This Is INCREDIBLE.

Speak Now

Word Count: 6.3k Pairing: A section for each of our boys Warnings: fluff and god I did our boys well Summary: As always happens before the Batch left after a visit, you find yourself wishing they didn't have to go. You've grown too attached to them, one in particular. You just didn't realize he'd grown just as attached. He should really say something.

The night was over. Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair, Tech, and Echo were scattered throughout your apartment resting. It felt good to see them all relaxed enough to sleep somewhere other than the Marauder or their barracks. It felt even better knowing you were a safe space for them.

You’d avoided the question of how long they’d be around this time - as if not asking would extend their answer. Missing them and wishing they wouldn’t leave weighed on you. You knew it was selfish.

They were doing something so important for the Galaxy. The Republic depended on them. Other people’s lives depended on them.

But you wanted them too and some fragment of you needed them too. How could anyone meet them and not become addicted to their presence?

Every time they came back to you, you inevitably indulged yourself in a dream of them tossing aside their duties for a civilian life. Even if it wasn’t for you, you’d still occupy a slice of their time. Wouldn’t you?

One of the clones in particular stood out to you. You vied for extra time alone with him amongst the already limited timeframes you were granted. 

Stuck in a daydream of anxiety you stood on your balcony, arms crossed and lost in the lights of the city beyond.

Little did you know you weren’t the only one with a fantasy of a different life - one with you in it.

 The Kaminoans drilled discipline into the clones. Not much of anything served as a temptation for them. Men like Cut were aberrations of their nature, but so were all of the men of Clone Force 99. 

The same man you dreamt of even tasted Cut’s temptation. Seeing you with someone else, seeing someone else by your side, made him realize that he’d like to be the one to stand by your side. And if he couldn’t do that he at least wanted you to know he wished he could be.

WRECKER

When you offered your bed to Wrecker, having Crosshair smashed up against him wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. It wasn’t that he and his brothers hadn’t slept dog-piled together plenty of times, it just seemed natural that sleeping in your bed might come with sleeping with you. 

Something he hadn’t realized he wanted until the idea was presented to him. 

Just like the idea of sleeping beside you, he’d never had much reason to think about your romantic life. Finding out you’d been seeing someone, seeing another man holding you, catapulted the concept into fruition. 

The said man quickly became an ex that night, but it made Wrecker wonder what it’d be like to be the one by your side. To be the one making you smile every day and keeping you warm at night.

Where Crosshair fell asleep almost instantly, Wrecker lay awake wondering where you were going to sleep and what you were going to do when they weren't with you. When he wasn’t with you.

Taking Crosshair’s elbow to the ribs was the last push Wrecker needed to roll out of your bed. Wrecker tiptoed around the rest of his squad scattered about your apartment in search of you.

A cool breeze chilled the skin of his exposed chest and led him to your balcony where you stood facing the city. You were lost in thought and unaware of his presence. Seizing the opportunity, Wrecker slowly padded over to you. 

He got within a step of you and slowly extended his arms out around you. Just for a moment, though, he appreciated how lucky he was to be this close with you. To be able to even think of touching you with no recourse. Then that moment was over and he snatched you up in his arms. 

You barely suppressed a yelp as he hauled your feet into the air. Your giggling echoed through his chest. You didn’t realize he was shirtless until he put you back on solid ground and you twisted around in his arms.

The two of you stood like that, loosely in each other's arms, until your giggles quieted and only the city sounds filtered between you.

Despite your best effort at modesty, your eyes fell to the eye level pec muscles. You’d rarely seen Wrecker out of uniform, let alone half naked. A sight that made you suddenly very thirsty. His muscles flexed, breaking your focus and earning a laugh from Wrecker. 

“Like what you see?” He chuckled as quietly as he could, barely mindful of his brothers inside.

Trying to look as uninterested as possible, you rolled your eyes and stepped back enough for his hands to slip off of your waist. “Show-off,” you mumbled playfully.

You peaked around him, looking for who else was up. “They’re all asleep.” Wrecker answered the obvious question. “I-I…” He fumbled around the reason he was the only one there, “I couldn’t sleep.”

Your face heated as you realized it would just be the two of you. Getting any of Batchers alone was rare given their circumstances. While you’d attempted to before, you’d never managed to get Wrecker to yourself. 

Ignoring how giddy the idea made you, you were quick to worry after why he couldn’t sleep. “Is it the bed?” You nervously asked.

Wrecker blew a raspberry and waved you off, “Your bed is fine.” When you kept staring up at him, silently waiting for further explanation, he tried to casually add, “Just couldn’t stop thinking is all.”

Relieved, you smiled and half-heartedly said, “Oh yeah? A credit for your thoughts.”

His mouth opened, but no words came out. The two of you blinked at one another, both a little caught off by the failed attempt. Wrecker tried again, yet still he came up with nothing. 

Wrecker had never been a good liar to begin with and each lie he conjured sounded obvious. So he braced himself for the truth.

“I was thinking about you.”

“Me?” Your voice cracked with surprise.

Instantly regretting his decision, Wrecker stepped back, waving his hands anxiously. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

You grabbed his wands, stilling him and shutting him up. “You were thinking about me?” You asked, quieter this time.

Wrecker caved at your touch. Weakly smiling, he sighed and admitted, “Yeah, I think about you a lot.”

Surprise overtook you, but that didn’t stop a little smile from bubbling up. Every negative, anxious thought of tomorrow keeping you awake disappeared leaving only a stutter of half words to slip from you. 

Unable to compose your satisfaction with the news, you cleared your throat and replied simply, “Is that so?”

Your reaction widened his smile. Wrecker wasn’t sure what he expected, other than rejection, but it wasn’t bashfulness. Spurred on by the flush coming to your face, he took a step and a chance.

 He let out a soft laugh,“And I think I like you.” Lacing your fingers through his, he lifted one of your hands to his mouth. “That okay with you?”

His lips were hot on the back of your hand. Breathlessly you reassured him, “Of course,” With your free hand you palmed his cheek. Your earlier worry did begin to resurface. “I wish you didn’t have to leave.”

Wrecker’s chest squeezed. He didn’t want to either. He’d rather stay by your side and spend every night with you like this. It wasn’t possible yet, but at least for a night he could.

With hope in his voice, Wrecker asked, “Would you consider coming back to bed with me?”

If it had been anyone else, you might think they were making a pass at you. Between the light pull of Wrecker’s brows and him being, well, Wrecker, the thought barely occurred to you. Not to mention, it did sound much nicer than worrying yourself to exhaustion on the balcony.

So you followed Wrecker back and he slid into your bed, pushing Crosshair back with his hip. Flat on his back, Wrecker extended his arm out to invite you in next to him. Your eyes flit between Wrecker and Crosshair who was now adjusting himself around his brother.

Careful not to disturb the sniper, you gently tucked in next to Wrecker only for him to pull you in tight. He wiggled in place, nestling into an optimally cozy position, before sleepily mumbling to you, “You owe me a credit.”

You didn’t dare speak for fear of waking Crosshair, but you didn’t have to worry long. Crosshair was the one to respond from his side of Wrecker. “Shut it, Wrecker.” He cracked an eye open to lock onto you, “And not a word of this to anyone.”

CROSSHAIR

Crosshair opened his eyes, blinking back into reality tucked in your bed next to Wrecker. He sat up on his elbow, taking a few moments to remember where he was.

He’d fallen asleep so quickly, Crosshair barely remembered lying down. Not that he was surprised. He was at ease in your home, it was one of your effects on him. The other being irrationality. You made him irrational and, at times, distracted. It was the only way he could describe it. 

He cared for little beyond his squad and his missions, but an irrational side of him did wander into thoughts of you between missions. Visiting you settled Crosshair into just another routine - another fact of his life in the GAR. He didn’t care for post mission accolades, but seeing you was an indulgence he never fussed about.

Crosshair had been content to spend the rest of his career oscillating between crushing clankers and spending downtime with you and his brothers. That complacency was shot to shit when the Batch surprised you with a visit and you surprised them with a newly acquired boyfriend.

The memory of seeing that slimebucket with his hands around you heated Crosshair as fast as when he first laid eyes on him.

Fully aware he needed to cool off before he could even think of falling back asleep, Crosshair left bed to step outside. He’d passed the rest of his squad in a beeline for the still open balcony door. Something he was noting to nag you about when you came into his sights, leaning your forearms against the balcony railing and watching the city lights.

Crosshair froze for a moment, wondering how he missed the fact that you weren’t inside. Irrational and distracted, he thought to himself.

“It’s funny.” You said, seemingly out of nowhere. Crosshair half expected you to be mid conversation on a comm until you peaked back over your shoulder at him.

He walked over to you, pulling up beside you to mirror your position against the balcony. “What’s that?” Crosshair drawled.

Hiding your smile in your shoulder you shook your head and looked back out over the city. “I can always feel when you’re looking at me.”

Pushing himself to full height with a scoff, Crosshair crossed his arms and leaned back against the railing. “Is that an enhanced trait?”

You kept your eyes forward as you smiled and shook your head, as if surprising even yourself. “No enhancements.” You paused, a half thought crossing your mind before you winking in his direction. “Just your effect on me.”

The wink he expected, you were always playful and light. Your words though, short and haphazardly spoken, took Crosshair off guard. They sounded too familiar. He couldn’t tell if you were being serious.

Pinning you with a seriousness that dampened your smile, Crosshair said in a low voice, “Was that his effect?”

The mention of your ex instantly drained you. Rocking back on your feet, you dropped your gaze to the ground for a few beats, really considering how you wanted to play this out. You didn’t want to waste your energy or your time with Crosshair on that prod. 

On a deep breath you stood to your full height and faced him with a tired smile. “I don’t wanna talk about him, Cross.”

His nickname on your tongue almost softened him enough to avoid the subject, but he still pressed you. Using the weight of his hip, Crosshair moved away from the railing in defiance.

“Why don’t you?” There was a challenge in his voice he rarely aimed your way. A shred of cruel teasing bit through his words, “Embarrassed?”

“No.” The word left no room for discussion. You met his challenge with your own, countering, “Why do you want to talk about him?”

Crosshair didn’t answer immediately. That venom of his gone all at once. He held your gaze, suddenly unsure ‘why’ himself. The thought of your ex wasn’t a pleasant one, but a persistent one nonetheless.

When more than a few seconds passed and only silence and staring remained, you squinted briefly before an idea struck you.

A tight lipped grin sprouted over you. Crosshair’s eyes fell to your lips, finding nothing but suspicion in your new look. Meeting your eyes once more he dreaded to ask, “What?”

Your mouth squirmed in a desperate attempt to suppress your growing amusement. You gave him an amused once-over, your gaze trailing from his feet to his head as you stepped in on him. You were close enough now that one wrong sway would put your chest against him.

Crosshair didn’t back down. He was on edge, unsure of what suddenly changed, but he didn’t back off. “What?” He asked, insisting with more annoyance.

“Are you jealous?”

Jealousy was not in his vernacular let alone his nature. Snorting at the very notion, Crosshair opened his mouth to object. Nothing came out. 

Because maybe he wasn’t jealous, but he certainly was possessive. Combined with the irrational streak you gave him, it certainly did look like jealousy.

Having let you cherish the moment for far too long, Crosshair tilted his head sideways to return your once-over before leaning in on you. Clearly entertained, he drawled, “And what if I am?”

You were in each other’s breathing space. One tempting sway and you could taste him. Even after a shower he still smelled like mint and gun oil. Holding your resolve together with nothing but string, you asked in a less than steady voice, “Are you?”

The two of you locked into another silent showdown. On a whim of concession, Crosshair eased off of you. You thought he was going to redirect or bite back but instead he muttered, “Get over it already.”

You stifled a gasp, caught somewhere between laughter and shock. “You’re actually-”

He very nearly regretted his version of admitting his feelings. Rolling his eyes, Crosshair moved around you with your delighted look trailing him. He came to your back and guided you forward with his hands at your elbows.

You gently resisted, craning your neck back to beam up at him, “Where are we going?”

Crosshair couldn’t decide if this was quickly becoming annoying or you were looking more cute with every second your smile grew.

“Bed,” He casually said as he prompted you forward again. 

Your head snapped forward and you quiet until you got to your bed. The one Crosshair was also sharing with Wrecker.

Crosshair said nothing as he got in under the duvet, scooted back into his brother and pulled the covers back when there was enough room for you. You tried not to think about it too much as you crawled in next to Crosshair.

He pulled the covers back up over as he settled in behind you. You both fell silent, allowing the warmth of the moment to sink in.

A low, sleepy groan emanated from behind Crosshair that was followed by Wrecker’s thick arm slinging over the two of you. You went stock still, not sure what to make of the situation.

You opened your mouth to comment but Crosshair cut you short by pulling you in and mumbling, “Think carefully about what you’re going to say.”

You decided to leave it be.

ECHO

Laid back comfortably, eyes shut and good arm resting on his stomach, Echo dozed off while listening to Hunter and Tech chatter. He hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep until he was rolling onto his side and his chair tilted farther back. The shift in balance jolted him straight into a state of alarm and confusion. 

After a few slow breaths, Echo looked around and his brothers were now fast asleep with Hunter taking the couch and Tech on the floor. He leaned over the arm of the chair to see down the hallway. It seemed Wrecker and Crosshair were out too.

He was halfway to assuming you’d slept somewhere in your room when he heard the muffled sounds of the city. Figuring you’d left a window open, Echo got up to investigate. You’d gone through the trouble of putting him and his squad up for the night, the least he could do was shut a window for you.

Echo only hoped you felt as cared for as he did. So it was frustrating, to say the least, for Echo to meet the ungrateful scumslug who called himself your boyfriend. He didn’t come across as the brightest man in the Galaxy and insulting you in front of five trained troopers proved that.  His squadmates didn’t pick up on him calling you a ‘barracks bunny,’ but the slight wasn’t lost on Echo. All of his training to remain logical under pressure vanished when he laid your ex flat.

For the rest of the night, Echo circled back to the thought of what happened to you when they left. You weren’t defenseless, but you were alone. That bothered him more than anything.

Instead of an open window, Echo found you alone on the balcony and could only guess how long you’d been out there. Hoping to side step spooking you, Echo softly called out to you from the doorway.

