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dontbelasagnax · 3 days

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MISSION SUCCESS MUHAHAH I'd take any of the prompts from you really, so how about 21? Wildcard! Dealers choice! My only request is that it's in-universe 😚

(if you can't decide then maybe bloody kiss? I did once say that you writing angst would be the ultimate win for me)

Alright!! I've finally finished this first prompt!! Both of you, @lightasthesun and anon, wanted bloody kiss so here we are. Ann, since you wanted angst, I believe I am delivering that. However. You must know I'm not an angst person so I cried three times while writing this despite knowing it has a happy ending. You will pay somehow.

Pairing: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 1,851

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Major Character Injury, First Kiss, Getting Together, Angst with a Happy Ending

Summary:

All things considered, Cody probably should have seen it coming.

[ OR: Cody gets shot off a cliff. This is obviously quite dire. If he's got one chance left to kiss Obi-Wan, he'll take it. ]

(fic under the cut if you wish to read here on tumblr)

All things considered, Cody probably should've seen it coming.

He didn't.

There was a moment, just one, where he looked over his shoulder at his General and their troops. It was oddly peaceful, trudging forward together. He had a passing thought that moments like that were rare.

He was on a cliff. And then he wasn't.

Somewhere amidst the blast, the rush of blood in his ears, the icy lurch of his stomach, and a panicked thought that he really should've worn his jetpack, he heard a shout.

It might have been his own voice. He couldn't be sure.

The fall was rough. His body seemed to find every jutting rock off the side of the cliff to bounce off of. He says bounce. The gravity on this planet is stronger than most. It was more of a solid collision straight down with the weight of his body rolling him off every surface he met until he fell straight through air to what he thinks is the ground.

He blinks rapidly, spots of black dancing across his vision. Breaths come out shallow and laboured and- is it silent? Where's the sound? Is it- there's a high pitched ringing and-

"-ody! Cody!"

The spotty sky is cut by blurs of Obi-Wan. There are lines down- oh. His visor must be shattered. Nevertheless, he doesn't like the expression on his general's face.

"Cody," it's husked out, too harried and somehow gentle at once.

"Sir," Cody tries to say. It comes out raspy and gurgled. His mouth tastes of iron. This isn't good. "Did you-" a cough wracks his body and it's perhaps the most painful moment of his existence, "jump?"

"You know the answer to that."

Against his better judgment, Cody feels compelled to sit up at that. He can't quite pinpoint which part of his body protests most. It all turns into one searing blaze of pain. His vision blurs.

He heaves a great stuttered breath which seems to hurt almost as much.

He knows it's bad.

"The men need you," he tries.

"At the moment you need me more."

"Sir."

"Cody, please."

Cody closes his eyes. Breathes as shallowly as he can. A tear trails down his cheek. He swallows dryly. "Can't move."

"Oh, Cody."

"Can you- helmet?"

There's the hiss of his bucket coming unlatched and then it's tugged free.

With the increased range of vision, he glances down at whatever he can make out of himself. It's not pretty. Plastoid is somehow painted red and his left arm seems to be twisted at an unnatural angle.

Yeah. He's not making it out of this alive.

He drinks in the sight Obi-Wan makes above him, hair flopped over his forehead, a smear of ash across his cheek. He's beautiful.

The warmest, kindest hand cradles Cody's cheek. "I'll get you a med-evac-"

"They cut off," Cody fights a wheeze, "communications, remember?" A wet cough erupts violently- shaking him from the inside out. Time ceases through the blinding pain. When his lungs quiet there's wetness falling down his face. Blood and tears. "You've gotta go, sir."

"No, Cody. No."

"Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan goes stockstill, staring with wide, wet eyes. Too soft. Too full of urgency and pain and yearning. He's always trying to get Cody to refer to him by his first name.

There's always a first time for everything. And a last.

"C'mere."

"Cody," Obi-Wan says even as he leans in closer and rubs a thumb across Cody's cheek. Their foreheads meet. He can't decide if Obi-Wan’s breath on his skin is comforting or exhilarating.

With all the strength he can muster, Cody tilts up his chin and closes the remaining distance between them.

A kiss.

Warm press of lips to lips. Just the hint of facial hair brushing against his skin. He can't imagine it gets better than this, even with lips as cracked as they are and wet with blood instead of a balm or saliva. It's not as if he knows better. It's his first kiss after all.

Another first and last.

It's only fitting for it to be with Obi-Wan. The person he's very privately begun to think of as the love of his life.

In another life, when he opened his eyes after their first kiss, the cause of his blurred vision would be Obi-Wan's fault alone. "Always wanted to do that," Cody croaks.

It's true. He's wanted a lot of things. A lot of simple, impossible things that will never be. But. He's dying here and now. He knows how to make the best out of a bad situation.

Obi-Wan’s expression is nothing short of cracked through and through with devastation. "I won't leave you here."

He doesn't think he's ever heard his general’s voice clogged with tears before.

"You will.”

And because he doesn't have to pretend anymore that he doesn't want to touch his general--that he doesn't want to feel his skin and share his breath and know him in the most intimate of ways--Cody reaches for Obi-Wan's hand.

In an instant, his stomach churns as his vision swims, he realizes his mistake. That was his mangled arm he tried to move. The tide of the pain is too strong to fight. Obi-Wan blurs to nothing but a smear, words turn to garbled noises and-

The world goes black.

[Beep]

Cody comes to with the groggy need to open his eyes. It’s a struggle. Seemingly with the weight of an AT-AT upon his eyelids, he blinks his eyes open to searing bright white. Immediately his eyes shut. Not to be deterred, he tries again, blinking steadily until he can see.

Sterile white ceiling. Fluorescent lamps. A flimsy curtain. Annoying beeping.

He's in a med bay.

Tubes and wires. Barely patterned sheet. A hand holding his own-

A chunk of unmistakable ginger bangs flopping onto an eyebrow. Tired eyes looking at Cody so fondly, creases of a smile drawing from the edges of his eyes down his cheeks.

“They said you'd awaken soon,” says Obi-Wan. A thumb strokes Cody's wrist.

"'m I dead?" Cody croaks. His throat is drier than the heated days on Geonosis. He frowns. Obi-Wan is here. That isn’t right. "Are we both dead?"

"I should certainly hope not.”

So. Not dead.

Well.

That's unexpected.

“Wha-” Cody's throat catches on a cough and he splutters roughly.

“Here, here, dear.” Obi-Wan’s there with a cup of water, directing a straw past his chapped lips.

He sips the water down gratefully, satisfied as it soothes the parched gravel of his throat. He tilts his head away when he's done and Obi-Wan puts the cup down.

“What happened?” Cody tries again.

“How about I tell you later? After Egg has checked you-”

No. That won't do.

“Sir,” he interrupts, unyielding, “Sitrep.”

Obi-Wan must be tired because he doesn't even try to do their usual mutually stubborn staring match; he just sighs. “Ghost company managed to infiltrate the Separatist base and contact the admiral to request reinforcements and med-evac.”

Cody narrows his eyes. There is a glaring gap of information. “Where were you?”

“With you,” he says plainly.

Cody opens his mouth to say something but Obi-Wan effortlessly silences him by placing his hand over Cody's once more.

“I wouldn't leave any of my men behind to die, but, you- Cody.” There is a deep ocean of emotion pooled in Obi-Wan's eyes and spoken in the two syllables of Cody's name. “I couldn't leave you. Not like that.” Obi-Wan sighs as if expelling the weight from his shoulders. "And,” the corner of his mustache twitches upwards, “personally, I think I deserve a better kiss.”

“You- what?” Cody's brain flickers mid thought.

“The kiss. I deserve a better one, “ he says with near haughty conviction. “It was rude, quite frankly, to kiss me and nearly die. Gave me quite the fright.”

Cody swallows, his mouth suddenly dry again. “Is that so?”

“Mhm.”

Cody's eyes cannot be dragged away from Obi-Wan's lips. As Obi-Wan sits on the edge of the bed, all Cody can see is the hint of teeth catching on Obi-Wan's pink bottom lip.

He's closer now. Closer still as he gently pitches himself over Cody.

Fuck. Fuck.

“Kiss me,” Obi-Wan breathes.

It's not an order. Not really. Cody is helpless but to obey.

He makes a wounded noise into the meeting of their lips.

Obi-Wan is so soft and warm- his lips, his beard, the nudge of his nose. His hand slowly trails up Cody's good arm, bare as Cody seems to only be wearing a med gown. Sparks dance up his skin.

As their lips push and pull into kiss after kiss, heat grows inside Cody's chest and belly, competing with his fluttering stomach, elated and happy and-

“Ahem.”

Their lips separate with a smack. Reality filters in alongside the sound of rapid, high pitched beeping. Obi-Wan pulls away, expression nothing short of sheepish.

Their highest ranking medical officer, Egg, approaches the bed. “I see you're awake and someone failed to notify me.”

“Yes, well-” Obi-Wan starts, face adorably growing pink.

Egg ignores him. “Commander, how are you feeling?” As he speaks, he taps buttons on a machine attached to the wall which blissfully makes the beeping stop. “Any discomfort? Nausea? Pain?”

Cody sets aside the embarrassment of being caught and evaluates himself. He feels… surprisingly fine. “No, nothing.”

“Good. If that changes you've got a button you can easily request more meds with. Use it; there's nothing valiant in unnecessary suffering.”

Cody nods, fully aware he needs to cooperate if he wants to stay on Egg’s good side.

"And, General,” Egg looks directly at Obi-Wan for the first time, “stop making my patient tachycardic."

"I make no such promises.”

Cody shoots him A Look.

“Darling,” oh Force- this is a development Cody had not seen coming, “I do endeavor to never make a promise I can't keep.”

Okay. Well. That's-

Egg sighs, long and weary. “I'll be back in roughly two hours for rounds. If you spill any body fluids in my med bay I'll be requesting your transport to The Resolute med bay. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” both Cody and Obi-Wan respond.

With that, Egg makes his departure, fully swooshing open the privacy curtain before leaving the room.

There is a moment of relative silence. Cody realizes that Obi-Wan is once again holding his hand. He likes it. He likes it a lot.

“That couldn't have gone better,” Obi-Wan announces cheerily.

Cody can't help it.

He laughs.

It starts small, just a huff of breath out his nose until he's wheezing, lips stretched over gum and tears dripping down his face, clutching Obi-Wan who similarly chortles. His laughter is the most joyous of music.

He's alive. Miraculously. And somehow- somehow they're doing things like hold hands now.

It strikes Cody that, although he's confined to this awful med bay bed, for the first time in his life he feels happy. He's actually, truly happy.

There's no way it can last but he hopes he'll remember this moment forever. Acting an absolute fool with the man he loves most. Happy.

#my writing #codywan #commander cody #obi wan kenobi #🫣🫣🫣

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glitteringcrab · 1 month

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SCHEMATICS BOOGER-AIDS-V1 (aka: the first Omega Device)

Season 6, Episode 10 "Ricktional Mortpoons Rickmas Mortcation"

At the beginning of the episode, we see Rick C-137 attempting to track Rick Prime using a killbot (presumably stolen during S6E1):

By the end of the same episode, the view pans out and we get a full view of Rick's sub-basement:

Note the hologram of naked Rick Prime dancing in the centre.

Season 7, Episode 1 "How Poopy Got His Poop Back"

Instead of the hologram of the naked dancing Prime, we have a computer monitor.

When Morty asks him if he's made any progress, Rick sarcastically replies that he totally found the version of himself that killed his wife (heh) and they had a big fight offscreen and Morty just missed it!

Season 7, Episode 5 "Unmortricken"

We see a view of Rick's sub-basement again, and guess what?

There is a clone in there now...!

So, the first thought that pops in our minds is that between S7E1 and S7E5 Rick C-137 went out hunting, defeated and successfully captured one of Rick Prime's clones!

...But Rick's line in S7E1 suggests that the fight might have happened shortly before the beginning of S7E1, and the Prime Clone was being analyzed offscreen somewhere at the time.

Alright, let's head off to the next point.

Inside the Box, Rick Prime announces to the Ricks captured that Diane has been erased from every universe across infinity.

To which Evil Morty responds:

Even though Rick C-137 knows how the infinite murder took place:

Evil Mortyyyyyyyyy... You had stolen Rick C-137's memories! Rick C-137 knows about this weapon, so you should know about it too! I mean, maybe Eyepatch Morty has passed by sentimental trivia of Rick's life when he watched the stolen memories, but this sort of weapon is definitely the sort of thing that would pique his interest (as we saw).

Why is Evil Morty not familiar with the Omega Device?

Well, the conclusion I get from the above is that Rick C-137 found out about the Omega Device after S5E10, after Evil Morty finished scanning his brain (and, uh, well, Evil Morty probably reached the same conclusion).

