•~~~•

I had come to be loved, to be accepted, to be cherished. I think that's what made my heart become tied to the boys. And Omega. They were all strong willed, loving and dedicated men. They all treated me like I was one of them - I was in on the boy talk, in on the gossip about troopers, I knew all of it. That much made me smile.

Hunter was the one that took me in. I was the shriek in the same corridor as Echo on Purkoll, screaming for help as the alarms went off. I was so close to being like him; an experiment, another life lost to the psychotic science of the separatists. But, they saved me, and I owed them my life. And I gave them that life every mission we went on, though they'd never let me die even if I was blown to pieces. Tech would find a way to keep the chunks of my body still working.

But, as we kept the ship on Takodana for Tech to manage repairs tonight, Omega was getting sleepy in the co-pilot's seat. Tech called me to take her as I always had when she started passing out. Originally Hunter did. Till he dropped her.

I had carried her up, ready to cover her up with her favorite blanket we had purchased on Ord Mantell, but, she snatched onto my hand, her big eyes opening wide. I let a wide grin take on my face as she begged me up to her small "bunk". The boys had their own, and making one for her was the sweetest thing they could have done. I offered to give up mine, but when the idea was brought up by Wrecker, my heart melted out of my chest.

So, there I laid with my legs bent and my feet softly resting on the floor, my hair laid out behind me as Omega ran her fingers through my locks. She loved my hair, the reason I could never put my finger on, but I loved letting her play with it. She hummed a tune that I often heard in the markets of Ord Mantell, looking at my hair as I watched her with a soft smile.

Omega had a puzzled look on her face though, almost in a sulking sort of way. She twirls a strand around her finger, letting it fall loose afterwards down to the floor. "Does Crosshair like women?" she asked, finally locking her chocolaty eyes with mine.

I almost sputter, my core tensing as I laughed. She started to smile through her confusion, giving off a little giggle.

"Yes, he does, he likes women a lot," I giggle, lightly flicking her knee in a teasing way. Her smile was something I lived for, her bangs falling over her eyebrows and hanging off her forehead. "What makes you ask that babes?"

Omega shrugged her shoulders, "Well, I've never even seen him talk to a girl, and he doesn't talk to you a lot."

"You don't have to talk to women to like them," I responded, feeling her start to comb her fingers back through. Knots that had formed from my head jerking in laughter to her question started to come loose around her small fingers.

She made eye contact again, "How would you know he likes women if he's never had a girlfriend?" She took a few strands of my hair, her elbows resting on her criss-crossed knees. She braided them, keeping her fingers busy.

"He has had girlfriends, babes. Me and your brothers haven't met them, but they've also had girlfriends we all have never met," I explained, my hands intertwining fingers and resting over my stomach.

"Why have you never met them?"

I took a moment to think, if there was even a way I could've worded it. Tech would've been able to, but I'd just have to think. After a few seconds of silence, I finally came up with a response.

"When you're older, 'Meg, you will understand that some people have girlfriends or boyfriends that they only see for one day. Some see those girlfriends or boyfriends again, but they mostly do not. Do you understand that?"

The same puzzled look took over her face as I noticed her start to chew the inside of her lip. She takes out the braid carefully, as to not knot it like she had once before and she began running her fingers through once again.

"You should be Crosshair's girlfriend forever."

A blushed creeped it's way onto my face, making me clear my throat. The back of my neck felt hot, even when the ship had a sort of chill in it. To be truthful, I had a crush on Crosshair for as long as I could remember, his aggressive manner, cold attitude, creative remarks. I had the biggest crush on him and his charm that he had often used against me. Crosshair was an impressive man, and there were so many nights where I'd lay in my bunk after just listening to him flirt with a pretty girl in a bar, getting the consent to feel up their skirt and get a room with her. And all I would feel is envy.

It hurt, seeing Omega want something as much as I admittedly did. Something I could never get. I wanted romance, but I was chasing a man with a tendency to not care. To be mean. To give no love, no mercy, barely even a smile if it wasn't a mischievous smirk.

I smiled though, watching as she looked down at me with a spark in her eyes, "I'd have to be his girlfriend to be his girlfriend forever, sweetheart."

