#bad batch howzer

senator fem reader warnings: none

bodyguard!hunter who finds you taking a breather on an empty balcony away from the party, his footsteps heavy and hurried to come up behind you. he touches the small of your back, radiating warmth against your slightly shivering body. “i was lookin’ everywhere for you,” he murmurs, dipping his head to kiss your shoulder. you turn your face to the side, toward him, and smile. “i was hoping you would,” you tell him softly. he leans in close. “oh, yeah, pretty girl?” he smirks, “what for?”and chuckles low under his breath as his lips collide with yours.

bodyguard!tech who deems anyone that makes him jealous “a threat to your safety.” you get a moment alone with him in between conversations, telling him, “you know, i think you’re overestimating my prospects.” he raises his eyebrows. “i assume you mean professional prospects, otherwise, i might have misunderstood the real reason you’re here.” you laugh. “i’m just teasing you,” you whisper, kissing him on the cheek. he glances at you before pressing his lips to yours. “what was that for?” you ask. “returning the favor,” he murmurs back.

bodyguard!wrecker who spends the entire night looking all mean and scary on your behalf, but you know his sweet side is just waiting to be set free again. he lifts you up bridal style on the way to your ride home, laughing loudly. “you’ve been in those heels all day, baby, let me help you out a little,” he says, nuzzling his nose into your temple. you giggle and wind your arms around his neck. “what are you gonna do if someone sees?” you whisper. he steals a quick kiss to your mouth, grinning wide at your surprise. “that’ll be unlucky for them…”

bodyguard!crosshair who stares at you for a little too long as you’re coming out of the bathroom, his lips curving in a subtle smile. you glance up at him and ask, “what?” while skimming your touch over your face, thinking there’s something on it. he shakes his head slowly and presses his thumb to your bottom lip, rubbing it against his index finger to feel the stained lipstick. he takes you by the chin and kisses you softly, making sure to smudge the red color on your lips on purpose. “hey, i just fixed that,” you scowl at him. “oops,” he says sarcastically.

bodyguard!echo who notices when you need a break even though you think you’re good at hiding your overwhelmed feelings to yourself. he guides you outside with a firm hand on the small of your back, watching you through solemn eyes as you inhale the fresh air. “better?” he asks in a low voice. you smile and sigh, “i’m sorry, i know you hate how fake this all is.” he furrows his eyebrows and presses his lips together, slowly reaching to tilt your chin up toward him. his gaze softens. he kisses you quick and gentle. “this is real, though,” he murmurs.

bodyguard!wolffe who is superrr good at making his presence large but silent. you specifically told him not to get all “wolffe-style” overprotective tonight, but his jaw clenches when he sees things that he doesn’t like; people getting too close, too comfortable. he snuffs out their intentions, his hand coming down on your hip with a gentle squeeze as he brings his lips to your ear. “walk away before we have a problem,” he warns. you drift from the conversation, waiting until you’re in a quiet hallway to snap, “you act like i can’t handle myself.” his gaze is stern and cold as he replies, “i’m here to handle you.” you fold your arms over your chest. “no, you’re here to keep me safe. not mark your territory all over me.” he steps closer and grabs your chin, scowling deeply. “they don’t get to put their hands all over you,” he says, kissing you hard and slow.

bodyguard!fox who hates nothing more than being trapped surrounded by a bunch of fancy senators all in one place. he cocks his head to the side when you hold a drink up to him in an empty corridor. “oh, i think you’ve had enough of that tonight,” he mutters. you shake your head. “it’s for you,” you tell him, “since you’re in such a bad mood.” he chuckles drily. “y’know how to make it better…” you roll your eyes and look around briefly before kissing him fast, gasping when his hand comes around your waist to pull you closer, kissing you deeper.

bodyguard!cody who is confidently entertained by all of the people staring at you. you glance over at him in question when he snickers under his breath. he shakes his head, staying quiet, but the amusement remains lit in his dark gaze while waiting for you to finish another conversation, watching you hurry over toward him. “i don’t like that look,” you say suspiciously. he smiles and looks over your shoulder before drawing you close. “seems they all adore you,” he murmurs, stealing a featherlight kiss to your lips, “…it’s too bad you’re already spoken for…”

bodyguard!mayday who mutters, “careful,” under his breath when someone nearly bumps into you, expertly steering you out of the way. you keep your lips as pursed as possible and whisper, “you look more like my boyfriend than my guard.” he chuckles a deep, amused sound under his breath and stops you in an empty corridor, leaning heavy against the wall. “boyfriend, huh?” he says slowly, “has a nice ring to it…” you roll your eyes and try to walk past him, but he grabs your hips and pulls you close, slanting his mouth over yours hungrily.