Gee, which inferior would that be?

(and I'm wondering if some sort of unspoken communication is passing between Rick C-137 and Evil Morty at that moment, because the moment Rick C-137 mentions the name of the device Evil Morty glares at him, understanding that something occurred after he had scanned Rick C-137's brain. And Rick seems quick to deny any involvement: he only heard the name of the Device from some random, "inferior" Rick lol. This does not seem to placate Evil Morty.)

Back at the safety of Rick's sub-basement, Evil Morty chastises Rick C-137 for not learning to cut his losses and quit:

And well, that line makes sense because Rick has ruined his life searching for Rick Prime, but it will make even more sense if my theory is correct :P

Rick, in turn, is already aware of the fact that Evil Morty is scared of the Omega Device.

Which, well, makes sense, but I remember being surprised at that moment. The possibility of Rick Prime targeting Mortys out of spite had not crossed my head, although from what we now know of Rick Prime, it's actually to be expected.

Let's head to my third and final point:

Rick, Rick, Riiiick... Why would you be bummed he built it again (after it was presumably destroyed somehow, by someone, in the past)? Of course Rick Prime built it again, why did you expect/hope it'd be otherwise?

And why would Rick Prime building the machine again be "impressive"? Even from Season 1 Diane was never around, she's been dead for years, obviously from the Omega Device! That's plenty of time for someone to destroy the first Omega Device, and for Rick Prime to build it again.

Of course, it's possible Rick Prime made the first Omega Device a long time ago, killed Diane, then had a clone guard his superweapon for many years, and Rick C-137 found and destroyed the weapon only recently (so of course he'd be surprised and bummed that Rick Prime re-built the weapon so soon)...

BUT.

Interesting line, isn't it? And doesn't Rick appear to be seething in this scene?

Now, supposing Rick Prime has been messing with time... Isn't it possible that:

Shortly before S7E1 Rick C-137 managed to trace one of Rick Prime's clones/decoys, which eventually led him to the Omega Device v1 (pardon, Booger Aids v1)

And that Rick Prime's clone retroactively killed Diane across all infinities?

Wouldn't this theory make Rick's line in the above screenshot a lot more literal?

Wouldn't it make Evil Morty's glare in the box a lot more accusing?

Wouldn't it give more meaning to Evil Morty's remark about Rick C-137 "reaaally learning [his] lesson about chasing this guy"?

Wouldn't it make the threat of the Omega Device a lot more imminent, and a lot more personal, to Evil Morty? After all, if Diane is gone, killed a few months ago in retaliation not to a hundred different Ricks pissing off Rick Prime, but specifically to Rick C-137's failed quest for revenge, who is next when Rick C-137 next fails?

Wouldn't it make Rick Prime's line ("this guy does not know when to quit") a lot... heavier?

Honestly, for me, the cherry-on-top of this theory is the possibility of Rick Prime and Rick C-137 bickering: Rick Prime's clone proudly presenting the "Omega Device", Rick C-137 calling that name dumb, and then Rick Prime changing it to: "the weapon too cool for a name" lol

#he built it again #rick prime #rick c-137 #rick sanchez #omega device #rick and morty #rick c137 #rick c 137

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ghostofskywalker · 1 year

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Hello!!! Saw your post about a prompt? Hehe, I came across this one:

"I hate to say I told you so..."

"Like hell you do; it's your favorite phrase."

Sounds like a Crosshair one to me.

i love this prompt, thank you!! this fic did get a little out of hand, but honestly i love it 😂

words: 1,239

summary: On a night out, you challenge crosshair to some friendly sparring. things don't always stay friendly between you, and you're not complaining one bit.

clone troopers masterlist

A Test of Strength

“I bet I could beat you in hand-to-hand combat,” your voice sounded a little bolder than it usually did, and maybe that was because of the glass of Corellian wine you were almost finished with. The booth at 79’s was empty except for you and Crosshair, and so far, you’d been enjoying an evening of drinking, laughter, and watching Tech attempt to dance without hitting someone in the face.

He raised his eyebrows at you in response as he took another sip of his drink. “Is that a challenge, dear mechanic?”

“Maybe it is, trooper.”

Decidedly, you were a little bit out of your depth here. Although you had undergone some training when you entered the GAR, it was nowhere near the level to which Crosshair had been trained. The one thing you did have to your advantage was the fact that you were the slightest bit force-sensitive, something you’ve spoken to General Kenobi and Master Yoda about but hadn’t yet broached with your squad. You weren’t sure if you would be able to stay with Clone Force 99, and you rather liked being their mechanic (and no, it had nothing to do with the fact that you had a crush on the grumpy sniper sitting in front of you).

“Why do you think you could beat me?” he asked, his tone playful. This was the version of Crosshair that you liked the most, not the stoic man who went on missions with the rest of the squad.

“I don’t think you’ve had as much experience fighting as the others” you said thoughtfully. “Even Tech gets more up close and personal with droids during missions. I think we might be more evenly matched than you think.”

“I think those are bold words,” he said lowly. His face was so close to you that he might as well have been whispering in your ear at this point. “But I’d be willing to test your hypothesis. That is, if you’re up for a challenge.”

Sober you probably would have retracted your statement by now, but that didn’t happen this time. “Fine,” you said, downing the rest of your drink and getting out a few credits to pay the droid the next time it passed by. “You know of a good place to spar?”

Crosshair laughed. “I do, don’t worry about that.” And without telling the rest of the batch where you were headed, the two of you left the bar.

The GAR barracks were simple and understated, but the Coruscant base that the clones used when they were on leave had a top-of-the-line training facility and gym. The padded walls and floors of the sparring room were something of a comfort to you, because if you did get knocked on your shebs, maybe it wouldn’t hurt that badly.

You had been wearing comfortable clothes, and once you put your bag down, Crosshair was ready to go. He lunged at you, but you artfully dodged his jab, grabbing his arm and pulling to the side, the momentum sending him in a different direction. “You’re stronger than you look, doll.”

“I think you just underestimated me.” You liked this version of yourself, she was cool and maybe you’d have to figure out how to keep her around after the alcohol wore off.

“Really?” You weren’t quick enough this time, and he almost tripped you. Stumbling, you tried to keep your composure.

But maybe you should have kept your mouth shut, because you weren’t able to dodge his latest jab, and suddenly your back was up against his chest. His arms trapping you against his body, the fact that Crosshair’s face was inches away from your neck was something you were trying very hard to ignore. Maker, did you want to turn around and kiss him right now.

“You know, I hate to say I told you so…” he drawled softly, and you could hear the playful smile on his face.

“Like hells you do, it’s your favorite phrase,” you responded, the joking edge to your voice apparent. You had an idea, but you needed to keep him talking for a few more moments in order for it to work. “You know, we never decided what the winner gets out of this whole thing.”

“So you admit that I won?”

“Of course.” That sentence couldn’t have been more of a lie, but you needed to keep his eyes on you so he didn’t notice the way you were moving your leg back towards his.

A smirk crossed his face right as you struck, twisting around and pushing as you tripped him, and you somehow managed to get him off his balance. A few quick maneuvers and you would have him pinned just like he had you, but Crosshair clearly wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

For a few moments, the two of you were perfect equals. Every hit you landed, he got one right back. Every time you dodged, he did too. There was something exhilarating about the way that you seemed to be dancing with each other.

Until he managed to pin you against the wall.

You were slightly out of breath at this point, and you could see his chest heaving up and down as he breathed. “Do you admit defeat?” he asked.

You decided to challenge him a bit, desperately attempting to ignore the way his lips moved when he spoke (and how close they were to you). “I don’t think I’ve won yet.”

“Really? So the fact that I have you pinned against the wall means nothing?”

“Maybe that’s exactly what I wanted to happen.”

But instead of firing back with more snark, something must have finally snapped in Crosshair’s brain, because he leaned in and kissed you. His hands found their way to your waist as you kissed back, your lips exploring his as you hoped with everything you had that this was actually happening and not just an amazing dream.

You pulled away first, but he didn’t want to accept it. “You know how long I’ve wanted to do that for?” he asked breathlessly before recapturing your lips with his own.

“I could say the same thing,” you responded between his hungry kisses.

His grip on your waist was somehow both soft and demanding, and your mind was floating in a galaxy far away from this one. For a few fleeting moments, nothing could have possibly ruined the moment between you.

Until the door to the training room swung open, and the rest of the Bad Batch stepped inside.

“Go away,” Crosshair’s voice was practically a growl as he detached himself from your lips. “We’re busy.”

“Yeah,” Echo said, eyebrows raised as he stared at the two of you. “We can see that.”

“We realized you were missing from 79’s and tracked your comms here,” Tech said, butting in before Crosshair could fire back at Echo.

“That’s nice,” Crosshair said, and you had to stifle a laugh at the way he so desperately wanted all of them to leave.

Thankfully, Hunter seemed to catch on, and for once didn’t offer any teasing remarks (you suspected that you’d be victims to those later). He herded the rest of the squad out of the room and gave you two a knowing look before closing the door, and finally, you were alone again.

“Now,” you said, leaning in to place your lips on his once more. “Where were we?”

- the end -

#2023 spring ficlets 🐝#crosshair x reader #tbb crosshair #tbb crosshair x reader #tbb crosshair x you #crosshair x you #the bad batch x reader #tbb crosshair x female reader #the bad batch fanfiction #star wars x reader

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mdhwrites · 8 months

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My Biggest Problem With TOH Fight Scenes

So first I just want to say that for as much as people laud TOH's animations... Its fights aren't good. I'm not saying they're poorly animated but as fights, they're not interesting. There's rarely much in the way of back and forth, the choreography is just okay, it usually is really floaty and slow, in part due to how TOH does its bigger budget animation. Some of the ones counted as fight scenes really shouldn't as Grom would be the best fight scene of the series... But it's not. It's really just a small dance routine without the opponent involved and then a super move and that's not a fight. It's much closer to a curbstomp if anything, especially with how powerless the leads are before then.

But all of those explain why TOH's fights are kind of lackluster and how that fuels a general feeling that TOH just isn't a very good adventure series which is kind of rough for an adventure/comedy series. No, my biggest issue, and part of why Covention is easily the best fight in the series to me (Eclipse Lake is second and the rest are... There at best) is a lack of personality to these fights. A lack of a personal touch that should make them more memorable. Feel like who is fighting matters beyond skill set, especially in a show with magic.

But what do I mean by personality? After all, in a fight your goal is to beat the opponent. Where is the room for personality? If you're asking that then WOW where have you been to have missed the Superhero boom of the last decade? Then again, plenty of those movies fuck this up too. It's effectively how you make sure Spider-Man punching someone feels different from Captain America punching someone. Through body language, how they treat the fight, the creative ways they get the opening to land their blow, etc. like that. More straightforward thinking people will use more brute force while smarter characters will use their environment to their advantage and silly characters may use jokes and the like both for amusement and distraction. How brutal are they in taking down their opponent, do they hold back, etc. etc.

In TOH though... Everyone just brute forces everything with maximum power all the time. My go to example of this is how smart, studious Amity's go to weapon in S2, all of S2, was an abomination fist. Despite having the second most versatile and expressive type of magic in the show, Amity decides to always go for just punching a bitch or literally throwing a fist (or she's not actually really a part of the fight). Why? What part of her character, besides the asinine element of her once being a Grudgby Captain, would make you expect her to be some sort of brawler? To want to get up close and personal with her very own fists? She should be summoning minions, setting traps, ensnaring and debilitating her opponents... And instead she keeps punching people or using the gauntlet as a projectile which isn't even used as a joke for "I cast Fist" which would at least lightly play into her being a nerd even if that's much more a line that should come from Luz.

But even worse is Gus actually. He's not a part of a lot of fights but when he is, how does he use illusions? Literally the most expressive magic there is in almost any setting? The coven that does magic with pizzazz as he puts it? With basic ass clones that aren't even in silly poses or costumes, darkness and mind jacking. The one time he actually makes an illusion to use as an illusion in a fight is very tenuously Looking Glass Ruins. Even then, it's not as a distraction or the like or even coded to who Gus is as a character for the most part. It's more of a trap/set piece than any sort of fight and the level of horror it goes to feels honestly out of character for the most light hearted comedy character in the show. Otherwise though... Where's the pizzazz?

It makes most of the fights in TOH just blend together. It makes the magic feel like everyone is just using energy blasts and vines. I mean even Willow always goes for the most aggressive, brutal approach she can to put down a threat with as many vines as possible. Why? Why does she behave, even when calm, much closer to how you might expect Hunter to since he's actually trained to kill and fight?

