Rose's Fantasy

It was a good thing Genna had Levy with her because she still knew next to nothing about Magnolia's entire city layout and knew she'd get lost. Luckily, Levy had asked her to go shopping in the first place, so it made things a lot easier.

As they were perusing ingredients in the market for the cupcakes they were going to make for Gajeel and Lily, Levy asked Genna, "I can tell you're not from Magnolia, so where are you from?"

"I'm actually from up north in Oshibana," Genna told her.

“Oh wow! You’ve come a long way then,” Levy exclaimed.

With a chuckle, Genna said, “I sure did, but it was worth it. Magnolia is definitely more my speed.” She grabbed some sugar and some flour from one stall and then asked Levy, “What flavor should I make the cupcakes?”

Putting a finger to her chin, Levy thought for a moment and then said, “Well, I’m pretty sure vanilla goes well with kiwi, so you can make Lily some vanilla cupcakes. As for Gajeel, I think chocolate would suit him well. How about, when we go back to make them, I can make one batch and you can make the other? That’ll make things easier.”

“I like that idea,” Genna said back.

The two girls then found some chocolate and vanilla to add to their cupcake mix as well as an extra cupcake tin so they could cook both batches at once. After that, they found the kiwi fruits and picked up some iron chunks from a local blacksmith who had some lying around. Then with all the things they needed in hand, they made their way back to the Fairy Hills girls' dormitory. Right away, they set to cooking, stirring up the delicious looking cupcake batter in no time.

“It’s always so tempting to eat the batter straight up,” Genna commented, lifting up her spoon and pouring some of the chocolate batter back into the bowl.

Snickering, Levy replied, “I just do it anyway.” Then she swept her fingertip over the rim of her bowl, catching some yellow batter, and stuck it in her mouth, her mouth exploding with vanilla flavor as she giggled mischievously.

Mimicking her, Genna did the same and scooped up a little of her own batter from the side of her bowl with her fingers, putting them in her mouth and licking off the sweet, delicious chocolate. The two of them started laughing good-heartedly at their fun.

With a smile, Levy commented, "I like you, Genna. You're so fun. I'm glad you're in our guild now."

"Thanks, Levy. I think you're fun, too," said Genna back.

As she proceeded to add the iron bits into the batter, her mind wandered once again back to Gajeel and some of the last words he'd said to her before leaving the guild hall.

"Trust me…no one wants to deal with the likes of me…look, Genna, you'll be better off not hangin' around me. Let's just leave it at that."

She'd never known anyone to think so low of themselves before and it hurt her heart that Gajeel thought that way of himself. Even in the short time she'd known him already, she'd seen a softer side of him; she knew he was kind and he cared more than he let on. Back at the guild hall, she'd felt something with her magic stir within her, which had never happened before. It seemed like it was trying to tell her something, but what, she couldn't discern. Was there a connection there somehow? It was possible. She believed certain things of everyone's destinies were written in the stars…perhaps this was one of them.

Was there meant to be something between them? A bond or friendship of some kind?

"Genna?"

She blinked and came back to reality, not realizing she had gotten so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard Levy trying to talk to her.

"Are you okay? You were pretty zoned out there for a minute," Levy inquired.

Giving a light shake of the head, Genna responded, “I’m fine. Just was thinking.”

“About what?” Levy asked as she started pouring the batter into one of the cupcake tins.

For a second, Genna wasn’t sure if she wanted to voice everything to Levy, but seeing the genuine concern and curiosity on Levy’s face, she thought maybe it wouldn’t hurt. Levy seemed trustworthy and maybe she could help out somewhat. “Well…you obviously know Gajeel better than I do. What do you make of him?”

Levy chuckled. “Oh, you were thinking about Gajeel, were you?” she asked teasingly.

“Not like that,” Genna responded, nudging her with her elbow. “No, I just can’t get a good read on him. One moment, I think we’re getting along and we might be friends and then the next, he’s rude or closed off and doesn’t seem to care. Is he always like that?”

“As long as I’ve known him, that’s about how he’s been,” said Levy. “He likes to keep to himself, but he’s also loyal to Fairy Tail. If ever there’s any danger threatening the guild, he’s usually one of the first ones to jump in a fight to defend it. Though, he also just likes fighting in general. He and Natsu have fought on several occasions just because they wanted to.”

“I’ve noticed Natsu gets involved in a lot of fights,” Genna commented with a grin.

Levy snickered again. “He’s hot-headed and impulsive, loves getting into fights for the thrill of it or if someone makes fun of him, but there’s no one more protective and devoted to Fairy Tail and its members than Natsu. As for Gajeel, he came from a rougher guild before, so I think that’s why he seems to like fighting a lot, too.”

“Do you think he's ever lonely or wants friends, but is too proud to admit it?”

“I mean, he's got Lily with him a lot of the time, but if you're talking about human friends…I think he does sometimes and that he doesn't quite know how to make friends.”

“I don't know how to explain it…but he fascinates me and I just get this feeling that I need to be friends with him.”

Levy smirked. “He fascinates you, huh?”

“Oh stop!” Genna cried, her cheeks feeling hot. “It's not like that.”

“I don't know, the way you're blushing says the opposite,” Levy pointed out.

Genna pulled up her bandana scarf that was around her neck up over her face, hiding the redness that was inevitably increasing on her cheeks.

Giggling with satisfaction, Levy stated, “I knew it. I think you're crushing on the Iron Dragon Slayer.”

“How can I be? I still barely know him,” said Genna.

“It doesn't take long for crushes to develop, even if you barely know someone. Why else would you be so interested in getting to know more about him?”

Genna averted her gaze down to the bowl of chocolate batter in front of her. Was she really developing a crush on Gajeel? Honestly, she'd just thought she wanted to be his friend, but she couldn't forget the sensation of her magic igniting inside her when he'd held her back at the guild hall. It wasn't like any magical feeling she'd ever experienced before and she pondered what it could mean.

But maybe…just maybe….

“Better get that batter poured in, the oven’s ready,” Levy informed her, breaking her train of thought.

“Oh, right!” Genna cried out, picking up the bowl and scooping out dollops of the batter with a spoon into each individual cup in the tin.

Once she was done, they both stuck their tins into the oven and were ready to wait for them to be done. In the meantime, they began making the frosting for their cupcakes as well as preparing the iron chunks and cutting up the kiwis. Genna even had the idea of cutting up one of the iron chunks and putting the shavings on top of the cupcakes like garnish. Before long, the cupcakes were done and the room was filled with the sweet, delicious aromas of chocolate and vanilla. They frosted them, decorated them with iron shavings and kiwis and then packed them up in a nice box that Levy had brought from home.

They heard a knock on the door as they were boxing up the baked goods and, when Genna called out to come in, Lucy, Juvia and Cana came in through the door.

"Hey, everyone!" Genna greeted them.

"We wanted to see if you needed any help unpacking, but it seems like you two had other plans," said Lucy, sniffing the air.

Juvia also inhaled through her nose and added, "It smells positively divine in here."

"Smells like a bakery," said Cana, putting a hand on her hip.

With a laugh, Levy answered, "We made some cupcakes, that's why."

"To thank Gajeel and Lily for helping me get into Fairy Tail," added Genna.

"Aw, that's so sweet," said Lucy, putting a hand over her heart, which Genna noticed had the Fairy Tail emblem in pink on the back.

Looking down at the box, Genna said, "Now that they're done, I'm thinking I'll run back to the guild and see if he's come back so I can give these to him in person."

"Ah, I'm afraid that's not gonna happen," said Cana. "I heard at the guild hall before we came over that Gajeel and Lily came back and then just left on another job, so it might be a day or two," Levy informed her.

Genna groaned. "Of course, he did," she mumbled.

"You could always leave them with Mira and she can give them to Gajeel when he gets back," suggested Lucy. "That way, they'll still get them if they happen to come back when you're not around."

"I suppose I can do that. That and things were…slightly awkward between us when he left the first time, so maybe it might be better if I don't give it to him myself," Genna then said.

Juvia approached her and told her, "Do not fret too much over him. He's just used to doing jobs on his own or with Lily; going with others is rare for him. It's nothing to do with you personally."

Genna nodded in understanding. "Well, I'll write a quick little note to put with it and then I'll take it back to the guild."

"In the meantime, you've got some unpacking to do, girl!" Cana cried out.

"I mean, I didn't come with much," Genna said back.

"That doesn't matter, we'll still help you set everything up," said Lucy with a smile.

Touched at how open and friendly everyone was being to her, Genna said in reply, "You all are so kind. Thank you."

As the other ladies started going through her things and getting them ready, Genna went to her bedroom and ripped a piece of paper from her journal to write a quick thank you note to Gajeel and Lily.

"Oh my gosh, Genna, you have such a cute wardrobe!" she heard Levy call out from the other room.

Genna cried out a thank you and smiled to herself. These ladies; her guild mates now, were some of the nicest and sweetest people she'd ever met and they were already making her feel so welcome in both Magnolia and in Fairy Tail.

She was definitely where she belonged.

Gajeel and Lily returned to the Fairy Tail guild hall a couple of days later, another successful mission under their belts. The hall itself only had a few people inside sitting at the tables or the bar, which made them think plenty of others were out at the moment.

"I think that was one of the easiest jobs we've had in a while," Lily commented, looking up at his companion as he walked beside him.

Gajeel snickered. "Those goons had no idea what hit 'em," he said. Then he wandered over to the job board. "I think we should snag another job while we can. That last one was too quick and now, I'm itchin' to get back out."

"Really? We just got back," Lily groaned, floating up beside him.

"What are you complainin' about? This is what we do," Gajeel retaliated.

Rolling his eyes, Lily just said, "All right," and relented as Gajeel ripped off another job listing from the board and stuffed it in his pocket. "Can we at least sit down and take a rest before we head back out?" he then asked.

"Eh, sure," said Gajeel.

The two of them then went over to an empty table. Gajeel sat on the bench and Lily flew up to sit on top of the table.

They heard a high voice call out to them and saw Mira coming their way from behind the bar, a smile on her face and a box in her hands.

"How did the job go?" she asked as she came up to them.

With a pump of his fist, Gajeel replied, "It felt good to kick some punk ass and show 'em who's boss. They won't be bothering any travelers on the road anymore."

"That's great to hear," she said.

"What's with the fancy box?" he asked.

"I have a delivery for you two," she said happily.

Gajeel's face scrunched up, puzzled. "For us? Who would give us anything?"

“Well, you’ll have to read the note and see, won’t you?” Mira said back as she handed it to him and then walked away.

Curiously, he looked down at the box, wondering what was going on. It was a deep blue color with gold trim around the edges of the lid and the bottom of the box. It wasn’t overly-fancy and covered in ribbons or anything, but it was still nicer than just a plain, regular box. Taped on top of the lid was a folded up piece of paper, which he removed and opened up, setting the box down on the table.

“What does it say?” Lily asked.

Gajeel read the note aloud, which read:

To Gajeel and Lily,

I just wanted to say thank you again for helping me get into Fairy Tail. I know I’ve already said it, but I feel like words just aren’t enough to truly express how grateful I am and how much that meant to me. I’ve achieved my greatest dream because of you two and that means the world to me. With that being said, I’ve made you guys something to show my thanks. A lot of thought and effort went into these, so I hope you guys enjoy them. I’m sure you’ll be able to tell whose is whose.

Lily, thank you for your wisdom and encouraging words.

Gajeel, thank you for never giving up on me…and for coming back for me.

I know we had kind of a rocky start, but now that we’re guildmates, I’m hoping we can start over and become friends. I’d really like to get to know you both more.

I hope your guys’ job went well! See you both soon!

Sincerely,

~Genna Whitesun

"She made us something? How kind of her," Lily commented.

Gajeel just let out a low groan. The kid was wasting her time on him and giving him gifts wasn't gonna sway him so easily. She'd learn soon enough that she didn't actually want to be friends with him. However, that didn't change the fact that he was at least curious about what was in the box. Setting the note aside, he pulled the lid off the box and his eyes went wide at the beautifully decorated cupcakes inside. There were six chocolate ones and six vanilla ones.

Lily happened to look inside just as the lid came off and his whole face lit up with surprised joy. "Kiwis!" he cheered with delight.

"Well, I think I know which ones are yours," Gajeel said to him with a smirk.

As Lily immediately reached in and pulled a vanilla cupcake out, munching off the top with the kiwi slice, he asked with his mouth full of the green fruit and baked vanilla goodness, "These are delightful! How did she know I liked kiwi?"

"My guess is someone in the guild told her. Probably Salamander's cat friend," Gajeel answered, pulling out a chocolate cupcake. He inspected it closely, curious about the little gray bits on top of the frosting. He pulled one off and popped it in his mouth. He recognized the taste of metal right away. "Iron shavings…clever," he said aloud, impressed. The alluring aroma of chocolate filled his sensitive dragon nostrils and he could feel saliva building up in his mouth, wanting to take a bite. So he did, consuming almost half of the cupcake at once.

His eyes went wide as he tasted both the sweetness of the chocolate and a powerful amount of iron as well crunching in his teeth. Then he looked down at where he'd just bitten off and realized there were pieces of metal inside the cupcake, which only added even more to the amazing flavor.

"She put iron chunks inside these!" he exclaimed, stuffing the rest in his mouth right away.

"She seems to know you pretty well already," said Lily before taking another bite.

Gajeel swallowed and frowned. "Putting metal in cupcakes for me doesn't mean she knows me. There's plenty she doesn't know and she's not gonna know."

"And why not?" Lily asked.

"You know what I am, Lily. Or at least…what I used to be," said Gajeel, his gaze falling to the table. "Who would want to be friends with someone like me?"

Lily's little furry eyebrows rose up. "Uh, Genna does," he retorted. "That's literally the point of these cupcakes: to thank us and as an offer of friendship."

The Iron Dragonslayer scoffed. “Tch, she only thinks she wants to be friends with me…she’ll realize sooner or later I’m not worth it.”

The Exceed then narrowed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. “Isn’t that her decision to make?”

Gajeel groaned quietly, knowing Lily had a point. “Even still…,” he said, not finishing his thought.

“Gajeel, I’m starting to think you don’t actually know how making friends works,” commented Lily.

“I know how it works,” Gajeel spat back.

“If you did, then you wouldn’t be so resistant against Genna’s attempts to be your friend. I thought you were okay with her?” Lily then asked.

Gritting his teeth, Gajeel responded, “I...I am, but….” Once again, he faltered, not finding the words to express how he felt.

“But what?” LIly calmly kept pushing. “What are you afraid of, Gajeel?”

Gajeel’s hands tightened into fists on the table, his insecurities taking a hold of him. He didn’t want to say what was on his mind, but he knew if he didn’t now, it would drive him crazy. Plus, this was Lily, his trusted companion. “I don’t wanna…I don’t wanna hurt anyone again,” he finally admitted, his hands relaxing and his eyes closing as he relented.

Lily knew exactly what his friend was talking about and his normally stoic expression softened a little. He walked across the table and stood closer to the Iron Dragonslayer. “Gajeel, you are not the man you used to be. We all know it. I know your past actions won’t be repeated and you’ve made amends with those you’ve wronged. It’s all in the past and you can’t let it hold you back from moving forward.”

“I can’t forget it, though. Everything I’ve done to this guild…,” Gajeel said, his voice lower than before.

