CAPTAIN REX | First Appearance Of Each Season In Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)

CAPTAIN REX | First appearance of each season in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)

Trials of the Goddess

Summary: It's been over a year since the eternal winter has been broken on Pabu, and you've finally adjusted to the new normal. Unfortunately, there are some things about Pabu that Crosshair doesn't know about.

Pairing: Merc!Crosshair x Reader

Word Count: 5366

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023

A/N: The most recent installment of my Magic and Knights AU. I've never written Crosshair before, well, not a lot of Crosshair, but I like to think I sort of know what I'm doing now, lol.

Divider by Saradika

It’s been over a year since the curse of Eternal Winter was broken over Pabu, and slowly life has returned to normal. Or, as normal as it could be since there are so few people who remember what life was like before the Winter Queen.

But things have returned to normal. 

Though you’re not sure you’re a big fan of this new normal.

Oh, you definitely don’t miss the snow and the cold. You much prefer the tropical weather, and the fact that it never gets cold anymore. You also greatly enjoyed donating all of your cold weather clothes to more northern nations that needed them.

And you really, really enjoy being able to have a wardrobe that's mostly swimsuits, shorts, tank tops, and sundresses. 

The cons are that you eat so much fish now. So much. It’s awful. Almost every meal has some sort of fish, and you’re so tired of fish. Also, you hate having to repair the fishing nets.

At least the ones your family uses are made of rope, though that does mean that you’re repairing them weekly. And you’re talented enough with net repair, that the neighbors have started paying you to repair theirs as well.

Which wouldn’t be a problem, if it wasn’t for the fact that one of your neighbors uses wire in his fishing nets, and the wire has cut your fingers to shreds.

You scowl at your bandage covered fingers, and then shake your head, “I’m heading out!” You call over your shoulder to your family.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come out with us?” Your older cousin asks gleefully, “It’ll be fun!”

“No thanks.” You reply as you make a face, “Have fun though.” You wave at your extended family, and then hurry out of the house before someone can come up with some reason you should go fishing with them.

As soon as you’re on the street you veer left, and follow the walkway to a small set of wooden stairs that lead up the cliffside. You kick off your sandals, and pick them up, before you run up the stairs. 

At the top of the stairs you follow the trail for about a mile, and then you step over a small stone wall and follow a path that you only know about because you know the man you’re meeting.

You duck under a fallen tree, and grin when you see a hammock stretched between two trees. A hammock with a slender man with silver hair laying on it. You hurry over to him, not bothering to try and make yourself sneaky. 

You lean over the hammock and grin at him, “Found you~” You say in a singsong voice.

He doesn’t bother to open his eyes, but he does roll his toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other, “It’s not like I was hiding from you.” Crosshair replies dryly, and then he pulls his toothpick from his mouth and flicks it at you, “You’re in my sun, sweetheart.”

You make a disgusted face as his toothpick bounces off your cheek, “There is no sun, Cross. You’re surrounded by trees.”

He sighs, “You know, I came up here to be alone.”

“Great! I’ll be alone with you!” You counter cheerfully, that finally makes him open his eyes, and he pins you with a glare.

“You’re incredibly annoying, you know that?”

“It’s part of my charm,” You reply, before you lightly grip his arm and tug, “Now, come on!”

“What? No. I don’t want to go anywhere,” Crosshair grumbles as he settles more firmly in the hammock, and slips a new toothpick into his mouth.

“But Cross,” You lean over him and pout, “They finally reopened the stairs to the Lookout!”

“Don’t care.”

You pout even more and he just closes his eyes, “If you want to go to the Lookout, then go. Don’t get me involved.”

You huff and reach out to poke his cheek, “I bet Tech would go with me.” You say.

“I recognize that you’re trying to manipulate me, and it’s not going to work, sweetheart.”

“Okay. Then I’m going to go get Tech. Right now. Here I gooo-” You say cheerfully, as you spin on your heel and start walking away.

You don’t even get three steps before you hear the hammock creak loudly, and his hand wraps tightly around your wrist. He tugs you back against his chest and you muffle a laugh when you feel his breath against your ear, “You’re such a fucking pain, kitten.” He grumbles, “Put your damned shoes on, the steps up to the lookout are stone.”

“Aww, I thought you said I couldn’t manipulate you,” You tease as you tilt your head to look at him.

He rolls his eyes and reaches out to flick your nose, “I’m saving you from having to spend an afternoon listening to my twin. You should be thanking me.”

You laugh, “Oh, my hero~”

“Yeah, yeah. Shoes, sweetheart.”

You grin at him and drop your sandals to the ground, before you slide them on, “There. Shoes.”

