Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ever since Bracca, Tech couldn’t help but feel that the atmosphere on the ship was different. It didn’t matter that it had been quite a bit of time since the whole ordeal, nor that he seemed to be the only one with this notion. Though he supposed that with Hunter getting shot and Omega being captured by a bounty hunter not long after, they hadn’t had much time to process the first disaster anyway.

Now that they had some semblance of down time, Tech’s mind had finally chosen to actually process his thoughts on the matter. The only problem was that Tech wasn’t sure that he was ready to think about all that had happened.

He didn’t blame Wrecker for the situation. If anything, he blamed himself for not noticing sooner, or reacting quicker, better. Regardless, he pushed those feelings aside, knowing that a guilty conscience would be nothing but a distraction that he couldn’t afford.

Despite holding no grudge for the incident, he found himself acting unnaturally skittish around the giant after then. It was more of a subconscious thing than an intentional avoidance, something that had yet to present itself as a problem but could easily turn into one. What bothered him the most was that he couldn’t seem to stop it, not understanding his own reactions to something he deemed irrelevant now that it was over.

Tech continued to muse as he grabbed their medkit and moved to sit beside a grumbling Echo. The older clone had dislocated his shoulder during their latest mission, the result of a stomping mishap. Being the most medically trained on the ship, Tech was tasked with helping Echo with his injury, not that he minded. Tech never needed an excuse to check over his brothers, especially when they had a tendency to overlook their own health.

(He pointedly ignored the hypocritical irony of such a thought.)

However, he did appreciate that it gave him something to focus on other than the troubling thoughts of Bracca that were ravaging through his mind. So, he quickly set to work fixing up Echo’s shoulder, letting his mind hyperfixate on the task in front of him, chasing any other thoughts away. It was only a temporary solution.

~~~

Echo huffed out a breath, both annoyed at the situation and at the dull ache of pain that still throbbed throughout his shoulder. He had somehow managed to dislocate it while he’d been scomped into a control station during their latest mission. Having to frantically pull his arm out from the station as it collapsed would probably do that, he supposed, but it wasn’t any less annoying.

He was currently sitting on his bunk, watching Tech tie off the bandages he’d wrapped carefully around his shoulder, somewhat intrigued by his brother’s medical style. It was precise and clinical, not unlike Tech, but it was also messy in a controlled way that only Tech could pull off. The technician had already set his shoulder, but he’d insisted that keeping the limb mostly immobile would help the healing process, so Echo didn’t fight it.

The only thing that had him on edge was how quiet it was. Echo had unknowingly become accustomed to Tech’s habit of talking while he worked, whether it was to infodump or to explain what he was doing. The lack of noise from the talkative clone was a bit unnerving, but Echo could tell that he was laser focused on the task in front of him.

When the silence finally became too uncomfortable, Echo started to ask questions.

“Hey, Tech, when’d you get medical training?” The technician glanced up at him, brows slightly furrowed in confusion at the seemingly random question.

“During my cadet years, of course,” he responded bluntly, gaze dropping back down to his work, missing Echo’s eye roll.

“I know that, but . . . I guess why would be a better question.” Echo almost missed the way that Tech tensed slightly at the question, his foot starting to tap on the ground in what the ARC recognized as a nervous stim. It took a minute for him to respond.

“There was an . . . incident with Wrecker,” Tech started slowly, not taking his eyes off of his hands. “I decided that it would be beneficial for somebody in our squad to have more than the base medical training, especially considering our particular line of work at the time.”

It was obvious that there was more to the story than Tech was telling him, but Echo knew better than to pry, especially when Tech went on to abruptly change the subject. “I believe I worked with one of your company’s medics, actually. Kix?”

“Oh! I didn’t know you knew Kix!” At the mention of his brother, Echo couldn’t help but grow excited, eager to tell stories of his time with the 501st as Tech finished up the bandages and stood to clean up. The cyborg examined the bandages with a small smile. “You tie it off just like he did.”

“That is not surprising,” Tech responded with a shrug, though a small hint of humor cut through his flippant tone as he grabbed the medkit and turned to put it away. Initially, Echo had moved to stand too, but the sharp twinge of pain in his shoulder had him grabbing Tech’s wrist instead.

“Hey, before you put that up, can I grab some pain meds?”

Tech wasn’t facing him, so Echo couldn’t see his expression, but he felt the clone freeze up beneath his touch, a sharp inhale breaking the silence just before the medkit went clattering to the ground, slipping from limp fingers. Echo watched it fall with wide eyes, immediately letting go of Tech. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.”

When Tech didn’t make an attempt to pick the medkit up, Echo got worried. Pushing himself to his feet, he slowly walked around the technician.

“Tech?” Echo frowned, concerned that the clone wasn’t responding. It wasn’t until he was standing in front of him that he recognized what was happening, his heart dropping.

Tech was staring unseeingly into space, his eyes glazed over. His left hand was twitching almost methodically. Echo couldn’t tell if he was breathing, but his face was rapidly paling. The ARC knew a panic attack when he saw one.

“Tech? Can you hear me? I need you to listen to me,” Echo tried, keeping his voice strong, though Tech didn’t respond. The engineer was completely out of it, not even noticing when Echo put his hand on his shoulder, once again calling for his attention.

~~

The only thing he remembered was the sudden feeling of a hand grasping his wrist. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t move, his mind desperately urging him to struggle even as his body failed to reciprocate. He could only stare with mounting horror as Wrecker’s other hand shot out to seize his neck.

His throat closed up. He couldn’t breathe. Wrecker was choking him, strangling him, all while glaring at him with a hatred that made his blood run cold. All he felt was betrayal and helpless panic.

“You’re in direct violation of order sixty-six.”

The growled words rang in his ears, echoing through his head. Along with another voice he thought he recognized. Calling his name?

Wrecker threw him against the wall.

Echoing, echoing.

Everything went black.

Echo.

~~

“Tech!!”

Echo shouted when Tech abruptly dropped to knees like he could no longer hold himself up, gasping for air, confirming the ARC’s suspicion that he’d been holding his breath. Echo was quick to kneel in front of him, trying to get through to him enough for him to breathe, hating the desperate gasps that were escaping Tech's lungs.

"Tech, listen to me. You're safe. You're on the ship, with me," Echo said firmly, his hand gently grasping Tech's shoulder. "Focus on your breathing. Slowly, in and out. You're okay."

The technician was blinking rapidly, the glazed look in his eyes clearing as he focused on Echo. Most of the panic seemed to have lost its grip on him, his breaths slowly beginning to match Echo's rhythm, though they were still strained and shaky.

Echo maintained his reassuring presence, knowing that his voice was probably the only thing grounding Tech's mind. There was a small sense of relief that came when Tech finally exhaled slowly, taking in a measured breath before he murmured, “I-I apologize. I didn't— I lost control.”

Echo shook his head, his concern genuine. "Don't apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.” He gave a small, sympathetic smile. “You wanna talk about what just happened?”

The clone in question sighed, hesitating, grappling with the vulnerability of sharing his inner turmoil. However, they both knew that Echo wasn’t going to let the matter go until they talked through it. Echo was patient, quietly watching as Tech’s eyes dropped to stare at the floor as he fidgeted, looking for the right words.

“When you grabbed my wrist it triggered memories of Wrecker’s attack on Bracca, and I had an involuntary emotional response,” Tech ended up explaining, his voice flat as if he was reciting a clinical report. Before Echo could interject with further questions, Tech’s brow furrowed and he abruptly shifted his gaze to frown at Echo, concerned. “Did you need something? I realize I was not in the right mindset to hear you, but you were trying to get my attention?”

Shaking his head, Echo waved it off. “That can wait. This is about Bracca?”

“Yes. Recently my thoughts on the matter have been . . . in turmoil.” Tech responded slowly, still hesitant but knowing that Echo could help.

After musing over it, Echo carefully asked, “Why don’t you talk to Wrecker about it?”

