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Step Into The Daylight
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Requested - @cc--2224 as part of @cloneficgiftexchange
Prompt - "Well, I’m sorry I fell in love with you, okay? But it happened and I can’t do anything about it.” “You... What?” & "I never wanted anyone to feel bad for me, especially not you"
The sun streaming through the windows did little to fight against the coldness he felt, he knew the room was warm, he knew the cold he felt deep in his bones wasn’t there and yet he couldn’t fight the shivers that wracked his body. It didn’t matter that he could see the small room his brother’s had shown him to once they landed on the planet, in his mind he was still there, still in that cold, small cell with no hope of escaping.
He’d been there for so long, long enough that he had lost track of the days. He could have planned an escape, could have made some attempt to leave their torture but what for? There was nothing waiting for him outside of his cell anymore.
Gone was his relationship with his brothers, gone was the easy back and forth banter with Wrecker, gone were the late night talks with Hunter, gone were the days him and Tech would sit together, his brother’s voice filling the silence without expecting anything back from Crosshair, gone was Echo’s steady presence, at his side whenever he needed it.
Gone were you.
Gone were the early mornings when the rest of his brothers were still asleep, only you and Crosshair awake in the cockpit holding a warm cup of caff and filling the space with softly spoken conversation. Gone were the days spent trying to stick by your side, gone were the stolen glances and lingering touches, gone was sneaking away after missions to explore together, gone were the chances he took to watch you smile, gone was the promise he’d tell you how he felt tomorrow.
Crosshair had run out of tomorrow’s a long time ago.
After all he had done, all the pain he had put his brothers through, the pain he had put you through, this was the least he deserved.
And so when the chance came to make his escape, to leave the pain and the torture behind he hesitated. The cell door was open, it would be so easy to leave and yet he hesitated.
If the kid hadn’t been there, if her life didn’t depend on him getting her out he knows he would have stayed where he was, he would have rotted in that cell for as long as they decided he was useful alive.
Now he was free and somehow he felt more confined than ever. It wasn’t just because Hunter wouldn’t take his eyes off him, it wasn’t because Wrecker hovered or the fact Omega had seemed to attach herself to him. It didn’t even have anything to do with the fact that you were here, stars above Crosshair couldn’t think of a time he would ever have ignored your presence and yet now he did everything to stay away from you, not able to face you yet.
No, it wasn’t because of you or his brothers that Crosshair felt confined. It was because he didn’t deserve this freedom, in his head he was still in the cold cell, destined to rot away.
Crosshair stood from the floor, unable to lay there any longer. The room had a bed tucked against the wall but Crosshair had only managed about ten minutes of tossing and turning on it before he gave the bed up for the floor, the bed too soft compared to what he had become used to.
Everyone else was still asleep as he made his way outside, no real destination in mind. His feet carried him through side streets until they grew sore and only then did he make his way back, stopping not too far away from where the others were to sit on the sand, the sun shining blindingly on the water.
He didn’t deserve to be here.
“I used to come here.” A voice interrupted him some time later, a voice he recognised all too well. “It’s quiet, no one ever comes here.”
Crosshair didn’t turn to look at you, he couldn’t bring himself to do it but when you sat next to him it was too much. He went to stand but your hand softly grabbing his stopped him.
“Please stop running away.” You pleaded softly and Crosshair didn’t have to look at you to know your eyes were teary but he did anyway, his heart aching for having made you this way.
“I can’t do this.” He told you quietly, forcing his gaze away from yours and looking back out at the water.
“I don’t know what happened to you,” You said after a moment's silence and Crosshair balled his hand into a fist, silently begging you to stop talking. “I don’t know what they did to you and you don’t have to tell me but-”
“But nothing.” He spat angrily, glaring at the sea and instantly hating himself for lashing out at you, so he tried again, softer this time. “But nothing. What they did to me was nothing less than I deserved.”
“Don’t say that.” You said, head shaking as you tried to compose yourself.
“It’s the truth, I tried to kill you, kill my brothers…I hurt you all and for what? For the Empire to throw my loyalty in my face.” Crosshair shrugged.
“For what it’s worth, I never gave up on you.” You told Crosshair, looking away from him as you spoke. “It didn’t matter what you did, how far you strayed from us, I never gave up on you.”
“You should have.” He muttered. “Everyone else did, Hunter doesn’t trust me, Wrecker wants to but he knows I’m nothing more than a lost cause.”
