Day 5: Heathers (Reluctant Whumper)

Day 5: Heathers (Reluctant Whumper)

Fandom: The Owl House

Summary: Hunter is sent to kill a wild witch. Even if he doesn't want to, he has to.

  Hunter had been told that obedient was the best thing he could be. It was the best way to help his dear uncle. It was as the titan had intended.

    He never questioned it. At least outwardly. Being sent to find wild witches was something Hunter had never minded. Missions to find titans blood or other mythical objects weren't rare and it didn't matter who got hurt or killed as long as he came back with what he was sent for.

    Even if he never found titans blood, he came back with most everything else. But this mission was different. When Belos had told him that his only job was to find a wild witch and kill her he opened his mouth to protest. 'Maybe she's not past redemption?' he thought.

    But he was obedient. He was like a loyal dog who ran back to their owner even after being kicked over and over. He was hurt over and over but he still ran to Belos. There was no one else he had to listen to, to guide him.

    So off he went. Killing was something he was uncomfortable with. Hunter had never taken a life. He never wanted to. But this was what he was needed for. It almost felt as if Belos was trying to get rid of him.

    But that couldn't be the case. All Hunter had ever done was what he was told or what was in the best interest of Belos. It wasn't easy.

    Hunter found the witches home. It was smaller but pretty. There was a window to crawl into so he walked to it. Placing his staff off to the side of the window, the boy crawled inside. He walked around until he heard laughter.

    It felt like his heart stopped. The witch had a friend over. He walked back out to the living area and stepped into the kitchen. Picking up a piece of fruit he reseated the situation.

    The truth was he could hurt her. It didn't matter what Belos wanted. Hunter couldn't do it. He had to return to say he hadn't found her or that he had failed to end her life.

    But how could he return empty handed. How did he walk into the castle knowing that he left instead of even trying? Could Belos know? What would happen if he found out?

    Hunter sighed as footsteps came from the hall. He hid behind a counter as he listened to two women talking. "I thought I heard something."

    The two women looked around the room until they found Hunter. "Golden guard." The target spoke. "Why are you here?"

    The boy just looked at her. She didn't look evil. Her shoulder length deep blue hair was half but up. Her clothes were nicely put together and so were her partners.

    But what now? He stood behind the counter with a knife. A knife he had barely realized he had in his hand. It had been given to him by Belos for the mission. "Routine checkup, I'll be going now." That was the best thing he could come up with.

    The witch knew better than to believe that. "Sasha, grab my plainsmen." The target said. Sasha nodded and ran out of the room.

    Whether Hunter liked it or not, it was time to fight. Running to the window, he was pulled back inside before he could grab his staff. "I know why you're here."

    "You do?"

    "I'm not stupid, you're here because I'm a wild witch. By the look of the knife, you're probably gonna kill me."

    Hunter tried to explain but the women didn't give him a chance. As Sasha thew her partner her plainsmen, the boy was thrown to the ground.

    With a plainsmen pointed at him, it became a matter of life and death. Hunter chose life. He didn't want to do it. Ever since he left the castle, he had been trying to find a way to avoid the bloodshed.

    The boy kicked the staff and grabbed his knife. He drove the knife into her chest and stepped away from the boy. Sasha screamed as she watched her lover fall to the ground. "May" she whispered as she moved over to her.

    The boy thought he might cry. Hunter figured he shouldn't stick around to kill her too. It didn't seem like a good idea to face Sasha, she was twice his size and even if he had fought people her size, he didn't feel like it today.

    While the college-aged women ran to her deceased partner's side, Hunter jumped out the window. Grabbing his staff, he ran off into the woods to report back to Belos.

    Avoiding Belos's wrath was good. The teen tried to focus on that. If he didn't, he'd have to deal with murdering someone. Why did he do everything he was told? Hunter followed every order, even if he didn't want to. It didn't seem fair. Maybe he should have just made May join a coven?

    None of that mattered now. It didn't matter that he hadn't wanted to kill May, he did. The pain that her grieving lover and her lizard like palisman must have felt was something he couldn't comprehend yet.

    Returning to the castle, Hunter informed Belos that he had completed his task. Once dismissed, he went to his room. There he laid on his bed. It would be a long night.

Whump: The Musical Day 10: Rent ("Feels Too Damn Much Like Home.")

Fandom: The Clone Wars

Summary: while on Geonosis, Anakin feels too close to home. He never did like sand.

Some part of Anakin Skywalker never stopped calling Tatooine home. Even though he lived at the Jedi temple  on Coruscant, he had grown up on that sandy planet. It would take four days to travel just to get there.

    So being in Geonosis was strange. The planet had the same hellish feeling as his home world. Memories of who he had tended to linger in his mind.

    It seemed like yesterday the boy was pod rasing and trying to distract himself from the horrible things that happened in the desert planet of Tatooine. The nine year old would try to reassure his mother that he was okay, that the fights and spice dealing never bothered him.

