Straight Shot: The Bonds That Save
Summary: Crosshair has been alone with the empire for years, he’s old and in pain. He’d lonely… he’s done. His chip has been upped too many times to count, taken out and put back in… he’s given up on ever getting home. That is… until he met her. This is the story of how Crosshair finally made it home.
A/N: This is an au I came up with and I hope everyone enjoys it! My amazing friend @wrecker-and-lula helped me with the creation and naming of our little oc who brings Crosshair home, and my other amazing friend Liz @ct-7386 is doing a little bit of beta reading for me!
Chapter 1
Crosshair woke up with a start, eyes wide as he stares up at the ceiling. He just lays their for a moment, breathing heavily. His old bones ache when he finally decides to sit up, huffing out a breath.
Crosshair stands and his back creaks slightly, before he goes about his morning routine. It’s the same everyday, has been for the past 13 years since that mission with May- that clone. That clone who died, even though the empire tried to save him.
First he brushes his teeth, and scoffs at the old man in the mirror. Hair as white as snow, a fluffy beard on his face and covered in wrinkles. He’s thin and gaunt, even worse than his younger years.
Next he gets dressed in his blacks and armor, before heading down to the mess hall. The stares from the civies are all felt on him, but he can’t bring himself to care. He stopped caring about anything years ago.
Once he gets to the mess hall, he eats only some of his breakfast. Enough to keep him alive and moving, not enough to stop the pain of hunger. The pain he deserves.
After breakfast he gets down to the meeting room for his assignment, sometimes a mission, sometimes training civies. It really depends. Sometimes he even gets janitorial duty. If only his Papa could see him now.
After that it’s dinner, which he eats little of. Usually alone, the civies making jokes under their breaths about him. The old clone. The pathetic old man, the fool. They mock him, but he doesn’t care. And then it’s to bed with him and the day repeats. Over and over. Every day the same, day in and day out.
And then it changes.
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It started out as any day, brush teeth, get dressed, get breakfast and then a mission. But… the mission went differently. They won, as usual when Crosshait went but… then the snickers changed when they were on their way back to the ship.
“Seems the old man has a follower.” A trooper whispers to his partner, Crosshair never bothered to learn names. Why would he? It’s not like he’ll ever get to know them, he’s just the old, elderly clone to them.
Crosshair blinks slowly, looking behind him to see a tiny, force oh so tiny Tooka kitten following him. He frowns softly. “No.” He whispers, voice hoarse from lack of use. He starts walking faster ahead, the laughter dying behind him as he gets on the ship. He doesn’t need this today, a change in routine always throws him off.
He thought he’d lost the darn thing, it was hours later when he found it again. Growling softly under his breath when he instantly spots the little thing on his bed.
The Tooka looks up at him, blinking and letting out a soft mew as it almost seems to smile at him. He’s instantly scowling.
“I said no.” Crosshair huffs, as if that will deter the kitten from continuing to cling to him… a silly idea, as he knows how attached Tooka’s can get. And how determined they are. “Next mission you’re out, be thankful I’m not cruel enough to space you.” He scrunches up his nose as he picks the little thing up and gently drops it on the floor. “Stay away.” He hisses, before laying down on the bed. Crosshair proceeds to close his eyes, and tries to force himself to sleep. He doesn’t care that his armor is digging into his bony body, and that his stomach grumbles loudly. He doesn’t even notice the pain of hunger anymore, hasn’t in years. He just wants today to be over and for his routine to be back to normal.
Crosshair frowns as he feels something pulling at his blanket. He peeks his eyes open and looks over the side, seeing the tiny kitten trying to climb up the bed, looking grumpy as all hell to not be able to get up to him. It hisses, huffing up at him.
Crosshair snorts. “Serves it right.” He grumbles and turns over in his bed. He once again tries to get some sleep.
“Mew!” “Meewwww!” The long drawn out mews start, making Crosshair growl and pull a pillow over his head.
“Meeerooowww!” The kitten keeps going, for ten long minutes there’s continuous meows. Crosshair gets more and more annoyed, before he snarls and sits up. “Fine!” He picks the kitten up and stares at her, nose scrunched and flares angrily. “But if you are going to sleep in my bed, I should at least know yo call you she or he.” He quickly checks. “Alright girly, now bed!” He sets her on the bed beside him, and finally strips his own armor off to lay down.
The Tooka purrs softly and snuggles up to Crosshair’s back once he lays down, nuzzling it before yawning and curling up to sleep. She’s very tired.
Crosshair frowns as he feels the warmth against his back, and… tears? Prick at his eyes. It’s been… so long since he’s felt the warmth of another being, 14 long years really, and he’s missed it. Force, how he’s missed it. His head pounds as he shivers and curls up under his thin blanket. What… why is he tearing up? Why is he feeling this way? And why is it making his head pound so much?
Crosshair lays for hours, trying to figure it out. But sleep overtakes him, the exhausting to much. No questions get answered that night.
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Crosshair wakes up to a face full of fur and groans softly, knowing exactly what it is. “You couldn’t stay against my back.” He croaks, opening his eyes to see the little kitten looking down at him, his face is pressed to her stomach.
Crosshair moves his head back, staring at the kitten with a scowl on his face and tired eyes. “You’re a real menace, you know that.” He huffs and sits up.
“Mew!” The kitten grins and sits up too, stretching with a little yawn before hopping into Crosshair‘s lap and purring.
Crosshair immediately picks her up and sets her to the side. “No.” He says and stands up slowly, back freaking and groaning in protest. He gives her one glance, before turning away and starting his routine.
As usual Crosshair brushes his teeth, scowling at his reflection. Then he starts getting his armor on, feeling the kittens eyes on him the whole time. “Do you have to stare?”
The Tooka meows softly, hopping up on his thigh and looking up at him happily. She purrs softly, licking his stomach armor.
Crosshair sighs. “You… are attached to me, aren’t you?”
The kitten nods and licks his armor some more,
Crosshair looks away. “You shouldn’t, people who get attached to me either get hurt or… worse.” He grumbles. “Choose someone else.” He sets her on the floor and stands up. “Be gone by the time I get back.” And he pulls his helmet on before leaving, making sure the door is open just enough to let her out.
This is for the best.
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Crosshair comes back hours later, and he is… a sight. He has bandages wrapped around his torso, and scratches all over his face and arms. He’s limping into the room, holding onto the walls only to fall on the floor in the middle of the room.
Crosshair groans and hoists himself up onto the bed, curling up tight in a ball. He trembled with pain, holding back whimpers.
“Mew?” The kitten pokes her head up from Crosshair’s blanket on the floor, and her little eats immediately press back when she sees her human looking so worse for wear. She immediately pads over and climbs into to the bed, it takes her some time but she finally manages to get up. She goes and licks his cheek.
Crosshair cracks his eyes open. “I… thought I told you too…” he starts coughing hard, and whimpers as tears of pain prick at his eyes. He immediately pulls her close. “Please. Please don’t leave.” He needs someone, anyone to be here. He can’t do this again. Go through so much pain alone, feeling unloved.
The kitten curls up in his hand and nuzzles close, and she makes a decision that will change both of their lives.
She moves just enough so that the soft spot on his hand, between gis thumb and trigger finger, is exposed to her jaws. Then she bites him, and a bond slots into place.
Crosshair blinks, looking down at her. “What… did you do?” He murmurs, and he feels love comf across, making his eyes water.
The kitten mews and curls close to her human, licking the bite gently and purring to help calm her human.
They will never be alone again.
