#tech bad batch x reader

[techtalksfics]

Headcanons: First Kiss

Authors Note: this is for the anon who sent in this very sweet prompt. I've tried to keep it fluffy but, you know, Crosshair is always gonna linger closer to smut than fluff. All of these will be small headcanon ideas, with small snippets of prose & dialogue. Hope you enjoy!

Tech

How long does it take for it to happen?

Well, this is Tech we are talking about. It takes him a ridiculously long time to even realise you are interested in him. It takes him even longer to realise that you like him like that. When he realises it, he would consult his brothers about it at the first opportune moment.

You'd always tried to show Tech that you truly cared for him. You'd be overly attentive when he visited the medical wing, even if it was just for something as simple as a check-up. The first time you'd treated him, you'd been careful with his injuries, taking your time, talking with him, giggling at his silly comments. His brother's had noticed your gentle touches and twittery giggles at his comments long before Tech did. They just left it alone. Tech would figure it out eventually, right?

Well eventually was a long time coming. It was easily over thirty rotations of your attentive behaviour, of you trying to get to know him, to show him you shared interests. Of you trying to get him interested in you. What you didn't realise is that he had always been interested in you on some level. He just didn't realise what level that was. One evening, the clones were all in there shared quarters, relaxing after another successful mission. Tech had arrived later than the others as he came to say hello to you first.

When he arrived at their quarters, he simply sat for a moment, pondering over his desire to speak to you first. Suddenly he queried why you acted differently with him than you did with the others. Hunter sighed, stopping his expert ministrations with his knife in hand, looked his brother in the eye and tells him, "because she likes you." When Tech frowned deeper, somehow more confused. Surely she liked all you? "She has a crush on you, Tech." Tech stopped fiddling with his comm device to look up at Hunter for a moment. "Perhaps I should discuss this with her," he decided as he stood, speedily exiting the room.

Crosshair, had been lying on his bed, listening to the whole thing. He lolled his head towards Hunter, twirling the toothpick in his mouth from the right to the left side and and muttered, "that poor girl is going to need the Force on her side now."

Who Instigates the first kiss?

Tech. This is definitely going to be Tech. Most girls would probably fear starting something with him unless they were 100% sure he felt the same. As he isn't particularly great with affection, that may prove difficult. But our sweet boy also doesn't have a great filter for his words and sometimes his actions. So I have no doubt that he would be the first to make a move, clumsy thought it may be.

Tech had sought you out after Hunter's revelation or confirmation. He found at your station and the lab was eerily quiet. The perfect opportunity, he had realised. So he simply squeezed your arm gently. to get his attention. You smiled and turned the moment you realised it was him and he smashed his lips to yours with reckless abandon. It was sloppy and fast and not what you thought it would be. But your heart soared regardless.

When he moved away, he explained, "Hunter said that you may have a crush on me. He is rarely wrong on such matters. Perhaps this time he was?" As he searched your face for signs of disgust. There were none. He seemed a little perplexed by the flush on your cheeks. He decided it best that perhaps he leave that moment.

Gentle or Hot Heavy first kiss?

Our sweet boy is always going to be gentle, cautious. Savouring it, even. He had perhaps been a little overzealous to reach out and kiss you like that, it was felt oddly forced. Even for him. But when you finally decide to reciprocate, the main is definitely going to want to savour the experience slowly.

As he went to leave, you quickly grabbed him by the hand and pulled him back. “I didn’t think you even noticed me. I’m sorry, it took my mind a minute. You sort of appeared out of nowhere,” as he opened his mouth to protest, you placed your fingers over his lips, moving closer to him, “how about we try that one again?” You leaned in, holding your hands in the folds of his armour so that he couldn’t retreat. When he felt softness of your lips, the warmth of cheeks and body against his, Tech finally closes his eyes and simply enjoys the sensation. All too quickly for his liking, you pull away. He adjusts his goggles and asks, “would you be partial to doing that again?” That earns a little giggle from you. Of course you wanted to do that again. And again. And again.

Crosshair

How long does it take for it to happen?

On sheer stubbornness of two people trying not to admit to their feelings (or as @littlebluebatbratt and I like to call it, playing a game of emotional chicken™), it's going to take some time. I feel like Crosshair would pair well with someone who could withstand the game as well as he could. So this could go on for a long time. I like to think the right girl would make him drop his pride and give in to her and his feelings.

“You should just cave,” he whispered, as he came up behind you. His breath was hot on your neck. You jumped out of your skin at the sudden contact. His approach had been so silent. You couldn’t help but lean back, flush into his body. He was simply so warm. Your mouth hung open at the contact, a huff of wind escaping you as you rest your head back against his shoulder. Then in a sudden realisation of what you were doing, you lurched away from him. As you began to walk away, you turned to face him, walking backwards and say, “if you want it, you know exactly how to come and get it” A smirk plastered on your lips as you sauntered away from him.

Who Instigates the first kiss?

Honestly, this would depend on the woman. As I mentioned above, I think, for Crosshair to truly fall for someone, she would also have to be a stubborn, pain in the ass with just a tad too much physical confidence. They would try desperately to get him to cave first, as much as they wanted to themselves. Eventually, the man would not be able to stop himself. One day, the endless flirting would turn into something more.

“You’re maddening, you know that?” He would say with a groan, he muffled behind his hand, as you softly rubbed your leg up and down his as you sat opposite each other in the mess hall.

“I know,” you said, popping a small bite of food into your mouth, with a smug grin. Suddenly, you would remove your leg and he immediately misses the contact. You move to leave the hall, knowing exactly what you were doing, but you could feel his shadow following you out. Perhaps it was finally time?

Pulling you into the nearest alcove, by your elbow with just enough force, he would simply stare into your eyes, desperate for you. You could see it. You could feel it. He couldn’t bring himself to say it, but he knew in that moment, as you stared at him with those big innocent eyes, that he had lost. He had fully lost himself in you.

Gentle/Hot Heavy first kiss?

It’s Crosshair. It’s hot and heavy. Of course. Particularly if they’ve been playing this game for a long time. All of this pent-up frustration would be unleashed into one extremely searing, deep, long kiss.

You would wrap your hands around his neck, the moment you realised he’d caved. You’d pull him in as close as you could, onlookers be damned. He’d have your body pinned against the wall, one knee between your thighs holding you in place as he leans in to kiss you. You place two fingers over his lips, looking deep into his eyes.

“I’m gonna need you to say it first,” you said with a smirk. He sighs looking away from you. Deciding it was time, he looked deep into your eyes, his own were hooded with a deep lust.

“Fine,” he grumbled, not breaking eye contact, “you win. I want you. I want you more than I want to win this.” That was all you needed. So, you yanked his head towards you and your lips met in a sudden and heated dance. It was everything you had been waiting for. His tongue quickly delves into your mouth exploring everything he had been imagining for months. His hands would wind their way into your hair, lifting your lips closer to his. His knee pushing further up into you, until you’re almost rutting on him.

Wrecker

How long does it take for it to happen?

Wrecker is extremely vocal and does not necessarily think a lot of things through. That being said, he’s also our super soft gentle giant. He would probably spend more time trying to kiss than actually successfully doing it. I think he’d be one of the fastest to go in for a first kiss with someone, particularly if they paid him lots of attention. Which obviously, all of us would.

“I just wanna kiss ‘em,” Wrecker moaned to his brothers, his head in his hands at the bar, “but every time I get close, I back out.” He all but slammed his head on the bar. “I’m a coward.”

“You’re not a coward, Wrecker,” Hunter said dumbly, placing his hand on his brother’s shoulder, “you’re just worried that she won’t return it. But she will.”

Wrecker lifted his head toward Hunter, “how could you possibly know tha’?” It was almost a whine as Wrecker spoke.

“Because she’s not blind,” Hunter said, holding back a chuckle, “she’s spoken to me about it. She wants to know what’s holding you back.” Wrecker sat upright all of sudden.

“You mean, she knows?” Wrecker felt positively sick with the nerves. “Well, no what am I supposed to do.” This time, Tech was the one to respond as he looked up from the schematics in his hand, “well, you could just try actually kissing her.” Tech’s head immediately dropped back down to continue reading. He made it sound so simple.

Who Instigates the first kiss?

Wrecker wants to. Boy, does he want to. He wants to whisk you into his arms and kiss you so soundly that you never want to leave his side. But he’s just a bundle of nerves and insecurities under all that muscle. Knowing that you know he’s been trying, only made it worse. In the end, it would all be on you.

“Hi Wrecker,” you said, hopping off the counter of the store you worked at, “how are you?” Wrecker scratched at his neck, almost immediately, mumbling out something about being fine.

“Wrecker,” you said as a plea, when you realised that he couldn’t look at you, “you don’t need to be afraid, Wrecker. Whatever it is you want, you can just tell me.” You placed your hand softly on his cheek, encouraging him to look at you. You knew what it was that was bothering him. It bothered you that he thought you'd even consider rejecting him. His eyes finally pierced into yours, fear covering all of his features. “I – uh – I been trying to kiss you for a while now,” Wrecker stumbled over his words as he rushed to get them out, “but – uh – didn’t know if you’d want tha’.”

“Of course, I want that, you silly man.” His eyebrows shot up high as you smiled at him softly. And yet, he still couldn’t do it.

Gentle/Hot Heavy first kiss?

It’s going to be gentle, as gentle as he can make it. You wouldn’t want to push him too far, too fast. Hot and heavy could wait. You just needed to get him over the first hurdle that seemed to be plaguing him so fully. You’d gone from friendly banter, maybe some gentle flirtation and some outright cheesy phrases on his part and regressed back to the awkwardness of when you first met.

You hopped back onto the counter, making yourself more level with him. The store was empty, now was your chance. You reached your hand out for him to take and he did so very willingly, you pulled him in between your legs. Cupping his chin, you forced him to look at your smile. “Wrecker,” you whispered so softly, “I want you to do it.” He seemed to debate things in his mind, as best he could. He bit at his lip, wanting to reach in but he still hesitated.

With a small, barely audible sigh, you placed a hand on his gentle and brought his face into yours. The moment he felt your lips on his, his heart soared, and his arms cradled you naturally. You were much smaller than him, so you became enveloped in him. You kiss became firmer, occasionally pulling your lips away to tilt your head a different way. You found his lips followed you whenever you moved. If you leaned back, he leaned forward. If you tilted one way, he tilted the other and held you tighter. Truthfully, it was perfect.

Echo

How long does it take for it to happen?

I think that post-Skako Minor, Echo’s mind will forever have self-doubt and his duty at the forefront. We see both when he is described as more machine than man, percentage wise. So, I think the build-up to the kiss would simply take a long time because he does let himself believe you’d want to.

“You know you’re wrong about her, right?” Rex said to his brother as they sat together post-mission. Everything had been successful. “She likes you.”

“She doesn’t like me,” Echo retorted, taking a sip of the steaming drink in his hands. He couldn’t help but let his eyes fall across the room towards where you were chatting with Gregor animatedly. Both laughing. He couldn’t help but smile at the idea of you liking him at all. God, he loved the way you laughed. The way you made his brothers feel happy whenever you were around.

“Oh, she definitely does,” Rex spoke with a smirk as he watched his brother falling in love from a distance, "and I think you like her too." Echo's head whipped back around to look at Rex, a crimson blush on his cheeks. He took another sip of his drink.

Who Instigates the first kiss?

I fear that it would have to be you. You are the only one that can convince him that you want him in a romantic way. Sure, Rex could try and convince him. As could any of his clone brothers, but they would never convince him enough for him to dare making a move. There were many, many others you could choose. So why would you choose him? Well, you'd have to convince him that your heart had chosen him long ago.

Rex had casually mentioned to you that Echo was leaving to find the Bad Batch, knowing full well what you would do. Honestly, he was a little fed up with the mutual pining.

“Echo,” you called out as you watched him walk away from Riyo Chuchi, it looks like you were catching him just in time. You knew there was nothing you could do or say to make sure he'd keep out of harms way. You now needed their help to save others. So this was your last chance to pluck up the courage you'd cowered away from for so long,“you weren’t planning on leaving without saying goodbye, were you?”

“I – uh – no, well, yes…perhaps?” Each of the words stumbled from his mouth as if chasing one another, pain masking over his features. You placed your hands on hips at that.

“Well how am I supposed to wish you luck if you keep running away before I have a chance?” You questioned him, allowing a flirtatious grin to creep onto your features. He blushed at that, you had such an effect on him, all from two very simple words. Good luck?

“L-luck?” He repeated back. As you stepped closer to him, he tried to steady himself, tried to remain steadfast and strong in your presence. You reached your hands up to his broad shoulders, running them across the coolness of the armour covering his broad shoulder.

“Yes, and luck that is truly good should be sealed with a kiss,” you said as you watched him through your lashes.

Gentle/Hot Heavy first kiss?

This would definitely be dependent on the circumstances, I’d say it would be a little bit of both. Particularly if it plays out as it does above. Or if it's any sort of goodbye or a hello after a long time. It'll definitely end up hot and heavy if he isn’t certain of his return. If he isn’t certain of your safety. He is going kiss you as if it is both the first and last time, he will ever kiss you.

With your hands on his shoulders, you’d reached up on toes and placed your lips to his softly. Your lips had ghosted over his so gently that he was convinced it had been a dream. And yet, it lasted just long enough for his eyes to flutter closed.

When they reopened, you stood there looking at him doe-eyed, expectantly and with a big grin on your face. With a soft, playful growl, he reached around your waist with one arm and span you around, you giggle all the while. Once he placed you back down, he reconnects his lips with yours with a sense of urgency and fire that shocked you. But you loved it. You loved the way he instantly delves deeper into your mouth. The way he moans into you. The way he kisses you like it was the last chance he would ever have to do so.

Hunter

How long does it take for it to happen?

I feel like the affection would develop quickly. Particularly if it were on Pabu. He feels safe and knows Omega is safe. It’s a community. Everyone is simply getting on with their lives. So, kissing you became one of the forefront thoughts in his mind. When Echo had arrived for support, everything goes a bit awry and his internal timeline for kissing you is made far more urgent.

“She’s something special, Echo,” Hunter said, staring at you with a smile. You were playing around with Wrecker and Omega in the distance. He could hear the melody of your laughter as he leaned into the wall watching you. “If we don’t come back from this, it’s going to hurt her.”

“We don’t have a choice, Hunter,” Echo reminded him, placing a reassuring hand on his brother’s shoulder, “she’ll understand.”

“Will she?” Hunter grumbled, entirely unconvinced. But he knew if he were to die on this mission, then he wanted to know what it was like to kiss you before he went. He had settled on that.

Who Instigates the first kiss?

Hunter. He'd already come close to kissing you more than once but he didn't want to rush it and it’s not that you don’t want but you knew he was withdrawn, stoic and more often than not, very serious. You were patient. You could do this on his timeline. So, when he was ready, he’d kiss you. You were certain of that. He often searched your eyes with a hand on your cheek and each time you prepared yourself for the kiss. But the kiss never came. At least, not until Echo had shown up and they were dragged back into the war they’d fled from.

“Hey,” he whispered as he approached you from behind. You were looking out over the balcony into the night sky, simply lost in thought. You knew he was leaving again.

“Hey yourself,” you murmured quietly, without facing him. You felt his presence at your side, though you could not feel his warmth. There was a safe distance between you. His hip dug into the wall as he simply watched you and waited. Waited until you could bear to look at him. He would wait. After a moment, you simply stated, “you are going again.”

“Yes.”

“I may never see you again.” You affirmed, knuckles whitening from your tight grasp on the wall in front of you. You still couldn’t look him at him.

“Yes.”

“But, if you can come back,” this time you turned to look at him, searching the depths of his eyes, “will you?” He reached his close fist to brush against your cheek softly, letting his hand settled at the hair tucked behind your ear. With a smile, he reached in close and whispered, “yes.” Your lips parted with a prickly shudder down your spine as his free hand traced the curve of your spine.

Gentle/Hot Heavy first kiss?

I think the first time would be gentle but sensuous. He would anticipate your needs and would want the depth of his feelings to be felt as he melded his lips with yours. He wanted to convince you of your future. That there could be a future, even though he could never be certain of that.

As he pulled back from his whisper, he did as he often did and placed his hand firmly on your cheek. You knew he wouldn’t pull away this time. This was the last chance either of you would have until they returned. If they returned.

“Don’t kiss me,” you murmured, “if the only reason is that you aren’t sure you’re going to return to me.” Tears began to prick at your eyes as you looked at him.

“I’m going to kiss you,” he said, raising his other hand, to your other cheek, “because I have to know what kissing you feels like, in case I never return.” He leaned in and brought his lips to yours in a searing kiss, full of longing and passion. You couldn’t help but moan as his strong hands pulled you in as close as he could have you. Your hands wove into his hair, pulling softly at the silky strands. He pulls back, but only to tilt his head from one side to the other before delving in to kiss you again. It seemed to last both an eternity and no more than a fleeting moment.

“If I don’t come back,” he whispered as he pulls away, “just know that you have made me a happy man.” He dropped his forehead to yours, allowing his eyes to close with the affection that coursed between you.

[cc--2224]

Asking For Help

Pairing: Platonic Tech & F!Reader

Summary: You decide to stay in bed to deal with the pain you're experiencing. The Batch notices and sends Tech to check on you.

Warnings: Reader kind of described as AFAB as fic deals with period pain. But other than that, pure fluff! It can 100% be platonic.

Word Count: 918

Notes: Does the Bad Batch understand anatomy? Probably. Was it more fun to make them panic? Absolutely. I mostly wrote this for me as I took the day off work for this exact reason 😂 no real proofreading.

Taglist: None, let me know if you'd like to be added!

The Marauder's cockpit seemed weirdly empty without you, and everyone noticed your absence. You hadn't been with Clone Force 99 for very long, but when you spend all your time with the same people for four months, they start to worry when you're not being as social as you normally would.

"Where is she?" Hunter finally asked, looking at the empty seat you normally occupied.

Wrecker shrugged, "I tried calling her this morning for breakfast but she didn't leave her room."

"Is it not obvious?" Tech asked, eyes not leaving his datapad. "She exhibits this behaviour roughly around the same time each month."

He thought he was giving everyone the answer, but their confused faces told him that he wasn't.

"She is mostly likely menstruating."

"In Common, Tech." Wrecker said.

Crosshair rolled his eyes, "She's on her period. It's not the end of the world."

Eyes turned back to Tech for an explanation, and he sighed.

"Do none of you pay attention to the anatomy manuals? People who are biologically female go through this process nearly every month. Their body prepares itself for an egg to be fertilized, but when it is not, it begins to shed the excess in the form of blood and uterine lining. Typically resulting in side effects such as; mood swings, pelvic cramps, lower back pain, and headaches to name a few."

Wrecker looked shocked, "And they do this every month? That sounds painful."

Tech shrugged, "I couldn't say, from my understanding, each person reacts differently."

"Shouldn't we check on her? Make sure she's okay?" Hunter asked.

"She does it every month with or without us, I don't see how now is any different." Crosshair pointed out.

"Yeah but, we're her friends, we should help if we can."

Wrecker looked back to Tech, "You know the most about it, you go see if she's okay."

Expectant looks all pointed in Tech's direction and he shook his head. "Fine, I suppose I could inquire after her."

Truthfully, Tech was also concerned for you, even though he had a vague understanding of what was going on. He found your presence soothing, and the Marauder seemed more cheerful with you around. And it was his nature to want to solve any problems that arose, so he wanted the chance to do that now.

He got up from his seat and walked toward the refresher to look for a hot compress and some painkillers so that he might actually be of assistance before cautiously walking toward your room.

He knocked quietly.

"...Yeah?" You croaked from inside the room.

"It's Tech, may I come in?"

You didn't answer immediately but then after a few seconds you spoke, "Door's unlocked."

He pressed the button to open the door before stepping in and letting it close behind him. He frowned slightly when he was you curled up on your bunk with your arms around your stomach.

"I take it I was correct then, you are menstruating."

"Yeah." You replied a little too harshly. "Did you need something?"

"It appears your absence went quite noticed this morning and the others are worried about you."

"So they sent you to check on me?"

He adjusted his goggles, "Well, even though I had suspected what the issue was, I suppose I was also worried."

You didn't say anything, but you moved slowly, creating room for him to sit down on your bunk, he sat on the edge.

"I have brought you a compress and painkillers, if you are interested. I have heard they help to alleviate any cramping and pain associated with it." He handed both to you.

You smiled at his gesture and took the painkillers first. "Thank you," you swallowed two of them down with water from the canteen beside your bunk, then you took the heat compress and hugged it to your stomach.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" He asked, looking down at you.

You looked at him then looked at your pillow and shook your head.

"Very well, I will check up on you later then." He announced before standing up and walking toward the door.

"Wait.." You called out. He turned to look at you. "Can you stay.. with me?"

His expression went from surprised to a gentle smile, and he nodded. "Of course."

He walked back over to your bunk and returned to his seat on the edge.

"Can we- er... Can you hold me?" You asked, so quietly that he thought he might have misheard you.

"You'd like me to hold you?" He repeated.

His need for clarification caused blood to rise to your face in embarrassment.

"If-if that's okay, actually, nevermind I-"

But before you could finish your rambling, Tech crawled into the bunk next to you, holding you so your back was firm against his chest.

You sighed into him and closed your eyes as he began drawing idle shapes on the skin of your shoulder.

"Thank you, Tech." You repeated.

"You are welcome, but your gratitude is unwarranted. We are your friends, we want to help you. Anytime you need us, you do not need to be afraid to ask for help, no matter what ails you.”

You smiled once more. With the heat both from the compress and Tech pressed against you and the painkillers beginning to kick in, you felt yourself finally begin to drift off to sleep. Despite his protests, you were truly grateful to have friends who cared about you, no matter what was going on.

[jedipoodoo]

Alone Together (Tech x Reader)

Notes: no warnings, just fluff. I promised to post this a long time ago and I forgot so here.

"Darling?" Your face flushed with heat as Hunter smirked at you. You couldn't just pretend you hadn't heard it either.

"Yes, Tech?" You called up to the cockpit.

"Would you mind giving me a hand up here?" Your beloved boyfriend asked.

"Coming!" You jolted out of your seat as if you'd been shocked by a stray wire, leaving the boys snickering in your wake. Their snickers hardly bothered Tech, and usually they didn't bother you, but their teasing combined with Tech's pet name did make you flush significantly.

"Hey," You said, leaning against the pilot's chair. Tech was beneath the console, as always, to check the connection with the Marauder's wings.

"Hey yourself," Tech chuckled from beneath the console.

You knelt down next to him to try and get a look at what he was working on. "What can I help you with?"

"Hand me the hydrospanner," His hand came out from beneath the console, pointing in the direction of his toolbox. You took the long tool from its spot, and placed it in his hand.

"Thank you darling," He purred, just like the Marauder's engines. He used the spanner to adjust a couple of valves, and you were still kneeling next to him.

"Is there anything else you needed my help with?" You asked, growing more and more confused.

The tinkering noises stopped for a moment.

"Would you mind closing the door?" He asked.

Now you were even more confused. You closed the door, cutting you off from the rest of his brothers, but Tech still wouldn't come out from beneath the console.

You sat down in your spot, resting your head against the console, and stared up at the ceiling for a moment while Tech continued his work. Eventually, your gaze made it's way back down to your feet, parallel to Tech's legs.

Giving in to the temptation, you nudged his leg with your foot. No reaction. A stronger nudge, his leg shifted away just a bit. You nudged him again, harder, and Tech pulled himself out from under the console to sit up, meeting your eyes all too quickly.

"Yes, my dear?" He asked, goggles a hair's breadth from your lashes.

Your breath caught in your throat for a moment.

"I-I should be asking you that," You stammered.