    In truth it had. How could people be so ready to kill each other, he would wonder. While now he understood the willingness to kill now, the little boy he had been hadn't gotten there yet.

    Other than with Waldo, the stupid, slimy man who had kept him and his mother enslaved. Even when he was younger, if Anakin could have killed him, he would have. Maybe then his mother wouldn't be dead.

    Most of the time, when Anakin thought about his mother's death, he blamed himself. That did change.

    The sand that moved under the Jedi's feet, always made him think of home. It was never pleasant, but he would go where he was needed. The council would still ask from time to time, mindful of his trauma, if he was sure about taking the missions. Every time he would say yes.

    The sun's heat beat down on Anakin and Obi-wan. Another thing that bothered him. With his tolerance of the heat, Anakin never thought that it made sense for it to bother him so much. Maybe it wasn't the heat, but instead the memories.

    "You seem distracted" Obi-wan told him. The two walked side by side. At first Anakin didn't say anything. So Kenobi continued, "are you okay?"

    "Feels too damn much like home" Anakin scowled. "The sand and the heat, they just remind me of Tatooine."

    Thinking about what to say in response, Obi-wan nodded. "If you need anything-"

    "I'm fine" Anakin interrupted. Again, the older Jedi nodded.

    Anakin wasn't sure if he was actually okay. Still, what else was he going to say. 'Reminds me of my dead mother, of the first nine years of my life when I was a slave who had to win his freedom by winning a pod race?' Yeah he didn't think so. The sand kept moving under his feet and he knew that it would be everywhere later.

    Still, he couldn't afford to let his disdain of sand get in his way. The man has a mission to accomplish, a bunch of tiny rocks would not stop him. So, with the memories of his old home clouding his head, the two Jedi moved forward.

                          ………………

    After the mission, Anakin sat in his bed. He tossed his shoes off of his feet and ignored the sand that fell onto his floor. The thoughts of his mother's death always made him angry and unpredictable. Obi-wan knew this. It felt like his last master had been watching him excessively. It wasn't like he couldn't control it, at least that's what he liked to think.

    While the mission was a success, Anakin had no real sense of accomplishment. It was the same feeling he would get back in Tatooine. Laying down, the man tried not to think about it. No good would come from it. Hopefully he would get a break from the sand.

Day 11: Bare: A Pop Opera (Outing/Religious Trauma)

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Warnings: Homophobic, sexual assault/rape, attempted drowning, and violence

Summary: While in a mission, the batch heads to a very religious planet. After being outed by a reg, the church priest and priestess decided they have to 'save him.'

    Hiding his sexuality was something Hunter never bothered to do. When it got around on Kamino that he was bisexual, it didn't bother him. Sure, some regs threw slurs at him, but it never really hurt.

    But now, all Hunter needed was to be revealed as gay. The planet the batch had been assigned to, was extremely religious. Unfortunately, the citizens weren't accepting of people who were different from them.

    When Tech had come up to Hunter to warn him, he knew to be careful. Tech never said anything about the culture of the civils unless he figured it was important. Sometimes he wouldn't inform them of any cultural disagreements even if it was important to know.

    Church members went to greet the battalion Clone Force 99 was traveling with, as well as to greet them. Every civilian in sight was fitted in white. Women were in white, floor length dresses and men were in various different types of clothing, though it was all white. The only person who wasn't in white was the priest.

    The priest talked to the general then invited him, his Padawan, and some soldiers to come to their church to talk about the planet joining the Republic.

    They walked to the church. There was a strange lack of people one the streets. The church stood over 250 feet. Tech would later tell them that it stood 281 ft. The building was made of a beautiful white stone that had golden accents to it. The steeple mostly composed of gold. It looked sharp enough to impaile a man with ease. The stairs were the same stone. They had been worn down by years of foot traffic. The doors were large and made of Dark Pine wood. It was hard not to stare at the marveling building.

    Stepping into the church, they learned the inside of the stone building was just as breath taking. There were rows and rows of pews; all matching the Dark Pine of the door. The aisle had a blood red carpet laid out on it. The carpet went all the way to the Priest's altar.  Behind the alter was a large, circler staind glass window. It as simple and uniform, much like the whole church.

    The room was beautiful but there was one thing that threw most everyone off. Behind the alter, there was a large water fountain. The fountain was made of marble and bor the church's creast on the top of it. The bottom of the fountain had two foot tall walls to keep the water in.

    Meeting one of the leaders of the church was not something the batch, nor the battalion with them excepted. Hunter realized just how uncomfortable both the Jedi commander and Padawan looked as the priest started to talk about not agreeing with the Jedi's religion but how they needed help so, despite their differences, they could make an exception. The man said that he hoped God would forgive them and the two Jedi just looked at each other, wondering how they ended up here.

    When a reg started to walk up to Hunter, he didn't think much of it. Maybe they needed something. It wasn't until he started to talk that the man realized he was up to no good.

    "By their logic, I'm surprised you didn't start buring as soon a walked in this church."

