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Tech always hated missions like this. Being split up was one thing, they were trying to cover as much ground as possible and they could all handle themselves, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was the heat. The sweltering sun was beating down, and being covered in all of this heavy armor was not helping the uncomfortable trickle of sweat coating his skin beneath his blacks, making them cling to him with even more discomfort. His blacks were capable of thermoregulation, but that only went so far here on Jakku.
At least the Imperial presence was small, just a few squads of the new Stormtroopers marching around, making the civilians' lives hell as they searched for their prime objective. They were after a doctor who had been hiding out here, one who used to work for the Republic, and was very highly esteemed in his career field. A neuroscientist and surgeon, Tech could only assume what the Empire wanted him for, and every conclusion he came to did not put him at ease. Their goal here was the same as the Empire’s: to intercept this doctor. The man’s wife had been looking for him, and after a tip she’d gotten, she paid Cid to find him, and that’s where they came in.
These missions weren’t unpleasant most of the time, and most of them were quite simple, but on top of the recent stress of breaking his leg - which he still limped on somewhat - and all of them almost dying on an ‘expedition’ that Phee had dragged them along on, this mission was proving to test his nerves and patience.
His skin felt itchy underneath his armor, the sweat was not helping matters any. Somehow always the most annoying was how the sweat made his goggles feel against his face. He had the urge to remove them and clean them up, but he didn’t have the time for that right now. He needed to focus on the mission. If he did that, maybe he would forget about all of these irritating sensory nightmares.
“Tech, hold your position. We have eyes on the target. Stand by.”
“Copy.”
He replied to Hunter’s message over the comms, reaching down and switching his blaster to stun; it would be quieter if he needed to fire, it would draw less attention. He scooted towards the end of the wall, carefully peeking around the corner to search for any threat approaching but all he found was… well, nothing. Jakku was scarcely populated, probably why the doctor thought it would be a good hiding place. The troopers who had been around had moved past, likely searching elsewhere for the man. So, Tech lowered his blaster somewhat and sighed, and upon exhaling the humidity building within his helmet from the moisture on his face and heat from outside made his goggles fog up. He groaned in irritation, figuring he’d need to wipe them clean now if he wanted to see properly.
He looked around briefly, not seeing any shapes moving towards him, so he went to remove his helmet. He didn’t get far; the moment he had his hands on either side of it he was suddenly ambushed by an incredibly sneaky foe. He was shoved backwards against the wall behind him, and once his back had hit the brick, he looked up to try and make out the shape in front of him; looked Imperial. Whoever they were, they assaulted him, and his blaster was set to stun so he took aim and fired but missed because of the fogginess on his goggle lens as well as the agility of the person in front of him.
The blaster was knocked from his hand, and then his wrist was grabbed in a vice-like grip before his arm was spun around and pinned behind his back, making him spin around to face the wall. The person who had a hold of him pinned him to the wall, keeping his wrist pushed between his shoulder blades at a painful angle.
Tech didn’t say anything, just grunted at the discomfort, but the other person decided to use their voice, and a familiar one at that, “Wherever I go, you idiots are there. Are you following me?”
Crosshair.
Tech’s eyes widened at the realization that this was his brother, the one who had left them to be with the Empire when his chip malfunctioned, and the one who had decided to stay with them even after it had been removed. Crosshair has always been temperamental, but Tech never imagined a scenario where they were on opposite sides.
“It is most likely the other way around,” He retorted, gritting his teeth as Crosshair pushed his arm further up his back, making the discomfort morph into pain.
His twin scoffed, chuckling but not amused, “You always had to have the last word.”
It was true, Tech never was good at keeping his mouth shut, “Seeing as we both have just begun speaking, I have not yet had the last—”
He was cut off when Crosshair twisted his wrist, a sharp pain shooting up his arm, all the way to his shoulder, “Stop talking, Tech.”
His armor felt heavy, his skin was sticky, he could hardly see thanks to his foggy goggles, and the sun was beating down much too hot. Now, Crosshair’s hand was harshly gripping his wrist and twisting his arm, all of these sensations all at once were not boding well for his current mood.
“What are you guys doing here?” Crosshair asked, and despite his irritation and discomfort, Tech found it in himself to roll his eyes at the stupid question.
“You already know the answer,” The snark in his tone was noted, and Crosshair snarled before he shoved Tech forward closer to the wall before releasing him all together and stepping back.