“That’s not true. Hunter’s just being Hunter, he needs time to adjust, needs time to figure things out in his head and then he’ll want to talk to you. Yeah you’re both gonna throw out words you don’t mean, maybe a punch or two but after that…it’s Hunter, he’s glad you’re back. As for Wrecker he wants to come to you, you know that as much as I do but he’s scared, he doesn’t want to spook you so he’s waiting for you to make the first move.” You explained, keeping your voice soft, not turning to face Crosshair as he turned to look at you.
“What about you?” He finally asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“I was with Wrecker. I kept my distance and waited to see what your move was. Turns out your move was to avoid everyone.” You laughed and Crosshair felt himself relax a little, the sound one he hadn't heard in so long and it somehow managed to push out some of the cold he felt. “I feel for you, Cross, I do. Stars only know what the Empire did to you but you’re free now, don’t let them win, don’t shut us out.”
“I never wanted anyone to feel bad for me, especially not you.” Crosshair said after a long pause of silence and you laughed again.
“We all feel bad for you, despite everything you’re one of us.” You told him so sincerely that Crosshair felt like he’d been punched in the stomach at the speed his breath was stolen from him.
You turned to face him, a small smile on your face and you hesitated for only a moment before you reached out and took his hand in yours, entwining your fingers together.
“I don’t deserve any of this,” Crosshair forced out and you smiled at him softly. “I don’t deserve you, you should be running away from me, leave me behind and move on.”
“Well, I’m sorry but I fell in love with you, okay?” You told him, watching as his eyes widened in complete disbelief. “It happened and I can’t do anything about it.”
“You…what?” Crosshair choked, for so long he had dreamed of you and him, of a life where you could possibly want him but it was such a far off dream, something that would never become a reality and now you were saying the words he had longed to hear for years.
“You’re stuck with me, Cross, I’m not going anywhere, I’m not running away. You’re it for me, always have been.” You said, laughing as a tear or two managed to slip down your cheek and Crosshair only second guessed himself for a moment before his hand cupped your cheek and he softly brushed the tears away, his thumb caressing your cheek bone.
“I don’t deserve you.” He repeated and you smiled brightly at him. “But I will spend the rest of my life trying.”
“I love you.” You told him again, watching as his eyes became watery and he rested his forehead against yours.
“I love you too, so much.” He choked out and you couldn’t stop yourself from closing the small distance between the two of you, Crosshair not hesitating to meet you in the middle.
Crosshair’s hand on your cheek moved to your hair, pulling you impossibly closer as he kissed you, savouring every second of the feeling, something he had longed for and convinced himself he could never have.
Eventually the two of you needed to pull apart for air, breathing heavily but not going far from each other, foreheads together as you both smiled at the other.
For the first time in so long Crosshair didn’t feel a single bit of cold, his body was warm, his heart racing as he held you close. For the first time in a long time Crosshair didn’t feel numb, he didn’t feel pain or fear.
It felt like he was finally off that awful planet, it felt like he had finally left his cold cell behind and stepped into the daylight, able to feel the sun of Pabu for the first time and it was because of you, you were the source of this warmth, this love, this joy, this overwhelming relief that things would be better.
For the first time in a very long time Crosshair felt like things would be okay, he had you, he swore he’d make amends with his brothers, spend the rest of his life making up for everything, spend the rest of his life proving he was worthy of yours and his brother’s love. It felt easier, it felt doable with you at his side once again.
----
Thank you so much for reading!
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Hunter x Jedi Reader Part 1
Warnings: None. (Not yet edited. Please excuse any grammatical errors or misspellings.)
.
The first time you met Clone Force 99 was on Kamino, when you came to visit Shaak Ti. She was like an older sister to you, and after she began overseeing the training of the clones, she offered to give you a tour of the training facility whenever you wished.
After arriving on Kamino, you were just a bit confused about directions. No one came to meet you at the door--with this being a spontaneous visit and all--but you tried your best to navigate through all the corridors, not wanting to look lost as you had the attention of a group of cadets that were passing by. They whispered amongst themselves, curious if a special event or a training session was on the schedule for today. Jedi never came to Kamino without a reason.
Another group suddenly entered the corridor. They wore black and grey with red paint, but what you noticed most besides the unusual paint job was that they were all different shapes and sizes. One of them looked like an absolute unit--super tall, super muscular. You could hear his loud and raspy voice from the other end of the corridor. The few that had their helmets off didn't even look like clones. The one in their group who wore goggles was more lean, less muscular, but taller than the standard clone. But even though you were curious, you had your own agenda to follow through with.
"Excuse me?" Their lively conversation came to a pause and they turned to look as you approached. "Would any of you happen to know where I could find Master Shaak Ti?"
