Bunny 🐇

"Is that all, General?" Fox hissed, the tone unintentionally softened by the vocoder in his helmet.

"Yes, Commander. You are dismissed."

Professional as ever, Fox thought, huffing as he turned to leave.

You had been stationed with the Coruscant Guard for a couple weeks now due to some injury that left you unable to be at the frontlines temporarily. At least that was the information Fox had received when you arrived at the base and hadn't left since.

You were effective, he had to give you that. You wrote reports faster than anyone he's ever seen, you went after criminals without much fanfare, and you rejected more requests from senators than even he dared.

And you had been realiable too, always appearing on time and coming prepared to every meeting Fox arranged, no matter how last minute.

Fox hated it.

Hated how you wandered the halls with that emotionless face of yours, hands clasped behind your back, and always muttering about "The will of the Force" whenever another mission failed and brothers didn't return.

In his eyes, you were just another stupid natborn he had to deal with who thought themselves better than all of his brothers just because you had been handed a rank without even working for it.

And worst of all, you kept questioning his methods and had the power to override them as a general. Yes, his ways weren't practical or efficient but they were necessary to keep everyone safe.

Yes, there was a strict rationing of food but who knew when they'd get their next shipment?

Yes, he didn't allow painting armour individually but how else could he keep senators from identifying them?

Yes, they had to go everywhere in pairs but that was so no one could be cornered alone somewhere by a natborn.

Every single rule Fox had imposed had its reason, no matter how much it made anyone outside the Guard eye them with sceptisism. And you were like a parasite invading their safe space.

Just another natborn.

Fox tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, you were supposed to be a nice jedi but anytime one of his troops even tried to be friendly, you brushed them of. Any of their greetings were met with a polite but silent bow from the jedi and you always ate alone, no matter how many times you were invited.

Maybe you just hated them too, like everyone else.

Still, you hadn't yet been outright hostile to them and that was more than Fox could say about most natborns and as much as he disliked your attitude and how much he tended catastrophise, you weren't all that bad.

And Fox realised that when one evening, you didn't turn up for a meeting. And then you didn't show up for the next either. Or for another two things on your schedule.

He caught himself worrying, a tight feeling in his chest as another attempt to contact you failed. Even locating you through your comm was impossible when it was found abandoned in your quarters.

————————

Rain pattered down onto your skin and a shiver ran through you as you tried to rub your arms and bring some warmth back into your body.

You had found some maintenance alcove that had been forgotten between Coruscant's endless infrastructure. One where the hum of the ventilations system drowned out every other sound, including your ragged breathing.

"It's the will of the Force," you whispered to yourself, the words hollow and useless as they left your lips. They had been the foundation of your walls so long, a wall that you could erect between yourself and the chaos of the galaxy.

You should get up and find your way back to the base before you got sick. You knew you should. But your limbs felt too heavy and your mind spun.

Your battalion was on Felucia again and you hadn't heard from them in six rotations. The last report had been brief and fragmented; showing casualties, the movement of the enemy,…

All standard things and you knew your commander was comepetent but—

But you should have been there. You were their general.

Instead you were here on Coruscant, playing politics while your men died in that green hell. Guilt had been building in your chest day by day and today your composure just crumbled.

The nail in the coffin had been when you saw a shiny limp past your office with a bandaged leg, stabbed by a civilian during a routine patrole. A shiny, who should still have the positive energy and drive to better his surroundings. And his eyes hadn't even been angry, he had been so exhausted.

The same exhaustion you saw everywhere in the base that you hadn't seen on the frontlines. You saw it in the way the guard moved, efficiently and quietly but with a heaviness that spoke of too many shifts and too few hours of sleep. You saw it in the ration bars that tasted of nothing and contained less calories than they should. You saw it in the silence of their mess hall where brothers should be laughing and not sitting in muted company, checking behind each others backs regularly.

You had seen war, you had see the worst of it on the frontlines with clones dying and being torn apart by explosions as the screams of the injured filled the air. But this was different. A different kind of war that involved the slow, grinding erosion of the soul.

And the Corries were fighting with no support. No one saw their misery. No one cared.

And what have you done for them?

Nothing. You had criticized Fox's methods without understanding them. You had kept your distance because it was easier than acknowledging them because that meant seeing that they were dying slowly on a planet that should have been the safest in the galaxy.

You had hidden behind the Force like a coward instead.

Your chest tightened again, the familiar pressure of anxiety building behind your ribs. You pressed your palms flat against the cold floor, trying to ground yourself, trying to remember the breathing exercises you had learned as a youngling.

In... hold... out...