None of this is helped either by the fact that I think the first monster Belos fight is really the only one that actually has talking during the fight. Every other fight, the characters entirely shut up until there's a pause in the action. That may be more realistic but it still implies that none of these characters are afraid or panicking or coordinating or anything like that. Even during the ones I can genuinely recall, it's always the villain who speaks. The heroes are too busy just trying to destroy the threat to say anything. It makes how short the fights are a weird sort of blessing because hey! Now the actual story and characterization can continue instead of having a pointless, fluff piece of a fight going on.

So now they don't just feel floaty, they don't have narrative weight either. None of them are a clash of ideas because that only happens once there's a victor. That's less interesting than letting what's being said also follow the eb and flow of the combat itself. It's probably part of why TOH's longest fight is like a minute long.

Then again, if I want good fights then I could just go watch Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because they have throwaway fights that are better animated, better choreographed and have better personality than either TOH's or Amphibia's best fights. Like seriously: If you've seen clips of that show's big ticket fights, I promise you that it's not a once a season occurrence that they have a great fight. That show is incredible with how silly and fun and GORGEOUS its animation is and I still want to know how the fuck they did that on a tv show budget.

But TOH's fights? I can absolutely see how they were done with a tv show's budget and they don't lean into character or creativity enough to make up for that.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

#the owl house criticism #toh critical

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toomanybandstocare · 1 year

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{By Your Side Tonight}

Program: As the 501st's support agent, you've come to grow fond of your boys. Even if they're reckless and obvious. You only just marked it up to be a part of their charm, and two members of the boys in blue enjoy pulling at your heartstrings. Always trying to stay one move ahead of them in your game, a night out to 79s has you kneeling before one of them after what should have been a fatal blaster shot.

Pairing: Arc Trooper Fives x GN! Reader

Side Pairing Ref: Jesse x OC! Embrey, Rex x GN! Reader -> tiny hints

Genre: Fluff, Teasing, Flirty Humor

Length: 3930w

Warnings: Flirting, Petname (Cy'are, Little One, Mesh'la), Blaster wound, Some swears

Counselor Note: So excited to be apart of @cloneficgiftexchange!! The lovely @miaowshacat requested a funny/serious situation for their gift. Hopefully, you enjoy this! My sense of humor is definitely flirty irl, so I know that's not typically what humor is considered.

Request Prompt: "Please stop getting shot, it stresses me out". "Oh, well if you don't like it".

Camp Resolute's Masterlist

Skyscrapers shoot pillars of faint illumination through the night sky, and speeder taillights leave trails of neon in their wake. As war rumbles across the galaxy, the blaring bass and sonic speakers from the surrounding clubs cause Coruscant's lower levels to vibrate. Overly excited club goers stumble and giggle amongst themselves on the walkways as wary eyes peer out from alleys.

Even on nights out, a heavy unease seeps into your bones once you step onto the landing platform. Your eyes narrow as you try to take everything in, but not even the bright signs help you see past the heavy rainfall tonight.

“If you keep glowering like that, you’ll scare away anyone who might consider asking your sour ass for a dance,” Fives shoulders past you and throws a wink over his shoulder.

You roll your eyes and follow the rowdy boys in blue closer to the pulsing music, “I’d be more worried about anyone seeing past your ego, if I were you. You do know that sweet words and drinks will only compensate for so much. Right, Fives?”.

Jesse howls in laughter, and Echo claps your shoulder. “Got you there, vod. For the so-called ‘people’s man’, you’ve been striking out lately,” Echo laughs. Each clone walks beside you with buzzing excitement, fitted with their new planetside outfits. Similar to their blacks, they all wear a tight, compression top with short sleeves with matching cargo pants.

“Who’s side are you on, traitor,” Fives shouts back. With an unconcerned shrug, Fives’ face melts into a smile of soft admiration: “Maybe, I have my heart set on someone, and I don’t want to fuck it up”.

Your breath hitches. For the faintest moment, you catch Fives’ eyes flickering to you. The rain splutters as it lands in the forming puddles by the line to 79s. A few stray away to kiss his cheek bone and trail down his glowing expression. They hang, frozen, on his jawline before they race down the column of his neck and find a home in the dip of his collarbone. Quick as the moment, the storm thickens, and Fives refocuses on his brothers leaving you with a racing heart.

“The side of reason, di’kut,” you cough as you shuffle closer to the entrance when the line moves. Knots twist and sit heavy in your stomach as your gaze shifts from one group of friends in the line across the walkway to a group of illegal speeders in the next landing bay. Pushing a deep breath through your lungs, you roll your shoulders. Even shifting your weight from side to side, you still feel restless surrounded by some many unfamiliar people.

Fives takes you in with a gentle look and holds your face, “Hey, look at me. Look at me, okay?” His soft voice rings clear from the cybernetic cacophony that makes your ears prick. You meet his honey colored eyes and feel your gaze soften. He leans in close to your ear, “Everything is going to be okay, I promise you. 79s is the safest club down here, and you have a small army of clones that’ll have your back. I’ll be by your side the whole night if you’d like”.

Calloused fingertips carefully soothe your warm cheeks. Cool droplets of rain help tame the frenzied tingles burning your skin. Fives looks towards his brothers while carefully running his hands up and down your arms to help ease your nerves. While you think about his offer, you notice the coy looks and smiles directed at Fives over his shoulder. Pushing a heavy breath through your nose, you close your eyes and lean into his hold. Fives’s hand naturally falls to rest at your hip.

Swallowing the lump in your throat, it plummets into your stomach. Crushing the few butterflies who hoped to soar. “Well, I would hate to sour your night,” you shoot him a teasing smile and pat his chest moving up in line. Your lips purse as you hand over your ID to the bouncer, and the thumping stereo only further irritates you.

While you wait for the rest of the group to hand over their IDs, a warm hand rests between your shoulder blades. Although very similar to the ones that held you moments ago, you know it belongs to another. Slightly larger and holds you with a firm tenderness that you allow yourself to ease into. “Safe to assume this game’s continuing tonight then?,” Rex asks as he shuffles closer to you, allowing Hardcase and Dogma to pass over their credentials.

“Care to elaborate on what game you’re referring to, Captain?” you ask with a raised brow. Your blood sears through your veins as Rex meets your smoldering gaze with a knowing glint in his eye.

“There is not a single person who doesn’t see the two of you playing cat and mouse,” Rex lowly explains, “I’m getting quite bored watching you play around, little one”.

His hand trails up and across your shoulder line to rest on your upper arm, tucking you into his side. The only relief from the flush of warmth washing over you is the fact that you feel Rex’s heart hammering against his chest almost as fast as your own.

“And what would you have me do, hm? Or would you like some more attention instead? All you have to do is ask,” you ponder, “Besides, it’s all good fun. Did you ever think that I might like being the one who’s chased? This little game isn’t as straightforward as you may think”.

He shakes his head with a small laugh and guides you through the entryway into the club. “Then I’ll leave you to your fun tonight. You’ll have to teach me the rules to your heart next time, mesh’la,” Rex’s voice darkens as he parts away from you with a lingering touch. The fleeting feeling of his calloused fingertips trailing along your side makes you dizzy.

Bodies twist and bend around each other to the DJ’s beat. Flashing lights twirl and surround you in a warm glow as you step down into the ever fluctuating crowd. The boys in blue start to holler and skirt past you to get a jumpstart on their night. Kix pauses by you, “If you need anything, just grab one of us, alright? Have some fun tonight, too”. Before you can even spare a smile, he disappears into the mass of bodies.

You push and shove your way through the wave of patrons swarming the entrance to try to make it to the bar. Sweaty bodies graze up against you trying to get to their next destination while the deafening bass pounds your chest with every beat. Glimpses of the illuminated shelves of drinks and mixers being tossed in the air can be seen in the small openings between passing bodies as you squeeze through the last line of people.

Your chest constricts as more people seem to push you from behind and others shuffle you sideways. Reaching out with one arm, you huff before pushing back against the wave of people around you. With everyone moving in different directions at once, you’re jostled in the thick of it. When you break free of the rushing crowd’s pull, you tumble forward from its hold and it into the welcoming arms of another.

“Thought you said you didn’t want me by your side tonight,” Fives’ warm breath tickles the shell of your ear. He pulls back with his signature smirk and leads you with a hand resting on the small of your back to a pair of open bar stools.

You shoot him a playful glare as you settle onto your seat, “Don’t put words in my mouth, love”. You rest your head on your fist and kick him gently underneath the bar. Once the pet name slips past your lips and registers in his mind, Fives’ breath hitches. “Afterall, you were the one who called me sour when I’m only ever sweet to you boys,” you wink at him before signaling over the service droid.

“Now hold on a minute,” Fives leans in on his forearm with a smile pulling at his lips, “You’re sweet to us? Who else is graced by your kindness and charm? Thought I was the only man for you, cy’are”. Tearing his playful gaze away from you, Fives orders for the two of you. In a moment, two vibrant mocktails are set between your seats.

“Wouldn’t the people’s man like to know,” you drawl out and take a sip of your drink. A refreshing mixture of juices and ice blend together in your mouth. “Now, back to the boys-- how do you think the night will end for them?” you ask and do a sweep of the club with your eyes.

Most of the boys have managed to find partners to join them on the dance floor. Jesse is tucked away in a secluded corner with his partner, Embrey. The two men have only just started seeing each other, but you also catch Jesse smiling at his data pad more often now. Hardcase is tangled with the wolfpack in one of the booths as they continue their usual boisterous recollections of the latest events. Rex joins Wolffe and Cody at the unofficial CO booth on the raised level as they keep a careful eye on their legions.

“Jesse won’t be coming back to the barracks with us. That civvie’s got him wrapped around his little finger,” Fives pulls himself closer to your side and slides an arm to rest on the back of your stool.

You hum in agreement, “I somehow think that’s not hard to accomplish with you boys. You’re all practically a pack of tooka kittens — from pulling at each other's ears to pushing each other to try to get someone’s attention”. You smile at him over the rim of your drink, and the look of utter betrayal on Fives’ face sends you into a flurry of laughter.

“Oh, don’t leave yourself out of that either,” Fives wags a finger at you, “Nearly bit my head off when you found out I didn’t get medcare after Teth only to keep me close when we were all playing sabacc. You’re just as bad as us when it comes to attention, and I would reckon that you’re even worse”.

As Fives points out your shared similarities, you can’t help but lean into him more. Nearly tangled together, to the point where anyone could rightfully question if the pair of you are just friends, you rest a hand on his chest. You play with the collar of his shirt with your fingertips. The rise and fall of his breath upticks beneath your palm, and you find comfort in the steady thrum of his heartbeat.

“What’s the matter, love?” You tilt your head, “Cat got your tongue?”

As you pull your gaze away from where your fingers fiddle with Fives’ collar, your heart drops when you realize his attention lays elsewhere. “Now what could be more captivating than our conversation,” you weakly laugh. Twisting your head, you immediately notice the handsome Nautolan man eying Fives from his table. His eyes shift from your friend and widen when he meets your gaze. Even as your breath freezes, lungs constrict, want to push Fives’ arm away -- you instead send the man a soft smile and nod your head.

Turning away with slightly slumped shoulders, you put on a brave face and pat Fives’ arm. “I’ll make sure to tell Echo you won’t be returning to the barracks tonight as well,” you say as you rise from the stool. With a swift swoop of your arm, you grab your drink and quickly finish it off.

“Cy’are, come on. Sit back down. I said I’d stay by your side tonight, which means I’m not going anywhere you aren’t,” Fives pleads. One hand grasps your forearm and weakly attempts to guide you back to the stool.

Even with his warm expression inviting you to rejoin him, his hand feels cold against your skin.

Even with the teasing tip of his smirk pulling you back to his side, his silence rings clear.

Even though Fives is the person you dream of waking up next to in bed each morning, Fives’ eyes wander everywhere except for the one person who stands by his side.

“Go have fun, Fives. I’m going to search for some of mine own,” you reassure him and slide his hand away. You shoot him a wink as you walk past him and blend into the wave of patrons.

Once again flooded with the overwhelming proximity of strangers, frustration flames through your blood. The sticky atmosphere chokes you as your heart pounds against its cage. The corners of your vision blur and darken while you move solely focused on the entrance. Stinging static drowns out the annoyed protests and looped music tracks from your hearing. The moment you break free from the club’s hold, you stride into the crisp night air that envelops you in a thick downpour of rain.

Not sparing a glance behind you, you continue to move as far away from the clone club. Yet with every step, something nips at the back of your neck. Not even an hour ago, you wanted to leave and return for a night in the barracks. Now you follow the near-empty streets as they twist and wind and lead you further away from your friends and into an awaiting pit of darkness. Finally able to blink away the rain just long enough to catch sight of a nearby storefront awning, you dart for cover and shiver against the cool durasteel building.

Heavy breaths wrack your body as you watch the trickles of rain plummet from the awning.

Maybe it was time to put a stop to your little game and come clean?

The occasional speeder joins the rushing soundscape that drowns out your comlink’s alert.