“That no longer matters,” said Lily. “If this guild resented you for what you’d done to them before, you wouldn’t be here and neither would I. They’ve forgiven you and welcomed you to the guild. I think it’s time you forgive yourself and allow yourself to be open with others; let them more into your life instead of keeping them at arm’s length.” Lily laid a hand on his arm and, when he turned his head, offered him a kind smile. “Maybe you can start with Genna.”

Gajeel averted his eyes again. “I don’t know…,” he mumbled.

“She went out of her way to make us something nice just for helping her on a job that got her into the guild,” said Lily. “She put a lot of effort into it, even though she still barely knows us. Genna seems like a kind and compassionate young lady, which I think is the kind of person you need right now.”

Gajeel grumbled to himself. He was the lone wolf kind of guy; he didn’t need anybody else outside of Lily…but his cat also knew him well and that made him wonder if maybe Lily was right about him needing friends? No, he’d been just fine without anyone else. Even though Lily wanted him to essentially socialize more, he didn’t think it was necessary.

“I’ll be fine, Lily. You gotta stop worryin’ about me,” he said to his cat before munching into another cupcake.

"Why's Lily worrying about you?"

Hearing Genna's voice suddenly speak behind him startled Gajeel and unfortunately, as he reacted, a chunk of the cupcake he'd just bitten got stuck in his throat and he started coughing. He hadn't expected her to suddenly show up.

He felt a gentle hand on his back just then and Genna cried out, "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!"

Once the food finally dislodged itself from his throat, he said through a groan, "Jeez, Princess! Warn a guy next time, will ya?"

"I'm sorry," said Genna, embarrassed.

As Gajeel recovered himself, Lily greeted Genna saying, "It's good to see you, Genna. How are you adjusting?"

"Very well. Everyone's been so friendly and welcoming to me. It's unbelievable," she answered joyfully.

"That's wonderful to hear," said Lily. "And we just got your gift. That was very kind of you." Then he cast a side-eye at his companion and prompted him, "Wasn't it, Gajeel?"

Unamused, Gajeel sneered at him, knowing what the cat was trying to do. Though, when we turned back to Genna, his heart dropped slightly at seeing the disappointment on her face, realizing she saw his reaction to Lily.

"Were they not very good?" she asked Gajeel sheepishly.

He felt bad immediately and responded right away, "No, no! It's not like that. The cupcakes were good." Then he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away as he added timidly, "They…might be the best cupcakes I've ever had."

Genna had hoped for a good reaction, but she hadn't expected anything quite like that. The best cupcakes he'd ever had? That was quite high praise. "Wow, really? That's so sweet of you to say," she said back.

"Yeah, well…I'm just bein' honest," he nonchalantly replied.

"He thought the iron chunks inside were a nice touch," Lily added with a smirk, which made Gajeel growl quietly.

Snickering with relief, Genna said, "I'm glad. I thought that was something you would like. How did your job go?"

With a shrug of his shoulders, Gajeel simply said, "It was a piece of cake. We could've done it in our sleep."

"I don't doubt that at all," she replied, smiling widely.

Something about her smile in that moment made Gajeel's heart skip a beat, to his surprise, and he felt the heat rise up in his cheeks. He didn't know why, but her smile was so sweet and adorable; more than any others he'd seen before. There was a foreign stirring in his stomach that he both liked and disliked at the same time. It felt nice, but he also didn't like not knowing what was going on with him and it irritated him.

Feeling awkward right then, Gajeel blurted out, "Well, Lily and I've got another job we're goin' on, so we should be headin' out."

"Oh…okay," replied Genna, a bit sad that he was already leaving so soon. She had hoped to get to talk to him more once he'd gotten back.

Lily interjected, "We don't have to leave right away, do we?"

"If we're gonna make good time, we should," Gajeel said, already turning on his heel to go.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Lily asked. When Gajeel looked back at him, he put his paw on the box of Genna's cupcakes and said, "We shouldn't leave these; they'll get stale. We should take the rest for the road."

Knowing Lily was right and also not wanting to upset Genna, Gajeel just said back, "Right. I almost forgot." He then went back and picked up the box from the table just as Lily sprouted his wings and hovered into the air.

After tucking the box under his arm, Gajeel looked back at Genna and found himself at a loss for words for a second. He could see a saddened look in her eyes despite trying to appear content with him leaving again. He didn't want to care about that, but her blue eyes were inexplicably piercing him to the soul in a way he couldn't understand. Maybe he shouldn't go on this other job. He could feel a sense of guilt building up in him as he looked at her, but he was confused as to why. He still didn't know Genna very well and he didn't owe her anything, so why would he feel bad for doing what he'd always done?

Then she cleared her throat and asked him, "How long will you two be gone?"

"Hard to say. Every job's different," he simply replied.

Nodding, she said, "I hope everything goes well."

Not sure of what to say back, he just grunted, gave her a nod and went to walk away, but stopped after taking one step, the box under his arm seemingly feeling a bit heavier. He needed to do one last thing before leaving.

Turning back, he said, a little shy, "By the way, uh…thanks, Genny. For the cupcakes."

She smiled sweetly. "You're welcome, Gajeel. I'm glad you enjoyed them."

His throat tightened and he just wanted to get out of there, so he flipped around and headed for the doors without another word.

Lily, who was now hovering beside Genna, said to her, "See you when we get back, Genna?"

"See you when you get back," she repeated.

After giving her a glad grin, Lily flew off after Gajeel.

As she watched them head out of the guild hall, she cried out, "Be safe and don't do anything stupid, metal head!"

Gajeel didn't look back at her, but lifted his arm, gave it a wave and called back, "No promises, Princess!"

With that, she watched him leave for a second time on another job. She couldn't help but think maybe he was doing this to avoid her. Or maybe it was all just inconveniently timed. However, Genna was determined. She was going to get to know him and be his friend; she wasn't going to let him fly solo and keep up his lone wolf act. He deserved more friends than just his cat. When he came back, she wasn't going to let him just leave again so easily like he did this time.

Very soon after waking up, Genna, Gajeel and Lily bade their farewells to the villagers and departed from the village to make their way back to Fairy Tail. For part of the walk, Genna remained quiet as her mind kept wandering back to her brother and his ultimatum: do the job her father had for her or M would take her back to her family's guild.

The job was to infiltrate Fairy Tail.

She felt so caught between a rock and a hard place. For a long time, she'd wanted to be a part of Fairy Tail and, considering how welcoming a lot of people had been to her already, she didn't want to hurt any of them...but she also never wanted to return to her old guild. That was the last thing she wanted. What was she going to do? Maybe if she told Fairy Tail the situation, they could help protect her from her father...but that would mean having to tell them who he was, which she knew wouldn't go over well.

"What am I gonna do?" she wondered.

Lily's voice beside her broke her from her thoughts as he asked, flying up next to her, "Is everything all right, Genna? You've been strangely quiet."

"Yeah, it's kinda weird," commented Gajeel.

She gave a shake of her head, snapping back to reality. "Sorry. Just was zoning out," she told them.

"Somethin' on your mind?" Gajeel inquired.

Thinking quickly of a cover answer, she just shrugged and answered him, "I'm just...feeling a bit anxious about going back to Fairy Tail. I've dreamt of being in the guild for a long time and...I guess I'm worried that maybe what I've done won't be enough to achieve that or the Master won't think I'm a good fit. I'm just trying to not get my hopes up."

"Trust me, Genny, you've got nothin' to worry about," he said. "The old man hardly turns anyone away. You've got a pretty easy shot at gettin' in."

"I just can't help but worry," she said. "What if I get in and the others don't actually like me?"

Lily chuckled in amusement. "I highly doubt that will happen. Natsu, Lucy and Happy love everyone. You'll have friends for certain. You've got us, too."

That brought a smile to her face. At least, they both seemed to buy her excuse. "Thanks, Lily," she replied.

A few more minutes passed and when they rounded a corner on the road, they saw a downed tree across the middle of the path, blocking their way. Genna wasn't sure how she was going to get over, at first, because of her injured arm, but then she figured Lily could fly her over. However, just as she thought to ask, she was shocked as Gajeel said to her, "Hold on," and suddenly swept her up into his arms. Then he leapt into the air and soared over the tree to the other side, landing with surprising grace. She had not expected that from him and was slightly flustered as he set her back down.

"Th--thank you, Gajeel," she told him, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"No problem. There was no way you were getting over that with that arm," he said back.

Lily came gliding over the tree and pointed out as he came up next to him, "You know I could've just flown her over, right?"

Gajeel gritted his teeth and his cheeks went pink with slight embarrassment. "Yeah, well...you weren’t movin' fast enough," he stated back, quickly walking away.

"Well, that was unexpected," said Genna to Lily.

With a hum of agreement, he replied, "Gajeel may appear rough on the outside, but he does have a softer side that he lets slip through the cracks every once in a while."

"That's good to know. I was afraid he didn't like me," she told him.

"I assure you, that isn't the case," he said.

She hung her head for a moment. Lily seemed to be a wise Exceed. She wondered if she could say something to him about her problem without jeopardizing her chances at getting into Fairy Tail. Perhaps he could think of something she could do.

"Lily, could I ask you something?" she asked.

"By all means," he replied, hovering a little closer to her.

Her hands fidgeted nervously. "I'm...afraid," she admitted. "I'm afraid of my father coming after me and potentially endangering Fairy Tail. I don't want that to happen and I don't know what to do."

"You have no need to fear," he said firmly. "All of our guild protects each other. Should your father come for you, we'll make sure to instill the fear of Fairy Tail in him."

"If only it were that easy...," she lamented in her mind.

The Exceed noticed her hesitancy and gently nudged her shoulder as they went along. "Everything will be okay, Genna. Once you're a part of Fairy Tail, you'll have plenty of people who will look out for you."

"I know, you're right," she responded.

Up ahead, they heard Gajeel call out, "Hey! Keep up, will ya?"

They hadn't realized they'd fallen a few feet behind as they were talking. After Gajeel got after them, Lily and Genna picked up the pace to catch up to him. Despite Lily's reassurances, Genna still couldn't help but still worry. He had no idea of the power her father held and the danger he would pose to Fairy Tail and to her if she didn’t do what he wanted. She didn't want to, but knew it would only bring chaos if she didn't.

"I'll figure this out," she thought to herself. For now, she supposed all she could do was just get back to Fairy Tail and see how things went from there.

"Hey, welcome back, Genna!"

The first person Genna saw upon entering the Fairy Tail guild hall was Lucy, accompanied by Natsu as well as a shorter, blue-haired girl wearing a headband and an orange dress.

"Glad you made it back," said Natsu with a smile.

"Hi Lucy, hi Natsu," Genna said as she walked in.

"Hey Gajeel," said the bluenette.

He smirked. "How's it goin', half-pint?"

She immediately scowled playfully at him. "Why do you always have to make fun of my height, you jerk?" she replied.

Gajeel simply snickered in return.

"This is Levy," Lucy said to Genna, gesturing to Levy.

Levy turned to Genna and said, "It's nice to meet you, Genna. Lucy was telling me you're looking to join the guild. It'll be fun having you here and I look forward to getting to know you."

"Thanks, Levy," said Genna.

It was then Lucy noticed Genna's arm in a sling and she gasped. "Genna, you're hurt! Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," Genna said dismissively.

Gajeel looked around the room for a second and then yelled, "Hey Wendy! We could use some healing over here!"

"Oh, I'm coming!" replied a small, feminine voice. Then a small young girl with long, dark blue pigtails came running up, followed by a white Exceed in a tiny dress.

"This little girl is also a Dragonslayer?" Genna thought in surprise, seeing the Exceed.

Wendy immediately saw the problem and ran up to Genna. "Here, let me help you," she said, holding both her hands over Genna's arm.

Her hands began glowing a bright teal color and suddenly, Genna could feel her arm go cool and her bones started shifting inside. The throbbing from her fracture began to subside and fade. A few seconds later, Wendy's light went away and Genna's arm felt like normal. She pulled off the sling and slowly moved her arm around. It was perfectly fine!

"Oh wow! Thanks so much!" she said gratefully.

"Happy to help. I'm Wendy, by the way, and this is Carla," said the young girl, then pointing to the white cat with her.

"A pleasure," said Carla.

Genna then introduced herself by name in return.

"Where's the old man?" Gajeel asked, looking back to Levy, Natsu and Lucy.

Natsu pointed back towards the bar and answered, "Gramps is back there with Mira, Erza and Laxus."

Genna looked and saw Master Makarov sitting on top of the bar with a mug in his hand. Mira was behind the counter talking to him and on the Master's other side was Erza and a very tall, muscular young man with slicked back blonde hair and a lightning-shaped scar over his right eye. He wore a purple dress shirt, black pants and a dark, fur-lined coat draped over his shoulders like a cape. She assumed he must've been the one named Laxus. Gajeel motioned with his head to Genna for her to follow him to the back so they could talk to the Master. She followed Gajeel over to the bar with Lily flying behind them. Natsu, Lucy, Levy, Wendy and Carla all trailed after them.

Makarov saw them coming and declared, "Ah, welcome back, you three. I take it things went well with your job?"

With a nod, Genna replied, "Yes, sir. The Dark Wizard we faced was known as Darius, the Shadow Shepherd, and he's been taken care of. We left him to the villagers to hand him to the authorities."

"That's excellent to hear," said the Master.

"I've heard of the Shadow Shepherd. He is indeed quite a powerful force. Did he prove to be a good enough challenge for you, Genna?" inquired Erza, her tone low and almost authoritative while still friendly and curious.

"I took a few hits," Genna answered and then she looked at Gajeel as she went on, "but with Gajeel and Lily's help, I managed. I owe a lot to them."

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Ugh, cut the sappy crap, will ya?"

Erza smiled warmly. "I'm impressed."

Right then, Natsu came up beside Genna and draped his arm over her shoulders. "I knew you could do it the whole time!" he exclaimed.

Then Makarov turned his attention to Gajeel. "Well, Gajeel, what do you have to say?" he asked him. "What did you observe about Genna in your time with her?"

The Iron Dragon crossed his arms across his chest, a frown on his face. "Oh, I've got some things to say about Genny," he said almost condescendingly.

"Huh?" Genna voiced, confused at the tone he had when he said that.

He went on to say, "At the start, she thought she could take on the Shadow Wizard alone, which was pretty careless. Then she took as much of a beatin' as he did. If I hadn't been there, she would've lost. It was kinda embarrassing to watch."

Genna couldn't believe what she was hearing. After everything he'd said about her having what it takes to be in Fairy Tail, this was his report to the Master? What was his deal? What was he saying?

He kept going, "She's headstrong, reckless and she needs serious training if she's gonna take on other powerful Wizards like him."

Disappointed and hurt, she clenched her teeth together and turned her face away, fighting back tears. Had he been lying to her the whole time? She couldn't understand why he would say such things. She knew she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up about being enough for Fairy Tail. Guess it seemed her best efforts weren't good enough...and that Gajeel really didn't care about her at all.

Then she heard Gajeel state, "That bein' said...I think Fairy Tail is the best place for that."

Genna gasped softly in astonishment.

She noticed he was now grinning proudly as he told the Master, "No other guild's gonna be able to help her as well as us. She's already got pretty powerful magic that'd be even stronger if she trained some more. And while fightin' the Shadow Wizard by herself was reckless...it reminded me a bit of myself and even Salamander 'cause we also love jumpin' headfirst into fights."

