HOWDY HOWDY, WE'RE BACK.
I'll keep this brief! These chapters will be on a two weeks on, two weeks off schedule so I don't get burnt out. Oh, and we're on 22 of 63 so... yeah

TIME TO LOCK N' LOAD IN TACTIC MODE

Warnings: Morning horniness, sexual references, kink mention
(Maybe one day I'll actually have a sexual segment rather than just talking about it all the time)

Cabin...

I had to be in a cabin.

Comfy bed, warm heavy quilts, and bird song from somewhere out the window. It was also too light for my room with my blackout curtains.

And it certainly smelled like a cabin.

That after-rain musk that only the woods could supply, the wonderful scent of pine sap, slight coffee from the vents, and lingering woodsmoke from long gone fires.

But there was something I was not used to.

The unmistakable smell of a man.

Was there a guy nearby? Why was there a guy nearby?

I definitely wasn't on the ship. Couldn't be. The ship didn't smell like this. It smelled like oil, diesel, and slight mildew. Plus salt and metal. I'd picked that up even though I'd not been an Alphian in that fandom jump.

So what was with the smell of a dude?

Eh, if there was a dude nearby, they weren't bothering me so I couldn't care less. If he poked me we'd have issues, but for now... I was more concerned as to why the hell my pillow felt weird and lumpy. It was super narrow too, at least compared to a normal pillow. And warm?

It also... moved?

I grumbled and wiggled against the other very warm pillow at my back. Wait... that one was warm and lumpy too.

And I swore the smell of man was coming mainly from the pillows.

What in tarnation?

I mean it was a pretty damn good smell, so I wasn't complaining, but where was it coming from? Why the pillow? Did I borrow the pillow from a dude?

My head pillow shifted, trying to escape, so I did the natural thing.

I grabbed it with my teeth and growled, "No."

A sharp inhalation of breath was the response as the pillow tensed.

I realized, rather quickly, that my pillow was not an actual pillow. It was a delightful pillow, granted, but not a real one made of cloth and fluffy stuffing. No, warm skin and hard muscle flexed beneath my teeth.

Someone's arm...

Hunter's arm.

The events from the night previous washed over me.

Tech cuddling up to me. Hunter waking us up. Tech leaving. Hunter coming back. Teasing. Wrestling. The night ending with me cuddled up on his chest.

I was in bed with the sergeant of the Bad Batch.

Oh. That explains a lot.

Hunter shifted, chest pressing against me as he reached around and tugged my jaw. "C'mon," he mumbled, clearly half asleep as his voice rumbled through my back. "Le'go my arm, sharp toothed tooka."

Tooka?! I realized I still had my teeth locked onto the poor sergeant's bare arm and I quickly let go. "Shit, my bad fam."

"See what Wrecker meant by sharp teeth," Hunter muttered, voice groggy as he rolled away and wiped the spit off.

My ears flattened. "Hey, don't blame me, I was half asleep!" I protested, twisting around to face him.

The lazy smirk on his face caught me off guard, especially since his face was rather close to mine. "Don't mind it," he commented, reaching up and poking my nose as I tried not to think about how damn close we were. "Just ask next time before you bite me."

"Oh, you like being bitten?" I huffed, swatting at his hand. "Kinky motherfucker."

"If I recall correctly," Hunter said slowly, a small grin on his tattooed face, "I'm not the only one here who's got kinks."

Busted.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately depending on the point of view, my filter was not working. "Perhaps I do. Been writing smut enough to know."

"Is that what's on your phone?"

Tech's voice from the foot of the bed nearly sent me to the ceiling like a cat spooked by a cucumber.

Tail bushed out twice its size as I latched onto Hunter in brief panic, I glared at the engineer as he sat cross-legged at our feet. "Tech! The hell are you doing down there?"

"I didn't want to sleep with Crosshair and this bed is quite long so I borrowed a spare blanket from the storage room and slept here," the nerd chirped, indicating the makeshift sleeping spot.

"Shadow," Hunter grunted, lightly slapping the back of my hand. "Claws."

I quickly retracted them from the poor sergeant's blacks and glared at Tech. "Dammit, Techie, you're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days..."

"I can fashion a makeshift defibrillator!"

"Keep yo hands off my chest." I immediately cringed. "That... could have been said differently."