bodyguard!rex who guides you into a dark hallway with a firm hand on your waist, whispering, “c’mere for a second…” in your ear. “what…?” you gasp softly. he shushes you and fixes the strap of your dress, having noticed it slide down. his hand rubs and caresses down your shoulder, drawing you a bit closer. “have i told you how beautiful you look tonight?” he murmurs. you lean forward and reply, “is that what you dragged me here for?” he shakes his head, closing the distance between your lips with a low, deep sigh. “no, i dragged you here for this…”

bodyguard!fives who raps his knuckles against the bathroom wall as you fix yourself up inside, rolling your eyes at the sound of his impatience. “i’m comin’ in if you don’t open up,” he says in a deep, humorous tone, but you know he’s telling the truth. you reach for the control panel, inhaling sharply when the door slides open, and you come face to face with him. “i told you to wait,” you hiss. he grins at your scowling expression, cupping the back of your head to pull you into a rough, slow kiss. “you were taking too long,” he mutters low, walking you back inside.

bodyguard!kix who sees you getting tired and drags you out to get some fresh air, his gaze worried. “you’ve been on your feet all night,” he says softly, lightly running his fingertips up and down your arm. you shiver with goosebumps from his touch, leaning in closer to him for warmth. “it’s nothing, kix, really,” you reassure him, thinking about all the actually worse things he’s probably seen on the field. he seems to read your mind and shakes his head, kissing your forehead before cupping your face gingerly and kissing your mouth. “just take it easy…”

bodyguard!jesse who is helping you get a stain out of your dress in the bathroom after someone spilled wine all over it, his figure kneeled to the ground before you as he shakes his head. “should’ve let me at ‘em for being so clumsy around you…” he grumbles, his hotheaded anger still simmering dangerously. “jesse, it’s fine,” you tell him, “besides, i get an excuse to stay holed up in here with you…” he glances up at your words, smiling softly. “aw, c’mere,” he murmurs, tugging you down for a kiss, his arms coming around you to cradle you against him.

bodyguard!hardcase who gets antsy standing still at your side while tuning out a boring, diplomatic conversation. you both go outside to get some air, resting lazily on an empty balcony as he draws in a long breath and says, “dunno how you sit through these things…” you glance at him apologetically. “i’m sorry for roping you into this.” he shakes his head and wraps his arm around your waist like he doesn’t care about who could be watching. “that’s okay, baby,” he ducks his head to kiss you, smiling against your lips. “invite me to the next one, yeah?”

bodyguard!gregor who sees tonight as a free date with you, only, you barely get to talk to him at all to his dismay. he pouts at you in the mirror as he stands behind you, muttering, “you’re too busy hanging out with your fancy friends, huh?” you roll your eyes and turn around, walking up to him with your hands running down his chest slowly. “you get through the next hour and i promise i’ll make it up to you…” you tease him in a low, soft tone that lights his eyes up. his hands circle your waist as he kisses you sweetly. “whatever you say, gorgeous.”

bodyguard!howzer who looks a little uncertain while you straighten out the collar of his dress shirt in the bathroom. his fingers flex around your hips nervously. “they’ll be looking for you,” he says, squeezing you softly, “better get out of here soon.” you press your finger to his mouth and shake your head. “they can entertain each other just fine,” you tell him, “let me have you to myself a little longer.” he takes your hand away from his lips and tugs you closer, smirking slightly. “oh, i’m all yours,” he murmurs, smiling as he kisses you deep and slow.

bodyguard!emerie who looks like your harmless advisor to other people, but she’s been protecting you for a while now. “you look bored,” she says as both of you stand on the chilly rooftop. “it’s not so bad when you’re around,” you tease. she rolls her eyes, relaxing when you lean your head against her shoulder and sigh. her thumb rubs your waist, pausing as you look back up at her, your faces almost touching. “what are you waiting for?” you whisper. she hesitates but leans in slowly, closing the distance with a soft kiss you both melt into.

Forget accurate timelines, in this house we die like men.