With his arm free, Tech spun around quickly to face his brother, cradling his likely bruised wrist in his opposite hand and gently rubbing at it to soothe the annoying pain. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Crosshair, his Imperial uniform rather daunting, but Tech knew his brother, and he had never been afraid of him.
“Why did you let me go? Is it not your orders to take us into custody?” Tech questioned him, cautious yet curious.
There was a brief silence, and then Crosshair sighed, “The Empire is of the understanding that you are all dead. They believe that you were killed on Kamino.”
Tech’s slight glare did not let up, suspicious of his claim, “You have not told them otherwise?”
The shake of Crosshair’s head was slight, and his answer was blunt, “No.”
Tech watched him carefully for a moment, trying to read his body language, but he was never all that good at understanding any cues of that nature. Crosshair wasn’t one to lie though, never had been, so he chose to believe him. He sighed now too, looking down at his feet and letting his guard down somewhat, “They are probably aware that we did survive. We have had several run-ins with the Empire since then.”
Again, Crosshair sighed, shoulders slumping in disappointment, “For you to be the smart one, you are incredibly stupid.”
He was offended by that, balking at his accusation, “What do you mean?”
Crosshair shook his head, reaching up and placing both of his hands on either side of his helmet before removing it so he could glare at his brother properly. The harsh glare in his dark eyes didn’t exactly surprise Tech, his twin often just looked like that, grouchy and irritated.
“That was your chance to stay off the radar. The Empire assumed you were all dead, they wouldn’t come after the kid anymore, but it’s too late for that now apparently,” He looked at his boots, grumbling under his breath, “You idiots wouldn’t know an opportunity if it was right under your nose.”
Tech didn’t like that accusation being thrown at him and the others, not when Crosshair was speaking words that applied to him as well. Again, Tech narrowed his eyes, reaching up to grab his helmet now and pulling it off of his head. His curly hair was no longer combed back like it was every day, the sweat mixed with being trapped in his helmet made it come loose, a bit messy. He set his helmet under his arm and pulled his goggles off next, scrubbing at them with a thumb to clear the fog.
“You really should not be telling me that, not when you so clearly missed an opportunity yourself,” He snapped back, a little more bite to his tone now, something Crosshair wasn’t used to hearing from him.
Crosshair’s eyebrows furrowed with confusion as well as annoyance. One would think he and Hunter clashed heads the most, and on some level that was correct, but he and Tech had their fair share of arguments. While he and Hunter were so different from each other, he and Tech were incredibly similar. Stubborn, snarky, and rather defensive at times, Crosshair more so, but Tech could get grumpy when his intellect or set of skills were picked apart.
“What the hell are you talking about?” He bit out, fingers twitching at his side as the urge to chew on his nails crept up on him, an old nervous habit, one he’d dealt with by chewing on toothpicks instead.
Tech didn’t much care that he was becoming agitated though, he’d been keeping a lot to himself about his brother, and he might not have another chance to tell him any of it, “After Kamino was destroyed, you had the chance to come with us, and yet you declined. Even after watching the Empire destroy our home and leave you there for dead, you went back to them.”
Crosshair was silent for a moment, but just a moment, and when he processed what Tech told him, he glared harshly, “You’re acting like I had a choice.”
“You did,” He was remaining calm, but it was easy to tell when he was feeling any emotion intensely. His voice was often so level and easy to listen to, so when any strong emotion provoked him, it made his inflection change just so, and right now it was barely containing a tremble, “And you chose wrong.”
He put his goggles back on, fiddling with them for a moment, irritated by how they sat on his face; they were digging into his nose all wrong, it was uncomfortable, and Crosshair didn’t appear like he was going to give him the time to fix that. He clenched both fists now and stepped closer to his brother, and Tech took an instinctive step backwards as Crosshair spat out his next words, “I never had a choice! After everything that happened, are you really going to stand here and tell me that you would all accept me back into the squad?! Don’t play that game with me, Tech! You already replaced me!”
Tech’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he tried to wrap his mind around his brother’s words, and then in a shocked tone he continued their heated conversation, “Omega? She did not replace you, Crosshair, she simply joined our squad, a squad you could have so easily returned to, one that you can return to now if you so wish.”
Crosshair stared at him dumbfounded for a second, searching his face for the lie, but Tech was never any good at lying, and just like himself, he never felt the need to. He scoffed, “Are you inviting me back?”
Tech reached back up to adjust his goggles, but they still weren’t setting right. He held in the sigh of irritation and answered his brother’s question, “The invitation has always been there, and it has always been your choice to take it. Though, you are incredibly stubborn so I doubt you will lay down your ties to the Empire to join us now. I’m starting to doubt you ever will.”