"Ha ha! You got that right!" agreed Natsu with a wink.

Gajeel then looked at her and said to everyone who could hear while maintaining eye contact with her, "She's strong, determined and, like I said yesterday, she's got moxy. She'll fit right in."

Seeing the mischievous glint in his eyes, it was then Genna realized that, once again, he had been pulling her leg, giving his report in a negative way first to mess with her head only to spin it in a more positive way; the way he really meant it. How she wanted to just punch him right in the face at that moment, but she was too elated at his last words to really act on it. Maybe later, she'd hit him, but right now, she was too excited. His words were what could help convince Makarov to let her into the guild.

With a light chuckle, Makarov said in reply, "Very well, then. With that testimony from Gajeel, there is only one thing left to say." He focused intently on Genna with his kind gaze and asked, "Genna Whitesun, is it still your desire to be a Wizard of the Fairy Tail guild?"

At any other time, she would've shouted "yes" immediately, but now with the order from her father, she was hesitant. It was a no-win scenario. She'd either get her father or her brother coming after her if she didn't follow through or she'd end up betraying Fairy Tail if she did. Her eyes wandered and she realized that just about everyone in the guild hall had gathered around and was watching her, waiting for her answer. Something about the light and hope she could see in all their eyes instilled a calmness inside her. There was warmth and camaraderie here. She caught Natsu, Lucy and Levy smiling at her encouragingly. Even Gajeel had a small grin on his face looking at her. She'd felt more accepted at Fairy Tail in the brief moments she'd spent thus far than she ever had with her own family. She still couldn't help but worry about what would happen to them or to her if her father were to ever learn she didn't obey his orders...but now, she didn't care. She wasn't taking orders from him anymore. If somehow Fairy Tail were to learn who she really was and who her family was, it would be devastating, but that was a bridge she'd cross later. She would reveal the truth in time after gaining some trust first.

"This is what I want...Father and M be damned!" she thought.

With deep resolve, she then answered, "Absolutely!"

Natsu cheered and pumped his fist, Lucy and Levy both clapped and giggled excitedly. Lily and Gajeel exchanged pleased looks.

"Excellent. Mirajane, if you will," then said Makarov.

Behind the bar, Mira pulled out a large stamp with the Fairy Tail symbol on it. "What color would you like your emblem to be and where would you like it?" she asked.

Genna thought for a few seconds and then answered, "Purple and then right here." She pointed to her left forearm just below her elbow.

"A great choice," said Mira as she pulled out a pad of purple ink.

While she prepared the stamp tattoo, Makarov spoke up softly to Genna, "Now remember, my child: once this emblem is on your skin, you are a full-fledged member of our guild. Not only that, but you are a representative of Fairy Tail wherever you go, in all you do and say. Your actions are a reflection on our family, so be sure that the things you do are only for the good of the guild and the good of all people."

"Yes, sir," she promised, giving him a nod.

She looked at Mira, who was beaming with delight as she held up the stamp. Genna laid her arm out on the bar and Mira pressed the tattoo stamp firmly onto her forearm. Once the stamp peeled away from her skin, Genna had to keep from bursting into tears at seeing the new purple emblem of Fairy Tail now on her arm. It just seemed too good to be true.

"This is the symbol of Fairy Tail," she then heard Erza say to her. When Genna looked at her, Erza told her, "It is a symbol of truth, hope and second chances, but above all...it's a symbol of acceptance, home and family."

Both Genna and Erza shared happy smiles.

Throwing his arms out the sides, Makarov exclaimed, "On behalf of everyone in the guild...welcome to Fairy Tail!"

Everyone in the guild hall cheered loudly and vigorously, which only made the smile on Genna's face grow wider.

"Thank you...Master," said Genna with overwhelming gladness.

"Welcome to the family!" cried Natsu.

Then Makarov shouted, "Mira, rounds for everyone! It's time to celebrate our newest recruit!

"Coming right up!" Mira replied.

As Mira prepared drinks, Genna was bombarded by a lot of people coming up and welcoming her or congratulating her. It was exciting, but also a bit crazy at the same time. There were definitely a lot of faces and names she'd have to learn, but now that she was officially in the guild, she had all the time in the world to learn them.

In the midst of the crowd, Gray came up to her, having just gotten back from a quick outing himself, and he had a woman with him with long blue hair and wearing blue winter attire. He congratulated her and introduced his friend to her. Her name was Juvia.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Genna," said Juvia, her low pitch resonating with elegance. "Now that you've joined the guild, where will you be staying?"

"Um...I hadn't actually thought that far ahead," Genna shyly admitted, rubbing the back of her head.

"A lot of us girls live in apartments close by. There are a couple extra rooms; I'm sure you'd be welcome to claim one of them," Juvia told her.

"Thanks, I'll look into that," said Genna.

More people soon came up and congratulated her or introduced themselves. Other members named Elfman and Lisanna--who were Mira's siblings, it turned out--Cana, Jett, Droy, Freed, Bixslow and several others. However, Genna's attention was diverted when she spotted Gajeel sitting at a corner table by himself, sipping his drink from his mug. Even though he'd told her that he was a "lone wolf", she still felt bad seeing him alone. There was something about him that made her feel like he wasn’t as much of a loner as he tried to make himself out to be; that he wanted friends, but was too shy or embarrassed to do anything about it. So she decided she would. She ducked out of the crowd, excusing herself, and made her way over to his table. He saw her coming and, to her slight surprise, got a small smirk on his face at her approach.

"Well, Princess, looks like ya got whatcha wanted. Welcome to Fairy Tail," he said before taking another swig of his drink.

"It wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for you," she replied. Although, her eyebrows then furrowed and she scolded him, "Though, the way you started your report to the Master was a real jerk move."

He chuckled in amusement. "Yeah, you should've seen the look on your face," he said.

Her teeth clenched and her fists tightened at her sides. "You shouldn't have done that," she said in a lower voice. "After all the things you said about how I had a good shot at joining Fairy Tail and then you started off your report to Makarov in a way that painted me in a negative light...I really thought you had lied to me the whole time and that almost upset me."

A small grunt mixed with a quiet gasp caught in his throat at her admission, noticing the hurt in her face. He'd only meant to tease her; he didn't expect what he'd done to actually hurt her feelings. An unfamiliar feeling of guilt grew within him, but his pride was keeping him from apologizing.

Trying to push aside the guilt, he stated, "Well...no need to make a big deal about it. I told the old man the real truth in the end and you got into the guild. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"I mean...yeah," she said.

Gajeel took one last drink, set down his empty mug, stood up from his seat and told Genna, "Look, Genny, it doesn't matter. I helped you get into Fairy Tail, the job is done and you can move on now."

Her head tilted, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Meaning you're done dealing with me," he clarified.

"What makes you think that's what I want?" she questioned.

He closed his eyes and he sighed loudly. "Trust me...no one wants to deal with the likes of me." After he said that, he moved around her and attempted to walk away.

Genna wasn’t about to let him just leave after saying that. "Gajeel, wait, hold on!" she cried.

Before she could say anything else, he stopped and whirled around to face her, saying, "Listen, kid--"

"Incoming!" they both heard someone shout.

Gajeel and Genna looked up to see Natsu flying through the air, screaming and hurtling in their direction.

"Look out!" exclaimed Gajeel as he grabbed Genna and moved her out of the way of the flying Natsu.

Just as she moved, Natsu crashed into the tables behind them, breaking them practically in half and sending splinters and chunks of wood everywhere. Gajeel shielded Genna from the wooden debris.

Natsu sat up from where he landed and then yelled, "All right, you wanna party, Gray?"

Gray yelled back from the other side of the room, slamming his fist into his other palm, "You bet, Natsu! Bring it on!"

"Then let's dance!" replied Natsu as he got to his feet, turning his fist into a ball of flame before leaping from where he landed towards Gray.

As another fight between Natsu and Gray commenced, Genna turned her head and found herself looking up right into Gajeel's crimson eyes. They both gasped quietly at their close proximity and Genna suddenly realized that she was right up against Gajeel, her hands on his chest, and he still held her in his arms from moving her out of the way. Time seemed to stand still as they found themselves locked in place, staring into each other's eyes for a moment in astonishment. They hadn't anticipated finding themselves in this situation and yet...it felt strangely...nice...and almost familiar somehow. Her hands on his chest sent a warm wave through him he'd never known before and being in his arms seemed like the safest place she could be.

However, the moment ended all too quickly as reality set back in and Gajeel let go of her and Genna took a small step back, the two of them awkwardly averting their gazes.

Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she tried saying, "Gajeel, I--"

"Look, Genna," he interrupted her, slightly stunning her when he used her actual name, "you'll be better off not hangin' around me. Let's just leave it at that."

"But why? I don't understand," she asked in return as he turned away. "I know you didn't want to go on the job with me at first, but I really thought things turned out okay."

He shook his head and just replied, "I gotta go. I'll see ya around." Then he briskly walked away, calling for Lily as he went out the door and his Exceed flew after him.

Dumbfounded, she watched him leave the guild hall, wondering why he was suddenly more closed off from her than before. She wanted to thank him again for helping her on the job and now the chance had come and gone. Then just now, there had been something small between them...or had she just imagined it? No...something within her told her it hadn't been imagined. It didn't seem like just a normal feeling, but somehow, something more magical, like her starlight magic inside her ignited in the moment. She'd never experienced that kind of sensation with her magic; it was very strange and foreign.

Then Genna saw Levy come up to her, looking perplexed. "Wow, what did you do to Gajeel?" she asked, looking to the guild hall entrance and then back to Genna.

Slack-jawed, Genna answered, "I have no idea. He's acting like, now that the job we went on is done, I won't need to be around him anymore and I don't know why he thinks that. I personally liked our time together on the job and I figured maybe he thought the same. Guess I was wrong."

"He might, but he's just too proud to admit it," Levy said. "Gajeel is a good guy, but he's a tough book to read sometimes. He had a bit of a...rough start with the guild when he joined and, even though a lot of us have warmed up to him, he still just keeps a lot to himself. The only one who really keeps him company is Lily."

Then Erza approached them, overhearing their conversation. "Gajeel can be obstinate, but he is good at heart despite his past and what he believes about himself. I had full faith when I sent him on that mission with you."

"I thought we worked well together," Genna told her with a shrug. "Or, at least, we did eventually."

"What do you mean?" asked Levy.

Genna hesitated slightly on telling them what she was about to say, but then she decided to go for it anyway. "At one point on the job, Gajeel and I got into an argument where he made it clear he didn't want to be there, so I told him to leave...and he did."

"He what?" said Erza, her voice raising.

"Yeah, he left at first, but then he came back...and lucky for me, he did, because I'd gone up against the Shadow Shepherd and he had me weakened and pinned down. He was about ready to put an end to me had Gajeel not come back and saved me. In the end, he still did the honorable thing. He acts like he doesn't care, but if he really didn't, he would have left me behind and never looked back."

"Exactly," Erza said.

"I was hoping to thank him again for his help before he left, but I feel like I need to do more to really thank him because he saved my life," Genna told them.

Levy put a finger to her chin in thought for a few seconds, humming contemplatively. "What if you make something for him?" she suggested. "Is there anything you're good at making?"

Genna liked that idea. "I'm not the best at crafts or anything, but I'm decent at baking."

A cry of seemingly euphoric elation suddenly rang out on her other side and Genna jumped, startled, as she turned to see Erza gaping at her with the brightest, most excited look in her eyes and on her face.

"You bake?!" she cried with sheer delight. She placed her hands on Genna's shoulders. "Do you bake cakes?"

"Uh, yeah, I've been known to make cakes every now and then," Genna answered.

Erza shrieked again with joy. "Oh Genna, my dear, you are heaven-sent!" she exclaimed, her normal low tone suddenly jumping up a couple octaves.

Then Genna heard Levy whisper into her ear, "Erza really loves cake. It's practically her weakness."

Erza didn't seem to notice as she then went on a very dramatic rant, "Cake is the most magical thing to exist in this world, even more than the magics we all possess. Taking even a single bite is like tasting happiness itself. Its delectable sweetness is enough to fill my soul with the most overwhelming joy that nearly causes me to burst!"

Through a laugh, Levy said to her, "All right, Erza, I think you've painted a pretty good picture of how you feel about cake."

Erza's cheeks went as red as her hair and she sheepishly replied, her attention mostly on Genna, "My apologies. I tend to get a little carried away when talking about my favorite sweet treat."

"It's okay. Now I know something interesting about you," Genna said back.

"Back to the subject at hand, why don't you make Gajeel a cake to express your thanks?" Erza suggested.

"Maybe, but I also want to thank Lily, as well. Is there anything they both like?" Genna asked the two ladies.

"I'm not sure," answered Levy as she looked down in thought again. A few seconds later, she snapped her fingers as an idea came to her. "I've got it! What if you made them cupcakes? Then you can make individualized ones for both of them that they'll like."

"An excellent idea, Levy," commented Erza.

Genna agreed, "I like that idea. What things does Lily like that I can use?"

She heard her answer come from a smaller voice above her: "Kiwis!"

Then she, Levy and Erza looked up and saw Happy, Natsu's Exceed, hovering above them with his wings, having overheard them below.

"Really?" Genna asked curiously.

Happy nodded. "Oh yeah, he loves kiwis. He drools over them as much as I drool over yummy fishies."

"Noted. Thank you, Happy," Genna said back.

"Aye, sir!" Happy cried before flying off.

"Gajeel eats iron, I know that much," Genna then said aloud.

Then Levy spoke up, "You could find some iron chunks to mix in, kind of like chocolate chips."

"Ooh, I like that!" said Genna excitedly.

Erza chuckled. "It sounds like Gajeel and Lily are in for quite the treat."

"Oh yeah," said Genna. "I can't wait to get started!"

After partying for a few more hours, things started to die down and Genna figured she'd better head back to her hotel. Though, as she was about to head out, Levy suggested that she go with her and Juvia to Fairy Hills, the girls' dormitory, to see if they could get a permanent room for her, now that she was an official member of the guild. The three women made their way to the dorms and sure enough, getting a room was easy. She even was able to get the room right next door to Levy. Then both Levy and Juvia helped Genna get all her stuff into her room and then left her alone so she could get settled.

Genna fell back onto her new comfy bed, taking in the new space and the fact that she was now actually in Fairy Tail like she always wanted! It felt so surreal like a dream, but every time she looked down at the emblem on her arm, she knew it was the real deal. She squealed like a little girl into her pillow. This was a dream come true!

Right away, she'd met a bunch of great people that she looked forward to getting to know more over time. They were so welcoming and beyond friendly; it honestly felt like coming home. Now that she was in the girls' dorms, she knew she definitely would be getting to know all the girls pretty quickly. Levy seemed like a sweet person that she thought would be a great neighbor.

As she stared at the ceiling, her mind wandered back to Gajeel and the image of his back to her as he exited the guild hall. What had happened that made him suddenly so dismissive of her? He was a mystery to her...and she had always been drawn to mysterious things. He came across as abrasive and cold and yet, he had saved her life when he very well could've left her alone. Then he'd opened up to her the previous night when neither of them could sleep. It had only been a little, but it was a start, at least. There was something about him that made her want to know more and befriend him. Though, given how the last couple days had gone, she knew it wasn't going to be easy, but she was determined to get to know the elusive Iron Dragon.

