Febuwhump Day 11: Time Loop

Febuwhump Day 11: Time Loop

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Summary: Hunter keeps reliving the day Tech died and Omega was taken, desperately trying to stop it from happening.

    Walking up was something Hunter didn't want to do. When he awoke he would have to face the fact that Tech was dead and Omega was gone. He grabbed his blanket and pulled it closer to him. Hoping that Echo and Wrecker wouldn't notice, he pulled the thin blanket to his face and dried his tears. He didn't have the time to cry or to lie still.

    Getting up, Hunter looked around. Echo must have cleaned up. He swung his legs over the end of his bunk and stood up. Echo's bed had been made and so had Wrecker's, even though he never made it. Tech's bed had also been made. Resting a hand on the medal of his bunk, Hi ter thought that Echo must have made his as well.

    Then he heard it, Tech talking to Echo. Hunter stepped back. That wasn't possible. Had it all been a dream? The pain felt so real.

    Omega walked up to Hunter. "You looked tired so we got you go lay down. How are you feeling?" He didn't say anything. Instead he picked

    But things started to fall into place for those hellish days to happen. When Hunter realized they were going to Eriadu his heart sank. But that couldn't be right. That horrible day had been a dream, right?

    A few hours later Tech was hanging off the side of the rail car. "When have we ever followed orders?" He had sighed before shooting the only piece of metal that connected the cars.

    This time, instead of silents, Hunter called out for him. Almost immediately afterwards, he grabbed a hold of Omega, pulling her close to try to protect her.

    But they still ended up on Ord Mantell. Hunter was the one who required AZ to heal him. He was unconscious, making him unable to tell them about Cid's betrayal. It felt he was defenseless this time. As she was taken away, he still tried to follow her. It didn't matter, she was still gone.

    Then he woke up. Again.

    This time he would do it right. That's what Hunter had told himself at least. Trying to find a way to convince Saw Gerrera and his extremist to stop their attack, to wait just long enough for them to leave. But that didn't work.

    "Tech, we will find another way!" Hunter yelled as he claimed to the top of the rail car.

    "There is no other way, Hunter." Tech continued to follow what seemed to be his destiny.

    "When have we ever followed orders?" Again he shot the metal that connected the two cars. Again Hunter grabbed Omega. He moved to a different place in the car.

    Then he woke up on the Marauder. "Hunter, how are you feeling?" Echo asked.

    "I'm fine. Where's-" Hunter tried to sit up but couldn't. It hurt too much to move. "Where's Omega?"

    Wrecker walked into the room. He looked worried.

    "Hemlock has her." The man said.

    Then he woke up. Hunter didn't move. Maybe if he didn't move, nothing would happen.

    This time, Hunter killed Gerrera. Tech was stunned by his action but didn't say a word about it. However, the explosives still went off. Tech still went to the top of the rail car and he still called plan 99.

    "When have we ever followed orders?" Hunter mouthed along with the words. He knew them all too well. It had been three times he had gone through this after all.

    There had to be a way to stop this. Why else would he be stuck in a time lop like this? Was this a punishment for something he had done, for not saving them?

    Shoving Omega to Wrecker, Hunter turned around. As the rail car hit the wall, Hunter fell unconscious. Unlike every other time, he woke back up on the Marauder at the beginning of the day.

    "Oh" he whispered as he sat up. The man hadn't survived the crash. Hunter looked around. First he went to find the others. Grabbing Omega, he ok pulled her into a hug.

    "Hey Hunter!" She said, excited for the random hug. It didn't happen often. "Are you okay?" Her joy faded in to concern.

    "I'm okay." The man put down his daughter. "We'll be okay" he whispered.

    "I know. I trust you."

    Tears threatened to fall from his eyes. Hunter just smiled, "thank you." The girl didn't know know what he did. Hopefully she would never know that he knew.

    It didn't matter what happened, nothing changed. "There is no time Wrecker" Not again. "Plan 99." Hunter started to tear up. He couldn't do this. The conversation was engraved in the clones head.

    "Don't you do it Tech" Wrecker yelled. Hunter felt his mouth move to say something more.

    "When have we ever followed orders?"

    The rail car fell and Omega pulled in Hunter's arms, "go back, go back!"

