"And what do they got over there?" Hunter glanced at Cass and Tech, who had wandered away and got distracted conversing about the difference between R2 and R4 astromech droids.
They then sat at a table near the back, facing each other and resting their boots close enough to just barely touch. Tech was deep in thought as he fumbled with a small wooden pyramid, while Cass rested her arms and chin on the table and watched him with admiring eyes.
"A Cerean puzzle cube," Cid sighed. "I've got all these games here and they find the most boring thing I've got."
"It's not boring if you know how to solve it," Cass mumbled loudly from across the room.
"She's got a point," Echo smirked proudly.
"Well...she did solve it when she was a kid. These two knuckleheads still haven't cracked it and they've been coming here for years," Cid pointed to the two regular patrons hanging out on the outskirts of the group.
The Weequay and Ithorian grumbled under their breath, but didn't dare to refuse the accusation because after all—it was true.
Cid leaned towards Hunter and gestured for him to lower to her level.
"So what's goin' on with Curly and Goggles anyways? They won't stop makin' goo-goo eyes at each other since they walked in here," Cid frowned, then glanced back at the pair.
"We... aren't really sure. It's inevitable that they're gonna get together at some point so we've got bets going on when it's gonna happen," Hunter explained with a deep chuckle.
"Oh yeah?" Cid raised a brow and peered at the other boys. "Has either of them made a move?"
"We suspect something might have happened a couple days ago, but there's been no sign of progress since then," Hunter added.
"Something has to happen soon, right? They seem to really like each other," Omega added in her two-sense with a dreamy smile.
"Nah, I think they'll keep pining for a while—I mean look at 'em...it's been obvious since day one, yet nothing has happened," Echo grumbled.
"Have a little faith in em'," Wrecker slapped Echo's back. "I think they'll be together within the next couple days," he confessed quietly, keeping his insider information in his back pocket.
"No way," Echo scoffed and leaned against the wall gruffly.
"Alright alright, what are the stakes?" Cid squinted.
The boys shared amused grins and closed the inner circle further.
"If I win, I get to keep a pet on the ship!" Wrecker cheered quietly. "If Hunter wins, he gets to trade bunks with Echo because Tech talks too much in his sleep. And if Echo wins, he gets dibs on the fresher for twelve rotations."
"Strange requests but...I'm in," Cid nodded and Omega bounced on her heels.
"I want in too!" she peeped and shook Hunter's hand.
"Okay, you can join," Hunter nodded and Omega beamed.
"Okay. Well, I think it will happen in the next twenty-four hours," Omega paused and looked to her feet in thought, then straightened up not a moment later. "And if I win, I want to spend a day exploring a planet. As long as it's safe to do so."
Hunter nodded and grinned lazily at the child.
"Works for me," Hunter patted her back, then swiveled back in Cid's direction. "And you?"
"Hm...I give it a week, tops. And if I win, you boys have to clean the parlor—top to bottom. I want it shining like Canto Bight in here," Cid smirked and gestured to the vast room.
"Deal," Hunter affirmed with a nod and crossed his arms. "But let's leave them to it...Omega, why don't you practice your shots again."
"You got it," Omega firmly nodded and raised her bow, sticking her tongue out against her bottom lip as she concentrated.
She fired her first shot and failed miserably. The boys consoled her and kept giving her constructive criticism, like telling her to keep her chin forward and not to let her fingers waver.
As the Batch ran their small firing session, Cass continued watching Tech's fingers fly and warp around the puzzle pieces.
"If my calculations are correct, I should be able to finish the puzzle in about...hm...eleven more moves," Tech mumbled aloud as he laced a thumb along the edges of the pieces.
"Are you sure?" Cass smirked and tilted her head.
"What-what do you mean?" Tech's voice wavered as he drew the puzzle closer to his face and scanned the surface area like it was his mission.
"I see how you can complete it in nine moves," she puckered her lips to the side to hold back her amused tone.
Tech hummed and froze, allowing his brain a moment to put all its effort towards finding the specific algorithm. Cass smiled lazily as she watched his honey eyes dart around and squint—a clear indicator that he was thinking hard. She could sense his concentration and it was quite admirable and adorable.
