Over the River and Through the Woods (Adventures!AU Book 2)

Ch. 10 ~So It's A Bit of A Fixer-Upper~

Ok, which one of you fuckers manifested this chapter? Who did a ritual?
Because as of 12 PM today this was a blank sheet. Now it's a 2100+ chapter. I did more in six hours than I did in three weeks.
WHO MANIFESTED THIS?

And could you please do it again? Plz? It was like having the zoomies, but for writing.
Granted it's not as descriptive as normal, but I'm saving that for important important chapters.

Also, fun fact! Halfway through I failed my weather class quiz for the third week in a row! :D So I added in a huggy segment with Wrecker because yay method writing.

Consider leaving a vote if you enjoyed! <3

Content Warning: Depression and talk of castration

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Never.

Never before had he seen Shadow like that. To just stand over Crosshair as he drowned...

Yet he'd seen her dive in after him, disappearing over the large boulder with a splash. Then there was yelling, harsh words from Crosshair, and by the time he had made it to the top of the row of boulders the sniper was back in the pool.

Hunter watched Shadow vanish upstream, conflicted as anger at her yet concern for her rippled through him. She'd deliberately put Crosshair, Hunter's brother, back in danger. But the ice in her words didn't fool him, and he could tell she was deeply hurt by what Crosshair had said to her.

"I don't need you and I never will."

Trevor's warning made sense now. Hunter figured that was a sore spot to her, but for a reaction this bad...

Damn it all to the Nine Corellian Hells! How was he supposed to keep them on friendly terms with each other when Crosshair and Shadow wouldn't stop pushing each other's buttons?

"Wrecker, carry him upstream on the bank," Hunter ordered, dragging Crosshair out of the pool.

"I can walk," Crosshair spat.

"Don't care. He's carrying you before we have another accident," Hunter said firmly, heading up after Shadow.

"Goin' to check on Squeak?" Wrecker asked, picking Crosshair up despite his protests.

"Yeah. Meet you on the other side." But when he reached the place Shadow left her pack, he found only an oddly subdued Tech who Hunter swore looked a little red under his helmet. "Where's Shadow?"

"Went across. I tried to ask her what was wrong but she snapped at me!" Tech exclaimed.

Hunter glanced at the nearby tree with shattered bark roughly Tech's head level. "I see that."

"What'd Crosshair do to her? She's... she's never displayed such aggression towards me. I swore I saw tears in her eyes."

A sharp stab in his chest made Hunter wince. "I'll go talk with her."

"Not a sound idea, I'm afraid. She's very hostile. Would it be best to leave her alone?" Tech asked. "Sometimes people just need time to work through emotions. Shadow surely knows Crosshair was just embarrassed she had to save him."

She's already been damaged and has left over issues from previous incidents, Hunter wanted to say but knew he risked Tech going into detail about the healing process of the brain or he would ask for more details. Hunter felt... dirty betraying her like that. Tech wouldn't understand, he'd ask her about it and use it as a chance to learn more when this was an issue that shouldn't be poked. The brainiac didn't mean any harm by it, but he just... he didn't understand how sensitive of an issue it was for Shadow.