The idea then came to her of writing down all the days' events in her journal before she forgot, so she dug her journal and her pen out of her bag. She recorded everything from when they'd gotten back to the guild, being inducted into Fairy Tail and the celebration that followed as well as the myriad of feelings she'd felt in achieving her goal. Though, just as she finished, she set her book down on the bed and absent-mindedly put her hands in the pockets of her skirt where her fingers brushed up against something inside that she'd forgotten about. She gasped lightly, remembering what the object was as she withdrew it.

It was the piece of paper she'd received from her brother that said "Infiltrate Fairy Tail".

Her teeth clenched tightly together and her blood boiled, hating how both her father and her brother put her in such a compromising situation. She'd never dream of turning against anyone in Fairy Tail and yet...

"If you don't do this job...you know the kind of punishment I can inflict...the bargain is simple: do this or I'll take you back to the guild...and to Father."

Her brother's malicious voice rang through her head, recalling once again the ultimatum he'd given her. The frustration growing inside her was so intense, she knew she had to add that in her journal just to help vent and get all the feelings out. She picked up her journal again, holding the small piece of paper between her hand and the book, as she quickly scribbled in:

"One thing that terrifies me about all this, however, is the fact that M somehow visited me last night. He gave me orders from Father that I don't want to obey, but I'm scared to disobey. Father wants me to infiltrate Fairy Tail. I wanted to join this guild for so long and now, he's using my own dream against me. How twisted and cruel can he get? If I don't do what he wants, he'll send M to take me away and possibly hurt my new friends. If I do, then I'll betray the guild and my friends will still get hurt, anyway. There's no winning this. What's worse is I can't seek help from Fairy Tail either for this. They'd turn on me immediately if they were to find out my father is..."

There was a knock at Genna's door, making her jump. "Who is it?" she called out.

"It's me again," answered the voice of Levy on the other side.

Genna quickly slammed her journal shut, trapping the piece of paper inside its pages, and she slid it underneath her pillow before saying, "Come in!"

Levy's head peeked in through the now cracked open door and she smiled. "Hey, I know you might be tired or still getting settled in, but I was going to make a run into town. Would you like to come with me? I figured we could shop for the ingredients you need for your cupcakes while we're out."

Her offer touched Genna greatly. Despite only being a member of Fairy Tail for a couple hours, Levy was already including her and treating her like a real friend.

"I would love to!" she exclaimed. Then she had the thought to invite Levy to do something in return, so she added, "And hey, if you're not busy afterwards, maybe you can help me make the cupcakes?"

The bluenette's eyes lit up and her smile widened. "Oh my gosh, yes! That would be so fun!" she replied gladly.

Genna was really happy to hear Levy accept her offer and the two of them quickly took off from her room. She could see herself being great friends with this girl. This was only just the beginning.

“Why did I agree to do this?”

You’ve been asking yourself that for the last hour.

“We need that intel and you are the least recognizable out of all of us.” Tech states simply, as if it’s obvious. It is obvious, and you know that’s the reason why, but ever since you landed in the lap of your target, you’ve been questioning why you ever went along with this in the first place.

That would be, landed in his lap literally.

You’re perched on his knee, his hand resting just too low on your back as you sit at a jubilee wheel table. He’s nursing some expensive drink, the glass cool in your hand as you hold it for him. If you had poison, you’d slip it in now while his gaze is locked on the numbers flashing by, but you need him alive.

Cheers erupt as the wheel stops, your target sitting up straighter to take the glass from your hand. He’s smirking, lips twisted up making him seem even slimier than he already does.

“See, baby, I’ve never wrong.” He says, emptying his glass with one drink. He sets it on the table, his free hand dropping to your thigh. It’s wet with condensation, and you do your best to hide a wince.

“You have been surprisingly good.” You say, leaning back slightly as he presses closer to you. “One more round?” You ask, afraid to lean back any further as his face presses into your neck.

“No, I think I’m done for the night.” He says, pulling back away from you. “I’ve got better things to do with my time.”

Your stomach churns at the look on his face. You’re the better thing. That’s why you’re in this stupid dress in this casino in the first place.

“Let’s head up to my room.” He says, pushing you to stand. “We can get to know each other a little better.” His hands land on your waist, fingers just barely brushing your ass.

You fight the urge to push him off. You need to get him outside.

“You said you had a big starship.” You say, pouting just slightly. “I want to see it first.” You lean in close to him. “You know what they say about men and their starships.” You fight the urge to vomit as you giggle lewdly. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

He grins, one hand sliding down to squeeze your ass. “Alright, I’ll show you my baby. We can get well acquainted with the deluxe interior.”

You choose to ignore the double entendre.

His arm stays around you as you head towards the doors, weaving between drunk bodies. You try to play more drunk than you are, giggling at every word that comes out of his mouth.

The air outside is cold, bumps raising on your exposed skin from the sudden change in temperature. Your dress doesn’t leave much to the imagination, but you need to be exposed to catch the attention of someone so slimy. What you wouldn’t give for a jacket though.

You’re still contemplating if you can weasel him out of his when you arrive outside a very large starship. It is impressive, you have to admit that much. Nice and shiny and new, meant for nothing more than ferrying bodies between planets. You miss the rugged, beaten exterior of the Marauder.

She at least has charm.

You’re let up the ramp, which he leaves open by some miracle. No worries at all in his mind, meaning you’ve done well enough at your job.

The interior of the ship is gaudy and overdone. Expensive seats, a fully-stocked bar, a full bed in the large sleeping compartment. The lap of luxury at its finest.

You hate it.

You’re facing him when you spot them, nursing some bitter, expensive wine that tastes like bantha piss. You smile, pretending to be interested in what he’s saying, but your eyes keep flashing to the bodies quickly sneaking up on him.

Before they can reach him you rear back, punching him hard in the face. He drops to his knees, letting out a surprised yelp. “That was for touching my ass.” You say as Wrecker yanks him back to his feet.

A satisfied smirk crosses your face at the look of fear on his. He’s in for quite the wild night alright.

***

The Marauder hums its way through hyperspace as you work on unraveling your hair from its fancy updo. It had taken you an hour to tame it into place, the strands tugging with every attempt to loosen the clips.

“Kriffing mother-” You groan as you settle for just tearing the clip out, not caring that you take a few strands of hair with it. “I’m never doing this again.” You say.

“That’s not up to us to decide.” Hunter says gruffly from his seat across from you.

“We could just not take these jobs.” You say, tearing out another clip.

“We need credits. We have to be prepared to do whatever it takes to get them.” He says shortly.

“Well, you weren’t the one getting pawed all over by some rich scum.” You snap.

He stands from the chair, turning on you. You flinch, half expecting him to start yelling. “You’ll just have to deal with what happens.” He snaps back. He looks you over, your body still exposed by the dress. “Make yourself decent. No one wants to see that.”

He makes for the door to the cockpit, sliding it closed behind him.

His words bite at you, gnawing away at your insides. Sure you’ve gotten into small arguments with him before, but never to this degree. He’s never snapped at you like that before. Anger bubbles under your skin along with frustration. You’re tired and you feel gross after being touched by some skeezball all night.

You stand to your feet, ignoring Wrecker’s look as you make for the cockpit, slamming your hand against the button to open it. You step inside, ignoring Tech at the pilot’s seat as you force Hunter around to face you. “What’s your problem?” You say angrily, readying yourself for a fight. You’re not afraid to hit him if you need to.

“What’s my problem?” He scoffs. “You’re the one making a big deal about this job.”

“Yeah because you weren’t the one being objectified for the sake of some credits.” You jam your finger against his chest, ignoring the way it bounces off the plastoid of his chest piece. “You didn’t have some stranger’s hands all over your body.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have let him touch you then!” Hunter snaps bending down closer to your height.

“Then we wouldn’t have gotten that intel you so desperately wanted.” You shove his shoulder, taking a step back. “I’m tired of you and your shitty attitude.”

He’s been in a bad mood since Cid gave you this job, even before your squad decided that you going in alone would be the best way to do this. He’s been in a bad mood for well on a week now, ever since you started talking to one of Cid’s patrons. He’s young, handsome, new to Ord Mantell. How he wound up at Cid’s is beyond you, but you’ve grown to like him as a person.

“Fix your attitude or leave me alone.” You say, turning on your heel and stomping out of the cockpit.

You stomp past Echo and Wrecker, heading for Omega’s room at the other end of the ship. The young clone had stayed with Cid for this one, after deciding objectifying you would be the route you would take. She didn’t need to see that.

You plop yourself down in her makeshift bed, pulling the curtain closed. You stare out at the blue of hyperspace, resting your arms on your knees.

Maybe you have outstayed your welcome with your squad. They hadn’t been happy about you joining them in the first place, and after the Republic fell, you had your chance to leave. You could have fled with the other few civilian workers stuck on Kamino, gone off to figure out what to do next with your life. Instead you had stuck by your squad, even if it did put a bounty on your head.

Now you’re here, wondering if perhaps you should have left. They don’t need you, and from the sound of it, they probably don’t want you either. You’re another mouth to feed, another variable in their equation. Sure, there’s been a few jobs they wouldn’t have been able to figure out without your knowledge and skills, but otherwise, you’ve just been in the way.

Maybe you should take up your new friend’s offer. Omega would be upset, but she’d get over it eventually. Wrecker would miss you, but you doubt the others would notice your absence, outside of their lives getting easier.

Yeah.

It’s sounding more and more like a good idea.

***

You don’t leave Omega’s room until after you land on Ord Mantell.

You’d sent them ahead, waiting for the ramp to lower and their voices to fade before you started packing, gathering the few items that belonged to you on the ship. It hurts, the idea of leaving, but you can’t see any other option. Hunter doesn’t want you here. You’re just a frustration, another piece of this puzzle he has to figure out. Anything you can do to make their lives easier, you’ll do it, even if it hurts in the end.

Tears pool in your eyes as you pack the last of your belongings in the crate. You stare at Omega’s room for a moment, guilt starting to pool in your stomach. You won’t even say goodbye. You’ll just disappear from their lives, sneak off to a different ship and start a new life from there.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

You spin around, startled by the voice. You hadn’t heard the ramp open again, nor had you heard Hunter enter. Some skills you have.

“Leaving.” You say, sealing the crate. “Like you want me too.”

“What?” He has the audacity to sound shocked.

“Look, I know you don’t want me here. You’ve made that very clear over these last couple weeks. I’m just another barrier to you, another mouth to feed, another body you have to worry about.” A tear slides down your cheek and you silently curse it. “I’m doing the smart thing and removing myself from this equation before it gets any harder on you.”

You go to shoulder past him but he puts a hand on your shoulder, forcing you back. “You think I want you to leave?”

You nod. “Yeah. You’ve made that very clear.”

His jaw clenches, brows furrowing. “This is about that boy, isn’t it? He’s offered you a place with him and you’ve decided to take it.”

You let out a breath. Of course he’d be perceptive about that. “Well, he’s been more welcoming than you have these last few days. And he’s not a boy.”

“You’re not going.” He says, taking the crate from your hands.

“Like hell I’m not.” You say, trying to grab it back but Hunter adds it to the stack of crates.

“I don’t trust him.” Hunter says, turning back to you.

“I don’t give a shit what you think, Hunter.” Tears are flowing from your eyes now. “You’ve done nothing but treat me like crap and I’m tired of it.”

“I’m sorry.”

It nearly shocks the tears from your eyes. Your head snaps to the side, staring at him with wide eyes. “What?”

“I’m sorry.” He repeats, standing there looking defeated. “I’m sorry that I made you feel that way.”

You sniffle, wiping the wetness from your cheeks. “Okay...this wasn’t how I expected this going.”

He steps closer to you, backing you up against the wall. “The last thing I want is for you to leave.”

You stare up into those honey brown eyes, your heart starting to thud in your chest. “W-what?”

“I don’t want you to leave.” He says, one hand rising to rest against the wall by your head. “Kriff, you’d break my heart if you left.”

“Hunter…” You whisper, staring up at him.

Of course.

How could you be so stupid.

“You’re jealous.” You say, staring up at his face. He’s looming over you, caging you in.

He winces, brows furrowing. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

You raise your brows. “Oh yeah? Because that’s what it sounds like.”

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to punch that boy for even coming close to you.” He breathes, his other hand lifting to rest on your waist. “Do you know how hard it was listening to that piece of filth talk to you last night? Seeing his hands all over you...seeing you in that dress…” He shakes his head. “And I couldn’t do anything but stand there and watch.”

“You could have done something.” You say, lifting a hand to press it against his chest. You wish you could feel his heartbeat beneath the plastoid, see if it’s racing just as fast as yours is. “All you had to do was say something.”

“I didn’t want to make things difficult, if there was even a chance that you didn’t feel the same.” He admits. “It would have disturbed the group dynamics too much, made things awkward between us.”

“Kriffing hell Hunter.” You laugh, lifting your hand to his cheek, turning his face back to yours. “I thought you were supposed to have enhanced senses.”

“I do.” He says. “I just ignore them when you’re around. I couldn’t let myself hear you or smell you or taste you.” He shakes his head. “It was all too much.”

You swallow thickly, staring up at him through your lashes. “If you had listened then you’d hear the way my heart beats faster when I’m close to you, how turned on I get when you do that thing with your knife.”

A smirk tugs at the corner of his lips. “You get turned on when I spin my knife?”

You nod. “I’ve seen what those fingers can do.” You stand on your toes, bringing your face closer to his. “I’d like to be next.”

A low sound grumbles in his chest before he closes the distance between you, pressing his lips to yours. You let out a moan against his lips, sliding your hands around his shoulders. It’s better than you imagined, all those times you sat there, staring at him, picturing what it would be like to kiss him, what it would feel like to have his hands all over you.

“Do you have any idea what it was like last night,” he says between kisses. “watching you walk away in that dress.”

“You should have done something about it.” You murmur, nipping at his bottom lip.

“I’m going to rectify that now.” He groans, pressing his body against yours.

You moan at the feel of him, hard muscle and plastoid digging into your skin. You want it off, every last piece until he’s bare before you, but you know you can’t. Not yet. There’s too much of a risk of one of them returning to the ship and seeing. This is risky enough.

“Touch me, Hunter.” You breathe, tilting your head as his lips trail across your skin.

“My pleasure.” He says, pulling back to tug his gloves off. He drops them to the floor before his hands are on you again, trailing over your body, feeling every dip and curve.

You guide one of his hands between your legs, letting him feel the warmth there, the dampness already pooling in your underwear.

“Kriff…” He breathes, slipping his hand into your pants.

He’s eager, fingers prodding your folds, sliding through the wetness already soaking your underwear. You moan against his lips, pressing his palm against your clit as his fingers press against your entrance. Two thick digits press into you, spreading you open. Kriff, it’s been so long.

Too long.

Hunter swallows your moans as he presses his fingers into you, thrusting them into you with a wet squelch. “All this for me?” He breathes, nipping at your lips.

“Only for you.” You moan, tangling a hand in his hair. “I don’t know how long I’ll last.”

It’s been a long time since you’ve been able to even touch yourself. Usually those times were saved for stops on Kamino, when you actually had a chance for privacy.

There hasn’t been any chance for weeks now.

“Then we’ll make this quick.” He says, pulling his hand from your pants to spin you around, pining your body to the wall.

