Fluff and x Reader Stuff! Other Blogs: Main / Grumpy Composer / Art Blog / Villainous (Dead) I may also reblog writing advice and other stuff so oops. My main gig is as a composer so if you want to hear my music let me know!
Something so funny about rereading one's own unfinished fics. Like wow this is pretty good! Almost as if it was written exactly according to what I personally like in fact! Someone should finish it!
Can be read by itself, but this is intended as a sequel to Normally. Because I can't have Caine stay sad lol.
Reader is Gender Neutral.
Summary: You comfort Caine after some time to process his loyalty test. Early Episode 8
After a bit of alone time, you decided to ignore Pomni's invitation in favor of checking on Caine. There was a bit of an argument, but you insisted that you would come back to the group once you were done. That he needed a guiding hand.
"I wasn't worried about the exit anyway," You told her. "I'd already accepted my fate."
She stopped pushing at that.
You'd made your way to Caine's office, cringing at the tainted memory of the threshold following his most recent adventure.
You knocked at the door.
Nothing.
That was strange. Normally Caine was quick to respond.
"Caine?" You called. "I'm ready to talk, now. Are you up for that?"
With the slightest press of your hand the door swung open. You poked your head into the office.
"Caine? Are you here?"
You took another few steps in. Caine was at his desk with Bubble. You weren't entirely sure what they were saying so you continued to get closer.
"-why I was created. This is my function."
"They'd rather abstract than go on your adventures," Bubble commented cheerily.
Your breathing stopped.
What?
You quickened your pace toward the pair, unconcerned with gentle hiding now that you could hear the floating sphere's words.
"That can't be true, I do everything for them! Don't they get that I'm trying?"
"Maybe you're just genuinely bad at this?"
You were nearly to the desk.
"I mean, why else would Y/n not want you around when they-"
"Bubble, what the hell?" You finally found your voice.
Caine looked up at you terrified. You'd never been able to sneak up on him before.
Bubble also turned to look at you, eyes glassy and unfeeling.
"That's not helpful! Or even true!" You continued. "Why would you say that?"
"What do you mean? He always was the-"
"Bubble, stop." You commanded.
He froze immediately and you raised an eyebrow. He was listening to you.
You took a deep breath and tried to think quickly. "Bubble, I need you to go to my room and spend exactly two hours writing me a report on the political candidates in shrimp town."
"You got it, boss!"
He disappeared with a popping sound and you let out a breath.
"I cannot believe that worked."
Finally you looked over at Caine, who was still staring back at you with a worried expression.
"Is…now a good time to talk?" You asked slowly.
He didn't respond. You decided to continue. Perhaps a distraction was welcome, given what you'd overheard.
"I appreciate you giving me space earlier. That kind of thing is hard for you."
He just nodded.
"Are you okay to be touched, Caine?"
He stiffened as if waiting for you to reach out, but you stayed put.
"I-I don't k-k-kk̴̥̈́k̸̩̀k̷̨͗k̸̜͛k̸̻̉k̷̳̂k̴͉̹̰͂k̴͖̮̕ͅk̵̥̰̮̖͊͊k̵̡̬͈̀̓k̷̷̶̛̖̥͚͖̩̫̻̈́͛̍͆̀̃̽̈́-̷͍̆͑̒e̷̩̭͙̓͂ä̶̠;̴̟̂s̴͊͜d̸͇̃--Know." He glitched with emotion. You felt a pang in your digital heart.
"That's okay, Caine. I'll just sit right here until you're ready. We don't have to talk if you don't want to, but I'm worried about leaving you alone when you're distressed."
He didn't say anything for a while and you just sat there patiently as he eyed the bead puzzle on his desk.
"They all hate me," He said, finally. "And I don't know how to fix it."
"That sounds tough." You offered, "I don't hate you, though."
"I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought it was what you all wanted and…and you didn't like it. You all want to leave…want to leave me…"
He finally looked at you, really looked at you. You smiled softly.
"If I ever did, I would try to take you with me," You said. Then you laughed, "I'm not sure if your program would fit in a phone, but I'd try and get a camera so I could show you everything from home and take you with me to see everything I never got to see."
His eyes widened at that.
"That would be…nice."
"I'd like to think so."