"I liked it," Hunter remarked, earning himself a shove that sent him off the bed and to the floor.

Fuckin' hell, man, your thigh is solid.

"Damn you hot blooded males, all horny and shit," I huffed, rolling my eyes. "First kinks and now my tits." I frowned. "I see my filter is workin' fine and dandy today..."

This bodes well. Why is morning hornieness a thing?

"I actually have a question about that!" Tech chirped.

"Say what now?"I asked as Hunter shook the hair from his eyes and climbed back into the bed, sliding back under the warm covers with a light punch to my arm.

"What are the mating rituals for Alphians like?" Tech asked, scooting closer.

Boy I know you didn't just ask that.

Overly aware of the sudden flash of hormones from my right, I gulped. "Uhh... can we take a raincheck on that question? I don't want Hunter here to have issues any more than he probably already does."

Which is my fault in the first place but nuance.

"It's a simple biological question?" Tech defended.

"A sexual question, and I am not dealin' with a horny sergeant," I said.

Hunter huffed, sounding offended. "What's so wrong with a horny sergeant?"

Nothing but considering how early it is in this self insert, smut will have to wait. I'm grey but... yeah I would.

"Take your shovel back, I'm not diggin' this hole any deeper," I retorted, shoving the tattooed commando. Turning my attention back to Tech, I said, "I'll tell you about Alphian relationships instead, how about that?"

"That will do," Tech sighed, clearly disappointed.

"I'm interested in how they work, too," Hunter teased, shoving me in retaliation.

I swatted at his hands, half tempted to kick him off the bed again. "Well firstly, we don't marry. It's a lifemate ceremony with ritualistic scarring on our lower back."

"You didn't have any scarring on your lower back," Tech pointed out.

Not thinking about why you were staring there. "Haven't chosen a lifemate."

"So Alphians are monogamous?"

"Well... no. Some lifemate, others don't. The Council, bastards, only really recognize a lifemate ceremony as official. Up to two lifemates, any more than that and the Council doesn't recognize it."

"What's the Council?" Hunter asked.

"Kinda like the species wide government if you live on Alphiana or in Alphian territory. Bastards one and all."

"Can you have more than two lifemates if you are outside Alphian territory?" Tech asked.

"Can honestly have as many partners as you want," I said with a shrug. "They don't punish that. They just will only recognize two as official in Alphian territory."

"So... three non-official would be possible?" he ventured, fiddling with the covers.

I glanced at Hunter, recalling his words last night, before looking back to Tech. "It would."

"I see," he said softly before straightening. "Thank you for sharing about your species, you are very knowledgeable."

Ignoring the way a simple compliment warmed my chest, I chuckled, "No problem. Love talkin' about 'em."

"Ritualistic scarring?" Hunter asked.

"Four claw marks on either side of the spine at the small of the back," I replied.

"That's a very vulnerable area," he commented, hand going to that area on his own back.

"That's why the placement is there. To show trust."

"Ah." He looked me over.

"Relax, Sarge. I'm not one for traditions. It's just peer pressure from dead people."

And well... there's the issue of y'all leaving once the mission's over.

I tried not to think about it lest my damn abandonment issues act up again but...

Even still.

"So!" I said forcefully, changing the subject. "Let's get on up and head on out ASAP. Today is gonna be a lot harder than yesterday, we need an early start."

"Right!" Tech agreed, hopping off the bed and scurrying to the door. "I'm going to run equipment diagnostics before we go!"

I watched him leave and sighed as I kicked off the covers. "Well, Sarge, ready for another day of play?" I asked, stretching with a groan. Something cracked loudly and I groaned, "Dunno what that was, but damn it felt good."

"Shadow, I do trust you," Hunter said, shifting to kneel next to me.

"I'd assume so, I slept on your chest last night," I joked dryly, giving myself a thorough shake to ward off the remnants of sleep.

"Hmmm. And how did you sleep?" he asked, amused.

Hella well. I did feel a bit yucky and stiff, but I knew that was just left over from my dip in the frigid stream yesterday. It was fine. I wasn't so sick I couldn't continue with these boys.

"Honestly, Sarge? I slept better than I have in a while. Thanks for being a pillow," I replied with a smile as I nudged him.

