Hope you all enjoy!

TW: Mentions of sEx

   (Yes, guys, they did the do, get over it.) Very, very insinuating, some descriptions, but based on the fact that y'all are on Wattpad, you should be fine.  (No actually Smut... hate to disappoint. 😜)
   
Hunter in barely any clothes, Trauma, scars, you know, the usual.

*TBB SEASON TWO SPOILERS*

I am up before him in the morning, waking to the absolute silence that greets you before dawn. The room is warm and dark, the door open a small bit to allow in the cool-light of morning. It takes me a moment to realize where I am, in the bunk room of the ship. I turn to look at Hunter.

  He is so beautiful, sound asleep, his quiet snoring mixing with the quiet sounds of the morning. He is pressed against me, arms wrapped around the pillow under his head, mouth opened slightly as he breaths.

It a tight fit for the two of us, but neither of us are complaining.

  I lay still, watching him a moment, debating going back to sleep or starting my day. I look up at the ceiling of the bunk room, a breathy smile on my face as I think about last night. Stars, about how amazing it was... and how glad I am that Omega wasn't anywhere near the Havoc Marauder.

  It wasn't planned... neither of us expected to go this far, I know, especially since I have barely been back a day. But his lips were so addicting, sweet goodnight kisses turning into fiery, passion filled groans.

  It's not fair, really. I think to myself as I turn again to look at him. It's really not fair that the universe made him so goddamn beautiful. I am only a woman, after all.

I lay there, admiring him for a few moments longer, before gently slipping from the cool sheets and dropping silently to the floor, glancing at the bunk beneath ours.

'Ours'. How odd is that? Not Hunter's, or mine... ours.

The other three beds are neatly made, sheets tucked under the thin mattress and pillows fluffed nicely at the heads of the bunks. Even though they have been out of the army for about a year, the military still runs through their veins... and not just because they are clones.

I find it in myself, but just not the army. The habits of bounty hunting still haunt me; looking over my shoulder at random moments, judging wether I can kill a person I just met with my bare hands, suspicion raising in my throat at the slightest inconvenience.

It's not fair, but it is who we have become, woven into the making of our being. It'a Hunter's tattoo so he can look different in the eyes of Crosshair, Wrecker's scar from getting injured by the thing he enjoys the most, Echo's prosthetic limbs from protecting his brothers. The consequences of living, of existing in an angry world. The consequences of our actions, and of others, and of the war.

As I plod towards the bathroom, it occurs to me that without the war, of the Jedi and Sith and the council, I wouldn't have my Hunter. I wouldn't have my brothers, my family. I wouldn't have Omega.

  The door whirs shut behind me and the light flickers on, casting a golden glow over the small, grey room. I stare at myself in the mirror, at the wide face that stares back at me, and the scar that cuts down my face, at the short hair, at my dark grey night shirt and bright blue shorts.

  As I grow older, I see more of my sister in myself. She would always say that I have my father's grey eyes. I'm glad that I at least have something from him, besides faint memories that amount to nothing.

I remember his smile; not the actual image, but the feeling of happiness that jumped around in my stomach when I was the cause of it. I remember his hands; worn and rough, but impossibly soft, like cracked leather. I remember him playing music so loudly that it hurt my ears. I remember his favorite item of clothing, the dark brown cloak that hung around his shoulders and flowed around his feet.

I remember Mother after he died. I remember her drinking habits, her sobbing late into the night, her temper that grew short. I remember the men that she brought in the house years afterward, who always smelled funny.

I remember Fennec first looking hurt, then that hurt grew to resentment, that resentment to anger.

I remember the day Fennec packed our bags and took us away. I remember the set of her jaw, her brown eyes, usually kind, were hard that day.

Mom didn't even try to stop us.

I shake my head, shuddering.

  Tech says that he can build me a robotic eye, but I don't know when he will have time, with us spending the next few weeks rebuilding lower Pabu.  I have grown used to the blindness, of only seeing part of the world.

  But to have suffered, but now to be back with my family, it is well worth it.

  I splash my face with water, sputtering, gasping at the freezing cold. After drying my face with the towel, I breath deeply, fighting a yawn as I reaching my hands above my head in a stretch, a squeak escaping my mouth.

My shirt hikes up past my belly button, revealing the light scars along my stomach. Surprise flints through me at the pink marks on my hips, the red marks speckled across the soft skin of my belly. I gently tug up the hem of my shirt, twisting to look at myself in the mirror.

My frame has become smaller from the lack of food at The Hutts, muscles rippling under skin from my loss of fat, my belly still round from all the large meals I have consumed in the last few hours. And sure enough, my body is speckled with bruises from his hands, and love bites from his teeth.

Kriff you, Hunter, leaving marks all over me.

Well, you did kriff him. A little voice whispers, and I chuckle, letting my shirt fall.

  I lean forward, pressing at my skin, when the door quietly opens with a 'woosh'. Hunter steps in, dressed in deep grey boxers, not through the doorframe before he is reaching for me, arms pulling me towards his chest.