    The car crashed and Hunter grabbed Omega quickly. They still had to go to Ord Mantell, that stayed the same. Then she was fine, again.

    Days went by, at least to Hunter. Over and over he watched as Tech sacrificed himself for his family. Then he would watch as Omega was taken from them. He was done.

    "Wrecker, stay here." This was new. This was a plan he hadn't tried yet.

    "What?! Why?" Wrecker droned.

    "In case we need a pickup."

    "Why me?" He winded

    "You are the most likely to get us caught." Tech said as he walked.

     "Okay." Sulking, Wrecker walked back in the ship.

     As the mission went forward, Hunter grew nauseous. What if this didn't work? He would just have to find out.

    When they boarded the rail car, everything seemed to be going as it had before. But this time, Hunter had already contacted their get-away driver. 

    There he was. Tech had gone to restore power to the rail car. Like every other time, he hung from the bottom of the car. "Echo, get Omega on the Marauder!" Hunter demanded.

    Wrecker kept the ship steady as the two made their way on board. Hunter had his gun ready. With the two left in the car, Echo ran to man the guns. He started shooting down the empire's air support.

    As the rail car creaked closer to falling, Hunter jumped on board. The car began to fall, Tech still dangling from below. The Sargent grabbed his gun and shot his brother with his safety line. He didn't expect the scream that would come from the end of the line clamping onto his brother's left arm and shoulder.

    Pulling him up seemed to hurt more. Tech's shoulder was bleeding. It looked painful, the way the clamp dug into his skin. But either way, he was alive. That's all that mattered now.

    Calling for one of his brothers, Hunter pulled Tech aboard. "You're gonna be okay Tech. We've got you."

    "Thank you" Tech said shakily. "I- I can't move my arm right now."

    "I know. We'll get you taken care of."

    "We'll head to Ord Mantell for AZ. He can-" Omega started.

    "No" Hunter interrupted. "There are doctors on Pabu. Someone there can help him. I-" he sighed, "don't trust Cid."

    "We can't just leave Az" the girl protested.

    "We won't. But right now we just need to take care of Tech. We can't do that if something happens on Ord Mantell." Omega looks like she wanted to say more but walked away to get Tech's bunk ready.

    While Tech's recovery would be difficult, it was better than him becoming a memory. Maybe that was a little selfish. Maybe his arm wouldn't heal but he was alive. That was enough

    After twelve attempts, everyone was alive. Tech was in a large amount of pain but he wasn't alone and dead at the bottom of the ravine. Omega may be mad at him but she wasn't taken by the empire. Hunter could fix that when he later sent Phee to pay their debts and to return Az.

    It was over. The painful two weeks were over.

Febuwhump Day 10: Killing in self defense

Fandom: The Bad Batch.

Warning: Cannon typical violence and character death.

Summary: The regs never liked the batch but Tech didn't think they would try to kill him for being different.

Note: This takes place before the war. They are teenagers.

    Regs had always hated clone force 99. They started to think they always would. That didn't bother the group of clones anymore. The cruel treatment that the 'defective' clone reserved from people who were supposed to be their brothers, never seemed to stop.

    It was a beautiful day in Kamino. One of the few they had since it was always raining. The sky was a pretty shade of blue. So to make the most of the day, and because Hunter wanted him to get some fresh air if he was going to keep reading, Tech went outside. He didn't regret his choice, even if it was slightly chilly. It may have been a nice day but that didn't mean the wind wouldn't be blowing.

    Whispers seemed to follow the batch. It made sense, at least in Tech's mind. The regs would not be used to seeing people who were different then them. They were defective in the regs eyes. People tended to be scared of the unknown and they were beings that confused the others.

    Tech didn't blame them for being nervous around them. He did however blame them for the treatment they gave them. It was unfair. Even if he understood where it came from, they didn't deserve it.

     Sitting against a wall near the side of the city, Tech read up on the different species of fish that were native to Kamino. It was fascinating to learn just how many there were.

"Oh look!" A slightly older reg laughed. "It's a member of the sad batch!"

"Yeah!" The other two clones that were with him agreed. Tech ignored them. He had fish to read up on.

"Should we show him where he belongs?" The leader smirked. The other two boys nodded and they started to walk towards him.

"Can I help you?" Tech finally asked.