You heart wrenches at the thought of cutting off both men.

Faint shapes of bodies not even glancing at your hiding place come in and out of focus from the downpour.

Then again, neither seemed too interested in making the next move.

Until one shadow stops.

You shake your head to clear your mind from memories of their shared looks, and you push away your thoughts.

Its shape growing and defining itself against the curtain of rain that had shielded you.

Steadying your breath, you carefully stand. “Not another step,” you demand. In the moment the shadow pauses, you slip off your comlink and send an alert to the shared channel of the 501st. Hopefully, the darkness is your ally this time.

“Wouldn’t you want some company?,” a husky voice calls out, “This isn’t the type of place to be wandering around by yourself — especially in this weather.”

They take a step closer.

A faint alert chirps from your comlink.

“My friends are on their way,” you coolly reply as thunderous footsteps and shouts roar against the brewing storm.

The shadow’s head tilts, but not in contemplation.

“That’s what we were hoping for,” the shadow snarls.

Shivers shudder down your spine in realization.

Just as you launch yourself from your spot, blaster bolts strike through the night sky like lightning. No longer concerned about the shadow who slipped into the darkness, you run towards the echoign command. Clenching your fists, you slam your feet against the rain soaked platform.

“Fives,” you shout.

Blaster bolts illuminate the walkway and reveal silhouettes struggling against one another.

“You picked the wrong person to go after, ge’hutuun,” one of your boys grunts.

Rain droplets pelt down on you and leave stinging splotches on your skin.

Bringing your comlink up to your mouth, you grit your teeth against the howling wind. “This is 501st support agent to base, do you copy? We need back up. This is an emergency, do you copy,” you try to speak clearly against the growing panic bubbling inside you.

A single scream silences the street’s symphony.

“Fives,” someone calls out.

“Fives?” you breathe out.

It feels like the rain weighs down on you and locks you in place. Each footstep harder to take than the last. As the 501st comes into view, tears blur your vision as you hastily look each man over.

Rex and Jesse stand just off to the side, speaking to a holograph of Commander Fox with apprehensive expressions. Hardcase, Dogma, and Tup surround the dazed assailants while pacing every few steps before returning.

Echo and Kix kneel on the ground beside a body just ahead of you.

“Fives?” you croak.

Echo raises his head and motions you over to join them. His serious gaze pulls you from your cemented spot and into a run.

Skidding to a stop, you sink to your knees next to Fives’ head. Your eyes flicker from his pained expression to his heaving chest to the blaster graze just above his hip. The outfit he was so excited to wear out for the first time now smolders around blistering skin.

“This wasn’t the show I was hoping to put on for you, cy’are,” Fives hoarsely laughs.

A watery chuckle breaks your chapped lips, “Well, you’re quite the showstopper. You can put on an actual show for me another time. But, please stop getting shot, it stresses me out”.

Fives lets out a booming laugh that’s quickly cut off by a groan, “Oh, well if you don’t like it, I’ll just have to ask the Sith to stop the war for me. Sure they’ll be real understanding -”. His sentence cuts off when he sucks in a sharp breath.

You look over to Kix who has a less than amused expression at the two of you. One hand barely applying pressure to Fives’ wound.

“Calm down, you’re not going to die,” Kix rolls his eyes and slightly shoves Fives’s side, “You have second degree burns, di’kut. Just need some bacta patches, and you’ll be fine with minor scarring”.

“That should have been a direct hit though,” you murmur, looking at the wound. You face Fives once again, yet this time he won’t meet your eyes. Resting your hand on his jaw, you make him meet your pointed gaze. A slow warmth grows underneath your touch.

“His clothing is made up of an experimental light-weight, ballistic material. It’s a prototype for casual bulletproof clothing,” Kix explains and pulls your attention back to him. He tugs at the singed edge of Fives’ shirt. The cloth barely moves from the strain. “Did -- did he not tell you why we came out tonight?” Kix asks you with an incredulous laugh.

“He actually went through with his dumb plan. Kriffsake, this should be good,” Echo snickers and shuffles away from you.

“It’s bulletproof?” you shriek at him.

Fives quickly throws his hands up and scoots away from you to push himself up into a crouching position. “Not completely! That’s why we had to test it out,” he defends.

His words still you. Narrowing your eyes, you watch as Fives pales under your sharp gaze. “Test it?” your voice comes out a low growl.

Fives sends a weak glare over your shoulder, “Who’s side are you on, traitor?”

Echo and Kix burst into laughter, barely spitting out coherent words. “The side of reason, di’kut,” they reply in unison.

“You were the one who volunteered to be the mark,” Kix notes.

“‘Just you watch, I’ll put an end to this little game of ours tonight,’” Echo say in a poor imitation of his twin, “‘By the end of the night, I will confess my undying love for my cy’are”.

“I did not say that,” Fives barks back.

“I am so grateful that shot didn’t kill you,” you confess while you drop your head in relief. You try to conceal the snickers that threaten to slip past your lips.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Fives perk up. “Does that mean I can take you out on a date?” He asks.

“No,” you say. When his posture slumps once more, you slowly raise your head and meet his disappointed gaze. “No, I’d like to take you out myself,” your voice drips with false sweetness.

“Well, who am I to say no to a lovely date with my cy’are,” Fives leans closer to you with a small smile spreading across his face.

“I’m so grateful that bulletproof material kept you alive just long enough for me to take you out myself,” your voice growls in playful anger.

Fives’ eyes widen, and he pushes off the ground and sprints away from you. “Cy’are, I’m sorry,” he laughs and shouts over his shoulder.

“Too late. Get back here, di’kut,” you yell and launch after him.

Footsteps slosh and slap against the platform while both your laughter mixes with the comforting hum of the evening. As you near Fives, your gazes meet as he turns to check on you with an adoring expression. Reaching out with one hand, your face lights up when he turns completely to face you. Arms open waiting for you to join him by his side once more.

Throwing your arms around his neck, you press yourself close to him. His hands rest comfortably on your hips, and Fives ducks his head in the crook of your neck. The gentle scratches as you play with the edge of hair bring small hums from his mouth that softly tickle your skin.

“I’m still going to murder you,” you mumble into his shoulder.

Fives hums, and his hold tightens around you. “Just wait until after the date. I’m looking forward to it, and it would be my life’s regret if I never actually had the honor to spend the night by your side”.

The soft glow from flickering neon signs wraps around your bodies as the rainstorm eases to a gentle lull. Neither of you pay attention as the Coruscant Guard passes. Some send Fives a celebratory salute while others clap your shoulder with a chuckle. As the night life fades to distant hum, Fives straightens himself and pulls you under his arm to lead you back to the group. Soft smiles and shouts of relief greet the two of you, now that the game has come to an end.

At least for tonight.

One pair of eyes linger on you for a moment longer than they should have. “Rex, we’re good to head out now. Gave Fox the report and analysis already,” Jesse states.

Rex pulls his gaze from where you stand tucked comfortably in his vod’s hold, and he nods at Jesse. “Then I think it’s time we head back to the barracks and get some rest. I’m sure we’ll find ourselves absorbed in another game by the time we deploy again,” Rex shakes his head with a small laugh.

Jesse looks at him with an impressed, yet shocked, expression. “Don’t tell me you’ve been keeping out on us and have your eye on someone,” he says with a light elbow jab to Rex’s side.

With a knowing look in his eye, Rex motions for Jesse to make his way over to the awaiting transport. Once everyone from the 501st and guard are accounted for, Rex allows himself to relax against the wall. Letting his head fall to one side, he steals one more glance and smiles at the sight of you dozing off on his brother’s shoulder. Rex raises his gaze and meets Fives’ eyes, and they subtly nod at each other.

The night may be over, but the game is still in play.

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veny-many · 8 months

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Sidious: Commander Cody, the time has come!

Sidious: Execute...

Sidious: ...Order 67!

Cody:

Cody: As you wish, my lord.

Ghost company: <Dancing>

Obi-wan: <witnessing in distance> ....?

Ahsoka: Rex...? What is happening?

Rex: No... he was true... Find Fives, find...!

332nd: <Starts dancing>

Ahsoka:

Ahsoka: Should I be worried about this?

Rex: I think you should...! <Casually dancing>

Ahsoka: I think it will be a great idea to dance together in front of Maul just to tea bag him.

Rex: Oh by the Force that will be great.

Maul: I hate you all

Aayla: Be careful, I can sense something in the Force...

Star Corps: <Starts dancing>

Aayla:

Aayla: That's actually good moves.

Bly: Of course, I have practiced this for-

Bly: ADKSAHAUU Never mind

Trooper: Finally, he's about to ask a date!

Bly: <Screaming and dancing>

Aayla: (...I should solve this problem...)

Aayla: (...after that, the date!)

Depa: Grey, why are you... Dancing?

Grey: I don't know sir, but it's an Order.

Tech: I think this is sort of neurological control manipulation...!

Wrecker: That seems funny! I want to join!

Crosshair: No we will never...

Wrecker: <Already in dancing line>

Crosshair:

Hunter: Um... General, what should we do about this...?

Depa: ...I think we should just...

Caleb: ...Let them enjoy?

Depa: Yes, I think we can do that.

Plo: Jag, why did you landed...?

Plo: <Witnesses all Clones are dancing>

Plo:

Plo: I need to find my Wolfpack.

Plo: ...And record them dancing!

Kaminoans: Why are all the Cadets and Clones are dancing!? <Screaming in middle of the Kamino full of dancing people>

Stass: Commander Neyo? Why he stopped Speeder...?

Neyo: <takes off from Speeder, starts dancing>

Stass:

Stass: ...are you alright?

Neyo: No, I want to kill myself. <Dancing>

Stass: Oh Force.

Ki-Adi: Why are you all dancing in middle of this battlefield!?

Bacara: I don't know!

Ki-Adi: <Screaming inside while blocking all the blaster>

Nova Corps: <Screaming inside while dancing, that they really don't like>

Mace: And why did you betrayed Sith lord again?

Anakin: He tried to change the Order, but I didn't wanted the cool dances to stop.

Mace:

Mace: Well okay, we won.

Yoda: Will of the Force, it is.

Yoda: <Leaves meeting with dance>

Anakin: Wow

Anakin: <Follows him with dance>

Mace: <headaches by the number>

#star wars #the clone wars #order 67 #what have i done #my crack #dancing

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dittolicous · 3 months

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part three of raging stealth black!sanji i guess! (part one - part two)

sanji is very aware that he's just a means to an end. that he's being lied to and used and manipulated. he was given a butchered version of his 'life history' to make up for his amnesia, which included the strawhats abandoning him when he proved too weak and got hurt, something which he had no frame of reference to doubt when he first awoke from death

but if vinsmoke judge is anything, its being ridiculously bad at foresight and little details

honestly, how did he really expect to hide the relative truth with the strawhats being such big names? their journey has been documented, and while its clearly got some biases, sanji can read between the lines. little details are his *job*, thats all espionage is!

so, yeah. he knows hes being used to get the strawhat pirates, knows that he and his siblings are nothing but manufactured tools

it just adds another coal to the growing fire pit of rage in his stomach. its really all he can feel these days, this growing red hot anger, so bright that he perpetually, endlessly fights to keep flames from dancing along his form. he cant place it at first, has no reason to dislike his fathers hand on his shoulder the night he finally awakens, yet the weight lights something within him. his skin prickles where the hand had rested. he wants to scratch it off, to remove the tainted section of his body

he says nothing. good children are seen and not heard.... hes good, yes? right? thats... what he wants?