You let out a breath as he pulls your hips back, tugging your pants down to your ankles. The cool air in the Marauder meets your wet folds, sending shivers down your spine. You breathe in anticipation, listening to his codpiece hit the floor before his blacks are pulled out of the way. Of course he’s already hard. He probably has been since you started to feel aroused. You can only imagine how intense it is for him and his enhanced senses.

He presses up against you, his cock prodding your entrance. You press your hips back, trying to speed up the process. They’re bound to notice you gone eventually, which will lead to a search party and the first place they’ll look is the ship. You don’t want your first time with Hunter, hurried as it is, to end like that.

Your eyes roll back when he sinks into you, hips pressing flush against your ass. The stretch burns just a little, but you ignore it, too focused on the feel of him inside of you. A curse leaves your lips, thighs squeezing together for friction as he starts to thrust into you, small movements of his hips dragging his cock in and out of your pussy. Your cheek rests against the wall, cool metal pressing against your heated skin.

“Feel so good,” He groans, hands gripping your hips. “Better than I imagined.”

“You imagined me?” You nearly whimper, pushing your ass back against him.

“Of course.” He grunts, his hips snapping against your ass. “What do you think I did in the showers on Kamino.”

Certainly not bathe.

You’d never complain about your stinky men. At least not out loud.

“Oh kriff,” You breathe, the image of Hunter, cock in hand in the showers on Kamino filling your brain. He was thinking about you. You were the one filling his thoughts, not some pinup the regs were beating it off to.

You.

“Hunter,” You moan, pushing your body up so you’re back is pressed against his chest, ignoring the painful dig of his plastoid into your skin. “Make me cum.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He says, hands falling to your hips as he ruts up into you.

Your legs are shaking, hands pressing against the wall to hold yourself up as you get closer and closer to the edge with every push of his cock against that spot inside of you. It’s better than you imagined, better than you could ever picture in your mind. You’re certain he feels the same.

Your hand certainly won’t do the trick anymore.

You squeeze around him, thighs pushing together as you cum around his cock. His body presses you up against the wall, his breaths fanning your ear as he groans, cumming inside of you with a couple more thrusts of his hips.

The both of you go still, breathing hard and sweaty but you don’t care. You can’t get past the feel of his body against yours, the press of his cock inside of you. You don’t want this moment to end, but you know it has to. You have to go back to your lives, back to taking odd jobs, putting your lives on the line for some credits.

Maybe someday you’ll get to settle down, find a nice place where you can finally be safe and secure and a family.

You’re getting ahead of yourself now.

Hunter pulls out of you with a groan, his hands on your hips to steady himself. You peel yourself up off the wall, brushing a hand over your face to wipe some of the sweat away.

“Hunter?” You breathe, turning to face the clone.

“Yeah?” He asks, tucking himself back into his blacks.

“Don’t be so stupid next time and make me wait for this.” You say.

He chuckles, putting his codpiece back in place as you pull your pants up. “I promise.”

You lean up to kiss him softly. It’s a sweet moment after what just happened, a reminder of what you’ve just started.

“Oh, and Hunter?” You ask, pulling your blaster out of the crate you packed. “My new friend? He’s gay.”

Taglist:

“Why did you have to bring me along again?” You ask into your comm, firing a shot at a droid from the bushes where you’re hiding.

“We just like having you around.” Fives’ voice sounds from your vambrace. You can picture the cheeky smile on his face beneath his helmet.

“I feel like Kix would have been more than capable of handling you idiots.” You say, flattening yourself in the dirt as a stray blaster bolt flies over your head. You weren’t necessarily trained for front-line combat, usually stuck at the back of the column to look after injured soldiers left behind by forward progress like most civilian medics.

You were getting more than enough combat experience hanging around these boys, though. They were making sure of that.

You let out a slow breath, pushing yourself back up to your knees to peer through the bushes. Droids are falling left and right as blue and red blaster bolts fly through the air. It’s utter chaos.

Yet, you trust the boys to take care of things. They’re here for a reason. The best of the best the 501st has to offer.

You take aim through a gap in the bushes, firing on another droid getting too close.

“Nice shot, Doc.” Jesse’s voice comes through the comm.

“Thanks.” You murmur, watching the chaos for any possible injuries you’ll need to treat.

You watch the field, the small droid army that had been guarding the base getting smaller and smaller as the boys work their magic. You keep a close eye out for any potential injuries, not that you don’t trust Kix can’t handle it, but you’d prefer he keep his focus on the fight and not one of these idiots catching a stray bolt to the groin.

You’ve gotten up close and personal with some clones for that very injury.

Just another day in your life.

You’re pulled from your reverie as something sharp pricks your neck. You slap a hand against the spot, pulling away to find a squished bug. You pick at the skin, pulling the stinger free. “Kriff.” It’s a decent sized stinger.

“You good, Doc?” Kix’s voice comes through the comms.

“Yeah, some kriffing bug stung me.” You say, the spot starting to throb painfully.

“Ooh kiss your mother with that mouth?” Jesse asks.

“Please, like you haven’t said worse.” You roll your eyes.

“Kriffing son of a bitch.” Hardcase grunts.

Yeah, like that. “What happened?” You ask, snapping back into medic mode.

“Hardcase took a shot to the shoulder.” Kix says.

“Drag him over here.” You say, pulling your pack off your back. You risk leaving the cover of the bushes, squatting down just past the treeline as Kix and Fives drag Hardcase over to you.

He grunts as he’s dropped, going limp. You roll your eyes, pulling off his spaulder before looking at the hole in his blacks. The skin is blackened and raw, burned from the heat of the blaster bolt. You open your pack, pulling out your med kit. “This is going to sting,” you say, pouring disinfectant over the injury. Kix kneels down on his other side, prodding at the wound.

“What’s the prognosis?” Hardcase asks, his helmet shifting side to side as he looks between you.

“I don’t know, Hardcase.” Kix says as you pass him a bacta shot. “You might not make it.”

Hardcase sighs dramatically, gripping your hand. “Distribute my sabacc credits evenly among the men, and give condolences to that Twi’lek from 79s.”

You roll your eyes again, but squeeze his hand as Kix jabs the injector into the wound. “You’re lucky that shot wasn’t further to the right.” You say, grabbing the gauze from your bag. “I told you to get bigger spaulders.”

“I keep forgetting.” Hardcase says.

A bead of sweat trickles down your spine as you pack your med kit back into your bag. The air is hot and heavy on this planet, your blacks already damp from sweat under your armor. It’s not as heavy duty or weighty as theirs, but you can only imagine how soggy they are under those helmets.

“Let’s get this communication tower down.” Rex says, the fight against the droids over. You quickly realize they were waiting on you to finish. “Hardcase, stay out here with Doc, the rest of you on me.”

Hardcase salutes him from his place on the ground before flopping back dramatically. You sit down next to him, fanning yourself. Sweat has pooled in your crevices, the day only seeming to get hotter and muggier.

You dig your canteen out of your pack, taking a long drink of the cool water. It soothes some of the heat for a moment, and your dry mouth. Has your mouth been this dry the entire time?

You offer the canteen to Hardcase and he takes it, pushing himself up to sit. He favors his right arm as he takes a swig, likely still in pain as the bacta slowly works itself through his system.

The jungle seems so quiet now that the fire fight is over with. The air is still and heavy, settling like a dome over the Separatist hideout. You’re aware and alert, and so is Hardcase, in case any straggler droids show up as the boys work to take down the communications tower, cutting one part of the Separatist army off from the others.

You slip your canteen back into your pack, leaning back against a tree. It’s getting hotter, and you tug at the neck of your blacks, trying to get some air between your skin and the tight fabric.

“You alright?” Hardcase asks, turning his head to look at you.

You nod, fanning yourself with your hand. “It’s hot.”

He hums, turning to look back at the building. He doesn’t seem bothered by the heat at all, not even a sweat breaking out on his forehead as you sit under the hot sun. You’ve always wondered if the clones were engineered to handle more extreme temperatures. You hadn’t read anything about it in the file you stole during a short stay on Kamino. Curiosity had led you to snooping about the clones and their genetic engineering. You’d simply made the excuse that it was to better understand how to treat them. Resources would be limited at times and if you knew how much they really could handle, then you could better allocate those resources between them.

You’d never give them less than you would anyone else, but that had been the excuse you’d come up with in case you got caught. You hadn’t, but you never do anything without a good reason thought up. Impulsivity isn’t your nature.

Sweat has soaked through your blacks by the time the doors open again, your hand falling to your blaster before you recognize your boys coming back through.

“Charges are planted.” Rex says, Kix offering you a hand to help you up off the ground. “Let’s get out of here and blow this place.”

“Hell yeah.” Hardcase says, putting his helmet back on.

Your group steps through the bushes again, slipping back into the jungle.

You’re not quite sure how far you walk before you hear the bang, jumping just a bit as the explosion reaches your ears. You’ve stopped for just a moment, long enough for them to detonate the charges and destroy the Separatist communication station. You take a moment to grab your canteen again, taking another big drink. Your mouth feels eternally dry, no matter how much water you drink, it doesn’t do anything to ease the ache in your throat. The canteen is half empty now, and you only hope you’ll come across water at some point so you can refill it before it’s completely empty.

You ignore the way your hands shake as you tuck the canteen back into your pack, slinging it over your shoulder again as you trudge along through the jungle.

The heat continues to intensify, sweat dripping down your forehead as you slowly weave through the bushes and roots. The wound on your neck from the bug is throbbing and achy, a bump forming where the stinger broke your skin. There’s an itch starting to build beneath your skin. Must be from the friction of your blacks and the sweat. Just what you need. Heat rash.

You can’t wait to get off this planet. You can’t wait to get back to the boring med bay, the greys and whites of the Resolute. You’d take cataloging over this. But the boys wanted you to come along, and here you are dragging ass behind them.

You pick up the pace, shoving past the exhaustion, something you’re well accustomed to. It’s not the first time you’ve had to push past the extremes, often pushing yourself further than sanity to save the lives of as many troopers as you can. You don’t want them to die, even if they do it with honor.

Your legs are starting to shake, sweat dripping into your eyes. The itch under your skin is intensifying, your fingers digging into the gap between your vambrace and rerebrace. The armor is getting heavier and heavier, weighing you down as your exhaustion continues to build.

Your vision is starting to swim, the colors of the jungle intensifying, becoming sharper. Your hand shakes as you lift it to wipe your brow, sweat soaking through your glove. The sun isn’t helping the heat any, bearing down on you through the trees. If you didn’t know better, you might have thought it was seeking you out, following you and shining its rays directly onto your head.

After a few minutes you finally stumble, sitting down hard on a root. Your pack nearly pulls you backwards and you quickly unclip it, letting it fall before it takes you with it. You need to stop, you need a moment just to breathe. The jungle around you is kaleidoscoping, the vivid brightness hurting your eyes.

“Doc!” Fives calls out, rushing to your side. His hand cups your face as you sit back against the tree, blinking away the dizziness. “Kriff, you’re burning up.”

Kix kneels down on your other side, grabbing his scanner from his belt. He holds it up to your face, and you can imagine his brows furrowing in concentration under his helmet. “A fever.” He tilts your head side to side, the motion nearly making you puke down Fives’ front. His fingers tug at the neck of your blacks, pulling them down slightly.

Jesse hisses, standing behind Kix. “That doesn’t look good.”

“What?” You slur, lifting a hand to the sore spot on your neck. The bump has gotten bigger, and it throbs as you brush your fingers over it.

“We need to find somewhere to set up camp.” Kix says, turning to speak to Rex. “I need to treat her before this gets worse.”

“There’s a clearing not far ahead.” Rex says, turning his gaze to you. “Think you can make it that far?”

You nod, standing back to your feet with Kix and Fives’ help. “Yeah.” You don’t sound very convincing.

Kix slings your arm over his shoulders as Fives grabs your pack, his grip around you tight to keep you upright as you stumble onward after Rex. If you weren’t so out of it, you might have been embarrassed or even ashamed. You can’t care about much besides putting one foot in front of the other right now, though. You don’t have that much energy to expend.

Kix is almost carrying you by the time you reach the clearing, half of the company jumping into setting up the tents while the others do a sweep of the area, making sure there’s nothing hiding in the trees that might cause a problem. You lean against a tree, fingers fumbling with your pack to get your canteen.

A gloved hand moves yours to the side gently, reaching in to grab your canteen for you. You look up at the familiar face of Jesse as he screws the top off for you.

“Thank you,” You breathe, taking a big sip. It’s almost empty now.

“You sure you’re alright, Doc?” He asks, brows furrowed in concern.

You nod. “Probably just heatstroke.”

He doesn’t seem convinced of your diagnosis, but he nods even as his brows pinch further together. He pushes himself to stand, moving himself in front of the sun, protecting you from its rays. It’s starting to lower in the sky, its rays reaching through the gaps in the trees.

“Come on,” Kix says, approaching you again. “Let’s get you in a tent.”

With Jesse’s help they get you on your feet, your legs trembling under you. Your body feels heavy, limbs dragging like you’re trying to move through mud. Everything feels harder than it should, even your breathing has become labored.

Kix and Jesse get you into the tent, Kix lowering you down onto the mat on the ground. It’s hardly comfortable, but you couldn’t care less right now. Kix turns on a lamp, casting a sterile looking glow in the tent as he digs through his own pack. Yours has been placed on the floor at your feet, your fingers reaching for your canteen. Your mouth is dryer than Tatooine, your tongue sticking to the roof of your mouth. You take a long drink, drinking up every last drop of water.

“I need more.” You gasp, handing him your empty canteen.

“We’ll get you more soon.” Kix says, pulling out his med kit. He scans your forehead again, the scanner beeping ominously. “Your temperature is higher than it was.”

“That’s not good.” You say quietly, tugging at the pieces of your plastoid armor. You need it off, the weight of it pressing against your skin. That itch is still there, burning and scraping where you can’t reach it.

“Easy,” Kix says, grabbing your hands as you tear at the plastoid.

“I need it off.” You breathe, your chest tightening. It feels constricting, rubbing your blacks against your sensitive skin.

“Alright, let me help.” Kix says softly, easily peeling off a spaulder. He carefully removes your armor, setting the pieces next to your pack at your feet.

You can still feel the burn of fabric against your skin, though it has lessened a bit without the weight of your armor on your body. Kix tilts your head to the side, brushing back some of the hair that’s fallen out of your braid, the damp strands sticking to your skin.

“You said a bug stung you?” He asks, running his thumb over the bump on your neck.

You hiss as he presses against it, a sharp pain shooting through your body. “Yeah.”

He pulls his hand back, grabbing an injector. “When did these symptoms start? After you got stung?”

“I mean, I was hot before.” You say, wincing as he injects the bacta into your shoulder. “But everything else…” you let out a long breath. “Yeah.”

“It’s possible the bug released some kind of toxin into your bloodstream when it stung you.” Kix says.

What you wouldn’t give for a blood test right now. Maybe it could tell you what poison is coursing through your system right now.

Sweat continues to soak through your blacks, beading on your forehead and sliding down into your hair. Kix straps a monitor to your arm before rising, taking your canteen with him as he leaves the tent. You lay there, trying to take in deep breaths but your chest feels constricted. Your entire body feels constricted, like your very skin is starting to tighten and suffocate you.

“Easy,” Kix says, keeling back on the ground next to you, his hand resting on your shoulder. “Panicking isn’t going to help anything right now.”