It wasn't working.

In... hold... out...

"It's the will of the Force," you tried again, and this time it came out as a sob.

————————

Grizzer found you first. Hound had been trying to track you under Fox's orders and the massiff's keen senses had led her through the underlevels with an unerring instinct that Hound had learned to trust implicitly. She was a good girl, the best girl, and when she started whining and pulling at her leash with unusual urgency, Hound had followed without question.

Now he understood why.

"Grizzer, hey girl," your voice was soft, almost gentle. Nothing like the cold and distant tone that Hound had come to know. He froze as he watched you scratch the head of the excited massiff as she nuzzled against your chest.

"General…?" His voice was uncertain as he looked at you sitting on the floor, robes damp, hair plastered to your forehead, and eyes that looked like… "You have been crying."

Your eyes snapped up to meet his, a smile forming on your face that didn't quite reach your eyes. "I'm fine, Sergeant. Just needed some air."

"In the underlevels?" Hound's scepticism was evident even through his helmet's modulator. "In the middle of a rainstorm? General, with respect, that's nonsense."

Before you could reply, another set of boots splashed through the puddles behind Hound. Thorn materialized out of the grey drizzle, his red-striped armour gleaming wetly in the dim light. He took one look at the scene; Hound hovering uncertainly, Grizzer wagging her tail as she pressed against your side, and you looking like a drowned tooka that had been dragged through a sewer, and sighed.

"Fox is going to lose his mind," Thorn muttered, already reaching for his comm. Then he stopped, his hand hovering over the device as he looked at you more closely.

You were trying to stand now, using the wall for support, and your movements were stiff. Not injured-stiff, but cold-stiff. Your lips had a faint blue tinge that had nothing to do with your species and everything to do with how long you'd been sitting in the damp.

"You're coming with us," Thorn said, and it wasn't a request.

You bowed your head but followed, the massiff staying close to you at all times during the silent walk back to the base. When you arrived, your teeth were chattering and your carefully constructed mask was hanging on by a thread.

They ushered you into your office, sitting you down onto your chair before disappearing for a moment. Hound came back first with a thermal blanket, wrapping it around your shoulders.

Thorn returned moments later with a steaming mug. "Here's some caf to warm up. Or well, whatever command is trying to pass of as caf."

You wrapped your hands around the mug, the warmth immediately seeping into your frozen fingers. "Thank you… Commander. This really isn't necessary."

"You disappeared without telling anyone and now you look like an icicle. I think you don't know what necessary is, General," Hound retorted, crossing his arms and Grizzer belled as if agreeing with her owner.

You wanted to retort and say something like "It was the will of the Force" again but the words wouldn't come and your throat closed up. Lowering your eyes, you took a sip of the watery liquid.

A sigh reached your ear and heat crept up your neck. These men shouldn't even be the ones caring for you and you were still unable to thank them properly. A few seconds later, the clones and the massiff left the room, leaving you in the defeaning silence of your own thoughts once again.

Was there any way you could save this?

Probably not.

Minutes later, the door to your office slid open again and you didn't have to see the expression behind the helmet to know that Fox wasn't pleased. The set of his shoulders and the tilt of his helmet said enough.

You gulped when the door closed behind him, sealing you both in the oppressive quiet of your office.

"General." Fox didn't move from the door. Just stood there, helmet angled toward you, the blank black visor reflecting your own huddled form back at you. Judging you. Evaluating you.

Good, some vicious part of your mind whispered. You deserve it.

"Commander." Your voice was better now due to the hot drink but it still lacked the usual confidence you emanated.

"You abandoned your post," Fox said, and his voice was flat. The same tone he used in mission debriefs and made junior officers stammer. "For four hours. No comm. No tracker. No note."

"I know."

"Do you have any idea how many security breaches I had to investigate before Hound found you? How many hours of manpower I wasted searching for a general who decided to go for a walk?"

His helmet tilted, and you could feel the glare behind it.

"I'm sorry," you said and your voice cracked on the second word. "I didn't mean—"

"You didn't mean to?" Fox pushed off from the door, taking a few steps towards you. His boots were wet too, leaving faint impressions on the floor. "You are a General. You don't get to disappear. You have duties and repsonsibilities and people who rely on you."

"I know," you whispered again, shame coiling in your stomach and wrapping around your spine.

"Do you?" Fox stopped in front of your desk, arms crossing over his chestplate. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you've decided that the rules don't apply to you. And you left the rest of us to clean up your mess."

