Author's Note: Well, this is cringey, and I hope everyone likes it more than I do! :D
~ Rivana Rita
In which Hunter and Wrecker weren't quite okay in the time Omega was gone, and Crosshair and Omega have to free their brothers from a group of Zygerrian slavers again, but they're not the only ones after Hunter.
Hunter doesn't remember much if he's being honest. Electricity shorts out memory. Basically, the same as for droids. His head throbs, and he hurts all over. Trying to move is agonizing. Even breathing hurts .
Zygerrians are good at making things hurt. Too good.
Hunter knew that from when – when they rescued that rancor.
Should've seen it coming. Can't really complain about being beaten when it meant Wrecker could get out. He'll come back, of course, that is what Hunter's worried about. Wrecker's gonna come back, and they need to find the kid, but they got totally sidetracked, and...
And here he is.
He doesn't even know if Wrecker made it out. Might if he could form a single coherent thought, which he can't.
He knows they're talking about selling him like he's some kind of droid. Would normally feel far more upset about that than he does, but he's too tired to feel much of anything. Can't.
He stopped feeling after Ord Mantell. After Omega. Tech was – was everything and their final hope that finally settled Hunter's mind out from fighting . From everything. Tech was their last link to Crosshair, and the kid was their center their everything, but she's gone now. And then Echo was gone again, and Wrecker and Gonky were so, so quiet .
Nothing mattered anymore.
Nothing –
Everything hurts, which is fine. He doesn't care anymore. Can't care about anything except that Wrecker's hurt and Hunter needs to get them out.
His head is throbbing.
Someone's coming. He can hear talking. It sounds like arguing. One of the voices is mechanicalized.
He doesn't care what. It's loud. It hurts .
The ray shield turns off. He feels it, though it feels like it's through a distant haze. Like this isn't him this is someone else something else. Everything is foggy.
Someone's telling him to get up. He doesn't know. It's distant. Someone grabs his arm, jerking him upright, and Hunter gasps weakly against it. The movement sends a raw, sharp pain surging through his back. It's not stopping.
Whoever it is drags him upright. They're probably annoyed, but it's not Wrecker and it's not Echo so it doesn't matter who they are or where they're taking him.
Doesn't care.
Is too tired to care anymore.
Something about them is – familiar, though. Something...
Doesn't matter, either.
Hunter tries to look at him – he's too exhausted to lift his head. The armor is familiar, though he can't place where he's seen it before.
Whoever they are, they're half-carrying him. Hunter doesn't remember the walk. Hardly remembers moving, just that stars are swimming in his vision and walking is impossibly hard. His back is burning and moving hurts worse.
It's dark outside, but Hunter still remembers being outside . It smells fresh. Doesn't remember the last time he smelled fresh air.
Hunter remembers being dumped on the floor of some ship somewhere – making it up the stairs was agonizing, and his vision is basically blacked out. Hunter sits there for a few minutes, panting. He should move. Should try to get out, because Wrecker's gonna come back and Hunter needs to get to him, but he can't move. He doesn't want to get up.
The voice is talking again.
He looks up, and Hunter blinks somewhat into focus for what must be the first time in a while – stars, his back is burning and he can't think about anything other than that and the lingering ache in every inch of his body.
"I know you," Hunter rasps, panting. He does. It's – he tries to reach out, to feel. The ship smells like it hasn't been cleaned in forever, and very metallic, but familiar. Something's familiar. There's a – the scent. He knows it .
Tech.
He – it reminds him of Tech.
"That is irrelevant," the voice says, and it sounds annoyed.
Coruscant. That's where Hunter's seen him before. Not him , but... those clones. That clone Rex captured on Coruscant a lifetime ago.
He moves away to dig something out of his backpack. Hunter looks away again. He's not safe, not at all because this person is Imperial, but he can't – can't move . He tries to lift his arm, but he can't. It's shaky and twitching oddly. Aftershocks still.
Whoever he is comes back to him. Hunter twitches back as whoever they are jabs a needle into his neck – it's a bacta injection; he can feel it the moment it comes into his blood. That doesn't mean he likes the idea of getting injected with anything by an Imperial, either.
Hunter slumps back against the wall, trying to let the injection run its course. He wants to get out. Needs to find Wrecker. Omega. He –
(He misses Tech. He misses his grounding calm. His – just, he misses Tech. He misses his little brother with everything he has. And he'll never see him again.)
