Nothing • Tech

13.Bercet'ad (Slaver)

"Your cheek has healed quite well, I must say." Tech mutters, removing the last suture from Malaina's cheek. His voice was quiet, gentler than how he talks with his squadmates.

The corners of Malaina's mouth quirk upwards into a soft smile. Her cheeks had been increasingly turning a darker shade of pink the longer her and Tech's faces remained so close. "It's like you said; bacta and your exceptional suturing would leave my face perfectly unscathed." She said, repeating a conversation that had replayed in her head so much lately. How could it not? The feeling she experienced when he was so close to her, it was so new and addicting.

Tech took the fabric of his glove between his teeth, pulling in the glove and uncovering his right hand. He parted his mouth, letting the glove drop onto his lap.

Malaina took notice of the many small scars that covered the skin of his hand, most definitely from all his tinkering. Burn scars, lacerations, all the sorts.

Squeezing a small amount of bacta onto his pointer finger, Tech began to rub the bacta onto the scabs and purple lines that remained on Malaina's cheek. "You should only require one more bacta treatment and it'll be like the accident never happened." He determined.

Malaina could hardly comprehend what he was saying, all of her attention going to the feeling of his bare skin caressing hers as he added the bacta to her scratch marks. It was something she could do herself, but Tech took it upon himself to do it, for reasons that were not disclosed. "Okay." She finally said.

"Hey, Tech, what's a Riding Hood?" Malaina asked once the spectacled clone was done treating her cheek. Cid's nickname for her had caused some confusion on Malaina's part.

Tech was focused on cleaning the supplies, but hadn't really moved from the spot he was in, which was quite close to Malaina. It was like neither of them knew what personal space was. "I assume she was referencing the fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood. It's about a girl with a red cloak. Her and her grandmother are deceived by a sly wolf who ends up devouring both of them."

Malaina raised her eyebrows. "I don't think I like that nickname."

Tech smiled softly, looking up to meet her eyes. "I am sure there's no need to worry. She was merely going off the fact you wear a hood." Albeit Malaina's was black, not red.

Malaina chuckled, nodding her head. "Yeah, okay." She replies, pressing her lips together and meeting Tech's gaze again. He was kneeling down onto one knee in front of her. She was sitting in one of the chairs by the navicomputer.

Silence followed her words as they stared back at each other, and Malaina thinks Tech might have briefly glanced down at her lips, but her eyes could be deceiving her.

But she soon found herself glancing at Tech's mouth, eyes fluttering as she imagined what they felt like, what he felt like.

Tech then cleared his throat, glancing down and adjusting his goggles before standing up quickly. "We should be arriving at Old Ord Mantell City in a few moments." He muttered, tossing the used medical supplies in the trash and then trailing into the cockpit.

Malaina stayed in her seat for a few more seconds, shocked at her own thoughts. Why does she want to know what Tech's lips feel like? Wouldn't that sound weird coming out in actual words?

Why would she think that? Why would she look at his lips? Force, she was losing her mind.

Before Malaina could spiral, she stood up and made her way into the cockpit where everyone else was hanging out.

Wrecker was yet again groaning with another headache, and Hunter was looking at him with concern.

"Are you alright?" The Sergeant had asked the explosives expert.