  "You left me." He grumbles, his scratchy voice tickling my skin as he buries his face in my neck. My back to his chest, I smile at him in the mirror, his brown eyes meeting mine. "I might have had a heart attack, waking up without you next to me... I don't know what's wrong with me, Cyar'ika..."

  "Hmm." I hum, reaching my hand to brush my fingers across his bare shoulder. "Trauma does some crazy things to us, my love."

  His arms squeeze me, my shirt pulling up just past my hips at the movement. His eyes trail down, widening slightly at the marks on my skin, looking up at me with a ghost of a smirk on his lips.

  "Did I do that?" He asks sheepishly, and a laugh bubbles up my throat. His lips brush my ear, whispering a apology against my skin.

  We stand there silently, the faint sounds of the birds of the island waking in the background. I watch his face, the dark circles under his eyes vacant after sleep. Skin against skin, hearts beating in unison, letting morning slowly envelop us in its warmth.

"Does our contact ever bother you?" I ask, and he tilts his head in confusion. "Your heighten senses. We have had a lot of skin- on - skin contact in the last few hours."

"Oh." He says gruffly, chuckling. "No. Not with you. Never with you."

"And why is that?" I ask, twisting in his arms to face him.

"I... I'm not sure." He remarks, raising a hand so his knuckles graze my jaw. "Pheromones, maybe? Your scent is... calming. You are calming. I think more clearly when you are around. Heartbeats aren't as loud, lights aren't as bright. Energy fields don't send my mind spinning..."

He shrugs, looking rather embarrassed.

I watch his face, standing on my toes to press his forehead to mine. He relaxes against me as he lets out a sigh of relief.

"I love you." I breath out, my voice cracking slightly. I feel him smile.

"I love you, too." He hums.

He feels... peaceful. Like he can stand here with me forever, our bare feet on the cold tile floor.

"On another note, what do I smell like?" I ask cheekily, cutting off his chuckle with a kiss, tangling my fingers in his hair. He lets out a wanting whimper, and I feel my heart squeeze in my chest.

"You're playing with fire, Mesh'la." He grumbles as I pull away from him lips. I tilt my head, faking innocence.

"What? This—" I ask, fingers tugging at his hair again. He groans, eyes looking me up and down.

"I would say we should go for round two." He whispers, his voice lowering a few octaves. My breath catches in my throat. "But I hear Omega coming up the ramp right now."

   "Karking hells, put some clothes on." I gasp, pulling away from him, a blush creeping up my neck at the thought of her finding us like this. He follows me out into the hallway, fingers brushing along my wrist. "Now I have to act poised for her innocent mind and pretend you weren't just talking to me like that—"

"You started it." He says, smirking, a hand reaching to smack my rear. I playfully shove him into the bunk room.

  "Get dressed, Hunter!"

    His laugh fills the Havoc Marauder.

***

"Wrecker, hand me that mallet, please." I say from where I precarious hang off the dock, reaching a shaky hand out to him. My ankles crossed over one another across a support pole, I lean upside down on my back like a bat, so I have a clear view of the bottom of the dock.

Occasionally, with the roll of the waves, I get sprayed with the salty ocean. But I don't mind; my job here is almost done, anyway.

  "Sure thing, Del." He says, pressing the smooth wood handle into my hand. I hear his yelp of concern, feel the dock rock as he jumps up, racing towards his fishing poll, which is bending almost in half, pointed out towards the sea.

  A trio of small boys hurries after him, speaking excitedly to one another as they peer over the edge of dock, watching with fascination as Wrecker begins to reel in his line.

  I reach for a peg, gently pounding it into place and successfully securing the end of the dock. I twist, pulling myself up, before turning to survey my work.

  The wave destroyed the docks, turning them into various disheveled wood piles. I'm leading the crew that has been working since early morning, securing the docks to the still-standing support poles, and fixing the bases that have broken. We have made impressive work, and although it's almost mid-day, we will be easily finished by this evening.

  It is a stunningly beautiful day, the sun warm on our backs, the oceanic wind cooling our sweat. Everyone is cheerful, happy to be working and helping one another as a community.

  "Hey, Miss Delta!" A voice calls. I turn my head, meeting the eyes of the two teenage girls carrying rolls of canvases. "Where do you want these?"

  "Take them up to Tech and Phee." I say, pointing to the group of villagers that is building the covers for the walkways, which are usually beaten with the hot sun.

  "Okay!" They say, carefully making their way up the quickly assembled gang plank, matching blonde hair waving slightly in the wind.

  I go back to my work, eyes narrow, mind lost in thought.

  I have met multiple kind people here that are surprisingly charming, kind to me, although not pushy. They don't ask too much about my past, or my scar. Everyone has a story here, and a past some they would like to forget.

  We could make a home here, my family. Hunter and I could get married on these beaches, Omega can grow up to be a tan and happy young woman, having her own family here. Safe, away from the empire.