Crosshair’s expression changed at those words, and he appeared… hurt. But only for a moment, a moment Tech didn’t take lightly, but he didn’t have time to think on it for long as Crosshair quickly melded back into his usual grouchy persona, scoffing to start his sentence, “I’m flattered, but none of that would go over smoothly. We’ve all chosen our paths, and you know mine. You’re just trying to appear hospitable; I know none of you want me back, and I’m fine with that.”
Maybe Crosshair does lie.
“I do,” Tech admitted, his tone softer than anyone was used to hearing from him. For once, Crosshair was at a loss for words, and upon realizing this Tech sighed, “We have never thought any less of you, Crosshair. Yes, we were disappointed in your decision, and… hurt to find out that your decision was not solely based on your inhibitor chip activating, but if you wanted to return to our squad then we would not protest it. We would welcome you back.”
Crosshair stared at his twin with a deep frown pulling at his lips, eyes narrowed as if he didn’t believe a single word that Tech just said, dissecting it all piece by piece until he could find the true meaning behind it all. When he was finished, he scoffed again, shaking his head and looking at the ground next to his feet, ignoring how Tech shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, “You say that as if it would be easy. You’re smarter than that, Tech.”
Tech fumbled with his goggles again and then roughly rubbed a hand against the back of his neck, wiping away sweat there, grimacing at how it dampened his hair, “The others may be cautious at first, but I know they would learn to trust you again.”
Crosshair scoffed, crossing his arms and shifting his weight to the right, “What? You don’t trust me now?”
Tech’s arms were bent at the elbows, and he suddenly straightened them and flicked his fingers, taking a deep breath that staggered; Crosshair noticed. Tech cleared his throat and shook his head, avoiding eye contact with his twin when he spoke again, “You’ve shot at us, Crosshair. Several different times. You have tried shooting down our ship, you trapped us in an ion engine and activated it, and you have even ordered your new squad to shoot at Omega. Perhaps the lack of trust that we have for you should not come as a surprise to you.”
He would argue but there weren’t any grounds to argue on. He simply scoffed again and rolled his eyes, “And you say you’d take me back.”
It was sarcastic though his tone was coated thick with irritation at the notion that Tech may be lying to him just to spare his feelings, as if Tech had ever cared about that before. But Crosshair was Crosshair, he would convince himself of every little thing to make himself feel like he was unworthy, it is how he has always been, ever since they were cadets.
“We would,” He was still trying to get through to him nonetheless, though he still avoided his eyes and focused on tapping his fingers to his thumbs in a pattern, “You are our brother, and we do not leave our own behind.”
That was what finally poked a nerve with Crosshair. His expression shifted suddenly, brow furrowing in clear anger and snarling, grinding his teeth together as if he were trying to quell some of his anger; he still spoke with a raised tone anyway, more bite now than before, “You don’t, do you? Then why have you already done so repeatedly?!”
He took a step forward, crowding in on Tech’s personal space and making him step backwards to keep the peace in his bubble. Crosshair never knew when to back down though, and Tech knew this, so he tried to calm him, “We have tried to bring you back, but you always refuse.”
“Then you should’ve tried harder!” He took another step forward, and Tech another step back, but now his back was against the wall and Crosshair was standing much too close. His twin was waving a hand around, shouting in his face; Tech had dropped his helmet at some point in the excitement, “When you all left Kamino after the war ended, did any of you even come looking for me?! Or did you just take the kid and run?!”
“Crosshair—” But he wasn’t letting him speak, wrapped up in his own heavy emotions and not taking into consideration his brother’s.
“I had that… chip in my head! And not a single one of you even tried to help me, not even in the beginning!” He kept shouting, his voice loud and the movement of his hand erratic, everything a little bit too much for Tech to process at the moment.
“We were unsure of how it operated, the Kaminoans were very secretive of its functions,” Tech’s voice shook noticeably now, but Crosshair wasn’t paying much attention to the anxiety practically coming off of him in waves, too caught up with making his own feelings known.
“Come on, Tech! You’re smart, even you couldn’t figure it out?!” He was mocking now, voice too loud, moving too much, standing too close. He’s too close. Too close.
“I-I told you, the Kaminoans kept Order 66 classified. It was not known to us until after it was commanded,” He stammered, and still Crosshair didn’t notice, or maybe he did, and he just didn’t care. No, he wouldn’t do that. Then again, Tech never thought he’d be hunting them down either.
