Work Text:
“Hunter?” Omega stands in the doorway of his room, her familiar shadow silhouetted in the darkness.
He wasn’t asleep. He can’t sleep. All of this feels strange, surreal. Clones don’t have houses with rooms and beds. This was never how it was meant to be, even if it’s been what Hunter’s always wanted. His family, safe and protected. This is their new reality, their new normal.
But his room is so quiet and lonely. It makes him feel pathetic and small to lie awake for that reason, and even worse that he is relieved that Omega disrupted it - because she wouldn’t be here if something wasn’t wrong.
“I’m awake, kid,” he tells her, sitting up on his elbows. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Omega admits, creeping into the room and perching on the edge of his bed.
Hunter hums, sitting up the rest of the way. “That makes two of us.”
Omega releases an exasperated huff. “Haha,” she deadpans.
Hunter chuckles, then moves over and pats the spot next to him. Omega immediately climbs up, tucking herself under his arm. He presses a kiss to the top of her head. “Are you feeling okay?” he asks her.
“Yeah,” Omega says, fingers nervously twining together. “I feel fine. And I should be fine…it’s just…are houses always so quiet?”
“I think so,” Hunter says, as though he hasn’t been wondering the same thing all night.
“Do you like it?” Omega asks.
Hunter rests his chin on her head. “Not really.”
“Me neither.”
“But we’ll get used to it. It will become normal.”
“What if it doesn’t?”
“Then I’ll record Wrecker snoring for you, and you can play it all night long.”
Omega giggles. “I guess Crosshair doesn’t have to worry about it being too quiet.”
“We better not tell him how good we have it.”
Omega shifts against him, turning to look at the empty bed on the other side of the room. “When Echo comes to visit, you won’t be alone. That’ll be nice.”
“That’s true.”
“How often do you think he’ll come?”
“I don’t know.” Hunter looks at the empty bed. “But I don’t think he’d mind if you used it while he’s gone, until we get used to the quiet.”
Omega sits up. “Really?” and she sounds so hopeful that Hunter’s heart aches. She was all alone on Kamino and on Tantiss…he should have known that even safe in their own little home, being alone would be a hard adjustment for her.
For all of them.
Alone had meant being lost and away from each other for so long.
“Go get your blankets and pillow,” Hunter tells her, nudging her off his bed.
Omega hurries out of the room. When she returns a moment later, her arms are laden with her blankets and pillow, Lula and Trooper peeking out of the folds of fabric.
Hunter smiles as she proceeds to make a little nest on Echo’s bed, arranging everything the way she had it in her little gunner’s mount room, Lula and Trooper keeping vigil.
She may have grown and matured in the months she was away, but she’s still their little girl.