"Grab him!" The older boy ordered. So the other two went to.

Sighing, Tech slid his data pad further into the deck and ducked under them. Standing, he turned around. He didn't want to find out 'where he belonged'. As soon as he turned his back on the boys, they grabbed him. "Let go of me" Tech said as he kicked at them.

They took him closer to the side. Wiggling his way out of there arms, Tech once more tried to escape. This time the older boy tripped him. He fell to the metal. Fixing his goggles, Tech turned around and went to get up. Instead a harsh kick met his side. He cried out in pain and tried to move away from them. "Leave me alone" he begged.

They didn't stop. It started with the kick to the side, but it's didn't stop there. They forced him from the ground and continued to beat him. Tech wasn't helpless, he was just weaker. Knowing how to beat them was what he was supposed to be good at. However the fear and pain kept him from thinking straight.

When the shoved Tech to the ground, he was bloody and bruised. Every part of him hurt. It was a nice day. So why wasn't anyone around? Why was he alone? It had been a nice day and weather wise, it still was.

The leader of the group motioned from the other two to hold him. They picked him up. The clone grabbed Tech's bruised face. ""Someone should have put you down a long time ago, defect."

True fear filled Tech's heart as the regs threw him to the side. The metal burned him as he just barely grabbed the side of the deck. A foot came down on his fingers and suddenly he was just handing on by one hand. Fearful tears fell from his eyes, gathering in his googles. He grabbed the leg of the older clones who had stomped on his hand and pulled himself up.

When the reg grabbed a large piece of metal from the landing zone and tried to hit him with it, Tech kicked his knee in from the ground. The clone lost his balance and fell to the deck. Then, Tech forced him off the side of the city, dooming him to a watery demise. He listened to the clone scream as he fell then they all heard the splash as he fell in the water.

"You just fucking killed him!" The regs took a step back. "Murderer!" They screamed at him.

"He was going to kill me." Tech breathed. Taking off his googles, he set them beside him. The clones kept stepping back.

There was a dead child in the water. A man Tech had killed. Yes, he had to. Yes, he was going to die if he hadn't. But that didn't change the fact that he had just killed an adolescent. Tech started to breathe harder then he was before. He had just killed someone.

Hunter ran out to his brother. He first tried to make sure he was okay. Crosshair and Wrecker stepped in-between the two groups. "I was walking around and heard what was going on. I got here as soon as I could. Are you okay?"

"He murdered Jimmy!" The clone on the left yelled. Wrecker looked back at Tech.

"Yeah sure" Crosshair scoffed.

"Get out of here!" Wrecker demanded, shoving one of the boys. They ran away from the scene. "They shouldn't be bothering you anymore.

It was silent other than the crashing of waves and Tech's sobs. "What happened?" Hunter asked.

But Tech couldn't talk. No words come out. He tried to explain but trying to talk seemed impossible. So instead they sat there. Hunter held Tech as he grappled with what he had done.

The oldest boy looked up from his place on the ground. They were 14 yet they already had to defend themselves from people who wanted them dead. That wasn't supposed to happen for at least four more years or whenever the war was to start.

What a way to live. What a waste of childhood.

@febuwhump

Winter Whumperland Day 10: Tio de Nadal (Left to Die)

Fandom: Spider-verse

Waring: violence

Summary: Miguel finds Miles before the Miles rescue squad can.

  Miguel had found him. Miles tried to get away. He fought him as hard as he could. Miguel was stronger than him.

    Claws had dug into his back and had sliced his chest open. The boy had managed to shock him but it didn't seem to help. Miles had been thrown into multiple buildings and the concrete in the alley had cracks from the boy meeting the ground. One final throw had Miles unable to stand.

    He cried as Miguel walked away. He left him there. Being taken somewhere instead of left for dead seemed better. He was going to bleed out. Miles had no way to contact anyone. He was alone.

    The worst part was the fact that his mother might lose both her son and husband within a day of each other. Maybe not even a day. The Last time they had spoken hadn't been good. He needed to go home.

    Miles needed to save his father. First he needed to get up. His blood spilled onto the concrete. He tried to stand but fell. The street was somehow silent. There was no one to help him.

    The boy thought he was going to die. Had Miguel really done this for the multiverse? Couldn't he have just locked him up? No. This had been personal. If he was going to look at Miles like an anomaly, why would he treat him like one?

