As You Should.

@kaminocasey you never fail! This was so well written <3 Thank You for all your hard work and taking time to write for us outside of work , family, and more

Hello Casey,

I hope I make it in time 🥹 Can I request TBB ECHO with 13?

I think it would be cute if reader is jealous of Trace Martez (what if Rafa is trying to help her sister out with asking Echo out on a date but they don’t know he is in a relationship).

Reader knows them due to their connection with Rex and overheard Rafa hyping up Trace. Reader is slightly frustrated/jealous but doesn’t confront them because Trace is truly nervous.

I don’t know much beyond that 😭 sorry I’m specific - I just don’t think I’m a writer so I would prefer seeing your written work 🙂

——————-

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FOLLOWERS! I remember when you were at 300 🥲 Times are changing and people are recognizing your beautiful work.

I wish you success into the New Year!

Happy New Year! And Thank you so much, my friend!!! Thank you for staying with me this long! It means the world!! I hope you have a beautiful 2023! <3

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI; Jealousy WC: 500

You really didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but Rafa Martez isn’t exactly the quietest person you’ve met. In fact, she’s probably the loudest person you’ve ever met. And you share a space with Wrecker. 

You liked her sister, Trace, though. Trace was funny, smart, kind… Which is why it sucks that you’re so frustrated with her right now.

“He likes you, Trace. I’m sure of it.” You hear Rafa hype Trace up about someone as you pass by her room. “You should go for it.”

Who is she talking about? Maybe Tech? Tech was sort of friendlier than usual with Trace. He could like her. She should go for him. 

You shouldn’t be listening though, this isn’t your business, you think to yourself as you start to walk away. 

“Echo doesn’t like me like that.” Trace chuckles. 

Echo? You stop again and your heart lurches into your stomach. Then, your face goes hot with… embarrassment? Frustration? 

Jealousy… Echo is yours. Like you’re his. 

You can’t be mad at Trace, though. She doesn’t know.

“I saw him checking you out.” Rafa tells Trace.

“You did not.” Trace replies.

She better have not seen Echo checking Trace out. He was probably being nice. Or maybe she said something strange and Echo made a face? Echo is probably the most facially expressive person you know. 

“I’m telling you, you should go for it. He’ll say yes. How could he not?” Rafa encourages her sister, kindly.

It’s not fair that she feels this way about your riduur. But, you can’t be mad because you and Echo don’t openly express a public display of affection toward each other. 

Should you say something? You don’t really want to embarrass Trace. In fact, if you think about it, you know Echo will let her down gently and then you can move past it. You’re just glad you can work past the jealous feeling.

Later that evening, after everyone resides in their rooms, you and Echo stay up in the cockpit. 

“I need to tell you something.” Echo tells you, almost cautiously.

“What?” You ask, even though you already know.

“Trace asked me to get food after the mission… When we land planetside again.” He tells you, honestly. 

You turn to face him. “And?”

“I told her no, that you and I were together.” He squeezes your hand, leaning toward you.

You can’t help but smile at him, cupping his face. “I love you.” 

He tilts his head in confusion. “I love you too?” 

“What, did you think I’d be jealous or something?” You ask him, quirking an eyebrow.

He shrugs. “I’m not sure… I’ve never seen you jealous.”

“Well, I’m not jealous… You’re just… mine. And I know it.” You grin. “That’s right. I am yours. And you’re mine.” He pulls you to him so that he can kiss you, gently, a reminder that you belong to each other and always will.

TAGS: @grievouus @brynhildrmimi @madameminor @dumfanting @rain-on-kamino @misogirl828 @rexandechosandwich @corona-one @tecker @ladykatakuri @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @twistedstitcher27 @zoeykallus @maulslittlemeowmeow @littlemousedroid @arctrooper69 @rexxdjarin @agenteliix @padawancat97 @hated-by-me @sleepingsun501 @crosshairmylove587 @idlenesses @redheadgirl

Baker’s Dozen

Fandom: Star Wars - The Clone Wars // Medieval Fantasy AU

Pairing: Captain Rex x baker!reader

Content: fluff, first meeting, pastries

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1,871

A/N: This is my first time writing for Rex so I’m not sure if I’ve got his characterisation down, especially as this is a medieval AU. Art used of medieval Rex in the header image is by Jake Bartok.

You had been surprised when you first met Captain Rex. The cold, winter sun glinted upon shining plate armour as he walked through the city market, wet mud splashed and squelched under his boots, that marked his silver greaves with specks of brown dirt. At the time, you didn’t know who he was, only that he was part of the King’s Guard due to the blue markings upon his armour, as well as the billowing white cape that blew gently with the wind behind him.