“It’s...it’s too much.” You gasp, tugging at your blacks. They’re sticking to you like a second skin, the sensation enough to drive you insane. You feel like you are going insane, every nerve ending alight all at once, every sense on high alert. You’re pretty sure if you focused enough, you could feel your bones.

Kix’s touch is unbearable as he prods at your wound. “The bacta hasn’t helped any.” He says, worry evident in his voice. “Your heart rate is still high, and your blood pressure.”

That explains the painful pulsing behind your eyes.

There’s an ache starting to blossom deep in your pelvis, a deep cramping that’s building steadily. You press a hand to your abdomen, applying gentle pressure, as if that could get it to stop.

“How much longer until they arrive to get us?” You ask, tugging at your shirt.

“We’re not due to be picked up for another six hours.” He says. “Rex commed and they’re coming as fast as they can.”

“Kriff,” you breathe, rolling back onto your back. “I don’t think I’ll make it another six hours.”

Kix doesn’t say anything, but his silence is all you need to know.

The deep ache in your stomach intensifies, sharp shooting pain racing through your overstimulated nervous system. You grit your teeth, curling into a ball.

“What is it?” Kix asks, shifting to face you.

“Hurts.” You gasp, curling tighter into a ball.

“What hurts?” He asks, his hand on your shoulder.

His touch burns through your body, intensifying the ache in your stomach. You pinch your eyes closed, trying to breathe through the cramp. It’s worse than any cramp you’ve ever had. It nearly has you seeing double.

“Doc…” Kix says, his thumb stroking your arm. “Talk to me.”

“Can’t,” you gasp, the cramping starting to lower in your body. “Shit.” You force yourself to sit up, ripping your shirt over your head. “I can’t. I can’t take it anymore.”

Your skin nearly sighs in relief at the freedom from the tight material. You don’t care that Kix is seeing you in just your breastband. He’s a medic, he’s seen a lot of things. The last person who would judge you for having your tits half out is Kix.

You curl back up into a ball, the ache in your stomach starting to sink lower and lower until it’s pulsing between your legs. You squeeze your eyes closed, thighs pressing together. You try to breathe through your mouth, willing the ache to subside.

“Kix,” you breathe, his hand coming to rest on your shoulder. “What’s happening to me?”

“I…” he lets out a sigh. “I don’t know. I’m going to update the Captain, you try and rest.”

***

“How is she?” Rex asks, approaching Kix as he steps out of the tent.

“Not good.” Kix says honestly. He’s watched your decline over the last two hours. “Whatever that bug was...it injected some kind of toxin with its stinger.”

“Is there a cure for it?” Rex asks.

“I don’t know.” Kix shakes his head. “I couldn’t find anything in any databases.”

“Can you think of anything that might help?”

Kix shakes his head again. “I’m a combat medic, not a scientist. Bacta is useless, and a stim shot might make things worse. How far out is our extraction?”

“Four hours.” Rex says.

Four kriffing hours. How is he going to keep you alive that long?

He’s not sure you’re going to make it another hour, let alone four.

***

The pulsing between your thighs is intense, so intense it almost hurts. You grind against your palm pressed between your thighs, skin slick with sweat. It’s hot and you’re exhausted, yet the pulsing of your pussy refuses to let you sleep. You’ve given up on your pants, kicking them off into the growing pile at your feet, leaving you in just your breastband and underwear.

“What does it feel like?” Kix asks, dragging a hand across his shaved head. The two of you have been trying to brainstorm, with what little brainpower you have left.

“You want the truth?” You breathe, panting slightly from the exertion of simply existing.

“That would be helpful right now.” Kix says. You’d hit him if you could move your hands.

“It feels like I’m insanely horny.” You admit, trying not to get embarrassed. The last person that would make fun of you is Kix.

Kix hums, typing away at the datapad in his lap.

“I’m so horny it hurts.” You whine, grinding against your hand. “I feel like I might die if I don’t orgasm right now.”

“Feel free to…” he waves his hand. “If you need to.”

Normally you might feel ashamed for being so open with Kix, but neither of you seem to care right now.

You sink your hand into your underwear, fingers seeking out your pulsing clit. You’re soaked and it’s not just the sweat. You can feel the slickness of your folds as you start to circle your clit, sighing quietly from the sweet relief it’s finally getting. Kix doesn’t even glance your way, buried in his datapad as you masturbate next to him, seeking any kind of relief from the intense need burning through you.

“I think I found something.” Kix says, uncrossing his legs. “I think whatever toxin that bug injected into you was some kind of stimulant.”

“You don’t say.” You breathe, turning onto your back, still furiously rubbing your clit, seeking any kind of relief you can get, but the building pleasure only goes so far. It’s not quite enough, even your fingers dipping into your pussy isn’t enough.

“You’re only going to get worse if we don’t find some way to burn this toxin out of your system.” He says, still looking at his datapad. “There’s a little research on the holonet about toxins that can induce arousal, but…”

“But what?” You gasp out, pumping your fingers in and out of yourself.

“Prognosis isn’t good unless you can orgasm enough times to burn it out of your system.” He says with finality.

You let out a groan of despair, curling your fingers inside yourself. Your pussy is damn near tingling, light pleasure coursing through you but it’s not enough. It’s almost like your fingers aren’t enough, like you need something else, something more.

You let out a huff, withdrawing your hand. “It’s not working.”

“What’s not working?” He asks, finally glancing up at you.

“I can’t...I can’t get myself to…” You groan, flopping back dramatically against the mat. “I need help.” Your voice is soft, small, quiet, like you don’t want to admit it.

“Doc…” Kix says, setting the datapad aside. “I don’t know…”

“I need help.” You say again, scrubbing your hands over your face. “I’m going to die if I don’t orgasm and I can’t do it myself.”

Tears leak out of your eyes. It’s the truth. Your heart rate has only continued to climb, as has your fever. The bacta held it off briefly, but as the minutes pass, you can feel your blood pressure starting to rise again. The body can only take so much before it gives out. You don’t want to find out what your limits are.

Kix lets out a quiet breath, his hand falling to press against yours where it rests on the mat. “Let me go talk to the guys.”

You watch him go, laying there on the mat, the tears still streaming. You can just hear them outside, their bodies visible thanks to the glow of the small fire set up in the middle of the camp.

“She’s declining again. The toxin the bug injected was a stimulant. It’s sending her body into overdrive.”

“Is there anything you can do to fix it?”

“There is one thing...but you’re not going to like it.”

Their voices quiet down, and you can see them leaning in closer to each other.

“We have to what?”

“We can’t do that. She’s...not like that...we can’t.”

“We may not have any other choice.”

“She just needs to hang on for three more hours.”

“She’s not going to make it two if she doesn’t get help.”

It falls silent, only the sound of your labored breaths filling the air. You can almost picture the silent conversation, eyes glancing around, looking anywhere but at each other as they come to terms with what Kix is suggesting. Besides some harmless flirting from Fives, they’ve never pressed that boundary with you. There’s always been an unspoken rule with you. They don’t push past that boundary, and now they’re being asked to hurdle over it.

“At least...let her decide. Let her have the autonomy to choose.”

Footsteps approach the tent and Kix ducks back inside. He comes over to your side, kneeling down next to you. His hand brushes your head, brows pinched in a frown. “They’ll do it.” He says quietly, wiping the sweat from your brow. “But they want you to choose.”

You already know that, but you let him say it. It’s a finality, the gavel striking on this situation, making it real. You’re going to have to fuck one of your friends, one of the troopers you’d trust with your life. Who better, though? It could be some random trooper you’ve never met before who you’ll never see again…

Maybe that would be better than a trooper you’ll have to face regularly.

How are you going to face them after this?

Who do you choose? Rex? You trust the clone captain with your life, but you’d never be able to be in the same room with him again if you asked him to do this. You can’t ask Kix. You need someone aware in case this goes awry, someone who might at least be able to keep you alive. Jesse would make it too romantic, and you know he’d catch feelings. You couldn’t do that to him. Hardcase would wind up bragging about it accidentally and you’re not sure you could handle that eventual reality.

That leaves…

Fives.

The one least likely to care about this, the one to play it off as a one-time thing, like many of his other flings. You’d be just another notch on his belt, like all those other faceless bucket bunnies he winds up bedding during shore leave. He won’t care, and he’ll make sure he forgets after all of this is done. He’ll pretend like nothing happened, and everything will go back to normal.

“Fives.” You whisper, squeezing your thighs together.

Something passes across Kix’s face, but you’re too out of it to put a name to it. “You’re sure?”

You nod, letting out a shaky breath. “Yeah.”

Kix is quiet for a moment before he nods. “I’ll...go tell him.”

Kix stands back up, leaving you alone as he ducks out of the tent again. You curl up in a ball, mind swimming with nothing but desire, nothing but an intense need to cum and fast.

The tent flap moves aside again, only it’s not Kix who enters.

It’s Fives.

He’s sans helmet, brows pinched as he approaches you slowly, like you’re a wild nexu about to pounce. He kneels down next to the mat, his gaze unreadable as he stares down at you.

“Hi, Doc.” He say softly, lifting a hand to brush some damp hair from your face.

“Fives…” you let out a soft gasp as a wave of pulsing pain throbs through your body. “Help me.”

You grab his hand, bringing it to your face. His glove is rough as it slides across your skin, your nerves alight and overstimulated from the simple touch.

“You really want me to do this?” He asks, his thumb brushing your cheek.

“Yes.” you gulp, squeezing his hand weakly. “I need it.”

He swallows thickly but nods, sitting back on his heels to pop off his utility belt and kama, laying them near your own pile. Your own hands tug your underwear off, the soaked fabric bunching as you kick it off onto the end of the mat. Fives pops his pauldron off adding it to the pile on the floor. He makes to take off his spaulders but you stop him, grabbing his hands.

“Don’t bother.” You say, laying back on the mat and pulling him with you. “The faster we can get this done, the better.”

“This isn’t going to be comfortable for you.” He warns, popping off his codpiece.

“You really think I care right now?” You ask, tilting your head back.

“Suppose not.” He murmurs, settling himself between your thighs. His hands trail up your legs, gloves gone at least.

This is so unsanitary, but you’ll worry about that later.

He stares down at you for a long moment, hands paused halfway down your thighs, just resting there. You try to part your legs for him but he keeps them closed, something passing over his face before he sits back on his heels. “Turn over.”

You do as he says, turning over onto your stomach. Whatever is going to get you fucked faster. He finally pushes your thighs apart, just enough for him to slot himself between them.

“Kriff…” he breathes, sliding a hand down the back of your thigh. His fingers glide through your folds before two slip into you, your body opening easy around him. He curses again, pumping his fingers into you. “So kriffing wet.”

“Hurry up.” You breathe, shifting your arm to wave back at him. “No time for that. I need you...like right now.”

You hear him shift, his blacks opening to free his cock. You lick your lips at the thought of what it looks like. Unfortunately you know from medical experience exactly what he looks like, just how hung they all are.

Your pussy clenches at the thought of his cock finally inside of you and the relief it’s going to bring. Finally you’ll be free from the intense overstimulation burning through you.

He leans between your thighs, kneeing them open further to make space for him and his armor. The plastoid digs into your skin but you don’t care, far too focused on the way your body stretches around the tip of his cock. He lets out a quiet groan, sliding into you easily.

“Kriffing hell, Doc,” He groans, settling his weight over you as he glides home in one stroke. His hands come to rest on either side of you, his hips pressed tight against your ass.

He starts to rock his hips, slow and steady as his cock presses into you over and over. Arousal seeps out of you with every press of his hips, soaking into his blacks. The itching is still creeping under your skin, the monitor on your arm beeping from your increased temperature and heart rate. Fives shifts, grabbing it and ripping it off, tossing it somewhere to the side.

“Fives,” you breathe, pushing back against him. “Faster.”

His hips still, pressed up against your body. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“If you don’t fuck me, I’m going to die.” you say, reaching out to grip one of his wrists. “So fuck me like you mean it.”

You can feel the weight of his stare for a long moment, wishing you could see his face in the artificial light of the lamp. It’s getting dark outside, the sun finally starting to set. “As the lady commands.” He says, lowering himself down on his elbows above you. His chest presses against your back, the plastoid armor covering his body cool against your heated skin.

His hips start to snap against yours in short, sharp thrusts, your eyes rolling back as you finally get some of the friction you’ve been dying for. Your hands grip the mat under your body, your hips pressing up against his, meeting his thrusts. For the first time in hours you’re finally starting to feel a hint of relief, an orgasm quickly building from the drag of his cock against that spot inside of you.

“Fives…” You breathe, fingers starting to cramp from how tightly they’re gripping the mat under you. Your clit is dragging across the rough material with every downward thrust of his hips, only adding to the pleasure coursing through you.

He curses, small groans leaving his lips. He’s trying to be quiet, even though the others outside the tent know what’s happening. The wet squelch of your soaked pussy can’t be helped, though, more and more arousal dripping out of you from the burning heat beneath your skin and the cramping in your abdomen.

“Oh, fuck, Fives.” You moan, back arching. “I’m gonna cum.”

“You gonna cum?” He leans down, groaning in your ear, breath hot against your sweat-slicked skin.

“Yes, yes!” You cry, your body shuddering as you’re thrown into an orgasm.

He slows his thrusts to languid movements, his body lifting off of you just slightly. There’s still a deep cramping in your stomach, the heat burning beneath your skin. It’s not enough.

“Again.” You breathe, reaching back towards him.

He huffs out a laugh, shaking his head. “As you wish.”

He begins to thrust his hips against yours again, picking up the pace to a near brutal snapping of his hips. Already you can feel pleasure burning through you, almost as if you hadn’t just had an orgasm.

You cum twice more, shaking under Fives but this time he doesn’t stop, his hips still snapping against your ass in quick, short thrusts. The heat is beginning to dissipate, the itch finally calming. You’re a drooling mess, Fives’ hand wrapped around the back of your neck, keeping your head down as he plows into you. Breathy moans slip from his lips, his fingers curling into the mat like yours had. He’s close to his own orgasm. You’re shocked he’s lasted this long.

“Gonna cum.” He groans, his movements starting to get sloppy. “Where do you want me?”

“Inside,” you gasp, already getting close to another orgasm.

“Fuck…” he lets out a long groan, snapping his hips against your ass almost brutally before he stills, his cock pulsing inside of you as he cums.

Another orgasm shudders through your body at the feeling of him filling you, your body giving out as you lay flat against the bed. Fives collapses over you, pressing his face against your shoulder. He’s breathing heavily, almost as heavy as you are. You can feel his hot breaths against your sweat-slick skin.

“Feeling better?” He asks, pushing himself back up.

You are. The heat is receding from beneath your skin and the itch has been satiated. There’s still light cramping in your stomach but not nearly what it was before. In fact, you’re starting to feel cold. A shiver runs down your spine as you suddenly become aware of how much the air has cooled as it brushes against your sweat-slick skin.

Fives pulls away from you, your pussy clenching at the sudden loss. You can feel his cum dripping out of you, a wince crossing your face. That’s going to be fun to clean up later. Fives grabs a blanket from your pack, tossing it over you as you turn onto your side. He grabs his belt and kama before standing.

He won’t look at you.

“Fives?” You ask quietly as he redresses himself from the little he’d taken off. He hums, still avoiding looking at you.