"Pardon?"

You crossed your arms, "Why'd you call me in here to help if you were just gonna make me sit here while you do all the work?"

Tech's eyes widened as something became clear to him.

"I...did not call you in here to help me," He said, "I just...I noticed we haven't been spending as much time together, so I thought that...you would sit with me? While I fixed the wings?"

Oh.

A sudden rush of love for your boyfriend flooded your heart, and you cradled his chin in your hand.

"You could have just told me that, silly!" Your breath escaped your lips in a huff as you kissed his nose.

"I'm not good at that," Tech pouted. You laughed and kissed his forehead.

"We'll work on it," You murmured, finally placing a soft kiss on his lips.

He smiled against your lips, "Does that mean you'll stay with me while I finish the repairs?"

You cradled his face in your hands, "Of course, my love."

[ghostofskywalker]

Can I request a tech x gn reader where the reader gets injured upon landing instead of him?

warnings: spoilers for tbb episodes 1 and 2!!

hello! here it is, i hope you enjoy!! side note, i was researching what a broken femur felt like (i've never broken a bone so i have no clue) and from what i can tell, the pain is literally unbearable, so either tech is a hell of a lot stronger than people give him credit for, or they totally downplayed how painful this injury is!

words: 2,033

summary: after you get injured in the cargo container, it's clear that tech is worried about you, and you can't help but wonder how your injury will change the team's dynamic.

clone troopers masterlist

Why Serenno Isn't Exactly The Best Place For a Vacation

The crate came flying at you too quickly to move out of the way in time, and the crushing pressure you felt when it landed on your legs made the hope of escaping unscathed completely out of question. You barely registered the shouts of your name from the other members of the team, and even when they removed the offending object from your legs there was no break in the pain.

Constant and unfathomably sharp, the feeling of absolute agony took over to the point where you were blinking tears out of your eyes and trying desperately to think about anything but the ever-growing feeling of horrifying torment. “Are you okay?” you heard Omega ask, and you knew she only meant well, but you were in no shape to answer.

“I believe that you have broken your femur,” Tech said after he took out a scanner from his belt and ran it over your leg. “This is a very serious issue, and we will need medical attention as soon as possible.”

“Let’s hope we can get out of here soon then,” Echo responded, and you couldn’t help but agree with him.

There was no hiding the pain now, and you just let the tears flow freely instead of trying to downplay the cocktail of horrors you were currently experiencing. Echo and Tech climbed up the side of the cargo container to hopefully be able to see where it had landed, and Omega stayed by your side, her little hand finding its way into your larger one. You knew that she was worried about you, and you tried your best to offer a smile of reassurance, but you were sure that it probably didn’t seem that convincing. After being pulled up by a wire and eventually landing on the clifftop, you laid on the ground and stared up at the sky, desperately hoping that everything would all be over soon.

There was still so much at play and so much danger all around you, but it was going to be hard to focus on anything but the terrible pain in your legs at this moment. You closed your eyes in hopes that you might be able to trick your brain into believing that you were anywhere but here right now, and you heard snippets of conversation between Echo, Tech, and Omega.

“Can’t move well, if at all…”

“It’s dangerous to be so open and exposed…”

“Nothing we can do if…”

You floated in and out of consciousness the entire time, still trying desperately to cling onto happy memories of the past even though it has proven so far to be ineffective against this particular torment. You thought you heard Echo say something about checking out the area and searching for cover, but the next thing you truly registered was the sight of Tech leaning over you, a worried expression on his helmet-less face.

“What’s happening?” you managed to slur out, the pain starting to affect your speech.

“Echo and Omega are going to search for a suitable shelter while we wait for Hunter and Wrecker to return with the Marauder,” he said. “But unfortunately there is not much I can do to help you at this moment. The fracture that you sustained inside the cargo container will require more medical attention and skill than either Echo or I have to give.”

You nodded in understanding as Tech took your hand and gently pulled it up to place a soft kiss to your palm. The gesture did calm and ground you, even if just for a fleeting moment, and you were thankful that he stayed behind with you instead of Echo or Omega.

While you couldn’t ever put an exact label on the relationship you had with the Bad Batch’s resident genius, it was certainly more intimate than the one you had with the other members of the squad. But due to your own worry and the fact that neither you nor Tech were really great at expressing your feelings, the few kisses you had shared and obvious affection you felt for one another never received a specific designation, instead remaining as open and nebulous as the galaxy itself. But you did know one thing, and that was the fact that even though the pain in your leg had yet to subside even for a single moment, you couldn’t help the way you wanted to pull yourself off the ground and place soft kisses all over Tech’s worried face.

But clearly you couldn’t, so you had to be okay with simply holding his hand until Echo and Omega returned with an elderly gentleman in tow. It seemed that neither of them noticed the way your hand pulled away from Tech’s or the way he stood up quickly as they approached, and soon you were being gently pulled up and supported as you began the short (and immensely painful) trek to Romar’s dwelling.

The only thing that provided a little bit of hope once you reached shelter was the single painkiller capsule Tech found in his kit. It didn’t kick in right away, but by the time things got serious, the feeling of intense agony had started to fade, even if it only left you with a feeling of less intense agony.

When Omega disappeared, you kicked yourself for not noticing quicker. Tech and Echo had immediately ran out to check the war chest, sure that was where she had gone off to, and you sat there, wondering what you should do. It felt wrong to just stay here and do nothing while your teammates were out and likely experiencing immense danger, but the pain in your leg had simply not subsided, and you had a feeling that you would be stuck with this feeling for the considerable future, even if you were able to find some form of treatment for your leg.

But when neither Tech nor Echo returned to Romar’s home for a while, your mind took a turn for the worst. Pulling yourself up to a standing position, you hobbled to the door. “You won’t get very far in your condition,” Romar said gently.

You knew that it would probably be better if you stayed, but you just couldn’t stomach the idea of letting your team down. Being a member of this squad meant more to you than you could ever put into words, and you refused to sit by and stay out of the inevitable fight that was coming. “I’ll manage,” you responded to the old man, trying to hide the pain you were still feeling from your expression.

“Your friends seemed to foresee this happening,” he responded, and you turned around to see Romar holding a blaster out to you. You took it, overcome with an emotion you didn’t quite know how to explain, and after you thanked the man for all his help, you were stepping out into the night air and doing your best to ignore the horrible sensations you felt in your injured leg.

By the time you reached close to where you thought the cliff was, the pain in your leg had grown to nearly be unbearable, but you couldn’t focus on that now, because there were two troopers up ahead, their Imperial armor devoid of all the color and other things that made the Batch’s armor unique.

Stunning one of them was easy because they didn’t know you were there, but once your position was given away it got a little more difficult. Blaster fire scattered all around as you to took cover behind a tree, and you thanked the Maker that it only took one or two more shots to stun the other trooper. However, you weren’t out of the woods just yet (both literally and figuratively), because you had no idea whether or not more reinforcements were on the way, and you hadn’t yet seen Tech, Echo, or Omega.

As you took a tentative step forward, the uneven ground beneath your foot made you stumble, and the pain in your leg sent you careening forward. You threw your arms out as to not let your face hit the ground, but you were now completely stuck as you laid there, not enough strength left in your body to pull yourself back up.

The pain capsule from before was starting to wear off as the adrenaline from the fight also started to diminish, and you could barely register the sound of others approaching you, but you couldn't really recognize their voices. Hoping it was Tech, Echo, and Omega, you allowed your eyes to close, the inky blackness enveloping your mind and body like a warm hug.

***

The sound of steady beeping is what brought you back to the land of the living, and you were immediately startled by the brightness of this new location. The feeling of stabbing pain in your thigh had become a dull ache at this point, still intense enough to pull your concentration from anything else but significantly less powerful than it had previously felt. You shifted slightly in the cot you were laying on, and suddenly a hand appeared in your vision, gently landing on your shoulder to keep you from sitting up. “Calm down, you’re going to be okay.”

“I-”

“You shouldn’t move too much, it will disrupt your bandages.”

You knew that voice, and that familiarity is what got you to pause. Looking up, you got a better image of where you were. It was clearly some kind of medical facility, from the look of the beds and machines all around you, and you were laying on a cot. It was Tech that had stopped you from moving before, and he had a worried expression on his face. “Where am I?” you asked.

“Medical facility, courtesy of Rex’s information,” he responded. “They set and put a cast on your leg, but you will still need time to heal. Wrecker and Omega are currently picking out a cane to aid you when your leg has recovered enough to walk, apparently there were many options and they wanted to make sure you had the best one.”

You smiled slightly and nodded. The fact that your injuries had been treated explained the significant difference in pain level, but you knew this injury was not something that was just going to disappear. “When are you all going to leave?”

“Leave?” Tech’s eyebrows furrowed as he took in your question. “What do you mean?”

“I highly doubt I’ll be able to go on missions with you guys, and I wouldn’t want my injury to slow you down,” you said plainly. “I didn’t think you were going to wait for me.”

There was a moment of silence before Tech answered your question, and he reached down to gently take your hand in his. “There is not a single member of this team that thinks that we would leave you behind,” he said, his usual matter-of-fact tone having taken on a slightly softer edge. “And there is plenty that you can help us with even if you cannot be in the center of the action.”

“Really?”

Tech nodded. “Truly. I could not live with myself if we left you behind, just seeing you injured has been painful enough.”

At his words, you scooted over in your bed and tapped the spot next to you. “Come cuddle with me,” you said, hoping your silly request would be accepted and he wouldn’t find it odd or strange.

“But what about if the others see?” Tech’s eyes were wide behind his goggles, and if you were completely healed, you would have moved up to place a kiss on his cheek or nose.

“I don’t care if they do,” you responded. “I just want to cuddle with you.”

It took a moment, but Tech eventually obliged, gently slipping into bed next to you. When he placed his arm around you and felt you nuzzle gently into him, he immediately decided that he didn’t care what his brothers thought either. And besides, if the way Echo had looked at him when they were watching over your unconscious form on the ship was any indication, they probably already knew something was happening.

- the end -

i no longer have a taglist! if you're interested in being notified when i post, you can follow my library blog @ghostofskywalker-library and turn on notifications!

[nahoney22]

Hello!!!!! I love your works❤🩷💖, specifically the ones about Tech. Could I request a TechxFem!reader fluff and smutty fic thats NSFW with the prompt: "..." "..." "do you want to kiss?" "Yeah."

Prompt List Celebration 3000 Followers

Tech X F!Reader

word count: 1.5k

NSFW

Prompt: “…” “…” “Do you want to kiss?” “Yeah.”

warnings: NSFW, 18+ only. Strong suggestive themes, female reader wearing a dress, mutual pining, friends to lovers, kisses. Borderline public displays of affection.

authors note: as always, sorry for the wait anon. 😚

Pabu truly was one of the most beautiful places you had ever visited. And all thanks to Phee, you were certainly not shy about calling this place ‘home’.

The atmosphere was jubilant as you all ventured to a bar with a breathtaking view of the ocean for a drink, and by chance, you found yourself sliding into a booth next to Tech.

Hunter and Wrecker had gone to fetch drinks, while Omega had dashed off to have fun with her newfound friend and other youngsters in the area. As for you, you reveled in the soothing music and pleasant company.

“How are you enjoying it here?" Tech turned to you, and the fluttering feeling in the pit of your stomach was unavoidable. His gaze upon you was tender yet filled with intrigue, and a faint smile danced upon the corner of his lips.

Truthfully it was hard to pinpoint the exact moment these emotions had emerged, but they had taken hold fast. Very fast. He had always been attentive to you, and as the sun bathed him in a radiant glow, you couldn't help but melt in front of him.

"I love it," you replied eventually, hoping he hadn't noticed you gawking at him, "it's what Omega needs. What we all need."

Tech hummed in response, glancing around. "Indeed, it is a delightful environment for us to seek refuge in."

You rolled your eyes playfully and nudged him. "Come on, let loose tonight. Don't think like a soldier."

Once again, he directed his gaze towards you and adjusted his goggles. "I am unsure of what you mean."

"Loosen up," you stated, your eyes gleaming with tenderness and mischievousness. "Just relax."

"But I am a soldier, and our group has faced arduous times. It is only rational to remain vigilant," he responded logically. A tinge of guilt washed over you for expecting him to act as if everything were perfect.

"I understand," you nodded. "But let's celebrate tonight. It's good to momentarily forget about our troubles." Your gaze swept across the bar and landed on some dancers. "Why don't you go dance?"

Tech's eyes widened at your suggestion, shaking his head. "Dancing is not my strong suit. Moreover, I prefer not to make a fool of myself," he admitted with a chuckle. "Why don't you go and dance?"

"I'd rather stay and chat with you. I enjoy your company," you replied with confidence, observing Tech's surprised expression.

"Truly?" he questioned.

You tilted your head, offering a warm smile. "Of course, Tech. I... I always enjoy our conversations."

You could almost see his thoughts racing behind his eyes, deliberating on what to say or not to say. "I appreciate that sentiment, and I must admit that I also enjoy every interaction we share," he replied slowly, ensuring that his words flowed smoothly, as your captivating gaze had entranced him.

A mischievous grin spreads across your face as a blush creeps up your neck in response to his considerate words. "Is that so?" you tease, turning to face him more directly, your leg playfully nudging against his own.

Momentarily startled by the sudden contact, he freezes, but you remain oblivious. "I was contemplating how pleasant the weather is and how different it is for me to see you in a dress," he confesses, his eyes subtly traversing your form, thoroughly enjoying the sight before him.

Glancing down at the dress you're wearing, you let out a soft hum. "Yeah, it's a bit of a difference from our usual attire, but I wanted a change. The fabric feels good too," you reply nonchalantly, lifting your gaze to meet his eyes as you notice his quick flicker of gaze from your chest back to your eyes. Your heart rate quickens slightly, wondering if he had admired you like that before without your awareness. Yet, you decide not to overthink it. "I see you're sporting a new shirt too."

Once again, he adjusts his goggles and swallows hard, summoning a modicum of courage. "Would it be inappropriate for me to ask if I could feel the fabric?" he inquires, his voice tinged with curiosity.

Your eyes widen, a curious expression taking hold. "Only because it's rare to come across new materials," he adds hastily, though you're not entirely convinced. Nevertheless, you see no harm in indulging his request.

"Sure, go ahead," you reply, accompanied by a gentle giggle. You watch as Tech raises his hand toward you, half expecting him to touch the small strap on your shoulder. However, to your surprise, a small gasp of astonishment is stifled as his hand lands on your waist, gently exploring the fabric between his fingertips.

Noticing him inhale sharply, you find yourself controlling your own breathing as he murmurs, "You're right, this material feels exquisite against the skin. Perfect for this climate..." His words trail off, but his hand remains in place.

You can only hum in agreement, afraid that any spoken word might shatter the spell and cause him to withdraw his touch.

Amidst the fading sounds of music, chatter, and clinking glasses, your gaze remains fixed on him as his hand slowly trails down from your waist to your thigh, where the dress rides up slightly.

"You look beautiful," he utters under his breath, and for a moment, you're not certain if you heard him correctly. But as he finally meets your gaze, his eyes intense and resolute, any doubts dissipate.

"Thank you," you whisper, your eyes locked on his.

"I sincerely hope you don't mind me touching you like this," he asks, his thumb brushing softly against your bare thigh, sending a shiver through your core.

Shaking your head, words failing you momentarily, you manage to exhale shakily, "Not at all... you could even..."

"Even what, my dear?" The endearing term sends warmth tingling through your skin, granting you the courage to continue.

"You could even come closer, if you'd like."

He smirks, an alluring expression that exudes charm. Smoothly, he nestles closer to you, practically hip to hip, his hand still resting on your leg. "Is this proximity to your liking?" he speaks in a low tone, as if the entire bar and its patrons have disappeared from both of your minds.

"Perfect," you respond, matching his smirk and slowly placing a hand on his chest, your fingertips gently tracing the fabric of his shirt. "I must say, your shirt is made of rather nice material as well."

His fingers flex against your thigh, a deep sigh escaping his lips as your hand moves to his arm, gliding up and down his well-defined skin.

The tension between you is palpable, your faces closer to each other than ever before. It feels as if time has slowed down, and you thrive in the closeness. You yearn to inhale deeply, taking in his intoxicating scent, but the skin-on-skin contact consumes your attention entirely.

Silence hangs in the air, charged with anticipation.

“…”

“…”

"Do you want to kiss?" he asks, his words so soft that they could have been a dream. Yet, his gaze shifts from your lips to your eyes and back to your lips, filled with a star-struck wonder.

"Yeah," you reply, your voice equally hushed.

His free hand comes to the side of your neck, pulling you in close as his lips meet yours in a passionate dance. The whole galaxy around you fades away as you surrender to the firmness of his touch, moving in perfect harmony. Ignoring any possible onlookers, you revel in the intensity of the moment. A table conveniently shields the view of your legs, concealing the fact that the moan escaping your lips is a result of Tech's teasing hand sliding up under your dress.

"I don't think the others will return with our drinks anytime soon," you whisper against his lips, earning a mere chuckle.

"Then I suppose we should find a more secluded spot to further explore this endeavor?" he suggests and against all expectations he performs a bold and uncharacteristic action on his part. He trails his tongue along your lower lip, leaving you yearning for more, practically begging him to do it again.

“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.” You grin and watch as he stands, taking your hand and dragging you out the bar to a serene and beautiful area where he was 100% certain nobody would find you both.

Once alone, you’re pushed up against a wall that was shrouded with colorful flowers, overlooking the ocean, the sun setting on you both as Tech’s hands travel under your dress, cupping your aching, warm sex as he assaults your neck with glorious kisses. “I can not begin to tell you how much I have wanted to do this. To touch you,” he sighs, licking a stripe against your neck before dominating your lips, “to have you.”

“Then don't tell me,” you moan, head tilting back as his lips move to your exposed collarbones and chest, melting as his hand begins to rub against your damp panties, “just show me.”

Masterlist

Prompt List Works

Kofi

Tags: @andyoufollowyourheart @littlefeatherr @kaitou2417 @eyecandyeoz @captxin-rex @cwarssimp @jesseeka @ashotofspotchka @oohyesplease @theroguesully @mustluvecho o @ladykatakuri @jambolska-grozdova @arctrooper69 @padawancat97 @rain-on-kamino @either-madness-or-brilliance @staycalmandhugaclone e @ko-neko-san @echos-girlfriend @fiveshelmet @dangraccoon @plushymiku-blog @chrissywakingup @kixs-husband @pb-jellybeans @nunanuggets @tech-aficionado @grizabellasolo @therealnekomari @tech-depression-inventory @brynhildrmimi @greaser-wolf @tinyreadersmur @seriowan @kaminocasey @marvel-starwars-nerd @ladytano420 @ladyzirkonia @raevulsix @imalovernotahater @photogirl894 @fantasyproductions @whore4rex @imperialclaw801 @temple-elder @mysticalgalaxysalad @the-good-shittt

[dreamswithghosts]

Tech's Wires (Tech x Reader)

This is an 18+ fic, anyone who is under the age of 18 please do not read this!

Summary: You and Tech were peacefully traveling through hyperspace on a small mission when all of a sudden something happens to the ship. Tech had to crawl into a small space to get to where he needed to fix the ship. Something scandalous probably ensues afterward.

Author's Notes: This was purely inspired by an old sailor story my dad and his navy buddies always talked about. They were all on the same nuclear submarine back in the day. There was a time when the nuclear reactor that was on the sub was malfunctioning and they were going to lose power to the ship. My father had to crawl into this little hole full of wires to fix the malfunction so they could all still have power. Very much a do-or-die moment, but the kicker was he couldn't fit with the safety gear so he had to crawl in there in just his underwear. Also, I want to thank everyone who reads this and likes this. This is the first time I have ever publicly shown any of my writing. I hope you guys like it and if you have any ideas or suggestions you want to share please let me know! I plan to eventually post this on ao3 as well once I make an account. I have always been a reader and have written for my own personal pleasure. I really hope you like this. Edit: Link to fic on AO3

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, grinding, mild biting, unprotected sex (please wrap it before you tap it boys and girls and everything else), creampie, after care is important y'all

Word Count: 2.6k

You are jerked awake from the feeling of the Havoc Marauder being yanked out of hyperspace and the alarms instantly blaring throughout the small modified attack shuttle. Tech was out of his bunk in a flash before you even had a chance to lift your head from your bunk. He was in the cockpit in seconds and his voice could barely be heard over the blaring sound of the alarm. You pulled yourself out of the bunk quickly making your way to the cockpit. 

"Take over the controls and keep the ship steady." Tech hollered, he was pulling a panel off of the inner walls of the cockpit. You threw yourself into the pilot's seat, grabbing the steering wheel and holding the ship steady. You also reached over, turning the alarms off so you could think clearly as you flew the ship through the dark black vacuum of space. Behind you, you heard Tech grumbling and grunting as he reached into the open panel pulling out some wires. 

"Tech, what's going on?" Your voice was full of worry as you noticed that they were in the middle of nowhere. 

"The wires to the hyperdrive must have short-circuited and fried the system. I'm going to need to get into the wall to fix it." Tech explained. You then heard the sounds of plastoid armor dropping to the ground and the sound of the leather from his belts followed quickly after. You glanced over the back of the red seat spotting Tech pulling his shirt off of his body, and you felt your face flush a little. 

"Tech? What are you doing?" You quickly yanked your eyes back over to the dash of the ship. 

"I need to crawl into the wall to do the repair and I cannot fit with my armor and clothes," Tech said simply. Your hands gripped the wheel tighter, "Tech, that's dangerous."

"If I do not do this, we will be floating in space with no power soon." He argued. You made a small sign knowing that once Tech sets his mind on something, you know there's no changing it. You peeked over the chair again to see the last of Tech's bare leg disappear into the wall. A few minutes later, the ship started to fly more smoothly and you heard Tech remerge from the open panel in the wall. He appeared next to you, shooing you out of the pilot's seat to get the ship back on track and back into hyperspace. 

"We should be fine until we land back on Ord Mantell." Tech signed, getting up to retrieve his things, but you stopped him.

"Wait. You're bleeding." You reached out, grabbing his arm. He made no protest as you led him into the main hull of the ship grabbing the medical supplies. 

"It's just a small cut. I will be fine." Tech objected vocally, but made no move to move away from you. 

"Yes, but who knows what else is in these walls? I don't want to risk any kind of infection." You argued, sitting him down in one of the chairs and opening the medkit. You started to clean the small cut on his bicep. It took you little time to put a bandage on it and fix up the other small one on his back. Once you were done, you gave him a quick, light kiss on his cheek. 

"All done soldier." You smiled lightly at him and put the medkit away. Tech looked over at you, a very small flush on his cheeks in the dark lighting on his cheeks. He might have finally caught up to the fact that he is sitting next to you in just his underwear. 

"How much longer till we are back at Ord Mantell?" You asked lightly, moving to sit in the other chair in the main hull of the small fighter ship. 

"Oh, probably only for another hour or two," Tech answered after a second like you had pulled him out of his thoughts. You raised your eyebrow at him, "You alright?" 

Tech sat still in his chair, his sharp brown eyes staring you down. The only movement he made was his left hand reaching up to adjust the goggles on his face. He took in a deep breath, "Come over here." 

You gave him a surprised look. This tends to be out of the ordinary for him. The two of you had been doing a small dance around each other for months now, trying to see if the other liked each other more than friends. It was obvious to everyone else around them and they never failed to tell you that. Tech has never been forward like this. 

Your curiosity gets the better of you. You stand up walking the short distance from your chair over to where he sat. When you were close enough, he reached out and pulled you into his lap, making you squeak in surprise. His hands lightly rested on your hips, leaving you plenty of space to move away if you wish.

He gazed at you through his goggles, "Would you allow me… To make love to you." 