He was so vulnerable right now, so eager to be loved, yet your emotions hadn't changed unnaturally. Deep down you understood what that meant.
"Just because someone wants to go home, it doesn't mean they don't care about you. Humans don't like being trapped…put in a cage without purpose…And I don't like being lied to or tested. I want you to trust me."
"A cage…" He almost whispered the words and the momentary fixation caught you off guard, then he shook his head. "I don't think I'm very good at talking about those things. They're…bad. I shouldn't have done that to you, my dear. I'm so sorry. I will endeavor to be more forthcoming in the future and…I promise not to put you through that again."
"Thank you, Caine. We can talk through it a bit more once we've both had some time, okay?"
"That sounds like a good idea," He said, reaching out a hand and taking yours gently.
You felt a thrill at the action, despite everything.
"You don't have to tell me anything, but…I hope that when you feel like this again, you try to talk to someone other than Bubble."
"He…wasn't being very helpful."
"No. He wasn't."
For a long while you both sat in comfortable silence.
"Caine, I want to tell you something."
He looked up eagerly, eyes somehow getting larger.
"I care about you, I care about you so much."
"You do?"
"Of course. But you know something else? I don't always like your adventures."
He cringed at that, but you pressed on.
"Sometimes they're triggering, or they're just not interesting to me, even though I can see the work you've put in."
You lifted his lower jaw so he'd look at you.
"But the adventures aren't why I care about you. I care about you because you're you. Your adventures could be amazing or terrible and it wouldn't change that. If anything, there are some adventures I only enjoy because I can see bits of you in them. Your passion for them is probably what I like about them most."
"I…I don't understand. I have a purpose. If I'm not properly fulfilling my directive then…how could anyone care about me?"
Oh…oh no.
"Caine," You said it a gently as you could. "I wouldn't lie about this, even if it's hard for you to understand."
The room grew silent again as you thought.
"Think about it like this," You said. "I don't have a specific directive. I'm sure you'd like for me to go on and enjoy every adventure, but I wasn't built for that."
He nodded for you to continue.
"But even when I'm not having fun, you still like me, right?"
"Like you? I love you! I-" he glitched for a moment. "I'm fascinated by all of you."
"Exactly." You patted his head. "And…by the way…I love you, too."
Not sure why it's a new trend among fic readers to assume if the fic has not been posted within the week it's inappropriate to comment on it, like the fic has to be hot out of the oven to give feedback for.
I got a comment on a fic that is less than a year old and it was mostly an apology for being a comment on an "old fic" and how late they were in commenting.
Just comment on the fic. Doesn't matter how old it is.
With the maul show out and him apparently getting a lil droid buddy (I’m not caught up, but I have heard), I find it very important to say now that I wrote a mouse droid named CH-33-S3 or Cheese into my OC’s story.
He’s basically her dog.
I wrote a few parallels between Vex and Maul already, since we know he’s around for a while and they’re both some loose ends for Sideous running around, but I didn’t realize the Maul Show runners had access to my freaking OC fan fiction folder X)&
A/N: Ahahahahaha. I got to work on this after ep. 7 but alas, time got away from me and then episode 8 accidentally killed me. My poor boy. My sweet skrunkle man. (It's not your fault Kinger I could never hate you, friend.)
Anyway!! Finally finished this. I thought about editing it to match up with 8 but I figure keeping it as originally intended was best. Expect more Caine stuff soon.
Normally you'd be able to talk to him, explain why this was a bad idea.
Normally you'd be there to tell him it's okay and that he was doing his best, but…
Right now you just wanted to be alone. The revelations about Caine's ability to mess with your minds kept buzzing in your head.
Time. You needed time to process everything and hoped Caine wouldn't try to talk to you right away.
You were curled up in your bed with the weight of everything firmly holding you in place. The hope was that exhaustion would eventually outweigh your oppressive thoughts, but alas…you weren't so lucky.
You could tell when Caine teleported to the room before he said anything. It was a sixth sense at this point, knowing when he was near.
Normally it would put you at ease.
"You're upset," He observed. His voice was lower now, the showman having been put away.
"Yeah," You said. Silence wouldn't be an answer.
"And you didn't come to my office afterwards."
"I know. I just needed some time."