Two young boys had run across his path, chasing each other with twigs, pretending that they were great warriors sparring upon a battle field. You saw how Rex stopped to allow them to pass, the visor of his helmet shifting to watch them play. His shoulders gently shook as you realised the real warrior had found amusement in the innocence of youth.

You shook your head at the scene, surprised by the kind, human reaction Rex displayed. You’d expected a King’s Guard to be more… high strung. You turned back to your bakery stall, letting the warm moment you’d witnessed brighten your mood as you bent down to lift out a fresh batch of bread to replenish your stock. As you raised your head, you noticed the shadow that now loomed there over your stall.

Raising yourself up to greet your customer, your eyes travelled the length of their torso before you saw their face. It was that shiny plate armour: silver thigh guards and a codpiece peeking through under black leather faulds with deep blue trimmings; leather belts and pouches strapped about his waist where the metal of his breastplate began. The said breastplate was stylised to represent the toned flesh that resided underneath. On his right shoulder sat a curved pauldron, shiny metal marked with sapphire blue paint. Too were marked his vambraces and rembraces, in perfect symmetry, aside from the other pauldron which sat on his right shoulder, with leather strapping across his upper torso to keep it in place. The pauldron was rather oddly shaped, 3 sides of it planed at soft angles with each other to fit over the shoulder and too it was painted that dark sapphire blue. Finally, there was the helmet. Much like the rest of his armour, it shone brilliantly; silver metal that was marked with that blue paint around the T-shaped eye hole in his visor. Specifically there were two pointed, somewhat triangular shaped painted above the eye slit. You did not know what they meant, but you had not seen them worn by anyone in the King’s Guard, or even any knight for that matter. He was, you thought, stunning. You hadn’t even seen his face.

And then he removed his helmet. His skin was the same golden brown as your perfectly baked pastries. It was a bit of an odd comparison to make, but with your pastries sitting on the stall between the two of you, it was hard not to make the link. It blended brilliantly with the bright blonde colour of his short, cropped hair, that looked so silky and soft upon his head. His face itself was made of sharp curves and accents, coming together smoothly; he was truly one of the most handsome men you’d ever seen. And his eyes. Oh, his eyes. They were like the cherry on top of the cake. A glimmering amber that met your own gaze and shone with intensity and confidence.

You felt like you had been staring at him longer than you should have. If he noticed, however, he did not bring it up. It was either that or time slowed down, as distracted by his golden appearance as you were, allowing you the precious seconds to take in his presence before he noticed. Whatever the case, time truly caught up with you and sent you plunging headfirst into reality as he spoke.

“Ah, good day.”

His voice was as smooth as butter, even with the slight hesitation at the start. That is, the hesitation, what really surprised you. It was something so small, so insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but the nervousness present in his hesitation as he began to speak to you was something you’d never expected from a knight. You’d expected him to be confident, being a man a far higher standing than you. The hesitation and nervousness made you realise in an instant that the King’s Guard before you was too just another human, not something to be feared.

So, in response to his soft spoken, nervous greeting you offered a warm, friendly smile in return. “Good day to you too.”

The short conversation with the knight left you near forgetting your job.

“What can I help you with?”

A deep, considerate rumble emerged from the man as his eyes scanned the stall for a moment, before he offered, with lightly raised brows, “What would you recommend?”

You were somewhat stumped for a moment, considering what a knight, a King’s Guard even, would want from your bakery stall. With unsureity you pointed to the loaves of bread first, “Well, I’ve got many delicious loaves, of varying grains.” You realised as you finished the sentence that the man, with a position such as his would likely have easy access to bread, so you sputtered out quickly before the humiliation hit home, “Or, perhaps you’d fancy one - or some! - of my pastries.” You smiled widely, toothily and leant against the table before you, trying to nonchalantly brush off your embarrassment.

The knight smiled, soft dimples at the corners of his mouth emerged with the movement, you noticed. He dipped his head in approval, the words he spoke gentle, “A pastry sounds great.”

You gave another flick over of the knight with your eyes, as you ponder what sort of pastry he would like. Initially you would have pegged him as a savoury person, but even in the short moments speaking with him, you began to wonder if he favoured sweet treats.

Hesitantly, you pointed to one of the croissants at the front, decorated with white icing and pink raspberry flavoured sprinkles. It’s not something you’d expect a knight to like, or to even wish to be seen eating, but you pointed it out anyway, “This raspberry croissant is one of my favourites, I’d really recommend it.”