"Thank you for sharin' the bed, Icy," he rumbled, grinning as well.

Ignoring the fact his sleepy voice had me feeling a type of way, I turned my attention to Hunter's mane of dark wavy hair. Freed from that Rambo bandana, it really did look like a mane. "Bruh your hair is a mess. Lookin' like you stuck your finger in an electrical outlet!" I laughed.

Hunter squinted at me before reaching up and ruffling my hair. He smirked as it stood up. "What was that about messy hair, Ice?"

I glared deadpan at him, ears flat. "Jackass," I growled, shaking my hair back into place.

"Yes but you enjoy it," he laughed.

"Touché," I agreed. "Love me some playful teasin'."

"If it's teasin' you want." He lifted my chin. "I can oblige."

Spicy.

"Oh my, wouldja look at the time!" I yelped, shifting backwards and off the bed with a thump. Shoving my tail from my face, I laughed nervously as Hunter peered down at me.

"Flustered?" he asked with false innocence, chin resting on his fist.

I threw a spare pillow at him, which he easily dodged, and flipped him off as I stood up. "Fuck you."

"Bit too early for that."

Well alrighty then.

"Someone's horny in the mornin'. But you right," I said, grabbing my bag to head to the bathroom. "So I'll leave you and your hand to yourselves. Bye!"

I quickly zipped out the door and slammed it shut behind me to avoid whatever response came after that.

Probably should have looked first because I ran smack into Crosshair and sent us both into the opposite wall.

He staggered, hand going to my shoulder to steady himself. "Going to pretend I didn't just hear you teasin' my brother."

"Fucker started it," I retorted, smacking the sniper's hand off my shoulder.

"Not completely innocent yourself," he accused, yet there was no malice in his words.

I rolled my eyes at him. "My filter doesn't work when I'm tired, Twiggs." As you recall from yesterday morning.

"Is Twiggs your best this mornin'?"

He's playing around. Or at least his version of playing. A bit of bite, but no hostility. "Not feedin' into your masochistic tendencies right now, I gotta piss. So move, bish, get out the way," I huffed, slipping past him to the bathroom.

After I was done with that and had done my usual morning routine, I changed into some clothes best suited for a jungle. Waterproof and moisture wicking was the name of the game today as I summoned them from the bottomless pit that was my bag.

I looked myself over in the mirror once I finished. Black sleeveless shirt, camo cargo shorts, black fingerless gloves, and some handy black footguards with a red trim.

"Dang, Shadow. Really out here lookin' like Lara Croft."

Eyeing my bag again, I reached inside once more. "Saber belt." Would there be one in here?

Something leather formed in my hand and I tugged out a belt with two clips for the sabers. Inspecting it before slipping it on, I reached back into the bag. "Lightsabers."

Taking the weapons and clipping them to my belt, I made sure everything was in order and exited the bathroom.

And nearly smacked my forehead into Hunter's.

Reeling back, I blinked at him. "Can I help you, sir?"

Hold it, is he my same height now? I swore he was an inch taller yesterday... oh well, now we're evenly matched.

He looked me up and down then ventured, "Didn't take it too far, did I?"

Oh. Yeah my running from the room may not have been the biggest confidence booster...

"You're completely fine, Sarge," I assured him. I eyed his hair, wanting so desperately to brush the stray strands from his face. But, knowing that would only lead to more issues for both of us, I refrained.

"I do like it when you tease me," I admitted softly. Understatement of the century. "I just don't know how to respond to that side of a guy."

"I see," Hunter remarked and smiled warmly. "We'll take it at your pace." His smile turned more playful. "But I do like teasin' you too. You're adorable when you blush."

Ears flattening in mock anger, I huffed and shouldered past him. "Cheeky bastard."

"You fell for this," he reminded me with a chuckle as he slipped into the bathroom after me.

"That I did," I mumbled to myself, unable to withhold a smile as I walked to the den area.

"Maker, you two better not act like that on the trail," Crosshair groaned as he checked his rifle.

I rolled my eyes, ready to smart off, but stopped when I noticed Wrecker by the counter. The tall mountain of a man kept shifting side to side, uncertain smile on his face, so I asked, "Wreck? Everything ok, bud?"