“Those aren’t shoes. They’re deathtraps.”

“You’re just grumpy that I’m making you walk.” You reply, “I think they make my legs look amazing. What do you think?”

Crosshair sighs, as though you’re asking him for a huge favor, and he takes a step back to stare at your legs. “Hm…” He tilts his head, and drags his gaze down your legs, and then back up, “Not bad. Maybe if you had some heels-”

You bump him with your shoulder, “Maybe you should wear some heels,” You grumble good naturedly, before you skip ahead of him, forcing him to take several long strides to keep up with you. 

“I thought we were going to the lookout together,” Crosshair chides as he flings his arm over your shoulder.

“We are! But you’re so slow-” You yelp when he tugs you and you stumble for a moment, “Mean! Mean Crosshair!”

“Not my fault that you don’t know how to walk, sweetheart.” He counters as he moves to walk in front of you, and he smirks at you over his shoulder, “Keep up, why are you walking so slow?”

You pout at his back, and jog over to him so you’re able to wrap your arms around one of his. He grumbles a little, but doesn’t shake you off, which you take as a win.

It’s not a far walk to the stairs leading to the lookout, and you frown when you see the stairs. Like Crosshair said earlier, they are made out of stone, but there’s no railing.

“Worried about falling, kitten?” He asks in your ear, causing you to shiver.

“Of course not,” You shoot him a bemused look, “I’m with you, after all.”

He blinks at you, slowly, and then he huffs and tugs on some of your hair, “Disgusting. That’s the grossest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“You’re so dramatic,” You reply as you tug him over to the stairs and start to climb them.

“You know I can leave right?” He points out, as he climbs the stairs behind you. 

“But we’re already here!” You say cheerfully as you bounce from the stairs onto the landing at the top of the stairs, “The Lookout!” You spread your arms wide, and he rolls his eyes. 

“Why’s this place so great anyway?” He asks.

“Because-” You take his arm and pull him away from the edges of the cliff, and further inland, “There’s a lake.”

“Pabu is literally a peninsula. There’s water everywhere.” Crosshair replies.

“But this is special water!” You lead him further in, until you come to a crystalline lake. It’s peaceful, and there, in the center of the lake, on a small man-made island, is a massive statue of a woman. “Ta-dah!”

Crosshair looks around, and then he sighs, “Alright. I’ll bite. What’s with the statue?”

“Hm?” You turn and look at the statue, “Oh, right. It’s a Goddess of Love.”

“A goddess,” He repeats, deadpan, “of love.”

“Yep.” You tug him over to the shore, and then sit down on the white sand. You take a moment to pull your sandals off and then bury your feet. “The story goes that a pair of lovers came up here to meet up in secret, against the wishes of their families.” You explain, “And the goddess was so moved by their devotion, she gave them the chance to prove their love to each other, and her, by giving them a series of trials.”

“Lame.”

You glare at him and fling a handful of seaweed at him, “Not lame! Romantic.”

“Yeah, I’m not about to let anyone, let alone a goddess who doesn’t exist, determine if my love is real or not.” Crosshair flicks the second toothpick of the day at you, and you squawk indignantly as it lands in your hair.

You flick the toothpick away from you, once you pick it out of your hair, “Come on, Cross. It is romantic! Sticking together through thick and thin, proving your love-”

“It isn’t romantic.” He says the word like it’s a curse and you don’t bother to muffle your laugh, “It’s condescending at best.”

“I think it’s romantic,” You reply.

“Yeah, until you’re the one having to prove your love to someone who doesn’t know you.” 

You roll your eyes at him, and reach up to tug him down onto the sand next to you, “Will you stop being a grouch for 10 minutes and just enjoy the atmosphere with me?”

“I suppose it is kind of nice that there’s no one around,” Crosshair admits after he folds himself, gracelessly, on the sand next to you.

“See, I told you-”

“It means that I can do this,” He adds with a small smirk as he leans in and steals a quick kiss, before he pulls away and settles comfortably on the sand.

You squeak, and then scramble to your knees, “No! Wait! I wasn’t ready!”

“You snooze, you lose, kitten.” He replies.

You fling your arms around his neck, “but Cross, don’t you want a kiss too?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

“Wha-” You’re unable to finish your word when there’s a loud crash of thunder, causing you to flinch against him. 

Crosshair straightens, and he taps your arm twice, causing you to drop them to your side. His sharp gaze is locked on the island with the statue. “Time to go, sweetheart.”

“Okay,” You push yourself to your feet, only to yelp as the ground gives way beneath you, and you fall. It’s some comfort that you see Crosshair falling too. Though it’s only some comfort.