Valérie & Howzer, during a moment of peace amidst chaos…

(As featured in Meet Me in the Woods||Chapter 2: Secret Meeting, written by @legacygirlingreen )

(Valérie belongs to @legacygirlingreen)

Summary at the bottom because I like to go on.

Things we know for sure about clones and Fox and the Corries in the strictest canon sense (which ain't a lot):

1. They are stationed on Coruscant.

That is definitional, now remember what Coruscant is.

2. They have no Jedi in charge of the Guard, they report directly to Palpatine.

Although I adore the fanon that Quinlan Vos is their Jedi, it’s not canon.

3. Clones love their brothers dearly.

That is almost without exception, even the clones we see acting against the Republic (hi Slick) at least believe they were acting in their brother’s interests.

4. They seem to accrue extra responsibilities as the war goes on, up to the point of being the ones we see Palpatine with in ROTS.

Even if they don’t, the idea of a law enforcement/military unit answerable only to Palpatine is a shit idea. There’s reasons people worry about accountability in real life, and sneaky little shits who act all nice and innocent at first but eventually show their true colors once they have power in the bag is one of them.

These are all very obvious.

In very short terms, it's very likely Palpatine uses the Coruscant Guard to sow public dissatisfaction.

And all those that hate Fox fall for it by proxy, because I think you're essentially seeing of him (and the Guard, and by extension the clones) what Palpatine wants the public to see and think of clones.

The Coruscant Guard are probably the most consistently accessible and visible of the clones in the galaxy to its biggest cultural and political hub. Most of the time the 501st or 212th or any other seems to drop in, fights a battle, and apparently fucks off afterwards? Obviously, planets like Ryloth have a stronger personal connection--some GAR contingent seem to have been there practically the whole damn war and Howzer was obviously very familiar with the Syndullas, and they with him (and look how personable Howzer is, and how quickly and somehow easily he extricates himself from the rationale clones held about their orders; maybe it makes sense to think of it like how leaving your little hometown where everybody thinks the same affects a person)--but otherwise I feel like the clones, to the rest of the galaxy, are (expensive) theoretical constructs.

The vast majority of the public aren't likely to have any personal experience with a clone, let alone a develop personal rapport with one, unless they happen to go to specific places like 79s where they can be found, and that still doesn't necessarily lend itself to extended relationships since most of the clone patrons would only be on Coruscant temporarily. Some fics portray clones as being refused entrance to establishments (especially later in the war when people were protesting clones themselves) or restricted in where they can go (like grocery stores, etc.). I think that's plausible, even realistic--but it doesn't seem to be a focus of canon aside from showing some protests so I'll let it alone.

What we know of that IS canon is that clones aren't allowed to even think about having families or doing anything with their lives besides being soldiers (even though all of them have thought about it, even just secretly; I'd wager that all of them have secret dreams they don't share); it's against regulations as we see with Cut Lawquane in season one of TCW. So to effect this, clones are probably actively or passively discouraged from forming close friendly relationships with anyone who isn't a clone and who they have no reason to be speaking with—aka most people besides Jedi (and if the fanon can be believed, if decommissioning/euthanization is a concern, they would have the motivation to avoid even the perception of such a relationship). Obviously there are going to be exceptions, but you can scrutinize a stable population a lot better than an itinerant one.

The point is, if your only tangible frame of reference is a rigid hall monitor that doesn't demonstrate much of a personality (even though clones have real, complex personal lives beneath that surface) and is behind a faceless mask--and we see so little of the Guard that what exists of their personalities is, let's be real, nearly all fanon--then you never really have a chance to acquire a sense of their humanity, and a strict enforcement of regulations tends to breed resentment in a population for whom strict adherence to regulations isn’t normalized. There will be cultural differences in play.

This is not the clones' fault, they neither asked to be created nor put into this position, they’re only doing what they’ve been asked to do, but it plays directly into Palpatine's goals.

Moving on.

Sure, the Guard answers to Palpatine in the chain of command, and we see them actively serving him in ROTS, but Palpatine definitely isn't doing shit for fuck for the Guard's administration in a daily sense, so Fox basically runs that whole bitch by himself in every practical sense--a clone, with no rights of his own, considered property, in a situation increasingly hostile to him and his.

Now let's think about the clones we see: as far as we can tell, clones' social lives are largely insular. They mostly see and talk to each other, and that's not necessarily by nefarious design (as discussed above), that's just what happens (military people tend to hang out with other military people, that’s just how it is; you’ll spend most of your day around other military people, most likely stationed in a place you’re not so familiar with that it’s easy to do anything else). Remember: we as viewers get access and insight that people in-universe don't.

