【ｍｉｓｓ ｔｈｅ ｍａｒｋ】| Crosshair x OC (BOOK 1 of the CHANGING WAVES series)

57 | Worst-Case Scenario

The room seemed to freeze after Rylann's statement. Hunter looked around at his brothers who sat scattered across the main room of the motel. Wrecker and Crosshair were on the stools on the island counter and Tech was beside Hunter at the table across from Rylann.

"Nothing is going to happen to you, Ry," Hunter said, leaning forward onto the wooden table. "We will make sure of that."

"But you never know," Rylann said, a real pain in her eyes though she wouldn't meet his gaze. "I could fall unconscious or worse."

Hunter gulped. He couldn't deny that she was right. She was right. But it didn't mean he had to like it. "Don't worry, I'll work on some plans."

"Good," she nodded, shooting Crosshair a glance. Hunter looked between them, noticing their heart rates picking up. Hunter sighed. Their crushes on each other were annoying. Their hearts raced because they were thinking about each other which in turn meant he had to think of them all the time because he could feel their little crushes. It was annoying. He'd rather not think about his brother falling in love. Bleck.

"Hunter, are you ready to take me back?" Rylann asked, standing up abruptly.

Hunter felt Crosshair's disappointment, but he heard Wrecker's.

"Aw, man!" Wrecker grumbled. "I wanted to hang with Lanny."

Rylann shot him a sympathetic look. "I have to stop at the GAR this afternoon. But don't worry, we will soon. I think the 501st is going to be returning soon so when they do, we can celebrate at 79s."

That made Wrecker excited. "Let's go!!!"

Hunter stood to his feet, nodding to his brothers as he grabbed his gun, escorting Rylann out of the motel. They had a relatively quiet walk, though Hunter could tell something was upsetting Rylann. He just hoped it didn't have to do with Crosshair.

"Are you okay?" Hunter asked, breaking the silence as they reached the GAR headquarters, the First Battle of Geonosis monument towering above them.

Rylann paused to gaze at the names written in stone. "I think something will happen to me one day." Hunter opened his mouth to correct her but she shook her head, shooting him a look. "Don't say it won't. I have this feeling in my gut but I have peace with it. I just want to make sure you guys are prepared." She then turned on her heel, briskly walking into the building.

Once again, they were in silence. Finally, they reached a training room and Hunter leaned against the wall outside of the door.

"Don't take too long," Hunter said, chuckling. "I'm sure you can't wait for Crosshair to take the next shift as your bodyguard."

Rylann froze and then she furrowed her brows. "Why?"

"Why not?"

Rylann scoffed. "And it's up to you how long it will be." She gestured for him to enter. "You and I are training."

Hunter furrowed his brows. "Why?"

"Why not?" she asked back, sending him a smirk.

Hunter chuckled. He had walked right into that one. Entering the training room, he noted it looked similar to the ones on Kamino, but a lot more industrialized. It was without the sleek Kaminoan tech, and Hunter was okay with that.

"So, what are we doing?" he asked, hopping from foot to foot in anticipation. He had been working on some Corellian Jiu Jitsu with Crosshair. Joseta Pro'oz was from Corellia and was the one who hyped him up into trying it. So one day, when Wrecker was on duty, Hunter and Crosshair went to a lesson. Hunter couldn't wait to talk about it whenever Joseta returned from Geonosis.

"We are preparing for the worst-case scenario," Rylann said, unhooking her saber. Hunter fixed his stance into defense, ready for whatever she threw at him, but he really wasn't ready when she literally threw her lightsaber at him. He caught the hilt, feeling the cool metal in his grasp. He examined the fine craftsmanship, amazed at how light the deadly weapon was.

"So, in the worst-case scenario, I have to fight like you?" Hunter asked, a smirk finding its way onto his face. "Because that's easy. Just let Crosshair do all the work."

Rylann rose a brow, sassily placing her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?" She shook her head, crossing her arms. "And no. The worst-case scenario is if I am down and you need to use my saber."

Hunter looked down at the saber. "But what if I don't want to play with your stick sword?" He tossed it back to her and she swiftly snatched it out of the air.

"What if you're out in the open and are faced with blaster bolt after blaster bolt?" Rylann asked, walking towards him. "What if you're stuck and need to burn a hole through a door or wall to escape?" She then placed it into his hands. "What if you're fighting against someone else who plays with stick swords?"

Hunter gulped. "Alright." He frowned. "Doesn't mean I'll like it."

"And besides, out of everyone in the Batch, I trust you with this the most." She looked down at her feet. "You're both responsible and you can sort of sense things before it's going to happen. It's a useful tool when fighting with a saber."

Hunter nodded. "I will try my best."

"Good, cuz I won't go easy on you," she said, clicking a button on her commlink. Suddenly, a bunch of circular droids rose and started shooting at him. Kriff. 

It's been a hot minute since we had a Hunter POV.