The accusation stung and left your eyes burning, throat tightening again. "That's not—"

"Not what? True?" Fox leaned forwards, bracing his hands on your desk, all the suppressed fury and exhaustion radiating off him in waves. "You've been here for weeks, General. Weeks. And in all that time, you haven't said a single genuine word to any of my men. You haven't looked at them. You just float through these halls like a ghost, muttering about the kriffing Force, and then you vanish—"

"I know."

The mug hit the desk with a sharp clatter, caf sloshing over the rim and pooling on some datapads but you didn't care. Something inside you was cracking and splitting open. Something that you've been ignoring for months.

"I know I'm useless here. I know I'm not— I can't—" your voice broke and you pressed the heels of your hands against your eyes, trying to hold back the flood. "You think I don't see it? See them?"

"See who?"

"Your men." The words tore out of you, raw and ragged. "I see them, Fox. I see all of them. I see the way your troopers check over their shoulders in the mess hall because they've learned that nowhere is safe. I see the ration bars that taste like ash and the armour that's held together with desperation and the exhaustion in their eyes when they think no one's watching."

Fox went very still.

"I see it," you continued, and now the tears were coming, hot and shameful, "I see it and I can't help. I can't do anything other than sit in this office and write reports while everyone around me keeps dying."

"You're not on the frontlines."

"My battalion is. I haven't heard from them in six days, Fox! Six entire rotations. But I've seen the reports. The casualties keep climbing and I can't do anything. I should be out there— I'm just sitting here sipping caf while my men keep—"

Your voice gave out entirely, swallowed by a sob that seemed to come from somewhere deep in your chest. You hunched forward, the thermal blanket sliding off one shoulder, and pressed a hand over your mouth to muffle the sounds.

You were supposed to be better than this. Stronger. Jedi didn't fall apart over a few missing reports and some tired soldiers. Jedi accepted the will of the Force and moved forward with serenity and purpose.

But you weren't serene. You weren't accepting. You were terrified.

"I can't do this anymore," you admitted, " I can't— I…"

Silence stretched heavily between the two of you.

—————————

For a second, Fox just blinked behind his helmet, entirely stumped by this display of emotion on your face. Then, he straigthened up slowly, carefully, releasing the latches on the sides of his helmet and pulling it off.

Your eyes widened and he knew exactly what he looked like; bloodshot and dark-ringed eyes, scars that pulled his lips into a constant sneer and an expression that wasn't anger, not really.

Fox was confused. "Since when do you care?" The words came out biting, harsher than he intended when he saw you flinch but he didn't care to repeat them in a softer tone.

"Since always."

"Always?" Fox's brows furrowed. "That's hard to believe when you've been walking around, dismissing everyone and everything and not even looking at us as if we don't exist. I thought you hated us."

"I've cared," Your voice turned pleading, "I don't hate you. I never did, Fox. I just— I couldn't bring myself to show it. To act on it without it— without it destroying me inside."

The confession hung between you two and Fox had to avert his eyes, flexing his fingers that had started trembling slighty. He couldn't look at you now. Not when he had realised how similar you were to him.

His other commanders often joked about Fox scaring the shinies with his harsh tone and no-nonsense regulations. But they also knew that Fox was one bad day away from a breakdown exactly like yours.

He cared too much but couldn't show it to protect his own heart.

Fox sighed, letting the exhaustion settle deep in his bones. Then he stepped around the desk and pulled you into a hug, your face pressed against his chestplate as you still sat on your chair. A sound of surprise escaped your lips before you tentatively reached up and wrapped your arms around his middle.

The Bad Batch

Hunter

Hunter was staring at you again, that intense, searching look that made your stomach flip.

"What?" you asked, a nervous laugh escaping your lips and his eyes darted down to them.

He shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Just… you."

Hunter stepped forward, one hand cupping your jaw, and he kissed you. Soft at first, almost hesitant and so unlike him, until you leaned into him. His other arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you flush against him. The kiss deepened slowly, his thumb tracing along your cheekbone. When he pulled back, he let his forehead rest against yours for a moment, keeping his eyes closed.

Tech

You were ranting about your day while Tech listened, sitting right across from you. His eyes kept darting around your face, then he tilted his head.

"Something on my face?" You asked with a chuckle.

"There… is something I'm curious about," Tech replied, his voice softening slightly. And before you could ask him what that was, he leaned forward, pressing his lips against yours. It started gentle, almost analytical, before you tilted your head to slot your lips together and his hand came up to cradle the back of your head and the kiss shifted, becoming deeper and more exploratory. Tech's lips parted against yours and a soft sound escaped him. When he pulled back, his eyes were wide behind his goggles.

"Fascinating," he murmured, his voice slightly rougher and deeper than before.

