speeds to those already programmed in its database, it will let us know which elements are nearby as well as how much of them.”

While speaking, she addressed most of the room, turning and facing each direction for brief periods of time so as to not exclude anyone. She was surprised, rather pleasantly, that everyone was paying close attention to her, not just the engineers who had to know this, but troopers and officers as well. It was one of the times in which she wasn’t undermined or mansplained, or simply treated like a girl. These people believed every word she said, and she didn’t know what to make of it.

“This process can also work with gaseous elements; however, it does take longer,” Lav successfully kept from stuttering at the memory of that night on Daro in which Hunter was the one to track the helium gas with his enhanced senses, something Lav chose not to bring up. “Helium gas will be one of our main sources of fuel; there are still reserves on Geonosis and there are also amounts of it being transported from Daro, as well as iron and copper. In terms of extraction,” Lav minimized the image of the small drill and amplified those of a laser beam and a gas pump with its own tube system and canisters, “raw mineral and metal ore is extracted quickest with a laser beam. Elements like helium gas can be extracted using a pump which will deliver it to canisters through pipes. This process could help with liquid elements as well should we ever need them, all that would be necessary would be to make a few alterations to the pump for it to process liquid. This is the general idea of the machinery used to obtain the raw material the Geonosians require and hold up our part of the negotiation. There are more specific details which the engineering teams as well as our commanding officers will be aware of in order to guarantee this operation’s success.” She then minimized the images of the holoprojector making them all small, signaling her explanation was over, after which Rampart made his way beside her.

“Thank you, Engineer Earthapple,” Rampart said, gesturing at her to take her seat again. The briefing room remained silent, but she heard a few mutters of approval here and there.

Hunter, sitting across from her and the holoprojector, felt like he could have clapped for her. The way she’d dominated that explanation despite being told at the last minute she’d have to give it, the way she had everyone’s attention, simply her. He wasn’t just proud of his engineer, he was mesmerized by her, utterly starstruck. While Hunter was good at hiding most of his thoughts, his eyes did soften at Lav as his gaze caught hers and he gave her a smile, a discreet one just to let her know she’d done well.

After that, Rampart went on to explain the main phases of the operation as well as the program for the first day there. On arrival, he and a selected few officers and engineers, those of which included Hunter and Lav, would attend the factory with the Geonosian leaders for a sort of tour. Since they were scheduled to arrive upon sundown, it would be the only activity of that day, and the day after the engineering team would prepare the factory for the arrival of the first shipment of raw materials, the same way other departments would have their own programmed tasks. It seemed like a good plan overall, Lav simply hoped it would go smoothly. The fact that it would be a huge load of work was obvious already.

The briefing ended on that note and everyone was dismissed to head to their downtime. Lav acknowledged Rampart before leaving and exited without waiting for Hunter, something she figured she might as well get used to. To her surprise, Lav was greeted by nods and even some smiles and salutes by others who had been at the briefing, but she felt more awkward than proud of herself. Sure, she was confident in herself and glad to be seen positively for her knowledge, but the whole rank and saluting thing just didn’t get to her the way it did for other imperials. Even so, she kindly thanked anyone who wanted to greet her, intent on making her way directly to the dormitory and getting some sleep before everything Geonosis would bring.

“You did very well,” Hunter’s voice came from behind her.

She could never not turn around and recognize his presence. As Hunter caught up to her, he had a soft smile as his gaze met hers.

“Thanks,” she said. “But I didn’t know Rampart was going to ask me to do any talking. It caught me off guard.”

“You handled it perfectly, Lav,” he said. “I’m proud of you.”

And that was the difference for Lav. No amount of imperials saluting or even bowing down would make her pride budge, but when it was Hunter complimenting her, she felt her skin crawling with goosebumps and her cheeks flooding red.

“Thanks,” she said. “Captain.”

“Anytime,” he said, and the two kept walking down the corridor. “Will you head to your dorm now? The mess hall is the other way.”

“I’m not very hungry right now,” Lav answered. “Plus, I’d like to get as much sleep as possible before we land on Geonosis. When we do, we’re all going to be very busy, I feel like I need to stock up on hours first.”

