Yeah, I Always Headcanoned Wrecker To Be Either Pan Or Omni

Yeah, I always headcanoned Wrecker to be either pan or omni

I was writing a fic then got sidetracked

did somebody say old man wrecker!!!!!

Hey there, may I request Wrecker x Reader with the fluff prompt "i can hear your heartbeat- why is it going so fast all of a sudden?" I really liked your last one as it was so cute.

Hi! Sorry for taking so long! This is such a cute prompt, but of course my brain said "add some angst" so I did. But like, there's still a lot of fluff. It's very hurt/comfort with emphasis on comfort. Hope you like!

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Heartbeats

Warnings: None, I think? Reader's feeling get hurt but Wrecker makes them all better.

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Your ribs hurt. Every breath sent waves of agony screaming up your side, but what hurt worse was the fact that the entire team was almost killed.

Because of you.

One glance at Wrecker lobbing explosives on joyfully down the hall, and you were caught up in a daze. How someone could be so loud and joyful in a combat zone was beyond you, but he did it and he did it perfectly.

The whole thing was only a training mission, but it didn't matter. You got distracted. You couldn't blame it on Wrecker; it was your own fault for being such a kriffing lovesick idiot. You got distracted and missed an obvious hole in your defenses. A hole that allowed the enemy the flank you. It was a hole that left your team scrambling to cover you when one blast from a droid shot you down from your position, knocking the air from your lungs.

"Dead. We're all dead!" Hunter abruptly deactivated the training droids and turned towards you. Tech, Echo, and Wrecker clamored to their feet. "Y/n. Tell me what happened. Why are we all dead?"

Crosshair slid from the tower with a frown.

The others looked at you, waiting for you to answer him. Crosshair's frown deepened as he briefly met your eyes.

"I...I don't know." You said softly, looking at the ground. Please don't cry. Not here. Not in front of Wrecker.

Hunter nodded slowly. "You don't know?" His voice was dangerously low. "You are part of a team, y/n. A team! We watch each other's backs. You just let your entire team down because you weren't paying attention! You're damn lucky this was just a training simulation because you just got us all killed."

Wrecker scratched the back of his neck, "Hunter, I don't think it was all her fault..." He said sheepishly. "I mean, I coulda paid better attention to yer hand signals. I'm not sure what they mean most of the time. And besides, you forget she's not a soldier like us."

"Obviously." Crosshair rolled his eyes.

"Hey, don't be mean!" Wrecker scolded his brother, elbowing him in the ribs.

"Well it's true. She's no soldier and that makes her a liability."

Tears burned the back of your eyes, you blinked them back furiously. You would NOT cry in front of the boys. You would NOT let them see how much their words hurt. You already felt useless. This mistake only served to prove you correct.

Wrecker growled, stepping forward so that he was almost chest to chest with Crosshair. He looked down at the sniper, who twiddled his toothpick as though he couldn't care less. "You wanna say that again?"

Crosshair narrowed his eyes.

Hunter took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I think we all need a breather. Report back here at 1800 hours. I wanna run this through again." Hunter's gaze lingered on you for a moment. You knew he wanted some sort of an explanation but that was something you couldn't really provide him with. How could you explain that just being near Wrecker made your head spin. How could you explain that being around him sent shivers down your spine.

Hunter had known something was up for a while now. It was only a matter of time before he approached you and today's mishap just gave him another opportunity to corner you about it. Taking a shuddering breath, you whipped around before he could say anything, and headed out into the hall, no longer able to hold back the tears flooding your eyes.

***

Thunder rumbled through the damp air and you jumped. Even after being on Kamino for the past year, you still hadn't gotten used to all the storms and the constant rain.

"Hey y/n." You jumped violently. How had he found you so fast? Wrecker sat down beside you. "Sorry," he said softly. "Didn't mean to startle you."

You sniffed, hugging your knees to your chest.

"Don't be too upset, Mesh'la. Hunter's just been under a lotta pressure lately."

You shook your head. "No, he was right. I should've been paying more attention."

Wrecker shrugged. "It happens to all of us. That's why we practice."

"Yeah, but I..." your voice cracked, "I can't.... I don't..." You didn't even know what you were trying to say.

The tears start flowing heavily once again. Welp, I guess Wrecker knows how weak and useless I am now. The thought made you cry harder.

"Oh, cyar'ika..." Wrecker looked devastated as he watched your shoulders shake in silent sobs, not quite sure what to do. He scooted closer and wrapped his arms snugly around you, letting you bury your face into his chest as he held you. His expression melted as you curled into his embrace.

"There there, cyar'ika." He rubbed your back, "I've gotcha. It'll be ok."

Finding comfort in his voice, you let him hold you. He was so warm, so kind, and so - oh no - you froze, immediately realizing that in your upset, you'd crawled right into his lap and soaked his shirt with your tears. This was embarrassing to say the least. You were mortified.

What if he didn't like you? What if he thought this was awkward? Or worse, what if he was just pitying you because he felt bad? You hated to be a burden.

