#silbings

“Having a family portrait done is not going to kill you.”

“It might.”

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Omega says, clapping her hands on the table as she stands up. “Go change so you can help me wrestle Batcher into her sweater.” 

Crosshair gapes. “Batcher?” 

“Yes!” Omega cries, exasperated. 

“I am not matching with Batcher.” 

“Yes, we all are.” 

“Make me.”

Crosshair glares at his reflection in the mirror. The sweater is garish, bright colors and - ugh - fun. 

“It’s very…Pabu,” Hunter had said tactfully when Omega introduced the monstrosities a week ago. 

Omega beamed. “Good! That’s what I was hoping for.” 

Any disdainful comment had withered and died on Crosshair’s tongue. 

“Aww, don’t you look handsome, Cross,” Wrecker booms from the bedroom door. 

Crosshair levels his brother a look from the mirror’s reflection. Wrecker is crammed into an identical, hideous sweater. And there’s going to be permanent evidence of this monstrosity forever. What were they thinking? This was a terrible idea. 

“Fix your face before Omega sees.” 

Crosshair’s gaze slides to the intruder at Wrecker’s elbow. He won’t admit he’s missed the reg, but his eyeroll says it for him. “Omega got you a sweater too.” 

Echo grins. “Oh, I helped pick them.”

“You didn’t.” 

“I did. With you in mind.”

Wrecker laughs, clapping a hand to Echo’s shoulder. “Nice one!” 

Echo’s smile deepens, a genuine warmth there that manages to melt through Crosshair’s icy annoyance. 

“Nothing? No comeback? No retort?” Echo asks, chuckling. “I think I broke him.”

Crosshair shrugs. “I’m just surprised Omega came to you for fashion advice.”

Echo rolls his eyes. “And there it is.” 

Crosshair tugs at the hem of the sweater. “But really, why this?” 

“Our armor.”

Crosshair looks down, and sees it. Colors from their past. Clone Force 99, the 501st, the 212th.

Kriff. 

Were these ugly sweaters actually gonna make him cry now?

“I miss our old armor sometimes,” Wrecker says, brushing a finger over the knitted color of crimson paint. “Don’t you?” 

Crosshair swallows, turning away to hide the karking tears burning at his eyes. He feigns interest in a knickknack on his dresser. “Maybe…we should repaint it. What’s left of it.”

“We should!” Wrecker crows enthusiastically, “It’ll be just like the good ol’ days.” 

But it won’t be. Not exactly. Those days were before the war showed its true colors, before their family had broken apart and got pieced back together. 

Crosshair doesn’t say any of those things. “Yeah, it will.” 

A/N: This is the final product of the 10 prompt sandwich I challenged myself to...I wrote 50 word sections based on winning prompt votes, choose-your-own-adventure-style! Thanks to everyone who voted and made this story possible 🫶

Prompts (In order of use) | Bonus Prompt 4: "Do you know what today is?" | Week 7: Family Portrait | Week 10: "Make me." | Bonus Prompt 3: Pabu Culture | Week 5: "In retrospect, this was a bad idea." | Bonus Prompt 10: Reunion | Week 11: "I think I broke something." | Week 10: Clone Culture | Week 8: "Do you ever miss it?" | Week 11: A Call from the Past