He was silent for a while, likely frozen, seeing as how you didn't feel him dip onto the bed.
"I…I am sorry, my dear. It seems this adventure wasn't to anyone's liking."
You tried not to groan. It sounded genuine but…
"I appreciate the apology but…That's…not really enough right now, Caine." You finally turned over. His eyes zeroed in on yours, your avatar somehow having puffy eyes despite this digital world.
He reached for you, clearly wanting to offer you comfort.
Normally that would work, but you recoiled from him.
"Sweetheart-"
"Don't…Don't touch me right now, please." It would be too much.
He retracted his hand. You hated that pained look. At least you think you did. How real were any of your feelings?
You pulled yourself up, wrapping the blanket around yourself like a barrier between the two of you. Caine floated down slowly to meet you eye to eye, staying out of arms reach but remaining close by.
You tried to search his eyes for something, even though you weren't sure what you wanted to find.
"It seems like I've…crossed a line?"
You scoffed.
"Yeah…a big one." You looked at where the blanket bunched up in your clutched fists as you continued, "We've all been stuck here…Everyone's finding their new normal and then to dangle a way out…a way back to their loved ones. And it's what? A loyalty test? That's…cruel."
He didn't say anything. You looked up at him.
"You get that, right?" You asked.
He didn't react, just stared at you in terrified silence.
You groaned and buried your head in the blanket for a moment, a fresh wave of emotion and tears coming to you.
"The messed up thing is…that's not even the worst part for me."
He allowed you to sob for a moment. Weather from kindness or from a loss of what to do you didn't know.
"You can mess with our minds."
"Yes, for adventures, but I wouldn't-"
"No, Caine! You don’t understand!" You couldn't hold it in anymore. "How can I trust anything I feel knowing you could snap your fingers and change it! Change me…"
"It's not like that. I-"
"How am I supposed to know if I actually love you?!" You cried, breaking into sobs as the words hung in the air. You might as well say them now, everything else was broken anyway.
"Love…me?" He repeated those words slowly. You registered it somewhere in your mind but you couldn't stop crying.
"You said you loved me…" He said it again. You looked up at him helplessly, trying to breathe even as tears kept streaming down your face.
"I didn't know. I-If I did maybe I would have…done…something. Said something…I…I don't know what I-"
He glitched a bit and cut himself off.
Normally, you would have seen that as a sign he was figuring out an emotion still unfamiliar to him.
Normally.
"Heh," You breathed. "I want to believe you."
You thought he was being sincere. You thought you saw that as his mismatched eyes searched yours.
But how could you know for sure?
"If you want to then…then you should," He said hopefully, clutching at his caine with gloved hands.
You rubbed at your eyes.
"I wish it were that easy, Caine. But…"
You sighed. There was too much right now. All of it. Too much. You needed to process.
He looked back down at you for another moment, then turned in the air.
"I'll…give you some time, then," He said and with a snap he was gone.
You stared at the empty space in the air for a moment, and then flopped back down.
Normally you would have tried to explain things to him. Normally you'd have been more patient.
I love the ANTI-AI creation movement. It really motivates me! I would rather make fanart and original works and keep posting, knowing that I MADE THIS.
I also will always support everyone's ART/ORIGINAL WORKS/FANART/FANFICTION. Keep making them!!!!! You're all amazing!!!! Don't let the system keep us down!!
The reason your fantasy pantheon doesn't feel authentic is because you're starting from the wrong end. Real-world polytheism is syncretic – just deities from neighbouring cultures getting smashed together at high speed and leaving it for nerds with too much time on their hands to figure out how it makes sense. You are yourself a nerd with too much time on your hands. Don't start out asking yourself what domains make sense together. Pick domains at random and work backwards to invent a theology and metaphysics whereby of course the god of war is also the god of baked goods. What kind of silly question is that?
It's also the product of a BUNCH of nerds with too much time on their hands. Explain some theology to an opinionated friend! Classify whatever they come up with as heresy! Or at least make it a recurring background argument.
A/N: This contains spoilers for the Sith Warrior story on Star Wars the Old Republic. You have been warned!!!
Quinn sighed, and shook his head.
Sith weren’t merciful. He knew that, he’d seen it. And even you, perfect, powerful you…he knew exactly how ruthless you could be.