She listened as he whispered to himself and thoughtfully moved the pieces.
"One, two, three..."
Cass watched intently, glancing back and forth between the puzzle and the man behind it.
"Four, five...six, seven..."
She bit back a wide grin—he had figured it out.
He arranged the last two moves, and lo and behold he completed it in nine—just like she said.
"Your intelligence never ceases to amaze me," Tech confessed and gently placed the wooden pyramid on the table between them.
"I think the very same thing about you every, oh I don't know...probably every five minutes or so," she laughed and sat up straighter, then rested her chin in her hands.
Both of them blushed profusely, staring at each other like two kids who couldn't care less who saw them. Tech's intense gaze caused Cass to avert her eyes, which only made it easier for Tech to examine every feature of hers.
"Would you like to see what other games are here?" Tech cleared his throat and finally looked away to gesture around the room.
"Sure," Cass bit the inside of her lip and nodded sheepishly.
She followed behind the taller clone as they surveyed the games that lined the walls. Pinball machines and digotto stations scattered along the back while dejarik tables and lugjack ports covered the majority of the front.
"How about this one-" Cass began before the hairs on her neck stood up.
She sensed a pink flash darting their way and shoved Tech against the wall. The shot whirred by her head and hit the claqball lane behind her. Her eyes followed the blur, then her head just as quickly whipped back to the source.
The boys had wincing expressions while Omega's mouth was gaping.
"Sorry!" the child yelled apologetically.
"It's okay just...be more careful, alright?" Cass affirmed and wrinkled her brow.
"I will! I promise!" Omega waved with a shaky hand and turned away.
"Are you alright?" Cass blew out a breath, then followed her hands to where they had landed. The fingers of her one hand were splayed against Tech's cuirass while her other ones gripped his upper arm closest to her.
Tech's eyes were wide, but he wasn't mortified by the blast that nearly cut his life short. The thick piece of plastic between her hand and his chest hindered her from feeling his heartbeat, but she could sense it's quickening pace through the energy in the air.
Their faces were close and his lips were parted as he sucked in a few short breaths. Had he not been pressed up against the wall, he would have cowered under her touch and pulled away. But he was stuck there under her fingertips, inhaling her exhales with focused eyes and one train of thought.
Cass swallowed and retreated with her lips sunk between her teeth.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"There is nothing to apologize for. Thank you, Cassiopeia," his words flittered through the same lips she so desperately wanted to kiss. And it made it especially hard to refrain from doing so after he said her name in such a tone.
"Of course," she exhaled sharply and took another step back. She raked a hand through her hair and averted her eyes. "Should we um..."
"Continue? Yes, yes, good idea," he muttered and turned away to continue exploring the lining of the parlor.
He walked slowly, sensing as though he could still feel her hand against his chest. Just when he tried to convince himself he didn't crave her touch, she does something like this and makes him yearn for it even more.
He thanked the Maker that their conversation in Old Ord Mantell city didn't pursue, for after pondering it with a clearer head—he knew he was about to say something he might've regretted later.
Had the conversation ensued, he would have let her know how he felt about her embraces. How he thought about them for hours later, and couldn't stand the part where he wasn't able to hold her all hours of the day.
The part where he would tell her that once she allowed him to explore her physical affirmations, there would be no stopping him afterwards. He knew that once it started, he would be hooked on her like spice. And for the sake of her code and the sanity of his brothers, he tried to remain clean from her touch.
Maybe if he told her why he was refraining, she would understand...or perhaps that would make it all the more difficult to restrain. Maybe she would disagree altogether. But that wasn't a risk he was willing to take.
"How about this one?" Tech gestured an unsteady hand towards a slot machine near the rest of the group.
"Slots?" she laughed dryly, thinking he wasn't serious.
"Indeed. The odds of winning the full jackpot are about three-point-two-million to one," Tech pointed out with a raised finger.
Cass scrunched her face and snorted. "Then why in Maker's name are you playing if you know you're not gonna win? I thought you didn't like games of chance?"