“I cannot.” The response was immediate, taking Echo aback for a second, though he refocused as Tech continued. “He has only just moved past what happened. I do not wish to reopen old wounds. Besides, it’s— I am fine. I just . . . don’t understand why I am reacting in this way.”

Tech paused, looking a bit frustrated. “I do not blame Wrecker for it, and I am not scared of him, I just— it’s all rather perplexing,” Tech admitted, a mix of concern for his own emotions and consideration for Wrecker evident in his voice. Echo couldn’t help but admire how aware Tech was of Wrecker’s emotional state when he was so obviously struggling to understand his own.

A thought popped into Echo’s head suddenly, a memory that he realized might help his brother get through the roadblock he seems to have hit. With a growing smile, Echo asked, “Do you remember when I first joined the squad and I freaked out because the explosives were kept so close to the racks?”

“Yes?” Tech replied, looking slightly bewildered at the conversation shift, but listening as Echo continued

“The thought of possibly being blown up again terrified me, even though it was completely irrational for something like that to happen,” Echo explained, noticing Tech’s confusion. “So you guys moved the bombs, and you explained to me how I was overthinking the situation.”

Visibly confused, Tech mumbled, “I do not understand where this is going.” Echo had to take a moment to appreciate that they had built enough trust for the smart clone to admit his confusion, considering that he was used to knowing and being expected to know all of the answers.

Echo clarified easily. “You made the best out of the situation. You did as much as you could to help, but in the end, it just took time for me to know that nothing was going to happen and that I could trust you all.” He watched the understanding dawn on Tech’s face, continuing. “You know that Wrecker isn’t going to hurt you, but your fight or flight kicked in because it happened once. The best thing we can do now is wait it out, and as Wrecker continues to protect you, your subconscious mind will regain its trust around him.”

He watched Tech’s brow furrow as the genius’s mind absorbed and processed the weighty thoughts that were shared. After a considerable amount of time, Tech’s features softened into a small smile, his eyes meeting Echo’s as he said a soft, “thank you.”

In that fleeting moment, Echo felt a swell of warmth, like the comforting embrace of a familiar melody after a long absence. It was a silent acknowledgment, a shared understanding between brothers forged of unspoken bonds.

Echo grinned back. “Anytime.” He reached out to wrap an arm around his brother in a side hug, his smile widening when Tech only hesitated for a moment before leaning into him. The moment was only broken when the movement caused a painful twinge in his shoulder that had him wincing, making Tech look over with concern. The older clone gave him a sheepish look. “So, about those painkillers . . .”

Chapter Text

Hunter had first noticed it on a mission. They had planned to have Tech stay behind and keep an eye on the ship with Omega, something he usually preferred to do since he was so protective of the ship, and also the most effective getaway flier. However, a few moments after assigning their roles, Tech had suddenly requested that him and Echo swap places.

The sergeant had no clue what had prompted the abrupt change of plans, especially from the one who generally disliked change. All he knew was that Tech’s behavior shifted noticeably, the clone nervously fidgeting with his datapad as he suggested the change. When Hunter asked why, he replied with some reason along the lines of his skills better suiting the mission, but Tech was always a horrible liar, and Hunter could hear his heart rate picking up with anxiety. Still, he knew that Tech wasn’t one to make changes without reason or that could be potentially risky, so he let it slide, reminding himself to talk to his brother later.

Later was now. All throughout the mission, Tech had seemed slightly distracted, and it threw Hunter off. He expected this sort of behavior from Wrecker maybe, but not Tech. Something was clearly off, and if it was enough to distract Tech from a mission, then it was something that desperately needed to be called to attention.

“Hey, Tech, can we talk?” He finally got the opportunity to ask when they had just gone into hyperspace, nobody else in the cockpit except him and Tech. It didn’t take enhanced sense to catch him visibly tense and hesitate, his tone flat as he replied. “Of course.” He turned in his chair to face the sergeant, but he looked uncomfortable, like he would rather be anywhere else. Hunter wasn’t sure he liked how that felt.

“What’s going on?” The sergeant asked boldly, concern seeping into his voice. Tech gave him a bewildered look in response, as if there were any chance that his hyperactive mind didn’t know what he was talking about. Hunter knew that despite his methods of emotional processing being different, Tech was quite self-aware. So naturally it irked him when Tsch feigned ignorance, asking, “What do you mean?”

“You’re being distant, and it’s only around me,” Hunter replied easily, sharp eyes catching his brother tense up slightly, avoiding eye contact. “So what is it?”

~~

Tech hated this.

He didn’t want to hear a lecture from Hunter, asking him about thoughts and feelings that he could barely sort through himself, let alone try to explain to somebody else. It only made matters worse that the one cornering him was Hunter, which he supposed was the root of the problem.

Sorting through his emotions over the events that had transpired about a week ago was near impossible. At the very least it was upsetting.

But Hunter was looking at him expectantly, waiting for an answer, so he had no choice but to say something in response. “I suppose I have been overly worried about you since your capture on Daro,” Tech admitted. It was the truth, although it wasn’t the entire reason why he was out of sorts. He knew it had more to do with it than just that, but he still hadn’t figured out exactly what the problem was yet.

Hunter at least seemed to take it, his expression softening a little. “Oh. Tech, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine, we all got out of it just fine.”

Tech had to bite his tongue to keep from saying that they had not all gotten out just fine. Maybe they were mostly unharmed, but they’d left without Crosshair, again, and it was still tearing him up inside.

But that would only prolong this unwanted conversation with Hunter, bringing attention to wounds that neither of them wanted to acknowledge. It hurt that they acted as if talking of Crosshair was a forbidden subject, but reminding Hunter of that had only ever made things worse.

“Tech?” The clone in question looked up, not realizing he had even looked down. Hunter was frowning at him now, making him hold back a wince. “What’s really going on? You’re not being yourself. Something else is bothering you.”

Tech huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked off to the side, eye contact too much to handle on top of everything else. Vaguely remembering where their last conversation had ended before he’d spaced out, he tried to redirect Hunter’s attention from him.

“I do not think that you are concerned enough with your own wellbeing,” Tech stated, his voice tinged with a blend of frustration and genuine worry. Despite his statement not really having anything to do with his earlier distress, it was still a cause for concern that had been tumbling around with the rest of Tech’s thoughts since Daro.

That made Hunter react, the sergeant floundering for a second, clearly caught off guard, before asking a frustrated, “what’s that supposed to mean??”

“The odds of your escape after Daro were minimal. I told you such, and yet you still forced us to leave,” Tech replied, voice straining slightly in his attempt to keep his tone neutral, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

“You were more important,” Hunter argued. “You couldn’t have saved me if I hadn’t told you to leave.” And there it was. That was the same reasoning that had been running through Tech’s head every time he thought of the situation, leaving him struggling to understand why he still felt so bad about it.

“I know that, but—”

“There are no buts. As a sergeant I am supposed to put the squad first,” Hunter stated, sounding as if he was reciting a mantra. Tech looked up, finding himself a bit angry at the look of set determination on his brother’s face.

“As a sergeant you are supposed to lead us, not act as a martyr,” he snapped back, growing irritated and a bit overwhelmed. He was supposed to be the calm, composed one, not the one giving into his emotions.

Hunter’s eyes widened, betraying his surprise before he frowned, crossing his arms defensively. “Now that’s taking it a bit far. I wasn’t acting like a martyr; I was trying not to get you guys killed.”

“At what cost? Your expense??” Tech’s voice rose, all of the feelings starting to get to him.

“Tech, you’re overreacting. It’s not like they killed me,” Hunter chided, his voice calm but firm, his hands gesturing placatingly. Tech was sure it was meant to be reassuring, but Hunter was completely ignoring Tech’s concern, and it was driving him up the wall.