Wrecker didn't seem to mind though. You looked up, confused as he let out a chuckle.

"What's wrong, Mesh'la? I can hear your heartbeat. It got all fast all of a sudden."

You sat up quickly, hoping he didn't see the blush that was very quickly racing up your neck. Your cheeks felt hot.

"I... It's... I'm fine," you stammered out.

Tell him! A voice shouted from the back of your mind. Tell him! It's now or never.

Wrecker was watching you carefully, a worried look soon overtook the amusement in his eyes.

"What is it, Mesh'la? Are you sick!?" He looked stricken. "Oh, Maker. What do I do!?" He began to pace the room, hands anxiously rubbing his bald head. "I should get Tech! He'll know what to do! Hold on, Mesh'la, I'm coming!"

Wrecker bent down, lifting you up into his arms, nearly crying himself.

"Wait!" You cried, alarmed at his reaction. "Wrecker wait. I'm... I'm not sick."

He stopped and looked down at you, confused. He set you back down slowly. "So...what is it? Cuz you look like you wanna throw up."

A ghost of a smile flitted across your face as you let out a small breathy laugh.

"I think..." You took a deep breath. "Wrecker I think I'm in love with you!"

There. You said it. It felt good. Your chest felt so much lighter.

Wrecker was silent. He stood frozen, mouth hanging open. Now it was your turn to be concerned. "Wrecker? You okay there, buddy?" Oh no. He doesn't feel the same. Oh no, you just ruined everything. Oh Maker... You felt your face fall as tears welled up once again.

"You love me, Mesh'la!?" Wrecker's voice suddenly cut though your emotional spiral. You jumped as you looked up at him. He didn't look angry or disgusted. Wrecker looked ecstatic; excited, overjoyed even. He let out a giggle and grabbed you up in his arms again, spinning you around.

He whooped loudly and you giggled, eyes wide in surprise. You hadn't been expecting this. At all.

"I've been wanting you to say that forever!" He cackled.

"Wrecker," you wheezed as he squeezed you tightly. Yes, he really took your breath away. "You're squishing me."

He stopped suddenly and put you down.

"Oops..." He snorted, "sorry Mesh'la. I just got real excited! I love you Mesh'la."

Your heart burst open once again, setting loose the waterworks.

"I love you too, Wrecker."

He twirled you around again and set you down, planting a kiss on your cheek.

"You're crying!" He knelt down, both confused and concerned at your tears.

You sniffed, wiping your cheeks. "I'm just happy, Wrecker. I'm so happy you feel the same, you've no idea."

"I think I've got some idea." He grinned and grabbed your hand in his. "Let's go blow up them clankers. We'll show Hunter what we can do together, cyar'ika. You and me, we make the best team!"

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Until the Storm Breaks

Relationships: Crosshair & Echo & Hunter & Tech & Wrecker

Content Warnings: Blood and Injury, Hallucinations, Cauterization, Graphic Description of Infection

Summary:

With Wrecker badly injured and hallucinating due to poison, the Bad Batch are forced to take cover in a cave during a storm. A rough night for everyone involved follows.

Written for @summer-of-bad-batch Week 2: Injured and @augustofwhump Day 3: Poison and day 4: Filth, Screams and Open Wounds

I really wanted to fill this prompt for Summer of Bad Batch and August of whump finally gave me the inspiration to do so in a way I liked :)

Word count: 3,121

Read on Ao3

Wrecker's screams echo through the damp cave, making Tech's ears hurt. Tech's attempt to clean the large gash on Wrecker's side is disturbed by the large clones squirming.

“Hold him still.” Tech reminds his brothers.

“We're trying!” Crosshair hisses, struggling to stay atop his brother's legs as Wrecker kicks them. Hunter's holding onto Wrecker's one arm, whilst Tech has to kneel on top of his other one. Far from the ideal position to do first aid from, but Echo's already occupied trying to keep Wrecker from slamming his head back into the floor in his confusion.

“You're certain the poison isn't just killing him?” Echo says. Wrecker's head in a firm grip, he can see their brother's twisted, tear-stained expression, spit running from his mouth and down his neck. Tech has to admit he understands where Echo's concern is coming from. Wrecker by no means looks well.

But Tech's knowledge of the harmful substance in Wrecker's blood is sufficient. “I am certain. It is a hallucinogenic. What gives it its deadly reputation is the following confusion leading to the victims demise.”

“Can't we sedate him?” Hunter grunts as he wrestles Wrecker's arm back to the floor. Their demolitions expert is going to be covered in bruises by the end of this, but that will be a small price to pay for his survival.

“None of us carry sedative on us.” Tech pours disinfectant over the gash, hopping to flush some of the grit and mud out of it. The wound spans from well over Wrecker's stomach, across his side and onto his back. He's losing a worrying amount of blood. Closing the wound up in any way necessary is Tech's priority, but the amount of dirt caked in it forces him to spend some time trying to clean it best as possible. “I wouldn't advise any of you to wander out into the storm to get some from the Marauder.”

