It's been weeks since Hunter had watched the bullets fly from the barrel of his and Crosshair's pistols and bury themselves in Hemlock's chest.

He had schemed, for months, how he would slowly and painfully wring the life out of the vile doctor himself, and although he hadn't exactly laid hands on the raven-haired madman, he'd died in the most satisfying, unhonourable way possible.

Blaster shots to the chest and plummeting off a bridge. Laughable.

Every shot had been personal, each one retribution for the devastation Hemlock had so carelessly inflicted upon his little family.

For Tech.

For Omega.

For Crosshair.

With Hemlock finally dead and Tantiss lying in smouldering ruins, Hunter could breathe a little easier, sleep a little better, and smile a little brighter, now that heartless monsters masquerading as mad scientists were no longer hunting down everyone he'd ever loved. The heartbreak, the nightmares, the grief, the anxiety — it was finally, at long last, over.

As Hunter watched the sun start to sink behind the distant mountain range, his mind drifted back to the entire ordeal. Those five long months without Omega by his side had easily been the worst of his life. So used to her bubbly presence had he become, that he'd call for her on missions, only to be greeted by tense silence and a douse of icy water when Wrecker had to tell him yet again that she wasn't with them anymore. He had never before felt so worthless. The point of his existence was to track people down; what was the point of him being alive if he couldn't even do what he'd been made for? When Omega found her way back to them with Crosshair in tow, his world was suddenly light again. For a short few weeks, with his little girl beside him once more, he could feel the pieces of his heart stitching themselves back together. But she'd soon been ripped away again, right from beneath his nose. That time, he'd frozen his heartbreak in its tracks, turned his grief to determination and against all odds, they'd found the damned base, cornered Hemlock on the bridge, and ended his miserable life. With the fading of the doctor's screams and the wilting of his adrenaline rush, an emotion Hunter could only describe as pure relief surged through him. As he'd gathered a soaked and terrified, but relatively unharmed Omega into his arms, it was almost like the Maker himself whispered into his ear, that there was no underestimating the lengths a father would go to for his child.

Father.

The word had felt so heavy, so foreign but so right on his tongue, and while he'd slowly come to accept that Omega was so much more to him than just a sister, it was the first time the word daughter had rung out in his head as clearly as it had at that moment.

She was his daughter. His ad'ika, blood be damned.

Despite never having outrightly discussed the matter, the rest of the squad also seemed to agree; Hunter was, and always would be, her rightful buir.

He hadn't even realized a fond smile had formed on his face, and a small hand tapping him on the shoulder dragged him out of his thoughts.

"Hunter, Lyana just commed," Omega said excitedly, "she's inviting me over to her place to roast marshmallows over the bonfire. Could I go? Pleaseee?"

Who was he to refuse her more of her childhood?

"Sure, kiddo," Hunter chuckled, running a hand through her hair. "Be safe and make sure your comm is always on."

She rolled her eyes at him, her lips stretched into an affectionate and playfully exasperated grin before running to the door. "Thanks, Dad!"

A hush instantly fell over the room. Nobody moved, nobody spoke, and it went on for what felt like hours; the house was so deathly quiet that one could hear a pin drop in adjacent rooms as loudly as if it were right beside them.

And Hunter?

His jaw had gone slack the instant Omega called him by something other than his name.

"What... did you just call me?"

Dad.

She'd called him Dad.

Omega, too, had frozen. Slowly, she pivoted to face him, eyes wide and abject horror written across her face. Her mind was clearly racing but her mouth opened, closed, and opened yet again, but no sound whatsoever was coming out.

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife, until the little girl blinked once, twice, and the words suddenly started spilling out.

"Hunter- Hunter, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to say that! I swear, it was an accident! And would you prefer I not call you that? Because if that's the case, it's okay, and I really hope it didn't make you uncomfortable, oh Force, I'm so—"

Hunter snapped out of his trance and in three measured strides, he was already across the room with his hand on her shoulder. "Omega, sweetheart, calm down. It's alright."

She fell silent at his soothing tone, but still squirmed uncomfortably under the combined weight of the other clones' gazes.

"I don't mind if you call me that. As long as you're happy, I'm happy, and if calling me Dad is what you want..." he took a deep breath. "Then that is perfectly fine."

"Really?" Omega questioned, hesitation creeping into her voice. "You're sure?"

His hand dropped from her shoulder to hold hers instead. "To be honest, you're more like a daughter to me than a sister anyway. Have felt that way for some time now."

Watching her doubt melt away made everything worth it.

"But us clones, we've never had a father. This whole... parenting thing is new. I'm still figuring things out, and I'm far from perfect. I'm going to make mistakes. All I ask is for you to be patient with me."

Omega flung her arms around his neck. "You're perfect just the way you are," she reassured him. "Thank you for trying. I love you... Dad."

Returning the hug, Hunter was at peace. He knew waves of doubt would wash over him as he navigated this new adventure, and he'd certainly be left scrambling more often than not, but with his little girl in his arms, he was confident that they could succeed, together. Her energy seemed to flow through him, giving him the strength he needed because with one word, she had turned his entire world upside down in the best way possible. "I love you too, cyar'ika."

***

IM ON A ROLL GUYS. I RLYYY LOVE THIS ONE BC ITS SO CUTE AND I JUST KNOW TOTALLY HAPPENED AT SOME POINT IN CANON.

no thoughts this time, im on the verge of falling asleep lol

HOPE U ENJOYED!! more content coming soon :D

love,
jazzy