Null Protocol || Ramattra x Reader

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"I reckon I deserve your teasing after all of mine," she mumbled into her burger, filling her mouth with food to avoid having to speak. All of the attention made her skin prickle and the ship suddenly felt too hot, and it wasn't helped by the intensity of his gaze pinned to her as he pushed off the table to step towards her.

"You did not answer my question. Tell me: what is bothering you? Your face is flushed." At his pointing it out, her cheeks burned hotter and she leaned back into her seat, scarfing down the rest of her burger so she could hide her face behind her scarf.

"I'm just a wee bit warm, and a little...flustered." She shrunk back as his footsteps stopped in front of her, his shadow completely engulfing her smaller form.

He stooped down, putting them as close as they were before with a subtle tilt of his head. "Flustered by what?" To his credit, he sounded genuinely curious, whether or not he was truly that blind to what stirred her heart into a flutter she couldn't say, but while she wanted to reply, she couldn't find the words nor the air to fill her lungs. He was too close to think, and her breath hitched as he lifted a hand to gently grasp her chin and tilt her head up to him, forcing her eyes to meet his. He released a deep chuckle that she felt due to how close he stood, and his thumb brushed her bottom lip, resting at the corner of her mouth for a beat before he pulled his hand away, brushing it off on his thigh. "Too flustered to notice the food remnants on your face, it seems."

White hot shame burned her face and she pulled the scarf up so only her eyes peeked out. "I'm so sorry." Humiliated beyond belief, she could do nothing but stutter out apologies that he only seemed amused by. He rested a hand on his hip joint as he pointed a finger down with his other hand, and after a beat, she listened and pulled the scarf down an inch begrudgingly.

"Your hasty consumption is indicative that you were starving much longer than you portrayed, and for that, I apologize." His finger again brushed her lip as he wiped at her mouth, and she blushed, avoiding his gaze as she cleared her throat in an effort to scrounge up some semblance of dignity.

"I wasn't starving, just...very, very hungry." She spotted some ketchup on the tip of his finger and silently wondered how she could be so distracted to not realize she was eating like a pig in front of him, but her thoughts cut off when the finger poked at her lips. Her eyes snapped up in surprise, but when he only prodded her lips again, she hesitantly opened her mouth, letting him slide it inside, swiping the tip across her tongue to transfer the ketchup into her mouth.

His finger slipped out of her mouth with a deep hum. "Good girl." Her face couldn't burn any hotter, mind completely blank like he'd fried every neuron with two simple words.

"Thanks." The word sounded strange leaving her lips, like she'd forgotten how to speak and was struggling with the most basic syllables in English.

"You are welcome." She swore he would be smirking if he could, absolutely sure he knew the effect he had on her but unsure if this was anything more than playful banter. If she leaned closer, her lips would brush his- well, his face plate, but would he let her? Or would that just be more humiliation to add to the pile? She could kiss the Ravager, but how would he kiss back? He couldn't, he didn't have lips, and that alone made her nervous to lean closer. How would he react to such a human form of affection – one he couldn't even partake in?

His optics stooped down to her lips for a beat, but as if physically reining himself back in, he forced his back to straighten so he was towering over her once more. A wave of disappointment and regret washed over her but she fruitlessly tried to push it back, telling herself it would've been awkward for her to try – and it wasn't like he'd reciprocate. But he hesitated to leave her side, whatever he was thinking was impossible to guess, and she wondered if he was caught under the wave too.