You hope that he doesn’t get hurt.

You squeeze your eyes shut as the dizzying array of lights and colors threatens to make you sick, and then you’re hitting solid ground, and you huff out a breath of pain as you land hard on the sand.

Slowly you roll from your back to your side, and then push yourself into a sitting position.

You’re still at the lake, though you’re alone now. You nervously clutch at your hands, and flicker your gaze around, “Cross?” You call, “are you here?”

You gingerly get to your feet, and inch towards the treeline, “Crosshair?”

“Ah, there you are.” You jump at the familiar voice coming from the opposite side of the clearing.

You spin on your heels and sigh in relief. “There you are. What happened?” You duck down to grab your sandals, only they’re not sitting in the sand. You stare at the sand, bewildered for a moment. You could have sworn…

“Sweetheart?” You jump again, and whip around to look at Crosshair.

“Sorry?”

He smiles at you, a proper smile, and you fold your arms over your chest, “I asked if you’re alright, sweetheart.”

Your blood runs cold.

Crosshair calls you sweetheart like it’s an insult. He’s rude and crass, and flicks toothpicks at you because he thinks it’s funny. He’s never smiled at you, and he’s never verbally asked if you were alright before.

He also calls you kitten when you’re alone, and likes to whisper in your ear like you’re the only two people in the world. And sometimes, when it’s just the two of you, he looks at you like you’re the most important thing in the world to him. And he always knows if you’re alright or not, because he’s Crosshair.

“Sweetheart?” He asks again, taking a step closer to you.

You stumble back away from him, “Who are you?”

He pauses, and then smiles warmly, and you fight to hide your tremors, “It’s me. Your Crosshair.”

Trap. Traptraptrap. You take several large steps back, until you’re standing in the water, “You’re not Crosshair.”

He blinks, “Are you sure?”

“Yes! You…what did you do to him!?”

He tilts his head to the side, “He’s not hurt.” He takes several steps towards you, only to stop when you step further back into the water, the water now coming up to your knees. “I could be Crosshair, if you wanted.” He cajoles, “I would make you happy, and safe.”

You shake your head mutely, your arms folding tightly around yourself.

His face twists for a moment, something dark and dangerous crossing his features as he takes a stalking step towards you. 

You yelp and stumble further backwards, just as three arrows fly from the treeline and slam into Fake Crosshair’s chest. He releases a noise that no human throat could ever make, and then dissolves into goo on the sand.

“Get over here!” Crosshair’s voice is sharp, and your head snaps to the treeline, where he’s crouching in a tree.

“Cross-” You wade out of the water, and half run over to him, “I can’t find my shoes,” you blurt as you reach his side, the fact seeming very, very important for some reason, “They were there and now they’re not and-”

“I have them.” Crosshair interrupts, his gaze flickers over all of your exposed skin, likely looking for any injuries, “They were with me…and the fake you I had to deal with.”

“I…fake me?” You ask.

“Yeah, she was acting like me, and it pissed me off, so I stabbed her.” Crosshair replies as he hands you your shoes. “Well, and because she was trying to convince me that she was you.”

You slide your sandals back on, and then look up at him, “Can we go now?” you ask.

His gaze scans your face for a moment, and he nods, “That’s the plan, stay behind me.” He pauses when you grip the back of his shirt, and he glances at you over his shoulder.

“Sorry, do you need me to let go?”

“Hold on to the hem of my shirt, not the middle of the back,” is all Crosshair says in return. He waits until your grip shifts, and then he starts walking. 

He carefully leads you to where the stairs are, only for him to stop and curse loudly. “Cross?” You poke your head from around him and look up at him.

“The stairs are gone.” He says.

You release his shirt and step around him so you’re standing next to him, and you peer over the edge of the cliff and you frown. “I don’t even see the ground.”

Crosshair grabs your shoulder and pulls you away from the edge, “I noticed,” he says shortly.

“Okay, so…so maybe we have to go back to the statue?” You offer as you nervously wring your hands. 

Crosshair reaches out and grabs your hands, “Stop that. If you’re going to worry anything, worry my shirt.”

You immediately grab the hem of his shirt, and start rolling the soft material between your fingers. 

“And your suggestion is a valid one, I suppose. Though I don’t like it.”

“You don’t like anything,” You quip weakly, a small smile lifting your lips.

His hand comes up and presses lightly against the top of your head, a small bit of tenderness to help settle your nerves, and then he moves his hand back to the stock of his crossbow, “Stay behind me.”

You slide your hands to the back of his shirt, “I will.”