He didn’t entirely succeed in not startling you. It hardly seemed to matter by the smile you turned on him. You put your back to the city and playfully gestured at him, “And why aren’t you asleep?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Echo chuckled. He enjoyed laughing so easily with you. “What are you doing awake?” He asked as he approached.

You debated being honest about the selfish thoughts keeping you up, instead choosing to shrug it off with a half truth, “Couldn’t get settled is all. You?”

Glancing back inside the house, Echo rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “I think that chair of yours might have it out for me.”

Instantly, you could see him falling back. “Oh no!” Resting a hand apologetically on your chest, you couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t warn you.”

Echo scoffed playfully, dismissively gesturing his scomp arm, “Takes more than a chair to take down this trooper.” His features softened the longer he looked at you. The city lights brightened you beyond just your smile. Seeing you safe and smiling satisfied a male side of him.

A chill ran through you and, without thought, Echo came to your side to put his arm around you. Rubbing some warmth into your arm, he suggested, “Why don’t we get you inside?”

You didn’t budge. Looking up at Echo, your smile dimmed as you considered him. He saw a sort of skepticism flicker through you. Unbeknownst to him, you were searching those hazel eyes for an ounce of deceit, or even pity, and only tender honesty stared back at you.

Echo saw your typical confidence wane when your gaze dropped. You looked guilty, but of what was lost on him. His brows pulled together in question. Clones were trained from creation to withstand and divvy interrogations. Gently extracting information not so much.

Treading carefully, Echo gently probed, “What is it?”

Shaking your head, your features pinched and you asked, "Why did you go so far for me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Echo countered instantly, not needing a single second to answer. He adjusted his position slightly, reeling back for a better view of your face. “I won’t let someone talk like that to you.”

The answer didn’t satisfy you. As nice as the sentiment was, its inevitably fleeting nature tarnished the moment. Your lips tightened to a thin line. Still not meeting his eyes, you sounded bitter saying, “You can’t always be here, Echo.” 

The truth hurt and it fed the unease eating away at him. He knew what it was like to be alone and he did everything he could to never be that way.

Steadying you by your shoulders, Echo bent down into your line of sight. Exhaling, he admitted, “You’re right and I wish I could be.” Your eyes shot up as he continued, “Just let me do what I can for now.”

He stood to full height, your eyes rising with him. You blinked up at him, repeating back to yourself what he’d said. There was a chance you were reading too much into it, but his words were enough to give you the courage to say, “I don’t want you to leave.”

Echo’s eyes widened, before warming again. “Hopefully a day will come when I won’t have to.”

There was nothing to hide your blatant hope in asking, “Do you mean that?” 

Pivoting to your side, Echo slid his arm back around you. Echo cocked his head back, brandishing a roguish grin as he said, “I’ve never meant anything more. Now let’s get inside already.” On the way in, his hand slipped to your waist and he muttered under his breath, “Let’s just hope that chair can handle two.”

Tech and Hunter were still fast asleep when you made it inside. You followed him to the recliner, watching him carefully position himself. Barely keeping the furniture balanced, Echo twisted around and made enough room for you to fit in. It took you squirming over his legs and nestling into the crook between him and the chair to get situated.

The two of you had never been this close for this long and the only thing you could think about was the fact that he wore aftershave. He tucked you under his chin, unintentionally giving you the perfect view of his neck. 

You turned your face into him, pressing a kiss into the crook of his neck and mumbling a thank you to him. One he answered by pulling you closer and returning the gesture.

HUNTER

From your couch, Hunter listened to you move around your apartment. He was intent on seeing you turn in for the night, but that moment never came. At some point between resting and tracing your movements, Hunter dozed enough for you to slip by him. The sound of your balcony door opening snapped him back to reality.

Hunter sat up, thumbing his bandana out of his eye and keenly extending his senses. You definitely weren’t inside. Knowing he wouldn’t get any rest until he knew you were safe and asleep, Hunter rose to find you. Even then, sleep might evade him.

He had a feeling he’d be losing a little more sleep after this evening with you. 

When they left for another mission, Hunter focused on the objective. Seeing you was always something he looked forward to, but he couldn’t dwell on what was behind him. Anything other than setting his sights ahead put his squad in danger. Besides, Hunter knew he was going to keep the Galaxy safe and by extension that meant you too.

This time around challenged that perspective. Your jackass of an ex had been easy to chase off, but what about when they left? Prior to seeing a man mistreat you, Hunter never doubted your ability to survive on your own. By your own admission you’d done so most of your life. 

Even after the encounter with your ex Hunter didn’t doubt you. 

He doubted the people around you. People who saw all you had to offer and wanted to use that to their advantage. In the end, Hunter wasn’t sure what he hated more: the thought of you getting close to ill-intentioned people or realizing it couldn’t be him.

Finding you alone on your balcony only compounded his worries. You were alone in the cold, and it finally occurred to him that his squad took up every viable place to sleep. How was he any different from others taking advantage of you?

That resentful part of him took in the view of you against the city and wished it was a sight exclusively for him. For a moment he let himself believe it was. If only for the night.

Hunter slowly approached you and quickly realized you were mumbling to yourself. Hoping to afford you the privacy of your thoughts, Hunter cut you off by whispering, “I know you don’t think I’ll let you stay out here all night.”

You jumped at his voice, nearly colliding into him as you spun around. He was only a foot or two away, angling a smile down at you. Breathing into calm, you gave him a light shove as you glanced around for anyone else.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that,”  you protested, the beginnings of a grin betraying your feigned annoyance.

“Then don’t sneak out like that.” He retorted lightly, nodding towards the open door behind him. Hunter looked at the city beyond you, wondering if he could spot where you’d been fixated. Drifting back to you, Hunter asked, “What are you doing out here?”

Your smile flinched, but you shrugged with a casual shake of your head. “Just needed some air.”

Hunter nodded, clearly only halfway believing you. While convincing you to go back inside crossed his mind as the right thing to do, he opted for spending more time with you. “Care for some company?”

Your eyes flitted between his, ultimately shaking your head. “Oh, I don’t think so.” You said, your tone scolding. Stepping into him, you pressed your hands to his stomach in attempts to redirect him inside. “You need sleep.”

He relished the feeling of your touch before tenderly gripping your wrists. You stopped pushing, but passed him a confused look. Hunter swept his thumbs over the soft skin of your wrist, acutely aware of your quickened pulse beneath his fingers.. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

You tugged your hands down, putting his hands in yours. On a tight grip you pulled him in, the force of it bringing his face an inch from yours. “Someone has to,” you insisted softly.

For all the fun they brought you it was so easy to forget that to most, Hunter and his squad were military assets. Outside of their worth in battle, little else about them mattered to the Galaxy. There was little you could offer them outside of occasional respite and hopeful thoughts and hope it meant something.

In his eyes, you saw the same thing that grew in you. Hesitancy - he was holding back, you both were. Neither of you spoke as you stood there, breathing in each other's presence. Slowly, Hunter raised your clasped hands to his lips, maintaining eye contact until his lips gently touched your skin.

“And who worries about you?” Hunter’s lips brushed your skin as he whispered.

“Isn’t that what you’re doing now?” you countered.

The question halted the sergeant momentarily. It wasn’t that you were wrong, but that wasn’t his primary concern. Lowering your hands, Hunter sighed. "Worrying is nothing if I can't protect you."

The weight of his admission, hidden behind the hesitancy you glimpsed before, warmed you but looked heavy on his mind. You couldn’t fight. You were no trooper and absolutely no Jedi. But you could do one thing..

His hand was still holding yours when you reached out to touch his face, your fingers tracing the outline of the tattoo on his cheek. You offered him a broad, reassuring smile, taking a moment to admire the moment.

“Hunter,” his name was a hum in your voice. “I can protect myself.” He immediately opened his mouth, surely an objection not far behind, but you outspoke him. “Protect those who can’t protect themselves and when this war is over…” You paused, taking a deep breath as you searched for the right words. “Well, I'll still be here when it is.”

It may not have been poetry, but the lightness in his smile, meager and fleeting though it was, told you that burden was a little lighter.

“Come with me.” He whispered between you.

You instinctively pulled back. Leaving Coruscant, joining him in the stars - it was absurd. “Hunter, I can’t-”

“To the couch,” he clarified with a soft chuckle..

Heat rushed your cheeks at the misunderstanding. Clearing your throat you nodded, “Okay.”

He gave your hands a squeeze, held onto one, and guided you back inside. The apartment was silent, the living room dark and you were thankful for Hunter’s senses. He led you to the couch, motioning for you to go first.

You slid into place, pressing your back into the couch as Hunter joined you, caging you between his body and the couch. A vague attempt at watching over you for the night. 

Hunter pulled his bandana down over his eyes as he settled in around you.  Speaking in a tone low enough for only you to hear, he said, “I can’t promise the next one will get off so easily.”

The words were both a joke and a threat, wrapped in his unique brand of dry humor. You lightly scoffed, wrapping an arm over his chest and drawing him closer. “There won’t be a next one. Not until the war is over,” you mumbled into his chest.

TECH

Lying in a nest of blankets on your floor, Tech replayed the evening while your apartment settled into silence. Despite having found you and spent the evening in your company, a persistent restlessness gnawed at him, preventing any sense of ease.

So, he scoured the night’s happenings for the piece that kept his peace at bay.

The search for you had been brief and relatively straightforward—a minor challenge that excited Tech. Discovering you in a lounge, especially clad in an open-backed dress, had been a surprise that quickened his pulse. However, it wasn’t nearly as unsettling as the sight of a morally dubious man claiming to be your partner.

While he found no logic in your accepting amity, let alone intimacy, from a man who either lacked the capability, knowledge, or desire to measure up to you, the man was easily dissuaded and you were safe. Logically, there was no reason for lingering concern.

Spending the evening in your quarters should’ve dispelled any remaining apprehension. Your life was not at risk. In fact, there had been no mortal danger at all. Everything worked out. His search had been successful. You were safe.

And yet, he was left with an unfamiliar sense of uncertainty - a feeling he was less than comfortable with.

After returning to your apartment, Tech busied himself by installing several security enhancements and scrutinizing local crime statistics. Beyond that, there was little else he could do for you. You were adaptable and resourceful, he would not insult you by thinking you could not take care of yourself.

He also wouldn’t insult you by rejecting the makeshift bed you offered him. Though, by Tech’s surmising, that left nowhere for you to sleep. A theory proved right by you leaving Wrecker and Crosshair in your room, sneaking past the room where he lay and back out of sight.

Something wound tight in Tech’s chest. In a move of innate curiosity, he swept his blankets aside and followed in your footsteps. He was keen to see where you had gone or to just have eyes on you again.

You were a few silent steps ahead, leaving a cracked balcony door as the only indication of your path. Finding you lingering at the edge of your balcony stopped him at the door. It was the tension leaving his chest that struck him.

The physical relief was recognizable - the very same he felt each time they found you and the direct opposite of the pressure he felt meeting your former partner. The pressure was identical in the moments you were out of view. 

Tech adjusted his goggles as the pattern became clear. At the core of it all, you were the variable between the fleeting sensations. Identifying the truth of his unease came with the inevitable frustration of being unable to alter the circumstances. In the end, there was only one path forward.

He made no attempt to hide his presence, watching you stiffen as he drew near. Anchoring yourself to the railing, you leaned forward on an inhale and rocked back on the exhale. 

Unsure how to interpret your going taut, he asked outright, “Do you… wish to be alone?” Eyes fixed on the city you shook your head only once in response. Following your line of sight, Tech looked over the city and saw nothing of note.

A distant shout had him reaching for his datapad, something he left beside his nest of blankets. In lieu of reading through statistics Tech tuned his goggles to survey the street below. “The locality of your home is not what I’d deem a secure district.”

“It was probably just some drunk idiot,” you mumbled, not dissuading Tech from continuing to look around. Glancing sideways at him you had to smile at the seasoned soldier gripping the balcony and seemingly so intrigued by city life. Softly scoffing, you said, “There’s nothing to worry about, Tech.” 

“On the contrary,” Tech replied simply. Pulling his attention back to you, he kept one hand on the railing and said in a serious tone, “Your balcony makes you susceptible to intrusion and you’ve already fallen in with unsavory company.”

The last bit stung, but he wasn’t wrong. The concern, blunt as it may be, did feel nice.

Placing your hand over his, you tried to reassure him, “I’m fine, aren’t I?” His pursed into a thin line, clearly unwavering. Squeezing his hand a bit tighter, you added lightly, “Besides, you have more important things to worry about.”

Tech’s head tilted to the side, his eyes momentarily averting, but returned still as serious as before. “My duty to the Republic does take precedence, but that does not make your life any less important to me.”

You blinked once, then twice, absorbing his words. A part of you, a large part in fact, hoped the words carried more weight than just comfort. 

You must’ve looked as taken off guard as you felt for Tech to ask, “Does that surprise you?”

You opened your mouth, ready to make a denial, only to snap your mouth shut again. Once more you tried to speak but only, “A little,” came out. The two words tasted harsh, as if you were making light of the situation and of his feelings. Stepping closer, you lowered your voice and quickly added, “You mean so much to me. I just… I -” In an uncharacteristic fit of stammering you spat out, “I just didn’t think you cared that much.”

Tech’s gaze fell to where you held his hand, his brows furrowing behind his goggles. You felt his hand twitch beneath yours before it fully twisted, placing his palm against yours. For a few moments, you stood like that, hand in hand with his gaze locked on your hold.

His focus remained there, his thumb starting gentle paths as he slowly said, “I admit that I… only recently came to the conclusion myself.”

“What changed?” His eyes snapped to yours at your question.

Tech’s brows lifted and along with a corner of his lips. “It would appear the sight of you in the company of your former partner was not one I found enjoyable.”

The realization that all your hopes had rung true left you breathless. A warm flush spread across your cheeks, accompanied by a smile that not only curved your lips but also reached your eyes.

You laced your fingers into his, eagerly confessing, “Tech, I-”

“Where do you intend to sleep?” Tech cut you off with no thought to what you’d attempted to say.

Lost in the heat of the moment you took a moment to blink back into the present. “I’m sorry?”

Tech pointed a finger towards the door going inside. “You gave up every viable sleeping arrangement. Where will you sleep?”

Instead of admitting your previous intentions of avoiding sleep, you shrugged with an amused sigh. Hands still intertwined, you stepped back, tilted your head back and chuckled. “I was playing it by ear.”