“Yeah? Well, you all had your chips removed, was there a reason you didn’t extend the same sympathy to me?” He practically growled out those words, appearing genuinely hurt by everything that had transpired between them since the end of the Clone Wars. But he wasn’t the only one hurt by it all, the rest of them had their own pains and aches about the situation to deal with.
“We tried reaching out to you, but you did not—”
“Really? Then we must remember different, because the way I remember it you left me on Kamino and took the brat with you instead!” He shoved Tech by the shoulders, knocking him roughly back into the wall behind him, and by that time, Tech had finally had enough.
The hot sun, the sweat clinging his blacks to him, making his hair damp, making his goggles uncomfortable against his face. The way his armor felt heavier than normal, the grating sound of Crosshair yelling at him, being shoved. The sun is too bright, everything is too loud, and Crosshair is standing too close.
Tech did something he didn’t normally do, something his usually patient and prudent demeanor held him back from doing. He didn’t particularly enjoy violence as a first response to conflict, always trying to remain rational and diplomatic, but sometimes even he was pushed too far. He brought a hand up, clenched his fist, and without second thought punched his brother square in the jaw.
Crosshair stumbled back but did not fall, losing his footing somewhat more with the shock of Tech hitting him than the actual punch itself. His brown eyes were wide as he focused them back on his brother, about to shout at him and ask what the hell his problem was, but any words he had at the forefront of his mind ready to harass the other with quickly left him altogether at the sight before him.
Tech’s face was screwed up in a wince, and he muttered a few words quietly to himself, but Crosshair didn’t miss how unsteady his tone was. The bespectacled clone pushed his palms against his ears, blocking out the sounds around them but there wasn’t really anything to hear. This town was quiet and mostly desolate, the only thing to hear was an old windchime barely twinkling and the slight breeze whistling through a hole in a shed nearby. Nonetheless, Tech kept his hands at his ears and eyes squeezed shut as he pushed against the wall behind him before rocking forward and then right back to the wall.
Crosshair was unsure how to proceed, not because he hadn’t seen this before, but because of his current standing with his brother. As cadets, Tech used to get like this a lot, especially with the seemingly endless training they were all subjected to, but as he grew older these episodes came as far and few between. The last time he had one was during the war when the squad had three back-to-back missions with barely a day’s break in between, and he had gotten overwhelmed by the sounds on the planet they had been stationed on; the birds squawking had sent him over the edge if he’s remembering correctly, despite Tech being highly fascinated by the species he had never seen before.
Still, even with the argument still hanging in the way, Crosshair didn’t feel right leaving him like this. When Tech got like this it was unwise to leave him to his own devices, sometimes he’d become a bit self-destructive depending on the severity, and he especially wouldn’t be leaving him here with other Imperial troopers walking around who could happen upon him. So, despite his ill-tempered nature, he forced himself to calm down and approach this from an angle that Hunter usually would.
“Tech,” He spoke his name gently but loud enough that he could hear him over his hands muffling the sounds around him, “Tech, you need to breathe.”
Tech didn’t hear him, or perhaps he did but just chose to ignore him. He was muttering again, barely audible, but Hunter wasn’t the only one with better than average hearing. He leaned a bit closer and remained quiet to make out the words tumbling from his brother's mouth.
“Hot, hot. Sticky. Loud. Too close.”
It was always an odd thing to listen to Tech just ramble with no structure to his sentences. He was a well-spoken person, talking non-stop but always clear and articulate. The brief explanations and often single words when he was like this was often just a way to let the people he was with know what was bothering him without having to be too wordy, because in a situation like this one, for once Tech wasn’t too fond of speaking too much. Not that he couldn’t, but because he couldn’t control his tone or emotions.
Crosshair backed up a step, holding his hands in front of himself peacefully, to show his brother he meant no harm, “Alright, I stepped back. There’s your breathing room, so maybe try actually doing that? Breathe.”
Tech took a few quick and staggering breaths, eyebrows furrowed in irritation as he bit out, “I am.”
Crosshair resisted the urge to roll his eyes, trying to remain civil even if his response was less than acceptable, “Yeah, no shit. I meant normally.”
Tech’s fingers curled, forcing both of his hands into fists, and he deeply inhaled through his nose before bringing one fist away from his head before slamming it against his temple. Okay, so this is how it’s going to be, “Tech, don’t do that. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
Tech took another deep breath much too quickly, fists pressing harshly against the sides of his head but at least they weren’t slamming into it again. His eyes snapped open and an emotion that wasn’t usually present in his expression presented itself: anger.
