The Bad Batch: One Shot Collection

Febuwhump Day Fourteen: Blood-Stained Tiles

Author's Note: More post-S1 aftermath. :')

~ Amina Gila

Falling thousands of feet off a mountain is no joke, and Hunter doesn't walk away from that, or Kamino, unscathed.

Everything hurts. Hunter isn't even exaggerating that. Not even to himself. He must've fallen somewhere around two hundred feet, minimum, before he hit those branches, and the rest of the fall is a blur of panic.

The Empire wouldn't've cared how badly injured he was. He could walk, even if moving hurt, and trying to hide that was more important. He had Crosshair to focus on. Then, the others showed up, and Hunter was more focused on them all surviving and getting out of danger than anything else. Didn't matter how hard it was to move. He didn't take the time to think about it.

Now that they're off Kamino (Crosshair's not with them he never will be again they'll probably never see him again "we made a choice and so did you"), Hunter stumbles into the 'fresher, finally taking a moment to himself.

It's relieving to finally not have someone watching him.

Crosshair's been hovering right nearby, out of place and wrong and dark and not him but he was him and that doesn't make any sense, ever since he took Hunter from Daro.

His ribs are throbbing. Burning. He might've fractured something. Again.

Is there some sort of limit-something for how many times broken ribs can heal? He hopes not.

His head is throbbing. That could've been from about anything. He did hit Crosshair with it pretty hard or maybe it's from – did he go headfirst into a tree branch? Might've. No idea.

His left hand is still throbbing from being scraped across the rocks at that speed though. He hasn't thought about that in a little while.

"You're still our brother, Crosshair," is still ringing around fiercely in his head and it won't stop. He heard everything Omega said to Crosshair.

Doesn't want to think about Crosshair at all, but that's all he can think about.

"They're all going to die here because of your failed leadership."

"You made the wrong choice."

"This is who I am."

Crosshair was so angry at them.

He doesn't know why.

Hunter thinks he was scared, too. He always gets tense and itchy and just – ugh when he's scared. That's always when he picks fights senselessly. He'd always take it out on the regs. Or on Wrecker. That's one thing Hunter can never forgive him for. He knows the mocking "lying has never been your strength, Wrecker" will haunt him for a long time. Hunter always had to stop him, and that was back when Crosshair actually listened to him.

Hunter can forgive him for everything Crosshair did to him – for weeks of crippling self-doubt and sleeplessness – oh, is that why he's about to collapse? Could be. Probably is. Seems reasonable – and hitting him even if it jarred his ribs nearly enough to bring tears to his eyes and even for trying to cut his throat, but he can't – he can't forgive him for the rest of it.

Not for nearly killing Tech on Bracca. Hunter had barely caught him before he fell.

Not for shooting Wrecker. For demeaning him. For – for every single thing he's said to Wrecker since this started. "You got shot. It happens all the time." For acting like his pain meant nothing.