“There is enough room beside me for you to fit.” Tech said matter of factly. A playful glint passed through his eyes. “Shall we find out?” You immediately conceded, gesturing for him to lead the way. 

As per usual, Tech was right. There was more than enough room for you both to fit into his makeshift bed. Tech adjusted the pillows to his liking and laid back, the both of you looking up at the ceiling in silence. Eventually Tech turned with his back to you, seeking some reprieve from the air between you.

Taking the opportunity before you, you scooted in behind him. He was nearly a foot taller than you, but somehow you fit in nicely behind him. He said little, simply adjusting back against you and positioning your arms around him. 

Just as he settled in, he started twisting in place, saying, “I should make note of such a significant moment.”

You answered his movements by tightening your arms around him. “Tomorrow. For now, sleep.”

He didn’t struggle against you, choosing to settle back again. “I fear that it will be harder than I originally imagined.”

tags: @bruh-myguy-what @baddest-batchers @jetii @hshfsjzjsgj @zahmaddog @heidnspeak

an: i realize I've missed some folks over time, let me know if you want on the tag list.

Hello friend! I couldn't find any rules for requests on your blog, so hopefully this one's okay, and if not feel free to ignore it!

Would you be okay with doing a little something based on the idea that all five of the bad batch boys realize that they're all in love with their medic reader? Like maybe they all just KNOW that their other brothers feel the same way about the reader and what they do about it? Do they all talk it over in private? do they just silently start trying to one up each other as a secret competition for her heart? Do they maybe go to the reader themselves instead? Or maybe they decide sharing is caring?? I'd love to hear your take on this concept, headcanons or a fic or whatever you're inspired to do with this idea it's all fine by me!

Please and thank you and also I hope you have a good weekend 💗

I have had the BEST time with this ask, and I hope you love it. This is deffo one I could write about from different angles all day long. I love the boys, but they provide more inspiration than I know what to do with, so this is only part 1 😬 if you had something else in mind, don’t hesitate to let me know. you know I’m always down to write about the boys 🥰

The Bad Batch x afab!Reader

warnings: mention of injury, nothing graphic, poly no clonc*st, Crosshair pining 👀

Part 2

word count: 3721 (*self control left the chat*)

The Havoc Marauder was never quiet, and now was no exception. Wrecker’s snores, Tech’s tinkering, Echo’s quiet muttering in his sleep, the barely audible sounds of Hunter fiddling with his knife. But there was a hole of silence in the quilt of sound, and it was shaped like you. It’s been 15 rotations, not that Crosshair’s counting, without your laugh ringing out, without your back popping loudly as you stretched when you woke up, without your voice whispering his name, as you sleepily let him know it was his turn on watch.

The five of them had been together, and they’d never needed or wanted anyone else in their space, on their team. Crosshair hadn’t even wanted you around at first. Wrecker had warmed to you quickly, but of course a pretty thing like you would never need the hard sell with Wrecker. Hunter had been wary of you, but in an effort to keep Wrecker from getting too attached, he’d inadvertently formed his own attachment to your presence. As for Tech and Echo, they’d kept their distance well enough, but your quiet intelligence, and curiosity had drawn them in.

Crosshair had been the holdout. Incensed by every breath you drew in his presence. The way you checked in with him after every mission, as if he needed you poking and prodding him. But when he needed stitches, you’d asked for permission to help him. If he didn’t want you to touch him, you wouldn’t.

“I’d never do anything without your consent. You’re in control here,” you’d said, holding your kit in steady hands, as you waited for his decision. He’d watched you with rapt attention through the mirror, your fingers resting gently against his skin, as you carefully cleaned, stitched up, and bandaged the wound on his shoulder.

After that, he would silently request your assistance when he needed it, and over time even when he didn’t need it. He would never say it out loud, but bacta patches placed by your gentle hands worked better. Your stitches were nearly painless. And the way you’d hum while you worked…well, that was just adorable.

When Commander Cody had requested you for a short stint, Wrecker had grumbled endlessly, and Crosshair had been the first to tell him to suck it up because you’d be back in their hair soon enough. He needed the space to clear his head, and he hoped the others would come to their senses without you in their presence.

Wrecker admitted to missing you within 12 hours. Tech kept finding excuses to talk about you. Meanwhile Hunter and Echo kept pointing out things you would like, and setting them aside for you. They had also placed bets on when Crosshair would snap and march onto the Negotiator to steal you back. Not that they would be upset if he did.

When it became clear that Crosshair would rather eat his armor than admit to being the least bit interested in you, the four of them had dragged him into the cockpit to decide what they would do when you returned. The feelings were there, and they weren’t going anywhere, but how to proceed.

“We should just come out and say it!” Wrecker said, feeling like the matter was concluded.

“It needs to be a tad more romantic than that,” Echo said shaking his head.

“According to my observations of her, she would appreciate a romantic gesture,” Tech said.

“Flowers?” Wrecker offered.

“She deserves more than flowers for putting up with us,” Echo said laughing.

“We could make a stop on her home world. It’s not too far out of the way,” Hunter added. “I think she’d like that.”

“This is a waste of time,” Crosshair said rolling his eyes. “You’re fooling yourselves.”

“When have Hunter’s senses ever been wrong?” Tech asked not even bothering to look up. “According to what he’s told me, she’s at the very least physically attracted to us. Based on her behavior that extends to an emotional bond as well.”

“What happened to not getting attached?” Crosshair challenged, and his brothers all looked at each other before looking back at him.

“You know you’re not as subtle as you think, Crosshair,” Echo said.

“And if I can tell how anyone’s feeling, it’s the four of you,” Hunter added.

“You’re all delusional,” Crosshair said shaking his head.

“You had her put a bacta patch on your arm last mission, and you coulda done it yourself,” Wrecker said giving the sniper a playful shove.

“She is our medic, she should at least pretend to do a job around here,” Crosshair said defensively. It was a losing battle, and he knew it. The others were blissfully under your spell, but he was not about to let you hurt him. Not about to let you reject him. No matter how badly he wanted you.

But as the clock rolled into the 16th rotation without you, it was Crosshair who hated your absence more than anyone. The others were open about it in their own ways, but he held it close. It was one of the few secrets he’d kept from his brothers. The realization annoyed him, as he swung his long legs over the side of his bunk to take over on watch for Hunter.

Sensing the tension rolling off of his younger brother, Hunter cleared his throat.

“She’ll be back in 2 rotations, and you’ll get to sleep longer again.” He knew it wasn’t sleep Crosshair was after, but it was the best way to let him know you were on your way back without suggesting the sniper actually missed you lest they wind up in another argument.

“Oh good, the little doctor will be back to baby Wrecker again, and you can all confess your love, and live happily ever after,” Crosshair sneered, but Hunter knew him well. There was no bite in his tone, and his face was more relaxed than Hunter had seen it since you waved goodbye and disappeared into the Negotiator.

“She just commed to see if we could pick her up before our next mission, and I almost said no,” Hunter said absently, as Crosshair dropped into the co-pilot’s seat. It wasn’t true, but he could hear Crosshair’s heart racing, his teeth grinding in frustration.

“I thought you were dying to have her back,” Crosshair bit out.

“Well, Cody’s really wanting to keep her, and it would be a great opportunity for her,” This part was true, but he knew he shouldn’t tease his brother this way even though he was sure whatever doubt your absence hadn’t wiped out, would be obliterated by jealousy.

“Commander Cody has a squad of medics. He doesn’t need her,” Crosshair replied, scoffing. The thought of Cody trying to tempt you away from them with a Star Destroyer and a Jedi annoyed Crosshair down to his bones. You wouldn’t be swayed by a big ship, and fancy toys. Would you?

“You’ve got a point,” Hunter began before putting the last nail in the coffin. “He doesn’t need her…maybe he just wants her.”

He could hear Crosshair’s heart thumping wildly, as he tried to maintain his composure.

“Doubt it,” Crosshair grumbled after several moments spent working to unclench his jaw.

“Guess we’ll find out,” Hunter said, rising from the pilot’s chair. “The call’s recorded, so you can watch it, and see for yourself.”

“I’m sure she’ll never shut up about it when she’s back,” Crosshair said dismissively.

Humming softly with a shrug, Hunter said good night, and left Crosshair alone. The sharpshooter waited until he was sure Hunter was asleep before playing your conversation.

As your form appeared, bathed in blue, a smile tugged at Crosshair’s lips. Had you always been this beautiful?

“Hi, Sarge! It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you boys like crazy,” you nearly moaned.

He’d never heard you make a sound like that. He immediately thought of you making that sound just for him, which annoyed him, but he couldn’t stop listening.

“We miss you too, cyar’ika. I’m sure you’re having fun though,” Hunter replied.

“It’s been nice to stretch my legs a bit and put some of the things I’ve learned to use. Commander Cody’s amazing…he’s uh, asked me if I want to stay on,” You look shy, nervous.

“Oh, is that uh, something you’re interested in?”

“Don’t get me wrong the Negotiator is spectacular, and I’ve enjoyed my time with the 212th,” you bite your lip, shifting your weight. You seem unsure if you should continue. After a moment, you pressed on, “but they’re missing a few things I can’t live without, so I’d like to come home, back to the Marauder I mean.”

“We’ll be glad to have you back,” Hunter replied.

“Good,” You look so relieved. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you boys since I left. Are you getting enough quiet time? Are Tech and Echo sleeping? Is Wreck staying out of trouble? Is Cross eating properly?”

Crosshair barely hears the rest of conversation because he can’t get past the part where you miss them, where you were worried about him.

“I’ll be all packed up and ready to go in two rotations. Do you mind coming to get me?” Your needy tone shakes Crosshair out of his thoughts. “I could get a shuttle, but it would take another rotation or two, and I don’t think I can wait that long.”

Crosshair realized he couldn’t either. He needed you back immediately. Sooner, really.

“Of course, doll,” Hunter says soothingly. “Two rotations, and we’ll be there.”

Reassured, your shoulders relax, “Wonderful! I can’t wait to see all of you! I’m sure Crosshair has enjoyed the break from me, but I’ve missed him so much. I miss all of you, Hunter.” Your voice is so tender, it makes his heart clench.

He had not enjoyed the break at all though. Between his brothers giving him a hard time, and wanting you back, he was miserable.

Two rotations. It wouldn’t be long now.

***

Crosshair’s leg was bouncing, as the Marauder docked with the Negotiator. You were so close, almost home.

The five of them boarded the Star Destroyer, and Crosshair’s eyes began searching for you immediately. Cody was there to greet them, grasping Hunter’s arm in welcome.

“Good to see you, Commander,” Hunter said warmly.

“Good to see you too, Sergeant,” Cody began, “I’m not going to lie, I tried to keep your medic. She’s brilliant, and the men adore her.”

“Of course they do,” Wrecker’s pride in you is evident.

“She said the Negotiator was missing a few necessities,” Cody quirked an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“She’s quite mistaken. The Havoc Marauder is not equipped with even 10% of what a Republic Venator has,” Tech says, brow furrowed.

“It doesn’t have Gonky,” Wrecker said as though it were obvious.

“It doesn’t have the five of you either!” you quipped, appearing at Cody’s elbow.

“Cyar’ika!” Wrecker bellowed, scooping you up and spinning you around.

“Wrecker!” you squealed as you returned his hug as tightly as you could

Crosshair’s heart was pounding again. He waited at the back of the group, watching his brothers welcome you back. Pressing their foreheads to yours, ghosting their fingers over your jaw, holding the back of your head gently. Then you were standing in front of him. Arms clasped behind your back, not reaching for him as you had the others. Respecting his space as always.

“I’m happy to see you too, Cross. Ready to deal with me every day again?”

“Are you ready to deal with me? All of us, again?”

“Ready and looking forward to it!” Your smile is bright and he nearly reached for you then, but he stopped himself.

“Well, Commander, you know where to find us, if you need us…or our medic again,” Hunter said with a grin.

“It was an honor serving alongside the 212th, Commander. I appreciate the opportunity,” You saluted Cody, and the others followed suit.

“The pleasure was all ours,” Cody returned the salute, and watched as the six of you returned to the Marauder.

***

You’re getting settled back into your space on the Marauder, answering questions from Wrecker, curious about the armory and ordnance, and Tech pestering you for every detail about the Negotiator, as Echo and Hunter wait to get a word in edgewise.

“Come on, boys. Give her some breathing room,” Hunter says, scooting them towards the cockpit, ignoring their protests.

“It’s good to have you back, saraad,” Echo said with a soft smile, that made your heart skip a beat.

You smile fondly at them as they go, going back to unpacking your things, and changing.

Crosshair is in his bunk, pretending he’s not watching you, but he can’t focus on anything else. Every inch of skin you reveal is making his body react. His heart thumping, breath growing shallow, as he drinks you in. This isn’t even the first time he’s seen you naked or changing, but it feels different now. He frowns as he notices a bandage on your hip peaking out of your panties, wrapping around your hip. It’s covered swiftly by the bottom half of a fresh set of blacks.

He slid out of his bunk, and you turned to face him, as you pulled the top half down covering your stomach, hiding your skin from his gaze. Naturally, you stepped back to give him space, and you were pleasantly surprised when he deliberately stepped closer. You looked up at him expectantly, eyes searching his for any hint of what he’s up to.

Crosshair was sure he should say something, but his mind was only offering sardonic quips that would convey the truth, but not like he wanted. He lifted a hand, and tapped your hip softly, fingertips resting against you. This was the first time Crosshair had ever touched you without necessity. Your heart sped up, and you swallowed hard.

“What’s this?” he asked, his voice low and even.

“Rooftop sniper,” you shook your head, folding your arms. “One of the other medics wasn’t as lucky. He was still in the med bay when you came to pick me up. No one could have clocked him to be fair.”

“I could have,” Crosshair said, anger simmering under his even tone.

“Well, there’s only one Crosshair in the galaxy. Next time I leave, I’ll take you with me.” You smiled up at him, but his face held the frown.

“Hey, I’m ok. Still good to do my job,” you added, brow furrowing.

“Fucking regs,” He swore, as he shifted his hand to hold your hip gently like you were a fragile thing. A fragile thing that belonged to him.

You hesitated before resting your hand against his chest, tapping your fingertips against the plastoid.

“Cross, I’m home, and in one piece. How can I show you?”