“Sounds wise,” he said. “But will you be okay on an empty stomach?”

“I’ll be fine,” she smiled softly. “You can go if you want to, not that you’d ever take orders from me.”

Hunter snickered. “I know better than to disregard your concern.”

“Right. Well…” Lav trailed off, not knowing how to go about the next part of the conversation. Should she leave? Should she stay with him? What was it that Hunter preferred to do? They’d agreed it’d be better not to do anything regarding their feelings for one another, but they still had to be together, right? They were part of the same team, and maybe being apart too long would raise even more suspicion than if they had gone through with a relationship.

“If you want, I’ll leave you to it,” Hunter said in a sad tone, tell-tale of his thoughts being similar to Lav’s.

“Yeah,” she answered. “Let me know if anything comes up. I’ll be in my dorm all night anyway, so…”

“Of course,” Hunter said. “Sleep well, okay?”

“You too,” she answered with a soft smile before turning around and leaving, and Hunter was left in the middle of the corridor watching her go, but careful not to linger his gaze too much on her. He had to admit he disliked that arrangement far more than what they had before.

Meanwhile in her dormitory, Lav removed her armor until she was down to her blacks and climbed onto the bed, her single braided hair now done into two braids comfortable enough to sleep in. She had been there for about an hour now and was simply in her cot, half covered by the blanket while reading up on her holopad with her glasses on. The first thing she read was a message from her grandmother that had arrived not long back in which she and Lav’s younger sisters wished her luck and safety on her new journey. As Lav pictured them smiling, safe and not lacking anything, she found a sensation of peace that motivated her to go through with the Geonosian expansion despite how much it intimidated her deep down. She wondered if one day it could ease the thorn wound left by the situation with Hunter, but it seemed pretty far-fetched.

A light beeping came from the door, drawing Lav’s attention to that direction. She turned off the holopad and put it on the small bedside table and she headed to the door, wondering what could be happening. Hunter hadn’t contacted her at all, neither had any other commanding officers, so she assumed nothing had gone wrong. All her work-driven thoughts vanished when she opened the door to a rabbit droid not much smaller than she was that was carrying a tray with a plate of food and a drink from the mess hall.

“Miss Lavender Earthapple?” The droid said. “Delivery for you.”

“I didn’t order this,” she said.

“You did not,” the droid confirmed. “It was sent by an officer.”

The droid was simply there to perform its task and it handed Lav the tray of food, after which the door closed and it was on its way. Meanwhile, Lav examined the tray and found a note underneath the glass of water, a simple folded gray paper that had neat handwriting in it.

One of my brothers wouldn’t stop rambling one time about how the thought process burns calories. He’d insist you have something to eat, and so do I. Enjoy.

H

Lav couldn’t help the smile that took over her lips. She folded the note once more and put it right next to the picture of her family, after which she finally decided to indulge in the food Hunter had sent for her, mixed with gratitude and an odd sensation of butterflies she wouldn’t get rid of even with her strongest will.

*

The sky on Geonosis was a deep orange color as the sun was going down on that side of the planet when the Venator arrived right on schedule. Groups of troopers and officers were transported to the ground level by shuttles, and all the while, Lav had her chest fluttering with nerves. Hunter noticed the amount of times she inhaled deeply in an attempt to relax, though what exactly made her nervous, he wasn’t aware of. He imagined it would be lots of things.

Oh, to be able to take her hand and help her relax… he wondered how much exactly he’d give to be able to do that.

The doorway of the shuttle opened upon touchdown. Admiral Rampart was the first one out followed by Lav and Hunter, backed by a squadron comprised half of TK troopers and the other half of engineers and technical workers. They were greeted by five Geonosians, all of them much taller than Lav had pictured and with an insect aesthetic, the one in the middle clearly being the chief of the operation, and Lav assumed the other four were the equivalent of politicians.

Welcome, spoke the chief in his native tongue. Your arrival has been most expected.

“All of us in the Empire have been greatly looking forward to this day, General,” Rampart answered. “Preparations have been seen to in the most exhaustive of ways to ensure that this alliance turns out in success.”