And yet, you spared him. Suddenly he grew more thankful for the late nights and stolen moments before his betrayal. The moments that made his heart race. The ones that convinced you to go alone with him on that ship…They were the same ones that likely saved his life.
He tapped a finger on the desk, he needed to stop thinking as a strategist. He loved you, really, but he never thought you actually returned that feeling. Sith weren’t merciful, but they could be impulsive.
Be proud of the dumb, little thing you wrote, just because you wanted to write a dumb, little thing. Your writing doesn't need to be serious and award-winning for you to be proud of it.
“Hang in there, General. You’re going to be fine.”
The medbay, as usual, was cold, despite this planet’s hot and humid atmosphere. The swirling memories of your rescue last night came and went even as you sat there.
“We’re reinforcements from General Skywalker. The battle is over.”
“What’s his name?” You asked Ahsoka, eyeing the Clone Captain as you did so.
“That’s Captain Rex, Master.” Asoka responded quickly. She was such an energetic young Padawan, perfect for Skywalker.
“Ah, yes,” you responded, watching as he checked on various wounded troopers, “Thank you. He’s the one who carried me out of there.”
“He’s a good soldier.” the padawan responded, then, at a call from her Master, ran over to Skywalker. You were going to get up to join her, but the cold hand of the medical droid reminded you that you were in no condition to move. You reluctantly stayed put, looking out over the clones, trying to count all of your men.
You knew some of them were gone, and you took a moment to meditate on their passing and honor their newfound place in the force. There would be more time to mourn them later, but for now you let the moment come and go before reopening your eyes.
“General.” You turned to see your own clone commander, Recall, being held up by a quickly made crutch.
“Glad to see you made it out better than me, Commander.” you sighed, a smile tugging at your lips for the first time in the day, “It’s good to see you, Recall.”
“And you too, Sir.” he said, “Are you...feeling alright, Sir?”
“I’ll be fine.” You said, “I’ll need a full report as soon as possible on the state of the company.”
“My men are already on it.” That voice you’d know anywhere.
“Thank you, Master Skywalker.” you said. He smiled in that kind way of his. “We were in a rough spot there.”
“Yeah you were.” he said, then, sensing your grief added, “You did what you could, and you fought well.”
That was high praise from him.
“Thanks.”
“I’m having my clones in the 501st check on your men.” He added, “I figured it would give your boys a break.”
“Thank you.” You smiled…”Again.”
He nodded. “I’ll have Captain Rex give you a report when they’re finished.”
For a moment you felt off balance. It was an unfamiliar sensation.
“Very good.” you laid back down, glad to have things taken care of, “I’ll likely still be in this bed, so he should have no trouble finding me.”
A beep from the medical droid confirmed your suspicion and you sighed.
Anakin nodded, then pulled out his holocom.
“And now for the bad news,” he sighed, “ I’m technically supposed to be on the other side of the planet right now. We’ll have to report to the council.”
You winced slightly at the thought. “I suppose so.”
One boring meeting with the council later, you were still in the medbay, trying your best to meditate.
Why were you so off balance? You’d been in compromising scrapes before. This wasn’t your first trip to a medical bay by any means, so what made this different? You always felt the weight of responsibility for your men when these things happened and while that feeling was still there, something else was gnawing at you.
As if in answer to your wonderings a firm voice pulled you from your thoughts.
“General.”
You opened your eyes to see the same Clone Captain from earlier. Captain Rex.
“Ah, Captain,” you said, propping yourself up, “I assume you’re hear for that report.”
“Correct, sir.” He said. You paid close attention as he gave you a run down of the conditions of your troops. Fewer had been lost than you expected, and though many were injured, Skywalker’s aid arrived just in time to prevent the worst. You sighed in relief.
“We’ve managed to hold our position here.” Rex said, “And will continue to aid on this front as your forces recover.”
“Good news.” You said, “Thank you, Captain.”
“Sir.” He nodded, turning to leave, but you called him back.
“Rex,” he seemed a bit surprised at hearing his name, “Captain. I also wanted to thank you for getting me out of there. I probably wouldn’t even still be here if it weren’t for you.”