You blinked once or twice, your brain processing his words for a second. Being this close to him, you could see the small blush on his cheeks. You made a small smile, nodding your head, "Please." 

Tech took the opportunity and leaned forward, kissing you on the lips. You made a small hum, moving your head to accommodate his goggles. This isn't the first time you've kissed him. There was a drunken night between the two of you where there was a small bruise on your cheek from accidentally hitting his goggles. This was the first time the two of you kissed without the hindrance of something else in your systems. 

You wrapped your arms around his bare shoulders, lightly pressing yourself up against him as he ran his tongue over your bottom lip. You gave him easy access, making a small moan at the feeling of your tongues sliding against each other. That seemed to push Tech forward, he pushed his hands under your shirt, pulling it up over your head. The clothing dropped to the floor followed quickly with your bra. Tech's hands started to wander, mapping out your torso, taking a moment to grope your breasts. His thumbs ran over your nipples, playing with them until they were hard. 

You decide to take the initiative, moving away from his lips and starting to kiss down his jaw and neck. You paused at the sensitive skin right at the base of his giving that spot more attention. He granted you with a whimper that sounded amazing from him. You instantly wanted to hear that again and again, so you started to slowly grind your hips down against his lap. Through your pants, you were able to feel he was already hard as he rocked his hips up against yours. 

"Is that a pistol in your pocket or are you happy to see me?" You teased him lightly, leaning back some to get a good look at the man flushed in front of him. His goggles were knocked out of place and his blush had increased dramatically, it spread to his shoulders and chest. 

You got a snort and a small crooked smile from Tech. Moving his hands down to your ass, using them a moment to guide your hips on top of him. Both of you shuttering at the pleasure you got from each other. 

"You might be a little surprised when it doesn't shoot blaster bolts." Tech teased, his hands moving away from your clothed ass to the underside of your thighs. He promoted a laugh from you from his words, not expecting him to say something like that. 

While he had you distracted with your laughter, he shifted under you, pulling you into his arms and standing up. He held you with some surprising strength that only a clone could have. You instantly wrapped your arms around his shoulders, holding onto him out of the small worry that he might drop you. He walked the two of you over to the bunks, laying you down on the bottom one. 

"This spot is probably better for now." Tech hummed as he crawled over you, "Eventually I want you in the pilot's chair. If this ever happens again." 

"You've thought about this with me?" You asked, pulling him close to you again, his chest pressing flush to yours. The warmth from his body was already starting to become an addiction. 

"Yes." He hissed out, leaning down, pulling you into another kiss. You made a small groan from the kiss once again, your legs instinctively wrapping around his hips so he could grind down against you. 

He moved away from your kiss, slowly moving down your body, kissing and sucking on your neck and chest pulling all kinds of sounds from him. Eventually, he got to your hips, his long fingers dipping under the waistband of your pants. He paused for a moment looking up at you to silently ask you again for permission. You nodded your head and your pants and underwear were quick to be pulled from your body.

"Marvelous." Tech breathed looking down at you completely bare for him. You were flushed just as much as him feeling a little subconscious now that you had his complete attention. His hands moved down your sides to your hips and then between your thighs. His hand moved between your legs, being quick to find your clit, rubbing it in small circles. Your back arched off the bunk a little as you let out a deep moan from the pleasure it brought you. 

"Oh my god, Tech." You gasped as you felt him slide one of his fingers in you, meeting barely any resistance from how wet you were. His breathing was uneven as he watched you squirm under his touch. 

He was quick to add in another finger to make sure you would be able to take him. You were so worked up that his menstruations had you already close to your peak. Tech let out a heavy moan at the sight, pulling away, "You are absolutely gorgeous." 

"Tech." You shuttered at his compliments. He smiled down at you, shifting himself as he pulled the last bit of clothing that was still on his body off. You gasped at the sight of him in his naked glory in front of you. He looked divine. 

"As much as I would love to see you cum from just my hands, I would prefer to see you cum on my cock." Tech's voice was deep and breathy, sending shivers up your spine. He grabbed your thighs to shift the two of you in a good position between your legs. He ended up pulling one of your legs on his shoulder. 

"W-Wait." You gasped suddenly freezing, "Protection." 

Tech paused looking down at you confused for a moment, "You mean condoms? I doubt they're hardly necessary. Clones are sterile and we were designed to not be able to contract illnesses easily. Plus we were tested regularly. I'm clean. Are you?" 

"Yeah." You breathed still looking up at him, a little concerned. He leaned down kissing you softly on the lips, moving your leg so you didn't have to stretch it too far, "Then there should be nothing to be concerned about."  

The two of you kissed a bit more and you slowly moved away again to ask him a question, "Are you sure? You're not lying to me are you?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Tech gave you a confused look and you looked away from him off into the distance, biting your lip.

"If you don't want to do this, you can just tell me." Tech's voice was laced with concern now. You jerked your eyes back to the man on top of you, "What? No, I do! Sorry." 

Tech stayed where he was. His thumbs lightly stroked your skin, "Would you feel better if I were to find some form of protection?" 

You thought about it for a second, a little concerned you ruined the mood. But as you glanced down, you saw he was still hard, flushed red, and leaking precum out of the tip. You found yourself shaking your head no. 

"I need to hear you say it." Tech's voice was soft as he leaned down again giving you a small kiss on your cheek. 

"Tech, I want you to fuck me." You breathed, your hands reaching up to wrap around his shoulders. Tech's breath hitched, his exhale another whimper. 

"As you wish, my dear." That was all the motivation he needed, moving the two of them again between your legs. He slowly slid his dick into you making you gasp at the stretch. He started to set a steady pace, the both of you pulling moans from each other. You ran your nails up his back, probably leaving small little lines. He leaned down kissing your neck more leaving small bites that will probably leave a mark. 

Eventually, he angled his hips right, hitting a spot in you that practically made you scream. The both of you panting and moaning, a small sheen of sweat on both of your skins. He hit the spot a few more times and before you could warn him, you felt yourself cuming around his cock. His name is like a prayer on your lips.

"Oh fuck." Tech gasped his hips rocking into you as you felt your walls squeeze around him. He made a few more weak thrusts and then he was cumming inside you. You moaned at the feeling of his warm, white seed filling you. The both of you held onto each other tightly, panting hard as you came down from the high of the orgasm. 

"That was…" you breathed as Tech shifted himself so he could lean up and kiss you on the lips. He smiled softly against your lips, "Yeah." 

The two of you stayed like that for a moment, softly kissing each other as he got soft in you. Eventually, he pulled away both of you groaning at the feeling of him pulling out of you. 

"I will be right back," Tech informed, moving off the small bunk the two of you were on. He went into the small fresher on the ship, eventually coming back with a small damp towel. You had moved to your side but moved again as he settled himself between your legs again. He gently ran the cloth over you, efficiently cleaning you up. Once he was done he lightly tapped your thigh, making the sound of a slap, but not being painful at all. 

"Okay. Go use the fresher and then come back here." Tech instructed, his voice is softer than it normally is. Honestly, it sounds very similar to the sound of him waking up and still feeling tired. You nod, moving out of the bunk as he laid down on it in your place. You went to the fresher doing your business and returned like he had asked you to. He was still in the bunk, naked, but with a blanket laying over his hips. He had his tablet in his hands. He put it aside when he saw you, motioning for you to join him. 

"Didn't think you would be the type to be a cuddler after sex." You teased him lightly as you laid back down on the small bunk, Tech wrapped his arms around your waist pulling you into a spooning position. He made a small huff kissing your shoulder as you wrapped the blanket around the two of you. 

"Don't want to let go of you yet." 

[syndullqs]

𝐢’𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 — 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉

summary — he’s falling and you risk yourself to save him

warnings — bad batch finale spoilers, fem!jedi!reader, angst, fluff, this is a fix if fic i will not accept the finale until there is a body ‼️

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐊𝐘 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓. you voiced your distaste for the riskiness of the plan, but the eyes omega gave you gave you no choice. being this close to the empire put you at risk, especially since they’d still kill a jedi at the mere sight of one. the fear slowly waned, seeing as the clones were going out of commission and the new troops, stormtroopers, didn’t know what a jedi looked like when one was standing right in front of them. you knew not to get used to that comfort.

tracking hemlock to see where he was going wasn’t a bad idea. the bad part of the plan was the location. it was a heavily guarded and fortified base holding very important commanders and information. the goal was to track hemlock to see where he’d been taking clones who defected, but your gut was churning.

“you look ill,” tech’s voice disrupted your thoughts as you landed. your eyes moved to meet his, a sigh escaping your lips.

“i’ve just got a bad feeling about this whole thing,” you admitted softly. tech’s eyes shifted downwards, mainly at your hands. he’d been getting used to being in an established relationship with you, and it had taken quite some time for him to get used to it.

“we’ll be fine,” he spoke in the softest voice he could muster. he wasn’t good at hiding his bluntness, but he was sure of himself and the plan. though risky, it would work. you nodded your head and smiled, stepping off the marauder with the rest of the bad batch.

—

of course, saw gerarra had to mess up everything. he blew up the compound. you probably would have done the same thing in hindsight, but it was not the time. your anxiety doubled as sirens sounded, as stormtroopers flooded the halls. even if you were on a rail car, getting away, you were still having to deal with the troopers on your car. you held a blaster, firing at them before the car came to a stop. your breaths could only be heard as you waited. they’d found out, and no one needed to voice that.

“what’s going on?” wrecker asked. you looked out of the slats of the back of the rail car, sensing something in the air.

“three ships inbound,” came the voice of your boyfriend, who’d volunteered to get the power back on to the rail car. your eyes scanned the sky, not being able to see what tech was seeing.

“where are they?” omega asked, and just as she did, three ships emerged from the clouds, blasters firing at the rail cars. things blurred after that. you fired your blaster along with hunter of the car, everything started to wobble from the impact. it wasn’t until the ships were coming back for another shot that your mind cleared and realized what was going on.

“where’s tech?” you asked, eyes frantically searching the area. he hadn’t made it back inside the car and the ships were coming back towards you. you peaked over the end of the car. you saw now why attachment was forbidden to the jedi, your mind completely froze. your boyfriend was hanging beneath the car, attached by a cable. every step wrecker took caused the car to topple, which would send you all to your deaths. you swallowed, nerves and fear creating a forbidden cocktail in your stomach.

“tech,” you whispered as you stepped closer and closer.

“i have to do this,” he shouted, “plan 99,” he finished, and you barely heard him. your stomach dropped and your eyes stung with realization. you shook your head, unable to form words.

tech aimed his blaster at the cable, and with a squeeze of the trigger, the bolt freed both him and the rail car. before echo could get the power back online, which would be a few seconds, your stomach dropped and your instincts took over. you were not losing tech today. you reached out with your hand, the force flowing through you with a strong current, saying thank you.

“i’ve got you,” you whispered. you grabbed ahold of tech, tears rolling down your cheeks as you strained to pull him up and into the rail car. once inside, the power kicked back on and you lurched with the car, racing towards the other side. you wrapped your arms around tech, and surprisingly, he did the same. you melted into him, trying your hardest to keep it together.

“don’t ever do that again,” you muttered against his shoulder.

“i won’t unless i have to, even then apparently you’ll be there to catch me,” he murmured, which was one of the sweetest things tech said. the words were sweet on his tongue because they were true; you’d always have his back.

tech isn’t dead until i see a body. period.

anyways it’s been a while and i apologize! i know i have some requests to get to and i will get to those! i just had to crank this guy out because i am in mourning.

[starryevermore]

following orders: the goggles (1) ✧ tech

following orders ✧ a tech bad batch story | ao3 

inspired by: a conversation with @captainsbestgal​

pairing: tech x fem!reader

series summary: you don’t want to live in a galaxy where the love of your life, tech, does not exist. but, you can’t abandon your already grieving family. you devote all of your energy to helping hunter and wrecker save omega from the empire and, perhaps, save the wayward crosshair along the way. but the longer you look for the youngest member of the bad batch, the more you suspect that your lost love is not as lost as you once believed. 

chapter summary: the aftermath of plan 99.

word count: 7,223

series warnings?: spoilers for “plan 99”, plan 99, canon-typical violence, hurt tech, canon divergent, fix it fic, angst, grief/mourning, torture, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, relationship discussions, mutual pining, clone troopers speak mando’a, depression, suicide ideation, memory loss, brainwashing, jealousy, not proofread

chapter warnings?: mention of tech’s death, grief, mourning, suicide ideation, not proofread

“When have we ever followed orders?”

You cradled Omega in your arms as the Marauder traveled through hyperspace. You weren’t sure if you should still be holding her. She’d been gravely injured, and you have enough first aid training to know that it’s safer to let a person be stabilized than to constantly be adjusting them. But holding onto her, your pseudo-daughter, was the only thing grounding you in this moment. And, perhaps a bit delusional at the moment, you told yourself that, when traveling through hyperspace, maybe it was safer to hold onto her than to let her little body be whipped around the ship—not that her brothers would do that. Not now. Not after everything that’s happened. 

“When have we ever followed orders?”

A tear slipped down your cheek. You raised one hand, quick to wipe it away, before returning to holding Omega. You couldn’t cry. Not now. If you cried…That meant it was real. And it couldn’t be real. He couldn’t have…No. He was fine. He was okay. He piloting the ship, he was making last-second calculations to ensure a safe landing. He was…He was not with you. Not now. Not ever. Even if he had beat the odds, used that brilliant mind of his to calculate just the right way to fall…You all left him. You weren’t sure anyone could survive in the wilderness below, even someone as brilliant as him.

“When have we ever followed orders?”

Hunter walked up to you. His face was void of his emotion, save for his eyes. Hunter could play the stoic leader all he liked, but his eyes would always tell a different story. The man was barely holding it together. You could hardly blame him. Losing Tech…No one had seen that coming. No one saw him making the sacrifice play. He was supposed to be on the ship with you. How did he expect you to move on when he meant everything to you? When there was still so much left unsaid? 

“When have we ever followed orders?”

Hunter sat down beside you. Omega’s head rested in your lap. He reached down, stroking her blonde curls. He needed this, too. Everything that all of you did was to ensure that Omega would live, that she might one day get to see a peaceful galaxy. Or, when that was too large a task, at least that she would live a peaceful life. That she wouldn’t become a soldier in an unwinnable war. But what was the point in that when all she’d experienced since joining you and her brothers was unspeakable loss? No kid deserved that, especially not one as kind and innocent as her. 

“We’ll be landing soon,” Hunter said.

You swallowed, trying to choke down any sob that threatened to escape. “Are you sure this is a good idea? When we were…When we were on Safa Toma, Millegi told us that Cid can’t be trusted.”

Hunter kept his gaze focused on Omega. You weren’t sure, but you thought that he kept his head downturned so that you wouldn’t see any tears that were close to falling. “I don’t see how we have any choice. She needs proper medical treatment. AZI is the only one I trust to make sure…”

To make sure she didn’t die. He couldn’t finish the sentence, but you could feel the weight of it. It nearly suffocated you. You couldn’t lose anymore of your family. The galaxy could not be so cruel as to take another from you. You wouldn’t let it. 

“I just worry that Cid will do something. We cut off all communication with her. We may have once been in her good graces, but I don’t know what will happen if she sees us again.”

“I know. But, she has a soft spot for the kid,” Hunter said. His hand fell from Omega’s hair, stroking her cheek. Though still unconscious, she let out a whine. You weren’t sure if it was one of pain, or if she recognized that her father figure was present. “I can only hope that that will grant us some favor.”

“If it doesn’t?”

Hunter’s jaw clenched. He lifted his head, finally looking at you. His eyes were glassy, but hard. With a sort of ferocity you only ever heard from him on the battlefield, he said, “I won’t let anyone take her from us.” 

The Marauder jerked slightly as it entered Ord Mantell’s atmosphere. While Echo was more than a capable pilot, he lacked some of the finesse that Tech possessed. Or perhaps you were hyperaware now of every move, every jump, every jerk. It felt like your senses were on fire. Like you had to perceive everything so that you didn’t have to picture his face. 

Within minutes of entering the atmosphere, the Marauder landed. Hunter stood, then held out his arms to carry Omega. It was a kind gesture, and maybe he wanted to carry her because he also needed to be grounded. But you knew that if you let go of her, for even a second, you would collapse and never want to get up again. So, you shook your head, adjusting your grip on the young girl, so that you were cradling her in your arms as you stood. It was an effort, you had to admit. You were strong, but that did not compare to the strength of a genetically enhanced clone trooper. But the pain, the burn of your muscles, was one of the only things reminding you were alive, that Omega was alive. 

Echo and Wrecker were already waiting outside the ship when you and Hunter emerged. Echo looked much like you and Hunter—stoic, but barely holding it together. Wrecker, on the other hand…The poor guy must have spent the entire journey crying. Tear tracks stained his face, his eyes all red and puffy. Even the tip of his nose was a bright red. When he saw you carrying Omega, he immediately reached out. And, oh, he needed this much more than you. You let him take Omega from your arms, a sob escaping his lips as he held her. 

“I’m going to stick with the ship,” Echo said. “Make sure everything’s in working order for when we leave.”

You shared a glance with Hunter. You wanted to say, We might be here a while. Or, you should probably be checked out by AZI, too. We all need help right now. Perhaps even, Please don’t leave us now. But, everyone grieves in their own way. If this was Echo saying he needed to grieve alone, who were you to deny him that?

Hunter said, “Keep your comm on and close by. We might need a quick getaway.” 

Echo nodded, then turned back to the ship. You watched as his shoulders sagged as he walked back up. You and Echo were never the closest on the team, but you knew enough of his life before the Batch that losing a member of the team hit him hard. Perhaps when Omega was healed, when you all left this Maker-forsaken planet, you would talk to him. Maybe convince him to stick around a little while longer before rejoining Rex. You couldn’t make him stay forever, but you all were his family. This was not the time to be splitting up for an undetermined length of time. 

Hunter squeezed your shoulder, letting you know it was time to go to Cid’s. You let out a shuddering breath, kept your gaze focused on your feet, as you walked the streets to the oh-so-familiar parlor. The entire walk, you tried working on keeping a straight face. You knew you couldn’t hide what happened from Cid—she was far too perceptive to not notice you all were down a man—but you didn’t dare show weakness in front of her. You were already certain a betrayal was on the horizon. You refused to give her anymore ammunition to hurt you with. 

The parlor was empty when you arrived, save for Bolo and Ketch. Ketch’s eyes widened when he saw the four of you. You could only imagine how much of Cid’s wrath they had experienced when you all never returned. Bolo’s eyes flicked toward the bar, and you followed his gaze. Cid was wiping down the counter. It seemed like she hadn’t noticed you all yet, but you knew Cid well enough to know she was waiting for one of you to make the first move. 

“Is AZI around?” you asked as you approached the bar. 

Cid’s eyes flicked up, a snarky remark on the tip of her tongue. But then she saw Omega in Wrecker’s arms, the pained look on his face. Instead of her usual sarcasm, she asked, “What happened to Tiny?”

You looked at Hunter. You weren’t sure how much he wanted to reveal to the Trandoshan. If it was up to you, you would give her nothing. But he was calling the shots, and he might think it better to give something so that she would be more inclined to let the med droid tend to Omega. 

“Mission gone wrong,” was all he offered. “She needs to see AZI now.”

Cid nodded her head toward her office. “He’s in the back doing inventory. Do what you need to do. But when the kid’s taken care of, we need to have a talk about best communication practices.”

You narrowed your eyes at her, a snarky remark of your own on the tip of your tongue, but you held back. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, and all that. If Cid’s concern for Omega was the only thing keeping her from throwing you out, or worse, throwing you to the Empire, you could hold your tongue. For, at least, long enough to let AZI tend to Omega’s wounds. 

You started for the back, Wrecker and Hunter following close behind. But you didn’t make it far before Cid stopped you all again.

“Wait. One of youse is missing.” When you looked back at her, Cid’s eyes were flitting between the three of you. “Is Goggles on the ship or something?”

You decided to borrow Hunter’s words, and only offered her, “Mission gone wrong.”

Oh, what an understatement that was. But she didn’t deserve to be privy to the details. She didn’t have the right to know of the pain that stabbed at you, that bit and clawed at your heart, reminding you that you were alive instead of him. She was not a friend. She was hardly an acquaintance. If you couldn’t even talk to your own family about the ache you felt, why should she get to know? 

True to her word, though, AZI was flitting around the back, taking stock of the various liquors that Cid ordered for the parlor. He lifted his head when he heard you all approach. You might have been imagining things—and you surely were, because droids don’t express emotions in the same way as sentient beings—but the med droid almost looked happy to see you. Part of you had felt bad for leaving him behind with Cid. He had been Omega’s friend after all. But, Hunter wasn’t keen on returning to Ord Mantell back then. Not after the incident at the ipsium mines. You could hardly blame him, so you didn’t push. Now, you wish you had. If you had come back for AZI all those rotations ago, he would have already been on the ship or at least on the sanctuary that was Pabu. There would have been no need to come back here and endanger your family’s lives any further. 

“Oh! I was wondering when you were coming back!” AZI chirped, coming around the many boxes. “Cid had not been very happy when you all didn’t return. But I knew you would come back! And I was right! I knew that if you left, you wouldn’t leave me behind.”

“We need your help,” Hunter said, ignoring the droid’s words. He had previously been standing in front of Wrecker, shielding the droid’s view of the injured Omega. Now, he stepped out of the way. “Omega got hurt, and it’s gonna take more than a few bacta patches to fix her up.”

AZI stared. You could almost sense the hurt he could be feeling. Whether it was at the knowledge that you all weren’t there for him or that his friend was knocking on death’s door, you couldn’t be sure. “I see. I shall get started then.”

You reached out, your fingers grazing the droid. If he could have blinked at you in confusion, you were sure he would have. “Thank you. And…I’m sorry.”

“No need for apologies or gratitude. This is what I’m here for.”

You weren’t sure how long you watched AZI tend to Omega. It felt like days—long, agonizing days as he flitted around her—though you doubted it was any longer than a few hours. You had lost track of time. Between watching him fix up Omega and occasionally tending to you, Hunter, and Wrecker when he needed time for the medicine to work its magic on her, it all kind of felt like a dream. Or, really, a nightmare. The crushing weight of this reality was starting to settle on your chest. You didn’t like this. You didn’t like it at all. 

At some point, Hunter brought you some breads and a glass of water. “Eat,” he said, ordering you like you were a soldier. You and him both knew that you would ignore him if he asked. “He wouldn’t want you to starve.”

You let out a quiet huff of a laugh, if you could even call it that. “He would talk about the benefits of a well-balanced diet, go on about how the food here was hardly sustenance, but that fed is best.”

Hunter wiped away a tear that rolled down your cheek. You’d hardly noticed it. How long had you been crying? You’d been so sure that you were holding it together still. “We’ll get through this.” He nodded his head at the door, gesturing to where Wrecker had disappeared after AZI put his neck in a brace. Wrecker had been placing a huge amount of space between you and him. The guilt must have been hurting him, too—even if he had nothing to feel guilty for. “Wrecker and I were talking about staying on Pabu full time, after Omega is fixed up.”

“What about Crosshair?”

Hunter’s jaw clenched. “I can’t trust that his message wasn’t a trap. I’m not going to lose any more of my family on the chance that he’s switched sides. He’s given no indication that he wanted to join us before.”

“It’s not a trap. I know it’s not.” Perhaps it was a low blow, being so close to the incident, but you couldn’t stop yourself from saying, “Tech knew it wasn’t a trap.”

Hunter swallowed, hard. You watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed. Then— “Tech…died so his family could be safe. I’m honoring his wishes.”

“Crosshair is part of this family. His message, it was a sign that he still cared. That despite everything, he still cares.”

