Bad Batch Oneshots

Different

|#1 of Bad Batch Cadet Series|

The mess hall was comprised of organized chaos. Cadets had their own section, while the grown clones got the majority of the tables due to numbers.

Crosshair hated the mess hall. If it weren't for his batch wanting to stick together, he'd be back in their barracks eating his rations.

Rations in hand, all he had to do was reach his brothers. That was easier said than done, however. Without the protection of Wrecker or Hunter, he was vulnerable. While he could hold his own against a couple cadets if necessary, that situation wasn't ideal.

Keep walking. Don't look at them.

Crosshair gripped the edges of the tray and started walking, his expression contorting into a scowl as he looked straight ahead.

"Hey defect!"

"Lab scrapper!"

"Pasty-face!"

Ignore them.

Suddenly, his legs were swept out from under him. His tray clattered to the ground and he fell face first in his food. Laugher immediately erupted from the cadets surrounding him.

Crosshair's anger finally boiled over. He pushed himself to his feet, wiping his face with his sleeve. Then, he turned and punched the first cadet he could reach right on the nose. And he didn't stop there. Red glazed over his vision as he continued punching and kicking the other cadet while they were down. Not even his brothers—who had heard the commotion and come over to investigate—could stop him. They knew better than to tangle with him.

When someone was finally able to pull him off, Crosshair tore free from their grasp and ran.

***

Crosshair stared mindlessly at his bruised and bloodied knuckles as he turned a flask over in his hand. He had sought refuge in a maintenance closet after making a quick stop at the barracks.

Footsteps approached. He tensed, waiting to see if they were just passing by. To his dismay, they stopped by the door and opened it with a soft whoosh.

"Oh, didn't expect to see you here, Cross." 99 said. He lingered in the doorway, his kind gaze scanning over the small cadet. "What happened? You get in another fight?"

Crosshair nodded wordlessly. He tipped the flask back to take a drink.

99 checked his surroundings before shuffling closer. "Y'know you're not supposed to have that." He pointed a gnarled finger at the flask.

"The Kaminoans don't care. They're too stupid to know where to look anyways." Crosshair muttered. He pressed his head against the wall and sighed. "I'm gonna make those cadets pay."

"If you keep this up, you won't be able to graduate with your batch." 99 said as he reached for a mop that was mounted on the wall. "You don't wanna let your brothers down, do you?"

Crosshair's scowl softened. "No..."

"A disciplined soldier is a good soldier. Save your fire for the real battles."

Crosshair stared hard at 99. "Do you ever wish you could fight?"

99 sighed, allowing his arm to drop by his side. "Sometimes, but I know my place is here. Even if I can't join my brothers on the battlefield, I can still help them here. I'm just glad I'm needed." He offered a lopsided smile. "Your brothers need you. Take care of them. They're all you've got."

Crosshair slowly stood up and wiped his eyes. "Thank you, ori-vod." He murmured, hoping 99 didn't hear his voice crack.

"Any time. Now, let's go get you cleaned up. We'll keep this between us, alright?"

"Alright."