Wrecker knees Crosshair in the chest, making him groan. They're all lucky the poison weakened Wrecker. Treating him in his current state at full strength would be impossible.

“I hate this planet.” Crosshair huffs.

Tech nods. The mission has been a nightmare from the beginning. The hostile, damp terrain and native vegetation made traversal unnecessarily difficult. Their mission was set in an are known for its carnivorous plants.

The objective, destroying a separatist outpost, was completed with ease. If only they'd payed better attention to their surroundings afterwards. Hunter especially must be kicking himself for not noticing the plant waiting patiently for its next meal. It had grabbed Tech first. Tech almost wishes he'd been the one to get poisoned.

Not only is he less strong than Wrecker, more maneuverable, but then Tech would also not have to deal with the uncomfortable emotions that come with Wrecker acting as a meat shield for them again.

Of course, their bad luck hadn't ended there. Whilst they'd started moving a now delirious and bleeding Wrecker in direction of the ship, a storm broke out. The ground beneath them became knee-deep mud in moments and with lightning striking close and frequently, they were forced to take cover in a cave.

Wrecker yells, his desperate writhing almost knocking Tech over. Echo puts a firm hand on his chest to get him to quiet down, whilst Hunter hisses his name warningly. Tech opts not to remind Hunter that Wrecker likely can't understand anything going on again, that would only waste time. And they can't afford to do that.

The pool of blood accumulating under their brother on the cold stone floor has reached the limit of how big Tech would let it get. The wound is far from clean, but it's got to be sealed or Wrecker won't make it. Tech bites the inside of his cheek. They'll deal with any infection later, Tech just hopes the storm clears before the contaminated wound kills their vod.

Sharing a look with Hunter seems enough to convey that he's moving to the next step as Hunter nods in agreement. Tech fishes his electric soldering iron from his hip bag. Echo gives him a weird look.

“What are you doing with that?” He asks.

Tech had almost forgotten that Echo's only been a part of their team for a couple months. He wouldn't know that, whilst the crackling electricity at the tools end was usually used to solder wires and small technical parts, it's rather good at cauterizing wounds as well.

“Sealing the wound.” Tech answers.

“Wait a moment.” Echo says, putting a hand on Tech's to keep him from doing his job. “Cauterization is not advisable, it ups the risk of infection as well as the healing time.”

“Got a better idea?” Crosshair huffs. Echo's eyebrows knit together.

“No.”

“The infection risk is already beyond high.” Tech begins pinching the edge of the gash together. “You will have to hold Wrecker down more firmly. He won't like this.”

Electricity crackles loudly and brightly as Tech powers the tool up, pressing it to Wrecker's skin. Predictably, Wrecker responds badly to the pain, fighting against his brothers with as much strength as he can muster. Tech lifts the soldering iron, checking that the edges of skin are fused well enough. When the skin, small blisters forming on the newly damaged area, holds, Tech moves on.

Thin wisps of smoke rise as Tech keeps fusing the edges of Wrecker's skin, making him glad he kept his helmet on. Even with the filter, he can smell the sharp scent of flesh burning. Hunter's senses are likely making the situation a lot worse for him. Maybe that's why he lost his grip on Wreckers arm.

In a surprisingly swift and coordinated motion, Wrecker brings his fist up to connect with the side of Tech's helmet. Tech falls to the side from the force. As he struggles to get his vision to refocus, he can hear the rest of the squad struggle to get Wrecker under control again.

Whilst his head throbs, Tech isn't going to let that make him put his brother's life in danger. He pushes past the dull pain, returning to his work. He'll probably get a bruise from this, even through the helmet.

Wrecker doesn't seem calmer after the outburst, if anything, he seems more distressed. He does however fight back a lot weaker. The futile attempt to break out of his brothers grips likely claimed most of what was left of Wrecker's energy.

As Wrecker flails weakly, his screams die down, replaced by sobbed pleading and apologies. Tech hates this so much more. What ever the plant's toxin is making Wrecker see can't be good and Tech isn't sure he wants to know more.

Echo, not having to hold on to Wrecker's head all too much anymore, has moved his hand to Wrecker's shoulder. He speaks quiet, comforting words. Tech doubts Wrecker hears, let alone understands them, but doesn't have the heart to say so out loud. There's no harm in trying.

Once Tech is done cauterizing the section of the wound he can reach, they maneuver Wrecker onto his front. He barely struggles anymore, an amalgamation of the poison, blood loss and futile resistance having worn him down.

Bandaging the wound almost seems pointless, an infection likely either way. But when Wrecker is no longer held down, he begins weakly scratching at the freshly sealed wound, so covering it is for the better. Tech would rather not have to repeat the process.

“We have to rest, but someone's got to keep an eye on him at all times.” Hunter says. He's right, there's no saying when the hallucinogenic will wear off. They don't need Wrecker doing something to harm himself.

