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It all started when Hunter still didn’t have his senses completely under control. After hours of training, the others would find him curled up in his bunk, tears down his face as he held his head that felt like it was about to split open.
On good days, where the kaminoans thought they were performing to their standards, they’d help him and give Hunter the medicine to help tone his senses down.
But on bad days, where they thought he wasn’t doing good enough, they left him on his own. They told him it would help him better understand them.
But he could barely understand the words his brothers were trying to say to him when they found him curled up in a ball.
Usually his brothers would set some water down next to his bunk and some lower grade medicine Tech had managed to snag, while they turned the lights off and either went to bed or did their work quietly across the room to not disturb their brother.
Hunter hated it. He wished he had a switch to at least shut them off every once in awhile. He understood it would be helpful once they went on missions and that he would a-tune to them once he grew up a bit more but right now was hell for him.
One night after a particularly bad performance after Hunter still woke up from the night before with a faint headache, Hunter tossed and turned in his bunk. His head pounded and with that, nausea soon followed and he felt so sick.
He was freezing as well and his blanket just wasn’t doing it. He blinked tiredly, sitting up and wincing at the feeling on his brain trying to escape his skull.
The heightened clone gazed across the room and could see his gray haired brother sleeping in his bunk, his back to the wall with his arms hanging loosely in front of him with his hands hanging off.
Hunter slowly got out of bed, padding over with his blanket clutched in his hand. He stopped in front of the bed of his sleeping brother and hesitated, not sure if he was going to piss the sniper off or not.
‘Kriff it’ He thought. Nothing could be worse than this headache, and he just wanted comfort in this time of need. Hunter slowly pulled Crosshair’s blanket back that was draped over his waist, carefully slipping his feet in before he laid his body down next to Crosshair’s, his head tucking right underneath his chin.
Crosshair shifted and Hunter froze. “What’re you doing?” The sleepy sniper mumbled. Hunter’s breathing slowed. “Just wanted somebody…” He mumbled and there was no answer for a moment before an arm curled around him and hugged his head as another slipped in the space underneath Hunter’s neck.
“Okay.”
Crosshair was warm. Warmer than any of Hunter’s and his other two brothers. The chills down Hunter’s spine stopped almost instantly after cuddling up to Crosshair.
Hunter listened to his brother’s faint breath. The sniper always breathed so shallow, due to his nature, but it still didn’t stop Hunter from freaking out occasionally when he thought he was breathing a bit too lightly.
Hunter matched his breath and he listened to his brothers heartbeat. It was slow as well, but he knew the reason as always.
And finally, after a bit more of listening and calming down to his brothers sleep pattern, the defective clone began drifting off in his brothers arms.
And he awoke the next morning good as new.
Overtime it ceased as frequently, but there were still some bad days on Kamino that Hunter had when something unexpected happen.
Especially when they finally went off world.
Lucky for the Batch, they were just being stationed on some planet with a company of regs, but as soon as the new surrounding hit Hunter, all hell broke lose.
He laid in his bunk for nearly two days, his head never stopped pounding no matter what Tech gave him. His brothers felt bad knowing they couldn’t do anything to help, especially since Hunter just seemed so damn miserable. But the oldest assured he was find, encouraging them to go explore since this was the first time off Kamino.
After a bit of convincing, Hunter’s brothers disappeared out of the ship and he had quiet. His senses were basically fucking him in the ass as he just tried to lay there with his face stuffed in the pillow.
What kind of leader was he going to be if this is what would happen on every planet?
Hunter didn’t know how long it had been, but he heard footsteps coming up the door of the marauder. He didn’t move or say anything, though he wasn’t sure if his body would let him, but he eventually recognized the footsteps as Crosshair’s.
His were always lighter than the other two, due to his enhancements. They had a steady rhythm to them. Hunter heard Crosshair quietly shuffle around, most likely cleaning his rifle quickly before he retired.
Hunter was tired, but his senses just wouldn’t let him rest. He shuffled to his side and opened his eyes a bit and through the darkness of the ship, he saw Crosshair walking toward the cockpit.