The Geonosian council looks forward to our factories operating again under the eye of the Empire. We expect you have held up your end of the negotiation.

“The first supply of raw materials is scheduled to arrive tomorrow early,” Rampart said. “As for the technology, we have one shipment available with us to get started on its implementation first thing tomorrow. We also have the means to continue providing with commodities and more of these devices.”

Good, good, the General said and rubbed his chin while his wings flapped behind him. That being the case, we shall proceed with the tour of the factory. We believe it is important for you and your troops to be familiarized with it, but also, let this be a welcome to this new alliance.

“I could not agree more, General,” Rampart bowed slightly. “Let it be a welcome and a celebration. We will follow you.”

The General nodded and turned around, followed by the other four accompanying him, and they led the group into the mountain that had been adapted into a factory from the inside as many Geonosian constructions were. Upon advancing, Lav and Hunter donned their dark helmets, as did the rest of the troopers behind them, mainly for security inside the factory. In any case, it helped hide the small looks Lav and Hunter would shoot at each other at times, unbeknownst even to them.

The Geonosians eloquently led them through the factory, thoroughly explaining every area, every important piece of machinery, every process, even the factory’s history. It used to be for assembling droids, the kind the Separatists used during the Clone War. Its operational capacity was remarkable back then, but in the years the war had lasted, the factory had evolved and adapted to new necessities, thus being able to manufacture what the Empire needed now.

“A remarkable metaphor, isn’t it?” Rampart said as the group stopped at a high catwalk that had a view of most of the conveyor belts in the assembly line. “Geonosis was home to a key event in the start of the Clone War. Now, it is aiding in the Empire’s beginnings. Wouldn’t you agree, Captain?”

Beneath her helmet, Lav’s eyes widened as she looked at Hunter. “You were in the battle of Geonosis?”

“I was,” Hunter replied, his voice deep and almost tainted with sorrow. “It is quite the metaphor.”

Lav figured it’d be hard for him to witness. To be there on Geonosis, probably remembering the early days of being a soldier, surrounded by clones, probably even by his brothers. Well, in a way, they were all brothers, not just his squad. She wanted to do something, anything that would help him feel better, or at least to not think of memories that would upset him. Regardless, the tour was set to go on.

The catwalk they were on seemed to be fragile; it was barely made of steel floor and railings and it shook with all the people stepping on it. Lav made up her mind to fortify it if she ever got the chance to do so. From the corners of her eyes, she could see some Geonosian workers whose curious eyes fell on the tour group from various spots of the factory, some close, some farther away. For a while, the tour was silent, making Lav grow weary of the surroundings. There was something she didn’t trust, something lurking around, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Every few meters, there was a platform attached to the catwalk with ladders leading downwards to the main floor of the factory, and in those spots, the steel laminated floor had a division that had been welded thinly. Upon crossing one of the platforms, Lav noticed to her right that there was a worker who had two controls, one in each hand, the one on his right bigger than the other. With wary eyes, he held up the switch on his left hand and pressed the yellow button in the middle.

Just as the worker was pressing the button down, Hunter reacted quickly. He pushed Lav forward so that she’d be on the other side of the division while holding his other arm out behind him, preventing any of the other troopers to advance. That way, when the worker pressed the button and the small bomb that was planted underneath that spot of the catwalk was detonated, Hunter was the only one to fall through the breached division to crash onto the machines below, only to then land painfully on the ground while the rest of the troopers were able to hang onto the railings and keep from falling.

“Hunter!” Lav’s alarmed voice filled that side of the factory. Her eyes rushed to the worker guilty of the incident, and she noticed he was about to press the button on the second, bigger detonator. Thinking quickly, Lav took out her blaster, which she always had set to stun, and fired at the worker without thinking twice. The stun bolt went through his body and he fell limply on the ground; Lav threw herself onto the platform and caught the detonator before it fell to the ground, keeping it from detonating whatever bomb was still hidden around the factory.

“What is the meaning of this?” Rampart questioned the Geonosians.

The General groaned. We have been dealing with rebellious workers, several of which do not wish to comply with the Empire’s philosophy and way of work. We’ve known of their inconformity, but never caved to their threats.