Tech volunteers to keep an eye on Wrecker first, though that turns out to be a pointless discussion. None of them sleep immediately, kept awake by worry and the storm raging just outside their cover. They all sit close to their injured vod.

Wrecker tries to mess with the bandages a couple times, Tech having to pry his hands away from the material. Eventually, Tech opts to just hold his brother's hands.

At the start, Wrecker continues his confused mumbling ans sobbing, but as the poison wears off, so does that. He's still delirious, but shows some awareness of his surroundings.

Wrecker bumps his head into Tech's side. “Hurts...” He hisses between clenched teeth. Tech regrets not being able to give him anything for the pain, but they just don't know enough of how pain killers could react together with the toxin.

“You will be fine, vod'ika.” Tech says, trying to force a smile.

The storm goes on for hours, showing no signs of letting up. That spurs Tech to insist his vode sleep. He manages to convince Crosshair and Hunter, though they both lay close to Wrecker, Crosshair almost on top of him.

Tech watches Echo try to do the same, only to give up and resume staring out of the cave's opening and into the storm. That doesn't surprise Tech, their newest member struggling with both sleep in general and the cold. All their armor and blacks are some degree of damp and muddy, so the temperature is certainly bothering the ARC trooper.

Echo sighs, removing his helmet to rub at his nose bridge.

“You really have a thing for getting into near death situations.” Echo laughs. He pulls his knees closer to his chest, releasing a shaky breath. Tech wonders if the silence combined with the cold is bringing up bad memories. Luckily, Tech is very good at filling silence.

“As you've said many times before.” Tech smiles, removing his own helmet. Wrecker squirms about when Tech pulls one of his hands out of his grip, looking up at his brother. His eyes and pupils are blown wide. Tech wonders if Wrecker even recognizes him right now.

“I'm not called Echo for nothing.” Echo's said that many times before too, but Tech sees no point in highlighting that as well. Echo hisses when he see's Tech's face. “He got you pretty good.” Echo gestures at the right side of his own face.

Tech can't see the bruising himself, but guesses his right cheek bone has gained a new splash of color.

“I'm surprised he hit me at all.” Tech's deadpan response makes Echo laugh.

After a beat of silence, Echo gestures at Tech's hip. “You use that thing on injuries often?”

“That depends both on the mission and if we've had our medical supplies restocked recently.” Echo's commented before on how fast Clone Force 99 burns through supplies. Tech has spent time calculating the amount they'd really need, factoring in the downsides of their mutations and enhancements, but never bothered bringing it up. It's not like they'll be given what they need.

Echo sighs. “We need a medic.”

“We've always survived without one. It wouldn't be deemed necessary.”

“Kix would have a heart attack working with you.” Echo laughs. Tech remembers working with Kix briefly during the mission that lead to discovering Echo's location. From what Tech can recall about the medic, Echo's statement is likely accurate.

Echo runs his fingers along the joints of his prosthetic knees, sighing as they come away covered in mud.

“I will have a look at them for you once we're on the Marauder.” Tech offers. He's become quite familiar with Echo's prosthetic limbs and implants by now and has helped him improve or fix them many times.

“That would be greatly appreciated, vod'ika.” Echo rotates his scomp as he speaks. The dirt trapped between joints crunches, making Echo cringe. “I agree with Crosshair: I hate this planet.”

“We've certainly visited better.”

Echo leans forward. “How's Wrecker doing?”

Tech studies his younger brother. Wrecker switches between staring into nothing and squeezing his eyes shut, curled up tightly next to Tech. He's trembling.

“He'll live.” Tech is certain of that, has to be certain of that. But he's also certain that Wrecker isn't doing well at the moment.

They keep holding quiet conversation as the night goes on, but Tech must have dozed off at some point, as suddenly, Echo is shaking him.

“The storm's calming down.” He says when Tech's eyes fling open. “We should prepare to leave.”

After waking the others and getting Wrecker's chest plate back on him, they're out of the cave at the first hint of clear skies. Wrecker is semi-conscious, but too weak to walk. Tech and Crosshair each have one of Wrecker's arms slung across their shoulders.

The mud is just as bad now, slowing their pace to little faster than crawling, especially with Wrecker unable to muster the strength to drag his legs forwards by himself.

“Where we goin'?” Wrecker slurs, helmet clanking against his shoulder bell as his head lolls to the side.

“We're getting off this planet.” Crosshair grumbles, struggling to pull his foot from the mud as he speaks.

Hunter walks ahead of the group, seeming almost nervous. Tech assumes he's trying not to miss any further danger they might face.

Gradually, the ground becomes firmer as they approach the rocky terrain Tech landed their ship on. They still manage to track masses of mud into the Marauder. Tech groans at the thought of having to clean it all up later.

None of them take the time to shower now, but Tech's still grateful to be wearing dry clothes. They can worry about getting fully clean once Wrecker is taken care of by medics.

They help Wrecker change blacks, keeping his upper body free of clothes. After Tech returns from flying the Marauder into hyperspace, Echo and Crosshair are switching Wrecker's bandages. All three of them pulling disgusted faces prompts Tech to investigate further.