“They could have!! For all we’d know, they could have killed you on Daro!!” Tech’s voice cracked slightly, his words filled with raw fear and frustration. Hunter was barely reacting to his unusual emotional outburst, instead arguing, “But Crosshair wanted me alive.”

“And if he hadn’t?? He has—” Tech faltered, the memory of Hunter pulling him aside after Crosshair tried to shoot him out of the ion engine flashing before his eyes. “He has tried to kill us before,” he murmured, barely above a whisper, his gaze going distant.

“That doesn’t matter, Tech.” Immediately, Hunter’s voice brought him back, agitation bubbling anew beneath his skin. “What matters is that you all got away and were able to save me. That’s all.” Hunter’s calm, resolute tone was beginning to exasperate him.

“But what if we hadn’t—” he tried, immediately getting shut down.

“Stop worrying about the what-ifs, they don’t matter!!” Hunter’s voice rose slightly, his frustration evident, though it only served to push Tech to rise against the challenge.

“But—”

“Tech!!” Hunter finally snapped. “Everybody is fine. We’re all here and we’re all safe. Why isn’t that enough for you?!”

Frustration peaking, Tech abruptly stood. “You are not listening to me!!” He cried out, his voice echoing in the cockpit, tone laced with hurt and desperation, hands trembling at his sides.

“How can you just accept the fact that we left you behind? That we left Crosshair behind, again?!” He vaguely noticed Hunter react to him saying Crosshair’s name, but it was too late for him to stop. “We don’t leave each other behind, Hunter!!”

He had apparently startled the man enough to get him to shut his mouth, wide eyes staring at him in shock. His outburst honestly surprised himself. His chest was heaving with every breath, his heart pounding against his ribs, his eyes starting to burn with unshed tears.

“We had no choice, Tech,” Hunter said softly, breaking the tense silence of the ship. It made Tech want to scream; that couldn’t be the answer. They couldn’t leave it at that and just move on.

But Hunter wasn’t listening. He didn’t seem to understand, and at that point, Tech was too overwhelmed to keep arguing with him.

“I wish to be left alone,” he finally managed out, voice on the edge of breaking, struggling to maintain even a semblance of composure. He turned away from his brother, shoulders slumping as he distantly stared at the floor. Hunter’s voice rang out a moment later.

“Tech, wait—”

“Please, Hunter.” He pleaded quietly, feeling as if he was going to be suffocated by the emotions they had just dislodged and sent ravaging through his mind. He needed to sort them out, by himself, he just needed space. Tension finally bled from his body as he heard Hunter sigh heavily, footsteps leaving the room before the door slid shut.

Exhaling slowly, trying to calm himself down, he began to fiddle with the controls, quickly finding something to fix. It gave him something to occupy his hands with before he set to work untangling the feelings they had finally unearthed.

~~

Feeling unbalanced by the entire conversation, torn between wanting to help Tech and knowing that he needed space, Hunter retreated to his bunk. He relished in the darkness of the space and the quiet that it brought, though the silence only made the thoughts in his head seem louder. He didn’t mind much though, seeing as he clearly needed to rethink the entire interaction he had just had with his brother and rethink what had gone wrong.

Laying down on the rack with a soft sigh he stared at the space above him, thinking. After a bit of musing, rerunning the conversation in his head and paying more attention to Tech’s words and reactions, it finally dawned on Hunter.

He was almost embarassed by the fact that he hadn’t realized it sooner. Tech shouldn’t have had to reach the point of yelling at him for him to finally listen to what his brother was trying to tell him. Sure, sometimes Tech’s explanations were hard to follow, since his way of thinking was so different from theirs, but that was no excuse for Hunter to blow him off the way that he had. Especially not when he had been so clearly upset about it.

The sergeant vaguely recognized the action for what it was, trying to piece it all together in a way that made more sense to him. The first thing he thought back to was the initial problem that he had picked up on, when Tech had been acting odd during their mission. Hunter realized that he had been acting differently but not necessarily negatively. He had seemed distracted, but that was because his focus had shifted without Hunter’s notice, to something that the technician had clearly deemed equally as important: Hunter’s safety.

It was something that they used to see in Crosshair all of the time. Thinking about it actually made Hunter’s heart hurt, another painful reminder of Crosshair’s absence. He should’ve thought more about how that would’ve affected Tech, considering that they were twins.

Although they were starkly different, they also had very similar traits. One of those traits was fierce protectiveness, though Hunter realized that could be said about everybody in the batch, or even all clones in general. Still, Crosshair had a way of subtly hovering that nobody else could pull off. Except Tech it would seem.

The more he thought about it, the more familiar Tech’s reaction became, reminding him so much of Crosshair that it hurt. Tech had clearly been distressed about having to leave him behind, which made sense as to why he hadn’t wanted to risk watching the ship. That would’ve left him with the possibility of having to get them out, again, and Hunter once again attempting to sacrifice himself for the good of the squad.

It also explained why Tech had stuck so close to him the entire mission, focused a bit more on trying to keep him out of trouble than their actual mission objective. He was being protective. Because he was scared. Of losing Hunter again.

It made so much sense. It also made it that much worse that they had lost Crosshair again. Of course Tech had been upset, worried about losing one brother, only to get him back and have the other slip through their fingers again, of his own accord.

Sitting up, with sudden energy from his revelation buzzing under his skin, he resolved to fix what he’d. He had to stop himself from jumping to his feet and bursting into the cockpit, knowing that he had to think everything through before he went in, unlike before. He wasn’t going to ignore all of the signs like before.

Finally standing and taking a deep breath so that he stayed calm, he made his way back to the cockpit. Hunter paused outside the door, listening to his brother. He could hear Tech tinkering with something, his heartbeat pulsing steadily, slightly faster than normal but at a more relaxed pace than it had been before Hunter had left. He could also hear Tech’s foot tapping incessantly against the ground, wincing at the thought of Tech still anxiously stimming after their argument.

Quickly steeling himself, Hunter knocked on the door before stepping in, cautiously calling, “Tech? Is it alright if we talk? I wanted to apologize.”

His gaze immediately went to his brother, who was sitting in front of the control panel, wires sticking out of it as he worked to twist them back together. As suspected, his foot was tapping consistently on the floor as he worked. His shoulders had tensed slightly as Hunter walked in, but he kept his focus on the task in front him, having his hands occupied clearly helping his anxiety. Hunter wasn’t going to say anything about it if it was helping him.

It took a moment for Tech to acknowledge him, the clone finally finishing the wires with a soft sigh before turning to face him. “I wanted to apologize as well. I was being overly emotional, and you were only trying to help.”

Hunter had to catch himself to keep from interrupting the moment that Tech gave an apology, wanting to insist that Tech had nothing to apologize for, but he had sworn to himself that he would listen to Tech, so he let his brother continue, despite wanting to stop him. As soon as Tech was done speaking, Hunter shook his head.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Tech,” he reassured, before quickly adding, “but I accept your apology anyway.” Some of the tension seeped from Tech’s shoulders, giving Hunter a bit of encouragement. “I know that I wasn’t listening to you, and I’m sorry that it took you yelling at me for me to finally realize it. I wasn’t being understanding of what you were feeling, and for that I’m sorry.”

“I accept your apology,” Tech replied with a small smile, the action making Hunter grin before his expression went serious again. “Thanks for understanding, Tech. I know that the past few days have been a lot, but,” he hesitated for a second, a bit unsure of himself, but he pushed himself to stay calm and asked, “do you want to talk about it?”

He was a bit disappointed, but he couldn’t say he was surprised when Tech hesitated, looking skeptical. “It is . . . complicated.” He admitted after a pause, though Hunter was just happy that Tech was talking to him, giving him a chance. “I’ve been trying to make sense of it myself.”

“I know,” Hunter said, his tone softening. “But I want you to know that you don’t have to do it alone. I know that you need time and space to sort things out, but I’m always here if you need help.” He watched carefully as Tech considered his words, feeling his small spark of hope burn brighter as Tech sighed and replied with an explanation.

