The Cherries And The Bow! Adorable! 🥰

The cherries and the bow! Adorable! 🥰

cake from @geminicakedesign on ig

Home With All of You

Week 2 Prompts: Injured & Comfort Zone

Summary: When Omega becomes injured during a rebel mission, she is asked to rest and visit her worried family.

Notes: FINALLY finished this, decided to mesh Week 2's prompts together to present a fic filled with angst and family time! divider by @summer-of-bad-batch

Warnings: Blood, description of an open cut (putting here if you're uncomfortable with that, it's just a small part)

Blaster fire engulfed the storage compound. Stormtroopers fired shots towards many rebellion fighters trying to get back to their ships after a mission of obtaining important supplies. Many Imperials were on patrol in the area, and a mishap involving a few rebels led to being spotted and a battle igniting.

The rebels ran towards the landing pad where their makeshift (and stolen) Imperial ships were parked. Two ships stood out from the others as a smaller modified starship and a customized light freighter. The blaster fire continued on, rebels kneeling behind crates to protect themselves.

“Got it!” A female rebellion fighter dressed in a signature yellow jacket with a loose red bandana tied in her blond locks ran while carrying a small crate in her arm, using her free hand to handle her blaster.

“Omega, watch out!”

Omega ducked a few blaster shots that had headed towards her, cradling the crate and hiding behind some cargo.

“Glad you could make it, we really need to get out of here!” Hera Syndulla exclaimed, shooting a stormtrooper.

Omega chuckled, striking the eye area of a stormtrooper’s helmet. “Thanks for stating the obvious, Hera.” Hera gave her friend a smirk. The number of stormtroopers kept increasing as the rebels began running into their ships to make their escape.

“Cover me!” Omega told other rebels around her, holding the crate and shooting stormtroopers as she ran towards the Marauder II, her own small starship named after her family’s shuttle that they lost so many years ago to honor it. The ship had been a gift from Echo after it was stolen from smugglers during a mission to retrieve citizens kept captive, and Omega loved flying it around.

Omega kept on running towards her ship. Paying more attention to the stormtroopers trying to shoot her head off (with very poor aim), she didn’t see a sharp torn piece of metal that was placed near a few cargo crates. Omega ran past it and her right leg met contact with the sharp metal, exclaiming in pain and falling to the ground. Her gray jeggings were ripped open in a straight line as the metal dug into her flesh, cutting open her skin and peeling it apart.

Omega looked over and saw blood flowing down and seeping into her jeggings, the cut burning. But there wasn’t any time to stop. She groaned and bit her lips to hold back whimpers as she picked the crate up and limped to her ship. The pain was excruciating, but these supplies had to be delivered to help the rebellion.

She heard something solid roll near her, turning and seeing a small explosive stop rolling next to one of the cargo crates an inch from her. Omega’s eyes widened as the explosive beeped and was ready to go off at any second. She tried to get away as quickly as she could, but it was too late. The explosive went off and created a blast of fire and smoke, sending Omega back to the ground and hitting her head. Everything went black.

“Omega!” Hera saw Omega get knocked to the floor, dropping her blaster and the crate. Her crew was getting ready to leave with most of the cargo on her ship. Some rebels had also noticed Omega falling to the ground and ran over to help her up. Hera had to help her best friend, so she quickly ran over to assess the situation.

“Omega, wake up!” Omega had been knocked out after the explosive went off, and her leg was bleeding badly. She wasn’t waking up.

“Hera! We need to go!” A man dressed in green wielding a lightsaber shouted to get Hera’s attention from the ramp of her ship. She looked back at Omega, still barely breathing while laying in the arms of a rebel.

“Zeb, get her onto the Ghost!” Hera made a quick decision, telling a member of her crew to bring her aboard. She pointed to another rebel. “You, pilot her ship back to base!” The rebel ran over to the Marauder II and got it started up so Omega’s ship wasn’t left behind. Rebel ships made their way to lift off while stormtroopers heated up their blasters, continuing to fire shots at their enemies.