He glances at you, a small smirk on his lips, “Good girl.”

You flash a small smile up at him, and allow him to lead you back towards the lake.

The pair of you stop on the shore, and look out at  the statue, and Crosshair releases a frustrated sigh, “Do we need to get to the statue?” He glances at you, “What happened, in the story?”

“Um…the couple disappeared and were never seen again.” You admit.

“You could have mentioned that this was a horror story, kitten.”

You duck your head, “It wasn’t supposed to be real, Cross.”

He scoffs, “Any other stories that we should probably know about?”

“Um…there’s a couple of others,” You admit sheepishly.

“You’re fucking joking.”

“Sorry.”

He sighs deeply and pinches his nose, “Alright. It’s fine.” Crosshair looks around for a moment, “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

You nod and release his shirt.

Crosshair is only a few feet away when you see something alarming. Dozens of weapons, all of them aimed at Crosshair.

You move before you can even think it through. Your hands come out and press against his back, and you push with all of your strength. Crosshair stumbles out of the way, annoyance crossing his face as he turns to yell at you, only the words die in his throat as he watches the first volley of arrows slam into you.

You crumple to the ground, still and silent. 

Crosshair rounds on the attackers, and fires off a series of arrows, moving faster and his aim truer than ever before. 

And then he’s kneeling next to you, his touch is gentle as he rolls you from your side onto your back.

“Come on, kitten.” He growls, fury warring with fear on his face.

A warm glow envelopes you, and then fades away into nothing, and you release a gasp, rolling back onto your side and coughing loudly. “C-Cross-?”

He roughly pulls you to a sitting position, “What the fuck were you thinking?!” He snaps, he runs his hands down your arms and sides, checking for injuries.

“They,” You cough again as you try to catch your breath, “they were going to hurt you.”

“I don’t care! You don’t do that. You don’t get to do that. Never again.” Crosshair orders. 

“But-”

“No. No buts. You will give me your word that you won’t do that ever again.” His hands are painful on your shoulders.

You stare at him, eyes wide, “Okay. Okay, I won’t do that again.”

His grip loosens around your shoulders, “You promise.” He demands.

“...yeah, I promise.” He releases a shaky breath and his forehead drops against yours, “Sorry for scaring you.” You whisper.

“It’s fine,” He says gruffly, his hand pressing against the back of your head, “Come on. We need to get to the island.”

You nod your agreement, but before you get to your feet, you pull him in for a kiss. Slow and lazy and proper. You’re pretty sure you just died, you feel like you’ve earned it.

Crosshair chuckles under his breath, “Alright, kitten. Feeling better?”

“...actually, yes.” You admit.

Crosshair helps you to your feet, his grip just a little too tight for comfort. You scared him, so you don’t begrudge him his anxiety.

“Good. Now, how do we get to the isla-?” He pauses mid sentence, his gaze locked on the lake. There, right next to where you’re standing, is a small boat. 

“This feels like a trap,” You whisper to him.

He grimaces, “Get in the fucking boat.” Crosshair says shortly.

Oh, good, he agrees.

You climb into the boat with little hesitance, after all, you are with Crosshair, and he’d never let anything hurt you. You sit on one of the benches in the boat, and dig around the bottom for some oars. 

The ease of several months of practice is the only reason you didn’t topple over when the boat started moving as Crosshair pushes the boat from the shore into deeper water.

You offer him one of the oars you found, “You do know how to use this, right?” You tease lightly.

He raises a single brow, takes an oar, and dips it into the water. And then he smirks and flicks water at you causing you to let out a disgruntled noise, “I think I can figure it out.”

The pair of you manage to cross the lake in short order, and you hop out of the boat to help Crosshair pull it out of the water. You ensure that the oars are stored in the boat, and then you turn to him with a nervous smile, “I think the statue is up there,” You motion to a ridge that was not noticeable from the shoreline.

Crosshair was scowling up at the ridge, and you can’t help but wonder if he’s seen something that you haven’t.

“Cross?”

He glances at you, and his frown deepens. “Stay with the boat.”

You blink in surprise, “Shouldn’t I go with you?” You ask, “I mean, if this is a trial, like from the story-”

You stop when he presses his hand over your mouth, “Absolutely not. There’s something unnatural happening here, and you will stay here until I figure out what it is.”

“What if you get hurt?” You ask, your voice muffled by his hand.

“Then I get hurt.” He replies unconcerned.

“But-”

“Are you going to stay here?” Crosshair asks, “Or do I need to put you back in the boat and push it into the lake?”

You whine low in the back of your throat, “Are those my only options?”

“Yes.”

