The Bad Batch Crosshair Oneshots

Some Forced Bonding Time

Has spoilers for season 1 since it takes place after the finale. This is another AU version of an alternate ending where... well, that would mention spoilers. If you've finished season 1, you will probably see what's different pretty quickly. It's along the lines as the first oneshot in here. There will be some violence, a vaguely described injury, and a background character gets shot... but it's all quite brief.

(Also, sorry that it has been quite long since I updated. This oneshot took more days than I'd like to admit to write.)

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"Why do I have to be stuck with the kid?" Crosshair hissed, his words deepening the creases in Hunter's furrowed brow. "She is your responsibility. I'm not going to play the role of babysitter just for you to leave me behind again." He prodded his index finger against Hunter's chestplate. Hunter glanced down at his hand, but Crosshair kept his narrowed eyes steady on his brother.

"Crosshair..." Hunter began, the edge of his tone hinting that Crosshair had struck a nerve. However, Crosshair didn't care. Hunter could be upset about this all he wanted; Crosshair wasn't about to cave.

"I could stay behind if, ya know, if we need someone to look after the kid?" Wrecker called from the corridor, poking his head into the room. Crosshair squinted at Wrecker from over his shoulder, wondering how much of what he had said the big man had overheard.

Hunter sighed, his expression relaxing into a melancholic frown. "No, it's... okay, Wrecker. We are going to need you for the mission anyway. We can't afford not bringing you along." 

Wrecker nodded, then frowned as he gazed between his two brothers before his thundering footsteps distanced from the both of them. Crosshair pondered how caught up in their argument he had been to not hear Wrecker approaching earlier. 

Hunter broke the newly formed uncomfortable silence first. "I know you're still bitter about being left behind on Kamino..." Crosshair loudly scoffed. 'Bitter' was being generous, in his opinion. Hunter continued, "But there's no way we can take Omega on this mission. You have to understand that at least." 

Crosshair in fact did. In a cruel twist of irony, he figured he knew more about caring for a child than Hunter did... the only catch being that Crosshair didn't like kids. And he especially didn't like the idea of spending time with the very kid his brothers had ditched him for either. Hunter placed a hand on Crosshair's shoulder, the sniper stiffening immediately and slapping his brother's hand away. The gesture earned him a frown that held too much concern for Crosshair to stomach, but Hunter did not attempt to touch him again. 

"I know you're worried about being left behind, but I promise we will come back for you," Hunter finished. "We wouldn't leave you behind again."

Crosshair grimaced. A jumble of spitting remarks bubbled up inside him, making him uncertain of what to even say. Finally he decided to ask, "You promise?" A cold, sharp chuckle escaped him before he spat, "You're acting like you haven't been willing to break promises before."

"Crosshair, none of us wanted to leave you behind," Hunter told him sternly, interupting him before he could say anything more damaging. "You didn't give us any better options because you were shooting at us!"

"I didn't have a choice!" Crosshair snapped. 

"Hunter...?" 

In both men raising their voices bit by bit, they hadn't realized Omega must have overheard them. Crosshair's eye twitched. Who did he have to kill to get a sliver of privacy on this ship? The way Hunter's whole body language softened when she arrived made him feel sick. Crosshair turned to briefly meet Omega's eyes, though he couldn't hold her innocent, wide-eyed stare.