“The crate-”

“Just leave it, there’s no time!” Hera exclaimed at Zeb, running back to her ship and ducking many blaster shots.

Omega was carried into the Ghost in Zeb’s arms and gently laid down in a room filled with colorful graffiti and doodles on its walls. The rebel ships made their way into the atmosphere with some TIE fighters on their tail, jumping to hyperspace within seconds.

***

Omega woke up in a brightly lit room, which hurt her eyes when she managed to open them fully. She blinked a few times and tried to recognize her surroundings. A medical droid hovered near her with a tray of tools. A mechanical ventilator was attached to her mouth to help her breathe. Her left arm was wrapped in an arm sling.

This was the medbay in the rebel base. How did she get here? Omega could hardly remember bits of where she was before this. She could remember being at that Imperial compound, hearing a blast, and then the rest was blurry in her memory. Omega tried to stretch her arms and sit up.

“You must rest,” the medical droid interrupted, its metal claws now free and attempting to get Omega to lay back down. Omega mumbled to herself and laid back down per the droid’s instructions.

“Oh, thank the stars.” Hera strolled in to check on Omega as part of her daily routine for the past days, relieved she was finally awake. She had seen Omega lay back down once she entered. Omega turned to look up at Hera, giving her a smile visible through her ventilator.

“Thought we had nearly lost you there. You took quite a blast,” Hera sighed. A few rumbled noises piped up next to Hera. Chopper, her astromech, was glad to see Omega no longer asleep. Omega had remained unconscious during the entire trip back to the rebel base as Hera’s crew tried their best to tend to Omega’s deep wound until they could get her medical care. All other rebel fleets had been found by Star Destroyers and were under attack, so the Ghost wasn’t able to make a stop anywhere to get help for Omega quicker.

Omega took off the mechanical ventilator to breathe freely. “How long have I been out?”

“Two rotations,” Hera said, Omega’s eyes widening in shock. Hera continued, “You were losing a lot of blood from your injury and that explosive had hit you hard.”

Everything was slowly coming back to her. Omega remembered running as fast as she could in the midst of blaster fire with pain stinging in her leg. There was an explosive, and it had gone off.

“The cargo..”

“Lay back down,” Hera said. Omega got a glimpse of her right leg. The open cut on her upper leg had been stitched together with a few bandages wrapped around her knee to help heal another injury, some specks of blood visible through the fabric.

“We got most of what we needed, and the rest had to be left behind. Including the one you were holding. And don’t worry, we brought your ship back to the base.” Hera added.

“Thank you, Hera.”

“Don’t thank me,” Hera sat beside Omega on the medical bed. “You always do so much for the rebellion, going above and beyond to help us fight. Now you need to get some rest.”

Omega wasn’t fully listening. She thought back to what Hera said earlier. “Hera, you said I was out for two rotations?”

Hera nodded. Omega furrowed her brows, trying to remember something important. It hit her. Omega had told her brothers that she would call again at night after the mission was over before she had left for that mission. It has been two days now. They were likely worried sick. Omega pushed herself to sit up, wincing.

“I need to call my brothers. Who knows what they’re thinking because I haven’t called them yet.” Omega moved her legs slowly, preparing herself to stand. Hera put a hand on her shoulder.

“Echo informed your brothers about what happened. He and Emerie had visited while you were unconscious and they’ll come again later. Maybe you should take a break and visit them.”

Omega turned to her. “And leave while the rebellion still needs all the strength any of us can offer? The Empire already found and attacked one of our far bases and blew it up. I-”

Hera stopped her before she could continue. “The rebellion isn’t going anywhere, Omega. We’ll always be here to fight against the Empire, but what matters right now is you getting better so you can fly a ship. Your brothers miss you, so you should go rest and spend time with them until you are fully healed.”

“But-”

“Ah-ah, general’s orders, Commander,” Hera raised an eyebrow. Chopper made some noises, knowing Omega wouldn’t be able to get out of this one once Hera went under “general” mode.

Omega sighed. “Yes, general.” She pushed herself to stand up with one hand and grabbed her jacket. Her wound still ached, but it didn’t affect her abilities to walk too much.