His caramel hues flicked towards it, narrowing for a moment before he bobbed his head in approval once more, “I’ll try it, how much?”

Your eyebrows rose, surprised that he did not refuse and go for a savoury pastry or… anything more dignified for his knightly self. So you stumbled out your words, “Oh, that’ll… that’ll be 5 copper pieces.”

He tilted his head, sunlight shifting over his golden features and silver armour, “5 copper?” You nodded in response, moving to take out a paper bag and wrap up the sweet pastry.

“How about 1 silver?”

You did a double take, nearly dropping the pastry in your hands as you turned to give him a look of bewilderment; 1 silver was well over the amount that you were charging. You weren’t the poorest person in the city, but you were far from the richest. 1 silver would’ve certainly make things a little less tight for you. But, you were honourable, you wouldn’t take that money, there was no reason for him to overpay you that much.

“No, that’s way too much.”

The knight looked a little stumped, eyes flicking between you and the pastry you were packing away for him. Realisation hit you.

Putting a hand on your hip, a smile teased your lips, as you asked the man, “You only brought silver coins, didn’t you?”

He nodded quickly, awkwardly, before blurting out, “Things tend to cost more around the palace.”

You chuckled softly, ignoring the twist in your stomach that made you falter in awe that you were truly speaking to a man who knew the king personally. Thus, with a slight more squeak to your voice than usual, you replied, “I can see that. Unfortunately I don’t have enough copper to make up the difference so…-“

“Just take the silver, it’s my own mistake.”

You shook your head at him, “No, no, I have something else in mind.”

He paused, lips slightly parted and eyes wide, looking at you to save this awkward situation.

You took out your notebook, resting it against the counter as you picked up your writing charcoal and scribbled down the mathematics. “So, 5 copper for the pastry. If you come back for… hmm… 19 more days, to get another pastry, then you get your money’s worth.”

You smiled up to him, watching his features contort from worry to amusement. He grinned at you, dimples emerging and the corner’s of his eyes crinkling, “Very smart, Miss...” He trailed off, before shaking his head lightly and offering you a sheepish smile, “Sorry, what’s your name? It was impolite of me not to ask sooner.”

You shrugged lightly, handing the pastry all wrapped up over to him, noticing how your fingers gently brushed with his, then telling him your name with a soft tone to your voice. You then looked to your notebook for a second, whilst the knight slowly unwraps the pastry then and there, not bothering to move away from your stall. So you lightly cleared your throat, asking “Excuse me, but what’s *your* name? Just so I can keep track of how many pastries I owe you!”

He stops unwrapping the pastry, lifting his gaze so it met yours, caramel eyes sparking with mirth, “The name’s Rex, Captain Rex.”

This man was really good at surprising you, which thus caused you to blurt out, “You’re *the* Captain Rex? The Captain of the King’s Guard?”

He so humbly nodded, after lifting the pastry to his lips and taking a bite. After a moment, he offered another smile, kind-hearted and with a twinkle of pride. “Yes, I am. And, I must say,” he continued, “I am looking forward to returning tomorrow and the day after, if your goods are able to live up to this one.”

Your cheeks heated softly at his words, as you called back in return, “I am looking forward to it too!”

Rex held up to his word, returning the next day, with you giving him a new pastry to try. The day after, he returned again. And again. Soon, those days that were promised for him to return ended. But where it ended, something new sprouted and replaced it. Something that drew you even closer to Captain Rex of the King’s Guard.

After so much time, however, you never forgot that first meeting. If not for his surprising attitude and demeanour from under that helm… well, then you would not find yourself waking up for a long day as the royal baker, preparing delicious goods for a whole court. And in turn, you would not find yourself being dragged back into the warmth of your bed by two muscular, golden toned arms, Rex’s nose then nuzzling into your neck and his pale blonde hair, as short as it was, tickling your cheek, before you felt soft, loving kisses pepper your skin.

Avi and Thorn's first meeting!! Poor Thorn was DOOMED. And Fox isn't helping with his teasing 😂

Avi started working with medical clinics at the start of the Clone Wars, and Thorn was one of the troopers assigned to protect the clinic from gangs like the Black Sun!!

Additionally, someone sweet on IG dubbed it!!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CN4BhlHg6ug/?igshid=p23y2icpu1pa

Request

Hello love! I’ve been enjoying reading your work over the past few days ☺️

Would you be able to write an Echo x Latina (brown) mid/plus size reader?

Echo and reader have been friends for a long time (reader is a part of the gang; and everyone sees them as a couple). Yet their insecurities prevent themselves from forming a relationship since they want the “best” for the other.

