The Bad Batch: One Shot Collection

Febuwhump Day Twenty Four: Alt #2 I Love You

Author's Note: I'm sure some people have missed our vampire AUs. :')

~ Amina Gila

Many things changed since losing Crosshair. Including their... species. If that's what it can be called. Hunter thought they'd be fine, but he didn't realize when Tech said they'd have a "telepathic connection" that they can all now read each other's minds.

He doesn't want to do this anymore. He can't do this anymore, actually, and he's so, so tired of trying to pretend he can.

He's so tired. Tired of moving. Of breathing. Of living.

Crosshair's gone. He's – he's gone, and Hunter failed him and now they have to make it through in the aftermath.

He wishes he didn't have to. Wishes – something was different somehow. Doesn't want to have to keep pretending everything's fine when it's not. Tech is so dark and cold now, and Echo's so angry and Wrecker's so depressed and Omega's so distant.

They might've made it through the whole being-turned-into-vampire thing on a mission gone very, very badly wrong, but it just feels like another failure. Another thing he couldn't protect them from. He should have. Maybe this should've happened before Kamino. He could have – have helped Crosshair then. Maybe.

As if Crosshair would even have let them help. He wouldn't've. He – he didn't matter. Never did.

And Hunter is so, so terrified of something else happening to Omega. Of something happening to her, period – she's their kid, their center, their world, their – she's their everything, and he doesn't know how any of them would survive it if she was hurt or killed or if she – if she left them like Crosshair did, because he failed, and she wasn't enough.

He had to spend half of today trying to get Echo and Tech away from verbally murdering each other. He doesn't have the energy to do this anymore. He just – he's so tired. Wrecker fed on him earlier, and that was the only few minutes of reprieve he's had since – since before they even left Kamino in the first place.

But right now, Hunter's so, so tired of giving. He's tired of being, of breathing, of every single thing that being alive comes with.

Omega is so... distant now. He knows she – she should get to live her own life, but things have changed, and it feels like...

Like he's not important anymore. Like he's nothing. Like – Force he doesn't want to do this anymore. With their bonds, he can... feel them in his mind. It's weird, but he can feel their darkness, their depression, the way they don't want to move any more than he does.

Wrecker doesn't want to move on. He feels lost, and he's afraid to try.

Tech knows they have to, but he's reluctant.

Echo is just... angry. He feels empty, and he's falling deeper and deeper into a never-ending pit of rage where all he wants to do is hurt the Empire, and Hunter is terrified to know where that's going to lead him.

And Omega is... restless.

She doesn't feel satisfied here, and that hurts. They try so much for her. He doesn't know what more he could even do. Just – just he needs her, and they all do, and what are they supposed to do when they fail her like they did Crosshair, when – when something happens, and she's gone?

Hunter inhales shakily, trying to keep his breathing quiet. Even if he's crying. Even if he's not sure if they can hear him now, and he just – he's so tired.