The wound hasn't started bleeding again, which is just about the only good news about Wrecker's condition. The blistered skin at the gash's edge is swollen and caked is drying discharge. Part of the wound has split open, but beside a small trickle of blood, the only thing spilling from it is pus.

No wonder Hunter's standing at the other end of the ship, trying not to gag. Pulling his Helmet back on, Hunter announces that he'll be in the cockpit.

Cleaning the wound goes a little better when they're not kneeling in mud, but unwilling to reopen the gash fully and risk further blood loss, Wrecker's body will just have to hold out against the infection until they can get proper medical help.

“We'd need three patches to cover that fully, but we've only got two left.” Echo sighs, handing them to Crosshair.

When the bacta patches are applied, Wrecker almost relaxes for a moment. But the pinched expression is back immediately. The part of the wound not covered by the patches they spread bacta gel on. Despite both of those measures, the fresh bandages they wrap around Wrecker's midriff are stained yellow and pink in moments.

Laying down, Wrecker gingerly prods the material covering the injury, hissing through his teeth.

“Don't worry, they'll throw you right in a bacta tank when we get you to a medical station.” Echo pats Wrecker's shoulder from his place next to their large brother. Tech's got one of the ARC's detached legs in his lap, occupied with cleaning out the joints.

Wrecker groans. “I hate bacta tanks. Always get dreams about being swallowed by some horrible monster.”

Crosshair and Echo laugh. Tech doesn't bring up that some of Wrecker's dislike of bacta tanks may come from the extended periods of time he'd spent in a isolation tanks as a cadet, not wanting to bring down the mood.

“How are you feeling?” Tech asks.

Wrecker sighs, leaning his head back onto Echo. “Bad.” He groans. “Everything hurts, my side is on fire and I feel a bit sick.”

“Well, please let us know before you throw up all over yourself.” Crosshair has a little grin plastered on his face.

“ Shabii’gar.“ Wrecker huffs, smacking the back of Crosshair's head weakly. He only succeeds in making Crosshair laugh.

“Not seeing things anymore?“ Crosshair continues.

“Not- Not anymore.” Wrecker shudders. “Vision's still blurry, and I feel... Weird, on edge.”

Tech hums in acknowledgment. That seems to track with what he knows of the poison.

Wrecker readjusts the way he lays, making what starts out as a whimper, but then quickly turns to a bitten back cry. He curls up a little more, both Crosshair and Echo moving closer at the noise.

“Can I have something 'gainst the pain?” Wrecker forces through grit teeth, sounding rather small.

Tech puts Echo's leg down in his lap, sighing. “No, you can't. I'm sorry.”

“What?” Wrecker inhales sharply. “One of the few times I want you to stab me with a needle and you won't?”

“It is not that I don't want to. It is simply not a risk I am willing to take. There is no data on how pain medication may react to the poison in your blood.”

“Aw, come on...” Wrecker pleads.

“No, Wrecker.” Tech rubs a hand over his face, straightening his goggles. “I will not be the one responsible when your heart explodes or organs liquefy.”

Wrecker huffs, pulling a displeased expression.

“Do you want more examples of what might happen to you?”

“No, I'm good.” Crossing his arms with a sigh, Wrecker turns onto his side.

“Is there something we can do to help?” Echo asks.

“Need me to hold you, Wreck'ika?” Crosshair adds with a mocking tone, unable to leave well enough alone.

Tech watches as Wrecker thinks, followed by a wide grin spreading on the large clone's face. “Actually, I do.”

Faster than he should, Wrecker sits up and starts pulling Crosshair onto the rack.

“Hey! It was a joke!” Crosshair fights against Wrecker's grip.

“Don't care.” Wrecker laughs. “You offered.

“Let go.” Crosshair hisses. “I'm retracting my offer.”

“Too late for that. Besides, I'm hurt. You're not going to be mean to me when I'm hurt, right?”

For some reason, Wrecker's silly comment makes Crosshair stop. “Fine.” He says as he does what Wrecker wants, ending up squished between the Marauder's wall and their large brother. For a man that just got pulled into a situation he definitively didn't want to be part of, Crosshair looks a little too comfortable.

Tech moves to the spot on the floor Crosshair had previously occupied, continuing his work on Echo's leg. Hunter joins them some time later, presumably once the smell of infection's cleared out somewhat.

It'll take them a few hours to get to the medical station. A long time, especially for Wrecker, who's feeling far from comfortable. But they'll keep him company and will try to distract him, hoping that that's enough to make the journey bearable.

Dark Corners and Shadowed Halls

Relationships: Crosshair & Hunter & Tech & Wrecker

Content Warnings: None

Summary:

As cadets, the Batch watch a horror holovid together. They are definitively not scared of it. If they're unable to sleep after, there must be some other reason.

