A/N: Happy Holidays, everyone! And if you don't celebrate anything, I hope you had a great time regardless.  I wanted to make something cute and fluffy for the holidays so here's my gift to you. There's no warnings for this one, just the fluffiest thing I could think of. 

I do celebrate Christmas, so a lot of the traditions may reflect that. I hope that's not an issue in any way. I hope you enjoy and I'll see you next year. Be safe, everyone!

"What?!" You exclaimed, your wide eyes meeting Wrecker's. The large clone shrugged from where he sat across the cockpit.

"We don't exactly have the time for it." He said. You blinked at him.

"Surely you do SOMETHING." You pressed, casting your gaze over the group. None of them seemed bothered, making your apparent shock all the worse. It was Tech who answered you, adjusting his glasses and meeting your gaze.

"Is that so strange?" He began. "The Republic would be left vulnerable if it allowed the GAR leave on Life Day. If anything, defenses are increased to ensure stability throughout the holiday." Hunter grunted at this.

"You can't put it past the Separatists to launch an attack on Life Day. It's too risky." The Sergeant stated.

"Besides, are we really missing out on all that much?" Said Crosshair as he removed a chewed toothpick from his mouth. Your expression fell at this.

"I would say so. There's a lot to enjoy about Life Day; Time with family and friends, good food, music." You listed. Wrecker nodded his head toward the rest of the Batch.

"I mean, we've got nothing BUT time with family." He pointed out.

"And the rest sounds like meaningless fluff." Crosshair said as he flicked the toothpick expertly into a wastebasket. You knit your brow together.

"There's a difference between spending time with family and dedicating a whole day to appreciating each other." You responded. "Especially since, most of the time, you guys are risking your lives. It's... not right. Do you at least put decorations up or listen to Life Day music?"

"I don't believe decorating is a valuable use of Republic-funded time and resources." Tech replied. "And we've never really bothered tuning in to a Life Day channel."

"Well, since we'll be parked at Coruscant for a few days, we should make some plans." You offered. Hunter gazed at you warmly.

"That sounds nice, but we aren't on leave. We have to be available for immediate action at all times, so we won't be able to leave the Temple. At least, not without clearance from a commander." He informed you.

"And that isn't very likely." Crosshair added. Every word they said made your heart dip further and further. You supposed you couldn't blame them for feeling indifferent. They were never given the opportunity to celebrate Life Day.

At the thought of this, an idea took shape. You leaned back in your seat and gazed at the spiraling streaks of hyperspace. Clone Force 99 was currently heading back to Coruscant for a standard mission report, meaning Commander Cody would be present. And since they'd sustained some damage on one of their recent missions, some repairs needed to be done. Tech had estimated that they would probably be there for a week. And five days in, was Life Day. This gave you the tiniest window to put something together for the Batch. Perhaps the GAR wouldn't allow their troops to celebrate Life Day. Perhaps the war wouldn't allow them to. But you're going to bring the most of the holiday to them that you can.

As the ship dropped out of hyperspace and drifted into the Temple hangar, the wheels in your head began turning. You kept a neutral expression when the ramp lowered and Clone Force Ninety-Nine made their way out of the Marauder. You trailed after them, breaking off for the mess hall for a 'quick bite' while they went to give their report. You were sure to bump into some 212th soldiers in the mess. Sure enough, you were greeted with the familiar orange markings of Kenobi's troops. You drew your gaze over them, finally landing on one soldier who wasn't too preoccupied. He was standing in line, tray in hand, while examining a blaster mark in his shoulder pad. He had the standard trooper haircut with a mustache that went down to his jawline. You approached him with a wave when you caught his gaze.

"Hello." You greeted him. "Are you busy?" He straightened up some with a shake of his head.

"No, ma'am. Just waiting for some grub." He replied. "Is there something I can help you with?" You gave him a nod.

"I was actually hoping I could talk to your commander. Do you know when he'd have a minute?" You said. The trooper took a second to think, furrowing his brow some.

"Well, currently he's receiving a mission report. After that, he has a meeting with the general..." He muttered before returning his gaze to yours. "He's got a pretty tight schedule, but you might be able to catch him for a second while he supervises the ship inspections. Should be around nineteen-hundred hours. Hangar Fifteen." You gave the soldier a grin.

"Thank you, Trooper." You said. He returned your smile.

"Call me Boil." He responded. You dipped your head at this.

"Well, Boil, I appreciate your time." With a wave goodbye to the soldier, you made your way out of the mess.