“I obviously did not react well to the idea of losing you,” he started slowly, eyes trained on the floor in between them. “And I believe that with Crosshair choosing to stay with the Empire, that idea has only been amplified. I had not paid it much mind, but it seems to have finally caught up to me, and . . .”

Tech paused, fidgeting his fingers together as his leg continued to bounce. Hunter wished nothing more than to quell whatever anxiety he knew his brother was feeling, but he also knew that it wasn’t that easy.

“I feel hurt,” the clone admitted softly, his words breaking Hunter’s heart. “It hurts that we left Crosshair again. The idea that any of you could simply leave is just too much to bear. I did not understand how you all seemed to move on from it so easily.”

Sighing, Hunter gave Tech a small, sympathetic smile, knowing exactly how it felt. “I don’t think any of us moved on from it easily,” Hunter told him, regretting however he had acted that made Tech look at him, confused. Had he really thought that they would forget about Crosshair so easily?

“I think that we all just got really good at hiding how we feel about things,” the sergeant confessed, including the entire squad in his statement and knowing that it was true. “I realize that I started treating Crosshair like an untouchable subject, and I’m sorry if you felt like you couldn’t talk about him.” His apology was genuine as he looked up at Tech, hoping that he would understand.

“It’s alright,” Tech responded, always the most forgiving, aside from maybe Wrecker. Hunter was struck suddenly by how lucky he was to have Tech as his brother. “I understand not wanting to deal with things that hurt so much,” Tech continued quietly. A moment of silence passed before he sighed heavily, shoulders slumping in defeat. “I can't shake the feeling that we could have done more."

Hunter's expression softened further, a pang of understanding hitting him. "Tech, we did what we had to do to survive. Crosshair made his choice.” He tried not to let any bitterness seep into his voice. While Hunter felt a bit of resentment toward Crosshair for leaving them of his own accord, then acting as if they were the ones that left him behind, he knew that Tech didn’t feel the same. He knew that Tech was going to side with his twin, even if they were worlds apart.

“We have to respect his decision,” Hunter said, letting patience guide his words. “He chose not to come with us. He believes that he is following the right path.”

“And what if he is not?” Tech asked, his gaze distant, tone small and helpless. They both knew that Crosshair staying with the Empire was only going to lead to more pain for their brother, but there was nothing they could do about it.

“We just have to hope that when he realizes, he’ll find his way back to us. And we’ll be ready to take him back,” Hunter answered softly.

Tech finally met Hunter's gaze, his eyes reflecting a mix of sorrow and determination. "You think he will come back?”

Hunter sighed, wishing he could give a straight answer, but knowing that Tech would rather have the truth. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “All we can do is hope and have faith in him.”

It obviously wasn’t the answer that Tech wanted, but they both knew that it was true. “It is hard not to worry about him,” Tech whispered, staring out at the space outside of the viewport.

Hunter nodded solemnly. "I know.” He carefully wrapped an arm around his brother in a side-hug, smiling when he relaxed into the touch without question, stilling all of his anxious movements. “I’m sorry again for making it so hard for you to talk to me about it earlier,” Hunter murmured.

“Again, I forgive you,” Tech replied easily. “Though, I will admit that our misunderstanding forced me to process feelings that I had been ignoring before, so at least some good came out of it.” His tone was less hopeless than before, making Hunter feel glad that he at least somewhat helped his brother sort through what had been bothering him.

“That’s fantastic Tech, and I’m glad we were able to work this out,” he praised, though his tone was serious. “But I don’t want it to have to come to that.”

“I know. I will strive not to ignore my emotions, even if it is complicated,” Tech promised, looking to him for approval.

He was already glad that they seemed to have reached an understanding. He just needed to make sure that Tech knew he had support.

“Just know that I’m always here for you, okay? And the others are too.”

Tech gave him a small, grateful smile. “Thank you, Hunter.” Hunter grinned, hugging him a bit tighter. “Anytime.”

Chapter Text

Wrecker sighed from where he was sitting on his bunk, fiddling with Lula’s ears. He had technically given the stuffed animal to Omega, but she still let him take it back from time to time. She hadn’t asked when he had quietly asked for the believed object, merely handing it over and going back to staring through the window from her room.

Since then, Wrecker had been clenching and unclenching his hand around the stuffed animal, agitated. 99 had initially made it for him when he would worry about breaking things with his uncontrolled strength as a cadet. The stuffed animal wouldn’t be broken if he squeezed it too hard, and he later found himself using the plush almost like a stress ball.

He was snapped back into reality when the noise outside got louder, making him wince. He didn’t like that he could hear Hunter and Tech arguing from all the way outside the marauder. Well, he could only hear Hunter yelling, but he was sure that Tech wasn’t helping the situation, with his smart mouth and sharp sarcasm, especially when he didn’t believe that he was wrong.

He was a lot like Crosshair in that regard. People always thought that Tech was the least reactive since he was usually a bit removed from his emotions. Although that might have been mostly true compared to the rest of them, Tech was also just as quick to lash out at somebody if they hurt him or someone he cared about. Wrecker knew that trait came from Crosshair, probably a result of all the bullying on Kamino.

Once again, his attention was shifted by the sound of the ramp to the Marauder opening and a pair of feet stomping onto the ship. When the footsteps went in the direction of the cockpit, the door sliding shut a moment later, Wrecker knew that it was Tech. Sighing again, he put Lula down, smiling at her to reassure himself before standing up.

Unsure why he felt somewhat anxious to have this conversation, he walked slowly to the cockpit. It wasn’t even him that he was worried about; it was Tech. No matter how angry he was or how indifferent he reacted, arguments had always bothered Tech. Considering how angry Hunter had looked when he had walked into Cid’s parlor with Echo, Wrecker already knew that the fight had been bad.

Walking into the cockpit, he saw Tech sitting in the pilot’s seat, scrolling furiously through his datapad, so fast that Wrecker was sure he wasn’t actually reading anything. He was muttering under his breath, and he jumped when Wrecker cleared his throat, though he deflated when he saw who it was. Wrecker must’ve had a look on his face, because Tech took one look at him and winced. “Was it that bad?”

“We could hear you from inside,” Wrecker admitted, moving to sit next to him as Tech sighed. “I apologize. I did not intend to cause you any distress.” He had stopped scrolling through whatever he had displayed on the datapad, his fingers instead moving to fidget with the device as he looked at Wrecker. The bigger clone gave him a small smile, replying, “I know.”

When Echo and Hunter had gotten back, Hunter had immediately stormed over to Tech and demanded that they talk outside. After they’d left, Echo had explained that they heard from somebody outside about Tech riot racing; Omega had been excitedly telling the story to anyone in the parlor that would listen. It was safe to say that Hunter was not happy. Wrecker had wanted to go explain that he was the one who pushed to go with Cid, but Echo had stopped him, saying that it would just make things worse. Instead, Wrecker and Omega went back to the ship to wait, with Echo staying behind, saying that he would talk to Hunter when he was done with Tech and try to get him to cool off.

Since then, Wrecker couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty, knowing that he and Omega were the ones who wanted to go with Cid. Tech had only agreed reluctantly. But Wrecker knew that it was Tech who had actually been riot racing, and as such, Hunter was the most upset with him.

“I didn’t mean to get you into trouble,” Wrecker mumbled, his own way of apologizing. “I can go to Hunter and tell him that none of this was your idea, and–”

“There is no need for that,” Tech cut him off quickly, but not unkindly. “I do not believe that anybody is to blame for this situation. You have no need to apologize or explain anything to Hunter.” For a moment, Wrecker wondered if Tech was aware of how bitter his words came out, before remembering that sometimes it took a moment for Tech to hear the emotion through his own tone.

Sure enough, after a small moment of silence, Tech seemed to realize what he sounded like and sighed, launching into a further explanation. “Besides, he is angry with me for more reasons than just the riot race, although I assume that is what set all of this off. Hunter thinks I am being reckless.”