(can he even want? everything is so empty, so quiet... why-why-why-)

his brother's hollow laughter, the smell of bins full of rotting food, the bubble-filled cloning tubes, the taste of his sisters poison in the air as it lays waste to their enemies, the joyous smile on his fathers face...

sanji also knows he shouldn't be able to feel, yet he can very clearly name this white hot feeling taking root deep within him - rage, unabashed and uncontrollable

when hes not dreaming of sea salt, citrus, or distant laughter, he dreams of vinsmoke blood staining the ground, of satisfaction as his heels dig into ribs, of inflicting every wound they ever gave him right back at them (an odd thing, his waking mind supplies, seeing as his family has never hurt him...), of crushing the shells to the sailing snails which house this tyrannical kingdom

he had hoped to exorcize the demons haunting his dream by gathering knowledge, hence why he sought outside information sources (ie where ever judge deemed worth attacking), surely these unbiased sources would clear away this doubt that should never have exsisted!

instead the roots of his vitriol are set. there is no going back to sanji that woke to his family's supposedly loving faces

they are warmongers, destroyers... liars... they take more than they could ever need or desire... he isn't a son or brother, hes nothing more than another plunder of victory. a walking symbol of their prowess

what do these fools even hope to achieve with their senseless grapples for power? kingdoms?? glory of germa66? scientific might?

don't make him laugh

sanji might only be a means to an end, but so are they, not that those arrogent buffoons even realize

(he cannot say how he knows nor does he really care, but the danger of the world government runs deeper than any outsider could ever grasp - the five shadowy beasts of his dreams tell him so with guttural voices and air-tainting bloodlust)

all too soon it becomes clear that life is nothing but pointless suffering, engineered by tyrants just like vinsmoke judge, just like the shadow beasts whos screams having him waking in cold-sweats, there is no end... they are only free from this horrible cycle in the embrace of death. the dead cannot bleed nor starve nor struggling to breath through grief filled lungs. life is children sobbing over the prone form of their parents or hollowed faces taking mouthfuls of poisoned water to quiet aching stomachs...

the vinsmokes take blindly and foolishly, they took everything from him, took his life, his memories, his heart, left him nothing but a tense anger that leaves his muscles aching and fingers twitching to destroy, pride blinding them to the encroaching cliff into hell

if they wish for hell so badly, who is sanji to deny them? he will bring down the flames of hell and rip clean through the earth to deliver them personally. every sensless act of violence, every life taken without a blink of an eye, every drop of blood the fed the ground, sanji shall return tenfold, yet deny them the relief of death just as they stole him from his

he'll go along with their little plan to draw out the strawhat pirates, give them the easy satisfaction they desire, and just when they feel victory by the tips of their fingers.... they will learn what life is truly like by sanji's very own hands

(and if he holds tightly to the fleeting moments of calm like a balm on his burned exoskeleton, brought on by the face of his former captain or flashes of green from the perpetually lost swordsmen, no one has to know

none of it will matter in the end)

#one piece #vinsmoke sanji #blackleg sanji #one piece sanji #sanji #vague suicidal ideation #this bitch is DEPRESSED and that depression takes the form of anger #=) not that i would know what thats like hahahaha.... ha...#burning rage au

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dreamswithghosts · 1 year

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Ballroom Full of Echoes (Echo x f!Reader)

This is a 18+ fic, anyone who is under the age of 18 please do not read this!

Summary: You and Echo go undercover at a big business formal party involving the Trade Federation. You are to try to learn about a lead that the Separatists might be making a new type of droid against the clones. Some things don’t turn out as planned.

Author's Notes: THIS TOOK ME FOREVER TO WRITE! It started out simple and it just kept going. I had some other ideas for this but this was getting to the point where it was personally too long for a one-shot for me. Please enjoy. Feedback is obviously greatly appreciated! Also, people requested that I start up a ping list. If you want to join it for fics like this or my little head canon posts like my One Bed Trope Post please let me know!

Tags: 18+, NSFW, Friends to Lovers, Fingering, Kissing, Creampie, Nudity, Smut, Vaginal Sex, First Kiss, Formal Wear, Mutual Pinning, Dancing, Some Fluff, Some Alcohol, Love Bites

Word Count: 8.3k

AO3: Link

“Is everyone ready?” You questioned as you looked around at the five men standing in front of you, “Once we go inside, there’s no turning back.”

There was a small series of nods from the members of the Bad Batch, all of them looking fairly confident in the job that they were about to perform. You all were to sneak into a Trade Federation formal party here at a hotel in Coruscant. Being a spy for the Republic during the Clone Wars, this was a fairly typical mission for you, but this certain mission required a team. You loved being able to get Clone Force 99 to help you when they were available.

Your target was a man by the name of Redarr Berenk, who was high up in the rankings under Nute Gunray's personal team of coworkers. You were to blend in with the party and seek out Redarr and gather as much information as you could about the rumors of a new model of battle droid being in the works. If the rumors are true, it will cause much deviation to all the clones battling out on the front lines.

"We should be landing shortly," Tech announced once he sat himself back in the pilot's seat.

"Good. Once we land, Echo and I will go in the front door to check in and the rest of you will wait for me at the back so we can sneak you in." You said calmly, your hand resting on the back of the pilot's seat, watching Tech pilot the Havoc Marauder to its designated landing platform. The ship landed with a groan and a hiss, it was a very minimal landing compared to other landings Tech had done with you aboard. Only you and Echo stepped off the ship. The rest of Clone Force 99 stayed hidden and silent on the ship. You walk through the front doors with Echo right behind you. You were dressed in what was considered business casual for someone who works with or for the senators of the grand Republic. Echo was in his usual kit, acting as a bodyguard for you who was specially commissioned by the senators of the Republic.

“Checking in?” The twi'lek clerk asked behind the desk; She barely looked up from her terminal in front of her.

“Yes. My rooms should be under the name Jay Lanni.” You said calmly falling easily into a professional facade like you have done on many missions before, “If it is not under that, try under Senator Riyo Chuchi. I am here representing her on this occasion, after all.”

The twi’lek glanced up from her terminal, her purple eyes looking at you and then glancing over your shoulder at Echo who stood behind you, “If it is just the two of you, why are you getting two rooms?”

You acted offended, “Well, ma’am, that is none of your business. I very much like my own privacy, if you are that persistent in your curiosity.”

The cleric flinched a little, realizing her mistake, and quietly started to continue her job of checking you into your rooms. She was fairly quick in handing you your keys, shyly telling you to have a nice stay. You thanked her and walked away with Echo following you right behind you. You heard Echo activate his comlink in his headpiece when he saw that there was no one around to hear them, “We have the keys, be ready at the back door.”

“Very good.” You hear Tech’s voice as you activated your own, “I have currently disabled all cameras on our route to our rooms. Hopefully, we will not raise any suspicion.”

“Good job. Hey Wrecker, remember that this is a stealth mission right now. So no sounds.” You respond calmly, making your way over to the back entrance, hearing a small whine from the big man over the comm channel. You looked around your surroundings of the luxury apartment and made sure the coast was clear before tapping the hotel key on the door panel to open the glass door. It swished open and the rest of the boys made their way into the building. With you on point and Hunter bringing up the rear, you guide the squad through the rich hallways to the elevator to take you all to the floor level where your rooms were.

The elevator pinged to your floor and everyone piled out, making it quick to the doors assigned to you and the rest of the squad. You handed one of the keys to the first room to Hunter and you went to the other. You watched Hunter open the first room and the rest of Clone Force 99 pushed their way into the hotel room, you opened your own with ease and closed the door behind you. Luckily this room had easy access to the room next to you with the other boys. You opened the door that connected the two rooms and was greeted by Crosshair who just gave you a small smirk and moved away.

Both rooms were identical, minus the fact that they mirrored each other. Both of them had two large luxury beds, covered in very plush comforters and pillows. They both had huge bathrooms that had walk-in showers and deep bathtubs. The balconies that each room had were perfect for Crosshair’s part of the mission. He was to sit on another building and watch from afar with his sniper rifle, there to cause a distraction if things went a little haywire. Plus, he is your first eye in the sky with Tech who will be watching from the cameras. Wrecker and Hunter will be on standby, ready to charge in and get Echo and yourself out of the event if things went a little too crazy. Which you hope won't happen.

"I'm going to scout," Crosshair announced, moving to the balcony door, and grabbing his rifle.

"Wait," You called, stopping him in the doorway and handing him one of the room keys. He gave you a small nod and then climbed over the ledge to scout out a spot for him to set up and watch the event from afar. Tech started to set up his little hacker station on a desk in one of the rooms already working on getting into the camera system to monitor everything.

"Hey, can we order food?" Wrecker piped in, already settling himself on one of the lush beds, his big body stretching out over it. You tell him sure and toss a tablet to him so he could order food for everyone. He smiles and instantly starts doing so. You go to your bag of stuff and head to the bathroom in the room that was not fully occupied by clones, “I’m going to start getting ready. Let me know when the tailored delivery is here.”

You hear an affirmative and leave the boys to their own devices. You know that more than likely, they will either be really good and everything will still be in one piece, or they will have everything scattered everywhere in a mess. Hopefully, the first option considering how nice the place is, but you know eventually they all will get bored.

They seemed to be quiet for about an hour until you heard a soft knock on the bathroom door you left open. You glance up from the reflection of yourself over to Echo standing in the doorway holding two garment bags. You hopped down from the spot you were sitting on the counter where you were working on your makeup and walked over to him, taking one of the bags that was labeled for you.

“Thank you.” You hummed, moving to hang up the bag, “Actually, while you’re here, can you help me with my holster?”

You reached over and grabbed your thigh holster that would eventually hold a blaster that could be easily concealed under your skirt. You were already wearing your legging shorts that would be under your dress.

“Just need help with tightening it.” You explain lightly to the clone standing in front of you. He barely seemed hesitant, moving to hang up the bag that had his specialty-made tux for him for this event. He kneeled in front of you and took the holster from your hands.

“You sure this isn’t a two-handed kind of job?” Echo teases, lightly reaching out to wrap the holster around your left thigh. You reached down, helping him place it where you wanted on your thigh.

“Very funny.” You snorted, pulling on the straps, getting the holster tight enough so it won't move around on your thigh or fall with the added weight of the blaster. Once it was tight enough, Echo removed his touch from your thigh and stood up giving you a small smile.

Out of all the clones you had ever worked with on your missions, Echo has always been the clone you have been the most comfortable around. There had been many late nights while traveling on the Havoc Marauder where you and Echo curled up in the gunner's mount, quietly conversing like teenagers about anything and everything. In the mornings, one of the other members of the batch would find you two leaning against each other asleep. If it wasn’t for the war and the constant looming fear that you may never see him again, you would probably consider him your best friend.

Echo was always someone you could rely on. Someone who you could talk to about anything and everything and feel like he is doing the same thing in return. Someone who you could let your guard down around and see for just you and all your flaws.

“Thank you.” You gave Echo a small smile in return, moving away from him to sit back up on the counter to finish putting on your makeup. Echo stood there for a second, watching you. He reached for his bag and moved to step out, “If there's anything else you need, let me know.”

“I need you to start getting dressed as well.” You teased him, which made him chuckle. He left the small fresher, probably headed to the one in the other room to get himself suited up.

When you finished your makeup, you hopped off of the counter and moved to close the door. You pulled the dress that Senator Chuchi’s tailor had specially made for this assignment. It was a long, maroon dress where the sleeves were off the shoulders and the skirt had a slit in it for easy access to your blaster if needed. You removed your top already having been wearing the tight-fitted shorts that you would wear underneath the dress and pulled it on. Sighing to yourself, realizing that you would not be able to fully zip the zipper up your back, you left it for later. You grabbed the small, velvet box that held the jewelry that the tailor had picked out to match the dress.

This entire outfit was way more formal than anything you would wear on an average day. If you never joined the army, you would have probably only dreamed of wearing something like this. You finished up everything you could do for yourself, grabbing your heels and making your way back into the main rooms of the hotel, searching out the first clone you could find, which happened to be Hunter.

“Can I get some help?” You asked him nicely, turning your back to him and showing him the half-done zipper on your back. You felt his light touch on the fabric and the sound of the zipper sliding up your back.

“This color suits you.” He complimented, removing his hands when he finished his task. You politely thanked him, moving to sit down at the foot of one of the beds to put the heels on your feet. Tech moved over from his little technology corner, handing you a small device.

“Put this in your ear. No one should be able to notice it and I will be able to communicate with you through it.” Tech informed you. You smiled at him and thanked him, the device easily fitting in your ear. It was light and comfortable enough that you honestly might forget it's even there. Tech moved back to his computers and you heard some small beeping from the device for a moment and then Tech’s voice simply testing the audio functions. You let him know it was working and finished putting on your shoes.

As you stood, Echo made his way out of the other fresser completely dressed in his tux. It was mostly black with the vest under the jacket that is maroon red to match your dress. His right sleeve was specially tailored for the scomp on his arm. Not entirely concealing it, but almost giving it its own special flare. He stopped looking at you in your dress, completely pausing his actions.

“You… That color really suits you.” Echo said after a moment, almost as if he had to reboot things in his brain. You laughed lightly at his reaction. His words were very similar to Hunter’s complement earlier.

“I could say the same thing for you.” You teased him, walking over to him to gently adjust the tie that was around his neck, “You clean yourself up nicely.”

He did look very handsome while dressed formally.

“You two have less than thirty minutes until the event starts,” Tech informed you, breaking your attention away from Echo for just a small moment.

“Did I seriously take that long to get ready?” You gasped, looking back at the room. You now realized that Crosshair was already gone from the room with Wrecker lounging out on one of the beds. He looked like he was already asleep if you didn’t see a tracker on the holo pad showing the time left for food to arrive sitting right next to him on the pillow. You know that man will be up in a split second when he sees that the food has arrived.

Echo held out his arm to you, giving you one of his naturally handsome smiles, "We shouldn't keep Rendarr waiting."

You smiled softly at him in return and took his arm. You opened the door to the room exit and stepped out. Behind you, you heard Hunter yell out something along the lines of “Don't party too hard,” which had you giggling.