Somehow they do overcome their insecurities and end up together :)

Hunter is relieved 😅

Another thing I have never done yet 😅 I hope I can do this right for you, let me give it a try, sweetheart :)) You didn't really say if you wanted fluff/nsfw or suggestive. So I stayed fluffy with some soft body contact, hope that's okay.

Echo x Mid/Plus Size Latina Reader - Friends To Lovers

Fluff / Romance / Soft Body Contact

Sugar

"What's that supposed to mean now?"

Echo looked at Wrecker annoyed, he didn't like it when others interfered in his personal affairs.

Wrecker sighed and said, "Well, listen, it's obvious that you two like each other."

Echo waved it off and said, "It doesn't matter, she deserves better than me."

Hunter spoke up from the background, "Stop it Echo, that's nonsense."

Hunter came walking into the main room of the Marauder and looked at his brother reprovingly.

"Stop making yourself so small all the time, you're a great guy, a damn good soldier and an even better person. She likes you, you like her, that's actually pretty simple."

Echo sighed and straightened up.

"I don't know" he said uncertainly "I really do like her immensely and we are good friends, but if I take one more step now I could ruin it all"

The ramp opened, preventing Hunter from giving Echo an answer. Echo's heart almost stopped when he saw you come into the Marauder. You were wearing civi clothes, a breezy summer dress that gently hugged your wonderful curves, not too raunchy, but not entirely innocent either. Your tanned skin glistened a little from the lotion you always used and that he loved to smell.

His gaze wandered along your body for a moment, he loved your curves so much. But he hurriedly broke away, threw you a soft smile and walked past you to the outside. Crosshair was standing outside, he had accompanied you to get a few things. When he saw Echo come out he nodded silently at him.

"Did you get everything?" asked Echo.

"Most of it," Crosshair grumbled.

"Echo."

Your voice tingled under his skin. He turned to you and saw you coming down the ramp to the outside.

"Yes?" he said almost tentatively.

"Can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

He swallowed, his heart pounding in his throat, but he nodded and said, "Of course."

You were nervous, Echo was so incredibly cute and you liked him way too much not to be nervous.

"I've been thinking," you began and your heart wanted to run away from you, it was beating so fast in your chest.

He looked at you intently and his gaze felt like he was crawling into your soul to cuddle with it, Echo always seemed to you like he could just slip inside you and heal all the wounds that had ever existed inside you.

"About what, Mesh'la?" he asked softly.

You felt heat rise in your cheeks, Mesh'la, whenever he called you that you got all warm, you knew what it meant and it was so incredibly flattering and sweet.

"About you and me," you finally said, bolder than you actually felt.

His eyes grew wide.

"Oh... I, did I do something wrong?"

You frowned, wondering why that was the first thing he thought.

"No. I don't know why you think that but-"

"I know I stare at you a lot but I would never presume to approach you inappropriately or-"

You laughed softly and interrupted him, "No, no, no. Echo, what I wanted to say is.... I'm incredibly fond of you, maybe a lot more than I should be.... I don't know... I just wanted to get that off my chest and," you interrupted yourself, shrugging your shoulders helplessly.

"Please say something," you finally said softly.

Echo took a step toward you, his hand wandering to your cheek and gently nuzzling it.

His head came closer and with a soft sigh, leaned his forehead against yours.

Softly, gently, almost whispering he said," I'm crazy about you Sugar, so blown away. For a very long time I've had a crush on you, but we both know I'm different and I always thought.... I always thought you could never love someone like me."

You let out a stuttering breath. You'd always known he liked you, but you hadn't known how much. His confession seemed to take the air out of your lungs and at the same time give your heart wings.

"Echo," you spoke softly, "I want to be more than friends."

His lips came closer, but before they touched yours he asked, "Are you sure about that?"

"Perfectly"

His lips touched yours, warmer and softer than expected, tentative, gently testing, then more intimate, confident and finally demanding.

His tongue opened your lips and began to hunt yours, each velvety collision a firebrand in your neural pathways, a tingling in your belly that spread in warm waves.

As you both broke breathlessly from the kiss, his arm moved around your waist, pulling you even closer to him. His forehead leaned against yours again and he smiled with his eyes closed.

Behind you a clapping sounded and an exclamation that could only be from Wrecker. You obviously had an audience, but for the moment you didn't care, even though you felt heat rising in your cheeks again.

Feeling his arm around your curvy body was a bit of a shock at first, you were never sure if he could desire you, you weren't one of those girls the guys hung up as posters in their bunks, you were a bit roundish. But Echo pressed you so tenderly and lovingly against him that you forgot any self-doubt and could just enjoy the moment.