"Well, despite the very low chance that I will win the full jackpot," he continued as he slipped three small parlor coins into the slot and yanked the lever, "there is still an extremely high probability I will win something."
"Right," Cass squinted skeptically, then gazed at the flashing emblems scrolling rapidly across the screen.
Tech let his gaze wander just outside of his goggles to see her face reflect the blinking lights on the screen. When she sensed his peeping, she quickly flashed her eyes his way and he instantly turned away as if he wasn't just gawking. She couldn't help but notice the nervous boy-ish grin on his lips, and Maker help her if she wasn't going to take action sooner or later.
The machine pinged happily and shot out triple the coins that Tech put in. It definitely wasn't the jackpot, but the small grouping of gold was charming, just like the proud grin on Tech's face as he scooped them up.
"See? High probability," he hummed. "Here."
"But these are yours?" she wrinkled her brow as he poured the gold into her cupped hands.
"You could buy yourself a cloak with these," he peeped out, careful not to let his gloved hand touch hers for longer than an instant.
Cass pursed her lips and nodded thankfully, her blush grew hot as she tucked the coins into her pocket.
A small yelp sounded from the entrance and the pair rapidly followed the sound. Omega's energy arrow had narrowly missed an incoming patron and had sent them off running.
Cid—tired with the kid shooting holes in her parlor—lightly punched Wrecker in the arm and drew the attention of the boys.
"Okay, playtime's over. We need to talk," Cid announced and continued to shoo the patronizing customers who wouldn't leave Omega alone. "You two, scram!"
"Hey! Okay, we're going! We're going!" The Weequay and Ithorian whined and threw their hands up while shuffling out the door.
Tech leaned away from the slot machine and sided next to Cass (who absentmindedly kept her hand in her pocket and fiddled with the coins).
"I assume you boys know what a tactical droid is?" Cid squinted as she rested her hands at her hips.
Tech leaned in and listened, assuming that one of his brothers would speak up to answer. Cass held back a snicker as he hurriedly glanced between Hunter and Echo, then she noticed the slightly panicked expression when he realized no one was going to answer her obvious question.
"They were the opera-"
Before Cid could finish, Tech butted in between his brothers and raised a finger. "The operational brains of the Separatist military-"
Cid sputtered and shook her hands in front of him. "This is my briefing, Goggles."
Tech swallowed and leaned away, feeling quite embarrassed by her refusal. Cass nudged his shoulder with her own and felt him relax a little beside her.
Cid shoved Wrecker off of the holotable and earned a whine from the clone. She pressed a few buttons and exhibited a standard Separatist tactical droid for the group to see.
"Tactical droid intel has tremendous value. which is why you're going to break into this decommissioning facility on Corellia and retrieve one before they're all destroyed."
Hunter glanced at Echo and pursed his lips. "We haven't decided if we're gonna work for you or not."
"Allow me to decide for you," Cid answered as she dissipated the hologram of the facility. "You're in!"
Hunter straightened his shoulders and squinted.
"I'm talking a mutually beneficial arrangement. You make money, I make money, and I watch your back. With the heat on you, it's the best option you've got," Cid explained plainly and folded her arms.
When nobody else spoke up, Hunter turned to scan the Jedi's face. "Cass? What do you think?"
"Well...as great as Idyflor sounded, I'm afraid we're gonna have to take a few more jobs," she straightened her shoulders and sided next to him. "We have to do what's best for the team."
"Right," Hunter sighed, secretly hoping Cass could've miraculously used her Jedi powers to create a plan B out of thin air. But reality wasn't as forgiving. He bowed defeatedly and furrowed his brows. "I guess we're in."
"I know you're in, I just told you you're in! And you, you're releasing too soon because of those weak noodle arms," Cid approached Omega and wiggled the kid's arms. "Build up your strength," Cid added as she lined up the glowing bow and fired three shots perfectly at the target.
The shots sizzled against the burning metal, and Cid nonchalantly handed the bow back to Omega.
"Lesson over," she sneered.
Omega brought the bow to her chest and stared at it in complete awe of its potential.