You and Echo made your way down to the formal event. The two of you blended in easily into the crowd of partygoers acting as one of the many couples in the event. It was always super easy to work with Echo on undercover ops. He obviously had past experience with him being an ARC Trooper. Some of the stories he told you about his past missions were unfathomable compared to most of your missions. Plus, the close friendship that you had made things so much easier.

"I see Rendarr, northside of the bar. Looks to be ordering a drink." You heard Crosshair hiss over the coms.

"Care for a drink?" You acted innocent as you pulled your mission partner with you toward the desired location of your target. You were quick to spot the man in the spot Crosshair had commed. You and Echo walk up to the bar and you waved the bartender down, ordering a glass of wine for each of you.

Once you got your drink, you took a simple sip from it, getting your red lipstick on the glass. You watch your target, waiting for the perfect moment to grab his attention. When you spotted it, you discreetly tapped Echo twice, letting him know you were going to step away from him and he needed to watch you.

"I don't think I have met you before." You pulled on your best persona to get this man's attention. It worked, he set down his empty glass on one of the trays of a server droid that passed by.

"I'm Rendarr Berenk, the main assistant for Nute Gunray." He introduced himself, being fairly obvious that he was checking you out. You acted to not be phased by any of his actions, keeping your eyes focused on his, "May I ask who I have gotten the pleasure of speaking to?"

"I am Jay Lanni, the representative for Senator Riyo Chuchi this evening." You responded pleasantly, giving him your best smile.

"Oh really? I had not realized she was invited to events like this." He responded with genuine surprise.

"Well, after what happened with the blockade on Pantora, the Trade Federation tends to invite her to events like this as an apology." You explained calmly, like this was common knowledge, "But Senator Chuchi is a very busy woman, so she sends me instead."

The two of you break into light, formal conversation, making it seem that it is simple and easy for him to continue to converse with you. Eventually, he fell for your trap, asking you to dance. You gracefully accepted, taking his hand as he led you to the dance floor.

Once there, you continued the conversation, trying to slowly work your way into getting the information you needed from the man. He seemed fairly resilient, only giving you vague answers. You started to get the feeling that this man might not have the information you needed. So you decided to call it, slipping your secret word into the conversation that would let Echo know to come and get you away. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him doing just that. Echo casually made his way over to the two of you.

"May I take my dear friend for a dance?" Echo asked, holding his hand out for you to take. Rendarr made a look of surprise, probably not expecting you to have been here with someone. You politely thanked Rendarr for the dance and then took Echo's hand, letting him whisk you away further into the dance floor.

"Well, that was a bust." You sighed, instinctively shifting closer as you danced now that you were with someone you considered to be comfortable with. You could smell his cologne now that he was closer to you, almost chest to chest. The two of you move in a simple dance, his hand holding yours and his scomp resting lightly on your hip. You had your free hand resting on his shoulder. Echo made a small hum of agreement in response to your words. You wouldn’t admit it out loud at this moment, but it's nice to have Echo out with you like this on this mission.

“It might not fully be one.” You hear Tech chime in, in your earpiece, “There is a terminal in the basement, just under this event that might have some information that we need. I cannot get into it from here, but the computer has Rendarr’s name on it.”

“It's worth a shot.” Echo hummed, his eyes already scanning around the party to find a way the two of you could slip out. You nodded your head in agreement, pointing at an exit you spotted.

The two of you danced for about two more songs and then slipped away from the dancefloor. You kept your hand tight in Echo’s grip, letting him lead the two of you to the exit. The two of you managed to easily slip away without being noticed. You made your way to the elevator, hitting the button for the basement.

“Where are we headed, Tech?” You called once you knew the coast was clear.

“Once you reach the basement floor, you will head down the corridor. Take your first right and then the door should be the third one on your left.” He informed you.

Bing.

You and Echo step out into an empty corridor. The hallways were a lot duller than the rest of the hotel, making it obvious that this was mostly only to be seen by staff and maintenance crews. You shot a look over at Echo, sizing up how he was feeling about this. All you got was the normal determination that sits on his face when the group was on missions like this.

“Let’s go.” You sigh and start down the hallway, your heels clicking softly on the tile flooring as the two of you walk. You reached the right turn and were about to turn down it, when Echo reached out, grabbed your arm, and pulled you back. The two of you hid in a small dip in the walls, bodies pressed to the cold surface.

Echo’s eyes were locked in with yours, his finger covering his mouth as a silent signal to stay quiet. Letting out a soft breath you realized you were holding, you listened closely. Down the hallway you were about to go down, there was the sound of two pairs of boots quietly patrolling toward the two of you.

The two of you stayed silent, together in a close space listening for the guards to either turn away or go further down the hallway. They sounded like they were coming right this way.

The look on Echo’s face was the same look he had given to you before. It was a look that told you he was going to be apologizing profusely to you after this. You raised an eyebrow at him, looking confused.

Then, Echo leaned in. Right as when the guards turned the corner, Echo pressed his lips to yours. You were so shocked for one split second, you didn’t respond. But you quickly got the idea of what he was trying to do, so you pushed forwards kissing him back, and hard. Echo made a soft noise from the back of his throat, a similar sound of surprise when you first made yourself comfortable next to his body long ago in the gunner's mount of the Marauder.

He was quick to return the passion, taking your breath away, softly pressing his body up to yours as his hand and scomp held your hips. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling him close to your body. You could taste the wine the both of you had been drinking on his lips as you sucked on his bottom lip.

The two of you kissed for a while, long enough to make you forget why you had started to kiss in the first place. You have to admit it, he was honestly an amazing kisser. Eventually, Echo pulled away, the both of you breathing deeply. He must have been somehow listening for the guard’s steps while kissing you to the point you went dumb. You could hear the guards now on the opposite side of where you needed to go.

You found yourself quietly giggling, “Please tell me you’ve had to do that before on a different mission.”

Echo blinked, looking just a little surprised that you did not seem upset. He then made a small smirk, you saw that your lipstick was now smeared all over his lips as well, “No, I haven’t.”

“Well, I certainly am surprised.” You were still giggling. You reached into his jacket and found the handkerchief that you knew was in there and pulled it out, “You’ve got something on your face.”

Echo made a look of confusion at first, but he quickly figured it out as you tried to rub the bright red lipstick from his face to make it less noticeable. He started to softly laugh as well making it a little difficult. Once you were satisfied, you handed him the cloth back to him.

“So, you’re not upset?” He asked, trying to get a verbal confirmation that you were not upset at him for doing something first without your permission. You easily slid yourself out from between him and the wall, turning the corner, and heading to where you needed to be to complete the mission.

“How can I be, with a performance like that?” You gave him a smile, looking over your shoulder at him. He seemed stuck in place for a moment, his pale brown eyes locked on you. He quickly pulled himself out of whatever he was thinking and followed you with a smile on his face.

The two of you got to the office with ease after the first encounter. You found the terminal that Tech had mentioned sitting next to a desk in a very elaborate office. Echo had to take off his top tuxedo jacket to scomp into the terminal. He made a small frown as you watched his eyes dart left and right like he was reading text.

“This might take a bit. There is a lot of information.” He hummed as he closed his eyes focusing on the data. You make a small hum letting him know you heard him and moved to sit on the opposite desk. You stayed quiet, listening for anyone who might approach the room and watch Echo as he worked.

He stayed completely still besides his scomp link moving as the computer in his brain worked to find the information he needed. He would look over at you now and then, the only time his eyes would stop moving and focus once again on his surroundings. He would give you a small smile and then close his eyes again after a moment. You would return the smile, always fascinated with how Echo’s mind and body worked when his mind was deep into data. It was something you could probably watch for hours. Not out of curiosity, but more as an appreciation that this man, this living being, had gone through so much, and instead of succumbing to what has happened to him, he rather embraced it. You always admired his strength.

Suddenly, you sat up straighter, hearing the sounds of approaching footsteps, “Echo, how fast can you get out?”

Echo’s pale brown eyes opened, looking over at you with concern. He instantly knew that someone was coming.

“Not fast enough.” He grunted.

Now it was time for you to do something crazy. You moved off of the desk for a moment, moving your body between Echo and the desk. It was a tight fit, but you hiked up your skirt, pulling yourself back onto the desk right in front of him.

“Trust me.” You whispered, and Echo gave you a look like he was about to say something, but you stopped him, pulling him close to your body for the second time this night. You wrapped your legs around his torso and used both of your hands to press his face into your chest. He froze for only a split second but quickly relaxed into your touch, his free hand laying on your now bare thigh. The tips of his fingers just barely touched the hem of the shorts you were wearing under the dress. You had situated the two of you the way you wanted right as the door opened hearing the sound of a man behind you make a noise of disgust.

“Do you mind?” You made yourself sound exasperated, glancing over your shoulder at the guard who looked like he had seen a ghost. Echo surprised you for the second time tonight, moving on his own accord. He kept his eyes closed and buried his face into your neck. You felt his lips softly kissing the tender spots along your neck, making you gasp out.

“This is a restricted area.” The guard seemed to find his voice after the initial shock of finding two individuals in an office looking like they were attempting to do something intimate.

“Exactly, so leave us alone.” Your voice seemed to shake a little with how good Echo was starting to make you feel with his lips on his neck, now sucking on the delicate skin. This all made the scene look even more convincing to the guard.

He stood there flustered for another moment. It was enough time that Echo was able to back out of the system and be able to safely unhook his scomp. You heard the soft click and then Echo raised to his full height, instead of leaning over with his arm connected to a computer. He grabbed your waist, pulling your body even closer to his.

“I suggest you leave.” Echo’s voice was suddenly deep enough that you could feel his chest rumble against your own. It surprised you how much it affected you. The guard seemed to hesitate for a moment but then decided to back out.

When you heard the soft swish of the door closing behind the guard, Echo suddenly surged up, pressing his lips against yours in a kiss for the second time this evening. You instantly melted into his touch, getting lost in the smooth feeling of his lips on yours and the warmth of his body against yours. You laced your fingers behind his head, pulling him down to meet the kiss making a soft happy hum.

You two kissed until the both of you had to come up for air. Echo gazed down at you, his pale brown eyes now mostly black with how much his pupils dilated. His chest heaved as he took in a deep breath and leaned back in, his mouth attacking your neck again. His teeth grazed against the soft skin right under your ear, pulling a soft moan from your lips.

“Echo.” You gasped softly, your arms holding around his shoulders tighter. He made a small hum in response, his pelvis rocking up against your own, making you wrap your legs around his slender hips. You could feel that you were not the only one being affected by the stunt the two of you had just pulled. You decided to let go of his shoulders, running your hands down his clothed chest, your fingers grazing over the fancy buttons of his maroon vest, as you reached his belt. Your fingers gripped the fine leather, pulling his hips closer to yours. You were rewarded by the most attractive groan you had ever heard in your entire existence.

“He’s going to be back soon with reinforcements,” Echo grunted, his lips still on your neck. You wouldn’t be surprised if he had somehow already made a mark on your neck with the way he was treating you.

“Do you have the data we need or do you need to scomp in again?” You felt like you weren’t even hearing your own voice when you responded to him. You sounded so breathless from Echo just kissing and holding you.

“No, I think I have the information we need.” Echo reluctantly pulled away, gazing down at you once again. He looked unraveled, his shirt not as pristine as it was when the event first started. You could see some of it was already being pulled out from where it was previously tucked in. You hopped off of the desk, your dress skirt falling over your legs as you stood. You moved close into Echo’s space once again, not wanting to let go of the feeling of having him so close to you.

“Let’s get out of here then.” You took Echo’s hand, pulling him out of the office. You checked to make sure the coast was clear and practically pulled him back to the elevator. The elevator doors closed behind you, and you punched in your floor number to take the two of you back to the hotel rooms.

You and Echo were instantly drawn to each other once again like magnets to metal. You found yourself pressed up against the wall of the elevator as you were kissing Echo deeply once again.

Should you be surprised that this was happening to the two of you? Probably. But then again, the two of you have been super close. Echo knew you better than any other living being in this world and you felt like it was safe to say that you knew him just as much. It wasn’t like you’d never seen Echo as someone who wasn’t attractive in any way. Much the opposite. There had been many lonely nights where he appeared in your mind as you tried to sleep or in your dreams.

“Do you want this?” He asked you after the two of you broke away for air from a really deep kiss. You were already gripping onto his belt once again, with one of your legs wrapped around his hip. His scomp was holding it up. You could feel his arousal through the many layers of fabric against your inner thigh.

You knew what he was asking, instantly. He was your best friend after all. You nodded smiling at him, “Yes. I do.”

You leaned forward, giving his neck the same treatment he had done to you in the office earlier and you were rewarded once again with Echo’s wonderful sounds. He felt so good against you, it made you shiver wondering how it would feel when it became skin-on-skin.