“What?” Wrecker asked, already somewhat knowing where Hunter was coming from, but knowing that the interaction would help Tech more than just a one-sided rant. “Why?”

“Hunter believes that I am still being affected by Crosshair’s decision to remain with the Empire,” Tech said quietly, not making eye contact. “While I will admit that his decision was . . . upsetting, I have come to terms with it, and I respect his decision. Hunter does not seem to understand that.”

“What else is he upset about?”

“He directly referenced my unfortunate injury from the war chest, as well as the riot race. He said that I was not being careful and that I was going to get myself killed.” Tech sighed. “I know that he is worried about my well-being – about all of our well-beings – but he is not willing to see my point of view. I was simply trying to keep everybody safe. Occasionally this has come at the expense of an injury, but Hunter has certainly done the same before. Am I wrong for trying to protect you??”

Wrecker waited patiently for Tech to finish, having done this several times before. They had known early on that Tech struggled with emotions, and Wrecker was usually the most in tune with them. So, logically, Tech had started to come to him for advice.

While Wrecker didn’t exactly have the attention span to listen to Tech talk about facts and data that he had learned – no matter how much Tech explained, Wrecker just couldn't wrap his head around it, and listening to Tech’s rants became Crosshair’s thing anyway – he would sit and listen to Tech ramble on for hours if it meant helping him sort through his emotions. Wrecker appreciated that although Tech sometimes teased him for being trigger happy and obsessed with explosives, he didn’t think Wrecker was just someone who liked to blow things up.

There was a moment of silence as Wrecker thought over Tech’s question. Tech wasn’t wrong for trying to protect them, but Wrecker could also see how he could’ve taken a bit more care to keep himself safe too. Considering how overprotective Hunter could be, it wasn’t hard to understand why he was so upset, though Wrecker still thought he could’ve expressed his concerns in some way other than a shouting match.

Still, Wrecker's top priority at the moment was getting Tech to understand Hunter’s side of the argument, although he wasn’t completely wrong. The only problem was that Tech was stubborn, and while he was usually very open-minded, he also strongly believed in his argument, and he wasn’t going to change his ideas easily.

After a moment, Wrecker had an idea. A wacky grin spread across his face, his excitement almost making him laugh as Tech frowned at him before his eyes went wide. “Oh no. I know that expression, Wrecker, what are you scheming?”

“Oh, nothin’ much,” he said lightly, still unable to stop grinning. “Y’know what’d be really nice right about now? Some fresh air!!” As he exclaimed, he stood, grabbing his bewildered brother to throw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The smaller clone yelped, squirming and kicking his legs as he shouted, “WRECKER!!! Put me down!! I am perfectly capable of walking by myself!!!”

Wrecker only laughed. “No can do vod’ika, you’re stuck with me!!!” Tech sighed and stopped struggling as he accepted his fate with a huff. “Well, will you at least tell me where we are going??”

“It’s a surprise!!” With that he bounded down the ramp of the Marauder, taking a moment to call out to Omega that they’d be back and to stay out of trouble. Behind him, he heard Tech grumble, “your surprises are usually a cause for concern.”

“Just trust me, Tech,” he said with a chuckle, patting his brother’s leg. “You’re gonna like it.”

He continued on, making his way through Ord Mantell, following the familiar route to his destination. They were pretty close when Tech’s voice suddenly sounded behind him. “Are you taking me to the gym?”

Wrecker froze for a second before he caught himself and kept walking, eyes going wide. “Uhhh . . . no, of course not!!! What— what makes you say that???”

“You are a terrible liar, Wrecker.”

“Oh, come on!!! It was supposed to be a surprise!!” He whined playfully, chuckling when Tech responded dryly. “Not to worry Wrecker, I still have no clue what we are doing.”

“Well, you’re about to find out,” he said dramatically, grinning as he finally stopped in front of a familiar building, carefully setting his brother down. He watched Tech glance around as he straightened his goggles, looking somewhat unimpressed. “What exactly are we doing here?”

“Come on, you’ll see,” Wrecker replied enthusiastically, pushing the door open to step into the dimly lit training facility. When they had left Kamino, they hadn’t necessarily thought about everything that they were leaving behind. Of course, it wasn’t exactly a priority when they found themselves indebted to Cid and stuck in a supposedly mutually beneficial relationship with her to earn credits, but once they began to frequent Ord Mantell, Wrecker found himself missing the training facilities in Kamino that he used to spend a lot of his time in. So, he had set off to find someplace on the planet that could act as a replacement. With the help of Tech’s research, they found an out-of-the-way gym that didn’t require payment and that almost nobody ever went to because it was rather far away and hard to find.

Wrecker loved it. He rarely ever saw other people there, but the place was still kept up with. He had made friends with the person who owned the gym, since he was one of the most frequent visitors. The lights were dimmed, but not enough that you couldn’t see. It reminded Wrecker of their old barracks and it was a nice change compared to the bright white lights that were always used on Kamino.

Looking over at his brother, he saw Tech examining the spacious room. Various training equipment was lined up against the walls, from exercise machines and weights to training dummies and punching bags. Tech eventually turned his attention back to Wrecker, quirking an eyebrow at his staring.

“I fail to see how this is relevant to our current predicament,” he remarked, though Wrecker could see the spark of curiosity in his eyes. He didn’t bother to hide his smile.

“Watch and learn, Tech!!” With that he walked over to the wall on the far right, where a few punching bags were hanging from the ceiling. There was a little cubby where pairs of boxing gloves were stored, and despite not really needing them, he grabbed a pair, motioning for Tech to do the same. Tech followed slowly, still looking rather bewildered but Wrecker knew he was too curious to leave.

Once Tech had slipped the gloves on and then tilted his head at him questioningly, Wrecker smiled, stepping up to the nearest punching bag.

“Sometimes, you’ve gotta let it out, Tech,” he explained as he began to strike the bag, his movements fluid and controlled, unlike how he usually behaved on the battlefield. This was his safe space, and maybe he was using a little less force than usual so as not to break the bag, which he had done before, but he was mostly trying to make a point to Tech. “It’s not just about strength; it’s about precision and control too.”

He stopped after a moment, looking at Tech, who had been watching thoughtfully. “I suppose there is some merit in controlled physical exertion,” he admitted, making eye contact with Wrecker, who grinned. “Great, ‘cause now it’s your turn!!”

“What?”

“Just hit it!!!”

Tech sighed, but did as Wrecker asked, even if it was half-hearted. He gave Wrecker an unimpressed look and the elder rolled his eyes. “Hit it harder.”

Shifting his gaze to stare at the punching bag, Tech took a breath and hit it hard. Wrecker couldn’t help but be impressed; Tech had always been good at everything he set his mind to, but Wrecker was always surprised by how much force he could fight with, considering he was “less inclined to engage in physical combat.” Smiling proudly when Tech looked up uncertainly at him, he enthusiastically exclaimed. “Yeah, that’s it!! Keep going!!”

With more encouraging words, Tech continued to hit the punching bag, though eventually, he came back to his original question. “I still do not see the point of this exercise,” he admitted after a particularly hard strike, glancing at Wrecker.

His smile softened a little. “Well, protecting our family isn’t just about planning and calculations,” he explained earnestly “It’s about making sure you’re in the right shape to handle whatever comes your way.”

Tech paused at that, and Wrecker could practically see the gears turning in his head. Slowly, he began to strike at the bag again, looking more focused than before. His movements became more fluid, his hits more deliberate. Wrecker knew how it felt, to vent out his feelings by doing this, until there was nothing left on your mind and it left you feeling lighter than before. He was beyond happy that he seemed able to get Tech to that point.

After a while, Tech stopped, his breathing slightly heavier but his expression noticeably lighter. “I must admit, this is . . . rather effective,” he admitted, a hint of surprise in his voice.