“There were threats?” Lav questioned from the platform, too altered by Hunter’s state to take any excuses, angered by the fact that not enough care had been given to preventing such a problem. Their negligence now meant Hunter’s pain. Still, she tried to calm down, to not seem too angry in front of Rampart or the Geonosians. “That might mean our problem isn’t over yet.” After correcting, she looked around, well-aware that any industrial factory with that much prestige had to have some sort of security system. Near the roof, she found a cable in a pulley that had a hook in the end, clearly designed to hold up the catwalk in emergencies. She climbed up the pillar that secured the ladder and grabbed the hook, quickly coming back down to attach it to the catwalk’s railing.

“That should hold it,” Lav said, her voice shaking as she looked down at Hunter. Panting, she then scanned the group of troopers. “Is there a medic in here?”

“Yes!” A tiny voice came from the back. A medic began squirming her way through the frightened crowd of troopers holding onto the rail. Lav nodded when she saw her and, without asking permission, slid down the ladder and ran to Hunter, kneeling down next to him and holding his hand.

She took her helmet off, setting it beside her to take Hunter’s off too. As the medic arrived, she examined Hunter for injuries, all while the captain weakly opened his eyes and looked at Lav.

“Are you okay?” He asked her.

She snickered, flattered and angry at the same time. “How dare you ask that about me?”

Hunter groaned as the medic examined a wounded part of him. “It’s all I care about, Lav.”

She sighed, her eyes filled with sadness as her only concern was also his well-being. Hunter’s lips faintly curved up into a smile and their hands tightened around each other.

“His back is injured from the fall,” the medic stated.

“His back?” Lav was alarmed. “Will he recover?”

“He will,” the medic said confidently. “I’ll patch him up a bit here but I’ll need to take him to the med bay. Here,” the medic removed Hunter’s ingot necklace and handed it to Lav so she could begin to bandage Hunter’s back. “Hang onto this. He’s your captain, right?”

“Yeah,” Lav said, shocked at feeling the ingot necklace in her hands.

“Don’t worry,” she told Lav. “He’ll be taken care of. Besides, everyone up there owes a lot to him. He really saved us all.”

Lav smiled sadly at Hunter. “That’s just who he is…”

Hunter felt the pain immensely erupting over his torso, but the sound of Lav’s voice calmed him down, even if he didn’t understand everything she was saying due to the pain. He always felt it stronger than others due to his heightened senses, but in spite of that, Hunter looked at her with a dreamy smile.

A few more medics arrived as the medic finished wrapping Hunter’s torso in a thick bandage. He was set on a portable bed and taken away from the factory; Lav was about to follow when she felt a hand on her shoulder, holding her back.

“He’s in good hands, Lavender,” Rampart said. “I need you here at the factory to evaluate the damage and restore as much as you can. We have an investigation team looking into the case.”

Lav struggled to hide her anxiety. Orders from Rampart were orders, after all, but she felt she should be with Hunter. He’d saved her from falling too, as well as all the others. She needed to be with him.

“Y-yes, Admiral,” she said. “Right away.”

They saluted each other and Lavender regrouped with the engineers and technicians to begin evaluating the factory’s situation. She quickly took charge of them, giving them instructions and guiding them through what needed to be done. Lav was fast and efficient in her work, she knew that the sooner she got it over with, the sooner she could go check on Hunter. That was her sole motivation at the moment.

Once Rampart was done handling matters with the Geonosians, he inspected Lavender from afar. Her reaction had been quick, precise, and quite obviously aimed at ensuring the captain’s well-being. He’d been the only one wounded, and truly any course of action would have led to him, but something about the way Lavender did it stood out. There had been no questions from her, no protocol. She simply made her way to the captain, and the way she’d held his hand afterwards couldn’t be interpreted any other way. The two had certainly grown close to one another.

Still, Lavender was currently getting things done, and Rampart assumed that would suffice for the moment.

*

It had been hours since Lav had finished up at the factory. It was the middle of the night on Geonosis and most of the imperials were asleep except for those who had night shifts. Though Lav had every right to be in bed getting her rest, she couldn’t close her eyes without thinking of Hunter. She should be with him, making sure he was progressing well after such an injury.