Hunter started to argue, but his mouth snapped shut when Omega groaned. He shot you a look—this wasn’t over. But the conversation would have to be tabled for another day. 

You squeezed his shoulder. “We can go to Pabu if that’s what Omega wants. Whatever she chooses, I’ll respect.”

“Hunter?” Omega managed to say. She said your name as she realized you sat beside him.

Hunter immediately leaned over her, stroking her hair. You reached out, taking one of her hands,  giving it a squeeze. Hunter offered her a small smile, and said, “Hiya, kid.”

“You gave us a right scare there,” you said. 

Omega let out a groan and started to sit up. “W-What happened?”

You and Hunter shared a glance. You could hardly put into words the ordeal you all just experienced. You weren’t sure you could explain it to her without crying, but you also didn’t want Hunter to shoulder that responsibility. He already carried too much weight on his shoulders. 

But before you could say anything, AZI entered the room. He chirped, “Hello, Omega. I am relieved you are awake.” He did a quick scan of her, the light blue light illuminating her face. “You each sustained multiple injuries. However, you all will make a full recovery with proper treatment and rest.”

Omega sat up, a hand clutching her head. Hunter reached around, helping her so that she didn’t make things too hard for herself. You gave her hand another squeeze. At this point, it was probably more for your comfort than hers. She was alive. She would be okay. That’s all that mattered right now. If you could focus on that, everything would be okay. Eventually. 

At the sound of Omega’s voice, Wrecker came into the room. He wouldn’t look at you, even when you tried to meet his gaze. You understood why—the guilt he must feel would be tremendous. He was the brawn on the operation. He was the muscles. It’s his job to make sure that no one in his family has to take the brunt of any injuries. In his eyes, he failed. In his eyes, he’s the reason your heart is broken. In his eyes, he’s the reason Tech died. 

You hadn’t been sure how to comfort him, so you let him go off on his own for a while. You weren’t quite sure how to comfort yourself. So, you let him sit in his misery and you in yours. Now, though, you wish you’d done something. It hurt, him not being able to look at you, even if he thought he was trying to spare you the pain. 

“You’re—You’re okay,” Wrecker said. He stumbled forward, kneeling in front of Omega, letting out a breath. He was the perfect picture of held-back panic. He held Omega in a quick hug, careful not to press on any of her injuries. “Don’t scare us like that again.”

Hunter offered her a drink. “How do you feel?”

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. Her face twisted, contorted into sadness. You’d almost hoped she hadn’t remembered. She doesn’t deserve this kind of pain. She shouldn’t have to know this kind of loss. “The last thing that I remember, we were in the railcar when…”

She gasped, her eyes going wide. Her eyes darted toward you, searching for an answer to the unsaid question. But you couldn’t meet her gaze. If you did, you would cry. And if you cried, you would confirm her worst fears. 

She looked to Hunter. “Where’s Tech?”

Hunter looked away, looked at you. You gave a nod. She had to know. “Omega, Tech didn’t make it.”

You dropped Omega’s hand, letting your hand come to rest on Hunter’s shoulder. You gave it a squeeze. You’d meant what you said, that he shouldn’t have to shoulder all this responsibility. You felt bad for making him say it, but you suppose she would only believe the news from him. 

“We have to go back!” Omega said. “What if he’s hurt? He—He needs us! Tell him, Wrecker! We can’t just leave him!”

You looked at Wrecker, seeing his eyes squeeze shut. Oh, that must have killed him. That must have confirmed every dark thought that swirled in his gentle mind. Was it too soon to force everyone into a group hug? 

“Omega,” you said, reaching out, stopping her from jumping out of the bed. “You saw him. He calculated the odds right before he did it. He knew his chances, and he’s seldom wrong.”

“NO!” Omega smacked your hand away. “Tech’s not gone! You know he’s not! He—He can’t be!”

Her face screwed up as the tears began to fall. Hunter took your place, wrapping his arms around her. She sobbed into his chest. Your heart clenched at the sight. She was alive, but she was hurting. And you weren’t sure what to do about that. Nothing that you said would help her. Nothing you said would bring him back. 

You rose to your feet, glancing between the members of your family. “I-I need to go,” you mumbled, stumbling out of the room.

You didn’t make it very far, nearly collapsing into a seat at the bar. Your shoulders trembled as you tried to keep your sobs at bay. Until that moment, it hadn’t quite hit you that he was gone. You knew he was. You were there when he fell. You saw the calmness in his eyes, his acceptance of his fate. You could feel the unspoken words on the tip of his tongue as he said his final words. You felt the tremble of the railcar, the panic in your chest as the line snapped, as he plummeted…Going, going, gone. 

You’d lived through all of that, but a naïve sort of part of you had hoped. Had prayed to the Maker, to the Force, to whatever cosmic being there was that controlled Tech’s fate that he had made it. But at that altitude? With a railcar plummeting with him? Even if he survived the fall, the railcar landing on him would surely do him in. Tech had accepted his death, but you couldn’t. 

How could you? He had meant everything to you. He was the air you breathed, the reason you stayed with the Batch for so long. When the war ended, you had no reason to stay. Your contract with the Republic ended the moment that battles stopped. But he…He gave you one look, one unspoken plea, and you stayed. 

What was the point now? 

You lifted your head as Wrecker collapsed into a seat next to you. He stared at the bar. Knowing that he wouldn’t make any move, you grabbed his hand, gave it a squeeze. “It’s not your fault,” you whispered. “There was nothing you could have done to change what happened.”

Maybe the words were partly said for your own peace of mind, but it brought neither you nor Wrecker any belief. “He was gonna ask ya out when we got back to Pabu,” he mumbled. “He knew you liked looking at tha stars, so he planned a midnight picnic. Was gonna tell you every fact he knew about every star, planet, comet in tha sky.”

“…Oh.” You weren’t sure what else to say. What could you say? How could express the remorse of never getting to experience a future you so badly craved?

“He wanted to come back to ya. He was supposed to come back to ya. And I’m the reason he didn’t. You should hate me.”

“I could never hate you, Wrecker,”  you said. You squeezed his hand. “I meant what I said. His fate was sealed when he went out with me to make repairs.”

“I saved you. I should have saved him, too. I could have saved him.”

Your bottom lip trembled. “He made you get me first. He made his choice. Wrecker, he knew his fate. You…You did everything he wanted you too. Okay? So don’t, don’t feel bad about what happened.”

The sound of two glasses hitting the bar pulled you from your conversation with Wrecker. When you looked up, Cid was sliding you and him a couple of drinks. Your stomach twisted. You didn’t like the look in her eyes. There was something she wasn’t telling you. “Here,” she said. “These are on the house.”

You pushed the glass in front of you away. “Nothing ever comes for free with you, Cid.”

Wrecker pushed his glass, too. “It won’t help.”

Cid was silent for a beat. “I’m sorry about Goggles. I always liked him.”

“Yeah. Me too,” Wrecker said. 

You watched Cid. She had her arms crossed over her chest, one of her clawed fingers tapping anxiously. You sat a little straighter, sniffed back a couple of your tears. No matter what grief you were experiencing, you needed to keep your mind sharp. You had walked right back into the lion’s den. You needn’t give Cid any opportunity to betray you. 

Wrecker noticed, too. “What’s with you?” he grunted. 

Cid wagged one finger at him. “You know, I tried to look out for you kids. But you got too much heat on you. And you brought it here, to my place of business! I had to make the best of a bad situation.”

You watched the rage contort on Wrecker’s face. Oh, you don’t know if you had ever seen him so mad before. You almost expected him to reach across the bar and kill Cid with his bare hands. Instead, he growled, “What did you do?”

“Sorry, Muscles. Sorry, Killer.”

The doors to the parlor slid open. You were immediately on your feet, shoved behind Wrecker as a group of commando clones entered the parlor, their blasters raised. One shot at Wrecker, and he charged, more stun bolts firing at him. One hit you, and you went down easily, not able to put the same kind of fight as Wrecker. As you fell, you prayed to the Maker that Hunter got away—or at least that he convinced Omega to leave you all behind if he wanted to play hero.

The commando clones had you and Wrecker kneeling with your hands bounds behind two of them, maybe another half dozen behind you, all of their blasters raised at the door, waiting for Hunter. Hemlock stood beside you, watching you curiously as you avoided his gaze. He knew something. He knew something about Tech. Your eyes fell to the case he was holding, wondering what its contents were. Was it Tech’s head? His helmet? Some other cruel piece of his life, of his memory to taunt the fact that you all lost?

Hunter emerged from the back, his blaster raised. You let out a breath. At least Omega wasn’t with him. At least she might have escaped. He wouldn’t have come out unless he was sure she was long gone.  

“That’s not very strategic, Hunter,” Hemlock said. “You don’t need to use your enhanced senses to know you’re outnumbered.”

Hemlock turned to Cid, raising the case. “The Empire thanks you for your assistance,” he said, passing the case to the Trandoshan. 

Oh. It was just credits. Maybe Hemlock wasn’t so cruel to taunt you all with Tech’s death using whatever part of him they uncovered. 

Cid and Hunter shared a look, before Hemlock said, “Our business is done. Leave.”

Cid’s head dropped. She turned, walking past you and Wrecker. She paused for a second, looking like she wanted to tell you something. Maybe an apology. You weren’t sure. All you knew was, whatever she had to say died in her throat as you reared your head back, spitting at her. Childish, sure. Gross, definitely. But Cid didn’t deserve your respect. Not now. Not after she sold you all out. 

Hemlock turned his attention back to Hunter. “Please, consider your next move very carefully. I would hate for this to end poorly for all of you. Here is how this is going to go. You will lower your blaster and hand over Omega. And I will allow you to keep breathing.”

“Omega’s not going anywhere with you,” Hunter growled. 

“Oh. Well, who knew clones are so paternal? Fascinating,” Hemlock said. He paused for a moment. “I was saddened to learn of your friend’s demise. What was his name? Oh, yes, Tech.”

You let out a growl. He didn’t deserve to say Tech’s name. What right did he have to talk about Tech?

Hemlock glanced back at you, his eyebrows raised. As he took in your expression, he turned more fully. He reached out, a finger running down your cheek. You fought the urge to bite him. That wouldn’t end well. “Ah, yes, the girlfriend, right?” he mused. Not technically. You and Tech never made anything official. “From what I gathered, the two of you were rather…intimate. I didn’t know clones could do that, either. Though, I suppose his form of intimacy is far different than a…normal human, wouldn’t you say?”

“Don’t you dare talk about him,” you spat. “You have no right.”

“So protective,” he said. Chuckling to himself, he turned back to Hunter. Beside you, Wrecker growled, only to be hit with a blaster by one of the clones holding you all captive. One of the commando clones handed him something. You couldn’t quite see what it was. “I’m afraid this was all I could salvage. Consider it a gift.”

He tossed the object at Hunter’s feet, and you could finally see what it was. A sob caught in your throat. No. No. No, no, no. If that was all they managed to recover, then that meant…Another sob escaped you before your could stop it. 

“To lose one of your own, it must weigh heavily on you as their leader.” Hemlock glanced back at the clones. Several of them pressed their weapons into Wrecker. One of them reached out, grabbing you by the hair, yanked your head back. He pressed his blaster into your temple. You wondered how eager he was to shoot. At least if you died, then you could be with Tech. “And if you don’t lower the blaster now, you will lose more.”

Wrecker shook his head. You couldn’t do the same, not with the way you were being held, so you did your best to convey your message in your eyes. Don’t lower your blaster. We’ll be fine. 

Still, Hunter slowly lowered the blaster and set it on the floor. He picked up Tech’s goggles, the glassiness in his eyes clear. 

“Wise decision,” Hemlock said. He motioned to the clones, and two of them stepped forward to bind Hunter’s wrists. They pushed him to where you and Wrecker were kneeling on the ground. 

Another clone came from the back and reported, “Sir, the girl is not in the office.”

“She’s long gone,” Hunter said. “Like I said, Omega’s not going anywhere with you.”

“Hmm. We’ll see.”

Oh, how could Hunter have been so right and so wrong all at the same time? Omega was, indeed, long gone, but she’d been taken by Hemlock. Despite your family’s best efforts, no one could stop Hemlock. Part of you wished that Omega had listened to Hunter, that she escaped and left you all behind. But the other part of you understood. She’s lost too much. If she lost you, Wrecker, and Hunter to the Empire…You weren’t sure how she would survive that kind of heartache. But now, the three of you and Echo floated through space, with no idea on where to go. Your mission had been a failure—you didn’t have the first clue where Hemlock’s base of operations was. Everything that you all fought—everything that you all lost—was for nothing. 

Eventually, Hunter told Echo to fly you all back to Pabu. Returning there and clearing all of your minds before making the next move was important. Everyone’s emotions were still high. Even if you all could come to a decision, could fall upon some useful information, there was no guarantee that a rescue operation would be successful. While Omega was in more danger the longer she was in Hemlock’s control, it would do her no good if all of you were captured trying to save her. 

You spent the journey laying in Tech’s bunk. Your face pressed into his pillow, bundled up in his covers, trying to commit his scent to memory. His bunk always smelled clean. Crosshair, back in the days of the Republic, once told you that Tech had been incredibly messy before you were assigned to the team. But the moment Tech met you, he went out of his way to keep his area as clean as could be. Back then, you thought Tech was just trying to be kind, to make you feel welcome. Now, you realized he was trying to impress you. 

Tears burned at your eyes at the memory. You tried blinking them away, focusing on the scribbles on the wall of Tech’s bunk. Most of them were about ship repairs that he would be doing with you, or upgrades to weapons. But there was one in the corner, near his pillow, that caught your eye. 

In his messy scrawl, he had written out a series of steps to win a woman’s heart. Most of them were checked off, save for three. Step 7. Take her on a date—make sure it’s something she would enjoy. Step 8. Kiss her—refer to holofilms for best approach. Step 9. Ask her to be yours—let it be her choice. 

You let out a choked laugh, running your fingers over the words. Wrecker was right. Tech had been planning to ask you out. Oh, he had planned everything out. You wondered how long he had this plan. What you would give to have him back for just a moment, to ask him every question you ever wanted to ask, to listen to his voice, to be with him, to tell him you love him, too. 

When the Marauder landed, you reluctantly left the comfort of Tech’s bunk, joining the boys. As you walked out of the ship, you saw Phee waiting. She wore a bright smile on her face, her eyes twinkling. Considering your abrupt departure, you had no doubt that she had a million questions she wanted to ask about the mission. 

“Didn’t think you guys would be back from your secret mission so soon,” she teased. “Did you get what you were looking for?”

You looked at her, and shook your heard. It was one thing to tell Cid that the mission was a failure—she didn’t really care about your family. But to tell Phee? Who had gone out of her way to bring you guys to a place to a call home? Who showed time and time again that she cared, even if she had a funny way of going about it? It hurt. 

Her smile didn’t waiver. She understand yet. “Ah, well, that’s okay. I’m sure you guys’ll get ‘em next time! Say, what’s the long face’s for? The mission wasn’t that bad was it?”

Hunter squeezed your shoulder. You reached up, squeezed his hand back. Behind you, you could hear Wrecker shuffle his feet and the quiet whhrr of Echo’s scomp as he fiddled with it. No one offered an explanation.

“Geez, you guys look rough. Must’ve been real bad out there.” Phee glanced between the four of you, her smile falling. “Say, where’s Brown Eyes? Where’s the kid?”

You opened your mouth but no words came out. You looked back at Wrecker, Hunter, and Echo, but none of them seemed keen to answer. Phee seemed to know, though. You all wouldn’t be so put out, so mournful looking, if something bad hadn’t happened. When you looked back at her, she had stepped closer to you, a hand coming to rest on your shoulder. 

“I don’t know what happened, but I’m sorry,” she said. 

Your lip quivered. Kriff. You couldn’t take this. None of this was supposed to happen. You all were supposed to find out where Crosshair was, you were supposed to rescue him. Everyone was supposed to be reunited. You all were supposed to come back to Pabu and live as normal a life as you could manage. You weren’t supposed to lose Tech. Omega wasn’t supposed to be captured. 

Shrugging off Phee’s hand, you ran off. No one bothered to follow you, to call after you. For that, you were grateful. You didn’t want to be around anyone right. Not for a while. 

You settled on the docks. It was nearly dusk when the Marauder landed, so most of the fishermen had docked their boats and returned to their families with whatever they managed to catch. It was the perfect place for you. Almost no one around to bother you. You were as alone as you felt. 

Sitting on the edge of the dock, you let your legs hang over. You leaned all the way back so that you stared at the sky. The beautiful reds and oranges soon faded into a black abyss. The stars started to peak out, winking down at you. Once upon a time, you would have killed for the opportunity to watch the stars like this. There was seldom free time like this in the last few years. The stars once brought you comfort, providing you a map for your way back home. But it was different now.

The stars no longer brought you comfort. What was the point in the stars guiding you home if he wasn’t there to go with you?

Your eyes fluttered shut. For the first time since the incident, you let yourself cry. Sure, tears had escaped before, when you didn’t want them to. But you had been holding them at bay this entire time, trying to focus on the tasks at hand. Now, there was nothing to do. There was nothing you could do. Nothing, except mourn. A sob wracks your chest. You cover your face with your hands, letting everything you’d been holding in out.

You cried, and you cried, and you cried. Until there were no tears left. Until you uncovered your face, staring back at the stars, sniffling. 

A steady clunk! of a set of boots alerted you to a guest. You had a one-in-four shot of guessing who’d come to comfort you, but you didn’t care enough to see who it was. Did it matter? None of those four people were the one you wanted. And none of those four people was the kid you were supposed to protect. 

You saw Hunter’s face as he finally reached you, sitting down beside you. He said nothing. Hunter was never really the comforting type. He’d gotten better since Omega joined the team, learning to navigate his emotions so that he could be a better parent. But this wasn’t the sort of thing he’d been prepared for. None of you were prepared for this.

“I asked Shep to set you aside some dinner if you decide you’re hungry,” he said. “He said you can come into his house anytime you decide you’re hungry and take it. It has a note on it for you, in his fridge.”

“Thank you,” you said.

A silence passes over you. There’s so much to say. There’s so much you want to say. So much you aren’t sure how to say. How do you navigate this sort of sudden loss? What was the right way to grieve? What was the right way to comfort? A thousand possibilities flooded your mind. None of them felt right. Finally, you settled on an apology. 

“I’m sorry for running off,” you said. “If I worried you, I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intent.”

Hunter shrugged. “I knew where you were. I figured you just…needed time.”

“No amount of time can bring him back.” You sat up, looking out at the dark sea. If you jumped in now, you might sink fast enough under the weight of your armor that, by the time Hunter dove in after you, it would be too late. Even with his enhanced senses, the water would drown it all out. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save Omega.”

“You’re sounding like Wrecker now,” he said. He had heard your conversation with him back at Cid’s. Usually, he kept quiet about conversations he overheard. But things were different now. No one knew how to navigate this sort of hurt. “They got us while we were down. I don’t know if there was anything we could do to save her.”

You rested your hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “We’ll get her back.”

“We will,” he affirmed. He reached for something that you couldn’t quite see. When he brought his hands back into your view, you gasped. “I, uh, came to give you these.”

“Hunter, no—”

“I talked with Wrecker and Echo. We all agreed that he would have wanted you to have them. Anything of his, it’s yours. But these especially.”

As he pressed the goggles into your hands, a tear rolled down your cheek. Oh, this was too much. How could you look at these goggles and not want to jump off the dock? How could you look at the cracked lenses and not picture his eyes squeezing shut as he hit the ground? How could you not imagine the way he looked at you, in the split second before he made his choice? How could you not see of how he looked before, when you all were leaving for the mission, the fire in his eyes as he searched for a way to rescue his brother? How could you not dream of the soft look in his eyes the night before, when you rested your head on his shoulder and told him how you wished the two of you could have a peaceful life? You ran your thumb over the light that used shone red, indicating his constant filming of his surroundings. It was off now. Part of you wondered why, but you dismissed the thought. It was probably broken in the fall. 

“What do we do now?” you ask. You look up at Hunter to see him already looking at you. His eyes were glassy still. You wondered if he had allowed himself the privacy to cry yet, or if he was still playing the part of the stoic leader. “Echo’s probably going to return to Rex soon. Wrecker’s in no position to fight. Kark, neither of us are either. We don’t have the first clue where to look. We don’t have—”

Hunter squeezed your shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. I don’t know how, but…We’ve faced horrible odds before.”

“We had a hundred percent success rate back then.”

“I don’t know what we’ll do,” he said, “but if we stick together, we’ll figure it out. I know we will.”

You wanted to push back, to argue, to feel something other than this grief, but you didn’t want to hurt Hunter in the process. So you let it go. Instead, you asked, “Could you tell me about? What he was like before I joined the team?”

Hunter let out a chuckle. “When we were cadets, Tech was a complete menace. Worse than the rest of us, if you could believe it. Always challenged the Kaminoans at every turn.”

You laughed, the picture forming in your mind. You leaned back against as Hunter talked, and soon he did, too, telling you everything about what little Tech had been like. For a moment, you forgot all that you’d just endured. For a moment, you felt at peace. But then you felt the weight of Tech’s goggles in your hands, and you were thrown back into the reality you were faced it.  

Tech was gone—you were sure of it. But he died to make sure his family would live. You weren’t going to let him die in vain. No matter what it took, no matter what you had to do, you would get Omega and Crosshair back. 

You swore it. 

[hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall]

Jealous

Pairing: Echo x F!Reader, Tech x F!Reader (platonic), Bad Batch x F!Reader (platonic) 

Words: 11 078 

Warning: ANGST, fluff, jealousy, Echo’s insecurities, swear words

Summary: Feelings aren’t really something the Clones are good with. Especially when it comes to love and jeakousy.

A/N: I had this story in my WIPs for a while now. I’m not sure I’m 100% happy about it, but I don’t think I can do more with it now. So I hope you enjoy it ;) 

“That must have cost you a fortune!” Hunter exclaimed, but couldn’t help the big smile on his lips when he looked at all the food on the table. You heard them talk about how their missions were getting more and more annoying and the pay wasn’t as good either. You knew Cid was shady, but you wouldn’t expect her to cheat on the money. You worked for her from time to time. You were pretty good with repairing stuff. Not a genius, like Tech, but you were handy and actually enjoyed it. And well, working at a little restaurant in the center of the city wasn’t giving you that warm feeling in your stomach as playing around in oil and old clancking metals. The job was good. It paid the rent and all the junk that was laying around the flat. Despite not being the most fulfilling, it did let you make that dinner for the boys. 

“It smells amazing!” Wrecker shouted happily, you could almost see the drooling in the corner of his mouth and you chuckled softly. 

“I may have gotten overboard, but you said your last couple of missions didn’t go as planned and well, I wanted to do something nice for you.” The Clones looked at you softly and looked around at all the things you prepared. You did take some of the things from your restaurant but it would be thrown away anyway. And you were sure your boys and Omega would be more than happy to eat it. “I made some chocolate pie”, the teenager exclaimed happily and ran to sit on one of the chairs at the table, almost eating with her eyes. “Go sit down, I’ll be back in a minute”. They all nodded and went to join the girl, while you went back into the kitchen. You double checked on the pie to make sure it wouldn’t burn and you took out the wine from the fridge and some grape juice for Omega knowing she wouldn’t want to be left alone. 

“May I help?” You jumped slightly hearing Echo’s soft voice behind you. He apologized shyly and sent you one of his smiles you absolutely adored. “Meshl'a it smells heavenly in here.” He sighed, his smile growing when he noticed the bottle of the alcohol. “Are we celebrating something?” He asked, walking closer, taking the tray with the glasses in his hand smirking at you. 