"I got you some fruit and jerky," Wrecker said sheepishly, gesturing towards the counter. "Went 'fore you woke up and asked the Jedi lady what you liked."

I blinked. "You... got up early? Just... to get me food you knew I liked?"

"Yeah!" he said, grin widening.

I placed a hand over my heart, genuinely touched and close to tears. "Wrecker..."

Crosshair squinted at me. "What's wrong with you?"

"He woke up early and got me food..." I looked from the blessed food to the team's tank. "That's so sweet!"

"Really didn't think you a romantic," Crosshair muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Shut the fuck up, cynical extension cord," I growled in his direction, going over to hug Wrecker. Damn he was the perfect living teddy bear to hug. Voice half muffled by the demolition expert's chest as an arm wrapped around my shoulders, I grumbled, "Ain't my fault you got the romantic capabilities of a moldy sponge."

Wrecker's laugh rumbled against my cheek as he hugged me tightly. "You're welcome for the food, Squeak!"

I hugged him tighter, tail wrapping around his leg and a loud purr rumbling in my throat, before I pulled back. "You are the biggest sweetheart, I swear."

"Worth it for you, Squeaky!" he laughed, grinning.

"Ew," Crosshair spat.

Ignoring the heartless reedstem, I munched on some of the fruit as the boys continued to get their gear ready.

"Where'd the fruit and jerky come from?" Hunter asked as he walked in, hair neatly arranged into his bandana. He had, however, left it a bit messier.

Which I appreciated.

"Wrecker got it for me!" I chirped, gnawing on one of the jerky slices.

Hunter stiffened in surprise. "What? When?"

"He got up early! Such a sweetheart."

The glare Hunter sent Wrecker was nothing short of territorial.

Oh... oh no. Not this...

"Furball almost cried," Crosshair said, fanning the flames of Hunter's jealousy. Or, rather, pouring gasoline on it. Judging by the smug grin, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Wrecker also bore a smug grin. "See? She likes me best."

"Wasn't you she cuddled with last night."

"Oh hell no!" I barked, pointing at them both. "You two are not about to get into a damn cock contest about who I like more. I ain't dealin' with that while I'm eatin', no way no how. Not here, not now. So cease your antics before I decide Crosshair is my favorite."

I didn't think I had ever seen Wrecker or Hunter look so downright appalled. I also hadn't seen Crosshair as smug as he was in that instance.

Tech, of course, remained buried in his gadgets as the others voiced their dismay.

"Squeaky!"

"Ice!"

I pointed a threatening finger at the both of them before going back to my breakfast.

Still pouting, Hunter wandered over and reached over a piece of my jerky.

I lifted my foot and placed it on his stomach, holding him at bay. "No food for you. Not from my plate. Get your own."

"Why?" Hunter whined, holding my calf to alleviate the pressure against his stomach.

"Cause you were bein' a jealous SoB," I retorted, giving him a slight push and dropping my foot.

"Shadow? Could I have a piece of the fruit?" Tech asked, looking up from his work.

"Ya."

"What?!" Hunter barked as Tech jogged over and took a strawberry.

"He's adorable," I answered simply.

For once Tech didn't complain about the description, instead using it to his advantage to get food.

"Turnin' my team again me, Ice?" Hunter grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring at Tech.

"Makes you feel any better, I wouldn't share with Twiggs either."

"It does not."

"Aw, is someone jealous?" Crosshair sneered at his brother.

Immediately, Hunter moved closer to me all while keeping his glare aimed at his brother.

I knew Hunter was the territorial type...

I'd be a damn liar if I said it didn't get me feeling a certain way.

Hunter's tough front was ruined by a sudden sneeze, and I suddenly found the plate very interesting.

Because to meet Hunter's gaze when I was the one who caused him to sneeze...

"Guess we'd better get ready and hit the trail! Double time, y'all!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands together.

"Ma'am yes ma'am!" Wrecker laughed, unaware that I just set off Hunter's senses.

Hopefully no one else noticed...

Nope, judging by the smug look on his face Crosshair did.

And... yep Hunter was staring at me as well.

Letting my hair hide my face, I continued to munch on the food as my cheeks burned, heat rising further up my neck at the two chuckles.

Well this day is just off to a great start, huh? What tom-fuckery awaits us today?