“Astute observation, I’m impressed,” He said sarcastically, huffing and tugging on his short curls.
Again, Crosshair resisted to roll his eyes, huffing the same as his brother and trying his best to help, “No need to be an ass about it.”
It’s not his fault emotional support wasn’t his strong suit.
Tech’s breathing was rapid, and in a normal climate it wouldn’t be as concerning, it wasn’t nearly quick enough to constitute being called a panic attack, but in this humid environment Crosshair thought he might lose control of his breathing pretty quickly if he didn’t get it under control. So, he figured it was best to put his attitude on the back burner for now and actually attempt to help his brother in settling down.
He took a step forward again, only for Tech to try stepping back but he was already at the wall, so he just ended up knocking his head against it, making a pained sound when he did. Or maybe that sound was because Crosshair had gotten too close again and he was trying to tell him to move back.
Again, he raised his hands to show he meant no harm, “I’ll stay here, but you really need to try and calm down.”
He swallowed thickly and tried to assure him, “I-I am perfectly at ease.”
“Clearly,” This time Crosshair did roll his eyes, “Look, I’m staying away. Just…” He tried to remember what they used to do as cadets, when they were on the same side, “Just… sit down.”
Tech shook his head ever so slightly, bending his elbows and then extending them in rapid succession a few times, “I need to be on high alert in case of an ambush, or if the others need assistance. I am on-on standby, I need to—”
“You’re not really in the shape to be doing anything like that right now, idiot,” Crosshair snapped, and Tech snapped his mouth shut and pouted, looking just like the know-it-all rude cadet that used to run his mouth too much and get himself into trouble that he couldn’t get himself out of, “Now sit.”
Tech hesitated, eyeing his brother cautiously, but eventually did as he was ordered. He leaned back against the wall again and slid himself down it, sitting with his knees drawn awkwardly to his chest. He was always scrawny in comparison to the others, lanky limbs gawky, but it was that appearance that often fooled any opponent or enemy; he was much stronger than he appeared to be. Though, right now, Crosshair thought he looked too much like the kid he used to be back on Kamino, worn out from a long day of training and tests.
“Okay, um,” Wow, he really wasn’t good at this. Tech wishes Hunter was here, he was always sympathetic to his sensory overload as he experienced similar problems with his enhanced senses. Wrecker would have been nice too, he was the emotionally intelligent one of their squad, aside from Omega who probably would be very good at helping put him at ease right now. Echo was always a huge comfort as well, calm and collected for him in moments like this. Crosshair… He was unsure and feeling awkward, probably due to the entire argument they just had as well as his current allegiance. Tech couldn’t lie and say he was completely comfortable in this situation either.
“Kriff, what’s that thing you used to do when we were kids and you were like this?” He asked, looking annoyed with himself for not being able to figure it out as he crouched in front of his brother.
Tech wasn’t being easy on him either, narrowing his eyes and snapping, “You don’t remember?”
Crosshair glared right back, “It was a long time ago!”
“This happened before you left!” He fought back, his hands on his legs, fingers wrapping around his shins and fingers digging into his pants; they were new, blue and baggy.
“Stop saying I left!”
“Is that not what you did? As I recall you clearly did—”
“Don’t get analytical with me, Tech!” He shouted again and Tech flinched, hands going back to his ears followed by a wince. Crosshair mentally kicked himself. He closed his eyes momentarily and sighed before opening them again and looking at his brother who was now rocking back and forth at a steady pace, “Okay, good. That’s what I was referring to.”
Tech’s hands remained cupped over his ears for a few more long seconds before he removed them again and returned them to grip on his legs. A boot shifted awkwardly against the ground, and he huffed with irritation again, “There is sand in my boots.”
The amount of eye rolls Crosshair performed in the presence of his annoying know-it-all twin was so frequent it’s a wonder his eyes didn’t get stuck like that, “Well, this planet is covered in sand.”
“I am aware,” He muttered in response, shuffling his feet anxiously again, trying to pull his legs closer.
“It was a rhetorical statement, Tech.”
“I… knew that,” He replied, and Crosshair chuckled in amusement at the way he said it, implying that he actually didn’t know that. Despite being a wise ass himself, he was never good at reading when other people were being sarcastic or rhetorical.
Crosshair adjusted the way he was crouched down, his legs starting to ache at the uncomfortable position. He tilted his head and examined his brother, the way his arms and hands trembled, and his breath remained uneven. He sighed, “I’m… sorry for yelling.”