@rintheemolion

@andyoufollowyourheart @clone-whore-99

@brynhildrmimi @kaliel2310

@misogirl828 @tech-deck

@meshla-madalene

@chxpsi

@thebahdbitch

@nahoney22 @ladykatakuri

25 Days of Life Day: Day 13 - Decorating the Palace with Boba

a/n: I wasn't too confident with this one so don't feel bad if you dislike it lol.

warnings: pregnancy, a teensy lil bit of angst if you really look? idk.

25 Days of Life Day Masterlist

“You know we have people to do that, right?” Fennec chuckles, leaning against the wall while you finish putting tinsel around one of four trees. 

“Mmhm, but I’d rather do it how I want.” You smile. 

“I’m gonna go grab the-” Fennec starts.

You and Boba have been married for two years now and Fennec still doesn’t like you doing your own stuff around the palace. Granted, you’re seven months pregnant and maybe a tad bit more fragile than you were last Life Day but this is where you find peace in your life. Decorating the place, yourself.

“No, don’t. I’m content doing it.” You assure her. “I promise.” 

“And what do you think Boba is going to say when he gets back and sees his very pregnant wife doing all this extra work?” She quirks an eyebrow.

“He’d be proud to see me take initiative?” You chuckle.

“Would I?” You both hear Boba’s voice in the hall. 

You turn around, smiling at your husband. You’d missed him so much since he’d been away on business with whatever it was he was up to these days. Gathering allies, or visiting old friends. You can’t keep up. 

“Hello, my love.” You grin.

“Don’t ‘Hello, my love’ me.” He looks firmly at you. “Please, get down.” “Fine.” You huff and start to step down off the ladder with Fennec giving you a hand. 

“We’ll talk later.” Boba nods to you before walking away. 

Fennec gives you an “I told you so” look and you roll your eyes, walking away. It wasn’t like you were that high up off of the ground. But Boba is Boba and he’s always been overprotective of you. You used to find it endearing and sexy. But with being pregnant and all these hormones pumping through your body, it’s starting to be a bit much. Life Day has always been your favorite holiday and Boba knows it. 

“Boba.” You call out to him. 

He stops and turns toward you, his expression softening. You can tell whatever it was that was keeping him away didn’t go well. 

“I missed you.” You reach up and cup his face, kissing him.

He pulls you against him, as much as he can with your belly in the way, wrapping his arms around you.

“I missed you too, princess.” He murmurs against your lips. “I’m sorry about-” You wave your hand, dismissing it. “Already forgotten.” “I’ll never understand how I got so lucky.” He smiles down at you, kissing your forehead. 

“Stop thinking about business for a bit… decorate with me.” You look up at him with begging eyes. “Please?”

He sighs, softly, pulling his hands back around to rest on your stomach. “You know I can never say no to that face.” 

“And just think you’ll have a daughter with a face like it in a few months. You’ll never stand a chance against two of these faces.” You laugh, leading him back to the tree. 

“I’m doomed.” He chuckles as he stands up on the stool so that he can hang the ornaments for you.

“Yes, but you’ll be happy about it.” You shrug, handing him the ornaments.

He grins down at you, obviously forgetting about whatever it was that put him in a bad mood earlier. “With you as my wife and our perfect child, how could I not be?”

He continues to help you decorate the palace until you retire to bed so he can properly apologize for earlier, which you gladly and eagerly accept.

TAGS: @grievouus @brynhildrmimi @madameminor @dumfanting @rain-on-kamino @misogirl828 @rexandechosandwich @corona-one @tecker @ladykatakuri @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @twistedstitcher27 @zoeykallus @maulslittlemeowmeow @littlemousedroid @arctrooper69 @rexxdjarin @agenteliix @padawancat97 @idlenesses @hated-by-me @sleepingsun501

“MORE MACHINE THAN MAN”

The Bad Batch 1.01 AFTERMATH. Star Wars: RETURN OF THE JEDI.

♡ REQUESTED BY @good-heavens-chris-evans ♡

Forgiveness

Notes: I reused the same gif as last time, so sue me. I'm kind of vaguely basing his appearance off of Tem's character in Aquaman, kind of not. @moodymisty I have an update for you!

Pairing: Clone Trooper Veteran Tai (from Kenobi) x f!Reader

Warnings: making out, talk of drunken flirting/innuendo

Everything hurts the moment you open your eyes. The light pouring in from between the blinds is too, too bright, your body is insufferably warm under the covers, and your mouth feels sticky and dry. You can still taste remnants of alcohol on your teeth.