“I got it from my boss as a gratitude for all the overtime, so… If you don’t like it, I can get something else.” You were about to turn and look for something else when his chuckle stopped you. Just a simple gesture and it completely changed his face. The always serious and tired mask would fall sometimes whenever he laughed and you loved it. You were absolutely smitten with Echo, but you expected that a romance was not something he would be interested in and you weren’t really a one night stand type of girl. So you kept your feelings hidden and you just became his friend. Someone he could always talk to and lean on when his brothers and Omega were just too much. 

“This is more than enough cyar'ika” Your eyes widened at his endearment, but you decided to let it go. It was probably just a slip of a tongue, or your Mandoe wasn’t as good as you thought. “Come on let’s go or Wrecker will eat everything before we have a chance to even try it out.” You chuckled and took the bottle and a juice, while Echo helped you with the glasses. Yes, friends were definitely enough if it meant he would smile at you the same, beautiful way as he did before you left the kitchen. 

***

“And she was hanging from the Marauder. I thought Hunter would shit himself!” Wrecker laughed out loud, making the Sergeant chuckle softly. You loved moments like that. When they all looked so happy, so relaxed, like there was no worry in the world. You looked to your right and your eyes shined seeing Echo laugh. It wasn’t often that the ARC Trooper would look and sound so relaxed. He was sitting on the chair, finishing his piece of pie, his whole posture relaxed. 

“One of these days she will give me a heart attack”, you looked to your room where Wrecker put her in your bedroom not even 30 minutes ago. The poor thing was falling asleep, eating the pie and she was more than happy to oblige when you offered her your bed. She was a lot but you could see that whatever there was, the Batch needed it. Maybe it was the lack of Crosshair or just the whole thing with the Republic, but Omega was a cure they all needed to feel normal, only if just a little bit. 

“I wouldn’t mind staying with her from time to time” you proposed and all of them stared at you in surprise. “Of course in a disguise of some girls' night or something”, you shrugged and almost jumped feeling Echo’s hand on your thigh. You looked at him and your heart almost stopped, seeing the most beautiful and soft smile. There was something hidden behind those eyes that you weren’t able to read and the heat of his stare and of the touch made you blush like a stupid teenager in love. 

“You are our guardian Angel” he finally stated, petting your thigh with his hand. “You are already doing so much for us, we wouldn’t want you to feel like you need to…” 

“Are you kidding me!? I love this furr ball of energy!” You exclaimed happily, your eyes leaving to Hunter, who everyone knew had the last, decision making voice in all this. “I know I’m not the most reliable person when it comes to keeping her safe, but…” 

“We would owe you”, Hunter stopped you and your smile widened. He knew how you always put yourself down with the fact that you were just a civilian and wasn’t as skilled as them when it came to fighting or shooting. He always promised to give you some training, but never found time for it. 

“Y/N?” You looked at Wrecker and frowned, seeing how he became quiet all of a sudden, awkwardly looking around. 

“Yes, sweetheart”, the boys absolutely loved the little nicknames you had for them. It was a sign of your feeling towards them, how you saw them as your family and they would never be able to truly tell you how happy that made them. You looked at his nervous look on his plate and you chuckled. “There is still some pie in the kitchen, would you like some?” You couldn’t help but laugh at his adorable expression and the childish nodding of his head. “Tech, sweety?” The man looked up from his datapad, surprised to be outshined. He looked at Hunter who shrugged, but as always was open to help. He left the pad and followed you to the kitchen. “Would you like some as well?” He nodded, unsure what he was really doing here. 

He likes you, a lot. He wasn’t sure if like was a good word to describe it. He felt comfortable with you. You listened to his mumbling, and actually were interested in what he had to say. You never minded his informality and he really enjoyed spending time with you. He considered you to be intelligent, enough so to hold an actual intellectual conversation while repairing some parts of the ships together. There were times when you would loan him a book or two for his sleepless nights and he would comm you to tell you all about it. You were like a sister he never knew he wanted, but so dearly needed in his life. You tried so hard, like with everyone else, to make him feel welcomed and comfortable, that he tried really hard to bite his tongue, sometimes not to slight you in any way. 

“I’m sorry for all that, but would you follow me to my study?” Your study. He adored that place. It was dark, full of broken and not very so equipment. A place for you just to lose yourself in your little hobby. Tech would even come to your flat only to sit there with his pad and just be there, sit next to you, or even alone, if you let him. Which you always did. Eventually giving him a spare key, in case he needed to use the room, when you were at work, or something. He was thankful, really. “I’m working on something, but I won’t lie I am stuck a bit…” You started shyly, working nervously with your fingers. Something he noticed you did quite often. A nervous tick, something he was very familiar with. “And who’s better to ask for help, than my sweet genius.” He blushed at your little nickname and followed you, holding you by your hand.

He liked how messy it was here. It wasn’t dirty, not at all. Rather it was crowded from all the equipment, written ideas and just unfinished projects. He learned pretty quickly to maneuver through it, without breaking anything. Another little gesture he did for you. Just for you. And so he watched you going through one of your shelves and his eyes widened when you came back with your most precious work so far. 

“Is that?” He started, taking the invention into his hands, almost too afraid to touch it. It looked almost done in his opinion and very, very expensive. Whatever pieces you gathered for this, must have been top notch and he looked over it with a fascination written on his face. 

“It’s his birthday in more than a month, so I thought I may give him something special… Did I go overboard?” He didn’t understand the whole birthday thing. They were clones, they didn’t have birthdays, which angered you truly. That was one of the few times when he saw you furious. And so a new tradition was created. You were able to somehow get the info on when all of them were created and decided that it was their birthdays. He remembered how sad you were when you found out that all of the Bad Batch except for Echo and Omega were created on the same day. But this didn’t stop you. You made that day the most amazing day of the year for them. You would buy them something special, something just for them. You even baked them a big cake once and he couldn’t help the little tear that escaped his eyes when each of the boys were ‘forced’ to blow the candles. 

“This is incredible” he mumbled under his nose, still looking at what you gave him. He never knew you were even working on it. “It looks done to me…” 

“I got all the mechanic stuff done, but I’m not good with neuro stuff. I would never be able to effectively make the hand actually work with his neuro system…” You looked away, embarrassed, playing with your finger nervously. “I know you already have a lot of work to do, but would you be able to help me with this?” He stared at the hand with awe. It looked even better than that of General’s Skywalker and Tech had to admit, he was impressed. It looked like you not only spent lots of time on it, but lots of money as well. He remembered the prices of some of those parts and he then remembered a conversation he once had with Hunter. 

“It’s kind of adorable to see her like that”, it was one of the days that you spent alone with Echo. You leaned on his shoulder with a satisfied smile on your face. You were probably the only person who found him comfortable and Echo let you lean on him whenever you wanted to. It made him really happy and Tech always thought it was just one of these things you did to make them all feel welcomed and comfortable. 

“What do you mean? She always acts like that.” Tech asked, looking at the way you laughed about something Echo said. He didn’t understand that then, but now he remembers how your eyes shined, when looking at his brother. How your smile seemed much bigger and more natural when you were with him. 

“She’s always like that with Echo.” Hunter said then, and Tech just now realized how true he was. You always treated them all with nothing but love, but as much as it was purely platonic with the rest of them, your love for Echo was different, and Tech just now truly realized it.

“I wanted it to be a surprise, and I know no one better who could help me… I mean I understand if you already have enough on your…” 

“I’ll help”, he finally said, taking his eyes off the mechanical hand. “You did an incredible job with that. It’s a thoughtful gift.” You smiled widely at a complement and before he was able to react, you flung yourself at him, laughing quietly. He wasn’t a fan of hugs, but surprisingly whenever you, or Omega gave them, he didn’t mind them as much anymore. Weird. 

As he was about to say something more, a cough made them jump. His first reaction was to hide the prosthetic behind himself, which turned out to be a decent idea at the time, as Echo was leaning on the doors to the room, looking at them with an unreadable expression. 

“We started to worry”, he mumbled, his eyes landed on Tech and then traveled to you. You smiled at him but frowned when he didn’t return it at first. But when he finally did, there was something fake there. Like he forced himself to do so. You pleaded Tech with your eyes to hide the hand away and followed Echo into the kitchen. 

“Do you want a piece as well?” You asked and turned around from the fridge, when you didn’t hear the answer. You frowned realizing that Echo just left the kitchen and came back to the living room where you were all sitting. Something weird tucked at your heart at his behavior. You tried to remember if you did or say something in this short period of time to make him act like that. 

“I can meet you tomorrow here to work on it”, Tech started, walking into the kitchen. You nodded thankfully and gave him some of the plates to take with him to the kitchen. The weird feeling continued when you came back and sat next to Echo, who seemed to ignore you.

 ***

He hated that feeling. He knew he was acting like a complete jerk, but it was stronger than him. He never thought he would ever act out of jealousy, especially not towards his own brother. And here he was, barking at Tech for even the most absurd things. Even Hunter started to notice that something was off and well that was never good. He was too perspective and Echo did not want his brothers to know how he felt.

What was worse, Tech wasn’t the only one that became a victim of his anger. He didn’t miss the way your smile died at the end of that evening. He remembers how you tried to talk to him, even made some of your awful jokes, but Echo didn’t care. He was angry, he was jealous, he was hurt and betrayed. He knew he didn’t have the right to feel like that. You were never even remotely his. And yet when he walked in on you and Tech hugging, your expression was so happy he thought he was going to throw up. He felt physically ill. He was angry at himself for even thinking that someone like you would ever fall for someone like him. A machine with some pieces of humanity left in him. He felt ashamed when he thought of all the times he flirted and he thought it worked on you. How you blushed and chuckled softly, how your eyes shined when looking at him, how you held his hand. And it all turned out to be some stupid joke. He knew he had no right to blame you for that, but he still did, because there was only so much hate one person can feel towards himself. 

He dreamed that there may come a time when he would find that courage he once had, when he and Fives would talk to the girls in the 79's. That he would finally find his old self somewhere deep and ask you out. He planned to do it, after seeing all the things you did for them that night. No one has ever done so much for him, for any Clones. You loved them all and he was stupid enough to think that it may have been less platonic towards him. And so he decided to guide his emotions once again. Just like he was doing before he met you. Before he started to see you as more than just one of them, like his brothers did. He closed himself off and ignored anything related to you. 

And he kept on doing it for a month now. Seeing how it affected you and ignoring it. It was difficult at the beginning, because whenever he saw you, all he wanted was to hug you and kiss the pout off your lips. But as the days went on, as more and more missions went on, he just stopped caring. He stopped seeing the sadness in your eyes, whenever he chose to leave the room, whenever you walked in. He ignored the tears he was sure to see, whenever he moved away from your touch. Those teary eyes were the worst. He once promised himself that he would never make you cry, and he was too broken to even care now. And he definitely did not care how Tech was always at your place when they weren’t on the mission. No he didn’t care at all. After all, you weren’t his to care about. 

***

Tech wasn’t a blind man, and no matter what some may think, he wasn’t immune to emotions. He just reacted to them differently than others. But no, Tech was not a blind man. And he did not miss how you always hide your emotions. He saw those circles under your puffy eyes, probably from unslept nights. He saw how hard you tried to keep Echo close to you, when he started to isolate himself from you. Tech saw all these tears you tried so desperately to hide from him, from his brothers, from Echo and from yourself. He saw how much you hurt and how you started to isolate yourself as well. Cautiously of course, but he saw it. You didn’t come to see them the same day they landed. You didn’t come to just hang out with them anymore. He knew, he tried to understand that it wasn’t ‘because you got tired of them’ as Wrecker stated once angrily. No, you would never. He saw it in your eyes, the way you asked about him and his brothers. He knew you wanted to see them but couldn’t, because you would see him and that was crushing you harder than anything he’s seen before. 

He prided himself in knowing and yet here he was still with so many questions unanswered. He spends his time at your flat trying to make this hand working. You both failed more times than he could count and yet you never gave up. Pleading him with those pretty, teary eyes to try again and again. And he was unable to say no, because he wanted to see that sparkle in your eyes, even if it was just for these couple of moments when you worked together. 

“There is something I don’t understand”, he finally spoke, unable to control himself any further. It has been a month since Echo has been acting like that and he couldn’t comprehend any of that. 

“Yes?” You asked, surprise written on your face. It wasn’t often that Tech didn’t know something, but it was even rarer that he admitted to it. You put the screwer away and turned towards him, giving him all of your attention. 

“You don’t see him anymore and I cannot blame you. Echo is my brother, but even I have to admit that whatever got into him is hurting you.” He started, trying to ignore the way you shrunk at the sound of his name. “He’s been nothing but ignorant and rude towards you for the past month and yet here we are working on that hand. A gift from you to him. And I am sure you are also planning some kind of thing for that birthday thing you came up with.”

“What is your question, Tech?”, you asked, looking away, down on the floor. Your fingers nervously twisting. You knew what Tech wanted to know, of course you did but the mere thought of it made you feel so silly and vulnerable that you tried to ignore it. 

“Why?” The question was so simple and yet you weren’t sure how to answer it in a way that you wouldn’t look weak in his eyes. Pathetic in some way. You valued his friendship and presence and you were afraid to lose him as well. 

“Echo has always been a difficult man, since the first day we met”, you started, sitting up on the table, playing around with the screwer. “I cannot blame him, he went through a lot. More than anyone should in their entire life. But despite it all there was still so much good in him. I see how he cares for his brothers, for Omega, for…” You bite your lip and sigh. No, not anymore, if you read him correctly. “He’s a good man that deserves to be treasured and loved by people closest to him.” 

“And do you love him?” You smiled softly and closed your eyes, to stop them from tearing. The answer was so simple, and yet you were afraid that if you admit to your feelings out loud you would finally break. 

“I love all of you. I love Wrecker for being the sweetest and most caring boy. I love Omega for her kind heart, I love Hunter for his protectiveness. I love you for that big brain of yours and willingness to always help.” You looked up and smiled softly. You could see it in his eyes, the gratefulness, the way these words affected him, but you could also see the way he was waiting for you to continue. “But my love for Echo is different. I love him the way I know I shouldn’t because it is not a place nor a time to do so. I love him and yes the last month hurt me in more ways I dare to admit. But if he grows tired of me or whatever the reason he has for his behavior, then I will remove myself from the picture. If it makes him happy.”

“Even if it hurts you?” You nodded and Tech felt nothing but anger now. He didn’t understand why you would do so much for someone who didn’t even want to be a part of your life. He was angry at Echo for his decision to isolate himself from you for no real reason. For no reason at all, actually. He knew that Echo was battling his own War in his head, but that did not excuse him for that behavior. “Then why are you still doing all this?”, he waved around the room. “If you’re so content on doing what he wants and isolating yourself from him and us in that matter”, you flinch hearing anger in his voice. Something so uncharacteristic for him. For someone who always follows logic. “What makes you think that after all that time he would even accept it?” There, your biggest fear was out in the open. 

“Because I’m selfish ok?” You finally screamed, jumping from your table. Your eyes shut closed, your head was facing the floor and your hands were pulled into fists. “Because I want him to be happy, and if I can be a reason for this happiness, then I cannot stop myself. If this hand makes his life easier then I will spend all the time that is needed to perfect it, because I love him more than I care about my own happiness!” You didn’t care that you were crying anymore. If Tech wanted to think you were weak and pathetic. Go on, losing yet another person shouldn’t be as painful anymore.  “I know he would never accept this from you, not now when all I feel from him is annoyance and ignorance to whatever I do… so I hoped I could make one more wish toward you Tech…” He clenched his fists and did something he normally never does. Even with Omega. He closed the space between the two of you and hugged you, unable to comfort you in any different way. He knew no words would make you feel better. 

“Let’s finish that, then.” You nodded and thanked him through your sobs. 

***

“So are we going to talk about what’s bothering you?” Echo looked up from his work and raised his brow, pretending to not understand what his brother was about. “I will ignore whatever the hell you have with Tech going on, because I know you don’t always get along. But Echo, what the hell happened between you and Y/N?” Echo flinched a bit with your name and he came back to his work, trying to engage his brain in something more than your image. “You used to be inseparable and then you just stopped talking to her.” 

“I don’t know what you mean”, Hunter was the one brother Echo never wanted to get involved in his problems. He was perspective and always cared too much for his own good. “We are all occupied with the missions. It's normal that we don’t have time to play home anymore.” Sergeant raised his brow at a choice of words and sighed, sitting next to his brothers, expecting it to be a longer conversation. 

“Tech seems to find enough time in his calendar”, Hunter smirked seeing how anger flushed on Echo’s face, only for just a second. But it was there and he knew that he was right in his presumptions about what was going on. 

“Well, because of his little adventures I am left alone to deal with the repairs” he huffed angrily, knowing well that this was complete and utter bullshit, because Tech had never left to your place before ending whatever he had to do here. And Echo knew that Hunter knew that. “Not to mention I’m not Tech’s babysitter to tell him what he can and cannot do”. At this particular moment Hunter was glad Crosshair was not here with them, as he expected to hear a quiet “or who” under his breath. This would definitely escalate to something bigger and well, this was not what any of them needed now. Not to mention that Hunter knew for sure, that whatever Tech was doing at your home was not related to what Echo was probably thinking. 

Hunter knew how much you adored Echo. And you had to be a complete idiot, or Echo, to actually not see that. He was never really into cliche relationship stuff, but seeing the two of you interact made Hunter believe that it was actually pretty adorable. He knew that whatever was blooming between the two of you was something special, and Hunter was happy to see his brother opening up to you. He was certain Echo would have finally asked you out that night of the supper you made for them. But something happened between the three of you. Hunter didn’t know what that was, but it must have been huge, if it has affected both Echo and you so much. He understood why you didn’t come here anymore. He was sure you were doing it all for Echo’s sake, not caring of your own broken heart. You were a good person, a kind one, and this has led to you being hurt on more occasions than he wished to see. 

“The way you’ve been acting recently tells me that that’s just full of batha shit.” Echo glared at his brother and Hunter couldn’t help but grin, getting a reaction out of him. “What happened that night?” He wanted things to come back the way they were. If he was very selfish, he would admit that he missed you. The way you were always able to lift up their spirits. He missed that sweet smile that would brighten even his worst days. He just missed you and wanted you back. 

“I got my hopes up”, Echo finally started. Hunter could see anger on his face, but there was something painful in his tone. “I made myself believe I have a chance with her… A mistake I won’t make again.” 

“She rejected you?” Hunter asked, surprise in his voice, his brow tightening at his brother’s words. That didn’t make sense. You were in love with Echo, if he would have ever made the first move you would have probably fainted from happiness. Something was way off and Hunter wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear further, but he knew he needed to know, to be able to help you move forward.  

“Didn’t have time… Didn’t have to…” Echo spat at him angrily, throwing away the equipment from his hands. He stood up and leaned on the door to the exit of the ship. “They were hugging. She was so happy, Hunter. So damn happy and I knew… I just knew…” 

“Echo…” 

“Something shifted in me when I saw them, OK? I was angry, betrayed. I know I have no right to feel that way, but I… I don’t know Hunter, it just hurts.” Hunter didn’t know what to say. He could not believe that Tech would ever go against his brother’s feelings, especially with you, the one that loved Echo for so long now. Not to mention that from Echo mentioned it was just a hug, but maybe there was something more he wasn’t telling him. Hunter didn’t want to anger Echo with speculations, not when he finally opened up to him. 

“Ignoring the situation doesn’t do anything to any of the sides. Talk to Tech, I’m sure he didn’t want to hurt you. Talk to her, maybe this is all just a big misunderstanding.” He stood and patted him on his shoulder. “I don’t like to see any of you like that”, and then he left, ignoring Echo’s frustrated sigh. 

***

“This has got to be my biggest achievement so far”, Tech mumbled looking at their finished project. It wasn’t easy to make it work without Echo being here, but he was certain everything would be good once he plugged it in. He smiled at you, handing it back to you. “But it’s not my piece of work. I merely helped. You should be proud of yourself.” You blushed at his complement, knowing how rarely Tech gave them out. “This will definitely help him out.” He frowned seeing the way your smile faded a bit and you nodded your head. You both have been working over a month on that one thing and just now did he realize how tired you looked. You have been working your normal job and then spent most of your nights working on Echo’s new hand. 

But you never complained. Of course you cursed many times under your nose, when something didn’t work out, but that is a natural thing. Even he had a list of Mando’a curses that he taught you throughout the month. After that last conversation you both had, Tech never asked you about your situation about Echo, nor about your feelings for his brother. He knew, however, that the topic should come out at least just once to discuss what to do with a ‘little’ gift of yours. You did mention once that you wanted Tech to give it to Echo, but he wasn’t comfortable with it. It was your gesture toward his brother. Your hours, days and weeks spent on working on it and he wasn’t able to phantom why you would not give it to Echo. 

“Perfect timing. His birthday is in four days”, you smiled softly, starting to clean up all the equipment away. Anything, just not to look at Tech. Not to start that conversation again, not to admit to the pain in your chest whenever you thought of Echo receiving the gift and you never seeing his face. But you couldn’t, not when Echo was so adamant on not seeing you. 

“You should give it to him. As a meeting of minds.” You widened your eyes and swallowed harder. “I can talk to him…” 

“No!” you turned around and his stare softened, seeing tears in your eyes. “He doesn’t want to see me, Tech. He hates me for whatever reason. How can I give it to him when he’s so determined to forget me? What if he doesn't want to use it, because it’s from me?” 

“He knows I was meeting you. He will realize that we worked on it together.” Tech tried. Your logic was valid and he hated it. He was normally the one that followed logic but not this time. Right now he wanted you to be happy. And apparently the only way to make that happen was for you to have Echo in your life again.  

“Then you tell him you were just using my office. Tech, please, do this for me!” He closed his eyes and nodded, unable to say no to you. 

“That doesn’t change the fact that I don’t like that!” He mumbled, but smiled hearing your quiet chuckle. 

***

Echo didn’t expect the party. He thought the moment you were no longer a part of their group, the whole tradition would die out. But apparently his brothers believed it wouldn’t be fair for them to have one and he didn’t, so here they were. On the Marauder with a cake and some gifts and a very happy Omega jumping around him, preparing for him to blow away the candles. It was silly, but seeing her happy, after almost a month of sulking after you, made Echo happy as well. 

He couldn’t lie, your presence was missed. It was weird to do it, without you and a part of him was angry at you that you didn’t even try to come. But the rational part knew that he had no right to be angry. He did it by himself. He made you distance yourself from the team and you probably just did what he wanted. After all, you always did. 

“Make a wish” Omega giggled and he rolled his eyes blowing the candles. He didn’t know what to wish for. Maybe some piece, maybe Rox to join them, Crosshair to come back, or making the Empire vanish. But he was scared to admit that right at his moment he was happy and he had everything he would wish for. Almost. You weren’t there, but it was something he got used to by now, as hard as it was. “What did you wish for?” He chuckled and ruffled her hair making her laugh even more at that. 

“We all got you something. Nothing big as you know the money is tight but…” Hunter extended a bag towards him and Echo sent them all a small smile in thanks. They were new gun holders he once spoke about. His old ones weren’t holding up so well and he mentioned Hunter about new ones a while ago. He couldn’t believe his brother actually believed it. He hugged each one of them separately and then was met with Tech. 

Echo tried to work things up with his brother. He apologized for being snappy, but he could still feel that Tech was holding something up against him. They didn’t come back to the way it was before that night and Echo knew that he was to blame for that. So it surprised him to see Tech holding another box in his hands. 

“I…” He coughed awkwardly and Echo raised his brow, waiting patiently. “I was already working on it for a while, so I guess I can just give it to you as a birthday gift.” The younger Clone shifted uncomfortably and extended the bag towards, unable to even look Echo in the eyes. 