    That's all he was after all, an anomaly. A stain on the universe, something that never should have existed. The man had treated him like he was nothing. Like he wasn't someone's son, someone's friend, and the hero for his city.

    Now he was going to die alone. Miles felt like he couldn't breathe. He wishes to see the stars. If no one would come for him; if he had truly been left to die, then why not look for something pretty?

    There were no stars to be seen. Maybe if he died there would be no need for his father to. There would be no building collapse and there would be no child in a red shirt that was in the way. Maybe it was almost better that way.

    Miles tried to shake those thoughts away. He put a bloody hand on the brick wall behind him as he tried to get up. The words Peter had said lingered in his mind. "Spider-Man always gets back up." The words felt like a broken record. Every time something happened those words had gone through his mind.

    His other hand met the wall. Miles tried to pull himself up. He ended up with his hands being stuck to the brick instead. The world started to get blurry. He didn't want to be alone when he died.

    It was actually one of his biggest fears. If he died alone, there.was always the possibility that no one would ever find him. His parents would be we know what happened to him. Miles could do that to them.

    Being alone seemed cruel. The boy was fifteenth. He didn't deserve to die alone. Maybe he wasn't perfect, but he didn't deserve to be this scared.

    As the world started to go black, Miles had some comfort in the thought that if he was gone, his father wouldn't die. He knew his parents would tear the world apart to find him and it broke his heart.

    The boy wanted to go home. But as he fell unconscious, he grew to accept the thought he never would. His hands unstuck from the wall and his body hit the ground.

Winter Whumperland Day 8: John McClain (Held Hostage)

Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars

Summary: Caleb is taken by the Separatist.

  Caleb wasn't sure how to feel when he was taken hostage by the Separatist. He looked around in the cell he was placed in and tried to think of how to get out.

   Danger was close. Danger was always close. He was in the middle of a war after all. But now he was in enemy territory. He wasn't sure what to do. No one had ever gone over what to do when captured by the enemy.

    The Padawan thought that might have been an important thing to teach. It was always possible but he never quite thought it would happen. Caleb had thought about it from time to time and had wanted to ask his master what to do but never found a good time.

    Now he regretted that decision. If only he hadn't waited maybe he wouldn't feel so scared.

    There was so much noise in the halls. Even though he was in a metal room all I could hear was the noise of battle droids outside. He finally heard something that seemed like a person he froze.

    Caleb was terrified. What would happen if someone had come in? What was he supposed to do? What if they hurt him?

    Of course he knew not to speak. That was the only thing they had ever told the padawans before allowing them to fight. Don't talk. No matter what, don't talk. It was treason after all.

    When someone did walk in, Caleb felt paralyzed. He realized what this meant. He didn't realize it first that hostages could be hurt. It wasn't until a torture device was pulled out that he really processed the danger he was in.

    After about an hour everything hurt. Caleb wouldn't give. The man was amazed that this child refused to give any information over despite his age. They used everything they could.

    Now Caleb was sitting in a cell. He wasn't just scared now but in pain. Part of him wondered how someone could look at a child and be able to do the things that the man had done to him. Every part of him was in agony.

    The room was cold or maybe he just was. Caleb had found he liked the left corner by the door the most. It was warmer than the others. He wishes he had his cloak. Maybe he wouldn't be shaking so much.

    Some of that could be just how scared he was. The child tried to meditate but found it difficult. He tore little pieces of his clothes off to stop any bleeding.

    It felt like days before anything happened. Caleb could hear gunshots in the hallway. He wondered if he was dreaming. When the door opened and he saw Depa, he stood. Shaking, he walked over to her.

    "Caleb." Her heart broke when she saw him. "I'm here, it's okay." She took him in her arms carefully.

    Tears welled in the child's eyes as he hugged her. "Let's get out of here" he tried to laugh.

    Dogwood walked into the room. He froze for a moment before waking over to his commander and picking him up.  Caleb tried to tell him it was fine but the  man wasn't having it.

    Caleb was going home.

Merry Whumpmas Day 7: Hyperventilating

Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars

Summary: After Satine dies, Obi-wan lets everything settle when he gets to the temple.