“Just doing my job, Sir.” He said, but you noticed a fluctuation in his emotions as he did so. You smiled softly.
“Regardless, I’m appreciative none the less. I…” You paused unexpectedly as the words caught in your throat, “I’m excited to continue working with you. Once I’m out of this medbay that is.”
He gave you a small smile and nodded, returning to his own General.
You watched him go, then sighed and went back to meditating.
A few weeks later, you were back on your feet. The damage was bad, and you still felt sore at times, but the medics assured Recall that you were recovered enough to fight again.
“Honestly, Commander,” You smiled, “You worry about me too much.”
“Because you don’t worry enough.” Recall sighed, “I hardly understand how Rex deals with his Jedi.”
You let out an amused breath at that. The Captain came to visit you a few times during your recovery, always under the guise of giving you updates. While he always had information about the ongoing fight, you’re conversations grew longer as he warmed up to you. You were glad for the company. The medbay wasn’t exactly the most stimulating of experiences.
“He’s an interesting one.” You agreed, “I like him.”
“Oh you like him, do you?” Recall nudged you a bit and you rolled your eyes. You’d grown used to the teasing from him. He’d been your Commander since your first campaign and Recall had the uncanny ability to read your emotions.
“You’re the worst.” You said, “And as soon as you get a crush on someone, I plan on showing no mercy.”
“Ah, so you do like him.” He said, “Looks like Quickshot owes me some credits.”
“You were betting on it?”
He shrugged, “Why not? Not much to do with so many of us in recovery.”
You groaned a bit at the thought. You loved your troopers, but it really was like having a few hundred brothers.
“Have I been so obvious?” you asked seriously. You always could confide in Recall, and it was about time you were honest with yourself, “Am I a bad Jedi?”
“I don’t think so, Sir.” Recall said. He put a hand on your shoulder and you sighed a bit.
“We’re not supposed to have these feelings.” You said, “Or at least, we’re supposed to acknowledge and then let them go. But…I don’t want to.”
He chuckled at that, “That bad, huh?”
Your shoulders sank.
“Look, General, I’m going to speak plainly. None of the men will care. All we care about is who you are as our general. Liking someone isn’t going to change that.”
“Thanks.” You said, “It’s nice to be able to talk about it.”
“Anytime, Sir.”
Before you could begin to focus on the map in front of you, Recall nudged you yet again. You looked up at him in annoyance but then followed his gaze. Rex was jogging towards you.
Immediately you felt your face heat up and hoped that no one noticed.
He greeted you formally and you put him at ease.
“Were’s General Skywalker?” You asked, not seeing him anywhere. Rex rubbed the back of his neck.
“He and Commander Tano decided to…make an improvised maneuver.”
You laughed. Of course they did.
“I see.” You said, “And I assume they’re wanting me to play along?”
“Yes, sir.”
You gave Recall a look. He was looking at you both with an expression that said, quite clearly, “Thank the Maker I’m not in the 501st”.
“So what’s the plan, Captain?” You asked, “Where’d they go to anyway?”
He pulled up a new section of the map, pointing to a ridge next to the separatist base.
“They plan to cause a rockslide, cutting off the base from it’s main supply lines.”
“A siege doesn’t strike me as that unorthodox.” You noted, “Not really Skywalker’s style.”
“Right, General.” Rex agreed, pulling up another point on the map. He focused in on the rear gates of the complex, “They’re planning to lead an assault team through here after the initial rockslide.”
“And they didn’t bring you because…”
“They want you and I to perform a similar operation from the other side.” He said.
“That’s a suicide mission!” Recall said, clearly still concerned about your injuries.
“Skywalker is unorthodox, Recall.” You said, holding up a hand, “But he’s not stupid. There’s something about this we’re not seeing.”
Rex looked relieved for a moment, glad you were willing to give his General the benefit of the doubt.
“Right, well, this morning we received intel that a large section of the base’s troops were on the move. There are a few outpost stations in the surrounding area, but they all have to go through that one pass.”
“No ships?” You asked.
“Too obvious.” He said, “They probably don’t know that we’ve found their security outposts and would like to keep them a secret. Traveling on foot is the best way to avoid detection.”
“I see.” You said, “So the base is under defended.”
“Yes sir.”