Once Echo and Emerie had arrived to visit Omega, she boarded the Marauder II to head back to Pabu using her ship. Echo piloted the starship while Emerie stayed with Omega in the back. Gonky honked, talking to Omega.

“Don’t worry, I’m doing better, Gonky,” Omega replied.

Emerie knelt down, examining Omega’s leg after she woke up from a nap. Her medical training kicked in when she saw Omega’s wounds. Omega winced when Emerie moved her leg up a bit.

“Forgive me,” Emerie apologized, setting Omega’s leg down. “It’s a good thing General Syndulla advised you to rest. Your brothers were worried when we gave them the news. Echo let them know you’re on the way while the pain meds had made you unconscious.”

Omega held Lula in her lap. She bet they were. Omega could just imagine Hunter’s reaction once she reached Pabu and he saw her injuries. Crosshair would likely immediately tell her to rest in her room. Wrecker would make her all her favorite comfort foods while she got better. Tech would consistently make sure she was taking her meds on time.

“Coming out of hyperspace,” Echo’s voice said over the comm. The starship slightly jolted as it exited hyperspace. Echo flew down into Pabu’s atmosphere and headed for the landing zone.

Omega stood up as the ship landed. Echo opened up the side ramp, light coming into the ship. Omega followed Emerie down, immediately catching sight of her brothers coming towards them. They hadn’t aged much since the last time she saw them in person, which had been one cycle ago.

Hunter jogged forward as Omega leaned herself into his arms. Hunter used one arm to hug her away from her injured arm, tightening his grasp. His sister was home after so long. He didn’t want to let her go right now.

“Ow,” Omega winced.

Hunter broke the hug. “Sorry, kid.”

“You’ve been through a lot!” Wrecker said, coming in for a gentle hug next.

“I guess it was a serious mission that led to an encounter with various troopers?” Tech came forward, adjusting his glasses and examining Omega’s injuries. Omega shrugged. “Another day in the rebellion.”

“What happened?” Hunter asked, concern glowing in his eyes.

Crosshair removed a toothpick from his mouth. “Let’s get her into her room first so she can rest.” Omega smiled. She knew he would say that.

“She got hit by an explosive and got her upper leg cut,” Emerie said with a straight face, watching her brothers’ eyes widen. “She’ll heal quickly in time with rest.”

Echo saw the way his brothers became worried for her. The over-protectiveness was about to begin and Omega couldn’t escape that. Hunter looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

“You heard Emerie, you need to rest,” Hunter said, pushing her forward to walk to their home in the village. “Are you hungry? What hurts the most?”

Omega was overwhelmed by the amount of questions she was getting from her brothers. They cared deeply about her health and were happy to have her back home. Omega relaxed and let her brothers take care of her.

Echo couldn’t help but chuckle. He had panicked when he heard about Omega becoming injured, but she was a strong girl. Seeing her awake after two days was a good sight to see.

Days passed as Omega stayed with her brothers on Pabu. Tech made sure she was taking her meds on time, and Emerie found time to stay to help her injuries heal and check on them from time to time. Echo had stayed for a while to catch up and had returned back to base for another intel mission.

“Your favorite fish soup, coming up!” Wrecker knocked on Omega’s door with a food tray. Omega laid in her bed, reading a few files on her datapad. Her back was supported by a bunch of pillows that Crosshair had put together so Omega could be as comfortable as possible while healing. She smiled as Wrecker delivered the tray and placed it on a breakfast tray. Batcher came in, pouncing onto Omega’s bed to give her some loving licks, making her laugh. Batcher settled down to take a nap.

“Thank you, Wrecker.” Omega picked up her spoon and filled her mouth with the warm and spicy liquid, chewing on soft pieces of fish. She savored the taste of Wrecker’s cooking; finally something other than bland soup and rations.

“How you feeling today?” Wrecker asked. He sat in a chair next to her bed.

Omega swallowed her next bite. “Pretty good. My leg doesn’t really hurt much anymore.”

