The Bad Batch: One Shot Collection

Febuwhump Day Twenty Two: "You Weren't Meant To Be There"

Author's Note: Panic attacks happen. :) Hunter is so bulliable, but I love him to pieces, I swear. He's my forever favorite, even if I torture him. ^-^

~ Amina Gila

In which Omega was actually traumatized by Hunter's fall on Daro and doesn't brush it off when she witnesses it again. Or, in which Hunter isn't the only one to have a panic attack in Entombed.

"We... need to keep moving," Hunter sighs. He's so tired. That creature's still out there, and it's going to come back. They're in even more danger separated. They should've circled back to find each other before moving on, but Phee and Omega wouldn't wait, so he didn't see a point in even trying.

He feels so empty. They weren't supposed to be here. (He wishes he weren't here-here at all. Isn't going to think of specifics. Just – he's so exhausted, so tired all the time and everything feels meaningless, and all he wants to do is protect them, but they don't even let him, and he's too afraid to try because he knows Omega is going to walk away from him if he pushes it and he can't live with that.)

He was expecting something else to jump him. Not the floor to suddenly give out from under him. Firing his grappling hook is instinctive, but that doesn't stop the raw, blinding panic clawing at his chest or how his breathing spikes or how his mind is flung months into the past.

Omega yelling his name is even more familiar and he's half expecting to keep falling, to hit rock and stone somewhere, to die and maybe that wouldn't be so bad but he doesn't want to die and his siblings need him and he can't lose anyone else can't –

(He remembers Crosshair. That will always be there in his mind, haunting him with the "they're all going to die here because of your failed leadership" and "you're not fit to lead this squad" and he wasn't wrong because Hunter's not strong enough and he never will be he needs Omega to save him when he's supposed to be protecting her.)

He can't breathe.

He expects to keep falling, to feel the sharp, shooting pain as he hits something, to break something or die, maybe, to fall into oblivion, and it's jarring to feel it when his fall is jerked to a sharp stop.

Hunter drags himself back over the edge once the others have pulled him up enough to reach it, and there's a thump as Omega falls over backward.

He should see if she's okay. Maybe. Doesn't know.

He can't breathe. He can't've forgotten how to breathe that's insane, come on he isn't going to die here because he forgot how to breathe but all he can remember is falling on Daro and it doesn't feel real that he's on the ground now it feels like he's supposed to still be falling, like –

(Like Crosshair will be waiting at the end to hurt him to kill them to – stars –)

"Hunter," Omega's voice gasps, fading in from far away over the rushing in his ears and everything is too loud. Her hand is on his shoulder. He senses her, sees her more than he actually feels it, but she looks scared. "You okay?" she asks finally, lamely, and Hunter doesn't even have the mental space to try lying to her.

How pathetic a voice that sounds too much like Crosshair's for his liking purrs in his mind.

He can't breathe.

He wants to cry. It's all he's wanted since he came, and he can't –

He's not dying so can his mind please stop telling him he is?

He feels her heartrate spiking. Her scent is laced with fear. She's scared.

He should...

He pushes himself up to kneeling. Should probably take his helmet off. Doesn't want to. They're not out of this yet. Isn't fully convinced they ever will be.

He still can't breathe.

Omega needs him.

She leans into his hand when he touches her shoulder.

"I'm okay," he says, which is a lie, but he needs her to believe it. She shouldn't have to be worried. Tries to ignore the dark voice in his mind that says she should. She – she's the one who wanted to come.

He can't breathe. Feels like there's no air in here, that the walls are too dark and closing in on him and Hunter never knew he hated dark spaces quite so much until right now.

Omega nods, her face pale in the dim light and bolts forwards, throwing her arms around his neck. It's jarringly unexpected, but the suddenness of it is enough to jar his mind back into the present. Not that this is significantly better than Daro, but it's – it's not that. (Crosshair's not here and he hates himself for how relieving that is.)

It's a good thing Phee and Omega were able to pull him up, because Hunter really doesn't think he'd've been able to climb the line in this mindset.

He squeezes her tightly, soaking in her warmth. Letting himself just feel her for the fleeting moment they're together and alive and she still smells vaguely flowery. It's – it's nice. He wishes loving her didn't have to be so hard.

Nothing's ever easy anymore.

"Sorry," she says, pulling back, though he really doesn't get what she's sorry for, "For a minute it just felt like we were back on Daro, and..."

"I know," Hunter promises, his heart still doing it's weird-fluttery thing. "Me too, but we're not there." Maybe there's not something quite so wrong with him if he's not the only one struggling with some of the most trivial little things like that. "C'mon," he says, standing, even if he's shaky and sweaty and everything feels cold and he's still expecting the ceiling to cave in on them. "We're not outta this yet."

"You weren't supposed to be there," Omega mutters, and she's still breathing a little shakily, though her shoulders are squared in the mildly concerning determination she always carries herself it. Hunter's long since learned that doesn't mean anything good for them – it's only gotten her and all of them hurt repeatedly.

They weren't supposed to be here at all, and they wouldn't have been if Phee hadn't come, and Omega hadn't insisted on going on another treasure hunt as if everyone didn't nearly die the last time they made that mistake.

"C'mon," Omega adds, grabbing his arm and tugging him towards where she must've dropped the compass. "I think I have an idea."

Final Notes: Reviews are always appreciated! ^-^

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