***

It had been about three hours since your conversation with the trooper when you stepped into Hangar Fifteen. You stiffened a bit at the sight of it. It was bustling. Soldiers were loading up equipment with massive cranes into the immense Venator-Class Shuttles that were parked outside. Meanwhile, smaller fighters were being tuned by mechanics as inspectors ran tests on a variety of ships. You were beginning to wonder if you would ever be able to find Cody in the chaos.

However, luck was on your side tonight. It was a Life Day miracle that your gaze landed on the Commander almost instantly. He was standing in the center of the towering hangar, his helmet tucked under his arm as he engaged in conversation with another soldier. The scarred side of his face was turned toward you, helping you pick him out in a blink. You perked up with excitement but waited patiently for him to finish his conversation before approaching him.

"Commander!" You shouted just as he turned to leave. He stopped in his tracks, tossing his gaze about in search of who called him, when his brown eyes landed on you. You could see him cock a brow at the sight of your approach. "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure. What is it?" He asked when you came to a stop in front of him. You froze at the sight of the commander. Now that you were looking at him up close, you could see that he was exhausted. Despite the attentive look in his eyes, they were glazed with weariness. There was engine grease on his lower leg and the small flashlight on the side of his helmet was broken. He must've had a long day. Your request was simple, but you hoped you weren't putting any strain on the overworked soldier.

"I had a request. Do you have anything planned for Clone Force Ninety-Nine while they're here?" You questioned.

"Not at the moment. But I can't say something won't come up." Said Cody. "Why?"

"Could you give them something to do? It doesn't have to be anything in particular, just something to keep them out of the hangar for a couple days." You answered him. He threw his eyebrows up before knitting them together.

"What are you up to?" He asked.

"Huh? I'm-I'm not up to anything." You said. Cody crossed his arms with a smirk.

"You're not the type to throw extra work on others. What are you trying to keep them from?" He responded. You let out a breath, tossing your gaze away as you brushed a hand over the back of your neck.

"I... I want to plan a surprise for them."

"And what exactly did you have in mind?" Cody pressed. You told Cody the brief rundown of what you wanted to do. You thought maybe he would refuse to help, seeing such an effort as a waste of time. Instead, a gentle light shone in his eyes.

"That's kind of you, doc." He said. "I suppose I could lend a hand. In more ways than one." It was your turn to raise an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

***

"Did we piss off the Commander somehow?!" Wrecker complained as he helped Tech weld the damages on a 212th fighter. "This kind of work is for maintenance staff!"

"Stow it." Hunter huffed while he examined the contents of a supply crate.

"He's right." Crosshair growled from where he stood, inspecting some weapons. "This isn't standard work."

"It isn't uncommon for Republic soldiers to do this kind of labor to stay ahead of schedule. And it would certainly be more tolerable without your complaining." Tech sighed as he touched up some frayed plating.

"Maybe when they're short on staff. And only for their own equipment." Wrecker said as he stepped away to load up a crate. "Why have we been helping the Regs for five days straight? When have they ever done this kind of thing for us? It's not right."

"Look, I don't know why the Commander assigned us these jobs, but there's no use complaining about it." Hunter said. "Let's just focus on getting the work done." Silence fell after that and, before long, the last of the work was finished up. Hunter led the others toward the door when it slid open, Commander Cody stepping out to greet them. They were all quick to stand at attention.

"At ease, boys." He said with a wave of his hand as he approached. "I was hoping I'd catch you before you finished up here."

"What do you have for us, Commander?" Hunter asked, his tone respectful.

"I took a look around your ship and there's something I figured you should check out." He replied. They all exchanged a couple glances at this as Cody led the way toward their hangar. When they stepped through the door, their gaze fell on you as you leaned beside the ramp, warm light flowing from it. You gave them a smile and a wave. Instead of your normal medical uniform, you were wearing festive civvies. Hunter paused for a second, making the others stop as well.

"Do I hear music?" He asked. "Commander, what exactly is going on?"

"That's for you boys to find out." Cody said without stopping. The group exchanged another chain of glances as the Commander paused by the ramp to talk to you.

"This is weird." Wrecker grunted as they continued. They made their way up the stairs and, one by one, came to an abrupt halt. None of them had quite expected this. The ship's radio was tuned into a Life Day channel and holiday music gently filled the Marauder. A plate of cookies was set on one of the bunks, the treats decorated with festive icing. A few white lights were strung up along the walls and a small evergreen tree was set against the corner, decorated with red, white, and black ornaments. And around the tree, were four neatly-wrapped boxes.