"Don't get comfortable," the clone grumbles, crouching in front of him again. Hunter pulls his eyes open – doesn't remember having closed them – and tries to focus. It's hard. "I'm here for information."
For – ah. Oh. "I – I don't –"
"I do not have time for this," he snaps, irritated, and Hunter tries not to think about sharply that reminds him of Tech. His little brother said the same thing when he was Totally and Completely Done with someone. Usually, regs or nat-borns who got in the wrong place at the wrong time. "I know you know how to find the target I'm after." He pulls a datachip out of his armor somewhere – wait, where was that? – turning on a hologram.
Of Omega.
Hunter blinks at it.
She's so young. So small. She looks like she did when they lost her, just – dressed in a dull, dead gray.
Omega.
Their sister.
Their kid.
Hunter shifts a little. Can't help it. That was taken after her capture. It's the oldest he's seen her. The – the last thing he has of her.
"You – know where she is, " Hunter snaps, anger coming back in a vicious rush, even if he's too tired to even move . Staying awake is nearly impossible. " You took her from us ."
"You would know where she went."
He's lucky Hunter's too exhausted to hit him, because he would if he could. If he weren't hurt as bad as he is, he'd probably strangle him with his stuncuffs. He doesn't understand what's happening . Omega – they didn't have any leads. Tried. They got nowhere no matter how hard they searched and searched .
There was nothing and Tech is gone or he would have figured something out a long time ago.
He always did , but he'd gone because Hunter failed him, too.
("They're all going to die here because of your failed leadership." )
"She didn't go anywhere, " Hunter snaps back, "Not – you had her. " He twitches forward towards the hologram, trying to reach for it because that's Omega that's – that's their kid . His hand falls through it a millisecond after Whoever He Is turns it off, and Hunter falls forward, catching himself shakily. He twists over back to sitting, wincing. Panting. Moving is hard.
He crosses his arms and Hunter's pretty sure this is about to lapse out into a staring contest he's had with an infinite supply of his brothers, just not usually some random reg.
(He's familiar. Familiar familiar familiar Hunter knows him he's – he' s ... )
Something beeps on the scanner. The maybe-clone turns away to look at the scans, then moves out the back with some useless commentary summarized as a "don't try anything or I will find and kill you" as if there's a concerning threat.
It actually sounds...
Kinda nice.
But Tech died for him and that's a life worth saving. Even if it should have been Hunter.
Hunter mostly passes out again. Doesn't wake until he hears – or maybe feels – someone approaching again.
"Hunter." The voice is familiar. The same. Deep and perpetually irked, but maybe brighter than he remembers it in a long time, and he can't breathe.
"Echo?" he breathes, lifting his head.
Echo, at least, looks the same. Maybe a little more worn, but somehow more alive than Hunter remembers him being in a long time. He's alive and Hunter knew he'd be fine but seeing it is – it's been so long since they've seen each other. Feels like a lifetime .
"Come on," he says, holding his hand out to Hunter, "Let's get out of here."
He tries to move. Can't. Everything is burning and he aches all over and trying to make it upright is impossible.
Echo crouches in front of him. The contact stings and burns and the electric field makes his head throb, but he's here and that's all that matters. Hunter leans forward, reaching for him with near desperation.
Echo sighs, but at least he doesn't sound annoyed. His arm lifts to press against Hunter's back, pulling him close.
He buries his face in Echo's neck, taking a moment to just breathe. Shakily and unevenly and painfully, and the hand on his back makes it hurt even more, but he doesn't care anymore. It's been so, so long since he's had anyone. Since someone's held him. It feels like it was out of a dream. It's brief, but it's a promise that he's not alone and that's all he can think about. He has no idea how long it's been since – since Tech.
Echo shifts back from him, and they both know there's no time to catch up or talk or anything, but Echo still lifts his hand to brush Hunter's hair out of his eyes. It's fleeting and gentle, but stars he can hardly remember the last time someone touched him like that.
No one ever really... has.
Echo pulls him to his feet, and they move.
Or, well, they try.
He has no idea how they made it to the Marauder. Only that by some miracle, Hunter's made it to stumbling aboard and Wrecker's on the guns. Echo takes for the co-pilot seat and – and Crosshair comes in a millisecond later.
It feels like he's dreaming. Isn't certain he's not.
Hunter's heart is pounding.
Crosshair pauses when he sees him.
Hunter can't breathe. Isn't fully certain he's breathing at all – he's standing and feels overwhelmingly unsteady.
Crosshair looks angry and he half expects to get stabbed or shot.