He hated doing it. He hated that he had to lie to Echo, he despised the fact that he had to lie to himself as well, and what was worse he hated the fact that his stupid brother would never know of your contribution to this amazing gift. He looked at Hunter who nodded slightly. Of course he knew. He felt something was off, the same day, Tech was back from your flat with the finished hand in a bag. 

“You’re back earlier this time.” Tech turned to meet Hunter, leaning at the entrance to the cockpit, his eyes looking at the bag Tech brought with him. “What did you get there?” 

“I promised her no-one would know.” Tech mumbled, sitting in his chair, staring with almost hatred at the bag. He heard Hunter walking closer, and seating next to him, waiting for him to continue. “I mean I promised her he wouldn’t know.” 

“Who? And about what?” Sergeant asked, his brow raising, worried to hear the worst. Fearing that what he believed was definitely not happening between you and Tech, was actually happening and poor Echo was right. He was already preparing himself for the talk with his brother about loyalty, when Tech opened the bag (after looking around to make sure no one was there) and Hunter’s eyes widened seeing what was inside. “Is that?” 

“A Machno-hand, yes. A very expensive, well-made specially for Echo. A machno-hand made by Y/n for Echo. A machno-hand I helped her program to fit specially for Echo.” Hunter stared at the prosthetic and even he knew it was not something small. He remembered Rex once mentioning Skywalker's hand and how complex that thing was. “It’s one of the most advanced things I ever saw and she built it all by herself. She even added electrostatic fingertips to it. It’s way more advanced than what Skywalker once had.” 

“Is that why you went to her all that time?” 

“She built the hand all by herself”, he repeated and sighed, closing and hiding the box, so no one would find it. “But she wasn’t able to run through the sensory impulses issues, so she asked me to help her.” Hunter sighed and leaned back finally understanding what was happening, at least starting to. 

“So why have you never told any of us? Never told Echo?” 

“She wanted it to be a gift. So she asked me to work in secret on it. Especially after Echo started to act like a complete di’kut.” Hunter’s head snapped towards his brother. It wasn’t like Tech never swore, but it wasn’t often he used that language against one of his brothers. “Even after he hurt her, she still wanted him to have it. She won’t give it to him, because she knows he wouldn’t accept it that way. So… So she made me promise I will give it to him as a gift from me… She even prepared all this shit for his party. She wants him to have it. She’ll bake a cake and give it to us, but she won’t come. I don’t understand that, Hunter. How could she do all that and not want any recognition?” Hunter smiled sadly at his brother. Tech was a genius but emotions were something he always took a while longer to progress. Especially something as deep as what you felt towards Echo. Hunter knew Tech loved you the same way he loved his brothers. You two had a special bond that no other would understand and Hunter wasn’t surprised that this shift between you and Echo has affected Tech the most. 

“She was never really up for the recognition, not when it comes to making something for us. What Y/N feels for Echo is something much deeper than any of us would be able to understand. She loves him deeply and knowing her, she would do anything to make him happy, even if that made her miserable.” 

“She said the same thing.” Hunter nodded and clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Part of me wants to tell Echo the truth, but I promised her and she was already betrayed by enough Clones.” Sergeant sighed and nodded. He wasn’t about to give Tech any answers. It was his decision that he needed to make. But whatever was the outcome he would support him in it. 

“Tech…” Echo started, making the younger Clone look at him the first time today. “This is…” He took the prosthetic out of the box and gawked at it. 

“It will take a while for you to get used to it, especially with the new touch receptors added to it. Of course it would not feel like a real hand, but if General Skywalker was able to work around it, I’m sure you should be able to as well.” In any other situation, Tech would be thrilled to see his brother in such awe at his piece of work. But not this time. Not when he knew deep down, whatever Echo felt now should not be directed towards him. 

“That looks awesome, Tech!” Wrecker shouted, looking at Echo’s new prosthetic. “Is that why you were off the last month all the time?” Echo’s head snapped at him and Tech was very close in actually punching Wrecker in the face. It was going well, really well, until he opened his mouth. 

“I thought you were hanging out with Y/N?” Echo asked, putting the gift away for now, frowning at his brother, who looked uncomfortable at the moment, almost as if he was trying to hide something. The one thing that all the Clones shared was how awful they were at lying. He knew Rex sucked at it, so did Fives and seeing Tech now, if he wasn’t as confused now, he would consider it comedic. 

“I was”, he started, sharing a look with Hunter, who seemed as awkward as his brother and Echo had a really bad feeling about it. Something in his stomach twisted and he felt momentarily sick. He was afraid to even keep on asking further on. “I… I used her lab to work on it. I wanted it to be a surprise.” He quickly answered, but Echo didn’t buy it. He could see in the corner of his eyes, how Wrecker and Omega were looking almost as lost as he was feeling. “What’s going on Hunter?” The Sergeant sighed and patted Tech on the shoulder, giving him the look. 

There was no way of keeping it up. The more it kept on going the more damage it would cause to the group and this Hunter wanted to avoid. The relationship between Tech and Echo was already way worse than he would like to accept and as much as he loved you, he could not let that dictate the dynamic between his brothers. 

“Come on Wrecker, Omega, let them talk”, he turned and left the ship, taking the two, still confused, away leaving the two brothers in the room together. It was quiet and awkward and none of them wanted to even start the conversation. Echo was too afraid to hear what he feared from the beginning and Tech didn’t want to break the promise he gave to you. It was all messed up. 

“She misses you”, Echo turned towards Tech, his fists clenched in anger. One mention of you and he was already on edge. “She doesn’t sleep much, and even if she does, she cries herself to sleep and even then she keeps on working on that thing.” The ARC Trooper’s eyes widened at the implication. The fist unclenched and the anger that was growing inside of his stomach subsided. “She promised me I wouldn’t tell you.”

“Well, that didn’t work.” Echo murmured, falling on the chair behind him, expecting the conversation to take a while. 

“She was afraid that if you found out she made that, you wouldn’t want to take it.” Echo closed his eyes and sighed to himself, the image of you once again in front of his eyes. Something he learned to ignore for the past month. “She’s really talented, you know? I was really impressed when she showed me the prosthetic. I always knew she was quite good with mechanics but this is on a completely different level. So when she asked me to help her with the neuro-lining I was happy to help her.” 

“Of course you were!” Both of them froze at Echo’s words. He didn’t mean to say them out loud, especially not with that anger in his voice. He hated that part of him the most. The jealous type that didn’t even have any rights to be one. You weren’t his, and Tech did nothing wrong in being interested in you. But it still hurts that you chose his brother. It hurt more than whatever they did to him in Skako Minor. “I’m sorry Tech, I know I have no right to be angry, but I can’t help what I feel.” 

“I don’t understand.” The younger Clone stared at his brother with a true misunderstanding in his eyes. It was the second time he was forced to say it to someone and he truly hated to admit not knowing something. “I don’t know what happened that night. I do not understand why you ignored Y/N and why you are so angry with me. I do know that you have hurt her and seeing it now, you are hurting yourself as well.” 

“You think it's easy to look at the two of you?” Echo raised his voice, looking down on the floor, unable to meet his brother's calculating eyes. “Maker’s sake, Tech. I love her OK? What do you think it felt like when I saw you two snuggling in that lab with her!” 

“Snuggling?” Tech was so shocked with Echo’s choice of words, that he missed his brother’s declaration of feelings for you. “We never snuggled! She hugged me as a thank you, when I agreed to help her.” 

“Bullshit!” Echo stood up and looked at his brother in anger, taking a step closer towards him. “She looked so happy! Her eyes shined so brightly! Do not bullshit me and…” 

“You really are a di'kut” Tech sighed, also standing up to be on the eye level with his brother, finally understanding what was happening. “She was happy because she would be able to finish something she was working so hard on and something that would probably make you happy.” He stared right at Echo’s eyes and fought with himself not to roll his eyes and the stupidity of the whole situation. “What you thought you saw that night is just your mind playing tricks on your uncertainties. I am actually surprised you were so blind for all this time we’ve known her!” Echo was fighting with himself not to punch his little brother right now. He knew that it wouldn’t be a good idea. He promised himself that his feelings for you would never come between his brothers and so he listened to his brother, clenching his fist to try and control his anger. “I won’t lie to you, Echo. I do love her, but this feeling doesn’t differ from what I feel towards you all or Omega. I see her as a sister and a dear friend of mine. I can guarantee that she feels the same way towards me.” 

“You don’t know that! You…” 

“She loves you Echo”, the tenderness of Tech’s voice took Echo off guard. “And not in that Platonic way she feels towards all of us. She loves you so much that she’s ready to suffer only to know that you’re happy. She made me promise to tell you that gift is from me, because she knew you wouldn’t accept it any other way. She made you that cake, knowing that she would not see you taste it. And you know how she loves to see us react to her cooking.” Echo listened, not believing what his brother was saying. This wasn’t true. This could not have been true, because if it was then he was indeed the biggest di’kut in the whole damn Galaxy. And what’s worse he hurt you, he was the reason you cried as Tech said. You cried because of him. “Not to mention that she worked her ass off to even afford all the parts for that prosthetic hand of yours. I watched her work on that thing, knowing she wouldn’t be able to see your reaction, she did all this knowing you would never realize that it was her doing.”

“Stop, please…” 

“No, you will listen to me, Echo and listen good!” Tech, pushed his brother back onto the wall and towered over him. His eyes pointed directly at him, anger boiling inside of him. Echo never saw his brother like that, the always stoic Tech, was now fuming, protecting his sister’s fragile heart. “She cried and clenched to me when you ignored her all that time. Her bloodshot eyes are still haunting me, that lack of that smile we all love so much. Her heart ached for you. She cried not understanding what she’s done. There was never a time when she would blame you. All that time, she tried so desperately to find a flow in herself for why you just stopped talking to her. We all tried to understand, we all lost her, because you were jealous!” He shouted angrily, poking his hand at Echo’s chest, fighting with himself not to punch his square in the face. 

“I fucked up, I know” he started, not even fighting against Tech, knowing damn well that he deserved everything that Tech was throwing at him. “I wasn’t thinking straight. I saw the two of you and all the insecurities came crashing down. You said it yourself, that I'm barely human!” Tech frowned and took a step back hearing desperation and pain in his brother’s voice. “I never thought I was good enough for her. She deserves so much more, she deserves someone much better than me. I know what I did was unfair, but I was scared. Because the one time I let myself actually feel vulnerable with someone it turned out that she preferred my brother. At least that’s what I thought.” He looked away ashamed at himself. “I hurt her, I hurt all of you. I was a complete dick towards you Tech, for which I apologize. But I was so angry, so damn hurt that I wasn’t thinking straight. Please tell me I didn’t fuck this up.” 

Tech felt bad for his brother. He really did. Maybe he was to blame for this whole situation in some way. When he told Echo about him being mostly a machine, he would never have guessed that it would have had such an impact on the man and his self esteem. He watched him now and just couldn’t find words to assure him that there was nothing he would do, that would make you hate him. And he would always have a second chance with you. And he knew that, but he wasn’t going to be the one telling Echo this. He has done enough. 

“There’s only one way to see that.”

***

He was scared. He was never scared. He wasn’t afraid at the Citadel, he didn’t feel any fear in the Skako Minor, he didn’t feel lost when he left with the Bad Batch after he was saved by Rex. And yet here he was in front of your doors actually terrified. So anxious about your reaction, about the possible rejection, that he actually expects from you. He would be an idiot if he didn’t prepare himself for that. He hurt you, left you alone because he was scared and jealous. 

He looked down at his hand and smiled softly. It took another week after his talk with Tech to come here. He wanted to see you with his new hand, with your beautiful gift being a part of him. And so he took this time with Tech to make it part of him and he woke up everyday more and more amazed at what you did for him. Tech did try to explain the mechanics behind it, but Echo didn’t even pretend that he understood any of it. The solemn thing that you were able to make him feel things again with that hand made him the happiest man alive. And it was time to finally deal with all these things and feelings he was too much of a coward to deal with. And so he knocked, feeling his heart beating alarmingly fast. He smiled when he heard footsteps behind the doors, hoping to greet you how he was supposed to do for the past 50 days when he ignored you. 

“Echo?” His heart dropped seeing you. Your voice was so quiet, you looked tired and so sad, almost terrified to see him. “What… What are you doing here? Is everything alright? Is the team OK? Are… are you OK?” Of course, you’d ask. Of course, you’d care for him and the squad. Despite it all you’ve never changed. 

He had all this speech ready for when he saw you and now, when you were there in front of him he was feeling dumb. There you were with your messy hair in a long ponytail, with no makeup and nothing fancy to wear. He liked you like that the most. You looked so relaxed and beautiful to him, that if he would ever have to choose how he would like to remember you, it was like that. Of course without the tiredness on your face, or sadness in your eyes. 

“Everything is fine, Y/N”, he nervously looked away, scratching at the back of his neck, unable to remember anything he prepared to tell you. “I… Would you give me 10 minutes of your time?” You frowned and looked at him, freezing when you noticed the hand. Your eyes widened and couldn’t help the sad smile that decorated your lips. You stood there for a while, and he was getting nervous that you would not let him step in. But you opened your door more and welcomed him in, walking back into your living room, silently inviting him in. 

He looked around and smiled to himself. Nothing has changed. It was more messy than he expected but well… you didn’t expect any guests so who was he to judge. He also missed the smell of something baking or cooking that was always present in your flat. But seeing how tired you were, he was sure you didn’t feel like doing anything. 

“I had a whole speech prepared, believe it or not”, he chuckled nervously, shifting from one leg to another. “But seeing you now I just…” He looked at you and his smile widened, fully seeing what you were wearing. “Is that my shirt?” He cursed himself when your eyes widened in horror, looking down, realization striking you. You were indeed wearing his shirt. Something you did when the days were a bit too much or when you just missed him. To your luck, of course, today had to be the day when you wore it and Echo decided to show up, for whatever reason. 

“I will wash it and I’ll give it back”, your voice sounded so small, steering something unpleasant inside of him. 

“No, please… It’s fine. It suits you, you look cute.” You blushed and looked away and it gave Echo some kind of hope that maybe you didn’t hate him fully yet. “Listen, I don’t really know where to start. I’m not sure if a thank you or I’m sorry should be the first ones.” You frowned and tilted your head, looking at him. He was looking at you with so much hope, with something you haven’t seen in him since that dinner at your place. The last time you were able to have him, see him, talk to him. Just be with him. 

“I don’t understand…” 

“The cake was delicious”, he interrupted you, smiling faintly trying to organize his thoughts. “Wrecker got sick of eating too much and I really loved how you added lemon cream in there.” You smiled gently and he noticed how you started to nervously play with your fingers. You were never this nervous in front of him before and he hated himself for that. “And I don’t think I would ever be able to show you my gratitude for this.” he wiggled fingers of his right hand at you and you opened your mouth to say something, but nothing coherent seemed to come out. “This is the best thing I have ever gotten from anyone and I can’t even comprehend how much it cost you. The money, the time, the nerves. Mesh’la this was such a lovely gift.” He didn’t miss the way your eyes landed on him again, hearing the endorsement that you loved to hear from him. 

“I asked Tech not to tell you.” You finally mumbled and looked down at your hands. 

“He didn’t at first. Don’t be mad at him, he… he cares about you deeply. All of us do, you know?” 

“All of you?” He cursed under his breath hearing your question. That was a low blow, but he did deserve it, he knew. Of course you’d doubt his words. After all he has hurt you, he gave up on the two of you, before there was even a chance for something more. He deserved all the hatred and angry words, but none came. But the one thing he hated the most did come. Your soft sobs had cut through the silence and he heard his heart breaking into pieces. You were crying, because of him. Again. 

“Mesh’la.”

“Please don’t call me that… Not when…” You finally looked up and he took a step back seeing the pain in your teary eyes. Pain directed at him, directed at his past actions and into the uncertainty of the future that he brought with him, coming to see you. “What are you doing here, Echo? You haven’t talked to me for over a month. You ignored me, made me feel like I was no one to you. You just decided to cut me off from your life in one night. What have I ever done for you to do something so cruel?” Your voice raised and he realized it was just a build up frustration that finally had an opportunity to free itself. Did you come here to see me broken? Then you have brilliant timing. You’re surprised why I have your shirt on? Because it is the last reminder of you. The last thing that reminds me that you were a part of my life. Before… Before you just left with no explanation whatsoever. Do you have any idea what that did to me, Echo? Do you know how hard it is to live with yourself knowing that a man you once loved hates you?” He gasped hearing you say it out loud and despised himself for the fact that the first time you said it was because you were in pain and angry and oh, so broken. It wasn’t supposed to be like that. “So if you’re here only to thank me for that gift then you are welcome, Echo. I hope it works well for you, then you can leave. Because it isn’t easy for me to get you out of my mind and heart. 

“I did want to apologize, and I think I should have started with that.” He took a step forward and froze when you took a step back, shaking your head, not having enough in you to let him get close. “I’m so sorry, Mes…Y/N!” he screwed his eyes closed and took a deep breath. “That night was supposed to be so special, you know? I had so many plans for it. I wanted to finally ask you out, show my appreciation of you. I wanted to show you how important you were to me, how you changed me and I wished to have you see how much I care for you, How much I…” He smiled sadly and met your eyes. “How much I love you”, your eyes widened at his words and even more tears started to flow from your reddened eyes. “I can’t even describe how important you are to me and how I wished for whatever we had, had moved up the notch. I wanted to be able to call you mine, to sit here with you without trying to find a reason to. I wanted to hold you in my arms and never let you go, but I fucked up.” 

“What did I do, Echo?” 

“Nothing, cyare!” This time you didn’t move back when he took a step closer. “You did nothing! It was all me. Me and my insecurities. I…FUCK!” He hissed and started to nervously walk around. He wasn’t good with words. He was a soldier, talking about his feelings was never easy. No one ever taught him how to do it. And he never hated Kamino more than he did now, for not having any simple lessons for the Clones, about the importance of feelings. “Even before the Citadel, I never thought I would ever find anyone who would like to spend their time with me, romantically. I believed we Clones didn't have the luxury of having loved ones. I never felt worthy of someone’s love. I am a clone, a lab rat, a tool used to..” 

“Echo, please don’t say that.” He turned to you and chuckled softly in disbelief. Here you were, despite the fact that he hurt you so much, you were still protecting him. He shook his head and sighed deeply. 

“Look at you! Can you be even more perfect? Maker, I broke your heart and you still find it in you to protect me from myself. Do you know, do you have any idea how hard it was for me not to fall for you? In my eyes you are so perfect, so lovely, so charming, so damn beautiful and I’m… I’m not even human anymore. Not fully at least.” He walked towards you and took your face between hands, making you gasp feeling his touch on you. “I would have never believed that someone like you would ever be able to love me back. So when I finally felt courageous enough to ask you out… I… I saw you hugging Tech and something in me snapped. Any resemblance of wanting to feel normal, collapsed. I closed myself off and just gave up. I…” 

“There has never been and never will be anything between me and Tech.” You whispered, your hand cupping his left hand and he exhaled happily, to feel that little touch from you. 

“ I know now. I talked to Tech. I… Please…” You gasped when he kneeled down and pulled you towards him, his head laying on your stomach. “Please tell me that my insecurities didn’t fuck this up. Tell me that you have it in you to forgive me. I beg you, tell me I still have a chance of having you to myself. Please, Mesh’la, please forgive me and let me show you how much I truly love and care for you.” 

You stood there, unable to comprehend what just happened. For over a month you’ve been hoping and dreaming about this moment. Hoping for even a minute to see Echo and be able to talk to him, to know what has happened. You cried for him and wanted him so badly. But most importantly you wanted to know that he was OK, and he was happy, even if it made you miserable. You longed for him and now here he was. On his knees, begging you to forgive him and how wouldn’t you. You knew of his insecurities, he told you about how he wasn’t feeling 100% men and you were so mad when he told you what Tech told him about his machinery. But this never bothered you. He was still Echo, your Echo. Your precious, kind hearted ARC Trooper who loved to spend his evening on your couch, talking about whatever the future would bring or telling you of all these places he saw when he was in the 501st. 

“Echo, get up, please.” He shook his head, and pulled you even closer, afraid to let you go. As if he would never be able to hold you again. “Come on, I can’t kiss you when you're down there.” His head shot up and you couldn’t help but giggle at how fast he was back on his feet. 

“You… You don’t hate me?” 

“Hate you? Echo, my love, I love you so deeply. All of you, even your silly insecurities. Do you know why?” He shook his head, looking at you like you were some kind of magical creature. “Because all of this makes you, the Echo I fell for and the man I love. So of course I forgive you, but in one condition.” He connected his forehead with yours and nodded, closing his eyes in delight. 

“Anything, cyare, anything you want, it's yours.” You chuckled and looked him in the eyes. 

“If you ever feel jealous again, how about you talk to me, before going MIA, OK?” He laughed at that and before you were able to do anything more, he crashed his lips with yours in a desperate, beautiful and so longed for kiss. First of many to come between the two of you. 

[adigressivedullard]

I have created an account just for bad batch fics. If anybody wants to take a look, I've posted two parts of an ongoing Tech work, @techtalksfics.

I'll take requests if anybody has any for any of the Bad Batch or to be fair anyone from the Clone Wars.

[clonesuperiority]

I'm not sure if it's canon that hunters face tattoo continues further down, but I came across @lornaka s take on hunters tattoos and really wanted to give it a try myself :3

[techtalksfics]

Headcanons - Sleeping Habits (Alone & with S/O)

Tech (Alone)

Do they find it easy to fall asleep? This clone, oh boy; he does not fall asleep easy. With a mind like his, he is constantly honed in on his current project and the next project and the other after that. He falls asleep when he is truly exhausted and often in odd positions and places. We already know he falls asleep on chairs in the cockpit. His bed is often covered in wires and tech, so he rarely sleeps there.

Do they stay asleep once they’re out? Short answer: no. Tech’s mind is filled with so much information, so many thoughts and there is so much Tech wants to accomplish. So when he wakes up in the night, his mind immediately gets back to work.

Do they have any strange sleeping habits? Tech probably falls asleep and talks to himself in his sleep. Talks about his projects, talks about things he read. Mixed with some gentle snoring when he’s truly asleep. Nobody says anything to him about it. It’s quiet and they can put up with.

Do they sleep with anything? He sleeps with his gear and we already know he sleeps with wires and gear around him.

Tech (With S/O)

Do they find it easy to fall asleep? I think he’d sleep more with a partner beside him. They’d drag him to bed and he’d happily comply.

Do they cuddle? Tech secretly loves when you cuddle into him whilst you’re asleep. He’ll wrap his arms around you and sigh contentedly as you dream, probably of him. He loves being the big spoon in bed, he loves the feeling of being pressed against you. He loves to make you feel safe and keep you warm on cold nights.

Do they wake up in the night? If he does, he simply watches you sleep and smiles softly at you when you talk to yourself or snore gently beside him. He’ll watch you until he drifts off again.

Do they enjoy being woken up by sexual acts? He loves being woken up by kisses to his face, neck and chest. The contact makes his whole body tingle and there’s a happy numbness that spreads through him. He’ll pretend to be asleep longer, just so he can enjoy your ministrations longer. When he wakes, he’ll pull you to him and enjoy the sloppy morning sex that follows.

Wrecker (Alone)

Do they find it easy to fall asleep? Yes. Definitely yes. After a mission, he’ll flop into his bed and cuddle up to his Lula and fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. The big guy values his sleep as they are often awake for long periods of time during missions and the poor guy gets pretty exhausted easily.

Do they stay asleep once they’re out? Once he’s out, he’s out. He doesn’t have alarms, he’ll sleep until he wakes naturally or until he’s woken by the others for a mission or briefing or simply because he’s been asleep for such a long time.