And, significantly:

The Corries do not have a Jedi. The Jedi see value in their lives beyond their merely being expendable, faceless, and unthinkingly obedient droids wearing flesh, this point was made multiple times--and the Jedi are able to walk the line between orders and the bigger picture, which rubs off on the men they lead. Go watch Nala Se’s (bitch can catch these hands) comments about the Jedi’s influence on the clones when she’s speaking to Dooku.

I can see leaving the Corries without a Jedi being another saccharine, oh-so-magnanimous moment from Palpatine (he has so many of these) in the vein of expressing confidence in the clones' capability and in being very undemanding of the Jedi, in order to “free up” Jedi (whom he so totally trusts) to fight the war…but in effect leaving the Guard without anyone familiar with Coruscant and equipped to play referee with the environment and peoples they're bound to serve, and with no one batting in their corner or showing them any other way to exist and think.

On a side note:

Fox is an interesting clone commander anyway, not least because he doesn't have a Jedi to bounce off of. In a sense, whether or not Fox had his chip activated, we’re probably seeing how a clone commander was originally going to behave on their own initiative: see problem, address problem, think no more deeply than that. The Kaminoans did not want creative thinking in the clones. The clones were trained to fight the enemy they’re pointed at with singleminded intent, it stands to reason that that straightforward directness would transfer to other instances which might have been more kindly served by a different mindset. Their mindset isn’t even like a real life military where you’re still obligated to think about the nature of what you’re ordered to do—just following orders hasn’t been a valid defense since 1945.

TBH I've got a lot to say about fandom, the fetishization of actual violence through the lionization of fictional violence (although I don't think that fictional violence breeds actual violence; rather, I think people who were already interested in it go looking for things they think reflect their beliefs), and why we even have war crimes as a concept (and the absolute ignorance perpetrated by an increasingly illiterate populace), but...

I digress.

You cannot claim to have sympathy for clones without acknowledging their humanity and that includes for the ones who didn’t have the chance to grow beyond the limitations built around them. It was awful that Fox killed Fives, but it’s a tragedy like so much else in this franchise, not proof that Fox is awful. Part of the horror of what we see everyone go through in clone wars is how many times Palpatine’s plans almost derail but it never happens.

If your complaint is that Fox didn’t think any more deeply than what was right in front of him in the moment, remember that that’s exactly what’s been expected of Fox and all other clones: obey orders, and it’s not their role to determine what those orders are. Abstractions are for those who are not expendable, made to die. Orders are orders, and good soldiers do what again? He quite literally all but says “my opinion doesn’t matter” when he tells Ahsoka that he doesn’t blame her for (apparently) killing Letta, but she’s under arrest anyway.

Fox is put in a position of having to wield authority in a very different way than any other clone commander, has no direct support from or evident collaboration with the one group of people who generally see clones as living beings worthy of compassion, and deals with the public while having been trained to lead a war campaign. His is a war of attrition, not dropping in on a planet and fighting a battle, and he’s responsible specifically to Palpatine, who is literally the big bad. Fanon tends to think that Palpatine either activated his chip early or tortured him; honestly either one tracks, it's Palpatine after all--and in two major instances, we don't see what Palpatine says, to Fives or to Fox--but the fucker is a masterful manipulator so anything and everything is still on the table.

But in the midst of all this, because clones aren’t unthinking or unfeeling, and the dissonance is tragic but not absent:

Clones do give a shit about their brothers. Fox is no exception; he's audibly upset when he asserts that Ahsoka killed three troopers. And the immediate order to shoot to kill is pragmatic--he only issues it after he believes she was willing to kill clones to escape. That’s a fair order; if she’s willing to kill clones as he believes she did, then his men should at least be able to defend themselves as well as they can. See issue, address issue.

I mean. Shit, he doesn’t stick around after he shot Fives; we see his face once and that is not a triumphant posture. If he wanted to gloat or be an asshole about it he had the chance. Rex probably would've gone for the throat, but he had the chance.

The way he dies also suggests this. He could have thrown somebody else under the bus--called the men who fired on Vader defective, shifted blame somewhere else, somehow. He did not. There was one thing Fox ever had control over in his life, and that was how much he let anyone else take the fall. Hell, his answer wasn't even that bad, but Anakin (who is on my permanent shit list for not putting two and two together from the Sifo-Dyas reveal and what Fives told him earlier) probably did have it out for him, because Vader is an asshole. He's a Sith, it comes with the territory.