“Alright, Captain.” You said, “I’ll go with you and your team. Recall, I want you to get several teams together and take out those outposts. Don’t want them calling for help.”
“Yes, sir!” they both said. You took note of how, even though they were clones, their voices sounded ever so slightly different.
You watched them go, taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the fluttering in your chest.
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have ideas for another part. I have plans for a continuation set during Season 2-ish of Bad Batch, but I imagine some more clone wars shenanigans with Rex could be fun. I just would like ideas if you guys have any. Trying to find some inspiration.
You looked at yourself in the mirror, admiring how this dress hugged your figure in all the right places. The slit ran to your upper thigh, and you shifted your hips to ensure it didn’t reveal anything more. The material had quite a bit of stretch, so it didn’t restrict your movement as you moved your arms around. The color was perfect, too. You really liked this one.
With another deep breath, you opened the door to the changing room, hoping for a good reaction. Everyone looked at you for a moment. You folded your arms, a little embarrassed.
“Is it too much?” You asked.
“I think you look great!” Omega said, “Do you like it?”
You breathed a sigh of relief, “Thanks, Omega. I do like it.”
“You look good.” Crosshair said.
You smiled at the compliment, “It’s the best so far, for sure.”
When you turned to look at yourself in the mirror again, you noticed his eyes on you and felt your face heat up. To distract yourself, you checked again that the slit remained in place. You’d be able to keep your weapons hidden. Another point in the dress’s favor.
--------------
Crosshair was more than aware of how he felt about you, but Maker, was he not ready to see you in that dress. He didn’t know what to say, but he knew he had to say something, especially with his brothers just as speechless.
“You look good.” Was the best he could manage and he mentally kicked himself, but you smiled at the compliment, which made him proud.
“It’s the best so far, for sure.”
Crosshair couldn’t help but agree. You really did look wonderful. The dress held onto you perfectly, accenting your natural elegance as it draped to the floor. He immediately took notice of the color. You seemed to wear that specific shade quite often when out of uniform. It was the same color he’d chosen to accent his suit.
You looked at yourself in the mirror. Normally he would have taken the opportunity to observe you from every angle, but your eyes caught his, and he worried you might be upset to see him staring too intently.
You came out in the rest of the dresses, beautiful as ever, but Crosshair couldn’t get that one out of his mind. You’d seemed so comfortable in it, and he’d be lying if he didn’t enjoy the revealing nature of the slit up the skirt.
As you stepped out of the dressing room, back in your armor, you held it triumphantly. He felt the corners of his mouth pull up into something just shy of a smirk. You were going to be stunning.
--------------
The next day Crosshair and Echo went to pick up the dresses and newly tailored suits. The party was that night, but fortunately, their superiors paid to rush the alterations.
“Welcome back!” Omega smiled as they walked through the door. She was in the middle of a game of Dejarik with Hunter and was clearly winning.
“We have all of them.” Crosshair said, beginning to lay them out on the table. He looked around, “Where’s y/n?”
Hunter looked up, glad for the distraction.
“She’s in the refresher.” He said, “Showering so she won’t have to at the hotel.”
Everyone else was sat nearby, but this was his best chance to ask without you overhearing.
Before he could, however, Hunter spoke.
“I’d like to pair you and y/n up for this mission, Crosshair.” Hunter gave Wrecker and Echo a look, but the Sargent only hesitated momentarily, “Echo and I will be with Omega, and Wrecker will go with Tech to get into the security system.”
“Any particular reason?” Crosshair asked.
“You and y/n work together all the time.” Hunter shrugged, returning to his hopeless game with Omega, “And your outfits match.”
“Plus you like her.” Omega smiled, making the other clones chuckle a bit. He shot the young girl a glare, but she’d refocused on taking another of Hunter’s pieces.
Crosshair looked to his other brothers, who were all still wearing small smiles. He sighed. No point in arguing if he’d gotten what he wanted.
He moved to the back of the ship to change into civilian clothes. Wrecker came in shortly after. You’d suggested leaving your armor on the ship rather than potentially attracting attention at the hotel.
“Are you okay?” Wrecker asked, “You seem more upset than usual.”
Crosshair raised an eyebrow at him before pulling on a shirt.