    The priest and other members of the church started to quite down. They looked in the direction of the 'sinner', trying to figure out what the clone was talking about.

    "What?" Hunter asked. Tech, Wrecker, and Crosshair all watched defensely, with Wrecker walking over to the two.

    "You know, since you're a-"

    "Shut up." Wrecker said as he placed a hand on Hunter's shoulder.

    "Since you're a faggot."

    The church was silent. The locals looked at each other like they made a revelation. Something in Hunter's chest tightened when he saw the way they looked at him. There was so much hatred and disgust and even if he was used to the look, this feeling was different. It was why the sparks of anger were in their eyes that made it hurt more.

    "What's wrong with you?" One of the other regs said. He looked apologetic as he dragged his brother away.

    "That was strange" Wrecker said as he grabbed Hunter and led him to the rest of the batch. "Anyway."

    As the mission progressed, Hunter could never shake the feeling that he was being watched. Tech hadn't been wrong about the planets religious practices. But it was nothing that Hunter couldn't handle.

    The Jedi consently had to ignore priest's comments about damnation and the failure of the Jedi to see the one true religion. The general didn't seem to be as bothered as the commander. When clones started to get between the adults and the child, concern rose. When the child's master interfered, that when they knew to watch their backs.

    Watching the church members made Hunter realize just how closely they were observing him. Every time he looked that them, they adverted his gaze.

    The soldiers set up camp near the church per the regest of the priest. The general, a Twi'lek Jedi by the name of Mal, walked up to Hunter. "The priest is requesting your assistance in the church." Something about the way the Jedi talked, made Hunter nervous.

    "I'll go get the rest of my batch and we'll check it out."

    As Hunter started to walk away, the Jedi stopped him, "he just requested you."

    "General, I don't think it's a good idea to go alone." Hunter tensed.

    "The priest asked you to find a girl that's been missing. He told me to have you meet him in the church so he can give you her blanket so you take her." General Mal put a hand on his shoulder, "I gave him a good amount of questions Hunter. Hell, I practically intragated him. The priest just wants to find the girl, you'll be okay."

    Nodding, Hunter went to the church. The big doors felt more ominous in the dark. Slowly, he opened the door and walked in. Shutting it quietly, Hunter started to walk down the dimly lit aisle. "Hello?"

    "Hello, Hunter. The priest walk out from behind the alter. That's when Hunter saw the lit candles by the running fountain. The alarm bells that had been going off in the man's head, only got louder. The clone stopped walking about half way through the church.

    "I was sent to investigate a missing persons case." Hunter answered shortly.

    "What do you believe Hunter?" The priest sounded so calm and kind, yet there was nothing kind about him. Stepping down the stairs, the man walked to meet him.

    "I don't know, sir?" It was an honest answer.

    "Do you know what I believe?" The human man walked over to him. "I believe you are lost, that you have stayed away from the heavens."

    "I was sent to track a missing girl, what you believe is irrelevant right now." Hunter started to walk to the door. "I'll ask around then." Members of the church walked out from a hallway. Grabbing his gun, Hunter was ready to shoot his way out. 

    The priest grabbed his from behind.  The two fought over the gun for a moment before a few shots went off. No one was hit by the stray bullets. Another man grabbed Hunter, forcing the gun out of his hand. The Besalisk man wrapped all four arms around him and picked him up. Hunter kicked and squirmed, trying to get away. Reaching for his vibro-knife, he realized it was already gone.

    The man's grip never softned. The pressure hurt as Hunter's armor pressed into his skin.

    The priest started to say a prayer as the man tossed the clone into the fountain. Hunter started to try to get up. However the Besalisk grabbed him by his hair and held him under the water.

    There was so much going on in Hunter's head. He knew coming to the church alone was a mistake, yet he still did. Kicking at the man's feet, a clawed foot slammed down onto his legs, trapping him. Grabbing at the hand that held him under the water, Hunter panicked. Where they really going to kill him?

    It was suffocating. As Hunter started to feel weaker, the foot moved from his legs and he was pulled out of the water. He heard some of his hair rip out from the force. Coughing, Hunter tried to stand. However he was forced to stay on his knees in the water.

    The priest stood in front of him. "You have been cleaned, however we must rewrite over your sins."

    "What, is wrong with you? Leave me alone." Trying to breathe, Hunter kept coughing, trying to get the water out of his lungs.

    "I'm saving you."

    The Besalisk pulled him out of the fountain. Still trying to fight the man, the soldier listened to the whispers. One woman was saying they needed to  get rid of his tattoo. Another church member was scowling, saying his hair needed to be cut, that it being so long was a disgrace to the lord and far to feminine for any man.

    What Hunter knew for sure, the next time he saw General Mal, he was throwing hands.

    There was a back room in the church. While trying to fight, the church members dragged him inside of the room. There was a table, but that wasn't Hunter's biggest concern. His biggest concern was the women in the corner.