At times like those, Lav couldn’t help but overthink. Her brain automatically went into overdrive, wondering if he’d be fine, what could have happened if things had turned out worse, if she hadn’t stunned the worker, if the worst possible scenario had come true. No, none of it was real; the factory was now secured thanks to her quick action, and Hunter was being taken care of by medics.

But she couldn’t help but think that, had things gone worse, she would have regretted every decision she’d made against showing her true feelings for Hunter. She’d never forgive herself if something happened to him, or her, and they never truly expressed how they felt. She put regulations aside, that could be taken care of. Everyone kept secrets; she found it impossible to believe there wasn’t a single couple within the Empire. All that Lav knew, all she gave importance to, was the fact that she needed to see Hunter.

Two rotations she spent away from the med bay, not being able to get in even if she tried. Most of the time she was at the factory, always keeping an eye out for rogue workers who didn’t want the Empire on Geonosis, but the workers at the factory already knew who she was. She was the one capable of shooting them down if they stepped out of line.

Despite the fact that she hadn’t killed that worker, merely stunned him, they feared her, and Lav got the terrible premonition that their fear of her didn’t stem directly from her. No, it came from whatever was done to shut down any more threats. That thought, mixed with the suffocating need to see Hunter, threatened to make Lav explode on the job.

By the end of the second day, Lav had decided to try to sneak past the med bay’s security. One way or another, she had to see him, they had to let her in. In previous times, they’d told her he was still too delicate to receive visitors, but Lav wasn’t willing to hear that anymore.

Much to her fortune, her comm began to beep that night, well past midnight as she was pacing back and forth in her room. Quickly and without question, she picked it up.

“Come in,” Lav said.

“Miss Earthapple!” Lav recognized the voice belonging to the medic who had helped her after the incident. “I’m very sorry to bother you so late at night but I figured you’d want to know. The captain is progressing well, we’ve performed all necessary operations and now he just needs to rest and recover.”

Lav sighed. “Thank you so much, that’s such a relief. Um… do you know if I may be able to see him now?”

“Yes,” replied the medic. “He’s strong enough to receive visitors now. But it’s late, would you rather come by in the morning?”

“No thank you, I’ll go now.”

Lav put the comm away and rushed out of her room, practically running toward the med bay. It didn’t take her long to get there, and she was pleased to see that no one tried to stop her this time. Still, as she ran, all her thoughts were of Hunter. She was nervous about seeing him, nervous about being with him, but she wanted that. She just wanted to be around Hunter.

The number of the room Hunter was in had been told to her in the med bay’s lobby and she remembered it well. Still somewhat shaking, she made her way to it and nervously stood in front of the door, not knowing why she was hesitating. Hunter was fine, there was no reason to fear the state she’d find him in. If he was sleeping, she’d stay with him a bit. If he was awake…

If he was awake… Lav didn’t know what she’d do.

She opened the door and found Hunter sitting up on the bed, his bandaged upper body resting on a pillow against the bed’s headboard. He didn’t have any clothes on his upper body, but the thick bandages covered most of his torso, only leaving his arms bare. Inside the room was a protocol droid who was simply arranging some of the supplies it would no longer use.

“Lav,” Hunter said, his eyes widening at the sight of her. “Why are you here? It’s so late, you should be getting some rest.”

“What do you mean why am I here? I’m here to see you,” she began walking up to the bed, still shaking, and the sight of the droid only distracted her.

“Is there anything you require, ma’am?” The droid asked her.

By that point, Lav knew what had to go down. She felt it. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I…” she said, eyeing the room quickly. “I could use a glass of water.”

“Right away, ma’am,” the droid answered, turning around and heading to the sink on the other side of the room. Lav walked up to it and quickly opened its rear controls, switching the droid off as it whined while it powered down.

“Lav, what are you doing?” Hunter asked, all but confused at her actions. She was usually so calm, but now she seemed determined. Nervous, but still willing to fulfill an intent she had.