Wrecker clapped his hand on Tech’s shoulder, his proud grin somehow getting wider when Tech didn’t try to pull away like he usually did. “Told ya,” he teased with a chuckle. “Taking care of yourself is just as important as looking out for the others.” He paused, frowning in thought. “What’s that thing Echo likes to say . . . me— mega—?”

“Meh gar kyrayc, shuk ba ni,” Tech recited easily, shaking his head fondly. “You’re no use to me dead.”

“Yeah, that!!”

A rare smile pulled up at Tech’s lips, making Wrecker light up with excitement. “Thank you, Wrecker,” Tech said quietly. “I appreciated the lesson.”

“Ha!! That‘ll show you not to go doubting Wrecker!!” He exclaimed, filled with a newfound energy as he slapped Tech on the back, getting a playful glare from him in return as they both stood, making their way back to the ship.

Tech had begun to ramble about the positive and negative effects of adrenaline that came from physical exertion as they walked, and even though Wrecker barely understood what he was talking about, he listened happily, glad to see his brother more at ease than before.

Wrecker felt a swell of pride, both for himself and for Tech, for the lessons that they’d taught and learned. Wrecker knew that Tech wasn’t going to forget this, and he hoped that Tech would use the new outlet he’d been shown to vent out his emotions so that hopefully, he could more easily figure them out on his own.

If nothing else, it had been a nice way to spend the afternoon. Wrecker genuinely enjoyed getting to spend time with his little brother, away from the chaos that was their lives. He smiled as they reached the Marauder, his grin broadening when Tech gave him a quick side-hug and another thanks before he hurried off inside. Tech was doing just fine.

~~

Afterwards, both Echo and Wrecker stand outside of the door to the cockpit, listening to Tech and Hunter apologize to each other as they share a smirk and a fist bump.

Chapter Text

Tech had been uncannily quiet since they had managed to get the Marauder back, something that confused Omega. She thought he would have been happier or more relieved, considering how much time and care he always put into taking care of the vessel since it was practically their home. However, instead he’d just been anxiously fretting over the ship, checking and rechecking systems, making repairs that Omega was fairly certain weren’t all that important. She knew that Tech liked his ship to be in good condition, and he liked making modifications, but he usually wasn’t too concerned about its state as long as life support wasn’t affected. Omega didn’t think she’d ever seen him worked up like this before. She was also pretty sure she hadn’t seen him sit down since they had gotten the Marauder back.

“Is Tech okay?” She ended up asking Hunter later, having worried about him all day. At some point, Tech had taken to pacing up and down the length of the ship. This followed for a bit of time until Hunter told him to go be restless somewhere else so he wouldn’t agitate the rest of them. Since then he’d shut himself in the cockpit.

Hunter sighed. “He’ll be fine.” Omega mentally translated that into, “no, he’s not okay right now,” knowing that Hunter would try to make it sound better than it was so that she wouldn't worry. “He just needs a little time to process everything that happened,” the sergeant continued. “I don’t think he’s thrilled that those thieves went through the ship.”

“I don’t think anyone would be happy about that,” she agreed with a frown, looking toward the door. “Does he need help?”

The sergeant gave her a small, sympathetic smile, saying gently, “I know that you’re worried, but Tech probably wants some space right now.” She visibly deflated, not satisfied with that answer, and Hunter added, “maybe try asking him tomorrow.”

With a sigh Omega agreed, trudging off to go sit in her makeshift room in the gunner’s mound. She didn’t like his answer, but Hunter was probably right. She knew that Tech usually wanted space whenever he was stressed out or worried about something, so she would respect that. She just wished that she could do something to help.

The thoughts were on her mind well into the night, even when she had finally fallen into a troubled sleep . . .

Omega woke up with a start, breathing hard and clutching Lula tightly to her chest. She hadn’t had a nightmare in a while, but considering all that had happened recently, she guessed it wasn’t that surprising. Still, it didn’t make her dream any less jarring, enough so that she didn’t think she wanted to go back to sleep.

Carefully, she slipped out of her bed and crept into the cockpit. It wasn’t uncommon for one of her brothers to be awake at any hour of the night, taking turns keeping watch no matter how unlikely it was that anything would go wrong while they were in hyperspace. Unsurprisingly, Tech was there. She had heard Hunter trying to convince him to go to sleep earlier, but clearly, his efforts had been for naught. Tech was lying beneath the control panel, which had all sorts of wires sticking out of it. She couldn’t really tell what he was doing, and she wasn’t sure that she’d understand it anyway, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t important enough to need to be done at this hour of the night.

She walked quietly toward him, expecting him to have heard her footsteps and known she was there before she quietly called. “Tech?” He didn’t respond, making her frown, wondering if he heard her. Inching a little closer, she tried again. “Tech?” She called a little louder, though still trying to keep her voice down so she wouldn’t wake Hunter. Again, Tech didn’t respond, too lost in his work to hear her. Not knowing how else to get his attention, she tapped on his knee instead.

He reacted immediately, flinching hard with a startled yelp and scaring her enough to make her take several steps back, starting to apologize. “I’m sorry!!” She squeaked out. She probably wouldn’t have been so freaked out if she wasn’t already on edge because of the nightmare, not that it mattered in the current moment. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I just couldn’t get your attention–”

“It is alright,” Tech reassured her easily as he scooted out from under the control panel, sitting up to face her. He looked a little embarrassed, not meeting her eyes. “I did not mean to react so strongly, you just . . . startled me.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled again, though she felt a bit better when Tech was just as quick to reply, “There is no need for you to apologize, Omega. I was simply distracted and you were trying to get my attention. There is nothing wrong with that.” She nodded in response, watching as he glanced around, seeming to notice that it was the middle of the night. He focused on Omega again, frowning slightly as he took in her nervous stance and the doll held in her arms before his expression softened. “Why are you awake at this hour?”

“I had a nightmare,” she admitted quietly, clutching Lula a little tighter to her chest. Usually whenever she had a nightmare she ended up in one of her brother’s bunks – Hunter’s more often than not – and she would go back to sleep with them holding her protectively, feeling safer in their arms. However, she wasn’t currently in the right headspace to go back to sleep, and Tech was already awake.

He studied her for a moment before saying, “Am I correct in assuming that you are not in the mood for sleep right now? It seems as if you are in need of a distraction from whatever is keeping you awake.”

Omega blinked, shocked at his ability to read her so easily, though she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised considering how intelligent he was. He just generally tended to be a bit emotionally awkward. She nodded a bit shyly, fidgeting with Lula’s ears. “Can I stay here with you?” She asked, only a little bit tentatively. She wasn’t sure if he was busy with whatever he’d been working on.

“Of course,” he answered without hesitation, making her sigh in relief. As she stepped closer, he gestured at the pilot’s chair. “You can sit there if you’d like. It might help if you talked about your dream, though I do not want you to feel pressured to do so. If you do not mind, I am going to continue working, but I promise that I am listening.” He rambled slightly as he moved back toward the control panel, not that Omega minded, liking how his voice filled the silence as she sat down in the chair.

For a few minutes, she just watched him pull some of the wires out of the control panel, making it easier for him to work with them without having to lie under it again. When she didn’t show any intention of speaking, he began to hum quietly, obviously trying to fill the silence, but not in an awkward way. She much preferred it to the quiet anyway, and she briefly wondered if Tech found the silence as off putting as she did. He always seemed to be moving around or making some sort of noise, whether it was from whatever he was tinkering with or it was him rambling to himself as he worked.

“Omega,” he said after a while, gaining her attention as she looked at him curiously. He still looked focused on whatever he was doing, but he seemed to notice her eyes on him. “What do you know about the inner workings of the ship?”

“Not much,” she admitted, a little confused. “Why?”

“Would you like to learn more about it?” He offered, glancing over at her. “I figured it might be something to occupy your mind. Plus, knowing more about the ship can come in handy. You never know when it might be useful.” She was already planning to say yes, his offer piquing her curiosity in a way that she was told by Hunter reminded him of Tech when he was younger. Her excitement only grew when Tech added with a small smirk, “Besides, if you want to fly the ship, you should know how it works first.”