Wrecker

You were cuddled up against Wrecker, watching a movie, head leaned against his shoulder. When it ended, you sat up and made to move away but Wrecker kept a hand around your frame.

"Uhm… I—" he stuttered, eyes finding your lips, "I mean, can I—"

"Yes, Wrecker," you smiled and Wrecker did the same before leaning forward and cradling your face in his hands like you were something precious. Then your lips met — a little clumsy at first, a little too much teeth — but then it softened. He poured everything into it; all his warmth, his affection, and his overwhelming joy, and when he pulled back, he was grinning like an idiot, eyes shining.

Crosshair

Crosshair was quiet, watching you from across the room while he cleaned his rifle. "You're still here," he said flatly.

"Where else would I be," you teased with a smirk.

He scoffed, putting his rifle away and crossed the room in three fluid steps, stopping right in front of you. His eyes searched your face before his hand came up to tangle in your hair and then he kissed you. It was sharp and demanding at first, all teeth and hunger like he was trying to prove something. But then his grip loosened and his other hand found your waist. The kiss turned desperate, almost vulnerable as he nipped at your lower lip. When he finally pulled away, his breathing was uneven and his forehead pressed to yours.

"Damn you," he muttered but there was no bite to it anymore.

Echo

You were both sitting next to each other, gazing out onto the sky filled with stars, a comfortable silence between you with Echo's hand on top of yours. Until Echo turned to you, his brows furrowed, "Can I… May I kiss you?"

You nodded, breath catching. Echo kissed you gently, a careful press of his lips, but when your hand came up to rest on his chest, he melted. His scomp wrapped around your back, nudging you closer and the kiss deepened, your mouth parting against his tongue. When he pulled back, he let out a shaky breath, a small, genuine smile spreading across his face. "You…" he whispered, "You are amazing."

Commanders

Wolffe

He was standing by the viewport, arms crossed and jaw tight, the muscle jumping under the skin. The mission had gone sideways, and he'd nearly lost you. He hadn't said a word since you got back.

You walked up beside him, your shoulder brushing his. "Wolffe. I'm fine."

He turned, eyes blazing with fury. "You almost weren't," he hissed, his voice was a low growl, rough with barely contained emotion. "I can't—" He stopped, jaw clenching again.

Then his hand was on the back of your neck, pulling you forward. The kiss was hard and demanding, more teeth than anything else as he poured all his fears and frustrations into it. His fingers dug into your hair, his other arm locking around your waist, crushing you against his chest plate. But then the tension bled out of him, and the kiss softened, became desperate and needing. He broke away with a ragged breath, his forehead dropping to yours.

"Don't ever do that to me again," he rasped.

Fox

Fox glared at your lips as if they had personally offended him.

"What?" You laughed.

"They're a distraction," he muttered before placing a hand on the back of your head and bringing his lips to yours. Your breath caught at the intensity of his lips against yours that were almost desperate, even vulnerable in a way. Fox kissed you with a ferocity that revealed how long he had waited to do this.

When the two of you parted, Fox was breathing heavily, eyes still closed and a tension running through his face before it finally, finally dropped for the first time since you had met him.

Cody

"I'm so tired of this, Cody," you whined at the prospect of working even one more second, dropping your head onto the table.

"Poor you," Cody's voice was soft and he leaned down to press a kiss to your forehead while brushing your hair from your face. "Better?" He asked with a small smile.

"Mh, nope. I need more," you demanded and Cody was happy to oblige your wishes, tilting your chin up and this time, connecting your lips. You gasped in surprise and Cody chuckled against your lips, continuing to kiss you with a confidence he brought to every aspect of his life.

Mayday

Mayday was leaning against a wall, watching the snow fall outside, his expression hollow. You'd found him like this more and more lately; lost somewhere far away. "Mayday," you said gently, touching his arm.

He blinked, coming back to himself. "Sorry. Just… thinking."

"It's okay. I know it's hard," you whispered.

Something cracked in his eyes. He turned, cradling your face with both hands, his thumbs brushing your cheeks. The kiss that followed was achingly tender, slow and reverent, like he was afraid you'd leave if he pushed too much. He poured everything into it; every sleepless night, every battle, every moment he'd come back to find you still waiting. His lips moved against yours with a desperate sweetness, and when he finally broke away, his voice was barely audible. "Thank you for being here."

501st

Rex

You placed a hand on his chest, smiling at Rex's flustered face before it suddenly hardened. He wrapped and arm around your waist and pulled you into a kiss. You gasped and his other hand came up to tilt your face slightly.