“Speaking of which,” Tech strolled into the room. “Time to take your meds again.” He set down a few meds on top of her drawer for her to take after eating.

Omega gave her brother a smile. “Thank you, Tech.” She was happy he was here with her.

It had been so long since Omega had been on Pabu and spent time with anyone here. Lyana was happy to see her again, and spending time with her brothers was the best vacation Omega could ask for.

During dinners and outings, Omega told her brothers, Phee, Lyana, and Shep all about what she had done and seen while in the rebellion. She told them about the new friends she had made and a lot about Hera’s crew. Omega was definitely going to bring them to Pabu one day so they could meet her brothers.

“I hit a stormtrooper right in the eye,” Omega told Crosshair when she spent time outside on the beach with him.

“Heh, you did?” Crosshair chewed on a toothpick. “At least you’ve got better aim than them.” He was very proud of her inside for blasting those nat-born bucket-heads.

Omega told her brothers all about the many missions she had been on and all the planets she visited. She did leave out the parts whenever she would get injured or things would go wrong so Hunter didn’t start feeling uneasy and worried, but sometimes it would slip out whenever she was too excited telling a story. All of her brothers were happy to have her back while she healed and prepared themselves to let her go again once she had to go back into the fight.

Her comfort zone was with her brothers. Her family. Staying on Pabu was temporary for now, but Omega was going to cherish every moment until she was fully healed. It was difficult to find peace in a time of war, but whenever Omega was with her family, everything felt okay.

Nini's Writing Masterlist

taglist: @summer-of-bad-batch @orion-tyche @bossboudicca @magicandmundane @kurlyfrii @locitapurplepink @ahsokashawarma1138

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singingwhilebaking

11 months ago

Nooooooo!

i'm not trying to replace you (only hold on to your memory)

@summer-of-bad-batch bonus prompt "Can you braid my hair?"

Fandom: The Bad Batch Characters: Hunter, Omega, Tech (mentioned) Set after the finale when everyone is living happily on Pabu Word Count: ~1950 Read Here on AO3

Synopsis: Omega misses the quiet rituals that had been hers and Tech's alone, and turns to Hunter for comfort.

I'm Not Trying To Replace You (only Hold On To Your Memory)

Author's Note:- You all know @kybercrystals94, right? The brilliant mastermind behind the Summer of Bad Batch event? Detail Work is one of Kyber's earliest fics, and one of my favourites. When the hair braiding prompt came up during voting for the event I immediately had an idea for a story that occupies the hollow space of Omega's loss, and leads perfectly into my fic Beach Days & Hair Braiding So go read Detail Work and show Kyber some love, and enjoy this slice of Hunter comforting Omega too! :)

“Hunter!”

The tone of Omega’s cry had Hunter on instant alert, head jerking up from his task stirring the dinner. Omega flew in through the door, running straight at him and into his chest, face buried in his apron.

“Woah,” he soothed, carefully laying the sauce-stained wooden spoon atop the pot and instead cupping one hand to the back of her head, smoothing her hair as he brought his other arm round her shoulders in an awkward embrace. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” came the muffled reply. It was the least-convincing lie he had heard since Wrecker claimed he wasn’t the one who had devoured the entire tray of delicately-prepared dainties Hunter had made specially for one of Echo and Crosshair’s visits.

“Nothing,” he echoed sceptically. He settled her more firmly in his embrace, dropping his head to press a soft kiss to the top of her hair. “Alright then. I guess if nothing is up, I’ll just hold you for no reason… ‘til you’re ready to talk?”

He let his voice lift the sentence into a question, and Omega’s answering nod bobbed against his chest. Hunter squeezed her tightly, pressing reassurance into her with both arms now as they stood in the quiet kitchen and listened to the pots bubble on the stove.

After a while Hunter began to hum a tuneless, absent-minded rhythm, the noise vibrating through his chest and to Omega. Her breathing was evening out now, although he could still feel the pressure of her hands bunched tightly in his shirt-front through the apron.