    Mandalore was not kind to Obi-wan. Satine had been his first love. Nothing could ever quite get rid of that feeling. The love you have for your first love, me very completely disappears.

    Now she was gone. Darth Maul had taken her from the world. He had overtaken her planet and replaced her. Her presence was erased so easily.

    Obi-wan was home now. He stood in his room, alone. He looked around. The dim light from his window highlighted a small gold chain on his bedside table. He stared at it for just a moment before realizing what it was.

    It was Satine's. Back in the beginning of the Clone War, she had handed it to him. She complained that she was unable to detangle it and asked him to. Obi-wan, of course had agreed. He had gently placed it in his pocket. Then everyone got distracted.

    When Obi-wan had realized he still had it, he had detangled it. He had put it on the table so that he would remember to take it to her.

    On his way to Mandalore, Obi-wan had realized he had left it sitting in his room. Though he couldn't remember where he had put it. He had sighed, thinking that he would just give it to her then next time he saw her.

    Now it was all the Jedi had left of her.  He sat down on his bed and held it with tender hands. It had a simple blue pendant on it. He could never give it back to her.

    Memories of the two had already caused a flood in his mind. But now he was shaking. Satine was gone so fast. He missed her. Even if he barely saw her, knowing she was alive had been enough.

    Maul was hateful. He had taken too much from him. His father and first love had fallen at his hands. But who was next? If Maul only seemed to want Kenobi to suffer, who would be next?

    Air started to flow though Obi-wan's lungs faster than it should. It felt sharp. His chest rose and fell quickly. His shaking increased as a deep sensation of panic fled into his veins. His heart moved it around until his whole body felt paralyzed.

    Breathing became difficult. It felt like his body was attacking itself. Obi-wan brought his hands to his chest. A sickly feeling fell over him.

    Standing up, Kenobi tried to walk around his room. Pacing didn't seem to help. Instead, he sat against the wall. He felt like he was suffocating.

    What would happen if Maul got ahold of his family? He had already taken two of them from him. But what about Anakin? Cody and Ahsoka made him more nervous than anything.

    Anakin could hopefully handle himself. Obi-wan didn't want to doubt Ahsoka but he knew that she was young. She was smaller than him and he had already seen a Jedi he had worked with fall at his hands.

    Then there was Cody. Nothing he could do against Maul would save him. Guns could never compare to a lightsaber or the force. Only Kriff knows what he could do to him.

    As Obi-wan's breathing worsened, his thought became quicker. What would he do if something happened to them? How could he protect them? Would it be enough.

    Time passed slowly. The there was a knock at the door. But Obi-wan didn't hear it. He didn't think he could get up and off of the floor. All Kenobi could hear was his own breathing and his loud and quick heartbeat.

    That was the day Obi-wan learned that breathing too much could knock you out. He didn't remember Cody knocking on the door. He didn't remember him finding a way in and panicking when he found him on the floor, unconscious. He didn't remember being gently picked up and brought to the medical ward.

    But when he woke up, he was confused about where he was. "How did I get here?" he asked Cody almost as soon as he saw him.

    "You were unconscious on your floor. I had come to talk to you, I wanted to make sure you were alright." Cody answered his questions as he asked them.

    "Thank you Cody" he gently smiled. "I think I'm fine. Can you find one of the droids, I want to go back to my room." Obi-wan looked down at his hands. Something was missing.

    Before Cody had a chance to walk away, he realized Obi-wan looked panicked. He watched his breathing quicken and walked to his side. "Is everything alright?" He asked.

    "I should have had a necklace? Do you see-"

    Cody pulled something off of the table by the bed. "It's right here."

    Obi-wan took it and sighed. "Thank you."

    "Do you want me to put it on you?" The commander asked gently.

    The Jedi just nodded. He may not have her but at least he had a memory. He looked at Cody as he walked to find a doctor. At least he had him.

    The reason for his panic fled back in. Cody was too kind to be killed at the hands of Maul. Most everyone was. Maybe everything would be okay. Maybe Maul would never learn about them. Maybe, just maybe, he could sleep at night.

    The walk back to his room was silent. Cody had insisted on walking him back. Obi-wan thought it was sweet. As the door shut and he realized he was alone again. Kenobi didn't want to be alone. He tried to find a way to open that door again, to admit that he needed help.