A pang of hurt flashes through you. He could at least look you in the face after fucking you. He makes for the entrance to the tent, shoulders tense and tight.

“Fives!” You call, pushing yourself up onto a shaking arm. You’re exhausted, your brain fighting for something to say. You want to yell at him, beg him to look at you, but all you can come up with is a weak: “Thank you.”

He nods, glancing at you over his shoulder before he leaves the tent.

You lay back down, a tear sliding down your cheek from the awkward encounter. Maybe you should have chosen one of the others. Jesse would have probably kissed you after that.

Kix comes back into the tent kneeling down beside you. He straps the monitor back onto your arm, scanning your forehead to take your temperature.

“Your temperature has lowered significantly.” He says, setting the device aside. “So has your heart rate.”

“That’s good.” You murmur, snuggling under the blanket.

“The extraction team will be here in half an hour.” He says, grabbing your clothes from the end of the mat. “We should at least get you back into your blacks.”

Less questions that way.

You let him help you, easing your exhausted body back into your clothes, giving you at least a modicum of decency.

You’re half asleep when the ships touch down, Kix and another trooper easing you onto a stretcher. Exhaustion from the day and its events tugs at the back of your mind, all the adrenaline that had been pumping through you wearing off, leaving you shaking and weak.

You turn your head to the side as they get ready to load you onto the ship, meeting the helmeted gaze of Fives. He quickly looks away, climbing into the other ship with Jesse. You try not to let it bother you, but you can’t help but feel a bit hurt by his sudden avoidance of you.

Maybe it was as awkward for him as it was for you.

Maybe you should have chosen Jesse.

***

You’re back to work after some IV fluids and two days mandatory rest. Kix would have pushed for more, but he knew you’d break those rules anyway. A bacta shot had revived you after your return to the Resolute, but you did spend the better part of those two days resting. You still feel a bit sapped of energy, just your body ridding itself of the lasting effects of the toxic, the clone medical officer that had overseen your recovery said. The bump left over by the insect’s stinger has healed, down to hardly more than a blemish on your skin.

Your downtime also gave you a lot to think about. More precisely, to think about Fives and his reaction. You’ve come to the conclusion that he must have thought what happened between you meant more than it did. All he did was help keep you from dying in a rather unconventional way. That’s all it was. No feelings, no expectations.

Maybe he thought there were those things for you.

That’s why you seek him out after second meal, cornering him in the hallway. You’re glad he’s alone, catching him in one of those rare moments when Torrent Company isn’t moving together as a single unit throughout the flagship. It must be some miracle from the Maker, some kind of blessing after everything you went through.

“Fives!” You call out, his body stiffening as he pauses. He turns slowly as you run up to him in the thankfully quiet hallway.

“Yeah?” He asks, his brows furrowing as he stares down at you. Finally he’s looking at you, though he seems nervous. Maybe it was shame after all. Perhaps he feels ashamed for what he did, and in his shame he couldn’t look at you. You need to fix this stat.

“I just...wanted to talk about what happened...between us.” You say, suddenly nervous too.

He swallows thickly, lips pressing into a line as he nods. “Yeah.”

“I just...wanted to let you know that I picked you because I knew it wouldn’t mean anything to you.”

Something flashes over his face, his features twisting in almost a pained look for merely half a second before he cools them, finding his composure. “Right.” He clears his throat. “It wouldn’t mean anything.”

“And I also wanted to say thank you, again.” You quickly add, trying to ignore the way the look in his eyes is deepening.

He nods. “You’re, uh, you’re welcome.”

You nod, glad you got what you needed to say off your chest. “So...it just...it didn’t mean anything beyond you just saving my life.”

He winces, his gaze lowering from your face for a moment before he nods. “Yeah. It didn’t mean anything.” He shifts on his feet. “I should, uh, get going.”

“Right.” You say, stepping to the side. “I don’t want to keep you.”

He walks away without another word, his back tense and tight as he makes his way down the hall. You watch him go, something nagging in the back of your mind about the conversation that just transpired.

***

You don’t see Fives again for days.

If you thought more about it, you might have come to the conclusion that he was purposefully avoiding you, but as the 501st is thrown into another campaign right away, you don’t have much time to dwell on such things.

You’re busy as always, patching up troopers, saving their lives, doing everything you can to keep as many of them alive as you can.

It’s when things are beginning to calm in the med bay that you see him. Fives. He’s sitting on a gurney, waiting in line to be looked at. You nearly run over to him, elbowing one of your fellow medics out of the way as you come to a stop in front of him.

“Fives!” You say cheerily, his eyes widening as you appear in front of him.

“Oh, hi, Doc.” He greets you, clearing his throat. He holds out his arm, revealing a rather nasty scratch on the inside of his elbow. He’s already removed his vambrace and rerebrace, his blacks tugged up to his bicep.

You hiss through your teeth, grabbing some disinfectant and a bacta patch from the drawer next to the gurney. “That looks painful.”

“I’ve had worse.” He shrugs.

It’s true. You’ve seen him in worse shape.

“Still,” you say, your fingers wrapping around his arm to hold it still. “This might sting.”

He winces as you dab the disinfectant on the wound, careful to get any possible debris out.

“I haven’t seen you in a while.” You say softly, wiping his arm clean.

“It’s been a busy campaign.” He says.

“Right.” You nod, placing the bacta patch over his wound, waiting for the lights to turn blue before stepping back. “Leave that on for a couple hours. It’ll probably scar though.”

“That’s fine.” He says stiffly, pulling his sleeve down. He slides off the bed before grabbing the rest of his armor.

“I’ll see you around.” You say to his back.

“Yeah.” He says, turning to glance at you over his shoulder before he leaves the med bay.

“Well that was awkward.” Mira, one of your fellow civilian medics says. “Usually he’s all up on you when you’re that close and personal with him.”

“He doesn’t get all up and personal.” You say, shaking your head.

She gives you a look. “Yeah. Sure.” She shrugs. “Something definitely happened between you two.”

Your face warms just a bit. Both Rex and Kix had agreed not to go into details about what happened during...that mission. They’d given the barest possible description. Just a bug bite that went wrong. Some bacta stabilized you until you could get proper treatment. Nothing about you fucking a clone to survive.

“N-Nothing happened.” You say, quickly disposing of the supplies you used.

“Mhm.” She hums in a disbelieving tone. “Let me guess...he saw you with someone else.”

You make a face. “What? Why would that matter.”

Mira rolls her eyes. “Please, he’s totally in love with you. He practically drools every time he sees you.”

“No he doesn’t.” You scrunch your nose. “He’s nothing more than a friend.”

“Mm so that’s it.” She says, making her way to the next clone in line. “You friendzoned him.”

“Can’t friendzone someone who has no feelings for you.” You say, moving to the next gurney.

“Uh huh. Sure. No feelings.” She rolls her eyes. “Girl, you’re denser than a doornail.”

You shake your head, focusing on the clone in front of you with a blaster shot to the shoulder. Fives doesn’t have feelings for you. Sure he’s comfortable and flirty with you, but so are the rest of Torrent Company. Hell, even some of the other clones in the 501st like to hit on the civilian medics. When you’re that up close and personal with them...you don’t blame them when they spend most of their time around each other.

Fives doesn’t feel that way about you...right?

He can’t. He’s just your friend.

You jab the bacta needle a little too hard into the clone’s shoulder, earning a yowl of pain.

“Sorry…” You make a face. “Got lost in thought.”

“No kidding.” He says, rubbing his shoulder. “You know, if things don’t work out with Fives, you’re more than welcome to hit me up.” He grins salaciously at you.

“Why does everyone think there’s something between Fives and I?” You ask.

“It’s pretty obvious how he feels.” The clone says. “You could ask any clone on this ship and he’d know. Hell, I’m sure even the General knows.”

Your face heats up, and you shake your head. “No, I still don’t think so.”

He shrugs. “Have it your way.” He jumps down off the cot after you wrap his shoulder. “Just keep my offer in mind.”

“Thanks…”

“Tup, ma’am.” He says, saluting you playfully.

You roll your eyes. “Get out of here, Tup.”

He chuckles and you move on to the next clone waiting to get his wounds addressed.

***

You’re starting to believe them.

Fives has continued to do his best to evade your presence, even going so far as to leave the mess hall with a half full tray of food when you enter. It hurts, knowing you’ve messed up your friendship with him. Even the others are awkward around you now, like they’re tiptoeing around live ammunition when you’re near. More than once it’s left you in tears. It’s not fair. You couldn’t have stopped getting stung by that bug and you couldn’t help what happened to you after.

Of course sleeping with one of your close friends, be it for survival or not, would make things awkward, and you don’t blame them for taking their brother’s side. Bros before hoes right? The thought that they might think of you that way makes you wince.

Kix is the only one acting normal around you, but then again, working in close quarters makes it hard to avoid each other. Perhaps it’s just guilt that keeps him cordial, that he couldn’t do more to help you, that he couldn’t fix what was wrong without having to resort to those means.

You’re not sure what to think anymore.

You finally grow tired of their attitudes after another campaign. You’re exhausted and overworked and perhaps a tad bit emotional over how many men were lost during this battle. It’s perhaps not fair that you corner Jesse as he’s coming out of the med bay covered in bacta patches.

“Jesse!” you call out, racing down the hall to him.

He turns, his brows raising in surprise for a moment before his face cools. “Yeah?”

You come to a stop in front of him, forcing his back up against the wall. “Spill.”

His brows furrow in confusion. “What?”

“I want an explanation as to why you’re all treating me like I have the plague. Why Fives keeps doing everything in his power to avoid me.” You say.

Realization crosses his face for a moment before he lapses back into a neutral look, his back straightening. “I don’t really think it’s my place to-”

“Jesse,” you cut him off. “Please. I-I don’t know why you’re all so upset with me. It’s not like I could help what happened and…” you sigh. “I didn’t want it to ruin things between us. That’s why I wanted Fives to be the one to do it. I knew it wouldn’t mean anything to him.”

Jesse gulps, wincing as he stares down at you. “You thought it wouldn’t mean anything to him?”

“Well, yeah.” you shrug. “None of his other...escapades have meant anything.”

“Yeah, but...you’re...you.” Jesse says. “You’re our Doc. It was always going to mean something.”

You drop your gaze to his chestplate, frowning. “But I’m just a medic.”

“You’re so much more than that.” Jesse says softly. “To him, to all of us.”

Your shoulders slump, tears blurring your vision. Of course it would mean more to them than you thought. You’re not just some one night stand picked up at 79s. You’re…you.

“Look...I think it’s best you just sit him down and talk to him.” Jesse says.

“That would be easy if I could find him.” You say.

“He likes to hit the range after second meal.” Jesse says. “He’s there pretty much every day.”

You nod. “Thanks, Jesse.”

He nods, patting your shoulder. “Get some rest, Doc. You look like you need it.”

You look him over, at the many bacta patches covering him. “I could say the same to you. I don’t know why they’re letting you walk out of here right now.”

“It’s nothing too bad.” He waves you off. “Mostly just superficial.”

“Uh huh.” You say, but you take a step back. “Take it easy, okay? For me?”

He grins. “Anything for you, Doc.”

***

You do find Fives after second meal, just as Jesse said, in the range. You’ve only been in the training areas a handful of times, mostly responding to injuries the men get when they go a little hard on each other. Some bacta and a slap on the wrist is usually the standard of care for those kinds of injuries.

Fives is firing rather angrily at a droid, over and over and over. He’s tense, shoulders squared and you can see the way his brows are pulled together. You wait until he’s done, not wanting to startle him and possibly have to make your own trip to the med bay. Fives probably wouldn’t shoot you, but with him wound so tight, you can’t be sure.

“Fives?” You say quietly once he’s done, blaster lowered to his side.

He glances at you over his shoulder. “What do you want?”

“I’m here to talk.” you say as he raises his blaster once more.

“What makes you think I want to talk to you?” He snaps.

“Because I want you to tell me what’s going on.” You say, shouting over the sound of his blaster.

He pauses, his shoulders sinking a bit.

“We’re friends, Fives. Nothing about that has changed.” You say.

“That’s just it.” He says, turning on you. He holsters his blaster, taking a step towards you. “Nothing changed. You made me…” he cuts himself off with a sharp breath, his hand curling into a fist. “And it was supposed to mean nothing?”

You gulp, eyes widening at the intense look on his face. “I-It wasn’t. That’s why I chose you. None of your other one night stands have meant anything to you.”

“Because they’re not you.”

The words echo in the silence, your heart beating hard in your chest. “What?”

He swallows thickly, taking another step towards you. “They weren’t you, Doc. They were just...distractions from what I couldn’t have.”

Tears burn behind your eyes, your heart thumping rapidly in your chest. “Fives…”

It’s all coming together for you. His playful flirting with you, the way he always made sure you sat next to him, his protective streak when you were caught in combat with them, his reaction after...his stiff avoidance of you after you told him it meant nothing to you.

Kriff, you’re an idiot.

His steps are slow, careful, like he’s approaching a wild animal. You don’t move, your body tingling from all of the realizations slamming into you left and right. They were right. They were all right.

He stops inches from you, staring down at you. You hold his gaze, a stray tear sliding down your cheek.

“It wasn’t supposed to mean anything to you.” You whisper.

“It meant everything to me.” He says quietly.

More tears slide down your cheeks, your breath hitching in your chest. His eyes are so big, so soft as they stare down at you. His hand lifts, sliding up your arm to your elbow. The touch is so gentle, so intimate.

“You have no idea what it meant, that you trusted me like that. You trusted me to take care of you when you were so vulnerable. But you didn’t know...how could you have known?” His grip tightens just slightly around your arm. “I tried to imagine it was just another bucket bunny, but...I couldn’t.” His hand slides up your arm, over your shoulder to your face where he cups your cheek. “It was you, Doc. It was always you.”

“Oh Fives,” you whisper, sniffling. “Everyone knew but me...I couldn’t see it. Why didn’t you say anything?”

His gaze drops from yours. “I didn’t know how you would feel about it, and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”

“It wouldn’t have ruined anything.” You say, leaning into the rough fabric of his glove on your cheek. You can feel the warmth of his hand through it seeping into your own skin.

“Well, I know that now.” He says, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

You groan, leaning forward to rest your forehead against his chestplate. “Couple of idiots, aren’t we?”

He chuckles, his arms wrapping around you. “I think you could say that.”

You lean against him for a moment, feeling the slow rise and fall of his chest against you. The sharp shard of fear strikes through you at the thought that someday you might lose him, but you push it aside, focusing on the here and now.

His hands grip your arms, pulling you back away from him. One of his hands slides up your arm as you stare up at him, at the deep emotion shining in those big brown eyes. His hand cups your cheek, thumb brushing your lips. He stays there for a moment, just staring at you, taking you in.

“Kiss me, idiot.” You say, breaking the silence.

His face breaks in a grin before he’s leaning down, pressing his lips to yours. It’s soft and sweet, everything you hoped it would be. His hands drop to your waist as yours wrap around his neck, pressing against his pauldrons.

“I really hate your armor sometimes.” You murmur against his lips.

He smirks, kissing you again. “Would you prefer me without it?”

You pull back for a moment, pretending to think about it. “Well, you’ve seen me mostly naked, so it’s only fair.”

A wide grin forms on his face, his hand dropping to yours, lacing your fingers together. “Well, lucky for you I’m free this afternoon.”