She huffed, groaning out and in a higher voice complained, "Then you should be his girlfriend."

I only laughed at her, hugging her tightly and putting her to bed, tucking her in and laying a kiss on her forehead. Before I had stepped back into the bunks to go strip away some of my armor, I whispered to her;

"I wish I could, 'Meg."

•~~~• (Third person)

"You should be Crosshair's girlfriend forever."

The voice of Omega rang through Hunter's comm that laid dormant on the table. All the guys sat around, Crosshair cleaning his beloved rifle, Echo leaned back against the wall with a cup of caff so he could stay up in the cockpit with Tech doing repairs, Tech rounding up the materials, Wrecker eating a ronto wrap and Hunter silently watching over all of them.

But, when the sweet girl's voice spoke, it stopped everyone dead in their tracks. Wrecker let out a whole hearted chuckle. "I didn't know you had yourself a girlfriend, Crosshair!"

"I don't," the sniper hissed, rolling his eyes. He managed to go back to his cleaning, waving off Omega's voice.

A few moments passed of silence, probably the accidental butt dial of Omega. It happened more often that they anticipated, but it always gave them something to laugh at. But, a voice broke through again, one that made the air difficult to breath for the stone-cold sniper.

"I'd have to be his girlfriend to be his girlfriend forever, sweetheart."

Hunter laughed deeply, "I see you haven't made your 'well-planned move' yet?"

Crosshair sneered, "If you want her instead, have her Hunter."

"Maybe I will," he mocked, smirking and standing up to make his way into the refresher. The scowl that Crosshair had on his face kept the rest of the men quiet, and all back to their work.

"Then you should be his girlfriend."

Crosshair wanted to strangle that kid, but his muscles loosened at the sweet laugh that rang through Hunter's comlink. His heart was racing at that point. All the men ignored it though. It was banter to all of them. But Crosshair froze like a deer in the headlights.

Rustling was only heard as Y/n tucked in Omega, everything seeming like it had halted. The conversation was over, one that was pointless but existed. Kids out be kids, they'd say things they didn't understand, point out behaviors that didn't mean anything. But, before the comm crackles out, the faint noise of Y/n voice was heard for the last time.

"I wish I could, 'Meg."

Crosshair looked up immediately, trying to see what the guys' reactions were. But the only one of his brothers that had heard was Echo, his jaw dropped as he made awkward eye contact with Crosshair.

Crosshair got up with a rustle, alerting all of the guys before storming down the ramp and out into the cool night air. That day couldn't get worse.

•~~~• (your POV)

I got into lounge clothes, like I always did when it was time to retreat to my bunk. When slipping on my pajama pants though, I figured that I should go check on the rest of the men, tell them my goodnights, then be off to bed.

I slipped my tank top on and walked to the main room. Echo leaned back with a guilty expression painted on his face, drinking out of a half-empty cup of caf. Tech was bringing his toolbox to the cockpit, pushing his goggle up and he looked over at me, muttering a "hi." Wrecker was finishing up some food, whatever it was before was now hard to discern. And Hunter came out from behind me.

"Hey, Y/n, how's this kid?" he asked, sitting down next to Echo.

"Good.... hey Echo, is everything alright buddy? You seem a little.. off?"

Echo sputtered, putting his mug down and coughing as he held his hand over his mouth. "Uhh, yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine."

I blinked at him. Does he think I believe him? Whatever the case was, I shrugged, sitting down next to Wrecker. He was much bigger than me, and surprisingly soft compared to my hard bunk. I leaned against him softly, seeing him relax against my body.

"So, where's the hermit?"

Hunter looked over at Wrecker, who gave him a blank face and an, "I dunno." Then, when looking at Tech, he didn't even look back, too caught up in keeping up with the cogs that were turning way faster than the normal machine inside of his head.

And then there was Echo. And that's where we found out why he was looking so damn guilty.

"Well... uh, y'know. Omega butt dialed Hunter and-"

"She what?!" I asked, freaking out in my own head. What the fuck did they hear? What could they have possibly heard?

Echo bit is lip as he watched for the second time today, a bad batcher storm out of the ship and down the ramp into the lush forest of Takodana.