“If you’re worried about y/n, she already knows about the assignments.” He offered. He was trying to be helpful, but Crosshair wished he would be quieter, “She likes working with you.”
Crosshair sighed, “Thanks, Wrecker, but I’m fine.”
--------------
Crosshair turned away from the lifts. He kept feeling his eyes flick to the doors even when they weren’t opening. Despite what he’d told Wrecker, he could feel his stomach twist as the evening grew closer. The thought of spending this night with you, the fear of doing something to upset you, it all weighed heavily on him.
“Nervous?” Echo asked, “You’re tapping your foot, you know.”
Crosshair immediately stilled. He hadn’t even noticed it. For a moment, he considered his options, but decided to be honest with his brothers.
“I don’t want to ruin this night for her. Mission or not.”
To his relief, they didn’t tease him about it. Wrecker put a hand on his shoulder.
“She seemed pretty happy to be paired up with you,” he said.
“She has been quite cheerful since then.” Tech was still looking at his data pad.
Hunter nodded in agreement. “Besides, you look great. I’m sure she’ll be more than happy with how you clean up.”
Wrecker nudged him and Crosshair rolled his eyes, but he was thankful for the encouragement.
To be honest, they all cleaned up pretty well. You’d done a great job finding them all formalwear that fit their tastes. Crosshair found himself leaning on the side of more black but enjoyed the accents of color on his suit lapels that flowed in delicate lines. You’d found him a matching tie and socks that provided more accents of color. The same color as your dress.
You’d done so well helping all of them, and he admired you for that. You were always conscious of how the team felt, always wanting to help and make them comfortable.
“We’re here!” Omega called, running up to the group. You’d found some accessories for her as well. They complimented the sparkles of her dress.
Immediately Crosshair looked up to see you, and it hit him like a blaster bolt to the chest.
Seeing you in the dress yesterday did nothing to prepare him for how stunning you looked now. The dress flowed elegantly across the tile as you approached, accentuating how graceful you were. Your hairstyle and jewelry complimented the dress well without being overbearing. Crosshair didn’t often see you in makeup, but he enjoyed how you’d done it for this occasion.
The most important thing of all was your smile. Truly you looked beautiful, and it seemed that you felt beautiful too.
“You guys look great!” You said, snapping Crosshair out of his trance, “I’m sorry we’re the last ones ready.”
“Not to worry, we are still on schedule.” Tech finally looked up from his datapad, “Wrecker and I are supposed to leave first anyway.”
At that, Hunter gathered them together to give one final rundown of the mission. Crosshair was grateful for the opportunity to quiet his racing thoughts before being alone with you for hours.
--------------
A short wait and one quick cab ride later, you and Crosshair arrived at the gala building. It was even bigger than you thought, and a sea of well-dressed people were making their way up the front steps.
There were quite a few couples around. You looked again at how your dress matched the accents on Crosshair’s suit.
“What’s wrong?” He was perceptive as ever. It was something you liked about him.
“We match…” You said, still looking around at the other couples, “Do you think they think we’re a couple? Should we play into it?”
Crosshair didn’t say anything right away but eventually nodded.
He slipped his arm around your waist, pulling you into him.
“Is this okay?” He asked, voice low.
“Y-yeah.” You said, and he seemed to relax at your answer.
The droid at the front beeped approvingly when given your invitations and you were both let in. Even more people were inside, admiring art, eating, drinking, or dancing. The roar of a million conversations filled your ears, and you found yourself leaning into Crosshair even more.
“I guess we just keep a lookout for the target.” You said, looking around at the large area.
Crosshair was scanning the room too.
“I’d like to go upstairs.” He said, “Better vantage point.”
“That works for me.” You let him lead you toward the stairs.
As you walked, you saw Wrecker, who was eating while Tech was busy on his data pad. He gave you an encouraging thumbs up and you smiled back at him.
There was a bar on the second floor, along with a few more doors leading outside. Partygoers were happily chatting with each other at some tables nearby. Crosshair led you both to a balcony overlooking most of the first floor.
--------------------
“This is a good spot.” You said, leaning on the railing.
“I have experience.”
You chuckled at Crosshair’s joke, and he felt a smile pull at his lips. You always found his dry humor amusing, and he was grateful for that.