   I hear a whistle, and look up, the red bandana in my hair blowing slightly with the ocean breeze.

  Hunter raises a hand, waving to me as he walks along an already finished dock with Shep. They are carrying wooden boxes filled with nails for the crew re-building the homes along costal Pabu. I haven't seen him since this morning, when he got pulled away by Shep as soon as he stepped foot off the ramp.

He is handsome like this; carefree. His skin has already become a shade darker, even more evident against his bright blue shoulder pads, a pink blush from the sun fanning across his nose. His hair is ruffled, messy under his bandana.

  I return his wave, before standing and making my way over to Nala. She is kneeling on the dock, hands wet with sea spray.

  "You two are cute." She comments, her hands tightening a bolt to attach the dock too one of the support posts. I shrug, kneeling next to her to help her attach the next band. She becomes quiet, before looking at me.

  "Do you think Wrecker likes me?" She asks. She istrying to sound casual, even though she is avoiding my gaze. She continues to glance over her shoulder towards where Wrecker is struggling with the fish at the end of his line.

  It surprises me, her sudden bashfulness. But I smile, nodding. They have become attached at the hip, the two of them, being surprisingly similar. Although it is obvious who is the brain and who is the brawn.

  "He is found of you, Nala." I say, and she gives me an appreciative smile. "Just... don't hurt him. Okay?"

  It dawns on me how much I sound like Echo. Stars, I miss him.

  "I wouldn't. I'm not ready for anything serious, but he is just so..." she trails off, watching as he almost falls into the ocean, his roaring laugh carrying over the breeze as his little friends grip his leg, crying out and trying to keeping him from falling in.

  "Adorable." She finishes.

  I laugh, standing.

  "Yes, that is one word for him."

  She grins at me with her miss- matched eyes, before the rumble of the Havoc Marauder causes our eyes to be cast heavenwards, watching the dark ship whip across the blue, cloudless sky.

  As the ship swerves, and a terrified feeling bubbles in my gut, I look down, feeling rather sick.

  "Stars, I am so happy Tech is the one teaching her how to fly." I mutter, reaching to grab a crate as Nala does the same. 

  "You are such a parent." She says, walking besides me along the new— and sturdy— dock.

  "I practically raised that little sunspot." I reply, glancing to watch the dark spot that is flying over the sea. "She is like my daughter."

  "It's funny." She remarks, causing me to raise my eyebrows. "You are so much... happier, now. I like this version of you."

I nudge into her slightly, smiling.

  "I like this version of me, too."

  We make our way up the huge stone steps, reaching a large open courtyard. Hunter and Shep are waiting for us, equipment stacked on a small hover cart. I stack my crate on top of Nala's, wiping my brow and smiling at them.

  "Hello!" I say, and Hunter smiles at me, eyes darting up to the bandana in my hair.

  "Hi, Mesh'la." He breaths, tilting his head. "Is that my bandana?"

  My fingers flint up to my hair, fingers brushing the red fabric. This is his spare one, a 99 stitched into the fabric instead of a scull. It was in my clothes— probably put there by a pre-occupied Tech— and I wanted to wear it to help hold back my slightly longer waves that fall across my forehead. What if he is mad that I am wearing it?

"Y-yes." I say uncertainly.

  "She wears it better then you." Nala snips, and Hunter just nods in agreement at my blushing face.

"Now that's not fair. It's Hunter's trademark look." Shep says, grinning, leaning his massive form against the cart. Hunter just smiles at me, shaking his head.

"Nah, I still like it better on her." He says kindly, his eyes soft with admiration. I smile at him, ducking my head. Nala just smirks at me, her face knowing.

"Who's ship is that?" Shep asks suddenly, and we turn towards the ocean. The dark spot grows larger, becoming a small ship, closely pursued my the Havoc Marauders. I can't help the giant grin that spreads across my face, excitement thrumming through my chest.

"Echo is back!" I cry out, laughing as I bolt towards the walkway leading towards upper Pabu. I hear Hunter's boots pounding behind me, but I don't look back, racing through the streets with him at my heels.

"Don't fall!" Hunter cations as we flint in and out of the maze of construction, and I leap over a pile of wood, laughter bubbling in my gut.

"I won't, my love!" I call over my shoulder, turning sharply as the streets of lower Pabu, the ocean air in my lungs, the sun shining on my skin.

I slide across gravel, turning to look up at the long walkway that stretches along the side of the mountain, heart pounding in my chest, smile still on my face.

Hunter skids to a stop next to me, a boyish smirk on his face. I glance at him, intoxicated by our utter joy, and he lets out a happy breath.

"Race ya to the top." He remarks, the shadow of the Havoc Marauder flinting over us as we bolt up the walkway, our laughter echoing across the island.

My writing brain is slowly coming back, Ya'll! I hope you enjoyed!

- Kena <3

[Word Count: 3,067]