"Well, Corellia it is. Let's get moving," Hunter rounded them up with his hand in the air, while Tech lent Cass his helmet like a new routine between them.
As they trekked back to the ship, a trio of runyip scurried around the group and landed at Wrecker's feet. Wrecker gasped and bent down on one knee to pet the small hoofed animals, Omega quickly landed at his side.
"What...are they?" she said in between laughs and the runyip tongue licking her face.
At the sound of their chimes, the group slowed and happily watched the pair.
"They're called runyip," Cass answered and scooped one up into her arms. She ran her hands through its fur and over one of its tiny ears.
Tech admired her lovingly from behind the group, his blush darkened and he wrung his hands together absentmindedly.
"They're not native to Ord Mantell so someone probably brought them here to sell. But it's a good thing you guys got away, huh?" Cass pitched up her voice as she snuggled her hand atop the animal's head. Cass set the animal back down beside Omega and the child looked at it with wide eyes.
"They're so cute!" she squealed.
"They're so adorable I wanna die!" Wrecker cried out, now holding all three creatures in his big arms.
"I agree that they're...cute...but we need to get going," Hunter coughed out.
Wrecker groaned and threw his head back. "Fiiiine."
He gently placed the animals back on the pavement and tapped each of their heads. They hummed happily, then scurried past him and went on their way.
"I will have one of you someday," Wrecker mumbled under his breath and sadly shook a fist. He stood up and glanced at Tech and Cass—who were already deep in conversation again about some different species—and smirked. He nudged Omega and subtly pointed to the two. "And by the looks of it I might just win the bet and get one," he whispered.
Omega snickered beside him.
"What was that Wrecker?" Cass furrowed her brows and looked at the clone, who evidently forgot to stop staring at the pair.
"Uh, nothing! I didn't say anything, nothing at all," he mumbled and shook his head. "Right, Omega?" he slapped the kid's back a little too hard and knocked her a step forward.
"Right!" Omega cheered nervously.
Tech and Cass squinted at them, but as they were both eager to keep talking, they paid no more attention and turned away.
"Whew, that was close," Wrecker wiped his brow and playfully patted Omega's back.
The group continued hiking to the landing bay and eventually shuffled into the Havoc Marauder.
"It's a bit of a jump to Corellia. Everyone should rest up," Hunter briefed the group as they began going their separate ways.
All of them parted and found their bunks. Hunter and Echo curled up in bed particularly quickly while Wrecker flopped onto his bunk and instantly fell asleep. Cass gave Tech his helmet back while he on was his way to his room, then Cass and Omega huddled quietly on Cass' lower bunk.
Both the girls were the most recently rested, so they found it easy to sit quietly beneath Echo's snoring body and scroll through endless data libraries.
Cass briefed Omega on Corellia and its massive shipyards and wanderlust driven natives. She explained the history of the planet and it's colonizers, then presented the different ocean voyages throughout the centuries. Omega gasped and awed at the plethora of fish species while leaning lazily against Cass' side.
As Cass continued scrolling the logs with her index, Cass heard a soft groan from outside the door. She ignored it the first time, assuming it to be Wrecker tossing in his sleep, but then she heard it again.
"Here, you can keep looking," Cass whispered and handed over her data pad to the child.
Omega's eyes sparkled and reflected the glowing screen as she excitedly started scrolling where Cass left off.
Cass stood carefully as to not disturb Echo's soft snores. She glanced at him quickly and sighed upon seeing Echo so at peace. He was on his stomach and close to letting drool fall from his lips, but he wasn't worrying about his team or bothered about the mission.
Cass gently brushed her hand across his head with light fingertips, and he hummed in his sleep. He rolled over with her touch, and that was her cue to further her search of the ship.
She approached the door and it whooshed open quietly, then she tiptoed out to see the whirr of hyperspace from the cockpit. Blue and white flashed throughout the almost silent ship. All was quiet except for the mumbled groans of one certain engineer stuffed underneath the control panels ahead.