Written for @summer-of-bad-batch Week 4: Cadets

Reading the first chapter of @sadiecoocoo's fic The Shadows Are Coming got me thinking about the Bad Batch and horror, and I ended up here. I highly recommend reading the first chapter of her fic if you like horror!

Word count: 1,884

Read on Ao3

The holovid hadn't been scary, so obviously Wrecker wasn't scared. They'd heard about if from some regs. They'd been scared, even if they were older, but Crosshair said that's just because they're regs. But it sounded fun, and proving to themselves that they were better than the older clones they'd heard about it from was even more reason to watch it. Tech had no difficulty finding it for them of course, as he often finds things for them to watch or read. He's the smartest clone by far, but Wrecker thinks he might even be the smartest person in existence. They huddled close to watch the hologram projected by a device Tech probably isn't permitted to have. Wrecker loves it when they do that. He gets to hug his brothers, all whilst being at the perfect range to annoy them with jokes and commentary about what they're watching. The holovid was fun, and predictably, not scary at all. But Wrecker can't sleep. His growing pains are mild today, so he should really be able to sleep. It's not like he's scared of the holovid, so it must be the storm keeping him awake. Lighting flashes outside their window, casting long shadows across their barracks. Wrecker bolts upright. Is someone standing against the far wall, near the door? Heart beating against his ribs, Wrecker grasps Lula tightly. It was too tall to be his brothers. It can't be one of those things, those monsters, from the holovid. They're not real. But it looked like one. The room is illuminated again. Wrecker hates how many far too dark corners there is in their barracks, all perfect places to conceal one of those things. Wrecker pulls his blanket up to his chin. He's not scared, but he has to check on his brothers. Just to make sure. But he can't call out to them. What if there really is something in the room with them, and he alerts it? Blanket wrapped around his shoulders, Lula in hand, Wrecker inches to the edge of his bunk. It feels like there are eyes on him from every dark corner of the room.

The first step across the cold floor he takes is slow, but then his mind conjures images of hands grabbing at his leg and he speeds up. Crosshair's bunk is empty, so Wrecker has to cross the room. He's almost running by the time something catches his leg and he's sent sprawling across the floor, tangled in the blanket he's carrying. Wrecker panics. He won't let anything grab him! Flailing and tripping over the blanket and his own feet, he gets to Hunter's bunk, immediately hopping up onto it. Next to Hunter, Crosshair is there already too. Their eyes are wide. "Want- Wanted to check on you." Wrecker says, out of breath. His heart feels like it might just leap out of his chest. "Did you have to be so loud about it?" Crosshair snaps, tremble in his voice. "Didn't do it on purpose! I tripped!" Wrecker omits the part where he thought something grabbed him. A figure appearing at Hunters bunk makes them all flinch. Wrecker's back hits the wall as he moves away with a yelp. It's just Tech. "Who made that noise?" He looks very serious, goggles hastily pulled on his face judging by how crooked they sit. "I tripped." Wrecker mutters, rubbing at his sore knees. The fact that he fell flat on his face hurts more than the bruises. Tech hums, climbing into Hunter's bed too. He squeezes himself between Wrecker and Hunter. "To set things straight, I am most certainly not frightened of the holovid we watched." Tech states. "That would be irrational." Wrecker, Crosshair and Hunter second the statement, even if all four of them are trembling slightly. When Wrecker takes both his younger and his older brothers hands, neither Crosshair, nor Tech deny him. "The regs were just being silly, letting a holovid scare them, but that couldn't actually happen, right?" Wrecker asks, clearly directed at Tech. They all go to him for answers, even Hunter, and he's the oldest. "A illness that that can change people, even when they're dead?" "Hypothetically, making a virus with those capabilities could be possible. There are species of fungus that do something similar." As not frightened as Wrecker is, Tech's answer still makes him gasp. "Not here on Kamino, right?" Hunter asks, leaning forwards. "They wouldn't make something like that..." The holovid said the virus was made in a lab, and practically half of Tipoca City is labs. Wrecker squishes Lula to his chest. There was a part in the holovid that played in a lab that was out of power, dark an silent. There was a lot of bodies in those bits. "They wouldn't." Tech doesn't sound sure. Wrecker swallows dryly, pulling his brothers closer. He always sweats at night, so Wrecker's thirsty, but the prospect of getting up and looking for his canteen isn't very appealing.

They stare out into the dark together, huddled closely.

“You see anything, Cross?” Wrecker asks, squeezing his little brother's hand.

“Nothing.” Crosshair says. Wrecker watches as his pupils flick about the room. With his enhanced eyesight, Crosshair can see far better in the dark than any human.

The shadows shouldn't bother Wrecker as much, now that Crosshair's confirmed he can't see anything. But Crosshair looks far too unsure for Wrecker's liking.

“We could beat them easily.” Crosshair mutters, pulling the hand linked with Wrecker's close to his chest. It's clear he means the monsters from the holovid.

“Some of the characters were soldiers too, Crosshair.” Tech says.

“Yeah, but they weren't enhanced.” Wrecker doesn't want to think about Tech's statement more than he has to. Almost none of the characters survived the holovid.