Do they have any strange sleeping habits? Other than sleeping with Lula? No, he’s out like a light. He snores loudly, waking the others on occasion. But snoring is perfectly normal.

Do they sleep with anything? Lula. Lula. Lula. He may also have weapons or food either beside or in his bed which I suppose would be odd if he wasn’t Wrecker. But as he loves to blow things up, it’s probably a normal occurrence.

Wrecker (With S/O)

Do they find it easy to fall asleep? Even more so with a significant other. He loves to pick you up and carry you to bed when he’s tired. Simply because he loves having you by his side. He’ll pick you up even if you’re in conversation with Tech or Hunter or Echo. When it’s time for bed, for him, it’s time for bed for both of you.

Do they cuddle? We all know that Wrecker is definitely a cuddle bug. He loves it when you lie on him or cuddle into him when he’s fallen asleep. Secretly, he loves being the little spoon. Even though he’s so large and it’s difficult to reach around him fully, he loves the feeling of you holding on to him. He feels cherished and loved as the little spoon. But for practicality, he’s probably the big spoon more often than not and he still loves it.

Do they wake up in the night? With you by his side, he sleeps soundly. You probably wake up more than he does and you love how peaceful he looks when he sleeps. He has soft features and a gentle smile on his lips as he dreams.

Do they enjoy being woken up by sexual acts? Definitely yes. Particularly when you decide to play with his dick. Palming him through his pants, playing with the sensitive skin of his lower body before reaching in and playing with him until he’s hard. He also likes to pretend to be asleep whilst you do this and he’ll fully wake and immediately play with your breasts before pulling off your bottoms and taking you immediately.

Echo (Alone)

Do they find it easy to fall asleep? Echo stays up at night, traumatised by his time on Skako. He thinks about what happened to him, what they did to him. He eventually drifts off when he’s too tired to think anymore.

Do they stay asleep once they’re out?  No, our poor baby is riddled with nightmares. He’ll wake in a sweat and breath heaving in his chest. He’ll sit up and control his breathing, reminding himself that he’s safe and with his new brothers. Before Skako, sleep came easy to him.

Do they have any strange sleeping habits? Another big talker in his sleep. But his words are tortured and filled with pleas for safety, for the torturous things to stop. He tosses and turns in his sleep, fidgets constantly.

Do they sleep with anything? No. His bed is always well made and he doesn’t like to keep things on his bed beyond a pillow and a blanket. He likes a clean place to sleep and doesn’t deviate from the norm of the regs. Sometimes, with the Bad Batch, his bed may be a little messier but he still doesn’t like having things around him.

Echo (With S/O)

Do they find it easy to fall asleep? He finds it easier to sleep with you snuggled against him. His thoughts are more focused on you. You keep him grounded. He’ll stroke your back to remind him that he’s loved and he’s okay.

Do they cuddle? He’s less of a cuddler than his brothers. He’s shy and nervous because of he’s more machine than man now. You tell him it doesn’t bother you but he remains cautious because he doesn’t want to accidentally hurt you. He’ll always be self-conscious and concerned.

Do they wake up in the night? He still wakes up in a sweat because of the nightmares. He’ll sit up and calm himself, but he’ll look down at you sleeping soundly and smile. His world is different now. Sometimes you’ll wake when he does because he’ll call out and it unnerves you. You’ll sit up with him and hold him, stroking his back to soothe him and he loves you for it. It’ll calm him and he’ll fall back to sleep, holding you tightly.

Do they enjoy being woken up by sexual acts? He certainly shyer than the others about it and he’ll wake immediately when he feels you touching him. He’ll groan quietly at your ministrations and roll over so that he can touch you too. He’ll start by stroking your waist and will slowly work his hand to your thighs and then reach between your legs. If you’re wet for him, he’ll be on top of you in seconds.

Hunter (Alone)

Do they find it easy to fall asleep? Hunter’s sleep is a bit more erratic. Sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it’s not. If there’s something going on with Omega, he’ll be awake for hours finding his ways of helping her. If there is nothing wrong, no missions, he’ll simply lie down and let himself drift off.

Do they stay asleep once they’re out? Hunter will stay asleep but wakes up at the right time each day. Sometimes he’s woken by Omega, but he’ll go back to sleep when everything is okay.

Do they have any strange sleeping habits? Hunter has less strange habits than his brothers. He snores on occasion but not as loudly as the others. He’ll sometimes cuddle his pillow, just for a sense of security.

Do they sleep with anything? An extra pillow? Maybe? He’s not one for attachments to objects like Wrecker and his Lula. His heightened senses tends to stop him from having objects in his bed as he sleeps at night. Occasionally, he will have his PADD with him so he can do some research for a mission or to catch up on the matters happening on Coruscant.

Hunter (With S/O)

Do they find it easy to fall asleep? It’s easier for him to sleep with you by his side. He thinks less about his missions or concerns. He likes to just lie there with you and think of all the things naughty things you do together. It keeps him calm and relaxed so he drifts off just after you.

Do they cuddle? He loves to hold you. His heightened senses made the experience even more special to him, more intense. Sometimes he would get hard simply from feeling your ass pressed against him as he holds you. Sometimes when you wriggle in the night, he would get even harder and wake you up so you could help him with his problem.

Do they wake up in the night? No, not at all. He is so content in being with you that he will remain asleep until his designated wake up time. Sometimes he wouldn’t wake up when he was supposed to, simply because he loves the quiet, alone moments he gets with you. Also, Omega knows better than to interrupt those moments.

Do they enjoy being woken up by sexual acts? He adores it when he feels you gently stroking his chest with your fingernails. Sometimes your fingers would dip lower and lower down his stomach, teasing him. Trying to get him to wake. When he finally wakes from his slumber, he’ll begin with by stroking your face softly, a smile on his lips. Before he would immediately dip his fingers in between your legs, finding you to be absolutely wet and ready for him.

[cc--2224]

Comfort

Pairing: Tech x Reader

Summary: You planned the perfect Life Day trip for yourself and Tech, positive that everything will go perfectly. When it doesn't, Tech is able to cheer you up and comfort you.

Warnings: Perhaps a touch of angst but it's generally all fluff

Notes: This was written for the Life Day Fic exchange @cloneficgiftexchange for @clone-anon HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Prompts: I tried to use them all as best as I could but as requested - first life day together || stuck in a storm and forehead kisses || "wait, please don't go" || one bed trope next morning with "is it weird I'm comfortable"

Word Count: ~1.9k

Read on AO3 Here

Taglist: None, let me know if you'd like to be added!

You always loved to celebrate the holidays with your friends and loved ones and knowing that this would be your first Life Day with Tech made you even more excited. You had a tendency to go a little overboard with preparations, but one of the first things Tech noticed about you was how much fun you had making plans; whether it was briefing before a mission, or even something as small as going to the best markets for supplies and rations. He began to love how much thought you’d put into everything you did.

But when you approached him about spending the holidays together, he was a little apprehensive. He and his brothers had never done anything for Life Day, it wasn't something the Kaminoans ever observed, and during the war it was the last thing on anyone’s mind, so he wasn't sure exactly what he was supposed to do. He relaxed when you had told him that you would handle everything, and eventually agreed.

The first thing you decided on was renting out a small cabin. You decided on a room with two beds, making sure there would be plenty of room for both of you to be comfortable. You hadn't been together very long, there was the occasional hug or kiss on the cheek, but you hadn't quite been able to broach the topic of cuddling with a man who was very protective over his space, so for a first Life Day, this was a better option.

The activities were next. You always loved spending the day before Life Day venturing out and looking at the decorations people had. Festive string lights, standees or statues of Wookiees in red robes, holiday candies, you loved when people went all out, and you always enjoyed being able to share that with the people you love. Even if it was cold, snow was always welcome, a gentle snowfall always made this time extra special. And then when you'd get home after seeing all the beautiful decorations, you'd always put on a holofilm to enjoy with your loved ones as a relaxing way to end the day.

You also made sure that, while it wasn't necessary, you had a gift for Tech. It was difficult to shop for him, but you knew it was worth it. The market stalls you visited didn't seem to have much that really stood out, not for Tech anyway. You wanted his gift to be special. He seemed like the type of person who, if you were to ask what to get him, he would list things he needed to make repairs to the Marauder, and while you'd happily buy them for him if that's what he truly wanted, it didn't seem like a good enough gift. He deserved something to use for himself rather than to use to work on the ship. You had soon passed by a shop with some newer devices, including a datapad that had just become commercially available. You knew Tech had always been fiddling with his, and you'd heard him complain about it more than once, so in your indecision of what to get him, you decided to at least start there. It seemed easier to buy something for the others than it was for Tech; a Loth cat stuffy for Wrecker, a new knife for Hunter, and a seemingly endless box of toothpicks for Crosshair.

But, with all of that out of the way, you could really focus on finalizing your plans for your time with Tech, and when Life Day finally rolled around, you felt completely prepared for it, and your excitement was palpable. Even Tech seemed excited, though you weren't sure how much of it was excitement rather than curiosity.

The morning of your reservation at the cabin, the others dropped you and Tech off, sending you with their best wishes and reminding you to comm them when you wanted to be picked up.

Before you left the ship, Hunter pulled you aside. "Something seems off today. It feels like a storm's coming. I hope it doesn't mess up your plans, but... just be careful, and comm us when you want us to come get you."

You tried not to take his warning to heart, you knew he was probably right, but you didn't want to think about anything getting in the way of your plans. With a quick nod and reassuring smile, you left the Marauder with Tech following behind you.

Hunter's warning was only the first of your problems. The second was the cabin itself.

It was a beautiful location, and when you opened the door, it seemed welcoming and comfortable, but perhaps a little too cozy.

Heat flooded your cheeks as you noticed the lack of a second bed, and panic began setting in at the thought of making Tech uncomfortable.

"I swear, I requested two beds! I even double checked when they confirmed it I-"

Tech shrugged. "It must have been a mistake on their part. Or perhaps, they had assumed any couple reserving a place to stay would only want one bed."

"I promise I will fix this, I'm so sorry." You couldn't begin to express your embarrassment. Tech didn't seem to notice, he just walked in and set his bags down before exploring the rest of the cabin.

He turned back to you, "I really do not mind, it is likely a busy time for them. You don't have to apologize."

He offered you a small smile before walking back toward you.

You returned the smile, but you began to feel crushed that your plans had already begun to fall apart.

Tech had never been great at recognizing your emotions, or his own for that matter, but this once he could see that you were genuinely upset. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close to his chest.

“It is okay, Mesh’la, I promise.”

You sighed against his chest and returned the hug, feeling as though your worries were melting away from you, when you suddenly remembered that you had bought a present for him.

He looked down at you when he heard you gasp, and you grinned and ran to your bag to pull out a box wrapped to near perfection in bright paper.

“What is this?” He asked when you held the box out to him.

“Your present!”

His smile faded, “Present? But I... I did not get anything for you in return.”

“That’s not important, you’re here, and that’s all I wanted. Now open it!” Your last statement, as demanding as it sounded, pulled his smile back as he meticulously fiddled with the paper, trying not to tear it.

You watched on in amusement, incredibly aware that this was likely the first Life Day present he’d ever received, just by the way he was pulling at the paper. When he finally freed the box from its wrapping, he opened it and peered inside briefly before pulling the datapad out.

“Well...?” You asked. “Is it okay?”

He examined the datapad closely, his expression unreadable. You could feel your anxiety slowly starting to return when he finally spoke.

“It will need to be re-programmed to be compatible with my equipment and the Marauder, however, this is a wonderful present. Re-programming it will be no trouble at all.”

You breathed out a sigh, “I’m glad. You’re remarkably difficult to shop for, I hope you know that.”

He smiled slightly, “You did not need to get me anything at all, just to spend this time with you is satisfactory. May I ask what else you have planned?”

“Well, one thing that I always liked to do with my family was to go out and look at the decorations, so maybe while the weather is still nice, we could--” You cut yourself off as you turned toward the window. You could hardly see to the end of the lane through all the snow, whatever it was like when you arrived only a short time ago had done a complete 180. The winds had nearly blown over the trees outside, and the sky seemed to have turned completely white with snow.

“I suppose this means we will stay indoors.” Tech suggested.

The disappointment you had felt when you arrived crept back into your chest. Nearly everything you had planned fell apart. Hunter had warned you that a storm was coming, but you tried not to believe him. You felt Tech’s arm drape around your shoulders, and you leaned into him.

“I’m sorry...” You mumbled, still looking out the window.

“You needn’t apologize, nothing that has happened has been your fault.”

You didn’t say anything back, instead you began to walk away, not wanting to look at the blizzard outside, and not wanting to wait around to see if Tech was disappointed. Before you could leave the room, you felt him grab your hand.

“Wait, please don’t go.”

“I just... I wanted this to be perfect, and now almost everything I planned has fallen through.” You looked down, disappointed. “I’ll just comm Hunter and ask him to pick us up.”

Tech pulled you toward him once more with your back against his chest, resting his head atop yours. “We do not need to leave yet. I am not the best person to speak on this matter, but not every single one of our plans needs to be perfect. You put the effort into making this a good experience, and I for one am just happy to be spending the time with you.” When you didn’t answer him, he turned you to face him, and he gently kissed your forehead. “I assure you; I am perfectly content to just be here right now.”

“Thank you, Tech...” You finally replied. “I’m sorry for getting upset.”

“You have nothing to apologize for” He reminded you once more. “Now, seeing as how we are snowed into this cabin, perhaps we can find a holofilm to watch and we can just relax for now.”

You nodded and nestled into his chest. “That sounds wonderful.”

Tech picked up the datapad he had just received and began finding something to watch as you made yourself comfortable on the bed, still making sure that there would be plenty of room between you. When he finally joined you, he looked at you expectantly, then lifted his arm as an invitation for you to come closer to him.

“Are you sure?” You asked, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

“Just come here.” He answered with a smile.

You scooted over to him and leaned into his chest, feeling his arm drape over your shoulders again. His warmth and the steadiness of his breath instantly comforted you. The film played, projected at the end of the bed, and before you knew it, you felt yourself drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, you opened your eyes, not even aware you had fallen asleep.

“Happy Life Day.” You heard from beside you. Tech’s goggles were off, and his tone sounded as though he had just woken up as well. His arms were still around you and he kissed you on the forehead again. When you tried to get up, his arms tightened around you.

“Let’s just lie in for a little longer. Perhaps it’s strange, but I am quite comfortable.”

While your trip had started out a little rockier than you anticipated, it had ended perfectly. Without asking, Tech had become almost a beacon of comfort to you, and all you could think about was how much you were looking forward to spending future holidays with him – only this time ensuring you had back-up plans.

[jedipoodoo]

Won the Break-Up (Tech x Reader)

This one shot does not contain spoilers for Season Two. Please do not discuss spoilers in reblogs/comments.

Notes: Tech thinks you're a catch. But so does your ex. Based on the new song "Lost The Breakup" by Maisie Peters. 79's, alcohol consumption, backhanded compliments and psychological warfare, The Return Of Kyle(TM)

This night at 79's would have been perfect. You were wearing your favorite dress, and the dance floor was crowded enough that you could dance like no one was watching. Not to mention someone else was paying for the drinks.

It would have been completely perfect...

...if it weren't for your ex.

He walked in with his new girlfriend and their little group of friends, and you rolled your eyes, ignoring them. You would not let their appearance ruin your night.

However, your ex had other ideas, and pushed and shoved his way through the crowd to stand in front of you, going so far as to wave his arm in front of your face when you tried your best to ignore him.

"Hey, it's been forever," Kyle smirked at you, hands casually in his pockets for that relaxed look.

"Hey," You nodded, breathless from dancing, "Never thought I'd see you here. Where's your girlfriend?" You couldn't help the venom in your voice as you tried not to throw a fit in public, but the douchebag had cheated on you. Civility had leaped out the window miles back.

He shrugged, "Eh, she's talking with her friends. I wanted to come over and talk to you."

So he still wasn't satisfied with cheating on you. He wanted to cheat on his new girl too. Your shoulders tensed as your hand clenched into a fist, but he didn't notice.

Kyle took a step towards you and jerked his chin in the direction of the bar.

"You want to get a drink together?" He asked. He ignored the people dancing around you as you sidestepped flailing elbows and extreme dippers.

"There you are, darling!"

You spun around with the biggest grin on your face to see Tech carrying two drinks over the heads of the crowd. His extra four inches certainly helped.

He smiled at you and handed you a glass, leaning down to speak in your ear above the noise of the crowd, "Just how you like it." He left a kiss on your temple, sticky from the alcohol in his own drink.

"Thanks Tech," You took a sip through the tiny straw, and the bright flavor danced over your tongue, sending laughter bubbling up from your chest.

"Who's this?" Kyle rudely exclaimed. Tech's free hand settled on your hip.

"Oh, right," You said, as if you had forgotten that Kyle was standing right there (who was to say you hadn't forgotten? Tech was standing right there, after all).

"Kyle, this is my boyfriend. Tech, you remember I told you about my ex, Kyle?"

"Harsh," Kyle muttered. You ignored him.

"Ah yes, the one with the close female friend?" Tech said, pulling you closer to him.

"It's nice to meet you Trent!" Kyle tried to regain control of the situation and stuck out his hand.

Tech stared at Kyle's hand for a moment, regarding it as he would Wrecker's underwear left strewn on the navigation console. He slowly removed his hand from your waist, but took a step in front of you to shield you from Kyle and grip his hand.'

You heard Kyle inhale sharply, and he quickly molded his wince into a half-there smirk. You snorted into your drink. Watching Tech staredown your ex was more intoxicating than a hundred drinks.

"Nice grip you got there, Trent," He shook out his hand.

"You know what they say; it's how you make a good first impression." Tech took a sip of his drink. You hadn't even realized it, but his arm was already around you again. You smiled into your glass.

Kyle "accidentally" stumbled forward in the crowd of dancers, tipping your glass too far forward so that it you almost inhaled it, sending the rest splashed over the front of your shirt.

The alcohol burned in your nose as you tried to snort it out, and Tech placed himself in between you and Kyle, quickly procuring a handkerchief to help you dry your face.

"Oh man," Kyle didn't sound super sorry, "Let me buy you a drink to make up for-"

Tech removed his jacket, wrapping it around your shoulders, "No need to worry. Accidents happen."

"Thank you, babe,"

"Of course," Tech kissed your forehead, leaving Kyle slack-jawed in the middle of his reply. Did the mir'sheb truly think you had been calling him by a pet name?

"Oh dear," Tech looked down at his comm, "That would be Hunter. He wanted to discuss the schematics we recovered from the Seperatist's new weapon."

Then Kyle had the audacity to place his hand on your arm, "Why don't we catch up for a while? This braniac couldn't possibly need you for all that junk."

Oh boy. Kyle had done it now. Tech's face was red, and you could fairly see the steam coming from his ears.

"Are you insinuating that she is not smart enough to understand what we will be discussing? When it is in fact the technology that she invented that was stolen by the Seperatists and co-opted for much more nefarious purposes?"

Tech swatted Kyle's hand away, "You are hardly fit to shine her shoes, much less hold a conversation with her!"

With that, Tech wrapped his arm around your shoulders, jacket and all, and ushered you out the door, leaving your glasses with a serving droid.

He stood tall and rigid, foot tapping impatiently as you waited for the taxi speeder. His arm never left your shoulders as you sat in the back seat, and your face grew warmer and warmer. You were hardly embarrassed, but watching Tech stand up for you the way he had with Kyle was undeniably hot.

"Are you alright?" He squeaked. It took a moment for you to realize he had been the one to ask you.

"What?"

"Did I overstep?" He asked. The speeder stopped in front of your apartment, and Tech paid the driver before helping you out. You held the lapels of his jacket with one hand to keep it close around you in the cool night air, but your other hand refused to let go of his.

"Not at all. He deserved it." You sighed, rolling your shoulders to relieve the tension.

"So, what did you think?"

"Your stories do not do justice to his weasely nature," Tech huffed, "The next time he approaches you, run. Come to me or someone else you trust, because I wouldn't even trust him with a secondhand chronometer."

You wrapped your arms around his, "Of course."

Tech glanced down at you with a small smile. You kept your head on his shoulder as he led you up to your apartment. There, your boyfriend helped you out of the jacket and out of your shoes, running you a warm bath to get the sticky alcohol off your skin. He'd even set out your most comfortable pajamas by the time you'd gotten out. When you found him in the kitchen, putting together a bowl of ice cream to split, he was wearing the matching set.

You thought back to long nights with Kyle. He was usually passed out on the couch every time you came out of the shower, some random holofilm on blast. If you dared to turn it off, he would snap that he'd been watching that and if you wanted to help you'd get him a snack or something.

This situation was one you much preferred.

You came up behind Tech, wrapping your arms around his waist and pressing your face against his back. Tech was used to this by now, and continued with his sundae construction as you recharged.

"I win," You said out loud.

"Hmm?" Tech asked, "What did you win?"

You gave a tug on his shirt and he turned in your arms so that he could face you. His arms were raised awkwardly like a scared hawk-bat, so that he wouldn't hit you with his elbow or the ice cream scoop.

"You," You said, resting your chin on his chest.

"Really?" Tech said. His face was carefully schooled to not give away any emotion, but his tone was teasing.

"Yes," You insisted, "I win."

Tech gently cupped your chin, tilting it upwards so that he could kiss you, pressing his plush lips against yours. He already tasted like the canned starcherries that he was fond of putting on top of his ice cream. You couldn't think of anything sweeter.

A moment later, Tech rested his forehead against yours, giving yourselves a moment to catch your breath.

"Well," He laughed softly, "I will strive to be a worthy prize."

You stretched upward on your tiptoes to kiss him again. The scoop clattered to the floor at his surprise, and his hands came up to cradle your face. You never wanted him to let go.

"You already are, Tech," You murmured against his lips before he stole another kiss, "You already are.

[ghostofskywalker]

May I please request something where the (gn preferably) reader breaks their glasses during a mission so tech makes them a pair of goggles like his?

anon this is actually the cutest idea ever and as someone whose eyesight is terrible without my contacts (i used to wear glasses but not as much anymore) i understand the struggle <3

words: 2,454

summary: when an accident on the marauder leaves you without your glasses for an unknown period of time, tech takes matters into his own hands and makes you a replacement pair of goggles that match his own.

clone troopers masterlist

Seeing Double

“Kriff!” you swore slightly louder than you originally wanted to, but in your defense, this situation warranted it.

“Everything okay?” Hunter’s voice echoed from the device on your wrist, and it was at that point that you realized you had apparently forgotten to mute yourself on the comms, so the entire squad had just heard your outburst.

“Yeah, just that my glasses broke,” you said, trying to find collect the pieces from the dashboard of the Marauder. Normally it wouldn’t be an issue, except for the fact that it was currently nighttime and you needed them to see where you were going.

“Can you still steer the ship?’ Echo’s voice came through the device next. “We’re going to need a pickup soon.”

You weren’t too confident about your abilities at this point, but you also couldn’t let the team down. “It’ll be fine for a little while, but once you get back someone else needs to handle the controls.”

“Alright, as long as you don’t need one of us to go back there now.”

That was the last thing you wanted, because you were still a new member of the team and you definitely didn’t want them to think you weren’t capable. “No, just let me know when and where you need to be picked up from.”

The communication device went silent not long after that, and you were left to sit down in the pilot’s seat and attempt to repair your glasses. The actual lenses themselves seemed to still be intact, but one of the supports that rested behind your ear had come off (due to the fact that they had fallen to the floor and you stepped on the one side before you realized what had happened). But there was one flaw when it came to attempting to appraise the damage, and that was the fact that when they weren’t on your face, you couldn’t see all that well.