Tech lifted his eyes to look across the small space between them at his twin, quiet as he tried to determine whether or not Crosshair was being genuine. He looked uncomfortable, which told him he was being honest; Crosshair was notoriously bad at apologies.
Tech sighed too, swallowing anxiously and avoiding Crosshair’s eyes again, but speaking, “It is alright. I… apologize for becoming neurotic. As unusual as it seems, I cannot control it.”
“I know, Tech,” He replied in a rather soft tone of voice that nearly sent the other clone reeling.
He blinked several times at his twin, wondering if he was hearing him right, and based on the lack of annoyance on his face for once, Tech could confirm his suspicion, and yet it still baffled him, “What are you still doing here, Crosshair?”
The question startled the other, and it took him a moment to find the words to reply, but when he did, he only spoke the truth, “We’re on opposite sides, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to leave you here like this.”
There was a bite back to his tone. Figures. He could never go long without being ill-tempered. Still, the annoyance appeared to stem from being doubted, but Tech was confident that his doubt was warranted, “You could have fooled me.”
And again, Crosshair’s eyes narrowed, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Tech winced again and raised a hand to rub at his temple in agitation, but he made sure to keep talking. It’s what he was best at, after all, “Have you forgotten what we have previously discussed already? You have been hunting us down. Firing at us, trying to blow us up, shooting at Omega. She is just a child, Crosshair.”
Crosshair scoffed again, crossing his arms and looking away, focusing on some graffiti on a nearby building, “If I was trying to hit her, I would’ve done so already, you know that.”
“Perhaps, but you did order your squad to shoot at her, and I can accurately deduce that they do not care in the slightest about her safety as you apparently do,” Tech rattled on, anger on the rise again.
Crosshair grumbled something that Tech did not quite catch, and then he asked, “Since when are any of you capable of looking after a kid?”
Tech shifted against the wall, slowing in his rocking movements, feeling his heartbeat begin to slow as they continued to speak, the conversation calm as of now, “It was complicated in the beginning, but we have all been learning. I admit, even I was at a loss for what to do, and oftentimes still am. She… is not as close to me as she is with the others. I sometimes wonder if she likes me at all.”
Crosshair chuckled at that, but it wasn’t mocking as Tech was expecting, it was amused. He adjusted in the sand again and then carefully moved over to sit next to Tech, but kept a little distance between them still so he didn’t crowd the still slightly panicking man, “She likes you, Tech.”
He furrowed his eyebrows at that response, curious, “How would you know?”
Crosshair simply shrugged, admitting, “Because everyone likes you.”
That was surprising to hear. Tech looked at the ground in front of him and pondered on that for a second, “That… seems unlikely.”
“You would think, but it’s true,” He admitted, getting oddly comfortable next to him, “Something about you being weird and annoying charms people.”
Tech hummed in thought, eyes trained on the sand between his feet, “I suppose you would know.”
Crosshair’s expression shifted to show irritation again, and he opened his mouth to snap at his brother for being rude as he always was, but when he turned to look at him all he saw was a little smirk on his face. Once again, he was reminded of when they were cadets.
He schooled expression back into something calmer again, and he couldn’t help but return the smirk his way, “Smartass.”
“It is my primary function,” He quipped right back, still being snarky. He exhaled deeply, breath shaky, but he appeared to be in better shape now than minutes before. His grip on his legs loosened, and his body language relaxed, “Though, I must admit you are correct to some degree.”
Crosshair raised an eyebrow and cast a curious glance his way, “Oh, really? Care to elaborate?”
Tech tapped his fingers against his legs, but this didn’t appear to be anxiety left over from his previous anxiety attack, but more awkward. It made Crosshair curious. Tech cleared his throat awkwardly, “There is… a woman that we as a squad met recently, her name is Phee. She comes along with us on missions sometimes when her skillset is required or would be of great assistance. She seems to have taken a liking to me above all of the others.”
Oh, well this was interesting.
“Go on,” Crosshair encouraged, amused by this. One would think Tech was an awkward individual with the way that he speaks and carries himself, but he was actually very level-headed, confident, and well-spoken. So, for him to be stammering over his words and fidgeting in discomfort was amusing to say the least.
“Well, she speaks to me more than she does with the others, and sometimes she stands too close, and she can be very bold,” He explained, consciously avoiding his twin's eyes now, “She even has a nickname for me, as nonsensical as it is.”