    She stood at about his height and had pale skin paired with her black hair. Unlike every other women in the in the religion, she wore a black dress. However, like all the other dresses it was floor length with flowing sleeves and turtle neck. She looked like a ghost. The women had lipstick that was the bright red of the carpet.

    Now inside the room, Hunter tried to reach for his comm. It was the first chance he had to even think about trying to call for backup. A harsh hand grabbed his wrist. "Don't, we are saving your soul. We don't want you to suffer."

    Trying to speak, Hunter's voice caught in his throat. His breathing, which had already been fast, sped up. The Besalisk man still held him.

    There were scissors on the table as well as a needle and some white clothing. Hunter focused on the girl to see what she was holding. In her hand she held a box. "Bring him to me." Her voice was angelic and soft. Most of all, it was unnerving.

    So the man complied. "Hello Hunter."

    "Let me go."

    "Dear, we just want to free you."

    "I don't need it. Better yet, I don't want it. Let me go, I need to get back to my men." Hatred laced Hunter's words.

    "Hold him still." The women nodded and someone grabbed the needle off of the table. Opening the box, the girl took a necklace out of it. It was silver and bore the religion's symbol, a cross with an anatomically accurate heart in the middle.

    While Hunter struggled, a needle was driving into the side of his neck. Trying to break free, he almost broke the syringe. The women walked up to him, her heels clicking on the ground. Her soft hand cupped the clones face. Then she kissed him. Hunter tried to pull away.

    "When the medicine starts to affect him, you may leave." Everyone nodded. The woman kissed him again, taking her hands around his neck and clasping the necklace on him. Hunter was able to pull away this time.

    "You drugged me."

    "It is a necessary evil."

    Thinking of what the women had said earlier, Hunter started to act weaker than he felt. When the women smiled, the clone knew he made the right decision. She moved the clothing off the table and motioned for them to put him on the table. "Remove his armor."

    With the men still in the room, a Hunter made the painful decision to stay still. After they removed his armor, the man started to feel the real effects of the drug.

    "I have him now. May I act only with the intent to heal and act without any lust" she prayed. The men left and the women climbed into the table and started to remove her clothing.

    Hunter fought the drowsy feeling of the drug. It was like fog had taken over his brain. Starting to try to stand, the woman gently pressed his shoulders back into the cold, metal table. "Don't worry child, I will take good care of you."

    "No" Hunter whispered. "Please no."

    "Oh yes " The woman removed her dress, then his shirt and lastly his pants and undergarments.

    Everything from there was a blur. Hunter remembered the feelings of the priestess touching him. He remembered how helpless he felt and knowing he should have been stronger than this. The women's fingers danced their sinister dance on his skin, making Hunter want to throw up. He wasn't sure if it was the drugs or assault that made him nauseous.

    Hunter was scared. This was a whole new level of helplessness, something like he had never felt before. The weight of the women on top of him, the feeling of his dick in her, the feeling of her lips touching his, all of it was too much. The man hated every part of her.

    Soon, the drug started to wear off. As Hunter regained his strength, the priestess moaned as she reached her finish line. "Stay still dear, you haven't finished. You have to be cleansed of your sins." Pushing him back to the table, the women started to trust her hips quicker.

    The world was clearer, but Hunter almost wished it wasn't. Never before had Hunter felt so weak. Raising one hand, the clone clawed at the priestess, trying to get her off of him. The drugs, even while they were wearing off, still made him mostly unable to fight.

    However he wouldn't need to fight. It was a natural reaction for his body to have given the stimulation it had reserved. Him finishing, had not mentioned he enjoyed it. As Hunter came inside of the priestess, she gasped and grabbed his shoulders, drawing blood and leaving scratches behind.

    Then she got off of him. Feeling stronger, Hunter looked around the room. He found his clothes and armor. The woman was grabbing the white clothing that was supposed to replace his blacks. Now it seemed like a good time for the world to stop spinning.

    After a moment, Hunter tried to stand. Still unclothed, the clone planned his escape. The woman came back over to him, the white clothing in hand and handed him undergarments first. "Here dear, now that you have been rid of your sins, you may cloth yourself."

    Breathing heavily, Hunter snatched the clothes, still dazed. The woman never turned around. Stumbling, he put on the underwear. But as things started to clear more than before, Hunter was hit with everything that had happened.

    Justified with religion, this woman had just sexually assaulted him. She had taken his body with drugs and force. There was no evidence that she even regretted any part of it. She truly believes that her actions healed him. Instead she hurt him. This would take time to scar.

    Hunter's clothes were in the corner. Getting in his feet, the man couldn't submit to this treatment anymore. The priestess had finally turned around to grab the scissors to cut his hair off. The hair he took good care of.

    She was as unsuspecting as he was. Still mostly naked, Hunter wrapped his arm around the woman's neck. Shushing her, he placed one hand over her disgusting mouth.

    When she stopped fighting, the way he hadn't been given an opinion to, Hunter tossed her to the ground. Still stumbling, he grabbed his clothes and put them on. The man wasn't sure when he had gotten his armor on, but he knew it was one. The effects of the drug had mostly worn off but his brain couldn't process the trauma. He was disassociated.