    Then the door opened. "I'm sorry if this is overstepping sir. I just wanted to know if you needed anything."

    Obi-wan pulled him in the room. "Is it alright if you st- no this is childish. No thank you commander."

    "What do you need? I'm sure it's not-"

    "Can you stay here tonight? I just" Obi-wan sighed. "I don't want to be alone.

    Cody nodded. "Yes sir." The two talked for a while before Obi-wan said he was ready for bed. Staying on separate sides of the bed, the two went to bed. Maybe things could be okay after all.

Februwhump Day 2: "I Love You" (Alt Prompt 2)

Fandom: EPIC the musical

Summary: Polites fell in love with his captain. The problem is Odysseus is happily married. So he'll just love his from the side.

    Polites knew this wouldn't end the way he wanted it to. He knew when he had started to develop feelings for his captain that it would end badly. Polites had never been good at hiding his feelings. He knew that Odysseus would never love him the way that he loved him.

    The war was over. It ended when the city of Troy burned. Ten long years had passed. It felt longer and shorter than it really was. Polites hated watching Odysseus suffer. He knew he missed his wife and son.

    On the ship, the man paced around the deck. He wounded what to do about his feelings and how he would manage them. Telling the caption would result in the end of their friendship and that was so dear to him that he couldn't risk it.

    Odysseus was his best friend. He was more than just his best friend. Polites saw a different light than the rest. He couldn't help but love him. There was just something so, imperfectly perfect about him.

    When Odysseus had told him to come with him to the island to scout for food, he panicked slightly. But the two left regardless. It was dawn and the sky lingered with the colors of the sunrise. the light shown of Odysseus in a way that made Polites freeze.

    They walked around the island. They walked over a river using a tree that had fallen. There were willow trees and large clearings filled with flowers. But somehow Polites couldn't take his eyes off of Odysseus.

    Polites had started to talk to his captain. He told him about how greeting the world was a brave thing to do and how kindness could help them. He talked about how he knew he was suffering and how he didn't want him to do so in silence.

    Then they met the Lotas Eaters. Odysseus slowly got the message of kindness and faces them with words not violents. Polites was proud. He smiled as the Lotas Eaters told them about a cave that was east of them and how to get there. They thanked them and were in their way.

    The man hated how being in love with someone you could never have felt. Polites didn't hate much, but this, this he hated.

    The two stopped at a willow tree to rest. It seemed their conversation about greeting the work with open arms helped. Odysseus placed a birds nest that had fallen out of the tree back within the branches.

    "I love you" Polites whispered. He hadn't meant to say it out loud. He watched as Odysseus paused as he stood and how he turned around to face him.

    That was it. Of course he had to go and say something stupid. Of course he opened him mouth. Now he wouldn't have him at all. It was better to be friends then nothing. He didn't want to lose him.

    "What?" He asked.

    "I didn't, I didn't mean-"

    "Polites, I-"

    "Don't" Polites smiled softly. "I already know what you're going to say. I didn't mean to tell you. I'm sorry."

    Odysseus just stood there. He wasn't sure what to say. He turned around to make sure the bird's nest was safely in the tree. "I love you, just not how you want me to."

    "I'm fine with being friends. I didn't want to fall for you captain. It's like you tripped me" Polites chuckled. "I don't want to lose you."

    Odysseus turned around and walked  close to Polites. He stood not even a foot away. He looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

    "It's okay. It's good actually. I'm glad your wife has you. She deserves someone like you."

    "Polites" he looked away for a moment. This hadn't happened before. Ever. He had never had a man in love with him. Let alone his best friend.

    Polites pushed himself on his toes and grabbed Odysseus's cheeks. He pulled his head down a little and kissed him on the forehead. "Let's get back to the ship. The men are waiting."

    Then he walked away. Odysseus followed him. "Polites let's talk about this."

    "Captain there's nothing to talk about. I love you and knowing that you love me in some way is enough for me. I'm not asking you to love me back."

    "I know. I'm sorry."

    "For?" Odysseus stopped him.

    "For not loving you the way you desire, the way you deserve." He sighed. "Friends?"

    Polites smiled softly. It hurt more than he had thought. Nothing could have prepared him for his captain's reaction. He felt so bad for not loving him. He wasn't mad or disgusted. "Friends."