An eyebrow raised at that, sharp eyes taking you in, lingering on your lips, as they parted, a silent invitation for him. He leaned down, bringing his lips close to yours, begging you to close the distance. You wrapped your arms around his trim waist, as you pressed your lips to his softly.

The ache that had been simmering in his chest since you left is morphing into arousal, moving to settle down in his belly. His lips moved tentatively against yours, teeth nipping gently at your bottom lip.

“Hey,” Wrecker protested loudly. “We agreed we’d all talk to her together, Crosshair!”

The two of you break apart, and you clear your throat, your eyes trained on Crosshair.

“Talk to me about what?” You asked, breathlessly.

“Sorry, doll,” Crosshair said before Wrecker tugged him away in a headlock.

“What are you gonna talk to me about?” you asked again.

“When we get home, cyar’ika,” Wrecker said before turning to Crosshair. “Knew you were full of it, Cross!”

You touch your lips, as you watch the pair of them playfully fighting down the corridor. Did that happen? You pinched your arm as hard as you could, grimacing when it hurt, confirming you were awake, Crosshair had just kissed you. What the hell happened while you were gone? And what did they need to talk to you about?

***

In the cockpit on watch, you relaxed in the copilot’s chair, Tech snoozed gently in the pilot’s chair. It was so good to be home despite the fact that there was clearly something going on with your boys. Your alarm beeped, and you rose from the chair, yawning and stretching ready to trade out with Crosshair, and pass out for a little while.

Hunter intercepted you in the hallway with a grin. “I can’t sleep, so I’ll cover for Crosshair. Go get some rest.” He kissed your forehead, and added, “Good to have you home, Doc.”

“Good to be home, Sarge,” you replied before bidding him goodnight, and heading towards your bunk.

“Hunter?” You turn towards him.

“Hmm?” Hunter asks turning to you.

“What happened while I was gone? Why’s everyone acting weird?”

“We’ll talk when we get back to Kamino. Get some rest,” He says with a mysterious grin that makes you bite your lip.

You pout but follow his orders and head to your bunk. You’re about to climb in when you look towards Crosshair’s bunk. He was the least likely to spill the beans, but he had kissed you earlier. Was that the big secret?

You moved to stand near Crosshair’s bunk. Pushing back the privacy curtain, you whispered his name like you normally would to wake him up for his shift.

“My turn already?” he replied sleepily.

“No, Hunter’s there. I was hoping we could talk about earlier, or we could just sleep,” Even after your encounter earlier, he still made you nervous, and you worried you’d made a mistake until he lifted the blankets, and silently invited you into his bed.

You crawled in, and he lowered the blanket over your body before snaking his arm around your waist and pushing his leg between yours. His muscular thigh pressed up against you, sending a wave of heat through your body. He tucked your head beneath his chin, and it became clear he was not saying a word, so you listened to his heartbeat until you were lulled to sleep.

When you woke up a few hours later, you realized that you hadn’t slept well at all while you were gone. You needed to be crammed into the Marauder with your squad to relax. It helped that Crosshair had held you the entire time, and as you stretched and arched your back you realized he was looking at you.

“Did you sleep well?” you asked quietly not wanting to disturb the others. He simply nodded, his eyes roaming your face, as his hand rested on your waist.

“Good. We should be home soon, yeah?” you asked, rolling onto your back before sitting up.

“Something like that,” Crosshair replied cryptically.

You didn’t bother asking what he meant before sliding out of the bunk, and tossing him a smile.

“I’m going to see where we are. Go back to sleep.”

Once again he nodded, but he knew there was no chance of going back to sleep. Not when he knew what they had planned for the day.

You wandered into the cockpit, taking the co-pilot’s seat next to Echo.

“How was your first night back?” Echo asked smiling as you got comfortable in the chair.

“Cozy. I didn’t realize how much I’d miss you guys until I was gone.”

“I don’t think we did either,” he confesses.

“Oh yeah?” You asked, trying not to seem too happy about it.

He nodded, and the two of you were quiet for a moment. As always silence was never awkward with Echo, and while this was no exception, you could feel a tension in the air. It was reminiscent of the one you’d felt the night before when Crosshair had kissed you.

“I don’t suppose I can get you to tell me what’s going on?” You asked, turning the chair towards him and leaning forward.

“Always so impatient, saraad,” Echo says shaking his head.

“I can’t help it. Something’s up. Crosshair has been sweet to me,” you add in a conspiratorial whisper.

Echo huffs out a short laugh.

“Oh has he now?”

“Yeah, and,” you hesistate. You want to keep going, to spill every thought in your head to Echo, but something’s got your tongue. “It’s nothing.” You turn your chair back into place, and ask, “Where are we? How far from home?”

Reluctantly, Echo tears his gaze away from you. He looks over the navicomputer.

“Not far.”

“You wanna get some sleep? I can get us to Kamino safely.”

He raises an eyebrow at that.

“Ok, I can get us there. No promises on the condition,” you concede.

“You’re meant to be resting. Crosshair told us what happened,” Echo trails off.

“I told you he was being sweet to me, but I guess a kiss is a little more than sweet…”

“Kiss?! I meant you getting shot!” Echo hisses trying not to wake the others, as he spins towards you.

“He told you about that?!” You hiss back, spinning towards him.

“Of course he did. Why didn’t you?”

“I didn’t wanna worry you guys. Cross was not happy when he saw the bandage, and…”

“Of course he wasn’t. And I’m not happy you didn’t tell us. We could have lost you,” Echo’s eyes are worried, his brow knit together, as he reaches for your face.

His fingertips have just brushed your jaw when the cockpit opens, and the pair of you sit back and look towards the door.

“You’re supposed to be resting,” Hunter says, gesturing for you to follow him.

“I was,” you pout. “I just wanted to see if we were close to home.”

“That’s funny because it sounded like you were arguing about keeping your injury a secret,” Hunter says. Out of everyone on the ship, you never thought Crosshair would be the one to tell on you.

“No, I was just…trying to…ya know?”

“No, I don’t know, senaar’ika. Now get in your bunk and rest your eyes. I’ll wake you the moment we land.”

“Fine,” you relent, and climb into your bunk, and even your racing brain can’t keep you awake.

taglist: @dystopicjumpsuit (not sure if you wanted to be tagged in everything or not, so just let me know 🥰)

If it’s not too much trouble may I submit a potion with the following? Zoisite (Echo, my beloved), Ginger (Come here let’s get you out of those wet clothes), and Bells (one didn't want to feel this way, but no matter how hard they fought - their feelings only grew) 🫣

You’re lovely and I hope you’re having a good day!! 💛💛💛

Hello, you certainly can! And thank you so much 🥰 other than being sick, I had a pretty awesome day!

I hope you also have a great day 💜💜💜

For this spell, I shall create it by making a circle of powdered ginger...place Zoisite in the middle and ring this beautiful bell above it! Which creates-

Warnings: reader is an ex-jedi, reader is hinted at being female but no pronouns are used. Kinda on the sad side, I'm so sorry 😅 But I promise it ends very soft and sweet. Takes place some point in TBB during a time where Echo is working with Rex - otherwise, your choice of timeline. Mentions of held back feelings due to worries of station and positions of power - as well as worrying of taking advantage. I hope Echo came off as relieved as I intended😅

A Spell for Joining Hearts That Never Meant to Part

Echo x Reader (TBB)

Echo stared down at you for a moment, as you continued to curl further into yourself and tried to disappear into the dirty lower Courascant alleyway. He was surprised to see you'd somehow escaped the purge and survived this long, let alone on Courascant. Your clothes were drenched, tattered, splattered in who-knows-what, and your person was absolutely filthy, looked sickly and barely looked as if you contained a shred of life.

Echo thought you had died, that you'd been in the temple with the rest of them. That you were forever lost and he'd never see you again. He had wrestled with his tender feelings for you for so long, that he almost felt like it was wrong for him to act upon them now. And he'd tried to bury them, tried to cope with those wretched feelings just like he'd tried to cope with his trauma - of what had been done to him. While he'd worked through the latter to a point of acceptance and strength...the former had been left in loose threads that would always lead back to you. Back to a life he thought he'd never be blessed to see again.

He glanced around briefly, making sure nobody was around before he crouched before you and held out his hands - er his hand and scomp.

Your gaze was downcast and far away, undoubtedly you'd disassociated into a far cormer of your mind, where you felt safe. Where you could pretend nothing bad was happening.

Echo sighed softly and gently took your hands, his thumb rubbing against the back of your right hand. He ignored the slight jolt that occurred under your skin but it did not escape his notice.

He'd called to you softly, let your name tumble sweetly from his pale lips and the sound dance to your eardrums in a way that used to give you a jolt of giddy delight. But this time, there was nothing...no response to his calling - not even a twitch of the lip

"Come here," he urged softly "I'll take you somewhere safe"

your gaze grew a bit focused as your eyes settled on his hand, on the gentle rubbing his thumb did, on the comforting feel it provided

He tried to give you a half-baked smile, situation weighing heavily but still wanting to reassure you, before he dropped your name again.

"Come on, let's get you out of those wet clothes..." he whispered "Let me take care of you"

He reached forward with his scomp and used it to tilt your chin up, delicately forcing your eyes to meet his. Those orbs of liquid gold that were so sincere and so heartbroken for you.

Tears welled in your eyes, the very eyes you though had run dry long ago

"E-echo" you blubbered out with a creaky voice

"Shhhh" he hushed, feeling his heart break further for you.

He leaned in and gathered you in his arms, guided your own around his neck and hefted you up by your thighs. Then, he held you in a tight embrace for a few moments, pressing his face against the side of your head and relishing the feel of finally having you in his arms. And as you clung tightly to him, as if he were a life preserver in an endless ocean, and buried your face against his neck...Echo couldn't help but a small bundle of pride bloom in his chest that you had deemed him safe...even after everything that'd occured and all your time spent apart.

"I'm taking you with me, no more being apart...okay?" he whispered to you

You didn't answer formally, just clung tighter and cried harder.

Echo hugged you tighter then peeked out of the small alleyway and upon seeing the coast was clear, quickly departed with you.

You heard the door slide open and turned your gaze to meet golden orbs full of surprise and relief.

Your bleary gaze drifted from the sheet gathered at your hips to the grey walls, the articfical lighting and then settled onto the door. You didn't recognize the location but you felt warm...you could sense calmness, confusion, unease...restlessness... you carefully stood from the cot and noticed the loose dress-like cloth covering your form, your jedi robs nowhere to be seen.

You pulled your hands up. Bandages and clean skin greeted you, and upon moving to the mirror on the wall, your visage, clean and clear of wounds, met you. Someone had taken care of your wounds and cleaned you up. You supposed you should be a bit upset, having been in such a vulnerable state and not remembering it very well...but you couldn't find it in your heart to feel such a way.

"Echo" his name escaped your lips far before a thought had developed in your mind

A smile formed at his lips as he quickly made his way to you and began glancing you over

"Well, you seem better now...how do you feel?" he asked softly, his hand gently grasping your bicep and his scomp settled at your side

"Did you...?" you asked in confusion, searching his gaze for answers

embaressment flushed across his face before he let out a soft, almost nervous chuckle.

"Ah...no...I didn't" he said in complete and utter seriousness

You nodded and glanced past him to the door before returning your gaze to him

"Where am I...?"

"Rex, he uh...has been gathering brothers. Helpin' them get away from the Empire. This place is owned by some friends - two sisters. They were the ones that cleaned you up. Figured you'd be more comfortable if they were the ones..."

Your mind worked through the information like trudging through muck. But you nodded softly, aggreeing with his point of view and reasoning.

"You...you didnt kill me" you mumbled with confusion

Echo's gaze grew sad, yet soft. He knew what you were talking about and clearly had seen his fair share of unsightly things since that dreaded order had been given

"No..." he whispered, gently cupping your cheek "I had my chip, what made the troopers act, removed. It didn't work to begin with...but we felt it best to remove it"

He watched you for a moment before his thumb rubbed against your cheek

"I...never thought I'd see you again. I thought my...my brothers - that they-"

You put a finger to his lips, hushing his words. They were difficult for him to say, but just as difficult for you to hear. Instead you leaned in and hugged him tightly.

Echo breathed out your name, as if it were a prayer to the forces that lay beyond...

"Shhhh" he hushed, feeling his chest squeeze with emotion.

And you let you a shakey breath, tears pooling in your eyes.

"I'm...I'm so happy...happy you're okay..." you blubbered out as the tears ran off with you "I...I never had the chanc-"

"I...I don't know what to do" you whispered

The two of you stayed like that, your form snugly cradled in Echo's safe embrace as he rocked back and forth gently, hushing you while you cried and clung to him tightly. But soon enough, your tears ran dry and you continued to hold on as he continued to sway you both.

"Then stay here...stay with us" he whispered "Help us keep my brothers safe"

"I...I dont know if I can fight anymore. I lost my saber..." you sniffled

"You don't need to fight" your dear arc urged gently "You can stay here and help us in other ways. You can stay with me"

You paused for a moment and in that moment that he'd let his feelings slip out, he was worried he'd overstepped.

But you suddenly leaned forward and pressed your lips to his cheek.

Echo's eyes searched your own, for confirmation of your own feelings - ones he suspected laid within you since the two of you met in that awful war.

"I...I couldn't before" you whispered "I didn't want you to feel taken advantage of..."

Echo pressed his forehead to yours gently, closing his eyes and just relishing in the closeness

"I didn't want to, if I'm being honest. I didn't want to put you in a position...but...I just want you to know. I will always be there to take care of you. Until I am ripped from you, and not before. Regardless of where I stand in your heart."

"Echo, I..." you smiled softly and leaned more.into his touch "You are my heart"

Echo smiled brightly and tightened his hold around you. The gentle sway returning but this time it wasnt to soothe.but a small almost celebratory sway - something a kin to a dance but leisure and slow.

The details would be worked out later, you'd meet Rex and the rest of the clones later, you'd both learn to grow together later. Right now, though, you'd just relish in the closeness and the certainty of one anothers feelings.

Build-a-spell event

Build-a-spell Masterlist

Divider by me

Reblog divider by dystopicjumpsuit 💜

Thank you for the tag @returnofthepineapple! 💙 I need to get back into working on my WIPs, maybe this will help me focus on one of them.

Game Rules:

Make a 24hr poll with the titles of every WIP you plan to work on even if it’s only one or two.