Crosshair moves first, arms wrapping around Hunter's neck in a tight and crushing hug. He can't breathe. It's – it's too close and this is Crosshair and he tried to kill them and it hurts . Hunter shoves him off instinctively. Crosshair steps back from him, though his hands linger a moment, anyway. He shoves Hunter in the direction of the seats and he sinks into it instantly.
He's back here again. Gonky's here. Hunter hears his distant honk through the pounding in his head.
There's some sort of giant... creature here, too. Won't ask.
They're taking off now.
Wrecker's the first down from the gunner's mount, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug. Hunter's face is pressed awkwardly into Wrecker's shoulder armor, and breathing is hard but he genuinely can't even care.
Wrecker's here.
He came back.
He's fine .
Stars, he's fine.
"I wasn't sure if we could get you out," Wrecker says, and he's crying.
"I'm okay," Hunter promises, patting his back. "I'll be fine." Certainly doesn't feel like it, but it won't stop him from saying so. It doesn't matter. Omega – they hafta – "He was asking about Omega."
He takes a minute to try to just breathe, remember what happened over the past – days? Weeks? Has it been months? He has no idea. All Hunter does know is that he hasn't been with Wrecker in a lifetime even if it's probably only been a few days, and he misses him so desperately he can hardly breathe.
"Are you okay?" Hunter asks him finally.
Wrecker pulls back, wiping his eyes. "Yeah."
Echo takes over flying, and Hunter freezes as Omega hops out of the pilot seat, turning around to look at him. She's dressed in a coat and some mostly gray-colored clothes, but they don't look half as lifeless as what she had in the hologram. Her hair is longer and pulled back into a ponytail. She's... taller.
His heart nearly stops and Hunter just stares . Can't do anything else.
She's here.
Omega's here.
In front of him. She got – away. She escaped. Somehow.
She found her own way back home.
"Omega," he breathes, shifting forward. Slides off the edge of his seat, kneeling to catch her as she runs to him. She's taller than him like this, and Hunter has no idea how she's grown so much. It's been – years. Forever. A lifetime.
She's shaking. Crying. Hunter presses her tightly against his chest, holding her. She's – stars, she's here . She's safe. For so, so long, he hasn't had a clue if she was still out there, still alive even if he couldn't handle thinking anything else. He lived believing she was still there, that they could get her back and finally, finally just – live .
"Hunter," she chokes out, clinging to him.
"I'm sorry, kid," he manages, "I know you were counting on us. We never stopped searching. But you're the one who found us."
"I know," Omega promises, and they pull back even if it feels way, way too soon. Too short. He doesn't want to let go. She's crying, and he is, too.
"How did you escape?" he asks finally.
"I had help," she answers immediately, smiling through her tears. She looks up at Crosshair, who's standing nearby in dead silence, looking close to attempting disappearance into the ship wall. He looks like he feels exactly as awkward as Hunter does about his presence. He doesn't know how to handle it, what it even means.
Crosshair's here.
Crosshair.
Hunter gave up hope on getting him back years ago. After Kamino. That – was the final straw. The final – everything . For all of them.
Crosshair tried to kill them. He hurt them. Repeatedly. Hunter – doesn't know how to feel about him being here. He can't feel anything at all. Crosshair's presence comes with – way too many things he can't think about. Not right now. He's hurt and everything hurts and he doesn't want to show weakness in front of Crosshair , but he doesn't – can't get up again. He's been hurt too many times, by – by too many people. Can't trust anyone anymore. Certainly can't and won't trust Crosshair who did everything he's done to them.
He's been hurt – so many times over the past – has it been weeks? Hunter has no idea. Should maybe ask.
He's – used to being helpless now. Has gotten accustomed to it after – they were captured.
Crosshair isn't a topic he's able to discuss or think about right now.
"We need to get somewhere safe," Echo interrupts, "Hunter, I'll have to look you over."
He nods numbly to him, not caring. Doesn't really know what's happening. He's gotten so... used to not really feeling anything. His mind spaces out, flickering in and out. Echo stabs him with another bacta injection, doesn't ask to look at his injuries – Hunter would refuse if he did, anyway – and orders him to not move around much, and more importantly, go to bed.
Hunter definitely has no inclination toward that, but they've set course for Pabu and don't have much else to do.
"May I ask how you got tangled with a bunch of Zygerrians?" Crosshair asks as they're settling out.
"No," Hunter tells him flatly. He's not giving a more detailed answer. Not now, anyway.