Lips slotting perfectly against each other, he pressed his body against yours. It was neither bruising nor gentle but something perfect something right in between.

When he pulled back, his cheeks were bright red and his gaze dropped to the floor, a sheepish smile on his face. "Uhm… sorry."

You laughed slightly, "It was amazing, Rex."

Fives

Fives was leaning against the wall, arms crossed with that infuriating smirk on his face. "You know," he drawled, "you've been staring at me for a solid minute. I'm flattered, really."

You rolled your eyes. "In your dreams, Fives."

He pushed off the wall and closed the distance in two easy strides. "Funny you should say that," his voice dropped and the teasing edge softened into something warmer. His hand came up to brush a strand of hair from your face. "Because you're in all of them."

Before you could formulate a response, his lips were on yours. It started slow, almost gentle in stark contrast to his usual bravado. But then you melted into him, your fingers curling into his chest plate, and he groaned softly against your mouth. His hands found your waist, pulling you impossibly closer, the kiss deepening with a desperate, unspoken longing. When he finally broke away, his forehead pressed to yours, his voice rough. "Told you. Every single one."

Jesse

He was pacing, running a hand over his head, clearly worked up about something. "I don't know why I'm even— this is stupid, I should just—"

"Jesse," you interrupted, catching his arm. "Breathe."

He stopped, looking down at you with wide, vulnerable eyes. "I can't. Not when you're looking at me like that."

You tilted your head, confused. "Like what?"

"Like I matter," he whispered, the words tumbling out before he could stop them.

Then he kissed you. It was urgent and a little clumsy, all pent-up emotion and weeks of dancing around each other. His hands tangled in your hair, pulling you closer as the kiss deepened, his lips parting against yours with a soft, desperate sound. He kissed you like he was afraid you'd slip away. When he finally pulled back, he was breathless, a shaky laugh escaping him. "Okay. Yeah. That's... that's what I was trying to say."

Kix

Kix sat with his head in his hands, tired from seeing his brothers suffer. You took one of them into your hand, kissing his knuckles before wanting to press a kiss to his cheek. But before your lips reached his skin, Kix turned his head and captured your lips in a kiss.

You gasped in surprise before leaning into it as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you to him, desperately trying to get as close to you as possible while his lips moved against yours.

Once Kix pulled back, he immediately buried his face in the space between your shoulder and your neck.

"Stay… please," he muttered against your skin.

Dogma

"I dare you to kiss me," you blurted out with a smirk and Dogma furrowed his brows.

"What… why?" He looked taken aback.

"Just because. I know you want to but maybe—" Before you could finish, he pulled you close and crashed his lips against yours.

It started a little stilted, barely a press of lips against each other at first but then you tangled your fingers in his hair and tilted his head and your lips slotted together just right. Dogma let out a small sound and tentatively began moving his mouth more.

It wasn't perfect but it was your Dogma.

Tup

"Something wrong?" You asked as Tup refused to meet your eyes when you were sitting next to each other.

"No, I just… I wanted— I mean, can I…?" He gestured vaguely in the direction of your face and you chuckled, nodding. Then Tup leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to your lips, barely more than a soft — albeit a little clumsy — touch. You smiled and encouraged him again and each time, the he became more confident.

His hands found your body and carefully, almost reverently traced its shape when he finally pulled back. "Thanks," he muttered, a smile grazing his face.

Misc.

Howzer

Howzer took your hand in his, as the light of the candles from your dinner reflected in his eyes. He lifted it to his lips and began pressing soft kisses along your knuckles.

"You're beautiful," he muttered, looking up at you through his lashes before straightening and pulling you closer until you could feel his hot breath against your lips. "May I?"

Your breath caught and you were only able to nod before he captured your lips in a gentle yet claiming kiss. His other hand tangled in your hair and you let out a soft sound as he deepened the kiss. The two of you only parted mere seconds to catch your breath for the rest of the night.

Gregor

"You know what would be crazy?" Gregor asked, a smile on his face that always meant trouble.

"What?" you chuckled, preparing for whatever idea he had in mind.

Gregor crossed the few steps towards you and grabbed you by the waist before crashing his lips against yours. He chuckled against your lips, hands running over your body as if to memorize its exact shape.

He wasn't easy to draw! The Commander grumbled and moved all the time and as I dared complaining, I got the death stare. But he stayed like a the champ he is.

Close up on Commander Gruff for the better feeling of being judged. Properly. Bare with me!

I’m having a hard time currently, I wish I had more capacity for art shenanigans and free time projects 🫠

Taglist 🌟 dm me for joining or removing 🫶