Once the poll closes, write one sentence for every vote received on the WIP that gets the most votes.

* contains smut

NPT: i'm not sure who is writing rn but @captn-trex @freesia-writes @cloneflo99 @stellarbit and anyone else who wants to do this, pretend i tagged you and then tag me so i can vote!

Oh this is lovely but so sad 😞 I wish we could just hold Wrecker like this. Beautifully written @jordosprout

And With Thunder Comes Rain

Pairing: Wrecker x GN!Reader SFW

Can be read platonically/Mutual Pining

Dividers: @stars-n-spice

Word Count: 3,443

Warnings: Angst, Descriptions of storms, Nightmares, Sleep deprivation, Grief, Wrecker feels guilty

Summary: Wrecker comes to you looking for comfort after the events of Eriadu.

AN: Look at me all punctual when I'm the one making the due date? But nooo when someone else tells me I need to have something done at a certain time, that's just not possible /lh. Please note this is my first time really writing a fic for Wrecker! If need be I might make edits to this. Gender neutral pronouns are used at the end, other than that none are used. Please enjoy!!

It has been a standard week since the events of Eriadu and the capture of Omega that followed. 

There was so much uncertainty that puddled inside you and the squad—every day you spent tense and on edge, not knowing what the future would bring—having little to no sense of familiarity or consistency. You didn’t know how to adapt to the rapid changes around you—how to move around the physical and emotional wounds that persisted you during every task. Everything was going faster than you could process. But eventually, it became clear that you couldn’t just do nothing.

That was when the obsessive need to become a better pilot for the Batch started. It was the only thing you could think of that would make you useful right now. Flying like your life depended on it was the only thing that distracted you from the turmoil of such a detrimental loss. 

You started one of your runs after Hunter’s briefing, notifying you and Wrecker that Echo would be leaving with Rex later that day cycle. It must have been 3, no, 4 hours before you were commed by Hunter “Havoc 6, it’s time to come down. You’ve been at it long enough.”

You shook your head despite knowing he couldn’t see you, “No can do Sarge, I need to get this down.” you explained, using the nickname you started calling him when you first joined his squad. He wasn’t ever technically your sergeant, and you found it fun to pull his leg with that fact.

He said your name in a warning tone, “That’s an order.”

You groaned, you hated when he pulled that card. No, he wasn’t your sergeant, but you still followed and respected him as the leader, and he knew that. You probably shouldn’t continue to test him.

Turning the Marauder you made your return to the cliff you stationed yourselves at, camping out in a large cave on the side of it. You completed your landing sequence, exiting the shuttle begrudgingly with a displeased Hunter to greet you, a hand on his hip; Echo was beside him shaking his head. You simply responded putting both of your hands on your hips and childishly poking out your tongue at Hunter. You looked behind him, finding Wrecker sitting on an old crate. He had been more open about the hurt caused by the last mission. Often quiet, saying little to nothing. You felt your eyebrows press together in worry.

You moved past Hunter taking a seat beside Wrecker on a separate crate. You looked down at his hand resting next to his leg. You wanted nothing more than to hold it.

But instead, you rubbed his shoulder attempting to soothe the hurting giant next to you.

Echo’s departure wasn’t making the changes any easier for anybody. You all knew it was coming, that he wouldn’t be able to stay long. That his heart was in the fight. But you hoped all of you would have a few more days before Rex took him back. You enjoyed his presence, and even if they didn’t outright say it, so did the rest of the squad.

You stayed with Wrecker whilst Echo and Hunter awaited Rex’s arrival beside the Marauder. Wrecker had kept his gaze on the floor, his eyes carrying a sad gleam.

Once Rex’s shuttle arrived, Echo approached you and placed his hand on one of your shoulders.

“Make sure they stay outta trouble.” 

You nod, trying desperately to not let your emotions get to you.

“And quit drinking so much karking caf, it’s not good for you,” he said light-heartedly as he gave you a squeeze on your shoulder.

You gave a playful scoff, “No promises,” you responded causing him to roll his eyes.

“Just try, yeah?”

You look away from him and rub your head, mumbling, “Yeah yeah, I’ll work on it.”

Moving over to Wrecker, Echo gave him a reassuring squeeze on the bicep, “Everything will be fine, don’t worry.”

Wrecker only gives a faint nod in response, his eyes slightly wincing at the pain from moving his neck.

Echo gave you both one more nod goodbye before he turned around to head to Rex’s ship. Rex wrapped an arm around his shoulder and walked him up the ramp. Echo turned his head and gave you all a wave of his scomp before the doors closed, and the ship took him with it.

You all stood there, watching as Rex and Echo left the atmosphere. Even Wrecker lifted his head to watch the man he had come to care for leave. You couldn’t help the pang in your heart. You wanted nothing more than to keep your boys with you, so you could know they were safe. But you knew that what Echo was doing was important work that he needed to do for himself—for his brothers.

Once Rex’s shuttle was no longer visible, Wrecker stood, heading inside the Marauder, leaving only you and Hunter outside.

“What do we do now, Sarge?” you asked, unable to hide the waver of doubt in your voice. You hoped your leader would give you a plan you could hold yourself to.

Hunter sighed, you couldn’t ignore how tired he looked. “We keep searching. We… don’t let Tech’s sacrifice go to waste. That’s what we do.”

“But how?”

He turned to face you, “I don't know,

but we’ll figure it out. We always do. We have to, for all our sakes.”

It’s been only three days since Echo left, and Wrecker became that of a ghost. Spending the past few days in the gunner’s mount. The silence that came made the Marauder feel foreign; as if you walked onto the wrong ship. You wished he’d talk to you, to Hunter. You just wanted him to say something. You hated it when everything was so quiet. At least when he and Omega were making a ruckus, you knew they were okay. A loud crew was an alive one.

You had spent the entirety of the day helping Hunter take count of inventory. And with your final numbers, the pit in your stomach deepened. There were only two days worth of rations to split between the crew. And when you told Hunter he was, expectantly, just as concerned. You saw his heart sink, and the bags under his sleep-deprived eyes deepen. 

“I need to comm Rex,” he mumbled, running a hand down his face before heading to the cockpit and immediately attempting to make contact with Rex. He only patched through after his second attempt. The conversation wasn’t long, as Rex and Echo had a mission to pick up a clone wanting to leave the empire. But miraculously, they had someone in mind to help.

As soon as Rex gave him the information he needed, Hunter moved to the Navicomps and began mapping out the route you were to take. You offered to give him a hand, but he insisted he had it covered. So instead you left him with a cup of caf before you went to the cockpit.

You hoped Rex’s contact would be able to help as he said. That once you had a full inventory, everyone’s minds would be able to settle. That you’d be able to get on your feet to start searching for answers. 

The cloudy day transitioned into a stormy night on the planet you and the boys managed to station yourselves on; the drumming of rain becoming a hypnotic lullaby. You have a hot cup of caf in your hands. It makes sense to stay awake instead of disrupting your sleep later since you’d need to be awake in three standard hours to meet Rex’s contact. However, you couldn't help the calm, empty daze coming over you. It was pleasant to have an empty mind, to say the least, even if it was only for a moment—even if it was hard to maintain when the ship's silence matched that of your head.

It felt wrong trying to enjoy the calm after losing so much—after losing everything. As if, you weren't allowed to have it.

You pinched the bridge of your nose, cursing yourself for not enjoying the moment. Who knew when you’d have one like this again?

You grumbled inaudibly to yourself, finishing the last of your caf as you stared out the transparisteel. When you were about to get up to refill your cup, you could almost feel Echo’s disapproving gaze. 

So you decided that maybe one would be enough.

You rubbed your hands together, it was freezing in the Marauder. You wanted nothing more than to turn on the heating systems, but Hunter told you against it earlier; he wanted to conserve energy when possible. You tucked the old Republic-issued blanket on your lap, the thin fabric doing little to keep you warm.

“When have we ever followed orders?”

“No!”

“Tech!”

Wrecker’s body shoots up, banging his head, thunder challenging him as it crashes loudly in the distance. His body is ridden with shivers, unable to regain control as he takes in his surroundings—frantically looking for Lula. A relieved sigh escapes him once he sees her arm poking out from behind him. Wrecker immediately went to lift her to his face. The soft and familiar fabric was a nice contrast to his sweat-covered skin. He moved to sit crisscrossed, resting the tooka doll in his lap. Tears fell as he fiddled with the ears of the doll Tech had made him when they were cadets.

Nightmares have been pursuing Wrecker as their prey since they got back from their failed mission. And while Lula used to chase them away, she wasn’t able to this time. Because the nightmares were real.

They happened, they weren’t a reality he could run from.

He had always thought that he would have been the one to call out Plan 99—to go down for his vods. But here he was. Still here, still alive, while one of them wasn’t. Because he wasn’t able to reach him fast enough. 

Because he failed.

Wrecker wiped away the tears before they fell, his lip pulling to a frown as he refrained from letting out a sob. 

He was convinced that this was supposed to be easier. The Kaminoans made it seem like it would be. They all went through so much conditioning in case a vod was lost. Yet, despite that. Despite what he was told, he sat there, unable to grasp the idea of losing one of them, for as much as he knew, forever. 

He gulped hard, he needed to be around someone. He shifted in the gunner’s mount and made his way down, beloved Lula still in hand.

He looked to his side at the Navicomps, finding Hunter asleep. He hesitated in waking up his vod and decided to see if someone else was awake instead.

The silence was suddenly broken when footsteps began to thud throughout the shuttle, and you immediately recognized them as Wrecker. There was a momentary quiet before the door to the cockpit wooshed open. Wrecker, or who you assumed to be Wrecker, stood quietly at the entrance.

“Y’ up?” He finally asked, attempting to be quiet in case you weren't. His voice was more graveled than usual from the lack of use. 

“Yeah, I'm awake.” You responded, turning your seat to face him. He still had his neck brace, and had Lula in one of his hands. 

He stayed where he stood, shifting his weight again with a hand on the back of his head while the other continued to hold Lula.

“S’ okay uh… if I sit in here?”

You nodded, offering a gentle smile. He made his way to the copilot seat before easing himself down. He leaned back into the chair, eyes fixed on the sky in front of you.

“What’s Hunter up to?” you asked casually, attempting to make light conversation.

“He fell asleep at the Navi. I didn’t wanna wake 'em up.” He told you, rubbing one of Lula's arms between his pointer and thumb. 

You hummed, not surprised. You’ve found Hunter like that a few times yourself recently; only sleeping in short bursts before he was working again. And while you’ve insisted on him simply sleeping on a rack instead, he couldn’t bring himself to. The idea of not doing anything made him restless. That was clear. But some sleep is always better than no sleep.

You both stared up at the water droplets coming and going. Lightning expertly streaked the clouds like they were a canvas and it was a master painter; thunder shaking the sky above not long after. Wrecker was almost completely silent beside you. After a few moments of shared quiet, you glanced at him, his form silhouetted in darkness, the glow of navigation screens illuminating the edges of his face. You cleared your throat.

“So…How’re ya holdin’ up?” you finally prompted. You already knew that answer. But you wanted him to know you were here for him. 

Wrecker continued to face the windshield as he glanced at you with glassy eyes. He cleared his throat before he looked back to the glass as his lips tightened into a line. Only then did you notice the shake in his hands. How long have they been doing that?

“Wreck?” you called for him softly, but he didn’t give you a response. He merely put his head into his right hand, the flesh of his thumb and pointer finger covering his eyes. You shifted in your seat and leaned in, grabbing his left hand into yours. It continued to shake as his shoulders began to follow suit; Lula being left in his lap. You squeezed, and his calloused hand squeezed back. “Wrecker…” you gently pleaded.

He breathed in through his nose sharply before the thoughts that plagued him fell like an avalanche.

“I miss em’. I miss Omega I miss Crosshair- I-” he swallowed hard, before trembling out, “I miss Tech. I should’ve been able to reach him- he was right there but I couldn’t,” his lips tightened “I’m sorry I couldn’t-” was all he could get out before a sob interrupted him

You grabbed his cheek, “Wrecker, look at me…” you asked, silently begging him to oblige.

He lifted his head from his hand, looking at you with guilt-ridden eyes. You tilted your head to get a better look at him, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“Wrecker you need to understand that it’s not your fault. There was nothing you or anyone could have done. Tech… did what he knew would give us the best chance to get out. If there was another solution, he would have seen it,” you explained, tears pricking your own eyes. “There was no time left.”

He leaned into the palm of your hand as it became wet with his tears.

“What if- what if he’s still out there? And we just left him behind?” Wrecker questioned, causing you to stiffen at the suggestion. You paused to think about what to say as he searched your eyes for answers. You haven't been able to accept such a permanent loss yourself. Instead, you had convinced yourself that he was out there. That you wouldn't allow yourself to admit to him being dead unless you had unshakeable proof. That's what kept you going. At Least for now. 

“Tech is a smart and strong man Wrecker. If he survived that fall… he’d find a way to get back to us- to contact us. But we can’t risk going back, Wrecker. Not yet. Not when we have so few hands. Not when we're so low on everything. But… if he’s out there… we’ll find him.” 

Wrecker nodded, squeezing his eyes shut. He had a hand on top of yours now, inaudibly pleading for touch. You leaned forward to press your forehead against his.

“M’ so scared. I don't know what I'd do- you, Hunter, and Echo are all I have left I-” 

“We know Omega and Crosshair are still out there Wrecker. We’ll find them, we’ll bring them home,” you assured, wiping away his stray tears as you spoke.

“What if-” he choked, not needing to finish his unspoken suggestion. You moved your hand from his cheek to the back of his head, holding it to your own.

“No ifs, Wrecker. There are a lot of unknowns right now, and honestly, I’m scared too. But we can’t lose hope. We will search the ends of every galaxy if we have to. If it means our family will be together again. No matter how long that takes, we'll do it together,” you promised.

He gave you a quiet ‘okay’, tears continuing to fall down his cheeks. Not a moment later you felt him leaning his body forward before pulling you into a desperate hug. You didn’t hesitate to hug him back. His body racked with bone-deep shivers as he held onto you. As if you'd vanish if he didn't anchor you down. 

You stayed there like that for a few moments. And part of it was admittedly for yourself just as much as it was for him. The hardships you've all experienced in just the past two weeks alone weighed on the depths of your soul. And now you felt you could finally permit yourself to feel them. You both needed to take a moment to cry it out. And that was easiest to do when you had Wrecker wrapped around you like this. The weight of his grip reminds you that he's real and that he's here. That you're here. 