In an instant her eyes lit up and she responded with an excited, “Yes!!”

He chuckled, gently reminding her to keep her voice down. “We do not want to wake Hunter.”

“Oh, sorry,” she mumbled immediately, before smiling brightly again and whispering “yes!!” as she pumped her fist in the air, moving to sit beside him. They talked for almost an hour, Tech explaining how each wire was connected to a different system in the ship, each one represented by the buttons and switches on the control panel. She found it intriguing how complicated and yet purposeful the inner workings of the control panel could be.

“So what part are you working on now?” She asked, having a better understanding of the purpose of all the wires and now curious as to what Tech was doing with them. He looked at them with a short sigh. “Do you see how this wire connects to the ship’s sensors?” He asked, indicating the wire that he was holding. She nodded, enraptured. “I am modifying it to increase the security of our ship. I thought it would be wise after seeing how easily the Marauder could be taken.”

His tone had gone a bit somber as he stared at the wires in his hand for a moment before he blinked and shook his head slightly. Omega opened her mouth to ask, but she was cut off by a yawn. Her eyelids felt heavier than before, and she knew she was getting tired, despite still not wanting to go back to sleep. Her hope that Tech wouldn’t notice was dashed when he glanced over at her, his expression softening.

“You are welcome to stay as long as you’d like,” he stated, gently. “However, I would suggest trying to go back to sleep sometime in the near future. As a growing adolescent, sleep is quite important.”

“I’m not tired,” she tried to argue, though her body betrayed her as she let out another big yawn, making a vain attempt to hide it behind her hand. Tech looked sympathetic, but he still stated, “I am inclined to disagree.”

She sighed, hugging Lula tightly as she hesitantly admitted, “I don’t want to have a nightmare again.”

He hummed, tilting his head thoughtfully. “Perhaps if we talk about it? I know it might be frightening, but it has been proven to help.”

“Really?”

“Trust me. I speak from experience.”

“You have nightmares too?”

“Of course. Nearly all of us do at some point. It is a natural response to all that we have been through.” He seemed so nonchalant about it that Omega wondered how often it happened for him to treat it like a normal occurrence. “But we are not talking about me. Can you tell me what the nightmare was about?”

Biting her lip, she hesitated, not really wanting to think about it. She knew that she could trust Tech, that he only wanted to help, but that didn’t make it any easier. Still, she knew that trying to ignore it would only make it worse, so she took a deep breath to steel herself and told him. “I dreamt about falling. Like what happened in the mines.”

She had been fidgeting with Lula’s ears, but she saw Tech go still in her peripheral vision, prompting her to glance up at him. He wasn’t looking at her, but she could see the underlying guilt in his expression, a look she unfortunately recognized from Hunter. She frowned slightly, wondering what he had to feel guilty about before she realized that he was probably blaming himself for her being in that situation in the first place, as she probably wouldn’t have left if not for his rather insensitive words.

Before she could say anything about it, he started talking. “It was only a dream Omega,” He said softly, his tone reassuring, but it was in sharp contrast to the way that he started to wring his fingers anxiously. Something was bothering him.

“I was there to go after you,” he continued as if nothing were wrong. “I would not have let anything happen to you. None of us would.” Despite Tech’s visible agitation, his words were comforting. Even after he absentmindedly added, “I cannot pretend that I know everything will be alright, but we will do everything in our power to keep you safe, no matter the circumstance.”

His words were blunt and sometimes harshly true, but she always appreciated his open honesty. It also made her feel incredibly better to know that she was always safe with her brothers. She remembered the fear that had come with falling in the cavern, but she also remembered how Tech had jumped after her with no hesitation. Not too long after, she had willingly jumped off of that platform in Mokko’s mine, completely trusting Hunter to catch her, and he had. It was comforting to know that she was safe with them.

She went to thank her brother for his comforting words, but she ended up frowning at him instead. He was fidgeting, staring into space and looking conflicted. Before she could ask though, he suddenly stopped, turning to her. “I never apologized.”

She blinked, confused. “What?”

“When we were in the cave,” he started, fiddling with a spare bolt that he picked up. “I was being rather insensitive in my words to you, when I caused you to leave by yourself in search for ipsium.” Omega’s eyes widened a little. Although she had been quite upset at the time, so much had happened since then that she had practically forgotten the entire interaction. “I should not have snapped at you like that,” Tech continued, looking at her with a genuinely apologetic expression. “I am sorry.”

Omega smiled a little. “It’s okay, Tech. I know that you didn’t really mean it.”

“That is no excuse for me to talk to you in such a manner,” he insisted.

“Well, I forgive you anyway.”

He sighed, shooting her a small smile. “Thank you.” She grinned back, happy to have made him feel better about it. She enjoyed being in his company, but her eyelids were starting to droop again, and she couldn’t deny that she was tired. Tech watched her with a fond smile, pushing himself to his feet. “Time for bed?”

She nodded sleepily, grabbing Lula as she stood up and headed for the door. However, she wasn’t so tired that she didn’t notice the lack of footsteps behind her. She looked back, frowning as she watched Tech take out his datapad and sit down on the chair, preparing to do more work. “Tech?” She asked, padding back over to him. He looked at her, frowning slightly. “Yes?”

“Why aren’t you going to sleep,” she asked, crossing her arms the way that Echo did as she stared her brother down. It was an effective way to get people to do what you wanted, though Tech was quick to break eye contact, fidgeting with his datapad. “I still have work to tend to.”

Omega frowned at him. “Can’t that wait until tomorrow? You told me that sleep was important.”

“Sleep is important, but I have been trained to function on a much lower amount of sleep than you. Besides, I tend to have trouble falling asleep on a normal basis due to my enhancements,” he explained, tone nonchalant. She wasn’t sure that she liked how little he seemed to care about it.

“I am currently too hyperactive to get any effective rest. I might as well put my time to good use.” With that he turned his attention back to his datapad, seemingly done with the conversation. However, Omega was stubborn, and she refused to just leave it at that, concerned for her brother’s wellbeing. He might be a genius, but his lack of self-care seemed to be just as bad as the others.

“Why are you hyperactive?” She asked, wanting to get to the bottom of the problem. Tech gave her a look, clearly unsure as to why she was continuing the conversation when she was supposed to be going back to sleep, but he gave in with a sigh when she only stared at him insistently. “I have a lot on my mind, I suppose.”

“Like what?”

“Well–” Tech stopped before he had even really started, frowning. Omega tilted her head slightly, watching him. It was unlike him to not answer a question or give an explanation whenever he could. It was weird that he would hesitate on what seemed like such a simple question. The silence continued to stretch on, her brother oddly quiet as her worry for him only grew. “Tech?”

~~

Tech wouldn’t say it, but Omega’s questions were starting to wear on him.

He absolutely loved her curiosity, and it was something that he always made sure to nurture, seeing himself in her and not wanting her to lose such a vital part of her personality. He knew how it felt to have your curiosity snuffed out, and the last thing wanted was for her to go through the same.

However, he couldn’t deny that it was becoming a bit too much for him at the moment. After everything that had happened in the last few days, he knew he wasn’t the only one who was overwhelmed. He just seemed to be the only one bothered by it. Even thinking about dealing with his emotions left him somehow both exhausted and restless at the same time, and he didn’t know any other way to deal with it than to throw himself into work, distracting himself from his feelings until something more important came along and he forgot about them altogether.

Omega meant well, but asking him about what was on his mind was practically forcing him to process the flood of feelings right then and there, and he wasn’t sure that he was ready for that. It felt hypocritical to be unable to deal with such a seemingly simple thing when just minutes ago he had been coaxing Omega to talk to him about her nightmares, but he’d always been different. He had told Omega as much days before, and while she had seemed understanding, it still didn’t feel right. How could he expect his little sister to open up to him when he had such a hard time doing the same?