The elevator pinged softly, letting the two of you know that it had arrived at its destination. You had to reluctantly pull away once again to move this affair to the privacy of one of your hotel rooms. You will probably have to shoo the other boys out of it and lock the doors once you get there.

Echo took your hand this time, leading you down the hallway. The both of you had big smiles on your faces and excitement in your eyes. You reached the door you had first opened when you arrived at the hotel and used your key to open it up. You were surprised to find the one room vacant, the door that connected the two rooms closed, leaving space for you and your partner. You took it as a moment of luck and strolled right over to one of the beds, kicking off your heels along the way.

Echo followed you close behind, pausing for a moment to get his shoes off as well. You stopped at the foot of the bed, turning around and grabbing Echo by his coat, pulling it off his shoulders. Quick to follow was that beautiful vest, you undoing each of the buttons and his tie. You threw them on the floor haphazardly, knowing you’ll pick everything up once the deed is done. Echo leaned down, kissing you as his hand slid behind your back, making quick and easy work with the zipper on the back of your dress.

The dress only came down enough to reveal your breasts, the rest of the silk fabric bunching up at your hips. Echo gazed down at you with nothing but lust on his face. He leaned down, cupping one of your breasts with his hand and used his mouth to give the other attention. He pulled sweet moans from your lips as it caused you to pause your attempts at getting his white formal shirt unbuttoned.

When Echo was satisfied with his work on your chest, he reached down, grabbed your hips, and tossed you onto the bed. You made a small gasp as your body hit the soft comforter on the bed. He smiled at you and crawled on top of you. It was one of those classic, crooked smiles he would give you that always gave your stomach butterflies in a normal situation. Now, it made you feel dizzy with arousal.

“Since you two are safely back in the room, I am going to turn off the communication devices.” You jumped, suddenly hearing Tech’s voice in your ear from the device he had given to you, “When you are done, I would like to look at the information Echo managed to get.”

Then there was a soft beep, telling you the device had powered down. You flushed deeply in embarrassment. He must have heard everything. That must have also been the reason this room had already been closed off. Everyone else in the Bad Batch knew what was going on. You reached up and pulled the small device out of your ear, tossing it onto the table next to the bed.

Echo above you was reaching up, hitting a button on the device on his head. Probably turning all of his communications off as well. You then hear him start to laugh softly, his hand soothingly running up and down your side. With Echo laughing, you were quick to be put at ease.

“They’ve probably heard worse, haven’t they?” You asked with a soft giggle in your voice. Echo chucked deeply, pressing down to kiss you on the lips, “I’ll tell you those stories another day.”

You smiled softly into the kiss, this one being a little more gentle compared to the ones the two of you had been experiencing before. You took the moment to reach down and finish unbuttoning his top, pulling it out from where it was tucked into his pants and opening it up to reveal his chest to you.

You should be surprised, but somehow you are not at the sight of metal embedded into Echo’s skin. He had told you a long time ago that he was technically a cyborg. “More machine than man,” Tech had once told you. You knew going into this that Echo was completely different than anyone you had ever met. You lightly ran your fingers over the small ports that lined his chest and stomach, more curious than disturbed. The feeling of your hands on Echo made him shiver some, his pale face flushing a beautiful blush.

“Can you feel those?” You smiled softly at him, watching his reaction to your touch.

“Kind of? It’s hard to explain.” Echo murmured as he leaned down to kiss you softly on the lips, You hummed, kissing him in return, melting into his touch. Eventually, you pulled away and aimed for one of the ports above his collarbone. You kissed and sucked on the scarred skin around the metal embedded in his skin. Echo’s breath hitched and he made another delightful noise in response.

He reached down and started to pull up your dress. His hand shaking from your ministrations and his stomach flexing in arousal. You gave him a satisfied hum in response, encouraging him. He got to the holster on your leg and pulled the blaster that had been sitting against your thigh all night. He lightly tossed it onto the table next to the earpiece. He removed the holster next, his body moving down yours, his lips reaching the tender skin between your thighs. He softly kissed and sucked on the skin, leaving small marks that you know will probably be there the next day.

His skilled fingers hook under the waistband of your shorts, and pull them down as well as the underwear you were wearing underneath. You feel your characteristic shyness bubble up from your stomach as your thighs shook some, wanting to close your legs and hide from the wonderful man lying between them. Echo was going to have none of that, his right arm wrapping around your leg, the tip of his scomp laying on your hip.

He gave you a dazzling smile, his free hand running through your folds enticing a moan from you. You could quickly tell this wasn’t the first time he had done this. That classic rumor that all ARC Troopers were skilled in bed was coming to light. Echo made a small hum, satisfied with the noises he pulled out of you as he slid his fingers into your entrance quickly finding the one spot that made you see stars and cry out.

“Do you want to let the entire hotel know what I’m doing to you?” Echo teased softly, his breath on your skin making you shiver. You let out a heady groan, the idea enticing, but you slapped a hand over your mouth to try to keep yourself quiet. You couldn’t help it with how good Echo was being to you already. Echo made a breathy chuckle and leaned his head down, his lips kissing your clit and making your hips jerk.

Echo looked like he was a tooka getting some cream after a long time. His eyes blown wide as he sucked and lapped at the tender nerves with a big grin on his lips. His fingers worked all kinds of noises from your lungs as you trembled in pleasure.

“E-Echo!” You gasped out as you tried to rock your hips closer to his menstruation. He just chuckled against you, sending shivers of pleasure up your spine. The hand not covering your mouth, reaching for the top of his head, your nails accidentally scratching pink lines on the back of his head.

“You look so good like this.” He rumbled, his eyes locked onto yours, “Probably even better dressed up in this dress.”

He was referring to the dress that was still somehow wrapped around your lower stomach. The skirt of the dress was draped out under the two of you on the bed. You flushed, feeling a bit lost for words on the compliment.

“You wanna cum like this?” Echo breathed heavily. He looked like he was enjoying this as much as you were, if not more, “Want to cum on my fingers and tongue? Then make you cum again on my cock?”

His words had you whining and rocking your hips up against his fingers which were still inside you. Your core was already clenching down on them some. He could probably stop his touches and continue talking like he is and you would probably cum just from that.

"Please." You moaned, wiggling your hips a little bit, trying to encourage him to back up his words. You were rewarded with a sexy chuckle and his head dipped back down to your clit, rewarding you with his sucking. He picked up his pace and menstruation. You started to feel the telltale warmth start to bubble in your belly with your pending climax.

“That’s it. Cum for me.” Echo rumbled against you.

His words and his demand were the last ingredients to your climax. You let out a deep moan, your legs shaking hard as you jerked your hips. You toppled over your edge as you felt your inner walls squeezing around Echo’s fingers. Gasping deeply, you came hard against Echo’s face. Echo grumbled his approval, still working his tongue and fingers on you to extend your orgasm.

Panting lightly, you slowly came down from the high of your orgasm. You started to get sensitive and gently pulled Echo away. He sat up with a big grin on his face. You laid flat out on the bed for a bit to catch your breath.

"I'm guessing this was good." Echo was being cheeky. He crawled up your body and leaned in and kissed you softly on the lips. You made a small laugh, shivering a little at the feeling of his chest against yours. The ports embedded in his skin surprisingly felt really good.

You reached down to Echo's belt, working his pants open. He made a small hum of approval as you worked on getting his pants and underwear off his hips, revealing his cock to you. He kicked his pants off to the side and you bit your lip at the sight of the man on top of you. You reached for his cock and started to gently stroke it at first, gaining a groan from Echo as a reward.

The two of you kissed each other, you swallowing down his soft moans as you stroked him. It didn't take you too long for you to start squirming under him again and for him to gently pull your hand away from his member.

Echo hooked your left leg up again with his scomp arm, this time lifting it up a bit more, your calf resting on his shoulder. He lined himself up against your entrance, his tip lightly running through your folds.

"You ready?" He asked you lightly, checking to make sure you were good. You nodded, giving him a small smile and arching your hips up to encourage him, "Yes."

He slowly started to push in, the both of you simultaneously moaning at the feeling. He stayed still for a moment once he was all the way in, probably for the both of you to adjust a bit. His pale brown eyes staring down at you, watching your reactions.

"Echo, move." You groaned after a moment, trying to move your hips to get him to do what you asked. You reached up to grab him as well, but his one free hand grabbed yours, interlacing your fingers together.

He then started to move. It was slow at first, savoring this moment. You found yourself helplessly getting vocal again as he managed to tilt his hips just enough to make you feel like you were seeing stars. Encouraging him to pick his pace, he started to get as vocal as you were getting. He made some of the most beautiful moans, making your cunt squeeze him tight.

"I'm not going to last much longer." Echo groaned, "C’mon, cum for me, baby."

Considering both of his hands were occupied, you reached down with the one spare hand you had left. You quickly reached your clit, rubbing it just right to tip you over the edge for the second time tonight.

"That's it." Echo gasped, being able to feel you tighten down around him. His hips quickly loosing its rhythm as he fucked you through your climax.

"Echo!" You cried out as your whole body tensed around him. It felt amazing. Even more so when Echo buried himself deep into you and reached his climax as well. You instantly felt warm all over, your toes curling in pleasure.

You clung to each other as you both slowly lowered yourself down from the high of your climax. He let go of your leg, letting it rest on the bed as he leaned down, just barely keeping himself up on shaking arms. You wrapped an arm around his shoulder, holding him close to your body as the both of you gave each other soft kisses on the cheek and on your shoulders. He was still holding your hand as well.

You two basked in the afterglow for a while, starting up a soft conversation as you did. It was mostly about how it had been a long time since either of you had done anything like this.

"C’mon. Let's get cleaned up." Echo eventually sighed, pulling himself out of the bed and pulled you up as well.

"What if I want to stay stinky?" You teased him lightly, slowly getting out of the bed after him. Your legs were still a bit shaky as your dress fell to the floor around your feet.

Echo gave you a smirk, "Then I guess you won't be getting any cuddles tonight."

You made a noise that sounded like you were offended as you watched him walk into the fresher. You took the moment to watch Echo walk in front of you. The white dress shirt still hid most of his back implants, but you could still see the ridge of his spine from them.

Even from the damage that Echo had received from Skako Minor, all the metal and mechanics, he still looked beautiful to you. Seeing all the scarring and what his body had to endure, and the small improvement since you first met him, made your heart swell. He was truly a marvel to wonder.

You followed Echo into the fresher, quietly watching him as he removed the last remaining clothes he was wearing and started up the shower. He paused after a moment when he noticed you were staring at him.

"What?" He had an eyebrow raised.

"Just thinking about how beautiful you are." You admitted after a pause.

Echo made a small snort, reaching out to you to entice you into the shower with him, "I think that's supposed to be my line."

You made a small giggle, letting him pull you into the warm shower. He put you under the spray first, reaching for the soap and starting to gently lather your body up. You relaxed under the warm water and gentle embrace that Echo was giving you. If you could pause time right now, you probably would. Spend eternity in the warm and comfort with Echo, still basking in the afterglow of the intimate moment you two just had.

When you deemed that Echo was done with you, you reached out giving him the same treatment. The hard muscles of his body quickly become soft and relaxed under your touch. He made a satisfied hum, resting his head on your shoulder, giving you sweet kisses on your neck.

After a moment, you heard him speak your name. You paused your actions, sucking up a deep breath.

"Echo. Please don't say what I think you're going to say." You felt your lungs tighten some as he lifted his head, soft eyes locking with your own.

"Why not?" He asked you, his face was serious. You knew what he wanted to say. You knew deep down you wanted to say you loved him too.

"Because it's not something we can afford right now. Especially with this war." You watched Echo's face fall at your words. You reached out with both of your hands taking his face in them, running your thumbs lightly over his cheekbones, trying to silently soothe him before he got too upset.

"What about after the war?" His eyes looked hopeful, still not wanting to let this go. You sighed softly, leaning in and giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

"Okay. After the war. We can try then. If we both survive it."

He made a small nod, wrapping his arms tightly around you in an embrace.

"After the war." He promised.

Tag List: @stripeverse @stardusthuntress @fantasyproductions

Divider by: @saradika

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staycalmandhugaclone · 1 year

Text

If you're new, this all starts with Touch Starved - Echo! You can read this little chunk as a standalone, or head back to the beginning for the full experience!

Febuwhump Day 8

Panic – Echo - A quiet discussion between Doc and Hunter is delayed when Echo has a nightmare. Doc tries to ease him through it, resulting in a fun bit of shared taunts with Crosshair the following morning.

