#katrin oc

“Are you sure you know how to work that?” came General Kenobi’s voice from the other room.

Katrin huffed and laid her ears flat against her head, stuffing the beaters into their correct slots. “Yes, Obi! I know what I'm doing!”

Jesse covered his mouth to conceal his snicker. Katrin glared up at him, her ears still flattened against her head in anger. She just looked too cute when she was angry.

“Don’t laugh at me.”

“I'm not. I promise.” Jesse kissed her forehead and rubbed the spot behind her ears he knew she liked.

That seemed to placate her for a while. Her ears returned to their resting upright position, only for them to shoot forward in surprise as the machine turned on and whirred faster than what was necessary to mix a cake. Jesse looked up and saw the shocked expression on Echo’s face he knew he also had as they both backed away from the machine. Jesse heard General Kenobi sigh.

“Everything is under control,” Katrin murmured, Jesse knew mostly to herself, and turned the speed of the machine down. “Nothing to worry about.”

Everything was eventually under control, and soon the cake was mixed and poured into the pan. Katrin put it in the oven and set the timer. Jesse held the bowl and was already licking it clean.

“I call a beater!” yelled Fives, scrambling to the mixer as Katrin released them.

“I call the other one!” Echo shouted, quickly taking the other beater.

“hey, jes’, can you give me a hand with this?”

when he was met with silence, kix turned around, finding jesse staring off where the generals sat at the opposite end of the camp. he rolled his eyes and swatted his brother on the shoulder.

“you’ll stare a hole into her shirt if you keep lookin’ at her like that,” kix said, throwing one of the supply packs at him. “make yourself useful and help me carry these to the safe point.”

jesse sighed, sparing one last glance over his shoulder before he followed kix to the site.

“what’s up with you anyway?” kix asked. “two days ago you seemed to be fine, but now you act like a lovesick tooka around her all the time.”

jesse sighed again. “it’s nothing.”

kix rolled his eyes again, setting down his pack at the spot katrin had said would be safe for it; a small alcove that could be easily covered by another large rock, so no creatures could get it. “uh, huh, sure. like i’m going to fall for that.” kix sat down on the ground next to their pile, and looked up at jesse, who kicked at the ground. “c’mon, i’m your vod! you can tell me.”

“what are we telling?” hardcase said, coming up behind them with his own pack. he plopped down beside kix, handing him a ration bar.

“jes’ here has a case of the lovesickness,” kix said, taking a bite out of his bar.

jesse scowled at him, throwing his ration bar wrapper at him. “i do not!”

hardcase snickered and kix rolled his eyes. “hey, c’mon,” kix said gently, lightly punching jesse in the shoulder. “not talking about it is just gonna make it worse. we promise we won’t tell.”

hardcase nodded. “yeah, vod, this is really eating at you. my lips are sealed.”

jesse finally plopped down on the ground next to them, twisting his lips in a grimace. “i don’t know, i just....” he trailed off before sighing once again. “what if she doesn’t like me the same way?”

kix paused before answering, shooting a glance at hardcase, who gave him the same puzzled glance.

“i mean,” jesse continued. “why would she love any of us? we’re just clones. identical. expendable.”

kix shuffled closer to jesse so he could wrap his arm around jesse’s shoulders. “jes’ listen to me. i know she thinks so much more than that of us, of you. there’s something there that makes you special, and i know that’s what she sees.”

jesse looked up at him, his eyes full of sadness, yet hope. “you think so?”

kix nodded, offering him a small smile. “yeah. you’re just too much of an oblivious idiot to see it.”

jesse gave him a rueful smile before chewing at his lip. “i just don’t know what to do.”

“just take it one step at a time, yeah?” kix offered, scratching his brother’s head. “me an’ ‘case will always be here for you if you need us. just don’t make an ass of yourself.”

jesse grinned at him and shoved him to the ground. “you’re a karking di’kut.”