You shoot him an unhappy look, “Then I’ll stay here.”

He guides you over to a rock and firmly sits you down, “Good girl.” He checks his weapons, “I’ll be back shortly. Probably.”

A petulant pout crosses your face as he walks away, following the trail up to the ridge. 

“Aww, he cares about you a lot,” 

You yelp and topple off of the rock at the sudden voice to your left.

“Oh! Oh gosh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to frighten you!”

You gape up at the strange woman standing over you. She’s stunning, though her features seem to shift and change as you stare at her, “Who are you?” you ask.

“Oh, I’m Poppy. Hello!”

“...hi?”

Poppy beams at you and you feel guilty for having been startled by her, “Do you think you can help me?” She asks as she folds her hands, pleadingly, under her chin.

“I…Crosshair was very specific about me staying here.”

“He was!” Poppy beams even more, “And it was very adorable, but I really do need your help. And so does he.”

You slowly get to your feet and Poppy lightly takes your arm, “What do you need my help with?”

“You’ll see! It’s not far, I promise.” Poppy half drags you out of the clearing, and down a thin path that you wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t shown you. “Just down here.”

She leads you to a cave, and then she leads you into a cave. The walls are covered with dark green ivy, and there’s flowers of all sorts growing across the floor and ceiling, “What…what is this place?”

“This is my home,” Poppy leads you to the very back, where a stunning marble statue sits…covered in wicked looking purple vines, “My shrine.”

“Wait, you’re-?”

Poppy smiles, “Many years ago, I chose to watch over this island and the people here with my partner. But one day these vines appeared…” She gestured to the vines, “And my power waned to the point I wasn’t able to stop that awful winter.” She sniffles, “The only good thing about that awful winter is that fake me wasn’t able to hurt anyone, but then the winter left, and she killed you! So naturally I had to save you!”

“Oh, uh…thank you, then.”

“You’re very welcome!” Poppy beams, though it fades quickly, “I gifted you a fraction of my power, just a fraction, enough to heal you, but it drained me something awful, so now I need your help.”

“With what?”

“The vines. I need you to remove the vines. Please.” Poppy lightly touches your arm, “It’ll hurt, little one. But, please-”

You come to a decision immediately. You can’t not help someone who needs help, it’s not your nature.

So you walk over to the statue, reach out, and grab a vine. 

It’s like grabbing a red hot wire; the vine sears into your skin, and you can hear the skin of your hands burning, but you don’t let go. Instead you tighten your grip, and you rip.

The smaller vines pull away with ease, dissolving into ash as soon as they land on the consecrated ground, but the larger vines are more troublesome. They twine around your arms as you rip them out, searing dark burns into your skin. Each one is more painful than the last.

But finally, finally, the last vine falls to the ground and dissolves into ash. The cave fills with a warm light, as though the sun has finally risen after a very long night, and Poppy laughs. 

“Finally,” She says through her laughter. She reaches out and touches you, and the pain fades, and the burns slowly turn into a delicate looking ivy tattoo, “There, my brave little ivy, no more pain. No more fear.” She leans in and kisses your forehead. “All will be well. Stay in here…you will be safe.”

“But…Crosshair?”

Poppy smiles, “All will be well.” She promises, and then she’s gone, leaving behind the delicate scent of flowers. 

**************

Crosshair grunts in pain as he dodges another blow from the so-called Goddess his Kitten told him about. His lips curl in disdain as he moves out of the way from another attack.

Had he known that his day was going to devolve from spending time with his person to fighting demons, he would have brought more than just his crossbow and hunting knife.

What’s the saying, hindsight is 20-20?

At least his kitten is safe, the demons seem to have no interest in her. Though, he’s willing to bet that if he doesn’t survive, then that will change. All that means is that he better not die.

The demon he’s fighting stumbles back for a moment, even though Crosshair isn’t anywhere near her. “No.” She hisses, “NO! Go and find the girl!” She shouts to her shadows, which take the form of him and his brothers, “Kill her!”

“Shit.” Crosshair turns his attention away from the main demon, to dealing with her underlings, only the moment demon!Hunter tries to leave the ridge, he’s cut in two.

“There’s no need to fret,” A strange man stands on the edges of the clearing, something coldly smug on his face, “You’re little lady is just fine. She’s somewhere where these fiends can’t touch her.”

“No…no. You cannot be here. You’re sealed away!” The demon snarls.

The man’s grin becomes vicious, “Crosshair, is it?”

Crosshair raises a single brow, but doesn’t bother to answer.

“I need you to shoot the statue. Right in the heart, if you would.”