The apron had been a gift from Omega who had gotten tired of helping him wash the food-splatter stains out of his shirts when he first started learning to cook. Wrecker was much better at cooking than he was, and endlessly teased his brother about being unable to smell when his food was burned or over-seasoned despite his enhanced senses. But Hunter persevered, determined to prove himself capable as more than a weapon of war – to be able to provide for his family in more ways than simply defending them from danger.

“Need to stir this,” he cautioned, nudging the toes of his boots against Omega’s feet. Obediently she lifted them one at a time, standing onto his feet, and let him waddle-shuffle them round so he could face the cooker again, reaching out to retrieve the spoon and attend to the bubbling pot.

Hunter shifted his arm lower across her back, holding her close to him and away from the hot pans.

“Think I made too much,” he said conversationally. “Who shall we invite round for dinner to eat the excess tonight?”

“No-one,” mumbled Omega against his chest. Her hands finally relaxed their death-grip on his shirt, only to go round his middle instead. She turned her face to the side, cheek resting on his chest, and her words became easier to make out. “You can save the leftovers for another day. We should have a quiet night.”

Something was definitely up, but Hunter merely rested his chin on her head as he worked and hummed an agreement.

“Sure, kid. Whatever you want,” he promised.

When everything was cooked – at least, Hunter hoped it was properly cooked – he turned off the heat and carried Omega, still standing on his feet, in the same awkward waddle across the tiny kitchen to retrieve plates.

“Not as easy as when you were small,” he lamented with a smile, and that at last drew a giggle from Omega as she hopped down from his feet to help set the cutlery out.

Hunter’s gaze turned pensive as he watched her, though he quickly smoothed the expression into a smile when Omega glanced his way. She had grown so much in the months since they had settled on Pabu – finally, full-time, no half-commitments, settled down. For good.

She still bore the scars of her trauma from Tantiss, probably always would. Kriff, they all did. But each day that passed with more smiles than pain was a victory, and the longer they went without the shadow of the Empire darkening their lives, the more fully Omega relaxed.

Like she finally believed she might be safe.

Even then, she had the occasional day like this.

Plating up their meal and setting both dishes on the small table, Hunter sat opposite Omega. He cast one of his brief smiles her way, before turning his attention to his food.

“So what have you been up to today?” he asked, tone light and conversational; he wasn’t a sergeant asking for a debrief any more. Not to mention that the open question would let Omega tell him as much – or as little – as she was ready to.

“Me and the boys–” meaning the clones Mox, Stak and Deke, “spent the morning cleaning the bay from last night’s storm,” Omega told him, shovelling food into her mouth. At least she hadn’t lost her appetite. “There was loads of cool stuff washed up there. Oh!”

She paused, laying down her cutlery, and reached into her jacket.

A wan smile lit her face behind the hesitation in her eyes, but she looked straight at Hunter as she said, “I made this for you.”

She pulled forth a length of string, coiled and knotted, and threaded with a spiral shell at the bottom. The twine – old fisher-net rope, if Hunter judged it correctly – was pushed through a natural perforation near the top of the shell, and the whole thing still carried the salt-rich scent of the ocean.

“It’s a necklace,” Omega supplied, as though it needed the explanation.

Hunter reached out and took it from her, carefully turning the shell in his hands and admiring the gentle intricacy of the spiral and the soft iridescence as it caught the light. Then he looped the string over his head, letting the shell hang against his sternum, over his heart.

“I love it,” he told her with a genuine grin, continuing to hold the shell with his left hand as with his right he resumed eating. “Did you find anything else?”

“Some tarpaulin we can probably patch,” she said, “and… I think it’s part of the Marauder’s nav console?” And she produced a dented metal cylinder, the transparisteel cover cracked and broken.

Hunter nodded, inspecting the part. When the Marauder exploded – was destroyed – debris had scored the mountain-face of the island near the docks, and been scattered wide into the ocean. They were still finding pieces all this time later.

“We can probably repurpose it for something,” he said, setting it down to continue his meal. “What did you do with the rest of the day?”

“I was helping Phee rewire her ship–”

Omega’s words choked off and she stuffed a huge forkful of food into her mouth to cover it. Hunter had noticed though. He watched as Omega chewed, gaze downcast and eyes too-bright, and knew they were getting close to what had upset her.