    Hunter placed a finger on his comm. "Cross" he spoke, shaking"

    "Where are you?" He snarled in response. "We have been looking-"

    "The church." Tears started to fall down Hunter's face. The dark room concealed most of the activities. "Please, I need h-" sobs took over the rest of his words.

    Crosshair was silent for a moment. "We're on our way."

    Forcing himself to stand, Hunter stabilized himself. Walking to the door, that was a whole other story. The lower half of him hurt. Nothing quite felt real. But Hunter still opened the door. The smell of candle smoke hit him.

    As the priestess started to stir behind him, Hunter debated killing her. It would be impossible for her to hurt anyone else. It felt like the right thing. But fear grabbed his chest, reminding him it was still there. Choosing between fight or flight, Hunter chose flight.

    Walking into the hall, Hunter scouted the area. It seemed the members of the church respected the priestess's privacy. Still crying, the man placed a hand over his mouth, trying to silence himself. Using the walkway closest to the wall, he ran to the door.

    As Hunter opened the door, he slowly closed it then ran down the stairs. When he got to the last few stairs, he tripped and expected to hit the stone. Instead, Wrecker caught him. Hunter hadn't realized he was breathing so heard until Tech told him he had to slow his breathing down or he could pass out.

    Jumping back, Hunter made sure they weren't touching him. Physical contact was important to Hunter but right now if someone touched him again, he might just kill them, or maybe he'd just shut down.

    "What happened?" Tech asked, calmly.

    "I- they- I can't-" deciding he wasn't far enough from the church, the clone started to walk away.

    For the first time, Crosshair realized that Hunter's hair was damp. The look in his eyes told him that whatever happened, it took a part of Hunter that he had never seen. "What did they do to you?"

    After another moment, Tech's attention also changed to Hunter's damp hair. "Did they, baptis you?" He asked.

    Hunter stopped walking. Not because of Tech, but because the church door opened. The priest and priestess walked towards him. "Dear" the woman started, "you cannot walk away now. You have been saved, don't turn back to your sin."

    The man didn't say anything. Wrecker moved to stand more in front of Hunter. "Leave him alone" he warned.

    "You have been cleaned, both spiritually and sexually-"

    "What?" Crosshair growled. That was why Hunter seemed so lost. Tech hardly looked angry but right now his glare would be sharp enough to kill someone. Wrecker cracked his knuckles and stepped closer to the two church officials.

    "We just need to make a few more adjustments."

    Crosshair pulled him gun. "Stand back."

    "Haven't you hurt him enough?" Wrecker looked back at Hunter. Tears ran down his brother's face and he'd never seen him look so small. Even when facing the separatist, Hunter had never been so shaken into himself.

    "We didn't hurt him-"

    "Yes, you did. Hunter shows clear signals of distress." Looking at his brothers, Tech ordered them to remove their eldest brother from the situation

    "I- please just get them away from me." Hunter cried. "I don't want to be here anymore."

    So the clones left. As they walked Hunter put a hand up to his collarbone to try to ground himself, the chain of the religion necklace started him. Panicking, he pulled the chain away from his neck, snapping it. Holding the chain in his hand, the man threw it far away from him. His breathing, which has slowed, speed back up again and his brothers tried to help him calm back down.

    While trying to report the church officials for Hunter's assault, the general informed them that nothing would come of the report. "I'm sorry Hunter's I really am. No one here would arrest them and" he sighed, "you're a clone. Too many people would view what happened to you as property damage, if anything. Trying to take it any further may not be worth the hurt and once it gets out I don't put it past some people to harass you over it." The Jedi told him that he would do his best to keep him away from them.

    Healing would take time. Every time Hunter stood inside a church, he feared the officials. Even after the war, Hunter felt like he couldn't breathe inside of churches, especially alone with officials.

    Telling Echo his story, had been difficult but it was the only way to explain why the batch avoided churches. But Hunter found it easier to confide in him when he had nightmares or when he was having a difficult day as the memories plagued his mind and stole his focus. They days his body no longer felt like him own and the touch of another human could only hurt him. Somehow the scomp helped.

  Having a daughter, Hunter feared that she would be hurt. But at least someone would be able to help her through it. Hopefully it never came to that. The clone couldn't be sure he wouldn't kill anyone who hurt her the way the church hurt him.

    It took so long for Hunter to feel safe in any church. For the first time, walking to Pabu's church (a common building ground) the man felt safe walking inside. He knew, for the first time in years, that no one inside of the church would hurt him. Healing takes time.

@whumpthemusical

Whump: The Musical Day 9: Sweeney Todd (Razors)

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Warning: Self harm and mentioned death

Summary: Hunter was just trying to take a shower. But the quietness of the room allows his mind to wander to memories of the war.