It’s a weird ask, but he’s done weirder things, all things considered. So Crosshair lifts his crossbow, takes aim, and fires.

His bolt flies true, and slams into the statue’s heart.

The granite cracks, crumbles, and then completely shatters. And Crosshair blinks in surprise. The statue of the woman was gone, and in its place was a statue of a man, wielding a sword and dressed in armor. 

Crosshair lowers his bow, and the strange man chuckles and steps into the sunlight. “Well done, lad. Well done indeed.” The man stops next to Crosshair, his smile is kind, though there’s a hint of danger in his gaze, “You’ve done enough for now. Let’s send you to where you belong.”

“Where I-?”

There’s a flash of light, and Crosshair swears, as he immediately closes his eyes.

************

You scramble to your feet when the cave fills with a cold light. Cold, but somehow you know it’s not a threat. The light fades, and you heave out a sigh of relief when you see who’s standing in the cave with you.

“Cross?” You hurry over to him and fling your arms around his neck, and he grunts in surprise. “Are you okay?”

His hand comes up and presses between your shoulder blades, “Yeah. I’m fine.” Crosshair extracts himself from your grip, making you whine, “What’s this?” His fingers trail over the ivy tattooed on your arms.

“Um…the statue,” You motion to the gleaming white statue, “Was being smothered in vines, so I removed them, but they burned me really badly. So Poppy turned the scars into tattoos.”

“...who the fuck is Poppy?”

You blink up at him, and then you point to the statue, “That’s Poppy. She went somewhere else, though.”

“I did indeed,” Crosshair instinctively shoves you behind him, and Poppy giggles, “Oh, darling, he reminds me of you.”

There’s a man standing next to her, tall and broad, “That he does. Those demons won’t trouble anyone ever again.” He says firmly, “And, thanks to you both, this nation will never have to worry about an eternal winter again.”

“Because we’re awake now,” Poppy says warmly, “Which means we can go back to protecting what is ours.” She claps her hands, “But, we need to get you both home.”

The man smiles slowly, “But I think we can take care of that.”

There’s a bright flash of light, and everything fades away.

*********

“I’m heading out!” You call over your shoulder to your family.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come out with us?” Your older cousin asks gleefully, “It’ll be fun!”

“No thanks.” You reply as you make a face, “Have fun though.” You wave at your extended family, and then hurry out of the house before someone can come up with some reason you should go fishing with them.

Once you’re on the street, you turn and follow the road. You hurry past the forest, and over to the stone staircase that leads to the lookout. You carefully go up the stairs, and as soon as you’re standing on the grass at the top, you kick your sandals off. 

You duck down and pick them up, and then you follow the path lined by pretty white flowers away from the lookout, and towards the lake. You stop on the shore of the lake and you turn your attention to the island in the middle of the lake.

Alight with dozens of different flowering trees, the pair of statues looking out over the lake, and over Pabu as a whole, radiate a sense of warmth and love, and you grin at the statues.

And then you turn and race along the edge of the lake, until you’ve circled half of the lake, and only then do you dip into the dense trees. 

There, hanging from two massive trees, is a hammock. And laying on the hammock, is Crosshair. You drop your shoes on the ground next to the hammock, and lean over him, a grin on your face, “Found you!”

Crosshair doesn’t bother opening his eyes, instead he just snakes his arm around your waist and pulls you so you topple over on top of him. He then adjusts you so that your head is tucked under his chin, “No more adventures, kitten.”

You giggle and bury your face against his neck, “But I haven’t told you about the Volcan-”

“Shhh.” He presses his hand over your mouth, “We’re sleeping now.”

You giggle even more, and press your nose against him, “I suppose I can take a short nap.” You close your eyes, as the soft, delicate, scent of flowers fills the forest around you.

And you know that if you were to open your eyes, the forest around you would be blossoming with every flower known to man. After all, you and Crosshair are Poppy's favorite people.

Article date is Oct 30, 2023. Eye drops sold at CVS, Target, RiteAid recalled.

Ars Technica

FDA warns of infection risk from 26 big-brand eye drops; stop using immediately

No infections yet linked, but FDA found contamination in manufacturing facility.

How about how the bad batch boys (female reader) react to you giving them unexpected HUG? 🫂 because we all need a hug in our lives 😊 as fluffy as you can make it please! Congratulations on 4000 followers 😊

Unexpected First Hug

The Bad Batch X F!Reader

warnings: Mostly fluff, maybe a mention or two of reader feeling down/homesick. First hug with the Bad Batch. Some mutual pining if you squint. Female reader but can probably be read as GN too. Crosshair reunited with brothers. Not proofread.

authors note: thank you for the request! Enjoy some hugs 🫂

Echo 🤍

You missed him.

