The Bad Batch Short Stories

10: Deleted Scene 2: Dreams

The first night on the ship...
The Bad Batch couldn't leave the planet just yet so they spent the night on their ship again. Wrecker gave Sunny his bunk and he slept on the floor next to the bunks in the back. He was worried about her and didn't want to let her out of his sight. Not in a bad way, but just to make sure she had everything she needed. Sunny had used their fresher to wash her face and loosen her braids to get ready for bed. She obviously didn't have any clean clothes with her so Wrecker offered her one of his blacks shirts. Echo snickered because that was such a "boyfriend" move. Tech and Hunter didn't think anything of it and Crosshair just rolled his eyes. He thought Wrecker was babying her and just wanted her to leave already.
Sunny wore the shirt and climbed into Wrecker's bunk with Lula. He settled himself on the floor with a blanket and a pack as a pillow, and then turned out the lights. Everyone called good night but Sunny couldn't hear them as she snuggled in for some much needed sleep.
Sunny was so exhausted she fell asleep in minutes despite the low rumble of Wrecker's snores. Everything was quiet for a while until she started making noises. There was enough ambient light for Wrecker to see her face. Her eyebrows were arched and her lips began to curve downward. Wrecker realized she was dreaming about something that was making her sad. He watched her for a moment more until soft pants were coming from her mouth, and her eyebrows were turned down even more. He stroked her shoulder gently as she was crying in her sleep. "Wake up, Sunny..." he whispered to her. He didn't know why he was whispering since he knew her hearing implant wasn't working at the moment. Still trapped in her dream, she let out a small whimper as a tear escaped her eye. "Mesh'la, wake up," he pleaded as he shook her again. She woke with a gasp and looked about, forgetting where she was. Wrecker's large hand was still on her shoulder as he tried to calm her down. He grasped her hand and laid it on his chest, where she could feel his heartbeat. "It's ok, Sunny, you're here on the ship," he whispered to her.
Sunny sat up a little bit and wrapped an arm around Wrecker's neck as she kept the other one over his heart. Taking a deep breath she hid in the crook of his neck. The smell and warmth of his skin was soothing to her as she tried to calm down. Her hand over his heart fisted his shirt as she wanted to press herself into him to stop the pain. He wrapped his arms around her, cocooning her with his muscles, as he leaned halfway into the bunk. He found a button for a night light and released Sunny so he could sign to her. "Bad dream?"
"Kind of. I'm sorry I woke you." She wiped the tears from her eyes as she avoided his gaze. Tenderly, he laid his hand on her cheek, tilting her head so she would look at him. Slowly, he spoke to her as he signed. "I care..about...you...You are not a burden...ok?"
She nodded her head as more tears spilled from her eyes. Wrecker wrapped his arms around her again, as she buried her head in his warm chest. He soothingly rubbed her back as he grabbed the rest of her and cradled her in his lap. They sat there for a few more minutes until she stopped crying and signaled to him that she was done. She climbed back into the bunk and scooted against the wall as far as she could go. She motioned for him to lay down with her and he obliged. He laid on his side and she curled into him, feeling safe again and fell asleep. Wrecker laid awake for just a few minutes more, in awe that she felt so safe with him. He stroked her hair and part of her shoulder, wishing he could have more of her in his life.