Hunter closed his eyes again with a sigh, his arms outstretched next to him. He figured Tech would be back in a bit with Wrecker and most likely give him something to see if it will eventually help.
Crosshair’s footsteps echoed through as he came back to the bunk room. Hunter assumed he was going back to his bunk when they stopped.
“You awake?”
Hunter let out a hum. Crosshair shuffled again, getting something from his bunk Hunter assumed. Catching the heightened clone by surprise, a leg slipped into the blanket of his bunk.
Hunter opened his eyes a bit and Crosshair crawled in, assuming the regular position that they had always done growing up. His arm held around Hunter’s as Hunter draped his arm around Crosshair’s tiny torso while the sniper’s other arm went underneath the crook of his brothers neck.
Crosshair was, as always, warm. He just always ran the warmest of the batch, so when somebody was too cold they went to the sniper. Ironically, he never complained unless he was in a bad mood. He just accepted it and let whatever brother do what they wanted.
“Thanks.” Hunter mumbled as he breathed in. He could tell Crosshair had just smoked one, and while usually to others the smell of tobacco would make them ill, it did the opposite on Hunter.
It made him feel safe and comforted, because it reminded him of his brother who was always there for him. And mixed with the smell of rain, Hunter felt at ease in his brothers arms.
“Mm.” Crosshair said and Hunter knew that was the best of a response he would get from Crosshair. And with that, Hunter finally got peace as he drifted off soon after matching his breathing and heartbeat to his kins.
~
“That was funny.”
“I am so glad you found it amusing. You do know we have to spend many cycles here, correct? The regs are going to remember this.” Tech scolded Wrecker as they walked up to the ship. Wrecker grinned and shrugged.
“He was asking for it. Next time he shouldn’t’a cut in front of me.” Tech rolled his eyes, pushing his goggles up as he walked up the steps of the ship. “Hunter will not be happy. He has enough going on right now.” Tech mumbled as he rounded the corners in the marauder and stopped at the entrance of the bunk room.
He quickly hushed Wrecker, not wanting to disturb the sight in front of him. Wrecker looked in to see what he was on about and shallowed his breathing when he saw.
Hunter and Crosshair were curled up against each other, like when they were kids. Tech hadn’t seen them do it in awhile, and saw how Hunter was finally sleeping after nearly two days with no rest due to his senses in overload.
“Aw.” Wrecker said a bit too loud and Tech elbowed him. Crosshair shifted in his sleep but other than that, the noise went unnoticed.
Crosshair had his leg draped over Hunter body and the rest covered his brother to the point where the other two could barely see Hunter.
“Leave them. Let us go check over the ship.” Tech said and Wrecker nodded before he followed them, leaving the other two to have their peaceful dreams.
~
Hunter’s head pounded. They had just finished a mission for Cid, one like any other, and he guessed his senses just weren’t happy today. He assumed it was from the stress of having Omega now, and Crosshair being gone but also trying to kill them.
Tech noticed and offered to go find something to help but Hunter said they would die down. He knew how to handle them better now.
After faking his health in front of Omega and putting her to bed, Hunter found himself awake for hours after bedtime. He shivered from the draft and sat up, gazing around the bunk room at his sleeping brothers.
He sighed, wishing he had a certain sniper here to go for comfort. But sadly, that couldn’t happen. And Hunter was miserable still.
Hunter shifted off his bunk slowly to not wake the others but to also make sure he wasn’t going to pass out from his senses that made his nauseous. He slowly padded over to his goggled brother who had fallen asleep with his goggles on still and his holopad in his arms.
Hunter slowly moved his holopad to the floor and his goggles off his face to hang up on the hook. The heightened clone pulled the blanket back and put his leg underneath before slipping his whole body onto the bunk.
Tech stirred as Hunter tucked himself underneath his chin and closed his eyes as warmth flooded him from his brothers body.
Tech arms wrapped around him in the same way Crosshair always had, one underneath his neck and the other around his head as Hunter draped his arm across his brothers body.
And no words were spoken as the two drifted off in each other’s arms. None had to be. It was a mutual understanding between the brothers that when one needed comfort, that comfort would always be given.
After all, being in each other’s embrace was the only place they wanted to be in the whole galaxy.