Actually, you found yourself missing him. deeply. But Echo's decision to go with Rex and Senator Chuchi had filled you with pride. However, as days turned into weeks, the void left by his absence grew more noticeable.

When you said your goodbyes, something felt incomplete. Perhaps words left unsaid or a simple handshake would have sufficed. But in the solitude of your bunk, thoughts of him kept creeping into your mind, and you couldn't help but picture him right beside you.

Then came the day when Echo surprised everyone by announcing his return to Pabu. Excitement surged through your stomach, eager to hear his tales and, most of all, to just be close to him again.

What neither of you expected, judging by the surprise on Echo's face, was when, as soon as he hopped off the gangplank, you raced over, outpacing even Omega and Hunter, and embraced him.

Your arms encircled his shoulders, your chest flushed against his, and Echo stammered your name in astonishment at the unexpected impact.

“H-Hello,” he appeared flustered by the emotion, and yet, the hug, something you'd never shared before, just felt so right.

“Hi, sorry I just,” you pulled away yet your arms lingered around his shoulders, “really missed you.”

You see his eyes widen ever so slightly and a shy smile etched on his face. “Oh, well, I missed you too.” He says softly, hands ever so gently placing onto your hips. “A lot.”

Hunter 🤍

“Hey, come with me.”

Hunter's voice pulled you from your thoughts as you observed Omega playing outside. You turned to face him on the gangplank, watching as he disappears inside.

You followed him back into the ship, a curious brow raised, inquiring about his intentions.

As you walked, you asked, "What do you want?" But Hunter remained tight-lipped until he stopped and faced you, arms folded. "What do you think?"

You stood before him, perplexed. "What do I think about what?"

"Your new helmet," he replied with a mischievous smirk, moving aside to reveal - of course - a brand new helmet.

For weeks, you'd been pestering Hunter for some equipment, just to enhance your safety and readiness on missions. His responses had usually been along the lines of 'maybe one day' or 'not right now,' which was understandable, given the constant struggle for credits.

Your excitement couldn't be contained as you exclaimed, "No way!" You eagerly picked up the helmet, admiring its design and paint job.

Hunter asked, "So, will that do?"

Instead of a simple "yes," you showed your gratitude by wrapping your arms around Hunter's waist, drawing him into an embrace.

Hunter felt his skin warm at the unexpected contact, and he awkwardly patted your back, his mind racing with thoughts of doing more, but uncertainty held him back. "I'll take that as a yes then," he chuckled softly, instantly missing the warmth of your touch as you pulled away.

In his own thoughts, he berated himself, thinking, "Idiot!" for not giving you a proper hug in return but seeing you ecstatic with your new gear was enough to satisfy him.

Wrecker 🤍

"Hey, are you comin'—what's wrong?"

Wrecker's voice broke through your thoughts at a vulnerable moment. You were overwhelmed with homesickness, and as you sought solace, Wrecker happened to discover you wiping away tears from your cheeks.

You put on a brave face, replying with a soft laugh, "Oh, nothing, don't worry. Just homesick." You felt grateful as he quietly took a seat beside you.

"Yeah, bet it's not easy being away from home when you're with us lot!" Wrecker said with a sheepish grin, but your smile didn't quite reach your eyes. Sensing your distress, Wrecker gently wrapped his arms around your shoulders, and despite your efforts to contain your emotions, tears began to flow.

Your lips quivered, and tears streamed down your cheeks. You turned into Wrecker, wrapped your arms around his neck, and pulled yourself close to him.

The contact initially stunned him, and he wore a shocked expression, but as he felt your tears on his neck and saw you burying your face, he sighed softly and embraced you just as wholeheartedly. His large hands gently rubbed your back, offering you the comfort you desperately needed.

Tech 🤍

"I believe I have something of yours," Tech announced as he walked into the cockpit, instantly piquing your curiosity. You couldn't quite recall giving him anything of yours, so you shot him a confused look. In response, he raised your datapad and playfully wiggled it in the air. "You should be careful where you leave things, especially during missions."

Your stomach plummeted, and your jaw dropped. You felt foolish for being so careless. Hunter had always stressed the importance of keeping your gear with you. The potential consequences of someone finding your device and tracking the others' locations weighed heavily on your mind. In a hushed tone, you asked, "Does Hunter know?" To your relief, Tech shook his head.

"I thought I'd do you the decency of giving you a warning. If it were Hunter who had discovered your oversight, the consequences would have been far more severe." Tech's reminder left you both relieved and also sincerely grateful for his discretion.