They go silent again.

“How'd they do all the effects?” Hunter asks. There was fire at some point, but Wrecker knows Hunter is referring to the way the monsters looked and the gory ways characters died.

“The holovid was entirely made with rather low budget practical effects.” Tech says. Of course he looked this up already. “That's why everything looks so-”

“Fleshy?” Crosshair interrupts. The word invokes the scene were a character is shown being torn apart and eaten in graphic detail. Wrecker shudders, but definitively not because he thought the scene was frighting.

“Precisely.” Tech says.

After a few seconds, Hunter wiggles free of the huddled group and gets off the bunk. “I'm going to the refresher.” Hunter says, voice wavering.

“Alone?” Tech asks.

Hunter swallows, looking around. “We should all go together.” It almost sounds like a question.

Wrecker nods. He doesn't want to get out of Hunter's bunk, but Hunter leaving their barracks alone wouldn't feel right. They should stick together. What if he runs into some regs?

Leaving their barracks, following behind each other closely, Wrecker regrets not taking Lula with him, even if he doesn't like taking her out of their personal space. Instead, he clutches his now empty canteen tightly.

Tipoca City's lights function with sensors, so they aren't walking in the dark. But the halls in front of them, sensors not yet activated, those remain pitch black. Wrecker squints to sharpen what he sees in the dark, unable to make anything out.

Besides Hunter making them stop a few times so he can listen to their surroundings, they get to the closest refresher without any issue. They're alone, thankfully. Regs is the last thing they need right now.

After they've all finished, and Wrecker's refiled his canteen and drunk from the tap, spilling some water on his shirt in the process, they head back to their barracks. Wrecker is calmer now, certain they won't stumble upon anything unwanted on the way.

Hunter stops them again occasionally. The first time, it's just a precaution, but the second, Hunter's breath hitches.

“Someone's walking towards us.” He whispers. Despite having had water, Wrecker's mouth feels dry. He grabs the back of Hunter's shirt, pulling his closer to the wall.

They can't see what's approaching them, they're standing near a branch in the corridor. Wrecker doesn't dare breath as they wait. What if it really is one of those monsters from the holovid?

Wrecker can hear the footsteps too now, far too loud as they grow closer. They should have armed themselves with something. Wrecker gears up to throw his canteen at whatever is about to come around the corner.

Swiftly, a tall figure turns into their corridor. Without hesitating, Wrecker throws his canteen. The figure dodges, canteen clattering loudly across the white floor.

“What the kark is your problem?” The figure, a human with straight brown hair shouts, making Wrecker flinch. She must be one of the bounty hunter trainers, going by the way she's dressed.

“Sorry.” Wrecker mutters. He's not sure the bounty hunter hears it. She's already turned around to pick up Wrecker's canteen. She throws it back.

The canteen hits the wall between Wrecker and Crosshair's heads, force of the throw knocking the lid off it and splashing them both with water. Wrecker repeats his apology.

The bounty hunter takes a step towards them, disapproving expression on her face. Wrecker looks at his shoes. He knows better than to provoke a trainer that's already mad at him.

“Aren't you supposed to be asleep?” Her words sound almost slurred.

“We were using the refresher.” Wrecker's thankful for Hunter taking the initiative. It's not just the fact that he'd the oldest that makes him their leader.

“And do you have to do that in a group of...” The bounty hunter pauses for a long time. “four?”

When none of them answer, not really having anything to justify their actions, The bounty hunter groans.

“Fine, don't answer! I don't kriffing care what your reason is.” She walks off, turning to look at them a final time. “I'll be watching you.”

Wrecker's heart beats furiously as he shares a look with his brothers. He scoops up his now dented and empty canteen. Wrecker should just be grateful it didn't hit him in the face, but the bent metal still makes him a little sad.

Mind on the confrontation with the bounty hunter, Wrecker doesn't think of the holovid until they're in their barracks. Then, the unease of being surrounded by shadows returns. Walking a little too fast, Wrecker beelines for Hunter's bunk.

Not a word exchanged, they all get comfortable in Hunter's bunk, sharing blankets as well as Lula. It's Crosshair that starts another conversation, asking about a specific effect in the holovid, where one of the monsters is cut in half by a closing door.

Wrecker doesn't plan to fall asleep whilst Tech tells them more about the process of making the holovid. He wants to know what Tech has to says, but even more so, he wants to stay awake to keep an eye on his brothers. But at some point, his eyes drift closed.

Next think he knows, Wrecker wakes to Tech's loud snoring and one of his brother's limbs digging uncomfortably into his back. Whilst the weather on Kamino is rarely good, it's brighter during the day.

Most importantly, the shadows are a whole lot less threatening. And even if they were, it's not like the holovid was scary, so Wrecker wouldn't be scared.

Rest

Relationships: Hunter & Wrecker

Content Warnings: None

Summary:

Wrecker reaches his limit after a difficult mission.