Crosshair was trying to push down his smirk, wanting nothing more than to tease his brother for this, but instead he asked, “Care to enlighten me?”
“...She calls me ‘brown eyes,’” He admitted, choking it out like he had a hard time admitting it, and his voice came out as an almost… squeak? He cleared his throat to even his tone, balling a fist to cough into as if trying to put on the facade that he simply had something caught in his throat, “Though, I have explained to her that the genotypic eye color for all clones is brown, she still does not cease in calling me that. I find it endearing, I suppose.”
Crosshair chuckled and leaned his head back against the wall, “Oh, she really likes you. Heh, and here I was thinking Hunter would be the first one to shack up.”
Tech coughed and blustered, and to Crosshair’s surprise his face had turned red. To his credit, he tried to pull himself back into his usual stoic expression, but to no avail, “Shacking up is a crude term for it, do not be ridiculous.”
“You’re right,” He sighed, tapping his fingers in a slow rhythm against his knee guard, “Hunter is much too awkward for a girlfriend. Maybe Wrecker, but really, I wasn’t expecting you to go first.”
Tech awkwardly lifted a hand to rub at the side of his face, an attempt to hide the red blush, “Now, she is not my girlfriend, I was simply telling you about her unusual tendencies towards me.”
“Those aren’t ‘unusual tendencies,’ genius. She’s flirting with you,” He rolled his eyes again, “And by the looks of it, you like her too.”
“I- well—”
He snickered, “This is incredible, I can’t believe I’m missing all of this.”
And then the silence fell between them again, the lightheartedness of their conversation disappearing completely and a sad and empty feeling replacing it. Crosshair frowned now when Tech shifted slightly away from him, and he sighed deeply. That old feeling of being close with his brothers again was nice while it lasted, but they couldn’t change anything that had happened now, no matter how hard they tried.
Tech drummed his fingers against his shins, looking very hard at the sand between his feet, lost in thought, and once again he suggested, “You can come back with me, Crosshair. The others may be surprised and unsure, but with hard work I believe that things can return to the way they once were.”
Crosshair shook his head, not looking at his brother any longer, “No, I think we’re long past that. I’ve… done things that I can’t take back, and there’s just too much between all of us now that I don’t think we can resolve so simply.”
“We would work together to make it right,” Tech tried to convince him, and as good as he was at negotiation, Crosshair was a difficult foe.
“I’m sorry, Tech. It’s just not going to happen,” He said it sadly, like he wished for things to be different. He blamed himself for a lot of it, he had always blamed himself for everything, even when they were young.
Tech let his hand fall to his side, fingers curling into the sand and feeling it slip between them, “I see. It appears that I cannot change your mind.”
Crosshair shook his head once again, “Nope.”
“How unfortunate,” He sighed with defeat, and for once he admitted something from the heart, something that made even Crosshair’s eyes turn misty, “I do wish that we could go back to the way that things used to be.”
Crosshair rubbed a finger underneath his nose to hide a sniffle, hoping his eyes would dry up, “Yeah… Things were a lot easier back then."
“Yes, they were,” He said quietly, and Crosshair’s astute hearing wasn’t slow to recognize the tremble to his brother’s voice.
He turned his head to look at him again, and he was taken aback by how his shoulders shook. He was biting down harshly on his bottom lip to keep his overrun emotions to himself, but he was failing spectacularly, “Tech?”
He reached out a hand on instinct, and Tech took a deep shaky inhale and then sighed, “I-I apologize. I do not have a strong hold on my emotional state at the moment, this is out of the ordinary.”
Crosshair watched his expression slowly crumble for just a moment more before he lowered his eyes and spared his brother the embarrassment, instead focusing on his hand still grasping at the sand, “I’m sorry, Tech. I wish things could be the same like they used to, but they can’t. We have to move on.”
Tech shook his head, “I do not see the logic in this.”
“There is no logic to it, it’s just the way that things are,” He told him, reaching out and hesitant, but he did take Tech’s hand gently in his own, “Things… change. Sometimes it hurts, but not always. You guys are doing well, and you’re meeting new people who you seem to like. There’s good in this change too.”
“It would be better if you were there,” He continued to disagree, “And I refuse to believe that you are happy where you are now. You certainly do not look to be.”
That surprised him, “Wha—”
“You look tired, and your eyes are different,” He informed him, as if Crosshair wasn’t aware of these things himself; maybe he wasn’t.
“My eyes?”