You stood up quickly, taking the device from Tech's grasp, and expressed your gratitude, saying, "Honestly, Tech, thank you. You didn't have to do that."

Tech remained nonchalant, replying, "I'm aware." But then, you took a step towards him. He watched you curiously, not used to being so close to you and especially as you gently wrapped your arms around his waist and pulled yourself into a hug, chin resting just in his shoulder.

He nearly dropped his own datapad at the unexpected physical contact, feeling his heart thump in his chest at the unfamiliar sensation. Tech had never been hugged before, and having someone he was growing fond of embrace him was certainly intriguing.

"Thanks again," you whisper softly in his ear before pulling away, leaving him in a state of surprise and curiosity.

Crosshair 🤍

You had been sitting there for a while, twiddling your thumbs and contemplating how to express your immense appreciation for Crosshair after the day's mission. He had saved you from a dangerous situation, and thanks to him, you were still alive and kicking. However, Crosshair was known for his intense and stoic demeanor, and you hadn't seen much gratitude directed his way since reuniting with his brothers and Omega. But, you wanted to change that. It was about time.

As you watched him at his makeshift shooting range, knocking down old canisters and bottles, you slowly made your way beside him.

"Don't say anything," he stated without even looking at you as you approached, causing you to pause with your words caught in your throat. You had anticipated this reaction from him, but you still felt the need to express your feelings.

"But—"

"Don't," he interrupted, lowering his rifle and glancing over his shoulder at you, his steely eyes piercing through you. "It was... nothing," he grumbled before turning his gaze away.

To him, maybe.

Disheartened, you turned to walk away, but an impulse tugged at you. You turned back to him and boldly wrapped your arms around him, pressing your cheek against his back.

Crosshair took a deep breath and stumbled slightly in his spot. But he didn't push you away. In fact, for a brief moment, he lowered his head and allowed the embrace. He hadn't felt this level of comfort in a long time. His rifle fell to the ground, and for a moment, he considered resting his hand on your arms, to touch you in return, but he resisted, not wanting to reveal his vulnerability at that moment.

"Alright, get off," he finally said after just a few seconds.

As you let go, he looked back at you however and there was just a faint hint of a smile. "You're welcome."

Masterlist

Tags: @andyoufollowyourheart @littlefeatherr @kaitou2417 @eyecandyeoz @captxin-rex @jesseeka @ashotofspotchka @theroguesully @ladykatakuri @jambolska-grozdova @arctrooper69 @padawancat97 @rain-on-kamino @either-madness-or-brilliance @staycalmandhugaclone @ko-neko-san @echos-girlfriend @fiveshelmet @dangraccoon @plushymiku-blog @chrissywakingup @kixs-husband @pb-jellybeans @nunanuggets @sleepycreativewriter @erellenora @zippingstars87 @tech-aficionado @grizabellasolo @therealnekomari @tech-depression-inventory @brynhildrmimi @greaser-wolf @tinyreadersmur @seriowan @kaminocasey @marvel-starwars-nerd @ladytano420 @ladyzirkonia @raevulsix @imalovernotahater @whore4rex @imperialclaw801 @temple-elder @mysticalgalaxysalad @photogirl894 @id-rather-be-a-druid @the-bad-batch-baroness 🧡🧡

Hihihihi i hope you're doing well. i think your headcanon requests are open? Can i please request some comfort headcanons with chris? I've been having constant nightmares lately and can't sleep properly for whatever reason. Feel free to ignore this! Thank you!!

thinking about this today

to keep on theme (because i've also been sleeping horribly), we'll start with some really soft sleepy hcs.

Chris is a pretty light sleeper, very up and down. But he's used to it. He's used to getting up to keep watch, and so he usually can drift off quickly afterwards.

But that means he's also acutely aware of when you're in need. If you're thrashing or upset, he knows immediately, and he will wake you from whatever nightmare to pull you tight to him.

Speaking of sleep, Chris is a furnace. You'll never want for warmth when you're sleeping with him. During the summer month it means sticky sweaty sleep and you've gotta curl away from him. (It doesn't work. He's such a snuggler. Better get used to showering every morning.)

Chris is so very acts of service when you're not doing well for one reason or another. Little snacks being brought to you. Fixing the fucked up wheel on your office chair so you can actually relax. Running a blanket through the dryer so it's nice and warm for you. Just small things to make your life easier.

Something that I find personally comforting that I believe Chris would do is just fill the space with soft levels of noise. Music. Singing. Talking to you. The silence can be really overwhelming when you're in your own head, and so Chris will chase it away however he can.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS WAS RELEASED 15 YEARS AGO!