Outside was Crosshair, the only man that I didn't wanna see. He was leaned against the Havoc, chewing on a toothpick as his arms were crossed tight to his chest. He had a scowl on his face - no surprise there - and his eyes matched to a T; they were cold. The moonlight shining down on him highlighted his features, making him god-like, a marble statue in a beautiful environment. His eyes watched me as soon as I walked out, stalking me like a predator to a prey. I figured maybe I could've gotten around him, but I knew he saw me. And he looked like he wanted to eat me alive.

I wanted to walk to the other side of the ramp, sit down and enjoy myself. I could, I could have sat down and looked up at the sky. But, I didn't feel the need to. All I wanted to do in that moment was stare at him, I probably wouldn't get many chances with the guys around, but it was even worse that he could see me actively doing it.

"You like was you see, princess?" he asked, moving the toothpick to the other side of his mouth, tilting his head at me. He was holding back a smirk and I could feel it, though it broke out as soon as I flushed red. The temperature was fairly cool outside, but I could feel heat biting at my neck like the licks of a flame.

I didn't expect that sort of nickname to come out of someone harsh like him. It made me all fuzzy inside, my heart feeling like it was starting too melt. I wanted so badly to hear those words come out of his mouth again, to feel the flush of my body's reaction again.

I looked down. I had to respond to him didn't I? I mean, not necessarily, but-

"Come here," he said, eyes boring in to my head. My legs carried themselves, my mind not in the right place to even conduct that action and soon enough I stood in front of him. He felt 10 feet taller standing in front of me, his chest near to my face and his head slightly hung to see me.

Being under his gaze like this filled me with a strange adrenaline, one I was getting addicted to by the second. His cold eyes were now on fire, connecting with mine in a warm statement.

He tilted my chin up with his index finger so I made direct eye contact. "So, do you want to tell me what you and Omega talked about?"

Fuck, he was listening, wasn't he? My head spun, trying to make up something that wasn't necessarily wrong but was enough to get me off the hook. He was smirking now, excited for someone to want to play his twisted game and obey him, feed into him. And I definitely was, my nerves acting up to his question.

"We, she was just asking me if you liked women is all. Y'know, kids will be kids," I finished off with a nervous laugh. He stepped impossibly closer to my body, basically pressed up against me.

He brought his face close to mine, lips right at my ear, "I know you're lying, little girl. You left out one important part. When she said that she wanted you to be my girlfriend," he paused for a moment, fingers brushing my neck, feeling my heart thud it's way in my throat. I felt like I was suffocating in front of him. Again, he spoke,

"you agreed."

I swallowed hard, my face beet red now, my hands grasping at his arms in order to gain balance. My knees wanted to give out, to just fall over and lay there forever. His voice was low and it sent chills all down my spine and up my neck. My lungs had been shot, leaving me breathless. And his hand was practically around my neck, softly holding me like I would break if he did any harder.

"Say it. Tell me you want me," he demanded, still in a whisper.

I paused for a moment, words losing me as I tried to gain them in order to form a right sentence. This was a man that was hard to ever break, to ever order around, to ever love. And I'd managed to fall deeper in love with him than I could anyone. I wanted to tell him exactly that, that I wanted him. But my efforts were lost as my voice let out a, "I love you, Crosshair."

Time froze. Or at least it felt like it did. And it made me was to crumple over right there and right now and just cry. For a moment, nothing was said, the crickets stopped chirping and Crosshair stopped breathing.

It was dizzying, his next move. All of a sudden, he had pulled away from my face and cupped it, pressing his lips against mine in a fervent kiss. At first I hadn't caught myself, standing there awkwardly as he kissed me, but when my mind processed what was happening, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. Crosshair pulled back, looking at me with his same blank expression, scaring me for a moment before a smile, a genuine smile, broke on his face.

"Please let this be real," I whispered, feeling my eyes swell as I threatened to cry. I was scared I'd never see him like this again, so happy and full of life, in front of me, holding my face like the world would end.

But as I was tempted to break down in front of him, he placed a kiss on my nose, then one of my lips, whispering back, "I'm yours, Princess."

•~~~•