“I’m… happy you’re with us,” he said, his voice muffled against your shoulder as he gave you another squeeze. 

You sniffled and gave a small lighthearted laugh in an attempt to ease him, “‘Course I’m still here. Who else’ll keep you boys outta trouble when Echo’s away?”

He sniffled before giving you a short chuckle at the comment. You grinned to yourself, happy that you were able to get something out of him with that.

“But in all seriousness, everything will be okay. We’ll get em’ back. Nonna’ us are giving up on them, I promise.” 

He pulled away to look at you before wiping his eyes and smiling at you, wiping your tears off your cheeks when he saw them. “Yeah…you’re probably right,” he agreed sheepishly.

You shivered when the front of your body met the cold air, earning a concerned look from Wrecker.

“You okay?”

You looked up at him confused until you realized what he was referring to.

“Oh- yeah I’m just cold,” you explained, leaning back in your seat, wishing you had a nice hot cup of caf in your hands.

Wrecker stared at the floor of the cockpit in thought before having an idea.

“C’mere,” he offered, patting his lap.

You raised an eyebrow at him, “Ya sure?”

He nodded, placing his arms on the rests to give you more room to get onto his lap. You hesitantly accepted his offer, climbing onto him and disregarding your blanket. Immediately you were met with his warmth, it only increasing when he wrapped his arms around your middle. Lula ended up between you and his arms. Wrecker placed his head on top of yours, ignoring the momentary pain in his neck.

The clouds dissipated over the next hour, the rain softening in turn. You remained with him, both of you sinking into the co-pilot seat. You found yourselves admiring the constellations of this planet together, attempting to lock away the image of them into your memory. You don't remember the moments that came before sleep cradled you both. All you could remember was the feathery kiss that was placed on your head.

Hunter awoke with a crick in his neck from the odd position he had slept in. He attempted to rub out the discomfort with a groan before giving up and meekly accepting it to be his companion for the day. He could feel the rising sun, his senses easily picking up on the wavelengths it emitted. 

He knew that if the sun was rising, that meant the time to leave and meet their contact was approaching. He stood up, rolling his shoulders before heading to the cockpit. He figured that was where you and Wrecker would be, picking up on your distinct scents.

And he was right. There you both were, sharing the copilot seat as you both slept; your hearts beating in time with one another. Wrecker held onto you like you were his Tooka doll, and you slept there comfortably. Though to Hunter's surprise, Wrecker moved his head to face him.

“Shh, they’re sleepin’,” he scolded in a loud whisper.

Going through this too right now - wish I had Wrecker though ❤️❤️❤️ - this is so lovely and I wish I could just squish it to my chest and keep it there

Bygones Are Bygones

Pairing: Wrecker x GN!Reader

Summary: After falling out with friends, you find comfort in your favorite guy.

Warnings: Fluffy and some angsty friendship sads

Word Count: 647

A/N: this is totally not me processing a real life situation 👀

You were quiet. Unusually so, in fact but you just couldn’t shake the whole body permeating ache. It had been months since the fallout with your friendships but some days… some nights… you beat yourself up over how you could have done things differently. The ‘maybes’ and the ‘what ifs’ echoed in your mind the like the reverberations of the bass in 79s on Party Primeday.

Wrecker’s strong and warm touch returned you to the present. His large calloused hands tenderly squeezed and caressed your tense shoulders with an affection so deep it bled into your bones and provided instant comfort.

“Thinkin’ ‘bout Ess n’ Kae again.” The soft rumble of his voice was a statement instead of a question. A gentle reminder of how well he could read you.

You hummed a quiet affirmative. Denying the reality of his statement was futile.

“Wanna talk?” Sweet, sweet Wrecker. Always so deeply emotionally astute. He read you and everyone else around him like a munitions manual.

You shook your head with a sigh. “It’s just the same things. Again. I don’t want to burden you with repetitive whining. But thanks Wreck.”

His arms snaked around you, strong and protective. You melted some as your back pressed into his chest. For being so big and muscular, his sweet and gentle nature made his hugs softer than the softest plushies.

“Nuh-uh, mesh’la. If ya need ta talk, ya talk. I don’ care if ya’ve said it a thousand times before.”

His firm insistence crumbled your resolve immediately and the words spilled out once more. Just as they had countless times before.

“I just… I was content being cordial with Ess. We even apologized to each other. And then I find out they were bad mouthing me to my new friend group! And Kae… kriff… that one hurts more. The fact that they just started ignoring me. Heck I’d hoped we’d reconcile but clearly that isn’t going to happen. Just…” a frustrated and hurt sigh escaped your lips. “I know I made mistakes. I’m not too proud to admit that Wreck. But kriff it hurts. And not a karkin word. Just ghosted.”

Wrecker’s arms around you tightened as his chin came to rest on your head. His fingers traced soft patterns into the skin of your stomach. The muscles fluttered and you huffed a soft chuckle as his featherlight touch tickled you.

“What would ya say to ‘em. Right now. If ya could?”

You pursed your lips momentarily before uttering, “We don’t have to be friends anymore, but I’d also prefer it if we weren’t enemies. And I am sorry for my part in the dissolution of our friendship.”

The rumble in his chest made you cuddle closer. One hand came to your cheek, holding your face with intuitive softness and you smiled. You loved how safe you always felt with him.

“Anythin’ else?”

You shook your head as you looked up at him. In spite of the pain that still ached in your chest, the warmth of his affection spread deeper and more quickly.

“Thank you Wrecker. You’re so sweet. And smart. And patient…”

Wrecker laughed and pulled you closer. “Course cyare. ‘M always gonna listen. Always gonna be here for ya.”

You pulled up and kissed his jaw before nuzzling beneath his chin.

“Want to watch a holo tonight?”

“Haha! Hell yeah I do! Whatcha thinkin’?”

“Comedy?”

Wrecker growled playfully and pulled you in, kissing and squeezing you until you were all consumed with giggles. He wrapped the massive blanket on the sofa around you both as you curled up in his lap and turned on the holovision.

You watched the holofilm quietly, his steady heartbeat a soothing balm to the raw and healing emotional wound of your lost friendships. And while bygones are bygones, you took comfort in knowing that Wrecker was by your side no matter what.

Ragu List: @secondaryrealm @sev-on-kamino @dystopicjumpsuit @mooncommlink @starrylothcat

@starqueensside @mandos-mind-trick @the-rain-on-kamino @multi-fan-dom-madness @808tsuika

@msmeredithrose @trixie2023 @mythical-illustrator @wings-and-beskar

@wizardofrozz @523rdrebel @littlemissmanga @sinfulsalutations @the-bad-batch-baroness

@dickarchivist @eclec-tech @dreamie411 @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @cw80831

@flyiingsly @eternal-transcience @nahoney22

Black moonstone-patchouli-chime candle 🖤

Thank you for asking! Let's get this lovely chime candle, and roll it in Patchouli pieces and then melt the bottom and settle it on the black moonstone...

Let's see what kind of spell this creates! 💜

Warnings: Wrecker is adorable, reader is a jedi. Verbal prompt is in blue. This is the one bed trope. Wrecker thinks close contact laying with a jedi (such as cuddles or sleeping next to one) will get them kicked from the order - its Crosshair's fault.

A spell for warmth and protection

Wrecker x reader

You usually didn't go with the batch on missions. Usually, you'd meet the squad of essentric commandos at the location designated for your joint mission then continue from there. Even on the mission you rarely stuck right next to them, opting to camp at the far side of their encircling bedrolls and tents. There was no real reason for it - it was just what you had always done. You'd never though much past such a fact...until tonight-

You stared at the hotel bed before you, pain still shooting through your side from where the blaster bolt had struck you. Beside you, the biggest of the four towered as he too looked at the singular bed

"Ah...I....I can sleep on the floor" he dragged out with a touch of embaressment in his tone

"That's not fair" you sighed

"You're hurt" he insisted

"You're hurt more" you countered, gesturing to the binded bandages across his torso - some peeking from between his armour

Wrecker huffed, a childish looking pout crossing his features as he tried to think of another point to make

"This is nonsense" you shook your head and turned your gaze back to the offending furniture.

It wasn't a nice bed by any means, but would do the job for the night and appeared relatively clean. And it was definitely bigger than you needed - probably bigger than Wrecker was used to as well.

"I can call Hunter, he can fi-"

"We're not exactly on home turf here" you pointed out softly

Wrecker deflated a bit at the reminder.

"Right...getting the staff mad will cause a scene we cant afford..." the commando mumbled with his ever growing pout

"We're both adults..." you sat down on the mattress then patted the other side of the bed "we can sleep in the one bed"

"Together..." Wrecker's tone questioned your idea, though he still did as you non-verbally asked and rounded to the other side

"Yes" you nodded

"It...won't get you in trouble...right?" he asked as he settled himself down, the mattress shifting with his weight

"In trouble..." you mused in confusion "Why would it get me in trouble?"

"Well..." he nervously chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck instinctually but winced as it pulled at tender muscles "C-Cross said that Jedi can't touch clones at bedtime - that's why you never sleep with us"

You couldn't help the silly grin that pulled at your cheeks

"He said that?"

"Yeah!" Wrecker nodded "Said the teachin's why you won't fly with us either...!"

You let out a soft snort at the idea

"...he lied, didn't he...?" the large clone groaned, putting a hand to his face "I knew it sounded like...well not right!"

You swiveled in your spot beside him and began tugging softly at the latches of his armour

"There's no rules against where I sleep, with whom I sleep next to or whom I fly with" you explained as you continued

Wrecker let you undo his armour, piece by piece, glad to have it off him and set to the side.

Your gaze quickly tracked the wounds across his chest whre bacta had been applied - as each location had darkened the bandages.

"So why not?"

"huh?" you blinked, tilting your gaze up to meet his

"Why didn't you?"

You could see the confusion and vague hurt eminating from his form at the idea you willingly wouldn't join him and his brothers.

"I...just didn't" you shrugged, the question leaving you void of an answer for him

"But its dangerous!" he protested "I know you have the saber and the force..." he wiggled his fingers as if that is what made the force work "but!"

You watched as he paused and glanced at his lap, looking sheepish

"But...?"

"Well, I was worried...'bout you" Wrecker confessed softly "Every time..."

Wrecker peeked at you, then grabbed the hem of your robe - not daring to formally grab at you during such a vulnerable exchange but seeking that physical connection as he always did.

"Every time you didn't come with us, i'd worry about you. I'd peek out of my tent just to make sure you were right where i saw you had bene when you went to bed. I tried to stay close as i could...but I didn't want to get you in trouble - or make you uncomfortable"

You could feel your chest grow warm as your heart swelled at his sweet admissions and caring nature.

"Thank you" you whispered as you felt heat gather in your cheeks

"Ahw...it's...it's nothin'" he mumbled looking embaressed

You peeked at his crude bandages then fished out the spare aid kit you kept with you

"Alright, let me take better care of those wounds" you resettled beside him and reached for the first bandage's tie

"Uh...its alright" The sweet commando insisted "Really, I've survived worse"

You gave him a look

"Wrecker, whether you have or not isn't in question. The fact is, I can't just let you stew in barely dressed wounds. I may not be a healer - but I know how to clean and dress injuries..."

Wrecker fussed a bit but inevitably let you take care of him. Let you delicately pry the bandages from his blacks and gingerly over the holes that exposed his skin and clotted wounds. Let you pull his shirt from him and then let you clean each painful location across his torso.

Wrecker hissed as you put the last patch on, it happened to cover the most painful looking one out of the group, but you could tell by how taut his muscles were he was trying his best to stay still for you.

Suddenly feeling an overwhelming urge, you leaned in and kissed next to this particular wound.

"There, now it won't hurt - promise"

Wrecker stared at you wide-eyed and jaw ajar as you pulled back and fished out more patches

"Uh- but..." his voice called your attention to return to his confused face "you got em all"

You stifled a giggle as he gesutred to his new bandages - he thought you were fishing more out for him.

"I need your help" you explained softly as you handed him the sterile patch and the bacta solution.

You then hicked up the side of your robes to expose your upper thigh and hip - where you'd been shot earlier

"I can't see it very well, so...you'll have to help me"

"ah....okay...." he paused looking a bit unsure "I don't usually do this part"

You then walked Wrecker through cleaning and banadging your wound properly - well as proper as you two could manage without being medics.

To his credit, he was very good with his hands and the fine motor abilities needed to do so as painlessly as possible. He didn't mess up placing the banadge nor secured it too tightly - both which you did accidentally to him only a short time ago.

The moment he was done, Wrecker looked at you then at the bandage, then back again as if waiting for something - or perhaps debating something...it was hard to tell

But then he leaned over and pressed a delicate peck against your skin before pulling up quickly and mumbling "so it won't hurt anymore" just as you'd done for him.

Both your faces were hot but with the bandaging complete, you both set to fixing the bed up for the night. Ensuring the door was locked tight and all grimy parts of your attire set to the side until tomorrow, the two of you settled into the bed to go to sleep.

Only sleep wasn't coming to either of you - no matter how hard you tried.

You heard your name whispered as heated breath fanned across your shoulder

"Mmm?"

"I can't sleep" Your bedtime buddy mumbled "uh...can...can I hold you?"

You felt that heat rise back to your cheeks at the ask but remembering your past words on how you both could sleep in bed with one another and have no problems arise...

"Alright" you whispered back

Not even a moment passed before his thick, warm arms wrapped around you and pulled you back into his chest. The heat from his form enveloped you like sheets coming fresh from the dryer and you felt your eyelids droop at the sudden comforting aura.

"This is better" he insisted with a yawn punctuating his words

You nodded, feeling yourself dozing off already.

Wrecker held you a little tighter and pressed his face to your shoulder. Nuzzling against it breifly as he relaxed and felt himself get heavy. As if merely having you in his arms would protect you this night from all that lingered beyond, as if it were a simple spell to keep you safe from all that wished to harm you.

Build-a-spell Masterlist (wip)

Dividers by me

Reblog divider by dystopicjumpsuit 💜

Working Parts

Pairing: Echo x F!Reader

Summary: There was always something about Echo that drew you to him, you had no idea that he'd feel the same way. But when he shares his past with you, you know you want to be there to comfort him in the future.

Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, pregnancy mention, lots of angst, but it's also so soft

Notes: This was written for the @cloneficgiftexchange run by @ghostofskywalker and this fic was written for @jedipoodoo , I hope you enjoy!!

Prompts: "You're okay, I'm right here." ||"I won't leave you." - and you also included that you love stories about parenthood and pregnancy, so I did my best!

Word Count: 3.4k

Read on AO3 Here

Taglist: None, let me know if you'd like to be added!

Masterlist

The first time you saw Echo, he had just disembarked from his ship, visiting his brothers and his sister. You happened to be near the landing port, and you looked over just as he descended the ramp, and from there you knew that you wanted to meet him, to get to know him. 

But you also knew that you weren't really the type to walk up to someone new, especially here. You were new enough to Pabu, the idea of putting yourself out there when you had just come here to hide from the Empire just seemed counter intuitive. It wasn't as if you were in any kind of trouble, after all, you were a mechanic and if anything would be an asset to them, but it seemed safer to stay out of sight, you could think of only a few things worse than being forced into the Empire.

“His name is Echo.” You heard a voice ring out from beside you, making you jump. You turned to your right, the voice had come from another one of the new arrivals, you had only learned that his name was Tech a few weeks prior when he walked into your shop looking for parts for his ship.

“W-What?” Your voice was still flustered from the sudden scare.

“I assumed you would want the name of the person you were so obviously staring at.”

“No, I–” You began to protest before sighing, knowing it was pointless to argue.

Tech waited for you to continue your sentence, but when you didn't, he adjusted his goggles and walked over to greet his brother.

“Like he'd want to meet me..” You muttered to yourself, but almost as soon as Tech made it over to Echo, the latter had turned his head to face you. That was your cue to turn and leave, not wanting to make him uncomfortable with your apparent staring.

~ ~ ~

The second time you saw Echo was a few months following the initial visit. He and his brothers had all come by your shop. Tech had placed another order for his seemingly never-ending tinkering, and the others - whose names you had finally learned - decided to accompany him.

You were surprised to see them all there in your little shop, but especially surprised to see Echo. It seemed that his visits to Pabu were few and far between. 

You did absolutely everything you could to avoid staring. 

When you were busying yourself with re-organizing drawers of miscellaneous parts, you heard your name being called out from behind you. It caused you to jump and knock over a pile of bolts onto the ground.

“Oh kriff, sorry about that.” 

You turned around slowly, trying not to let the embarrassment show in your face, only to be faced with the one you were internally trying to avoid.

“Don’t worry about it.” You said, a bit too shakily..

“That is your name though, right?” He asked, and when you nodded, he smiled. “Good to know, I’m Echo.”

“Nice to meet you.” You forced a smile back.

The tallest of them, Wrecker, wandered up to the front counter to join the two of you, and slapped a hand across Echo’s shoulder.

“Weird you two have never met!” He laughed, “I mean, Echo always just stares at you whenever he sees you, so it’s nice you finally have a chance to talk!” 

“...Thanks, Wreck.” Echo sighed, and looked at you with a slightly guilty expression.

You smiled and shook your head in reassurance to his unspoken apology, knowing you were guilty of the same thing. This almost gave you hope that your desire to get to know him was mutual. Almost.

Before long, the others approached the counter to collect their order and purchase the additional parts they had gathered in your shop. 

As they left, Echo took one last look toward you before ducking out of the building, and you got to work cleaning up the bolts you had knocked over.

Kriff. You sighed to yourself.

~ ~ ~

The time between Echo’s visits seemed longer and longer the more you eventually started getting to know him. You would never admit it out loud, but you even began to miss him when he wasn’t around.

He was kind, and he was quick-witted; he definitely matched his brothers' sarcasm and humour. And when the evening sun shone on him, his eyes almost appeared to glow gold.

It didn't take long for you to completely fall for him, he had a way of speaking that invited you in, he was charming and confident, certainly the type who could have any girl he wanted. 

For that reason, in addition to his frequent trips off-world, you decided not to say anything to him about your feelings. At least you wouldn't pine after him when you didn't have to see him every day, you had figured.

You had put the kettle on one evening and began sorting through your to-do list for the next day, getting lost in your thoughts when a loud knock on the door startled you out of them. 

Cautiously, you walked to the front window, peering out to see who could possibly be visiting, when you saw Echo standing on your front steps, looking around nervously, with his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

You unlocked the door and opened it. 

"Echo? What are you doing here?" You didn’t even realize he was on-world.

"I uh.. was just nearby and wanted to say hi." He was shuffling his feet a little, and his tone was hesitant.

Everything you had thought of his confidence seemed to fizzle away with his words, but still you smiled. 

"Hi," you repeated in greeting.

"Right well.. I should just.." He sighed, "I had a whole idea of what I was going to say but..."

You shook your head, still smiling. "I just put the kettle on, would you like to come in for some tea?" 

He breathed a sigh of relief, "I'd love to."

Echo entered your house slowly, as if he wasn't fully sure if he was actually welcome.

"Make yourself at home," you told him, reassuringly. "Tea should be ready soon."

"Thank you." He sat down on the sofa, taking in his surroundings. 

Your living room was warm and inviting, it certainly felt like you. He smiled, eying some of the photos on the wall.

He knew fairly early on how he felt about you, the fact that you seemed just as nervous as he was when you had first met gave him courage that you might even feel the same way. You were smart, you knew your way around all the working parts of any droid or ship on the planet. Something that he almost felt was humourous, given the fact that it made up most of him too. But more than that, his own darker thoughts figured that meant you’d want nothing to do with him. For that reason, he could never be open about his feelings toward you, but he had enough of hiding it. This revelation was what brought him to your door.

You returned to the living room holding two tea cups, and you set his down in front of him before sitting down on a nearby armchair.

"So what did you have to say?" You asked when you were settled.

"I'm sorry?" He asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"You said you had an idea of something you wanted to say."

"Oh, right I-..." 

He looked down at the teacup.

"I guess I just wanted to talk to you. We’ve been getting to know each other, but I feel like I still don’t know much about you."

You smiled, "Well there's not much to know. I came to Pabu after the Empire began occupying Lothal, opened up my shop, and have been here ever since."

"I see. Not the worst place to escape to," He noted. "Do you er... Anyone special?" 

You could feel blood rise to your cheeks at his question. 

"N-No, not really. Do.. you?" 

"Nah, me neither." His admission brought a feeling of relief to you. He had a sad look as he continued. “Not really sure it’s in my cards. Part of me always kinda wanted a family, especially after meeting Cut and Suu, knowing that some clones out there are living comfortably, but..” He trailed off.

You wanted so badly to comfort him in some way, but you didn’t know how. Anything you thought of saying would only reveal your feelings toward him, and you weren’t really ready to do that.

It grew silent with neither of you knowing what to say.

Eventually, you spoke up, figuring the best thing to do was to change the subject.

"What do you think of Pabu?" You asked him.

He thought about his answer, then he looked at you earnestly, with a spark in his eye that you couldn't quite place. 

"Honestly? I know I’m gone for long periods of time, but… It's getting harder and harder to leave." 

"You could stay." You blurted out without thinking, and you quickly tried to recover, "I mean, since the others live here and all.." 

You mentally facepalmed at your outburst.

But instead of poking fun at you, you heard a quiet chuckle.

"Maybe I will, after my job out there is done."

Your curiosity got the better of you. “What is it that you do when you’re away?”

“We help lost clones find places where they can be safe and comfortable, and above all, free.” 

You smiled, “That’s really noble.”

“It’s the least we can do. Rex and I both feel like we’re only alive today because of the blood our brothers spilled for us, so it’s only fair that we use that to help the ones still out there.”

“What was the war like for you?”

He paused and looked down at his cup. “It’s kind of hard to say.”

You waited to see if he would continue.

“It took me and my squad a long time to even pass the training drill to leave Kamino. They used to call us the Domino squad because we always seemed to fall one after the other. When we did finally get deployed, we were sent to an outpost on the Rishi moon and in our first real battle, we lost three of our men.”

“I see…”

“After that though, Fives and I were taken into the 501st under Captain Rex, where we eventually were made ARC Troopers, but after that was the Citadel.”

“What happened?”

“I got blown up.” He stated, his tone was laced with almost dry humour but he wasn’t laughing. “Seps got me and turned me into, well, this. And now I’m here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful that Rex and the boys found me on Skako Minor, but I still get nightmares about it sometimes.”

He looked over at you, and his expression turned sympathetic after he saw how upset you looked.

“I guess I unloaded there, sorry.”

“Don’t be, I’m glad you told me. I just wish I knew what to say.”

He smiled a half smile at you, “I appreciate you listening.”

Without really thinking, you moved closer to him, wrapping your arms around his neck in a tight embrace. You stayed there for a moment, and soon you felt his arm reach around you, holding you there.

~ ~ ~

After that night, your relationship with Echo changed. He trusted you, you knew that just from the fact that he was willing to tell you everything about his past. 

When he’d arrive on Pabu, he always met you with an embrace, and more times than not, he’d show up at your house to discuss his missions and any news you had over a cup of tea.

And one of those nights, he had finally confessed his feelings for you. 

He didn’t work up to it in any sense. Instead, when you opened the door to let him inside, he stood on the doorstep, holding a bouquet of flowers out to you.

“What’s this?” You said smiling at the gift.

“I love you.” He announced, a faint blush growing across his cheeks, he was slightly shaking, but his eyes were serious.

“You- What?” Was all you could manage to say in reply. You heard him, but you couldn’t believe what you were hearing.

“I have for a while now. I knew from the start that I had feelings for you, but.. Ever since the night where I told you about, well, everything, I knew how deep those feelings were. If you don’t… Feel the same way, that’s okay, but I needed you to know.”

“Echo…” You managed to say, quietly. “I do feel the same.”

“What?” Echo was surprised, and he immediately believed he misheard you.

“Come in, please.” You said, and all but pulled him into your house. “I love you too.”

“But why? I.. Since when?”

“The same time as you.” You sighed and stood closer to him. “I’ve always had feelings for you, since we met. And when you opened up to me, when you trusted me with your past, I couldn’t ignore it anymore, but I always thought I was alone in it, so I couldn’t bring myself to tell you.”

He smiled softly and placed his hand on your cheek, drawing your face closer to his. 

“You’re not alone. I’m right here with you.” He told you before he closed the distance, pressing his lips to yours, and you wrapped your arms around him, smiling into the kiss.

Echo broke the kiss before you both ran out of air, but still he held you close to him, pressing his forehead against yours.

“I’m relieved that you feel the same way, but I would understand if you didn’t, with me being this.”

“Oh shush,” you told him. “You’ll need a mechanic to keep everything in order.”

He smiled at you before placing a kiss against your lips once again.

~ ~ ~

You felt him tossing in the bed next to you. Another nightmare, you thought to yourself. 

He was getting them more frequently, and it worried you. It had been some time since he was rescued from Skako Minor, but the memories he had of his life before that had never quite faded. Memories of a life he could never quite return to. And you knew that something else was causing him stress. His nightmares grew more frequent ever since you had told him that you were pregnant. 

He was happy to be on Pabu with you, to start a family with you. But you knew it was still a hard adjustment for him. Not just living on Pabu, but everything since waking up from the stasis chamber he was put in. Everything that he had told you about all those years ago still haunted him to this day, and you wished that there was some way that you could help, but he had always told you that just being there with him was enough.

All you could really do in these moments was to try and calm him down, gently ease him out of his nightmares, try to get him to talk to you about them when he woke up, but sometimes it was easier said than done. 

You lay next to him, rubbing his back gently guiding your hand up and down next to the cybernetics, attempting to soothe him from his nightmare without waking him. He stirred gently under your touch before his eyes fluttered open.

"Fives!" He yelled as he lifted himself up off the bed. 

He took a moment to look around, eyes adjusting to the dark room.

"Shh.. You're okay." You whispered to him. 

He fell back onto the bed, turning to look at the ceiling before turning to face you.

"You should be sleeping." He said quietly, "I didn't wake you, did I?"

You shook your head, "No, I was already awake." 

He sighed and pulled you close to him, you adjusted yourself so you could rest your back against his chest, and he held you there, with a hand rubbing your belly gently. 

"I dreamt about the Citadel." He began. "Only instead of me getting hurt, it was Fives." 

You could feel his breath get shakier, and you intertwined your fingers with his. 

"I couldn't protect him. I couldn't protect any of them. Fives, Cutup, Droidbait, Hevy... I'm the only one left." 

You could tell from his voice that this wasn't entirely about his nightmare, and you turned back around to face him.

"Echo.." You gently reached your hand up to rest it on the side of his face.

He wouldn't meet your gaze, his eyes became fixed on your belly.

"What if I can't protect our child?" He asked quietly. 

"You can't think like that, I know you'll do anything for them." 

"But what if I can't?" He sighed, "You deserve someone you can rely on, someone strong to stand beside you. A good father for your children."

"And I have him." You reassured him. "Echo, everything you've described is you. I know you're afraid, and it's okay to be. In a couple months, we'll have someone else to look out for, but I know we'll be able to do this together. I didn't know them, but I know that Fives, Hevy, everyone would be so proud of you, for everything you've made it through, and everything that is coming our way." 

He sighed in frustration, clearly not hearing your words. “I won’t even be able to hold them properly without hurting them. How am I supposed to take care of a child?”

“Because you’re not doing it alone. Echo, I’m still here. I’ll always be here, we’ll be in this together, just like we always have.”

You pressed your forehead against his. "I'm right here with you." 

Echo nudged his forehead into yours gently, and pressed a kiss against your lips. 

"Thank you, mesh'la. You always know what I need to hear. I'm.. sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry. Anytime you need to hear it, I'll be here. I won't leave you."

~ ~ ~

If there was one thing Echo didn’t need to worry about, it was whether or not he would be a good father. 

He was nervous about it, of course. His nerves couldn’t be calmed until the moment he looked into the big brown eyes, his eyes, on this tiny person. His insecurities and worries all melted away from that moment onward.

He had a bit of practice with Omega, but fatherhood really came naturally to him. You remembered hearing a joke once that it was the Mandalorian genes, but to you, it was just how Echo was. He was always kind, gentle, and caring, and these traits became even stronger once your child was born. 