Cass sighed and lolled her head loosely. Tech was splayed on his back with his hands deep in the wires of the cockpit control panel. He kept shifting against the cold metal of the floor, his legs were switched from bent to straight out then bent again. It was clear he was uncomfortable, and when he drifted his body with another groan, Cass knew she had found the source.
She slowly approached him, making sure she clacked her boots against the floor just loudly enough he would notice but not loud enough to scare him out of his skin.
He heard the echo of her steps and felt her magnetic presence closing in. He glanced at her speedily then shifted again in his spot.
"Cassiopeia," he hummed.
"Tech," her words clicked in the back of throat as she wrung her hands together. "Aren't you supposed to be resting?"
"I wasn't tired," he shrugged. "And the circuit multiplexer needed some tuning."
"Ah, I see," she pursed her lips and continued wandering until her feet lined up with his hips.
He sighed and wiped his brow, then held back a muffled groan as he reached for his neck.
"Are you alright down there?" Cass squatted down and met his eyes.
"The position of this piece is at an angle that makes my neck particularly uncomfortable," he blew out a short breath and rested his arms at his sides.
"Oh, well...let me help you. Um, may I?" Cass gestured with her hands and she began scooting closer to him.
He wasn't completely sure of her intentions, but nonetheless he nodded curiously. Cass sat down and folded her legs, then gently lifted Tech's head and rested him in her lap. He tensed slightly at her touch, but he then let out a sigh as the tension on his neck instantly dissipated.
"Better?" Cass chuckled as she saw the obviously relieved expression on his face.
"Exceptionally better, thank you," Tech hummed.
Cass leaned away so as to not obscure his view of the paneling and Tech raised his hands to continue his work. Cass intently watched his fingers crochet through the wires and tinker with the small breakers.
But what she didn't quite catch was the way he fumbled a few times. She didn't realize her hands were still resting against his head—gingerly tracing his scalp with the tips of her nails every so often—and the sensation caused him to shiver.
He continually fidgeted and swallowed, occasionally glimpsing up at her face. Her features were lightly outlined from the faint glow of hyperspace, and the warmth of her body against his made his heart thump harder.
"Shouldn't the branch circuits be connected to the busbar?" she tilted her head and squinted up into the paneling.
She then peered down at him, wondering why his hands had suddenly stopped. His honey eyes were now a dark brown in the shadows of the ship, and she could almost see his heart beating against his chest plate. She was suddenly aware of how close they actually were...of how warm he felt in her hands...of his breath circling towards her own face.
"Uh, yes. Yes they should," he stuttered and quirked his brows, then brought his attention back to the wires.
She should have raised her gaze back to the breakers, but instead she couldn't draw her eyes away from him. She could see the intricate textures of his smooth skin and the loose curls atop his head that rivaled her own. She could smell the aftershave on his jaw, no longer needing to use his helmet for a fix of the scent.
His tongue quickly swiped across his lower lip and the sight made her shiver. Her fingertips slowly skimmed down the side of his face, tracing out the hollow of his cheekbones with her index while her thumb tenderly rubbed his temple.
At the feeling of her cold hands stinging against his heated skin, Tech glimpsed at Cass with wide eyes.
"What?" he sputtered and wrinkled his brow. His lips parted and he readjusted his goggles to fix squarely on his nose.
That's it. She couldn't take it anymore.
She reached her head down, letting her tight curls lay across his chest, and affixed her lips to his. Her nose pushed into his cheek as she tenderly nudged his mouth with her own. It only took her an instant to realize he wasn't kissing her back, and she hurriedly leaned away and sucked in a breath.
She didn't know his eyes could widen any bigger, but he proved her wrong. He hastily pulled away from her lap and sat up, scurrying away just enough to kneel in front of her. He gripped his tools tightly in his hand, so much so she thought they might break.
She couldn't read his expression and her stomach dropped. She swallowed hard and rested her palms flat against the ground, wishing with all her might she could crawl away from him and pretend it never happened.
"Oh, Maker, Tech—I'm... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have-"
"Can you do that again?" Tech peeped timidly.
They stared at each other in silence, both of their eyes wide and hands trembling. Cass gulped and immediately complied, sitting up on her knees and scooting close to him.