  Turning in the shower, Hunter started to undress. It was been a long time since he had showered. When he removed his clothing, he looked down at his body for a moment. Gently he touched a smaller scar from his time as a cadet. He smiled softly at the thought

    As the water started to heat up, the man started to think. They were two years into the Clone War now. Trying to shake any negative feelings, he stepped into the shower. The water was warm and inviting. It ran over him and he watched dirt from the last mission run off of him and into the drain.

    There was nothing to focus on. The sound of the water hitting the shower floor was the only noise in the room. Hunter looked at his soap in the corner. Most clones didn't have sented soap but he did. When the batch had gone on one of their first missions, they found a few credits and he decided he wanted to take better care of his hair.

    That was the same mission that Hunter had watched a reg get bitten in half. Still alive, the man had screamed for him. The worm like creater, didn't finish off the reg so the Sargent did. Nothing could be done, so, when the reg told him to kill him, he did.

    Shaking his head, Hunter tried to find something else to think about. Looking at the faucet, he turned up the temperature of the water. It almost hurt but not enough for him to change it. Grabbing his shampoo, he out the gel in his hand. The forest and whiskey sent spread across the bathroom. Anything that was sented that Hunter owned all smelled the same.

    Running his hands though his hair, he thought about the last mission. A reg he had met, he had longer hair, about the length of Hunter's, had asked to braid his hair. So he let him. There was no harm that could come from it.

   The feeling of running his fingers though his hair reminded him of it. Despite the hot water, Hunter shook. The reg had shortly after died. The worst part had been that it wasn't a easy death. It was gruesome and bloodly and painful. The man hadn't deserved that and Hunter could have saved him. All he had to do was grab him; get him out of the way of the droids who couldn't see him.

    Trying to get the shampoo out of his hair, Hunter realized he already had. Grabbing the conditioner, he tried to get the step out of the way quickly. Rubbing it into his scalp, he tried to ignore every memory that floated though his head.

    Rinsing the conditioner out, felt to long. Turning the water up seemed logical. The water was burning now. Hunter's skin started to have a red tint to it. After that he decided to shave. He didn't do it often, but sometimes it amdw him feel better. Talking care of his body felt nice and shaving could be helpful.

    Taking the shaving cream off the shelf, Hunter out some on his arm. It was an accident. The man had given himself a cut. It was small but watching the blood run down his arm and drip into the shower, made everything in his mind quiet.

    Then he got an idea.

    Burning water wasn't enough anymore. It couldn't quite stop his mind from hurting him. Taking the razor, he cut his upper arm again. The shaving cream slid down his arm and so did the blood.

    Then he dug the razor into his skin again and again. Hunter had given himself multiple lacerations on his arm. Some were deeper than others but now of them were straight lines. They tended to have smaller cuts around the deeper ones. Crimson blood rain over his arm and down the drain. Tears mixed with water and Hunter pulled the razor away from his skin.

    The memories of the war faded as he looked at the razor. He realized he didn't even grab his own. The handle was orange. So here Hunter was, cutting himself with Tech's razor.

    Something snapped. Going to cut again, Hunter threw the razor out of the shower. Pressing his back against the wall, he sighed. The thought of Tech seeing his razor with blood on it made him panic a little. The concern would kill him.

    The man's eyes locked in on his body wash as he remembered he hadn't used it yet. However, the only thing Hinter was really thinking about was how he managed to grab Tech's razor and not his own. Trying to find a towel, Hunter realized he wasn't alone.

    Wrecker stood in the bathroom, holding Tech's razor. "What happened?"

    "Nothing. Give me a towel."

    Inviting Hunter's privacy, Wrecker opened the shower curtain. In shock, he dropped the razor. "Hunter" he said. "I heard you crying. I didn't know you had, um."

    "Just hand he a towel." So Wrecker did.  After that he grabbed bandages from the cabinet and some hydrogen peroxide to clean it.

    While Wrecker did that, Hunter got dressed. He left his shirt off to the side so that his brother could have an easier time wrapping his upper arm.

    "What happened?" Wrecker copied his question from earlier.

    Hunter just shook his head. His brother took that answer and put some peroxide on a towel. Dabbing it on the cuts, he softly took his hand.

    "Has this happened before?" It was surprising how gently Wrecker could be. Even though Hunter had known with his whole life, it still took him off guard sometimes.

    "No."

    "Please don't make this a habit. Just come find me okay. Don't do this to yourself again. Promise me." Wrecker looked so concerned. Hunter felt bad for putting him through it.

    "Okay. I promise."

    "All done." Taking a fun bandage out of the med pack, Wrecker out one near the wrap. 

    Hunter smiled softly. "Thank you."

June of Doom Day 1: "Help Me."

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Warning: Major character death

Summary: Hunter and Omega make their way back to the Marauder after finding themselves cornered by imperials.

    Grabbing Omega, Hunter ducked behind some rocks. Ciddarin Scaleback seemed to love leaving out important details when she gave the batch missions. Like always, the clones learned the left out details the hard way.