You weren’t blind per se (they had let you into the GAR after looking at your eye charts and seeing the glasses you wore every day), but you certainly didn’t see the world in high resolution when you didn’t have the lenses on your face. You had previously considered those tiny clear things that you saw friends put into their eyes, that would completely negate the need for you to wear glasses, but at the same time the idea of putting your fingers too close to your eye was a little bit nerve wracking (you knew the process certainly wasn’t for the faint of heart).

And you hadn’t experienced any issues with your glasses interfering with your work so far, or at least, not until now. Clone Force 99 had accepted you with open arms (well, it had taken a while in the case of one particularly grumpy sniper) when you had been assigned to them. Your technical title was “medic,” although you were also well-versed in mechanics and was qualified enough to repair the ship if necessary. You sometimes wondered if that acceptance had something to do with the fact that one of the members of the squad also wore lenses of some kind on his face, and if was, you were grateful to Tech.

If asked, you would probably cite Tech as your favorite member of the squad, and it wasn’t just because of your shared facial accessory. Even if you didn’t know whether or not his goggles were prescription or he just simply wore them for convenience, the two of you got along fairly well, which was a surprise because you were essentially assigned to them to do some of Tech’s job. But even though others might have seen you as a threat, you and the squad’s resident genius worked well together.

Bringing your focus back to the situation at hand, you realized that there was going to be no way to reattach the arm of your glasses without some kind of bonding agent (due to the place that the material had fractured and split apart when you stepped on it), and you gently pulled them up to your face. They certainly drooped on the side that had no support, but you would be able to see well enough to fly the ship for a few minutes until someone else could take over.

And it was a good thing that you could see at all, because the batch radioed in just a few minutes later, sending you a set of coordinates and telling you to step on it because they had met some hostiles.

Getting in the air was the easy part, but a flying animal that came out of nowhere shocked you to the point where you had to stop short, and your glasses came flying off your head. There was nothing you could do but watch as they clattered down the dashboard of the ship and once again fell and skittered across the floor, so far out of your reach that you knew there was no chance you could recover them before you had to move again. Instead, you would be flying blind (in the literal sense of the expression).

You were sure that the rest of the squad could tell that something was up when they saw the ship arrive at the coordinates, flying slightly tilted and having stopped short before you extended the ramp for them to get in. “Can someone come up here and take the controls?” you called out.

No one answered, but soon footsteps approached the cockpit and you turned around to see Tech walking towards you with his helmet under his arm. You stood up to greet him, but right as you opened your mouth to speak, the sound of transparisteel breaking filled the space, and the two of you looked down in horror as Tech lifted up his boot slightly to reveal your glasses, now completely shattered beyond repair. “Oh my,” he said as he looked at the carnage on the floor. “I deeply apologize, I did not know that was there.”

“It’s okay,” you said, still in some form of shock, but you didn’t want to make Tech feel bad over something he couldn’t control. “It wasn’t your fault, we’ll just need to put in an order with the Republic for some new glasses the next time we reach out to them.”

“That may be quite a while,” Tech responded, having reached down to collect the bent and disfigured remains of the glasses frame off the floor. “I may be able to-”

“Tech,” you cut him off gently, and he looked up at you as you placed your hand on his shoulder. “It’s not a big deal, I’ll be able to survive without them for a little while.”

“Alright,” he said, standing up. “In the meantime, you should rest. The assignment was a success and I will fly the ship until we stop for fuel or the next mission objective comes in.”

You just nodded and headed off to the bunks. You knew that sometimes if you went for a while without your glasses it could lead to headaches as your eyes strained to perform their usual function, so you wanted to avoid that as much as you possibly could (especially if you weren’t going to get new ones for a while). And as you drifted off to sleep to the sound of Gonky moving across the ship in the background, you really hoped that you’d be able to contact the Republic soon.

***

As he watched you leave the room, Tech couldn’t help but feel bad. You had assured him that none of this was his fault and that you weren’t angry at him, but he also knew how stressful it was to be living a life without corrective lenses when your eyesight was not that good. He had seen your glasses before and guessed that your level of nearsightedness was similar to his, and he would never want to spend any amount of time without his goggles, let alone an uncertain and extended period of it. He cleaned the small pile of debris off the floor and placed them in a small container once the ship had entered hyperspace, and for a while he just watched the blue streaks pass him by.

And it was as he watched out through the windshield of the ship that he had an idea.

His goggles were a thing of his own creation, and sometimes different parts needed replacing. Because of that, he had began keeping a small box of parts and pieces on the ship, with enough to make at least two other sets (just in case his primary pair was ruined beyond repair). If your prescription was similar to his, you might be able to wear a matching pair of goggles for a while, or at least until they could contact the Republic and order new glasses for you.

Right as he got up from the pilot’s seat, Hunter stepped into the cockpit. “Oh good, I was just about to call for you,” Tech said. “Can you watch the ship for a little while? I have something urgent to attend to.”

Hunter just nodded, and Tech was thankful that his brother didn’t ask too many questions so he couldn’t be slowed down. He wanted to have them ready for you by the time he next saw you, this way you didn’t have to go too long without any kind of visual aid.

He found the box of parts under his bunk, and after checking to make sure you were asleep in yours, he got to work, pulling the curtain around his cot to keep some privacy about what he was doing.

The shattered pieces of your original lenses turned out to be of some use to him, because he was able to calibrate the goggles to perfectly match your needs. It was much easier than he originally thought it might be, and by the time he could hear movement from outside his bunk, he was just putting the finishing touches on the goggles.

Wondering whether it was you or Wrecker that had woken up, he poked his head out to see you yawn and stretch. Quietly calling your name as to not startle you, Tech got out of bed and beckoned at you to follow him. “Is everything okay?” you asked, blinking as a brighter part of the ship came into view, and Tech quickly moved the hand that was holding the goggles behind his back so you couldn’t see what they were.

“I still feel terrible about your glasses,” he said. You opened your mouth (no doubt to reassure him that it wasn’t his fault), but he held up one of his hands to stop you and the other with the pair of newly constructed goggles in it. “And since I know the repercussions of spending extended periods of time without them, I made you something. I apologize if it is not a style you like, but I only had the materials to reconstruct my goggles and I figured it was better than nothing.”

You were silent as you took the goggles from his outstretched hand, but from the smile on your face, Tech knew that you weren’t spurning his gift. “Thank you,” you eventually said as you placed them on your face. “I love them.”

“I was able to use my scanner to match and calibrate this pair to the same level of magnification as your glasses,” he said.

You nodded, looking around the ship. “Thank you so much Tech. I really can’t believe you would do something like this, I’m so grateful.”

Tech went to respond, but you pulled him into a hug before he could get any words out. “You are very welcome,” he eventually managed to say.

“If you ever need anything from me,” you said. “Please don’t hesitate-”

He cut you off before you could finish your sentence. “I don’t want you to think that you are somehow in debt to me,” he said. “I did this because I wanted to help you, not because I wanted to gain something.”

For a fleeting moment, you looked like you were going to cry, and Tech’s eyes widened as you leaned in to place a kiss on his cheek, your goggles knocking slightly against his. “I know,” you said. “But still, I want to thank you somehow. Maybe if we can get away from your brothers, I can take you out to dinner the next time we’re on Coruscant?”

“Are you asking me out on a date?” Those words were accompanied by a surprised (and hopeful) expression. He had of course taken you in as a member of the team, but it had recently been more apparent to him that how he felt about you was different than how he felt towards other people. He had always hoped that you felt the same way, but was never sure how to broach the topic.

“Yes,” you said, a smile on your face. “Are you accepting?”

“Yes.”

Tech stared at you for a moment, and you stared right back. He started to lean in, and you mirrored his movements. He was just finishing up calculations on how to best kiss you without bumping either set of goggles when he heard footsteps approaching, and he instinctively pulled back.

You apparently had the same idea, and the two of you turned in shock to stare at Hunter, who had just stepped out of the cockpit and had an exasperated look on his face. Whatever hope Tech had of keeping this new relationship development a secret was now completely dead, because with Hunter’s enhanced hearing he must have been able to hear everything before this moment.

And with the two of you wearing both matching expressions and goggles, it must have been a sight to behold for his brother. Hunter opened his mouth, but then closed it before taking a breath. “I’m going to take a nap,” is what he eventually settled on. “Can you two watch the cockpit?”

Tech was halfway through a confirmation of Hunter’s request before his brother had walked completely past them to disappear in the direction of the bunks, and right as he disappeared you quickly leaned in to place a soft (and far too quick, in his opinion) kiss on Tech’s lips.

The cockpit offered a better view anyway, and although it wasn’t completely shielded from his brothers, it was much more private than just standing in the middle of the ship. They didn’t have a lot of time before everyone else woke up and their little secret spread like wildfire through the ship, and Tech wanted to make the most of the peace and quiet.

- the end -

i no longer have a taglist! if you're interested in being notified when i post, you can follow my library blog @ghostofskywalker-library and turn on notifications!

[nahoney22]

A Soft Touch

Tech x F!Reader

word count: 4k

A little chat leads to some feelings being revealed.

warnings: SFW, mutual pining, small bit of flirting, reader talks about past relationship, fluff, mentions of imperial Crosshair (free my boy), tech a little insecure. A little rushed at the end but I’m trying to get back into writing so it’s a bit shit lmao. Enjoy.

You weren’t sure how long you were asleep for but nor did you care for that matter. After being on the run for so long, sleep never became a viable option. Until today.

Yourself and the Batch finally found somewhere to touch down for a while. Omega felt like she could stay in this cabin forever and although it sounded like a wonderful dream… It was just a dream. The area was remote with the cabin being slightly old and tattered. Most importantly, it was hidden. Hidden away in the middle of a forest. No life forms, no droids and no war.

The boys allowed both you girls to share since Omega enjoyed your company the most these days and sharing a room with Omega wasn’t so bad. One, she never took up the bed and two she never snored. She’s like the perfect sleeping buddy but that is until she likes to put her bare, cold feet against your back as soon as you're drifting to sleep. Or when she sits up all night talking to Wrecker through her comm despite him just being in the room next door to you.

She didn’t wake you up this time anyway. Instead, you awaken and are completely distorted from reality. Sitting up rather reluctantly as the duvet swallowed you in comfort, you stretched out your limbs and noticed quickly she wasn’t tucked up beside you with Lula. Glancing over to your datapad, you swipe it into your grasp from the bedside table to see that the time was 1900 hours. Looks like you slept the day away. No, you had slept the day away.

Giving yourself a moment to shed the sleep from your brain, you make your way out of the room, pulling your vest top back into place so you didn’t look so disheveled and frown when you realised it was quiet. Too quiet.

There was no sign of bickering from the brothers, no loud whirring noises of Tech creating something or fixing something it was just silent.

The cabin had two floors with three bedrooms. One was downstairs which Hunter and Echo took refuge in, meanwhile you and Omega took the second bedroom upstairs with Wrecker and Tech just across the landing in their shared room.

The cabin itself was made of a dreamy oak wood, so different from the metallic walls the boys lived in. For you, you were so used to the sand coloured stone that Mos Espa presented you all your life.

Looking over the banister that overlooked the open kitchen and living space, your mind reeled back to how it used to look. At first, the L shaped couch that could have easily sat ten people was covered in cobwebs and had an array of mess thrown across it. In fact, the whole cabin looked that way but with enough grit and prompting from you, the boys had helped clean up and it looked almost brand new. Albeit the smell was a little whiffy, still.

It had been abandoned for sometime but as you snapped back into reality you realised you hadn't been abandoned. On the couch you spotted a lone figure sat on the couch, head buried deep into their datapad and tapping away.

Of course; Tech.

“Hey Tech,” you call out to him from where you stood leaning over the banister, “where are the others?”

Tech stiffened upon hearing your sudden voice but relaxed as he knew it to be no threat and instead turned his head to look at you. “They’ve gone exploring down by the lake.”

You sigh in disappointment. “The lake? Without me? I’ve been saying for days I wanted to check that out.” You huff, hands placing to your hips.

“Considering your current state of sleep for approximately,” he pauses and looks to his pad and then looks back at you, “14 hours, we figured you wanted to sleep instead.”

Your eyes widened almost comically. “14 hours?! Maker, are you sure I didn’t die in my sleep or something?” You rub your bed head, untangling some knots in your hair in the process before walking down the stairs to have a mosey in the kitchen for a drink.

“Wrecker had thought so and made me go in and check on you. He asked maybe three times now that you mention it.” You pull open some cupboards, chuckling at Wreckers worry but also at Tech.

The goggled clone watches you from the corner of his eye, your hair a little messy but not awful but you always looked rather radiant to him. As you turn away from one counter top to the other, he looks away.

“Bless him. To be fair, I needed that sleep!” You admit, grabbing a bottle of water before plopping yourself beside Tech, a good few inches away to not invade his privacy totally. “Why did you stay anyway?”

Tech pushed his goggles up the bridge of his nose and kept his head down as he spoke and did his best to sound nonchalant. “Given the current situation we are in, I believe it was too risky for you to stay here by yourself so I opted to stay behind.”

Pleasantly, you were surprised that Tech was the one to stay back. You could have seen him being one of the most eager to go out but he seemed comfortable enough.

“Well thanks Tech. Suppose it would be a little scary waking up and being on my own in the middle of nowhere.” you confess, taking a swig of your drink before placing it on the floor beside your feet. “How are you keeping anyway? Been a while since we just chatted you and me.”

Tech hummed in response, momentarily pausing to look at you before giving a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. “I’ve been the same. Living, breathing and trying to keep on top of things.”

For a second you weren’t sure if you were imaging it but you swore his voice sounded a little… strained? As if he was lying to make you relaxed.

So, you had to ask with a raised brow, “You sure you’re alright Tech? Are you sleeping okay?”

Tech pursed his lips before sighing. “To be honest, I have not slept much since our arrival. I’ve been preparing myself for any necessary preparations.”

“Preparations?”

“Yes, for us to finally leave here.”

Surprise does not hit your face this time, instead it was curiosity. “You want to leave?”

“No,” Tech places his device down on his lap and leaned back a little from being hunched over, “but I am uncertain whether or not this safe-haven is as safe as it appears. We’re wanted by the Empire.”

“You’re wanted by Crosshair. Not the Empire.” Sighing, you saw his jaw tighten at his brother's name.

Yourself and Tech weren’t exactly the closest pairings. Friends by all means but your time together, of what little there was, was occupied by him focusing on a project and you running around after Omega.

The atmosphere grows silent, a little tense. The only sound that surrounded you was the odd shrill of some creature among the woods followed by the tapping noise of Tech’s concentrated digits on his device.

“I’m sorry to bring up Crosshair.” You tell him, turning a little in your spot to face Tech who gives you a side-eye.

“An apology is not needed. You were stating a fact and nobody should apologise for stating the truth.”

“Sometimes the truth isn’t always nice to hear…”

Tech nods his head at this, seeing the truth in this too and also now turned his body to face you a little. “You were not well acquainted with Crosshair were you?”

You shake your head. “No, I only knew him for about three weeks before everything went down.”

Tech smiles, a rare sight but also a rather lovely one. However, his smile is soon replaced with a small scowl as he remembers both the fond memories he had shared with him and then the incidents that followed after. “Crosshair was naturally rather serious due to his DNA. However I didn’t expect him to be so-.”

“Severe and unyielding?” You recall the last thing he said about him on Kamino and he sighed with a nod.

“Yes, unfortunate traits but we move on.”

For the second time, you both fall into silence but this one is a little more comfortable than the last.

You slid a little down the couch, head resting against the back as you stared through one of the windows, watching the leaves rustle in the light breeze. The sun shone down through the trees like individual spotlights. It was a lovely place really.

“Who do you think lived here?”

“Pardon?”

“Here. Obviously somebody had to have lived here. Three bedrooms? A kitchen that was stocked with tins and rations? Old game boards?” You prompted him to say something but instead the clone blinked at you.

“How can I possibly know who lived here?”

You roll your eyes playfully. “Obviously Tech but it is curious is it not? Wondering if it was a loving family, group of friends or maybe even bandits and pirates.” You let your imagination run wild whereas Tech thought of a more logical conclusion.

“Given the separate beds aside from your own, I’d say it was most likely a holiday home.”

Smiling in agreement, you watch Tech from the corner of your eye. His eyes dance around the cabin, probably fully taking it in for the first time. Hooks from where pictures could have been hung on the walls were stripped bare and you wondered what he was thinking about.

Tech was quite closed off, always giving his opinion but never really giving his feelings away. Most of them were like that which piqued your curiosity since you were alone with him. Only him.

“Tech, may I ask you something personal?” Shifting your position, Tech seemed not nervous by whatever your next question was but a little curious himself as he nodded for you to continue.

“Have you ever thought of leaving and starting a new life?” Your question though personal was innocent enough.

But, he shook his head. “I’ve been programmed and created to fight in a war and my intelligence is best suited to this ideal life. Why and how could I ever have a new ‘normal’ life?”

A frown crossed your face as his voice was heavy with almost sadness and bitterness though his face didn’t show it.

“You guys have been on the run for months now, Crosshair will soon give up the chase. It seems unfair that you have to live a life of solitude.” You explain but Tech was now too busy trying to occupy himself with his device one more. So, you leaned across and plucked it from his hands.

Eyes narrowed in your direction, he examines your face and knows full well you want to talk about this with him. “Very well, I shall proceed.” He shifts his weight to get comfy and you do the same, pulling your knees up to your chest with your elbow resting on the back of the couch, head placed comfortably in the palm of your hand.

“It’s not just my intelligence that I find suited better for this life. I…” he pauses, cheeks heating up in embarrassment, “If I were to have a new life I believe it’d be beneficial if I had a family and in order to have a family I would need to converse with people who may not understand me. Therefore, I see no point in even attempting that.”

“So what you’re saying is that you’re too smart for others?” You tease playfully but Tech didn’t see it this way.

“No, I am saying I am too annoying for others.”

A part of you broke a little, your lips turned downwards and you shook your head dismissively quickly. “Don’t say that.” You say sadly.

Tech scans your face upon your reaction, stomach twisting at the thought he had upset you. “It was not my intention to make you upset. I was being honest.”

“I know you were Tech,” you sigh softly, dropping your hand from where it was against your face to rest along the back of the couch, fingers just inches away from where his shoulder was, “but you’re not annoying. How can you say that?”

“My brothers say that.”

Again, you shake your head. “Well, I don’t find you annoying. I think anyone would be lucky to have you.”

Tech gave you a dubious look but there was no sign that you would be lying to him. “Well, I appreciate that. What about you?”

Your eyes widen slightly. “W-what about me?”

“Have you thought about starting a new life? Getting acquainted and settled down with someone? Becoming a wife or a mother?” He clears it up for you, your cheeks slightly red as you completely thought he meant something else.

“Oh, well,” you collect yourself casually and sit up a little straighter, “I almost had that. I was with someone for a long time.”

Tech blinks in surprise but not surprise that you were with someone but surprise because he never knew. “How long?”

“Around six years.”

“Do you mind me asking what happened and why you are not still with them?” He asks respectfully, placing his datapad down and turning his full attention to you.

Tech also draped an arm over the back of the couch, matching you. But it got to the point that if he really wanted to, he thought about how you would react if he were to trace his fingers against the skin of your bare arm. He found himself frowning at the thought but shrugged it out of his mind as you spoke up.

“Nothing bad happened between us, we just didn’t love each other.” Your tone was casual but you weren’t looking at him, instead you seemed to have zoned out with a small smile on your face as you remembered the memories. “They were very kind. We had known each other since we were kids and we ended up dating. But, I just didn’t love them. And they didn’t love me back. I don’t think so anyway.” You mutter, running a hand through your hair.

The Clone watches you with intrigue. “How did you know you did not have these feelings for them?”

You hummed in slight amusement, gaze drawing back to Tech and you couldn’t help but notice the way he was looking at you. His stare was soft, his attention focused directly on you as if you were the only thing worthy of his time. A stream of light came through a crack of wood that shone on him, highlighting his defined jaw and tanned skin. You thought about it before but not thought about any of his brothers like this, but you recognised how attractive he was when his face wasn’t covered by his helmet or stuck down on his pad. He was also considerably sweet in your eyes.

Clearing your throat, noticing that Tech sees you get sidetracked before you answered him, “I just knew something was missing. I couldn’t see myself waking up next to them for the rest of my life. And I once saw them talking to a pretty barmaid and I wasn’t jealous. In fact, I think at the time I thought that they should ‘go for it’ and then I remembered that we were together.”

As you were talking, you paused as you felt something touch your arm. Your jaw locked a little, trying to hide the smile on your lips as you try to act as normal as you can.

“That must have been… reflecting?“ He questions, sounding unsure himself if it was the right thing to say. But, judging by the nod of your head it was sound.

“I suppose. It ended mutually and we remained friends. Besides, I’m not shying away from meeting someone new nowadays. It’s a big galaxy.”

The clone sucked in on his inner cheek, contemplating on what he should say next. “Has-.” He cut himself short, second guessing but you had raised a brow.

“Go on, Tech.”

Maker, even the way you said his name was enough to make him almost crumble; even when sat down. “I was just going to ask if anyone has taken your interest?”

For someone so smart, Tech was terrible about being inconspicuous. Judging by the way his voice lowered, almost mumbling over his words, you knew exactly what was going on. It’s a good job that you have been harboring the same kind of feelings for a small while now.

“I could ask you the same question.” You tease, taking a sip of your drink as your peer over him, watching him practically sweat under his collar.

He shifts his position on the couch, lips tightening in a straight line. “I’m unsure what you mean by that.”

“Oh really?” You mused, eyes squinting at him.

“Yes, really.”

You nudge his leg with yours playfully, tilting your head as a smirk grows on your lips. “I’ve seen the way people have looked at you in bars… in streets. Or especially when you’ve saved their lives. A good handful of them have tried to entice you.”

His brows furrow but this time in deep confusion. “Nobody looks at me like that.” He shakes his head dismissively. “Hunter most likely but myself? No.”

“It’s not just about looks either, Tech. I’ve noticed the odd Twi’lek gently stroking your arm at bar counters. Then again, you did shrug them off.” You say as a fact.

Tech chuckles a little but again, shakes his head. “I have noticed that form of affection before but thought nothing of it at first. Though, I will initiate that kind of physical touch to someone I like. Albeit I may be hesitant at first.”

“yeah? Then care to explain this?” Tilting your head to the side, Tech looks as well and that’s when his skin runs hot and he freezes up completely. His fingers had found their way to your arm and idly been caressing at your skin for the best part of five minutes.

Skin tainted red, he goes to pull his hand back straight away and apologizes but you stopped him, catching his hand back with your own. The touch made you feel a little hot and bothered, noticing how you leaned slightly more towards him to stop him from turning away. Has he always smelt so good?

“I don’t mind this.” You gesture to the motion that was happening, feeling your heart hammer against your rib cage as Tech cautiously entwined his fingers between yours.

“No,” he breathed softly, “no I don’t seem to mind either.” A coy smile spreads on his lips as the two of you fall into a sweet silence but simultaneously both noticing that you two were sitting so close and noticing you were both alone.

Chewing on your lower lip, Tech watches you and ever so gently places his other hand on your thigh. You jump at the sudden touch, not expecting it but not hating it either. “So… what does this mean?”

“Well I feel as though it would be foolish to not address my feelings for you as I know it’s not proper for me to like a beautiful female such as yourself but I can not help the feeling of breathlessness around you.” His words were rushed but as you cosied up to him, sitting by his side your head lolled down onto his shoulder, you giggled at the sweet awkwardness being he was.

“Therefore I would like you, if you would, to accompany me on a date? Maybe we could sneak down to the lake when the others are back?” He suggested, hopeful and judging by the small kiss to his cheek from yourself, a date was on the cards.

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