Stars above, the hell did I do last night?

A guttural moan rumbles out of you as you roll onto your side and squint in the general direction of your window. It takes a moment, a long, long moment, but flickers of last night start coming back to you. The bar, your minimum 3 and horrifyingly, very possibly more than 3 shots, the music that screamed so loudly you could feel it inside your skull. Tai.

Electricity screams through every vein and up your spine into your brain where it jolts you upright.

Oh Maker, Tai.

You were so wasted last night that you weren't your usual self. You were unfiltered, raw and wanting. You dragged him out onto that dance floor and-. Your face goes scalding hot with shame. The way you'd danced with him was the exact opposite of everything you'd been trying to be with him; instead of being patient and restrained, you were clingy and flirty. And he'd danced with you.

Suddenly the room is spinning and it's not because of your hangover. He'd danced with you. Sure, he'd been hesitant at first and you certainly couldn't blame him for that, but something had changed when you cupped his face in your hand. He'd moved differently with you, held you closer, tighter. If you weren't still pushing through the mental fog of your final shots, you might have even said it was intimate.

But that dry, sticky feeling in your mouth draws you out of it. Arguably, it draws you into a deeper, darker spiral. Because you can't remember coming home. Or getting into bed. And you're terrified you might have done something that you'll regret.

You're stumbling out of your bed, covers flying through the air and heart in your mouth. You have to be sure. Tai wasn't in bed with you when you woke up, so that's a good start, but you have to be certain. You don't want to ruin whatever it is you've forged with him, you can't ruin it. Or him. You can't lose him and the thought that you might have fucked it all up because you were too intoxicated to hold yourself back is making you feel sick.

No. No, it's not dread that's making you feel sick.

You barely make it to the bathroom before bile hits the back of your throat. Everything that was in your stomach unloads into the bathroom sink, mostly tinted blue from all the spotchka, and fuck, it burns. You turn on the faucet and blink down at the mess you've made.

What the hell are you doing? Going out drinking with a homeless guy? Letting him live in your home? He's a former soldier. He's half a stranger and you're the idiot letting him co-habitate with you. You're the idiot falling in love with him. Why are you falling in love with him?

The person looking back at you in the mirror looks just as perplexed and frustrated as you feel. How long as it been love and you didn't realize it? How long have you been coming home late to see him passed out on your couch and smiled at him with so much fondness that it made your chest ache? How long have you been stealing glances when he isn't looking, watching the way he moves about your space like he belongs in it, watching the muscles in his shoulders grow stronger every day from all the hard labor he's putting himself through? How many nights have you spent lying in bed, tired but unable to sleep, something hungry thrumming beneath your skin while you were too shy to try and soothe that ache with him in the apartment? How many clever smiles of his have you etched into your memory? How many blaster shots to the chest before you admit you're in over your head?

"You alright?"

Tai's voice startles you and you very nearly choke on your own esophagus. You quickly scoop a handful of water into your mouth and gurgle out the remnants of bile before answering.

"Yeah." It comes out as a croak. "Just hungover."

Your chest hurts from the strength of your heart pounding into your ribcage. You swear it's beating out the shape of him into your bones. Best not to dwell on it, on him. You need to clean up. You have a housemate and you need to be presentable. A shower would feel good. And you ought to brush your teeth. You should probably try the toilet while you're in here, too. So you let yourself fall into the mindless routine of it, stripping down and standing under the water, scrubbing yourself until it hurts to wash the embarrassment out of your skin, toweling yourself off, brushing your teeth, rubbing yourself down with lotion. It's better than stopping to think about what you've done, easier.

Until you realize you have no change of clothes. And for all you know, Tai's still standing outside your door. It's unlikely, but it's not impossible. Like him. The impossible man you've fallen impossibly far for. Dank farrik.

It takes all your bravery to press your temple to the door and whisper a hesitant, "Tai?" through the crack. "You there?"

Silence. Your heartbeat is going wild still. But there's no answer. Which means he's probably in by the sofa. If he's turned toward the hallway even slightly, he'll catch a glimpse of you as you leave. It's not an appealing thought coming on the tail end of last night's fiasco, but it's not the end of the galaxy either. You just need to dart into your room for some fresh clothes. It'll be fine.

He's not visible when you crack the door open, so you open it a little further and poke your head out. You catch the back of his head just above the sofa where you guessed he'd be. He's not looking. Run for it!