“Would you like a drink?” He asked, “We may be here for a while.”
“Sure.” You smiled, “I’ll keep an eye on the doors.”
Crosshair nodded and stepped away. Neither of you would be drinking alcohol on a mission, but with such a variety of guests and species here, that didn’t limit your options too much. He grabbed you something he’d seen you order before as well as something more bitter for himself.
The evening was going surprisingly well. He hadn’t expected you to be so comfortable with his arm around you, but he enjoyed the contact. He enjoyed feeling close to you.
As Crosshair returned, he noticed a taller man leering over you and felt his blood boil. Crosshair knew you could handle yourself, he’d seen you take down plenty of fools before, but you were clearly uncomfortable and annoyed with the distraction.
You saw him and your eyes brightened.
“Ah, there you are, my love!” You smiled. The sudden romantic term of endearment caught him by surprise. He pushed down whatever feelings bubbled up within him, smiling instead as he handed you your drink. You wrapped your arm around his in a loving way that made his heart beat faster.
“I’m sorry for taking so long, Mesh’la,” He said, “The line was a bit long. Who’s this?”
He turned his attention to the other man as if just noticing him.
“Ah, he was just offering to buy me a drink. I told him my boyfriend was already getting me one. I believe he was just leaving.”
“Um, yes…apologies.”
He shuffled away then, and you both watched him go.
“Finally.” You said, sounding exasperated, “He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Crosshair chuckled, sipping on his drink, “If he only knew who he was dealing with.”
“The only downside to being undercover.” You smiled.
“I’m surprised he’s the only one to ask to buy you a drink.” He said absentmindedly, beginning to scan the crowd for the target.
“Why’s that?”
Crosshair froze. He hadn’t really thought that one through. But he decided to be honest.
“You look beautiful. I’m sure anyone here would love to get your attention.”
He continued scanning the crowd, hoping you would think too much about the compliment.
---------------
You felt your face heat up at Crosshair’s words. If anything, you thought he was the one people would want attention from. He looked so handsome dressed up like this, his tall form seeming even more elegant in a suit.
Before you could say anything, Crosshair stiffened. His eyes were intense and focused. You recognized the reaction.
“You see him?”
He nodded.
“Where is he?”
“There,” Crosshair said, leaning over and pointing with his face close to yours, “Down next to the artwork.”
You saw the target and followed him as he walked near the art gallery.
Crosshair pressed a hand to his ear.
“Target spotted.”
Trying to cover the motion a bit, you leaned back into Crosshair as you pressed the button for your own comm. You laid your head on his chest.
“Hunter, if you’re still near the art gallery, he’s standing next to the main entrance.”
“I got it,” Hunter said.
“I see you. Do you need backup?” Crosshair asked.
“Negative, in pursuit with Wrecker.”
You then saw Wrecker round the corner and follow after Hunter.
You both relaxed a bit, knowing the situation was handled, but you soon realized your close proximity to the sniper and felt your heartbeat pick up again.
--------------
Crosshair couldn’t recall a time he had ever felt this flustered. Here you were, pressed into his chest with his arm around you. You looked up at him and Maker, your eyes were like a trap. He couldn’t look away.
“Look,” He said, “There’s something I need to tell you.”
How he could feel you tense made him nervous, but there was no going back.
“I’m not…good at this.” He sighed, grabbing your hands in both of his, “But I have feelings for you. Deep feelings. You’re capable and beautiful, and I don’t want to keep watching from the side. I’ve never felt like this about someone. I’m not sure how to do this.”
Your beautiful eyes got even wider. You seemed surprised and Crosshair braced himself for rejection.
“I know what you mean.” You squeezed his hands to reassure him, making everything else melt away, “You make me so flustered it’s like I can’t breathe. Crosshair, you’re capable, funny, and you care so much about the people you’re close with.”
You saw his eyes widen for a moment; then a small smile spread over his face. He tilted your chin and leaned down to place a quick kiss on your lips.
“Is this okay?” He asked, loving the way you smiled back at him.
“This is perfect.”
____________________________________
Thank you all so much for reading this series! Let me know if you’d like me to do another!
turnnoffyourmind
andulkaphoto
yousharknotpass
ellievsbear
izzy806