He was a perfect father, perhaps a little overly cautious at times, but caring all the same. You remembered laughing at his idea to wrap a soft blanket around his scomp link so that it didn’t dig into your child’s skin, but he did it anyway.

And he was proud that his child had such a loving family, the other batchers became the best uncles overnight. Hunter and Wrecker immediately took to doting on and fawning over your child, Tech took to adding all kinds of child safety measures to the Marauder, and Omega was ecstatic to finally be an aunt. 

You knew that there was still a part of Echo that he tried his best to keep hidden that longed to see the other members of the Domino squad be part of your little loving family, to watch your child grow up, to play games with them, to teach them to fly, to tell them stories about their dad that even you haven’t heard, to just be there, to be alive, but all you could do was reassure him that, wherever they are, they were looking out for him, and the new addition. 

From there, everything seemed to fall into place. Everything made sense. 

Echo had told you once, all that time ago that he had wanted a family of his own, a dream of his and yours that became reality with you by his side. 

The two of you were working parts, you helped each other move and grow, and you would continue to do so for as long as you could.

Hello! Congratulations on another follow event!! That is so awesome!!🎉🎉

I was looking at the list of AUs that you write out, and was wondering if you could write a Fairytale AU with Wrecker please? And the ball could be a masquerade which would add onto the not knowing who the slipper belongs to mystery! This would also be with a gender neutral reader please!

Masquerade

Summary: You’ve been pushing off your marriage for as long as you can. But your uncle has finally gotten fed up with your procrastination. He holds a massive ball, in the hopes that you might find a partner. You don’t have any control over the party…but you can demand that it’s a masquerade.

Pairing: Pre Wrecker x F!Reader

Word Count: 2648

Prompt: Cinderella AU

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: Alright! I wasn't sure, for a long time, as to how to write this, but I think I just needed to write something that wasn't an AU to get something out that I liked. I hope you like it!

The room is filled with people clad in stunning gowns, intricate suits, and glittering masks in every shade of color known to man. Flowers have been picked from the gardens, woven together, and wrapped around the pillars around the dance floor filling the room with a soft floral scent that you would normally enjoy.

But, from where you’re standing near the refreshment table, nursing a fruity drink that’s so sweet that a single sip made you nauseous, you can’t help but think that the people here look like glittering bugs.

And all of them, every single one, are here on the off chance that they will impress you enough for you to marry them.

Disgusting.

You set your glass back on the table, smooth the skirt of your leaf green dress, and absently ensure that your mask (designed to look like different flowers and vines) is still attached to your face, and then you turn to the crowd.

No one will recognize you, that was the whole point of the masquerade, maybe you’ll find someone interesting enough to talk to. You’re not going to hold your breath though, in your experience, nobility is incredibly vapid and shallow.

Honestly, you’d have a more interesting conversation with the orchids in the garden.

Still, if you don’t even try, you’re uncle will throw the mother of all fits, and then choose a partner for you, and you’d sooner throw yourself into a river than allow that to happen.

So you plaster a fake smile on your face and start weaving through the crowd.

A few people stop your wandering so they can talk to you, though when the conversation turns to you, well not you, but to the crowned princess (who is you, but they don’t know that), you excuse yourself. Especially when they start insulting you.

You really don’t need to hear how people think that you’re lazy or entitled or how ‘when I’m chosen I’ll put her in her place’. 

Yeah, not going to happen. Ever.

Eventually, you find yourself sitting on the balcony overlooking the gardens. It’s a nice evening, not so hot that it’s sticky and miserable outside, but not so cold that you need a shawl to stay warm. You can still hear the music from outside, but no one else is outside with you.

Of course not. They expect the Princess to be inside.

You tilt your head back so you’re able to watch the stars. You trace constellations with your eyes, your gaze darting from one to the next, the myriad of stories racing through your mind as you find each constellation.

You’re pulled from your thoughts at the sound of footsteps on the balcony, and you lower your head to see who’s joined you outside.

A man.

Clad in a white suit and wearing a mask that almost looks like it was crafted out of crystal.

He looks surprised to see you, “Apologies,” He says with a sketched bow, “I thought that I’d be alone out here.”

You tilt your head, “The balcony is large enough that we can be alone together.”

He chuckles, a low noise that makes you feel pleasantly warm, and then he sinks onto one of the other benches. You watch him, out of the corner of your eye, as he removes one of his shoes and massages his feet.

“Do your shoes not fit?” You ask, unable to stop yourself.

“They’re new,” He explains, “My brothers and I got our invitations the day before yesterday.”

You blink at him, startled. That implies that he’s a commoner and that his family won the raffle. “Well, congratulations then. I understand that the raffle was very popular.”

He pauses and glances at you, and then a smile crosses his face, “Thanks. It was actually my older brother who put in the ticket, on behalf of our younger sister. She couldn’t come, she’s too young. But she liked seeing us all dressed up.”

“I bet she did. In my experience, all little girls like dress-up parties.”

He grins at you, “My brother would ask you to cite your sources.”

Your head tilts back as you laugh, genuinely amused, “Oh, very well. My sources are that I was a little girl once.” You grin at him, “I used to sit on my parents' bed when I was little and watch them get ready for parties, it was like magic to me.” You pause, “Of course, then I grew up and I realized how much I hated dressing up myself.”

“Well, you might hate it, but I happen to think that you look amazing.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Like a forest spirit or something.”

You’re glad that you’re wearing a mask, suddenly, so he’s not able to see the flustered flush on your face. “Well, thank you.” You reply as you lightly touch the flower tucked behind your ear, “That was the inspiration.”

“I can tell.” He pauses, “You know, I saw a forest spirit once. I was just a kid, and my siblings swear that I imagined the whole thing, but I know what I saw.”

“You’re lucky they didn’t kidnap you,” You reply.

“Don’t I know it,” He replies with a laugh, “But after that day I always felt more at home in the forests than anywhere else. I like to think that I got a forest spirit’s blessing that day.”

“Maybe you did. They do as they like, after all.” You fall silent for a moment, though you keep glancing at him, “I’m sorry,” You finally burst, “I have to ask, is your mask made of crystal?”

He looks surprised for a moment, but then he grins, “Sure is. The mask was sold with the suit. Even the shoes are meant to look like crystal.”

You lean over slightly to look at his shoes, “Well, no wonder they’re so uncomfortable,” You marvel, “How did they manage that, I wonder?”

“No idea, but the salesman was thrilled to shove both of them on me for cheap. They’re pretty comfortable, I keep forgetting that I’m wearing a mask at all.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? The whole point of today is the masquerade.”

“I thought the whole point was for the Princess to find a partner,” The man jokes.

You tilt your head, “Is that why you’re here? To marry the Princess?”

“I’m sure the princess wouldn’t be interested in someone like me.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Well, I’m kind of big. And a little rough around the edges. I don’t know the princess, only ever seen her on the holo, but she’s always seemed so dignified and put together. And, like, serene I guess.”

“Sounds like you admire her,” You murmur.

“I do admire her. After the King died and the Queen retreated from the public eye, people expected her to quail under the attention suddenly focused on her, but she didn’t. She stood firm and took all of the scrutiny. She was just a kid, it was…impressive.”

A small smile pulls on your lips, “You’re one of the few people here who have something nice to say about the princess.”

“Yeah, well…” He rubs the back of his neck, “I might have crushed on her, bad, when I was a kid.”

Your smile widens, “That’s cute.”

His face flushes, at least, the part you can see under the mask, “She looked like she could use a friend and a protector, and I figured I could be both. But I grew out of it.”

He glances at you, and his flush deepens at the look of amusement on your face, “A-anyway, isn’t that why you’re here? To marry the Princess?”

“Hm? Oh.” You lean back on the bench, “No, I’m here because my Uncle insisted. If I had my way, I wouldn’t be here at all, alas—”

“Do you not like the princess?”

“Hm…more like I don’t like the idea of marrying someone I don’t know.” You reply.

“I suppose that makes sense.” He folds his arms, “Do you think the Princess is happy for all of this?” He tilts his head back towards the ballroom.

You hum thoughtfully, “I wouldn’t be, in her shoes.” You absently smooth your skirt again, and then you stand, “Would you like to dance?”

“What? Here?”

You shrug, “Why not? The music is loud enough, and we don’t have to worry about people bumping into us.”

He stares at you a moment longer, and then he smiles and stands, “Alright. I’d love to dance.” He stands and offers you his hand, and you eagerly place your hand into his, “I should warn you, I’ve never danced before.”

“That’s alright, I’m sure I’ve had enough lessons to make up for it.” You joke as he, hesitantly, places his hand on your waist. You beam up at him, “I’m sure you’ll do great.”

The pair of you dance for hours, or so it seems. With you teaching him how to move and where to place his hands, and having genial conversation when you take breaks.

You quickly realize that you like him.

Genuinely like him.

You still don’t like the idea of marrying someone you don’t know, but if it’s him then maybe it won’t be so bad.

And then the party ends, and he’s gone and you never got his name. And all that’s left of his presence is the lingering warmth in your hand from where his hand had been wrapped around yours, and the crystalline mask that you found near a side exit half an hour after he left.

Thoughtfully, you bring the mask to your bedroom and set it on your dresser as you change out of your costume, your mind racing.

There aren’t many tailors who make masks, so tracking who made his mask will be easy enough. And, hopefully, the tailor will remember who bought the mask.

You hope so.

You finish donning your sleepwear and lightly trail a finger across the crystal of the mask. A smile crosses your face. Yes. He’s your choice. And if your uncle doesn’t like it…well, you’re over 18 and no longer need a regent. If he doesn’t like it, then he can pound sand.

It’s been three weeks since the masquerade, and Wrecker is still kicking himself for losing his mask. He knows that he must have dropped it at the palace, but it’s not like he can just show up and ask if he can look for it.

It’s a shame since Omega wanted to collect the masks.

Oh well, that’s life he supposes.

He runs his hand over his head as he heads downstairs, he lightly ruffles Omega’s hair, pulling a disgruntled noise from her, and then wanders into the kitchen where Echo and Fives are cooking breakfast.

Or, well, Fives is cooking breakfast and Echo is making coffee.

“Smells good,” Wrecker mumbles.

“It's better than good, the eggs are fresh and Crosshair made the bread this morning.” Fives replies.

“Crosshair did?”

“He’s working through some anger issues,” Echo pipes up, “We have lots of dough.”

“Oh. Well…good.”

“Morning,” Tech says as he walks into the room, clearly having been awake for hours now, “Have you heard the news?”

“No,”

“Nope.”

“I just woke up.”

Echo, Fives, and Wrecker speak in unison, causing Tech to blink at them. “Ah. Well, the Crowned Regent has been forcibly removed from the Throne. And the Crowned Princess was Coronated late last night. So she is Queen now.”

“Shouldn’t there have been a celebration?” Echo asks.

“I am sure that there are reasons—” Tech starts, only to pause as the doorbell rings.

“I got it!” Omega shouts, and then she scrapes her chair against the floor and they listen to her run to the front door, “Yes? Can we help yo—” Omega stops midsentence, and then she runs to the kitchen door, “Um.”

“What’s wrong, Meg?” Fives asks.

“The Queen is at the door. With her entourage.”

No one moves for a moment, and then they all start moving at the same time, scrambling into the living room with a frantic energy. The new Queen is standing in the foyer, thoughtfully looking at a picture of the group of brothers.

“Your Majesty,” Tech blurts, bowing deeply, “You honor us with your presence.”

She pauses and turns to look at them, a small smile on her face, and Wrecker is suddenly struck with the realization that he knows that smile. He spent hours with the woman who had the same smile.

“Please,” The Queen faces them properly, “There’s no need for that. I apologize for arriving so early.”

Wrecker stares at the Queen, his jaw slightly dropped. If the smile wasn’t proof enough, the voice was. She’s the person he spent the evening dancing with.

He confessed about his crush on the princess to the princess. Wrecker groans and presses his hand over his face, “You couldn’t have told me who you were?”

She laughs, “Well, that would have ruined the masquerade aspect, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah, but I was talking about you. To your face.”

“At least it was all kind things, most everyone else was mean.” She says reassuringly.

Wrecker drops his hand away from his face, “Can I ask why you’re here?”

She releases a little hum and pulls something out of her bag, and Wrecker realizes that it’s his mask, “You left this behind. I’m glad you did, honestly, it would have been hard to find you without it.” She offers him the mask, and Wrecker takes it.

“Thank you, I was worried I’d never see it again.”

She beams at him, “Your name is Wrecker, yes? The Tailor told me.”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

Her smile widens, “I am not looking for a spouse, Wrecker. The idea of marriage makes me want to run screaming for the hills, however, my uncle filled the palace with people who support him, and I find myself in need of skilled bodyguards.”

“...are you offering us a job?” Fives asks.

“If you’re agreeable to the idea.” She replies, “In the last week there have been no less than three assassination attempts.”

“We have a lot of brothers,” Hunter says from the back door, “I’m sure we can make things safe for you.”

“You have my gratitude.” She turns to the man standing behind her, “Lesian, if you would?”

“Of course, your Majesty.” The man bows, and then pulls some paper from a bag he’s carrying, “I have some paperwork that you all should look over.”

Wrecker watches as his brothers follow the older man out of the living room, and then flickers his gaze back to the Queen. Her attention is focused back on the pictures on the walls, and he can’t help but think that she looks very lonely.

“Those were taken at the beach three years ago, I think.” Wrecker explains, “Hunter had just gotten custody of Omega, she was so small at the time.”

“I’ve never been.”

“To the beach?”

“Yeah. Father always promised to bring me one day, but after he died it just never happened.”

“I’ll bring you.”

She laughs, “Will you now?”

“Absolutely.” Wrecker folds his arms, “I know you said you’re not looking for a husband, but how about a friend?”

She turns to look at him, surprise clear on her face, and then she smiles at him, soft and warm, “I’ve never had a friend before.”

“That’s alright, I can teach you how it’s done.” Wrecker grins, “And if friendship turns into something more, well…that’s okay too, right?”

At that, she laughs. “So, that little crush on me-?”

“Didn’t fade as much as I thought.” He shrugs, “Luckily, I’m a patient man. Now, I have paperwork I need to fill out. Would you like to have breakfast with us?”

A blinding smile crosses her face, and Wrecker realizes that he’s in love with her, “It would be my honor, Wrecker.”