Written for @augustofwhump Day 1: overexertion

Word count: 997

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The mission went so much longer than planed. Wrecker had been running on empty before they'd left, a couple of days of bad chronic pain draining him. Beside the exhaustion, it had been a good day before they set off, pain minimal for the first time in ages. But Cid hadn't been entirely honest yet again. They weren't the only ones trying to get a hold of the shipment she'd sent them after, landing the squad in fights they hadn't planned for. Next to the crates Wrecker had to move, their way got blocked multiple times by collapses and broken doors. Wrecker happily dealt with them, heavy lifting being what he was made for. But all of that strain, the running around, the unnecessary fights, Wrecker feels them now, badly. Soon as he got on the ship, Wrecker dropped the crates and himself to the floor. He's resting his head against the cool casing of the shipment, closing his eyes. His head throbs, his spine feeling like a line of fire down his back. He's pulled at least something. Rolling his shoulders, Wrecker groans. Waves of nausea have been hitting him for the last hour, and sitting down has done nothing to improve them. If things would be up to Wrecker, he wouldn't move from this spot, possibly ever. But he knows they have another mission lined up for tomorrow. Remembering that almost makes Wrecker want to cry, maybe crawl into a dark corner and hide like when they were cadets. He's too big to hide easily now, and his vode need him. Wrecker's not going to let them down by backing out last minute. Still, the thought of having to do something even half as bad as the last mission plagues Wrecker. There's no point worrying about it, it'll happen either way, but Wrecker's tired mind is set on terrorizing him. When they fought for the Republic, Wrecker would have took a stim. The price of them prevents stims from being stocked in their medkit now.

Wrecker will have to make due with the cheap caff they've got and will have to hope the caffeine will be enough for him to force his body through the day. "Wrecker?" Hunter speaks softly. It's almost like he's able to sense when a member of his squad has a headache. He's always been good at that. Wrecker groans in response. A hand on his shoulder makes him reluctantly lift his head off the crate. Hunter's extending an ice pack in Wrecker's direction. Wrecker smiles. He'd thought of getting one for himself, but as much as he longed for it, couldn't convince himself to move. "Don't tell the others," Wrecker mutters, grin on his lips, "but you're definitely my favorite brother right now." Shaking his head, Hunter laughs. Wrecker accepts the gift his brother brought him, removing only the armor strictly necessary to hold it flush to his back. Laying down with the ice pack on his back would be smarter, but Wrecker is scared to move. The headache and nausea are barely manageable now, there's no telling how much worse changing positions would make that.

So Wrecker resigns himself to sitting with his arm held at an awkward angle. It's a small price to pay for some relief for his sore back. Wordlessly Hunter sits down behind him, pushing Wreckers arm aside and moving close enough to be back to back with Wrecker. Like this, the ice pack held in place by both of them pressing against it. "Thank you." Wrecker mutters. They'd sat similarly in the past, though usually because they both needed the ice pack. "Sure you don't want to move to the rack?" Hunter suggests. "Don't wanna move at all." Wrecker groans. He can feel Hunter nod. "Then we're staying here." Leaning his head back on the crate, Wrecker sighs. The bone-deep exhaustion isn't going to let its self be shaken any time soon, but at least the ice pack is doing its job nicely. "About tomorrows mission..." Hunter starts. Wrecker can't help the way his shoulders slump. "I'll be good to go by then sarge." Wrecker says. "Promise." "We're not doing the mission, vod'ika." "What?" Wrecker almost moves upright in confusion. "We need the credits Hunter." "We need rest more." Wrecker's not stupid, he knows who's meant when Hunter says 'we'. "I won't be the reason we lose out on a job." Wrecker shakes his head, regretting the motion immediately when pain flares behind his eyes. "The whole squad will benefit from taking a break." Hunter's words do nothing to make Wrecker feel better, to feel less like a burden. "I'll be fine. I can keep going." He won't let his vode down, he'll keep going like he always does, he'll push through the exhaustion. A nights sleep will be more than enough, even if Wrecker's already dreading it. "You're clearly not fine!" Wrecker can feel Hunter moving, probably gesturing for emphasis. Wanting to protest further, Wrecker opens his mouth, only for Hunter to interrupt him. "Don't. We're not soldiers any more, we can rest when we need to." Wrecker sighs heavily. He's too tired to argue, not that Hunter would change his mind. He's surprisingly stubborn. "Cid's not going to be happy." "When is she ever happy?" Hunter replies, making Wrecker laugh quietly. It still doesn't sit well with Wrecker that he's making his brothers lose out of credits, especially since his abnormally high need for food is already a burden on the squad. They're constantly barely scraping by. "Tell me if you want to lay down." Wrecker clocks Hunters words as an offer of help, should he need it. Laying down sounds nice, but Wrecker can't bare to face moving his strained body right now.

In a few minutes, he'll take Hunter up on his offer, actually get some rest in whilst he can. But for now, he just enjoys the relative comfort of sitting still and having an ice pack against his back.