It's all a rush. You can feel water trickling down your legs, slowly dripping down the nape of your neck and over your temples. You're paranoid the towel's going to slip at exactly the wrong moment, that he'll turn and see you just as it falls and he'll get a full view of your rear, and you know that if that happens, you'd honestly rather just be eaten alive by a rancor. It would be more merciful that way.

None of that happens, though.

You stumble into your bedroom door and stub your toe, which kicks the door open. You know even before you turn to look that he's seen you. Damp. Mostly naked. Running face first into your own door like some idiot who's never walked before. And your fears are confirmed when you spin around to slam the door shut and catch his wide-eyed gaze. His skin is dark enough that you can't tell if he's blushing or not, but something tells you he probably is.

You're no better than an injured wild animal at this point. Someone should just put you out of your misery. You already accosted him in the bar last night, you wouldn't be surprised in the least if you were told you'd tried to kiss him, and now you're running around in the nude with nothing but a towel for privacy? What in the entire fuck is wrong with you? You'll be lucky if he stays another day, let alone another night.

Get dressed, you tell yourself. Pull yourself together. You need to apologize.

That becomes your mantra for the next few minutes. You pull on some undergarments, a roomy sleep shirt, some comfortable bottoms, and then you stop and look at yourself in the mirror on the back of your door. You take in your panic-stricken expression, your wide eyes and the pulse jumping out of your throat, and you sigh. This is as good as it's going to get. And you can't reasonably hide yourself away in here any longer. Sooner or later, you'll have to face him and you'll have to scoop up what remains of your companionship as best you can.

He's there when you swing your door open. He's a singular stride away, one arm already raised as if to knock.

"Tai." His name stumbles out of you in a shocked sort of whisper.

His Adam's apple bobs up and down as he swallows. You look up at him for a moment and he looks down at you, your mouth goes dry and your chest starts to tighten, and even though you're entirely sober, some stupid, feral, idiotic corner of your brain is dying to pull him down to you and kiss him. You think you want to throw up again.

"I'm sorry." He says it almost exactly the same time that you do.

"Why are you sorry?" you ask. "I should be the one apologizing to you."

He frowns. "You have nothing to apologize for. I-..." His head ducks and turns away from you as his frown starts to spread to the rest of his face. "I encouraged you last night. I shouldn't have."

Encouraged you? Does he mean the drinking? Something in your heart hurts. Or does he mean the flirting?

"No, Tai, you're fine. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who got wasted and-." Maker, you don't want to say it but you know you have to. "I know I flirted with you. A lot." You wish a black hole would open under your feet and swallow you. "I'm so sorry. I know we're just friends and I'm so glad we're friends, really. You're amazing. I love having you here."

Shut up. For the sake of your own sanity, shut up! But you can't stop talking. It's like the first night you spoke to him all over again. You're telling him he needs soap all over again. You're trying your best to do a good thing and all you're doing is making it worse. As usual.

"And I-I know that you don't have to stay here and after last night, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave. I can't imagine how uncomfortable you have to be right now, especially after you saw me leaving the shower, and fuck, I'm sorry, Tai. I didn't mean to do that. I just, I wanted to let loose and have fun and then I got drunk and I couldn't control myself properly with all that spotchka in me. Not that that makes what I did okay because it's not, but-."

"I don't want to leave," he rumbles and suddenly the world snaps back into focus. He's shuffled closer to you, not as close as you were at the bar when you danced, when he had his palms in the curve of your waist and you had your hand at the back of his neck, but it's still. Close. "Thought I was the one overstaying my welcome."

You're breathless when you shake your head. "No."

Relentless heat flushes from your face all the way down your body as more memories of your dancing flood your senses. You can still remember his scent, you can almost smell it now with how close he is. You chance a glance up at his eyes and it almost sends a shudder down your spine when you realize it's just like how he looked at you last night. Like he'll die if he's not touching you.

You swallow. "Tai-."

"Felt like a dirty old man dancing with you." His voice is wrecked.

You shake your head. "You're not. You're not, I wanted you to."

"Why?"

You want to grab him by the shoulders and scream it at him. You want to turn and run. You want to ball your hands into fists and cry and rage and pout because after the way you touched him last night, after you traced the shape of his face, after you looked up at him with your drunken 'fuck me' eyes, how could he not know?

Don't make me say it. Don't make me say it just to turn me down, please.

"How did I get home?"

That impossible expression of his shifts into something more down to earth. "I called us a taxi when you couldn't walk on your own. Tried to get you to eat something, but you were... more stubborn than I'd anticipated."

Yeah, that sounded about right. But the question you've been steadily crumbling under the weight of since you woke up still worms its way out of you. Finally.

"Did anything happen?"