The one most near you took his helmet off. The black tattoo covering half of his face caught you slightly off guard. He didn't look any more like a regular clone than the others. With the tattoo and the red banana wrapped around his forehead, he looked just as decorated as his armor.
The few seconds of eye contact that you hadn't realized passed came to an end as he tried to answer your question. "She-"
"She should be running through battle simulations with the cadet squads right about now," the one with the goggles answered your question before the first soldier had a chance.
"Okay, thank you," you nodded your head in farewell, smiling as your eyes quickly brushed over each member. You made an effort to acknowledge the last one since he had attempted to help you as well.
You turned around but paused before taking another step, realizing you had no idea where the battle simulations took place. Turning around once more, you added, "Um... where is that?" You looked nervously between each member. The fourth clone still had his helmet on, but you could just sense his indifference and the cold gaze he must have been wearing.
"Is this your first time on Kamino?" The clone with the face tattoo asked.
"It is," you nodded with an apologetic expression on your face.
He turned back to the group momentarily, "Go on ahead. I'll meet you all back at the ship."
"Yes sir," the one with goggles replied, then three of them left through the door you had just come in through.
He began walking and you followed. "Allow me to escort you there..." he trailed off, slowing his pace. "Uh... what should I call you?"
"Everyone just calls me Master (L/n). I hold no official position in our military. I do solo missions mostly, and assist wherever I'm needed."
"Pleasure to meet you, Master, (L/n). I'm Hunter. Sergeant Hunter, and back there"--he nodded at the entryway before it disappeared around a corner--"was my squad, Clone Force 99."
"Nice to meet you as well," you smiled. "If you don't mind my asking..."
"You want to know why we don't look like regular clones?"
He's probably asked that question all the time. You nodded.
"We're an experimental force, our different looks are the result of the changes in our DNA." Hunter stopped walking once you both had reached one of the lifts. He pressed a button and when the door opened, he motioned for you to go first.
"Thank you." You entered and took a step back when he followed to press the button for the third level.
As the lift ascended, you continued the conversation. "So... 'mutations;' that would explain why that one guy in group looks like two clones merged into one." You smiled, amused.
"Wrecker," Hunter clarified. "His mutation gave him the strength of a rancor," he joked.
"And the rest of you?"
"Well, Tech, the one with the goggles, would describe his mutation to be his 'exceptional mind.' He knows everything about anything. Then there's Crosshair. He's the best sniper and gunman in the galaxy. His aim is never off." Hunter smiled, enjoying showing off his team.
There was a pause as you expected him to continue, but he didn't.
"What about you?" The lift door opened and after you exited, Hunter lead the way once more.
"My heightened senses. I can sense electromagnetic waves," he said casually.
"How long have you been in action, Sergeant?" You hoped he had caught on with your curious nature, not wanted to seem like you were challenging their experience.
"About a year and a half."
"I would love to see your squad in action one day," you admitted, "to fact check your claims, of course." You felt the need to add a little joke, not wanting your first statement to seem flirtatious. Jedi weren't supposed to be as warm and friendly as you were naturally. Unfortunately, your kindness had earned you unwanted attention in the past.
"You should know, Clone Force 99 has a one-hundred percent success rate." A smooth, accented voice came up from behind you.
"Master Ti," you turned around and smiled.
"(Y/n), you came at the perfect time. I have just finished training the cadets for the day." She then looked to Hunter and greeted him, "Sergeant, I hope your squad is well."
"Yes, Mistress, as always."
"I'm glad to hear." Shaak Ti turned back to you. "Well, (Y/n), shall we begin the tour?"
You nodded before looking up at Hunter and thanking him for going out of his way to help you navigate.
"Anytime, Master (L/n)."
"May the force be with you and your team. I hope you maintain those figures."
There was a moment of silence, and you could see a confused and slightly judgmental look on Shaak Ti's face in your peripheral vision. Even Hunter was silent.
Blood rushed to your head and you were sure your face was red with embarrassment when you realized what it sounded like. "I meant your statistics. Your averages. Your one-hundred percent success rate!"
Hunter said nothing, but the corners of his mouth turned up in amusement. "I figured," he took a few steps back, preparing to leave. "We will do our best to maintain both of those things. I hope your time on Kamino is enjoyable," and with that last goodbye, he left to return to his team.
You covered your face with your hands, but Shaak Ti could see your body shake with laughter. A few seconds later, when your hands came down, she saw actual tears in your eyes. "That was so embarrassing," you whispered in between breaths.
"Oh, (Y/n)..." she shook her head, "always a pleasure."