“Tech?” Omega’s voice brought him out of it, though it took him a moment to remember her original question. His latest train of thought had just added itself right on top of countless other ones. Her question was a hard one to answer in general, even without him being overwhelmed with emotions. Asking him what was on his mind was like asking Hunter how things felt with enhanced senses. It was hard to explain how he always seemed to be thinking about anything and everything, several different lines of thought all trailing on top of each other, only held together by his years of experience sorting through the chaos of his own mind.

He had to blink himself back into reality before he went off on a tangent again, tapping his foot against the ground in an effort to ground himself. He still hadn’t answered her question, unsure how to explain to her in any way that made sense and doubting that he even wanted her to know. It didn’t seem right to dump all of this on her.

“I– I have just been thinking about . . . the past few days,” he answered shortly, stumbling through the answer. Omega didn’t look impressed. She was studying his face, brow furrowed in either concentration or concern. He couldn’t really tell, but he knew that she wasn’t going to let up until she got to the bottom of his problem. It reminded him of Crosshair, enough for it to hurt before he focused back on the situation in front of him, reminding himself that he needed to be stronger than this, especially in front of his sister.

“A lot has happened with Echo leaving and the Marauder being stolen,” he tried again, making a more concerted effort to collect his thoughts. Dropping his gaze to his datapad made it a little bit easier, lessening the pressure of eye contact, despite it just being Omega. He sighed before admitting, “It has been a lot to process. I am still trying to sort it all out myself.”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it? That you’re trying to work through it?” Omega’s voice had him glancing up at her, nodding in reply. She was looking at him curiously, a bit confused, clearly wanting to understand. Tech adored her willingness to learn and her want to help and understand, though he did agree with Hunter in that he didn’t want Omega to be so worried on his behalf.

“It is a good thing,” he agreed. “However, it is still a lot, and it can become a bit overwhelming.”

“What if you take a break?” She offered, a contemplative look on her face. Tech appreciated her efforts but he already knew that this was a losing battle. “Would that help?”

“I am not sure that one can take a break from thinking, Omega,” he stated gently, not wanting to upset her.

“You could if you got some sleep,” she insisted. “It would at least make you feel better about it tomorrow, right?”

“If I went to sleep right now, then tomorrow I would have to go back to running a diagnostic on the ship to make sure that everything is working properly, and finish the security modifications, which would leave me no time to worry about emotions, and–”

“Why not??” Omega burst out, startling him a little as he shut his mouth. “Tech, you’re not a soldier anymore!!” she stressed, vividly making him recall their conversation in the cave. He focused again when she continued. “It’s not like we’re going anywhere. We don’t even have another job from Cid. You have time to do whatever you need.” Omega’s voice went quiet, and he found that he didn’t have a response.

This wasn’t something that Tech was used to. He’d never needed to have time to process his emotions and he’d never had the time anyway. His brain was specifically wired so that he would be able to process more information at once. The fact that he was so overwhelmed was a testament to how much had been going on, and how much he’d been letting it build up.

The concept of needing time to process things wasn’t a new one, but it wasn’t something he’d dealt with in a while. Much like Hunter, his enhancements had been more of a hindrance when he was younger. He used to have trouble processing all the information that the Kaminoans would throw at him during individual training on Kamino. It got to the point where he would shut down, unable to really engage in anything going on around him until enough time had passed for his mind to recover from the overload of information. It was just like Hunter’s sensory overloads, even though it was a different type of overstimulation.

Since they’d grown up and been put out in the field, they had been exposed to that type of stuff all the time, so much so that they’d gotten used to it. Their first mission had been rough, but they hadn’t had much choice but to tough it out until they could handle it better.

It was still hard for Tech to accept that things had changed. He didn’t have to distract himself from his mounting feelings anymore, throwing himself into work until their next inevitable mission, leaving him no time to even acknowledge any emotions he’d had since their last mission. Omega was right. He had time to actually process how he felt, to decompress. It wasn’t something he was used to, he wasn’t even sure if he knew how to, but he was willing to try it.

~~

Omega watched as her genius brother seemed to absorb what she had just said.

He looked lost in thought, his usual confident demeanor momentarily stripped away to show the vulnerable side that Omega rarely saw in her brothers. She knew that they always tried to be strong in front of her, but she had always found comfort in seeing them act just like anybody else. They weren’t indestructible, as much as they tried to be. They were still human and they still had emotions, and they were allowed to show it just as much as she was.

Still, she knew that Tech had more trouble than most making sense of his own emotions, especially when he tended to ignore them in favor of focusing on things he deemed to be more important. Everything had clicked when she realized that he was trying to distract himself from his emotions just as much as she had been when she came seeking comfort from her nightmare. This was probably going to be harder for him, but they both knew that it would be worth it in the long run.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Tech spoke up, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "You are right, Omega. I . . . I need to take a step back and allow myself time to process everything that has been happening."

A relieved smile broke out across her face at his words as she exclaimed, “Of course I’m right!! I learned from the best!!” She giggled, winking at her brother with a goofy grin.

She caught herself faltering for a moment when Tech laughed. It was genuine and carefree, not like his dry, humored huffs whenever one of their brothers said something dumb. She realized with a start that she’d never heard him laugh like that– she didn’t think she’d heard any of them laugh like that, aside from maybe Wrecker. Although it initially saddened her, she found herself smiling at the idea that she could make him so happy with such a small gesture, starting to laugh with him.

Once they had calmed a bit, a comfortable silence settled between them, broken only by the soft hum of the ship's engines. Any remaining tension seemed to have dissipated, and while it was nice, it seemed to have left Omega undeniably tired. Glancing at Tech, she could see that he looked just as exhausted, despite the lightness in his eyes. It had probably been a while since he’d slept.

An idea popped into her head that gave her another brief bout of energy as she lit up, grinning again. Tech looked at her, raising a brow. “If you keep getting excited every five minutes, you are never going to get any sleep.”

“I will in a minute!!” She promised in a whisper-shout, bouncing on her heels. “Just wait here, I’ll be right back!!” With that she half-ran out of the cockpit, too excited to walk but knowing that Hunter would wake up if she was too loud. She quickly (and quietly) went straight to her makeshift room in the gunners mound, gathering up what she needed before she made her way back to the cockpit.

Tech looked over when the door opened, his eyes widening. He stared at her, dumbfounded as he watched her drag her blankets and pillow in. “Omega, what in the galaxy are you doing?”

“Getting ready for bed,” she responded, smiling to herself as she walked over to him and dumped her bedding on top of him, not giving him a chance to react before she climbed onto the chair next to him. “You’re going to sleep.”

He looked too stunned to respond, so she took the time to arrange the pillows and blankets around them, a little surprised that he wasn’t putting up a fight. When everything was to her liking, she settled beside him, leaning against his shoulder.

She immediately felt him tense up and pulled back a little, looking at him. “Is this okay?”

It took him a minute to relax, wrapping his arm around her to pull her to his side more comfortably as he exhaled quietly. “This is fine. You just caught me off guard for a moment.”

“I thought you might sleep better with some company,” Omega said quietly, her words trailing off into a yawn. She caught Tech’s small smile just before her eyes fell shut as she let herself give into the tiredness.

“Thanks, ad’ika,” Tech replied softly, shifting to hold her a bit closer. “I am lucky to have you as my sister.”

His words made her smile sleepily, feeling calm and happy. Just before she drifted off, she heard Tech whisper, “Goodnight, Omega.”

~~

Hunter smiled to himself as he leaned in the doorway of the cockpit, his gaze settled on his younger siblings fast asleep in the pilot's chair. It was good to see Tech finally getting some rest, and he couldn’t say he was surprised that Omega was the one to finally get him to sleep. They both looked so peaceful, it was heartwarming.

And if Hunter snapped a holo for future blackmail — or even better, to send to Echo — well, Tech didn’t need to know.