“Something happen with Phee?” he asked carefully, nudging her ankle under the table to show his support.

“Not really,” said Omega with a head-shake, then abruptly, “Can you braid my hair?”

“What?”

Hunter blinked, nonplussed at the sudden turn in conversation and Omega’s demanding tone. She was staring at him with a hard, uncompromising line to her mouth, the corners just downturned, and with her brown eyes shining with near-tears she looked for all the world the same as his brothers had when they were stubborn cadets. Probably looked like he had, too.

“I, uh…” He glanced at her blonde hair, the lengths escaping her pony-tail tucked behind her ears. “I don’t know how,” he admitted, then gestured vaguely. “Why don’t you ask Lyana?”

It was the wrong thing to say. Omega’s expression closed off, her gaze dropping away from his once more.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said, then pushed her plate away. “I’m finished. Gonna have an early night–”

“Now hang on a second–” Hunter stood with her, chair scraping on the floor as he stepped quickly to block her path. She wouldn’t look at him but she didn’t shrug him off as he rested a hand on her upper arm, rubbing soothingly. “Omega. Why do you want me to braid your hair?” he asked, making sure to put the gentle emphasis in the right place.

Omega sniffed, and at last those threatened tears beaded on her lashes, starting to track down her tanned cheeks.

“I miss Tech,” she whispered, voice wobbling a little through the tears she fought to swallow. “He used to braid my hair for me. I… I was hoping you would…”

She trailed off hopelessly, and with a sympathetic noise Hunter pulled her back into a hug, holding her close and swaying slightly.

Casting his mind back, he remembered coming back from supply runs to find Omega with a neat pair of braids in her still-short hair, tied carefully at the nape of her neck. He pressed his cheek tightly against her hair now, giving her ponytail a gentle flick.

“Tech did your hair?” he asked with a smile, surprised to find the thickness of grief in his throat as he spoke. “I always thought you did it yourself.”

Omega gave a laugh which was almost a sob. “I found some instructions on the holonet but I couldn’t get it right. Tech was… Tech was so good at detail work.” She was trembling in his arms, but this was good, that she was releasing the pressure of her grief instead of keeping it inside for fear of upsetting her brothers. “I was hoping… You might be able to…”

Hunter angled his head, pressing a fond kiss to her temple and holding her tightly. “Of course,” he murmured, voice holding a promise he didn’t know how to deliver, but Force help him he’d try. “I’d be honoured.”

She relaxed a little into his arms, a shudder of grief passing between them as he willed love into her. Eventually she pulled back, swiping at her tear-stained cheeks with her sleeve, but she was smiling.

“You’ll learn to do it then? Braid my hair?”

Hunter nodded fervently. “I’ll find someone to teach me.”

He reached up, stroking the stray ends of her hair that clung to her damp cheeks and brushing them back so he could see her face, blotchy and pink with crying. He took her cheeks in his hands, holding her face gently cupped as he smiled down at her. Letting a glimpse of his own sorrow leach past his usual mask, he breathed out a sigh.

“Can’t promise I’ll be as good at it as Tech,” he cautioned, playfully flipping the ends of her hair. “Your hair always looked lovely like that, Omega.” He smiled, keeping one hand cupped to her cheek. “He’d be so proud of how you’ve grown.”

Omega sniffed, but now she was smiling even if it was with an ache of sadness.

“I think I’m still going to have that early night,” she said, stepping back at last.

Hunter let his arms drop to his sides, a slow movement that ached with the reticence of releasing her, but that was his role in her life now. Learning to let her go. Still being here when she needed to run home to his arms.

“Sure thing, kid,” he said softly, offering her one last pat to the shoulder. “I’ll clean up out here.”

“Maybe… I could keep my door open?” suggested Omega. “So I can hear you?”

Hunter smiled and gave her a gentle push towards her room.

“Whatever you want,” he promised, and he meant it.

Whatever she wanted. Whatever she needed.

He would be there for her.

Time to learn to braid hair.

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