Wrecker pulls him in for another hug, and Hunter just rests in it for a moment, feeling his heartbeat. Feeling him . He wants to apologize for failing him so many times over. Something, about how Wrecker is so stubbornly loyal and never leaves his side no matter how little Hunter's done for him for weeks. Which is to say, basically nothing. He's stayed with him and helped patch him up if he was hurt, but they never stopped going in again, because the – the mission was... important.
They had to find Omega.
But Wrecker was still hurt because of it.
Because of him.
But saying that would mean a lot of things, and Hunter isn't comfortable doing it when any of the others are around, so he lets it rest.
Hunter realizes very, very quickly that trying to lie down is actually very painful . He knew it would be, but still trying to lay down means moving and his back is burning so badly it feels raw.
Probably is. A little, anyway. Electric burns are... finicky.
"We got our armor," Wrecker tells him, which is a plus. Hunter does not want to end up losing another one of his armor pieces. He's already lost two. And – that amidst everything else. His armor is half of who he is. He doesn't want to lose that, too. Even if they could get more, it wouldn't be his .
Hunter mutters a quiet thanks. "How... did you find us?" he asks Omega finally.
"When you didn't answer, I contacted Echo," she answers, "He came to get us, and... we went looking for you. We got on Wrecker right away, and he knew how to find you."
And the Marauder , and Gonky, apparently. The entire thing is far too good to be true. It's not their luck. Not anymore. Not after – after Crosshair left.
That was when everything fell.
Hunter doesn't ask.
Crosshair's here, and he looks older than when Hunter last saw him. Darker. Emptier. Definitely more broken. Far more so. He shouldn't look like that.
If he and Wrecker actually sleep , they used to share a rack. It was tight and clumsy, but it was the only thing that made them feel less empty. It helped.
It's... different with the others here again.
(Crosshair's here and Hunter doesn't – know that he... wants it. Not – he's accepted life without Crosshair. Doesn't want him to just come back.)
Hunter doesn't think he can make it to the racks, though, so he very, very carefully leverages himself onto the floor. It hurts. To be fair, it's not as bad as it was earlier, but it's still hard to focus on anything, and there's so much to ... feel . Hyperspace can often be exhausting. Especially now.
Echo knows the details of Hunter's injuries, probably not even ones he knows himself with how out of it he is all the time now, but he hasn't told the others. He gives Crosshair a pointed be careful warning before going up front, though. Which is fair – Crosshair used to be overly aggressively snuggly.
But that was before. Before everything changed. Before Crosshair changed. Before he left. It's not... true anymore.
Omega takes Lula from the gunner's mount – it's so, so relieving to see it finally moved again – and curls up beside him. Wrecker's on her other side, laying a heavy hand on Omega's shoulder. She looks comfortable, though.
Crosshair sits a short distance away by the giant dog-thing that is clearly Omega's new pet. She and Crosshair are perfectly snuggly too, though. Hunter doesn't know how to feel about it. He's – glad Crosshair and Omega are close and care about each other, but it still comes with a very, very long list of things he doesn't want to think about.
Crosshair is watching him with something lost and hurt and maybe worried on his face, but he looks away whenever Hunter looks at him. "Omega thought you'd be fine when we got out," he says finally.
"We are," Hunter throws back, almost sharper than he means to. He doesn't want to have a conversation with anybody right now. Crosshair least of all.
He scoffs. "You're still stupid," Crosshair informs, turning his face into the dog's fur. He looks comfortable at least.
Hunter bites his lip and turns away. It stings and he doesn't want to talk.
Wrecker lightly nudges him with his knee, which is a genuinely good distraction. Wrecker doesn't have an issue with facing his back to Crosshair, though Hunter certainly does . Omega trusts him, and Hunter knows she must have some sort of belief in it, but he doesn't fully trust it, either. It would hardly be the first time Omega trusted someone untrustworthy.
Cid still is at the forefront of Hunter's mind.
Hunter shifts closer to Wrecker and Omega, desperately willing his mind to stop spiraling. They can talk in the morning. Hopefully, he'll feel okay enough to talk by then.
Author's Note: Idk, I had a very bad case of writers block when I did this, so I thought I'd share the dumb blooper I wrote to make up for the cringe.....
"I know you know how to find the target I'm after." He THROWS A DATATHINGY IN HUNTER'S FACE WHO PUNCHES HIM NONONO
(PS: What, my brain died mid-sentence, does that happen to anyone else?)
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