***

The two of you slip into the barracks, giggling like a couple of teenagers, fingers entwined.

The barracks are miraculously empty, Fives approaching his bed to find a datapad sitting on top of the blankets. He picks it up, reading the text on the screen.

“Jesse.” You both say at the same time.

“Cheeky bastard.” Fives grins, tossing the datapad onto the bed next to his.

“I mean, I did corner him in the med bay yesterday.” You say.

“You did what?” Fives asks, turning to face you, halfway through pulling off his pauldrons.

You shrug. “I wanted answers. He’s the one who told me where to find you.”

Fives mutters something under his breath as he drops his pauldron to the floor, making quick work of his belt and kama as well. You help him remove the rest of his armor with well practiced fingers.

“You’re good at this.” He says, almost jealously.

You roll your eyes. “Calm down big guy. I’ve had to remove enough clone armor in the infirmary I know all the seams and pieces.”

“Right.” Fives nods, dropping the last piece into the pile on the floor, leaving him just in his blacks.

He pulls off his gloves before leaning down to kiss you again, his hands falling to your waist to tug at your own clothes. You’d dressed down today, finally free from the med bay until the next campaign.

“You’re wearing too many clothes.” He says against your lips, tugging your shirt up before he pulls back.

You pull your shirt up over your head, goosebumps forming on your skin from the cool air in the barracks. Fives makes quick work of his own shirt, exposing his toned body to you. You lick your lips, tracing every line of his muscle. That was one way in which they all varied beyond just the way they styled themselves. Different clones with different jobs had different muscular builds. Fives is all hard muscle, biceps bulging as he tugs his pants down, kicking them off.

You try not to stare at the half-hard cock between his thighs, just as large and veiny as you imagined.

Fuck, he’s just as pretty as you imagined.

You tug your pants and underwear down, stripping off your breastband so you’re standing naked before him. His eyes trace over your form, a low whistle leaving his lips. “Kriff, you’re gorgeous.” he almost sighs, hands falling to your waist to pull you close, bodies pressed together. “This is how I pictured our first time going.”

You avoid his gaze, turning to look to the side. “I’m sorry it wasn’t.”

“Don’t,” he says, gripping your chin lightly to turn your face back to his. “I don’t know if I could have handled having to listen to one of the others in that tent with you.”

“Well, my second pick was Jesse, so…”

Fives rolls his eyes, moving you closer to the bed. “That idiot would have fallen in love with you after that.”

You grin, maneuvering yourself onto his bed. “That’s why I didn’t choose him.”

Fives crawls onto the small mattress with you, pushing your legs apart with his knees. You lay back, staring up at his face as he stares back at you. He pauses there for just a moment, taking you in under him. “This is how it should have been.” He says softly.

He leans down to kiss you again, his body pressing against yours. You hum at the feel of him, wrapping your arms around his neck. His tongue presses past your lips, flicking against your own. You moan softly, sinking your fingers into his curls. His hips grind against your stomach, dragging his cock across your skin. You’re already wet, arousal seeping out of you at the prospect of having him again...properly this time.

Fives pulls away from your lips, kissing his way down your jaw to your neck. His teeth sink into your skin lightly, leaving a mark below your ear.

“Fives!” you complain, tugging at his hair. “Everyone will see!”

“Good.” he almost growls, kissing his way across your throat. “Let them.”

You swallow thickly at his show of possession, your hand sliding from his hair as he continues to kiss down your body. His hands cup your tits, thumbs running over your nipples.

“I love your tits.” he says, squeezing them gently. “Shame that they get hidden under armor so much.”

You roll your eyes, shaking your head. “They don’t like it either. That armor is tight.”

“My poor girls.” He whines, leaning down to take a nipple into his mouth.

Your laugh comes out as half a moan, back arching from the pleasurable sensation.

“I’ll give them love later.” He says, sliding the rest of the way down your body. “Right now, I have better things to do.”

You swallow thickly as your head lifts, watching him lay himself between your legs as best he can on the small bed. His warm breath fans against your wet folds, sending a shiver through you. His lips press against your inner thigh, blazing a path of kisses upwards. His gaze lifts to meet yours as his hands shift to grip your hips, adjusting your position on the bed before he leans in, dragging his tongue through your folds.

You gasp at the sensation, your thighs pressing against his broad shoulders. His mouth is warm as it closes over your pussy, his tongue licking another slow stripe up your folds until he reaches the spot that has your inhale turning into a gasp.

“Fives…” You sigh.

He focuses his attention there, dragging slow lines across your clit with his tongue. You flop back onto the bed, back arching from the pleasure. Little whimpers leave your lips as he teases your clit, your thighs already trembling. It hasn’t been that long, but the thought of it being Fives doing this has you riled up. You’re not going to last very long, not with his sweet mouth eating you like a man starved.

You don’t last very long.

Your thighs squeeze around his shoulders as your orgasm is ripped from you suddenly. You let out a cry that’s probably too loud, but you don’t care who could have heard you as your back arches off the bed, pressing your hips closer to Fives’ face. His hands hold your thighs, keeping you still as his tongue continues to tease your clit, working you through your orgasm.

It’s not until you’re writhing in his grasp, letting out little whimpers that he relents, lifting his face from between your thighs. His face is shiny with your slick, his tongue darting out to lick his lips salaciously. It’s obscene and yet, it has heat pulsing straight between your legs again.

He lets out a chuckle, pushing himself back up the bed until you’re face to face. You can taste yourself on his tongue as he kisses you again, his hard cock dragging against your stomach. His knee hooks under your thigh, pushing it up higher as he slots his body between your legs. He pulls away from your lips, holding himself up so he can grip his cock.

“Ready?” He asks, staring into your eyes.

You nod, breath hitching in anticipation.

He drags the head of his cock through your folds, gathering some of your wetness before he presses into you. His cock spreads you open, your hands lifting to grip his shoulders. The stretch is delicious, your body opening to him as he sinks further and further into you.

His forehead presses to yours as he seats himself fully into you, both of you breathing deep. “Kriff, you feel so good.” he groans, slipping his arms around you. “Better than the first time.”

You moan softly, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Fives?” He hums in response. “Move.”

He grins, kissing you. “As you wish.”

He begins to move, rocking his hips into yours. You wrap your legs around his waist, hands pressing into his back, feeling the way his muscles flex under his skin with every thrust. You moan softly, head spinning from the thought of being so close to him like this, without the added threat of dying if you don’t cum.

Though you feel you might pass away if he doesn’t make you cum this time.

The wet squelch of your pussy is loud in the empty barracks as he thrusts into you, the mattress squeaking a bit as he thrusts into you, slow and deep. It’s so different from the frantic fucking you had the first time. This is slow, intimate, dare you say romantic. He’s taking his time, drawing out your pleasure so it lasts as long as possible.

“Kriffing feel so good.” He groans in your ear, his breath hot against your skin.

“Fives…” you moan, clinging to him tightly. “Don’t let me go.”

“Never.” He promises, tightening his hold around you, one hand sliding to cup the back of your neck as he grinds his hips against yours.

You’re getting close, the drag of his cock sending you reeling. He’s close as well, his thrusts starting to get sloppy. Your toes are curling, body squeezing his. It’s better than you thought, but that’s probably because it’s Fives.

“Fives…” you moan his name again, nails digging into his back as he picks up the pace, snapping his hips into yours.

“Gonna cum for me? Need you to cum for me.” He grunts, in your ear, lips brushing your skin.

You let out a whine, arching against him as you seek your second high of the day. His cock brushes that spot inside of you, stars nearly erupting behind your eyes.

“Right there.” You gasp, thighs shaking around his hips. “Fuck, right there!”

You’re being loud but you don’t care, nails dragging down his back as he focuses his thrusts right at that spot inside you. You cum with a cry, pussy squeezing around him. He lets out a loud groan, his hips stilling as he twitches inside you. His muscles go lax, his body falling on top of yours. He manages to keep himself from squishing you beneath him, his face pressing against your neck.

The smell of sex is thick in the air, but you don’t care. You’re shaking, still wrapped tightly around Fives as he lays on top of you. He’s breathing heavily, warm breaths fanning against your neck. You don’t want to move, your mind buzzing with the aftershocks of your orgasm still.

“You alright?” He murmurs, lips pressing a gentle kiss against your throat.

You nod, still holding him tightly. You don’t want to let him go yet. You want to hold him here, keep him here forever.

But you can’t. You both have lives you have to go back to, jobs you’re expected to do.

You’ve never understood desertion, but now you do.

“Fives?” you murmur, pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

“Yeah?” he breathes, pushing himself up so he’s staring down at you.

You stare up at him for a long moment, taking in his face, those soft brown eyes. “Don’t die.”

His lips twitch as he stares back, something flashing across his face. “I don’t plan on it.”

“Good.” You pull him back down against you. “I’d never forgive you if you did.”

He chuckles, rolling over so you’re on your sides. He pulls the blanket up over your bodies, tucking you against his chest. The moment is tender, soft, intimate. So different from what you had the first time.

You wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“Fives?” You murmur, resting your cheek against his chest.

He hums, his fingers drawing patters on your bare back.

“How long until the others break in?”

He thinks for a moment, going still before you feel his grin against the top of your head. “Long enough for another round.”

“Good.” You say, pushing him over onto his back, sitting yourself up over him. “Because I’m not done with you yet.”

He smirks, his hands settling on your thighs. “Yes, ma’am.”

Hunter

You hug Hunter and he just… stops functioning.

Like you initiated it mid-mission and this man has full-on emotion-induced lag.

“...Why’d you do that?”

“Because I wanted to.”

Loading Hunter.exe

He gives you this soft, stunned look like he didn’t know he needed physical affection until just now.

His return hug is slow, careful, warm. His arms wrap around your back and he doesn’t squeeze—he holds.

Stays silent for a moment. Then a low murmur: “...thanks. I needed that.”

From that point on, it’s Hunter Hug Radar Mode™.

You’re sad? He’s already moving.

You’re happy? Hug.

You yawned vaguely near him? “You look tired. C’mere.”

Somehow always smells like leather, dirt, and safety. It's like hugging your childhood treehouse and a protective panther.

Wrecker

OH.

OH YOU’RE IN FOR IT NOW.

You hug Wrecker and he goes FULL GOLDEN RETRIEVER MELTDOWN.

“AWwwwWWWWWWW!!! C’mere!!!”

Picks you up. Swings you. Spins you around until you’re dizzy and giggling and possibly concussed.

His hugs are LIFE-THREATENINGLY STRONG. Like being hit with a loving freight train.

“You’re the best! I’m gonna hug you every day forever now!!”

Immediately makes you a “You Hugged Wrecker” award out of scrap metal. It has glitter glue.

He initiates hugs constantly now. If you don’t hug him back fast enough, he starts whining like a sad bantha.

Tells Crosshair about the hug with tears in his eyes. Crosshair pretends not to care.

“They hugged me, man. Me!! WRECKER!!”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t start crying again.”

Tech

You hug Tech and it’s like hugging a 3D-printed anxiety machine.

Freezes.

“Wh—what are you doing? Is this…physical bonding? Are you malfunctioning? Am I??”

Absolutely stiff as a board. One arm hovers near your back like he's trying to remember what humans do.

You explain it’s just a hug. Tech mutters: “Hmmm. Fascinating. Increases oxytocin. Improves cardiovascular health. Reduces cortisol. Hm.”

But then you do it again.

And he goes quiet.

Softer.

Then his hands gently rest on your back and he melts like butter under a Tatooine sun.

You pull away and he clears his throat 14 times and then gives you a 12-slide presentation on “the measurable benefits of repeat physical affection among squadmates (with graphs).”

Secretly loves it. Won’t say it, but builds you a hug simulator in case he’s unavailable.

Crosshair

Oh.

OH YOU BRAVE, BRAVE FOOL.

You hug Crosshair and it’s like hugging a sniper rifle possessed by the ghost of unresolved trauma.

“...What the kriff are you doing?”

Arms at his sides. Staring down at you like you're a wild animal. Clearly thinking “kill or cuddle?”

You say “just hugging you.” And he just…blinks. Once. Twice.

Then you feel it: the tiniest shift. He leans in. One hand—just one—lands gently at your waist.

It’s not a full hug. It’s not even half a hug.

It’s 0.5 seconds of fragile vulnerability.

Then he pulls back and growls “Don’t make a big deal out of it.” …But his ears are pink. And he doesn’t move away from you for the rest of the day.

Later that week, you find a ration bar left on your bunk. It’s the good flavor.

Written in Sharpie on the wrapper: "Since you like touching people. Here's something to touch your mouth." (he tried)

Echo

Echo is a man held together by trauma, stubbornness, and like...two screws and a charging port.

You hug Echo and it’s like hugging a haunted vending machine with trust issues.

He doesn’t react at first. Just stiffens. Hard. Like his brain didn’t even register this as an available interaction option.

“...Why?” he asks, very quietly. Not suspicious. Not annoyed. Just… genuinely confused. Like he doesn’t think people do that to him anymore.

You say, “Because you deserve it.” And he. Short circuits.

It’s all in the eyes. That distant, shell-shocked clone stare goes soft. And sad. You get half a breath of “I don’t—” before his voice goes hoarse and he just leans in.

One arm—cold metal, whirring servos—wraps around you. The other presses tight, his hand fisting in the back of your shirt like he’s scared you’ll vanish.

His forehead rests on your shoulder. You feel him exhale. And it’s the sound of a man finally letting go of a weight he’s carried since the Citadel.

When he pulls back, his face is unreadable. But he says “...Thanks,” with such quiet, aching sincerity it wrecks you for 48 hours.

The next time you get hurt, Echo’s at your side before the medic droid.

He doesn’t hug you again right away. But he touches your shoulder now. Bumps your arm. Stays close.

Then one day—randomly, silently—he hugs you first. No words. Just that same warm, quiet grip. Like saying: I’m still here. And so are you.

Omega

YOU HUG OMEGA??

SHE SHRIEKS WITH GLEE AND TACKLES YOU LIKE A TINY STAR-WARS THEMED KOALA.

“HUG TIME!!!”

Wraps every limb around you like she’s a baby monkey and you’re a tree.

Refuses to let go for 10 minutes. It’s warm. It’s pure. It’s the most healing hug in galactic history.

Immediately declares you her “hug buddy.”

Makes you a friendship bracelet with “❤️ HUGS THUGS 4 LIFE ❤️” on it.

Tries to get the rest of the squad to join in. “Group hug! Come on! HUNTAH YOU’RE NOT TA COOL FOR LOVE.”

Eventually becomes hug ambassador. Sneak attacks everyone until the whole squad is touch-positive.

Hunter now does “the forehead touch.” Wrecker hugs everyone at breakfast. Tech nods politely and lets her sit in his lap. Crosshair lets her hug him while muttering “don’t tell anyone.”

🧸 BONUS: Bad Batch Group Hug™

You say “GROUP HUG” and Wrecker YEETS HIMSELF AT YOU FIRST.

Omega screams “YESSSS!!” and jumps on like a koala.

Tech mutters “Oh no it’s happening again” and gets absorbed into the chaos.

Crosshair stands two meters away looking like a feral cat. But you hold out your hand and he sighs, grumbles, and slinks in like he’s being drafted into a cult.

It’s warm. It’s slightly sweaty. Someone’s armor is digging into your hip. But everyone’s breathing slows down. There’s peace.