"What's all this?" Wrecker said.

"Everything here fits the description of Life Day traditions." Tech commented as he drew his gaze over the scenery. Almost in unison, they turned to lock their gaze on you. You met it with a smile and a shrug.

"I figured it wasn't right that you guys never get to experience Life Day. So, I thought I'd bring the holiday to you." You said. They drew their attention back to their surroundings. Tech was the first to take action, approaching the tree and lifting one of the gifts. It was a small rectangle, wrapped in sparkling silver paper with a holly leaf print. He flipped a small tag on the side to reveal a crosshair drawn on it.

"You got gifts for us." Tech commented. You entered the ship, Cody following you. Tech extended the small box toward Crosshair. He narrowed his eyes and slowly took it, turning it this way and that as Tech reached for another. The next one had a bomb on it's tag. It was a fair bit larger, though still on the smaller side. The paper was a bold red with white ribbon print.

"Wrecker." Tech called, holding the gift toward the large trooper. Wrecker carefully reached toward it, drawing away for a second as if the small box would attack him if he moved too fast. Finally, he gently took the present. The next gift was the smallest, fitting snugly in the palm of Tech's hand. He didn't even have to look at the tag to know who's it was. The paper was a sparkling white covered with red and green equations. Nonetheless he turned the tag to see a pair of goggles drawn on it. You smiled at the slight scoff he let out.

"I suppose this one is mine?" He said.

"Lucky guess." You replied with a laugh. The last one was the largest, leaned against the wall. It was wrapped in shiny gold paper with blue stripes. Tech didn't try to lift the whole box, but he raised the small tag to reveal the arrow-stripe symbol of a sergeant.

"Guess that one's for me." Hunter said gently as he approached it.

"Mm-hm." You hummed happily. He rested his hand on the top of the box, examining it for a moment before turning his attention to you.

"You did all this?" He said.

"I had help." You said, nodding to the commander who stood beside you. Cody chuckled.

"I hardly did enough to warrant much credit. All of this was her idea. I just gave her a few pointers and kept you boys out of the hangar." He said. Wrecker shot his gaze at Cody.

"Is that why you had us doing all those jobs?" He said. Cody didn't say anything, but the humorous gleam in his eyes told them all enough. Wrecker looked back at the present in his hand, any anger he might've had disappearing as you approached him.

"Go ahead and open it." You said, lightly elbowing the hulking soldier. Wrecker glanced over the present before cautiously ripping the paper off. Inside was a box of assorted truffles, the same ones you had gotten from Naboo a few months back. His eyes shone as he let out a small gasp.

"I got the biggest box I could." You said. "Cody told me you were crazy about them."

"He included them in the mission report." The commander snickered.

"Do you like- Woah!" Before you could finish your sentence, Wrecker scooped you into a hug and hoisted you off the ground, much to the amusement of everyone else.

"Aww! You didn't have to get me anything, Kitten!" He exclaimed, smooshing his cheek against yours with a huge smile.

"Don't mention it." You choked out before he set you back on your feet. Tech was the second closest to you.

"I suppose I'll open mine next." He said. He carefully peeled the paper open, brow knitting when he pulled out a small black box filled with round chips.

"Holodisks?" He said.

"Yep. Five of them. They're the latest edition texts about modern technology, newly discovered planets, botany..." The commander listed. "You should be able to download them into your datapad without any problems." Tech looked over the disks for a moment.

"This is..." He said. You waited for him to finish his sentence a bit tensely. "Extraordinary." He looked at you with a smile. "Thank you. This couldn't have been easy to acquire, or cheap for that matter." You saw his smile fade some as he spoke.

"You don't have to worry about it, Tech." You assured him before turning your gaze to Hunter. He glanced at the present, patting the top of it as he considered where to start. He settled on kneeling on one knee, gripping the corner fold of the wrapping paper, and tearing it down in one swift motion. He pulled back the rest before stepping back to examine the picture on the box.

"A weighted blanket?" He asked. "First I've seen one of these."

"It's exactly what it sounds like. A large, heavy blanket. They help with anxiety or, in your case, overstimulated senses. I know you have trouble sleeping sometimes so I figured this would help." You explained, a tad nervously. His warm eyes rested on you.

