ᴄʟᴏɴᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ꜱʜᴏᴛꜱ

Transparency Part 2 (Tech x Reader)

Echo laughs and sets a hand on your shoulder, "You've got as bad a poker face as my old Captain."

"Rex?"

"Mm. Man can't tell a lie to save his life," He smiles, then looks closely at you. For a moment you wonder if he's about to make a funny jab at your bruised face, but then he says, "When you're done with that drink, you wanna walk with me?"

"You askin' her out, Cyborg?"

He shakes his head, "No, Cid. I'm not that brave."

You chuckle and lean with your elbows on the countertop. "I'm not quite your speed, bud."

Soon you set the empty glass within reaching distance of Cid and get up, moseying along with Echo quietly until you have left the parlor. In the street, you stroll for a while before either of you spoke. It is getting dark out, but lights illuminate the area. Echo glances over his shoulder before finally addressing you.

"Y/n, I have to know something," He pauses and rests his hand on his hip. "Please don't let me be wrong because if I am, things might get really awkward."

You stare openly at him, praying in your mind, Please don't confess feelings for me, please don't confess feelings for me... All the while wondering where this might have come from. In your time of fighting alongside Echo, your chemistry has been strictly friendly. There is no romance. No, all of those cursed emotions have been directed at--

He spits out a single syllable: "Tech,"

"What?"

"You have the hots for him, right?"

"Thank the Force!" You breath, bending over dramatically with hands on your knees. "I thought you were going to confess some deeply intimate feelings you've been harboring or some shit."

"Maker, no! Ew--well, not ew. You're not gross. I don't--" Echo stumbles. "No, y/n. I don't have secret feelings for you."

"Whew--" you huff and straighten to look him in the eye. "No, yeah. Tech. He's uh... yeah. I do like him."

Echo nods with a grin on his face.

"But he's definitely pining for Portia,"

His face turns sour and he squints at you. "You're not serious,"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

He steps closer and looks you up and down. "Damn, that blast really did get to you, huh?"

"Echo, what the kriff are you on about?"

"Tech is in love with you--and even if he didn't tell me every day, I'd still know. Have you seen him?"

Your eyes are wide as you search Echo's for any sign of a prank. No, Echo wouldn't make light of this. Breathless, face burning, you reply, "What?"

"Always looking at you. Every time you leave the room, he has something to say about you. He's constantly working on things to make your life easier." Echo shrugs, "He's liked you for a long time, but he's convinced you'd never date a clone. Thinks you're not willing to break that Jedi code that's been hounded into you. Obviously he was wrong."

"Obviously,"

"You gonna tell him?"

You glance at him, then down the street where you know Tech is repairing the shuttle. In a moment of fear, your head shakes. Then hope passes through and you think, Why not? Truly, what would the harm be?

Distraction, you realize, would be an ultimate flaw. His focus will be taken away from important duties which could result someone getting hurt or killed. Your attachment will strip you of self control and you could become susceptible to the Dark Side's wily temptations. That is why you refuse to take action. In the end, with the lifestyle you live, romance could prove fatal.