“Yes, they are not as lively as they once were,” He observed, his fingers twitching in Crosshair’s hand but not moving to get away, “I believe Omega would say that they appear sad.”
He wanted to scoff at that, but he just listened intently instead, “And what would you say?”
Silence for a moment as he thought about it, and then, “I would say that I agree.”
Usually Crosshair would argue, defend himself, say he was fine, but all he could do in that moment was squeeze his brother’s hand and offer whatever comfort that he was capable of, “Things are different, like I said. I’m adapting, and so will you.”
Tech sniffled, not even trying to hide his fragile emotional state anymore, “And what if I do not want to?”
“You do things all the time that you don’t want to, I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” He assured him, scooting closer to nudge him with his shoulder and offer him a small smile, “You’re my genius twin brother, after all.”
He waited for him to rattle on something like ‘technically, we are all twins, quadruplets in fact’ but instead he just smiled a little bit and nodded in agreement, “Yes, I suppose that is true. I still do not like it.”
“To tell you the truth, neither do I,” He leaned back against the wall again, but his hand never left Tech’s, “But I’ll move on, we both will.”
Another silence fell between them, and they both had a feeling their heart to heart ended there. It was rare to have a conversation like this with either of them, Crosshair more so, but they were both glad it had happened. Perhaps it’s what they both needed.
The static from Tech’s commlink followed by Hunter’s voice barking through startled them both from their peace.
“Tech, initiate plan six.”
Tech sighed and pulled the comm from his belt, pushing down on the PTT and calling an affirmative over the channel, “Copy.”
He fasted it back to his belt and reached for his discarded helmet, and Crosshair watched him, making no move to stop him, “Sounds like trouble.”
Tech pulled his helmet back over his head, not appreciating how the sweat that had soaked the inside of it had run cold now and was even more uncomfortable on his head. He clambered to his feet and dusted himself free of sand, at least as best as he could, “It’s all a part of the plan.”
“Of course, it is,” He chuckled with amusement.
Tech retrieved the blaster Crosshair had knocked from his hand earlier, tucking it back into its holster and then making sure everything was in order. Crosshair remained where he was, but he did have a request, “Hey, don’t tell Hunter about this. He’ll probably get all squirrely, you know how he is.”
“Oh, right. Of course, I won’t,” He confirmed with a slight nod of his head.
“Thanks,” He could really use a toothpick to chew on right now, this whole thing has left him all out of sorts.
“May I inform Wrecker?” Tech asked just a moment later.
Crosshair groaned in irritation, rolling his eyes to glare at his brother, “No, definitely not.”
“Echo?”
“No.”
“Omega?”
“No.”
“I’m going to tell Phee,” He sounded irritated too at the mere thought of having to keep a secret.
Crosshair scoffed, “You would tell her.”
Tech stammered, flustered, then he sighed with heavy annoyance and turned away from his twin, “Glad to see the Empire has not voided you of your seemingly constant urge to annoy me.”
“Oh, come on Tech, as if I’d ever get tired of that,” He teased with a shit-eating grin.
Tech rolled his eyes, his signature move, and he stepped towards the corner of the building and peered around it, seeing a squad of troopers running towards the chaos the others had caused, “I must leave now, the others are in dire need of my assistance.”
Crosshair didn’t make a move to stop him like Tech would’ve expected in any previous encounter with him, instead he just made a sly remark, “I’ll give you a head start.”
Tech glanced over his shoulder at him, examining his body language; he was at ease, “Thank you.”
He hummed in acknowledgement but said nothing more. Tech prepared to run out into the open, to his family’s aid, but before he did, he had one last thing to say to his lost brother, “My offer still stands. You say that things have changed, and I know that, but that is not saying that things cannot change again. I believe that you will make your way back to us, because you are a part of our family, and we do not leave our own behind. We will not leave you behind, Crosshair.
All he could do for the seconds after that was blink like an idiot, staring up at his twin who wasn’t even looking back at him anymore. Actually, Crosshair didn’t say another word to him at all, because as always, Tech needed to have the last word.
“I hope to see you soon, brother. Be safe,” And then he was gone, rushing around the corner with both blasters drawn, ready to join the rest of his family, their family.
Crosshair remained where he was, thinking of what had just happened and of what Tech had just said. He was right, things were constantly changing, and really, when was he ever wrong? Rejoining his family seemed like a stretch at this point, but… Perhaps it was possible? He decided not to dwell much on the specifics, deciding to hold onto the one thing he rarely ever paid any mind to. Hope.
I hope to see you again soon too, Tech.