"You picked up on that, eh?" He said with a gentle smile before gazing at the box. "Thank you. This is very kind of you. All of it." He nodded toward the rest of the ship. You returned his warm smile before everyone turned their attention on Crosshair. His eyes widened slightly at the sudden attention, looking over everybody, before turning his sharp eyes on the small box.

You held your breath as he slowly ripped the paper open. Inside was a plain white box. He pulled the cover up, tugging out the protective wrapping, before freezing. You could see his eyes move swiftly, carefully examining the item, before pulling out a pristine gray sniper scope. He peered through it, adjusting a dial in the center, and pulled it back to look over the mat-painted metal. You saw his brow furrow as he took in every small detail. Meanwhile, you were shaking a bit. Of everyone, Crosshair seemed the least interested in Life Day. You waited for what felt like hours for some kind of reaction.

"How did you get this?" He said. There was no edge to his voice as he continued to gaze at the scope.

"Cody helped the most with that one. Honestly, I don't know anything about sniper rifles and what parts are compatible. And even if I did, any weapon upgrades have to go through a commander." You responded.

"I've already cleared it. Feel free to equip it whenever you like." Cody added. Crosshair finally looked at you. His eyes were the gentlest you've ever seen them and the corner of his lips turned into a small smile.

"Thanks." He said and the tightness in your chest loosened away as you flashed him a grin.

"You're welcome." You replied. Hunter stepped forward, a slight look of guilt on his tattooed face.

"You really didn't have to do all this." The sergeant pointed out softly.

"Yeah. We didn't even get you anything." Wrecker added. You shook your head with a smile.

"Don't say that. You guys have given me more than you could ever know." You responded.

"We can say the same to you." Tech stated simply as he continued to examine his present. 

"Are these for us too?" Wrecker's voice drew everyone's attention to the plate of cookies he now had in his hand.

"Yes, they are." You said as he lifted one.

"Hey, this one looks like Hunter!" He exclaimed. Sure enough, in his hand, he held a cookie designed to look like a simplistic version of the team's sergeant. It sported his red bandana and tattoo. Hunter chuckled as he approached the plate.

"There's one of each of us." He said, picking up one that looked like Tech with huge yellow goggles.

"This must've taken quite some time." Tech put in as he picked up Wrecker's, a huge smile iced on it. Crosshair stepped forward, his eyes sharpening once again.

"What..." He growled as he picked up the cookie of himself. "-is this?" Wrecker laughed at the thick angry eyebrows and frown on the treat, complete with a toothpick.

"I think I nailed it." You said.

"It's like you're looking in a mirror." Hunter chuckled. Tech scoffed at the cookie before leaning forward to take a bite of his own.

"Hey!" Wrecker shouted, making Tech pause.

"What?" Tech asked.

"You can't eat me! Only I can eat me!" He stated and Tech sighed.

"Fine. Then we'll trade."

"Oh, but then you'll be eating me." Hunter teased.

"Please do not enable him." As they bickered, you sensed a sudden emptiness next to you. You gazed over to see Cody leaving the hangar. Seeing this, you snagged one of the cookies from the plate, one that looked like a reindeer, and stepped down the ramp.

"Commander, wait!" You called him. He paused and turned to face you, the warm light reflecting in his eyes. When you reached him, you dug through your pocket and pulled out a small present, wrapped in orange paper with white swirls. You held the gift in one hand and the cookie in the other. He gently took them, examining the present for a moment.

"You got me a gift?" He said.

"Of course. Did you think I was going to have you help me celebrate life day and not include you?" You responded. "Now open it." The commander carefully opened the small box to reveal a small attachable helmet light, just like the one that had been damaged before. His eyes widened before he let a smile spread across his features. He turned his gaze on you.

"Thank you. For everything." He said.

"Don't worry about it." You told him, your smile faltering a tad.. "I only wish everyone in the GAR could have this too. Everything you do for the Republic, for us... You deserve to celebrate Life Day. All of you." The commander eyed you for a second before slipping his gift away and resting a hand on your shoulder.

"Don't sell yourself short. What you do for the GAR is no small feat. Your service to the Republic is a gift in itself." He said before looking back at the Marauder where music and laughter drifted from. "Tell the boys they have the next couple days to themselves. It's the least I can do for putting them on maintenance duty."

"You got it, Commander." You said, chuckling. With that, he withdrew his hand and turned to leave as you made your way back to the ship.

"And Doc?" He called, making you look over your shoulder. "Happy Life Day." You smiled at this.

"Happy Life Day, Cody." On that note, you reentered the ship to spend the rest of Life Day in the company of Clone Force 99.