So, to summarize:

Clones are trained from decanting to do as they're told regardless of their personal feelings, and Fox in nearly so many words states that he acts regardless of his personal feelings. He is not likely to be in a position where he's shown a different way to behave, or interact with anyone that does anything but reinforce that expectation.

(Side note, I feel like Palpatine would have a great time tormenting Fox by sending him off to do shit he personally disagrees with but is technically correct according to the letter of the law..................)

Fox essentially is on his own in an environment unlike what most clone commanders deal with that he probably wasn't trained to understand much of (cultural understanding is important); it's rather likely the Guard hews very close to their training because of that. They'll stick to what's familiar and what's expected of them as they understand it. That is a very normal human response.

Leaving the Corries without a Jedi means that, as well as lacking anyone who sees them as individuals worth more the money it cost to make them and who treats them as such, they lack a go-between and likely familiarity with the population they're policing but are subordinate to, legally speaking, as clones are seen as government property, not people. This is going to breed resentment; somebody is going to bitch that no clone has the right to do bla bla bla.

The vast majority of the galaxy is going to take cues from Coruscant whether they like admitting it or not. If Coruscant has a bad impression of clones, then the vast majority of the galaxy—for whom the clones are (expensive) theoretical constructs—will have a bad impression of clones. Clones may not be in a position to pursue close relationships with someone not in their near orbit, and may be likely to actually avoid them because of regulations.

The vast majority of the galaxy would likely see them as unthinking, rigid hall monitors (whereas non-clone troopers, stormtroopers, think for ourselves and we wouldn’t act that way..........).

|❤️ = Romantic | 🌶️= smut or smut implied |🏡= platonic |

The Bad Batch

- x Jedi Reader “About time you showed up” 🏡

- x Reader “permission to feel” 🏡

- x Fem!Reader “ours” ❤️/🏡

- x Fem!Reader “Seconds”🏡

- x Fem!Reader “undercover temptation” 🌶️

- x reader “Say that again?”❤️

- x reader “Echoes in Dust” ❤️🏡

- x Reader “Secrets in the Shadow”

- “The Scent of Home”🏡

- Helmet Chaos ❤️🏡

- “Dark Water” series 🏡

- “Another Day” 🏡❤️

Hunter

- x Mandalorian Reader pt.1❤️

- x Mandalorian Reader pt. 2❤️

- x Pabu Reader❤️

- x reader “good looking”❤️

- x reader “Ride” 🌶️

- x reader “What is that smell”❤️

- x Plus sized reader “All the parts of you” ❤️

- x Reader “Flower Tactics” ❤️

- “Tuned In”❤️

Tech

- x mechanic reader ❤️

- x Jedi Reader “uncalculated variables”❤️

- x Reader “Theoretical Feelings” ❤️

- x Reader “Statistical Probability of Love” ❤️

- x Reader “Sweet Circuits” ❤️

- x Reader “you talk too much (and I like it)”❤️

- x Fem reader “Recalibration” 🌶️

- x Jealous Reader “More than Calculations”❤️

- x Reader “There are other ways”

-“Exactly Us” ❤️

- “The Fall Doesn’t End You” 🏡/❤️

- “Heat Index” ❤️

- “Terminally Yours” ❤️

- “Measured in Heartbeats” ❤️

- “Curious Case of Space Germs” ❤️

Wrecker

- x Shop keeper reader❤️

- x Reader “I wanna wreck our friendship”❤️

- x Reader “Grumpy Hearts and Sunshine Shoulders”❤️

- x reader “Big enough to hold you”❤️

- x Torguta Reader “The Sound of Your Voice”❤️

- “Heart of the Wreckage” ❤️

Echo

- x Senator!Reader❤️

- x reader “safe with you”❤️

- “Operation: Stay Forever” ❤️

Crosshair

- x reader “The Stillness Between Waves❤️

- x reader “just like the rest”❤️

- x Fem!Reader “Right on Target” 🌶️

- “Sharp Eyes” ❤️

- “Classified Feline: Operation Purrfect Secret” 🏡/❤️

“Shadow of a Shadow” 🏡

Captain Howzer

- x Twi’lek Reader “Quiet Rebellion”❤️

- “A safe place to fall” ❤️

- “Only the Stars Know” ❤️