Something flickers deep in Tai's eyes and he quickly looks away again. "No," he says with all the authority of the soldier you know he once was. "I would never-."

"I know you wouldn't. I wasn't worried about you."

Your name is pleasant on his tongue, warm and right, and you like how he makes it sound. You like the look he's giving you right now even more. You wonder if that's how you've been looking at him.

He hesitates for a moment and you can see him carefully mulling over his next words. You almost want to hope he's going to ask you, tell you what he wants, how it's exactly what you've been wanting. You almost want him to just take you in his arms and kiss you. His hand is shaking when he moves it, light as a feather, to the curve of your jawbone.

"I don't deserve you."

And everything inside you melts. Because doesn't he see? "I'm not that special," you say.

His eyes drop down below your nose. His thumb shifts ever so slightly to rub into your skin. "You are to me."

You stretch up on your toes and press your mouth into his with all the urgency and gentle longing you've been fighting for Maker knows how long. He starts at first, frozen against you and you worry that maybe you made a mistake, maybe this was one step further than he was willing to go and dammit, why the kriffing fuck did you think this was okay-? And then his mouth opens to yours. The warmth of his breath falls onto your tongue for the briefest of seconds before he's suddenly all you can feel. His tongue on yours, his nose pressing into your cheek, the scratch of his scruff on your chin, his hand cupping the back of your neck so gently, so firmly that you couldn't move even if you wanted to.

Something akin to a whimper slips out of you when his other hand grips at the meat of your waist to pull you into him and it seems to spur him on. He tilts your head back a bit and surges into you, tongue seeking out the roof of your mouth, guiding you into his mouth so he can suck at you, and it only makes you more vocal. Your hands are at his chest, gripping, shaking, pulling, begging for more.

And then, suddenly, you're stumbling backwards. You pull away to try and catch your balance as the world starts to spin, only to realize that it's Tai. Your shoulders hit the wall and arousal drops heavy in the pit of your stomach. Oh.

You don't realize at first that the breathy little sighs and mewls are coming from you. Not until they cut off when he kisses you again. And all that raw, frantic want from last night is bubbling up inside you all over again. You reach for his neck and stretch up into him again. And while you love the look he's gone for with his buzzed hair, you can't help wishing it was just a little longer so you could get a grip on it. You're sure he would make the prettiest sounds if you tugged hard enough.

He pulls away an eternity later and while you lament his absence, you're grateful for the opportunity to properly breathe again. His face hovers over yours, eyes hooded, while his breath warms your chin. And then he smiles.

"What?" you huff, although you're smiling now too.

He ghosts a hand over your hair, down your neck to your shoulder. "I never thought..."

"You're handsome, Tai. Like, really handsome. And you smell good. Not sure why you're surprised."

His laugh warms you down to your toes. "Is that all?"

You tilt your chin up to better see him and you can feel something swelling in your chest. "No," you answer with a shake of your head. "I like you." But that's not what you mean.

He rumbles low in his chest like a purring lothcat and leans down to press his forehead against yours. His gentle exhalation stirs in your lungs. It feels like a kiss. "I like you." You don't think that's what he means either.

TECH THEORY SEASON 2

SO HOW IS EVERYONE DOING AFTER EPISODE 13!!!???

I am so happy with this episode <3 It was so wholesome

I just wanted to ramble about why Phee works well as Tech's love interest in the Bad Batch!

The creators were waving it under our nose this entire episode!

*Tech has a new perspective of artifacts from different cultures because of his experience in Serenno (w/ Romar). Phee repeatedly mentioned that she was the "liberator of ancient wonders" and no matter the monetary value of said artifact- nothing matters more than the culture itself.

At one point, he stayed around with Phee (for a bit) to ensure that the artifact would be placed somewhere safely on Pabu.

I can COMPLETELY see Phee and Tech going to different planets to try and restore lost artifacts. Tech would most likely want to learn more about the culture itself while Phee would seek the adventure.

This entire episode was about domestic bliss, and that was only brought by her.

Tech was aware that Omega was enjoying herself with someone her age. He most likely would want to stay on Pabu for her as well. *If Phee and tech were to become a thing, then the girls could be family 👀 *

Also - I gotta love the brotherly teasing from Wrecker (and Hunter).

ALSO- Tech's reaction to "Brown Eyes" GOT ME!!! Her saying that clearly caught him off guard and in the most cutest way possible <3

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UUGGHH, I AM SUCH A ROMANTIC! WHEN WILL IT BE MY TURN 😭

Echo has some pent up tension that needs to be released 😅

Echo with Omega vs. with the rest of the Bad Batch