    Imperials where like a plague, they were everywhere. Maybe Cid hadn't know, she seemed found of them. If she had known, she had some explaining to do.

    "Stay down" Hunter told Omega. She listened. Listening to his surroundings, the man tried to find the best escape route.

    "They went this way!" An imperial Stromtrooper yelled to his troops.

    "Hunter, what are we gonna do?" Omega whispered.

    Pointing to a nearby tree, Hunter directed the girl to hide behind it. She nodded and ran over to the pine tree. Hunter followed her, trying to keep her safe.

    After a while of making their way though the think forest, everything seemed quiet. "Are we clear?"

    "We should be. Come on, let's get back to the ship." Hunter placed a hand on Omega's back to help guide and comfort her. The forest started to thin as they walked closer to their family.

    "Are you close?" Echo asked over the comm.

    "We should be." Hunter answered. "We are nearing the end of the forest."

    "Okay."

    The two continued walking along the edge of the forest until the Marauder was in their sight.

    "There!" Bullets flew passed the two clones as the ran for cover.

    Hunter wasn't sure what had happened. Anytime they were under fire, Omega was in his sight. The night was cold and the dark had a way of hiding the important part of life. She was almost right in front of him. Then she screamed. Soldiers had cornered them, a move the batch used often.

    "Omega!" Hunter grabbed her from the ground and pulled them behind the sharp rock they had been running for. Looking at her, it wasn't hard to tell she had been shot. Blood flower from her right below the center of her chest.

    Putting pressure on her wound with one hand, Hunter grabbed his blaster and peared around the rock to locate the imperials. Taking a shot at one of them, the soldier fell to the ground. "It's okay. You're going to be okay, kid."

    Omega didn't answer. Her sobs would have drowned out her words if she had tried to speak.

   Hunter sat with Omega in his lap. He held her wound, trying to stop the bleeding. The girl cried out in pain. "I know, I know. Just hold on." Kneeling to try to shot the imperials, the man tried to keep one hand on Omega's chest, keeping pressure on the wound.

    On the Marauder, Tech had been waiting in the cockpit for Omega and Hunter. Deciding to stand, he walked down the the ramp. Echo joined him after a few moments. The two said nothing.

    Then they heard the gun shots. Without any words, Echo and Tech took off, running down the rest of the ramp with their weapons drawn. They heard the screaming and crying and the gunshots. They needed to hurry.

    "Omega." Hunter tossed his gun off to the side, ingnoring the still approaching imperials. "Come on, stay with me."

    A few more gunshots went off and Hunter covered Omega with his body. When all but Omega's screaming was silent he sat back up and kept trying to hold her wound.

    "Hunter" Echo started, he watched the woods, carful of enemies. Tech ran over from behind their brother.

    "Help me! Tech, help me! Omega's been shot!" Tears fell down Hunter's face. He was shaking. Blood covered his hands and his chest from here he had covered her. Omega's previously white shirt was stained red. The girl cried.

    "Help me!"

    "Hunter" Tech said quietly. Omega's crying had become silence and the fast paced fall and rise of her chest had stopped completely.

    "No no no! Help me! She's hurt Tech! Help her!" Hunter begged.

    "Hunter" Tech kneeled down to him. "With what we have available, we cannot help her."

    "No you have to help her" he almost whispered. The sound of her cries was still ringing in his ears. "She's in pain" he muttered, "you have to help her. You have-" Hunter broke out into sobs. "Help-"

    Echo kneeled down to Hunter. "We have to go."

    Hunter stood, still shaking. Blood stained the grass where she had laid. Adjusting his googles, Tech followed close behind Echo and Hunter. It was going to be a long night.

Familiar chapter one

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Summary: Pabu was eerily familiar to CX-2. Clone Force 99 felt like someone to him. Why they mattered, he couldn't remember.

Notes: Spoilers for the episode Point of No Return

Chapter two: Research of the Past (coming soon)

  Why was Pabu so, familiar? That was the only question going through CX-2's head. It felt like he should care about it and its people; like somewhere deep down, he didn't want to be there to hurt someone.

    Still, he was there to find the target. A girl named Omega was an m-count target, so he had to take her to Tantus. It shouldn't feel so wrong. Just like fighting Ct-9904 shouldn't have felt like a betrayal to himself.

    Seeing the pirate was already so eerily familiar. Being in her presence made him smile and he felt warm. Her sweet but sassy voice, her beautiful hair, they seemed like they meant something to him. Maybe they had.

    CX-2' stood on the wall that separated lower and upper Pabu. There, near the water, was the Havoc Marauder. It was the ship that the group of rogue clones flew and from the information that the man had, lived out of. It was a modified Omicron-class attack shuttle. Ct-9902 had made the changes to the ship.

    Maybe there was a reason CX-2 hesitated to shoot the ship. By the ramp, Ct-9903 stood. The man had been named Wrecker, which fit him well. There was something unsettling about the thought of him blowing up, like he had personal feelings about. Maybe that was why he shot the ship's wing where he did.