Not speaking, Lav went to made sure the door was closed before she faced Hunter once more, her cheeks beginning to flare as her eyes looked at him with concern. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes,” he answered. “I’m fine, I promise. I’ve been under good care and I’m recovering.”

“So… you’re not that delicate anymore?”

“No, I just need some rest. I’ll be fine, Lavender. I promise.”

“Good,” she nodded, letting out a long, shaky breath. She couldn’t believe she was making her way closer to Hunter, but her feet carried her over to him and she sat on the edge of the mattress. Before going through with her plan, she hesitated. It just seemed too strong, and all of a sudden she decided not to go through with it, opting to just sit with him, be with him, thankful he’d be alright.

But then Hunter’s hand landed on one of Lav’s fists, softening it up to the point where she opened it, revealing to have been hanging onto his necklace. Hunter chuckled when he saw it, his faint movements causing the strands of his hair to move around as well. “You came to bring that back to me?”

She blushed. “Yes and no…”

It felt foolish now. It continued to feel foolish until Hunter gently took her fingers and once again closed them around his necklace, not quite wanting to take it from her yet. His other hand traveled up to her neck, his fingertips slightly brushing on her thin skin sending shivers down her spine. Lav nervously looked him in the eyes, those beautiful honey-glazed eyes that always showed his emotions. She could always read his eyes, and they were telling her how happy he was to see her.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Hunter whispered.

“D-do you?”

He smiled. “I thought the same.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” she looked away, embarrassed to have come onto him so strong after the conversation they had on the Venator, but Hunter went to cup her cheek and have her look at him again.

“You do,” he said. “I wouldn’t have forgiven myself either if something worse happened and we… well, we stayed the way we said we would.”

Lav sighed as her eyes began getting watery. “Hunter… I was so worried about you…”

He smiled softly at her. “I was just relieved you were safe.”

They looked deeply in each other’s eyes for a moment before Lav shyly looked down only for Hunter to catch her attention again as he gently ran his thumb over her cheek. The hand that was holding hers went up to cup the other side of her face and, holding her like a precious artifact that would break, he leaned in carefully to let his lips brush against hers, feeling every bit of the overwhelming sensation as he gradually pressed his lips into a kiss.

Hunter heard Lav’s heart get faster and felt her skin getting warmer as she began to kiss him back, at first still shaking from her nerves and from the excitement, mixed with disbelief, of being held softly in Hunter’s grip while their lips moved together. Her giddiness softened gradually as Hunter’s presence made her feel safe, and soon the rhythm of their kissing was perfect. Smooth, longing. Nothing short of perfect.

One of Hunter’s hands went to secure the back of Lav’s head, his fingers kneading softly into her scalp. She moved her hands up his arms carefully, afraid she’d hurt him, but the more confident she grew, she wrapped an arm around his waist and used her other hand to run her fingers through his thick dark hair. Immersed in one another, their kiss deepened, finally releasing all the tension they’d had after all that time they’d spent slowly dying for one another.

Hunter remembered that night on Daro when his lips barely brushed hers and he’d envisioned what actually kissing her would be like. It exceeded his expectations; Lav’s lips and her scent drove him to a point of bliss and passion, but there was also peace, safety, warmth. He could feel now more than ever the softness that was at Lav’s core, her kindness and the strength with which she could love, and Hunter wanted no less than to love her with that same strength regardless of any circumstances. He bowed to himself he would.

Parting the kiss, Lav and Hunter rested their foreheads on each other, looking into their eyes with smiles and quiet laughter. He continued to cup her face and occasionally kissed her again. Though it would be difficult at times, both of them could agree on one thing: their feelings weren’t worth hiding from each other, and whatever they could do and share together was worth it.

In each other’s arms, Hunter and Lav remained for another good while there smiling at each other while no words needed to be spoken.

------

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16 and still do this

If you're fifteen or older an still sleep with a stuffed animal please reblog this.

!Bad batch Spoiler!

I actually created this account for my drawings. In the meantime I only post stupid tbb memes. Find the mistake. xD

I was screaming, crying, smiling, and puching air all at once. I was in pain 

WHEN CROSSHAIR’S THEME STARTED AT THE END AND THEN-

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how do i get the moon to notice me back