Warnings: Nightmare-induced panic attack. Non-intimate bed sharing. Fictional curses (does that need a warning?), sexual innuendo

WC: 2633

The air was beginning to grow heavy with the staleness of long-distance travel, the chill having long since settled into my joints from diverting power throughout the ship to grant just a fraction more speed to already straining engines. There was no pressing need to push the ship like this, but the Batch had a reputation of reckless efficiency to maintain. Most of the others had settled down, but I couldn’t flip my sleep cycle with the ease Wrecker’s deep snoring flaunted.

Letting out a slow sigh, I slipped from the medbay cot – it was far from comfortable, but the limited sleeping quarters in the transport granted few options. Wrapping the gray blanket snugly around my shoulders, I tread quietly down the center isle, eyes wandering fondly over the sleeping figures: Tech’s ankles were crossed, arm draping over his chest where it had clearly landed when he’d fallen asleep, datapad still glowing from beneath his loose grip. Echo lay slightly on his side in his hammock, scomp draping over his waist, lips just parted in rhythmic breathes. Crosshair was nestled against the very corner of his bed, back flush against the wall, and Wrecker was sprawled out on his stomach, one arm curled beneath his head while the other hung thoughtlessly over the edge, a clear line of drool already glistening at the corner of his mouth and soaking into his pillow.

I wasn’t surprised to see Hunter’s rack untouched, certain I’d find him monitoring the automated systems as an excuse to appreciate the rare, relative quiet of space travel. Snatching his meticulously folded blanket thoughtlessly as I crept past the sleeping soldiers, I made my way unhurried toward the cockpit.

“You should be asleep.” He chided, but there was no heat in his calm voice as I descended the ladder.

“You’re one to talk.” I shot back with a small smile. He was still facing forward, legs stretched leisurely out before him as he leaned back in the blocky pilot’s chair, elbow just visible on the arm rest. Without waiting for him to turn toward me, I snapped his blanket out, practically throwing it over him. He startled only slightly at the sudden movement, but quickly stilled, eyebrow cocking as he shot me a sideways glance.

“Doc… you realize we were created for this, right?” Paying no mine to his gentle mocking, I sat heavily in the copilot’s chair, knees tucking against my chest to wrap my own blanket more snugly around me.

“Mmhmm.” I merely hummed in response, earning a quiet chuckle, but my lips pulled into a small smile as he repositioned the thick fabric slightly if only to humor me.

“Do you ever think about what’s after this?” I felt his gaze turn more pointedly toward me as the quiet words fluttered over my lips, eyes staring blindly at the dancing glow of hyperspace before us. Allowing my question to settle back into the silence, he finally let out a small huff before leaning into the worn padding once more.

“Pretty sure there’ll always be a demand for medics, so I doubt you have much need to worry.” He offered. Only then did I finally turn to face him, brows just hinting at a frown.

“I don’t mean for me, Hunter.” I stated, waiting him out until he finally let his head fall, chin just resting against his chest, and I loathed that troubled worry that settled heavily over the powerful features of his face.

“Don’t know.” He finally answered. “Clones don’t exactly have a place out there that doesn’t involve a battlefield.” My eyes followed the absent motion of his hand as he waved vaguely toward the viewport.

“Yet.” I offered quietly. He didn’t humor me with even the echo of a smirk, jaw shifting stiffly forward. “What if you could choose?” I pressed, question falling lightly from a kind smile. “Say we reach Kamino and find out the war is over and clones have been granted full citizenship in a show of gratitude for your service: true freedom for you and your brothers,” His eyes closed slightly, and I could see his mind beginning to wander; to want, “What then?” He let himself think for just a moment longer before releasing a dismissive breath of laughter that threatened to break my heart.

“Master of small talk tonight.” He teased, some of his usually weariness returning to those umber eyes. I merely waited expectantly as he let his attention return to the swirling blues and blacks of space. “Guess I don’t really care where we wind up,” he started, voice quiet, “so long as I can keep us all together; keep us safe… Maybe somewhere quiet.” Finally, he let himself begin to truly entertain the idea; to dream. “It would be hard to find a life that would keep them all happy, but… maybe we could find some remote planet – become settlers and just… live.” I didn’t notice the smile spreading over my face until he glanced at me with a pointed smirk, but I didn’t withdraw, beaming at him with pure glee.

“The great settlers of Clone Force 99, braving unknown worlds and taming alien wilds.” I murmured brightly, heart soaring at the earnest chuckle that shook almost silently through his chest.

“What about you, Doc?” He asked, tilting his head back towards me, “What’s next for you once you’ve had your fill of all th-” That elation of far-off hopes and desires went cold in an instant as he went still, attention shifting pointedly toward the hallway behind us. “Echo.” He stated simply, sympathy robbing him of that brief moment of weightlessness.

“I’ll go.” I said, already raising to my feet. He started to object, jaw shifting beneath those relentlessly exhausted eyes, but I settled my hand comfortingly over his shoulder, meeting his gaze in a silence that said everything words simply couldn’t. He reluctantly deflated beneath my touch, a deep gratitude stealing over him as he looked up at me. With a final smile, I quickly moved toward the ladder, hopping up the rungs to reach the bunk room that much faster.

Beneath Wrecker’s still oblivious snores, I could just catch the occasional huff of a too-sharp breath, noted the way that red hammock rocked ever so slightly despite the smoothness of our flight. Quickening my pace, I trotted the last few steps, heart twisting at the pinched crease between his brows, the tension balling overtop his jaws.

“Echo.” I barely breathed his name, one hand resting over the top lip of crimson fabric while the other reached tentatively toward him. His head jerked slightly to the side, teeth just flashing in a brief scowl. Fingers brushing tenderly over his shoulder, I called him again. “Echo… Echo, sweetie, you’re dreaming.” His chest quivered with a frantic, broken gasp, body flinching away from me. “Echo.” Voice raising ever so slightly, I reached down to carefully hold his cheeks between my palms, thumb sweeping over taut muscle. Finally, his eyes snapped open, jaw parting amidst a violent gasp as his arm swept out before him in a panic.

“Shh-shh.” The comforting sound shushed quickly from my lips, letting my touch shift against him just enough to try to draw his attention to me. “Look at me, Echo – it’s alright.” Wide eyes darted blindly around us, only resting on mine for a fleeting second before continuing their desperate search for some ancient danger.

“You’re on the Marauder, Echo. You’re okay.” His hand abandoned its defensive flailing and latched sharply around my arm, frantically shifting gaze beginning to fall on me more frequently. “Easy,” I murmured softly, “You’re safe, Echo. Look at me,” I gently pulled his face back toward me, breathing a gentle, “good” when those golden eyes lingered on mine.

“I want you to breathe with me, okay?” His hold resettled almost neurotically around my upper arm, and I didn’t doubt the bruises I’d find later, but I’d let him break the damn thing before pulling away. Lips softening into a gentle smile, I made a show of drawing in a slow, leisure breath, held it for a moment, and then, with that same unrushed ease, let my shoulders sink as I exhaled. His attention remained locked on me, but the wild terror in the dilated pools of his pupils offered no signs of understanding.

“Come on, soldier, I gave you an order.” I teased, thumb again brushing over his cheeks. Brows furrowing further over haunted eyes, he almost belated grasped some fleeting understanding of my words, and, when I began to inhale once more, his teeth ground beneath the strain of fighting to obey me. “Good. You’re doing great, Echo.” Softly spoken words settled quietly in the air between us. The terrible depth of his fear continued to rend him into a trembling mess of tense muscles and shuttered breaths, but the entirety of his focus now seemed locked on me.

“Again.” I whispered, smile growing encouragingly. His hand shifted with his next tense inhale, darting up briefly to my shoulder before clasping around the back of my neck, arm tensing to pull himself closer, and I nearly broke beneath the violent need in those pleading eyes. “Okay.” I murmured quickly, leaning down to rest my forehead against his. “Okay, Echo; I’m right here.” He was still for only a few rushed breaths, trying and failing to match my calm pace before giving into his fear once more, arm jerking up to lock around me, nearly tumbling from the hammock in his fight to hide against me, legs kicking restlessly atop the too pliant fabric.

“Shh; alright-alright.” My gentle attempts to quiet him fell on deaf ears, struggling to keep him from falling as I eagerly returned the desperate embrace. The moment my feet finally slipped off the floor as I tumbled forward on top of him barely registered in the face of his utter surrender, clinging to me even with his scomp, the augmented limb looping tightly around my lower back. Forehead tucked up into my neck, he merely held me as he trembled.

I continued pressing the soothing words and gentle promises into the fleeting breadth of air between us, carefully shifting a hand up his neck to let my fingers card through the short curls of hair just beginning to regrow around the metal nodes. Slowly, that horrid tremble began to still, breath steadying enough to match mine, but his hold never lessened, arms clutching me tightly against him even as he started to fade. Vaguely, I worried over how my weight might feel pressing against the nodes lining his chest and torso, but, if it caused him any discomfort, he seemed not to notice, nor, surprisingly, did they dig painfully into me.

Unlike the others, Echo was almost always cold. He rarely spoke of it, but I’d seen it in the way his mood fell in poor weather, felt it in the chill of his flesh during the occasional shared touch. Now, however, with the two of us nestled together in the snug cocoon of his hammock, the cool air was a distant thought, warmth quickly pooling between us.

I didn’t noticed my own weariness sneak up on me, overcome with my own relief that the man still hidden against my neck was finally free of that terrible panic, and there was no thought to leaving him, balking at even the risk of waking him. Just a short while longer… I’d stay for just a bit longer, just in case the nightmares returned.

The choked sound and sudden tensing of muscle beneath me brought me back to a reluctant awareness, brows drawing wearily together as I glanced toward the noise, frown deepening slightly in confusion to find Echo staring at me mid gasp, horror and embarrassment sending a painfully hot flush blooming over pale cheeks, arms carefully held away from my body.

“Right…” I sighed, rolling my shoulders slightly to test the stability of the hammock. “Sorry – didn’t mean to fall asleep.” I’d shifted onto my side at some point in the night, arms still coiled loosely around his head.

“S-I… um…” I had to quickly bury my teeth into my cheek to silence the giggle at how painfully flustered he was.

“You had a pretty bad nightmare. Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, but I kinda couldn’t… um… leave.” I tried to explain, pulling my arm from under his head to lean onto, easing at least partially off of him.

“Maker, no-no. Kriff, Doc; I’m sorry…I-” I waved away his words dismissively.

“It’s fine, Echo; really.” I assured him once more, head twisting to glance at the edge of the hammock. “Don’t supposed there’s an easy way out of this thing?” I asked lightly, again trying not to laugh at the lingering panic in those comically wide eyes.

“Oh! Ah, um, not-not really.” He stammered apologetically, jaw opening in silence a moment as his torso started to tense before catching himself and freezing once more. “Your, uh… your legs.” His gaze turned pointedly to lock onto the wall of red fabric beside him, lips stumbling slightly over the words. “Swing your legs over first.”

With a sympathetic smile, I elected against drawing it out any longer, steadying myself with one hand on his chest while the other gripped the hammock itself before slowly craning a leg over the edge, arms tensing against how the bed rocked beneath us from the movement. His fingers flared, torn between reaching out to help me and panicking at the mere thought of initiating further contact, but I managed to touch my foot to the smooth flooring and was able to free the rest of my body with relative ease, shooting him a victorious smile that, even in the frenzy of embarrassment, gleaned a tiny huff of laughter from him.

“Yuh know, I actually haven’t slept that well in a while.” I groaned, arms stretching above my head. Without lingering for a response, I started unhurriedly from the bunk room, lured away by the faint scent of caf.

Hunter was still in his bunk, feigning sleep even as he fought to bite back his own grin, but the others were already dispersed throughout the ship. How we’d slept through Wrecker getting up was beyond me, but I was grateful they’d left us to rest - Echo certainly needed it.

Crosshair was the only one in the tiny kitchenette, lithe body stretching lavishly between two chairs, head absently tilted back with a still steaming mug cradled between his hands. He didn’t open his eyes as I entered, but those thin lips began to curl. I merely readied myself in silence for whatever clever quip he’d surely been waiting all morning to deliver, busying myself with the automated movements of preparing my own cup of caf.

“That a service you’re offering to the whole squad, now, sweetie?” The taunt dripped from that haughty smirk, sharp eyes slitting open to locked onto me in search of a bloom of embarrassment or stutter of shame. Unphased, I merely cocked an eyebrow and, voice sweetly innocent, answered calmly with a question of my own.

“Are you asking me to sleep with you, Crosshair?” The quickness with which that smirk fled his lips, heat seeping up his neck in a flush of red, nearly broke my careful façade of control, jaw tensed against the bark of laughter begging to escape, but I managed to reign it back as I casually walked toward him. Eyes wide, caught, he sat frozen as I approached, but, when I reached down to muse his hair with my hand, that spell broke, head jerking away from me with a deep snarl. Laughing softly, I said nothing more as I continued out of the room.

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