    It was easy to see and it wasn't in his blind spot. Seeing him notice the explosive and grab the power droid and jump away from his home, made blowing the ship up slightly easier. It shouldn't have.

    Why was he so reluctant to hurt them? Clone Force 99 were traitors. The Bad Batch had killed imperial soldiers and officers, they had destroyed the empires properly. Killing them, would be good for the galaxy, yet CX-2 hesitated to do so.

    So he walked away. Finding Omega was his mission. Destroying the Marauder was to ensure they stayed on the planet. Making the call to be ready to burn the island and its people to the ground, was not one he had wanted to make.

    There was a place near the top of the mountain. Maybe, CX-2 thought, I should go up there. Maybe the girl would be there.

    The leaves of the tree that stood on the platform swayed. It was a beautiful and proud Weeping Maya Tree. Near the top of the mountain was a communal space. Walking inside, the man looked around for the target. The room was filled with artifacts.

    A jade tree sat on a shelf that almost made him smile. Shaking it off, his eyes scanned the shelves and landed on a stuffed Tooka doll and a pair of shattered goggles.

    CX-2 took a step back. Then he walked towards the shelf. With much kinder hands than he had been treated with, he picked up the goggles and stared at them. The weight of the glasses in his hands was uncomfortably familiar.

    Startled, he laid them back down. Looking at the doll, CX-2's breath started to catch and tears welled in his eyes. The name of the Tooka was on the top of his tongue and he knew it shouldn't be.

    When he woke up, Hemlock had told him who he was didn't matter. He had said that he had been an imperial soldier who had amnesia from his last mission. When he asked what his name was, he was told it was CX-2. Something always felt wrong about that.

    Removing his helmet, CX-2 placed it beside the googles. Picking up the stuffed toy, he pulled it closer to him. "L-" her name was the only thing he could think about. With his mission long forgotten, he tried to piece the rest of the tooka's name together.

    "Lula?"

    The room was silent. The lighting was warmer than he had remembered and all the noise of the outside had disappeared. Without the helmet, everything was blurry. However it felt like CX-2 could see clearer than he had remembered.

    The reason he hated the thought of hurting Clone Force 99, the reason he knew Lula's name, the reason the pira- liberator of ancient wonders was important to him; he had known them. The people had been something to him at some point in his life. But who were they?

    CX-2 needed to know. Still holding Lula, he stood there overwhelmed by his discovery. As his breathing continued to speed up, he sat on the floor. Clutching the doll he tried to think. Where did he go from here?

    The man could go back to the empire and complete him mission or he could lie and say that he had made a mistake, leave, and escape come his next assignment. Staying and fighting for the empire meant he would likely never get his answers. However, staying with them also meant he would survive.

    Standing, the man set Lula down next to the googles. Clearing the tears from his face, he placed him helmet back on his head and reached from his comm. Then he let his hand fall back to his side. If someone had already found her and he told them she wasn't on the island, he'd be killed for treason.

    Finding Omega became his next objective. While that may have already been his mission, now he only intended to keep her safe. Leaving the building, CX-2 sighed. In truth he was scared. He knew what Hemlock could and would do to him if he was caught.

    But he needed to know who he was. Learning who these people were to him meant betraying what he knew. Committing an act of treason didn't hurt as much as he thought it would.

    Walking though the streets of Pabu, he ordered the flame throwers to be put down. There was no need just yet to burn down the island.

    Almost twenty minutes later, CX-2 found the girl. She stood in the middle of the street, ready to give herself up for the safety of the people. Before she got a chance to give herself away, the clone grabbed her and pulled her away from the street. "Shhhh."

    Confused Omega was silent.

    "You are an adolescent. I am going to inform the others that I was mistaken in identifying you. Stay hidden."

    "What?" Was all Omega could think of saying.

    "You are a child, I will not subject you to the experiments of Tantiss. You will be safe here once I'm through with my tasks."

    Taking the alley, Omega asked "where is it?"

    "What?"

    "Tantiss. I need to know."

    "Where Tantiss is, is of no concern to you. I need you to stay hidden."

    Ignoring him, Omega asked again. "I'll walk into the street and give myself up right now. If you really want to keep me safe, you'll tell me."

    "One day you will know. Currently, it is safer this way. Accept the opportunity that it being given to you. It is not the time."

    "Then when is?"

    "When you have a plan."

    "I have a plan! I-"

    "Is it a good one?"

    Omega was silent. "Fine."

    "Find a place to hide."

    The girl nodded. While she was sceptical of the sleeper agent's intentions, at least Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair wouldn't be so worried.

    Walking away, CX-2 reached for his comm. "I had mistaken a similar looking civilian for the girl. The target is not here." He sighed. "Gather your men and be ready to leave."

    "Yes sir."

    Hoping this risk would pay off, the man pondered what answers The Bad Batch could have for him. Soon, he would have his answer. Maybe while he waited for his next mission, he should do most digging into who these people really are.