She brought her hands to his face again, her heart melted as his eyes glazed over from her touch. She inched closer and hovered just above his mouth. He swiped his tongue across his bottom lip again, anxiously awaiting her pursuit.
She timidly closed the distance and pressed her lips gingerly to his. Their eyes fluttered shut and the electricity in the air rushed through their veins. Finally, just as they had felt each other's heartbeats through the force—they were now chest to chest, feeling their hearts pounding against the other in sync.
She lightly pulled away to gage his reaction, her lips surged with adoration and anticipation. His eyes sparkled as he admired her beauty in the starlight, for it was the only thing he could manage to focus on. He was dizzy with emotion, the feeling of her soft lips lingered on his skin.
He blushed feverishly as he came to the realization that his theory was correct. Now that he had kissed her and felt her touch, he was hooked. The fervor in her energy ran through his body like potent spice, and he definitely wasn't going to be able to hold back now.
He made the decision to swiftly crash his lips to hers and drop his tools with a clatter, then bring his hands up to grasp at her waist. Their bodies snaked around each other further—her arms hurriedly wrapped around his neck while his arms swaddled her closer to his chest. She clutched his curls in her fingers and he hummed in pleasure.
"Ner kar'ta," [My heart] he longingly mumbled between passionate embraces, causing her to smile into the kiss.
His hands roamed along her back, snagging onto her clothes as if this was their last time seeing each other. Cass ran her hands further down his face and slipped her fingers into the fabric of his turtleneck. Her cold touch gave him a buzz—and on top of the drunk feeling he got from her kiss—she had him flying high like the clouds of Bespin.
The edge of his goggles pressed into her forehead as they tilted their heads and nudged further into the kiss. She winced as the plastic probed her skin, then pulled away breathlessly, though Tech would have kissed her until he passed out. They heaved excessive breaths, the air from their mouths tingled against their lips. Tech rested his forehead against hers, their eyes remained shut.
"Is this really happening?" she whispered hazily and brushed the tip of her nose against his.
"Unless we are dreaming or were spiked with anxynth blossom...it would seem that way, yes," he answered giddily, afraid that she could feel the heat of his blush steaming off his skin.
She lazily grinned and ran a thumb across his bottom lip. She rested her hand against his cheek, to which he turned slightly and placed a soft kiss to the middle of her palm.
She opened her eyes and leaned away slightly, causing his own eyes to flutter open and peer through his goggles. They stared in a comfortable silence, simply memorizing every tiny detail of the other's face while Cass caressed the hollow of his cheeks.
"Ner mesh'la gotabor," [My handsome engineer] she hummed and sank further into the ground, not once letting her gaze leave his.
"You...you know mando'a?" he quirked a brow and froze.
She chuckled quietly with a smirk. "Are you really that surprised?"
Tech scoffed playfully and pursed his lips. "I guess I shouldn't be. You have proven yourself capable of many things...your ability to expand my outward emotions being one of them."
"Yeah," she fiddled with her thumbs and nodded sheepishly. "Who knew this would happen when we first met that day on Coruscant?"
"I have reason to believe everyone knew except us," Tech shrugged with a finger pointed. "Which reminds me, we should probably leave this compromising position in case any of them wake up early."
"Right," Cass nodded, then stood up with a hand from Tech.
When she rose, she couldn't help but let her hand linger in his. Neither wanted to draw away, but the probability of someone walking in at any moment was high. So they reluctantly dragged their hands, their pinkies got caught and latched onto the other's for a moment, then they pulled apart completely.
And little did Omega know—she had just won the bet.
. . . . . .
IT FINALLY HAPPENED
WRITING THIS WAS SUCH A FREAKING RELIEF OHMYGOD
IM SUCH A WHORE FOR POSTING TOO MANY CHAPTERS AT ONE TIME WITHOUT HAVING FUTURE CHAPTERS PRE-WRITTEN OOPS I WAS TOO EXCITED NOT TO POST THIS AS SOON AS I FINISHED
IM FEEDING U GUYS SO MUCH CONTENT TODAY I AM LOSING MY MIND