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airbendertendou · 10 months

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a small compilation of moments between autistic!reader + connor happy disability pride month <3

anon requested : hi! i was wondering if you could do something with connor and the autistic reader and like them going nonverbal and how he would handle that? You don’t have to do it if you don’t wanna! :)

please do not use this as a way to self-diagnose. having one thing in common does not necessarily mean you are autistic. im not a therapist or doctor, if you think you’re on the spectrum, talk to them. <3

if you have a blank blog [no bio, no user, no header or profile pic, nothing reblogged, etc] do not interact with my content. you will be blocked.

temperature irregulation ♥︎

hank was a firm believer in a cold house. when the summer season came and brought a heatwave with it, the older man wouldn’t allow anything other than a brisk, chilly living room.

it was often you’d come over to go over old cases and study with hank. interning with the detroit police department was fun — the academy, however, you could live without. you’d learned to dress warm when visiting hank’s house, having a hard time warming up once you were cold.

“here,” a thicker sweater is placed over the couch, the sleeve laying on your shoulder. you take it without thought, swapping your thinner one for the new one. connor smiles at the pattern on your fuzzy socks, the sight of your toes curling in delight at the warmth bringing something tender to his brain. “better?”

you nod with a hum, “thanks, detective.”

hank rolls his eyes, hiding the curl of his lips at your obliviousness. “anyways, as i was saying—”

[interrupted] routine ♥︎

every day at 12:10 pm, you’d wander into the breakroom for a snack and drink refill. connor didn’t mean to memorize your specific regimen — but after watching you do the same thing for a week straight, it stuck to his mind.

you loitered in the doorway to the breakroom, peeking in occassionally to see if it’d emptied out any. gavin caught your gaze, rolling his eyes at your hesitance. it was then you spotted the mug in his hands — your mug, the one you always used. your frown deepened.

connor budged his way into the crowd, bumping into gavin and causing his drink to spill. every curse leaving the human’s mouth went ignored — connor only watched as you cowered away from gavin’s angry steps as he left. grabbing the dropped mug, connor rinsed it four times before holding it out to you shyly.

you crept into the breakroom, grabbing the handle of the mug and shooting the android a thankful grin.

stimming with pressure ♥︎

hank opened the door to his house with a sigh. connor’s eyebrows furrowed as he tilted his head, questioning the elder silently. hank leans against the door, “[name]’s been here a while, s’all. won’t leave my bathtub.”

a safe zone, connor concludes, somewhere small and compact ; where you could see every corner and every threat. he makes his way to the bathroom without another thought, pausing at the sight of you.

your eyes are closed, face crumpled in displeasure as you clench and unclench your fists in a pattern. connor knocks on the door, announcing his presence without startling you. your eyes fly open, “hello, detective.”

“you can call me connor, if you’d like.” the android steps further into the bathroom slowly, allowing you to object if you need to. your eyes stay on him — his thirium pump stutters in his chest. “anything i can do to help?”

taking in a deep breath, you puff your cheeks as you release the air. “maybe. if you don’t think it’s weird.”

connor stares down at you, his upper lip curled in hesitance as you lay in hank’s bed. you adjust yourself, wiggling around until you’ve splayed your limbs where you want them. you blink up at him, “well?”

“it is a little... strange.” connor tries to be nice, he really does. but asking an android to lay on you — to put their full weight on you — he’s concered. “i will crush you.”

you roll your eyes, “i have a weighted blanket at home ; it’s no different.”

“i weigh quite a bit more than—”

“are you going to lay on me or not, connor?”

maybe it was the sound of you saying his name for the first time ; maybe it was the way you looked so defeated. whatever it was, connor found himself laying on you as gently as he could. the relaxation was immediate — he could feel the breath of relief you let out ; the way your body sagged.

you fell asleep that way — with connor holding his breath and tensing up the closer you got.

sensory overload ♥︎

the scene you were going to was a lot. it was nighttime now, the sirens and flashing lights bringing everyone’s attention this way. hank leaves the car first, grumbling as he goes. the sound that leaks through his open door causes you to whimper.

connor turns his head to you, “everything alright?”

your gaze hasn’t left the window as you squint, blinking at all of the lights. you gulp before biting your lip. “i’ll be fine. this is what i signed up for.”

you’re barely out of the car and already wincing at the noise and the lights. you can’t see hank ; can’t hear or understand anything being said around you. the world is blinking in hues of red and blue, wailing sirens going off with every flash of the lights.

the sound grows muffled as soft and sturdy hands cup your ears. a thumb moves from your ear briefly, just long enough for you to hear a whisper. “close your eyes and i’ll lead you into the house. that’s where the lieutenant is.”

trusting connor’s words — a little too easily — you squeeze your eyes shut. your hands go up to cover his, sealing your ears from the harsh sounds around you. stumbling a little here and there, you eventually feel a difference in temperature as you enter the house.

letting out a sigh, your shoulders moving with the motion, slowly your eyes peel open. you glance at connor, ignoring the tenderness of his gaze. “thanks, connor.”

he lets out a deep breath, ignoring the sly grin hank sends his way. “no problem, [name].”

verbal shutdown ♥︎

it happened so quick. your safe foods had vanished from their designated cabinet ; your chair’s wheel was squeaking incessently ; hank hadn’t shown up today. everything was piling on and you finally exploded.

the evidence locker was empty as you shakily typed in hank’s password. you hit the wrong button a few times, squeezing your eyes together at the little beeps. your breathing picks up — you hold it in your chest and shake your hands, releasing the tension built inside you.

you all but crawl into the secure room, your back hitting the wall as you sit down. your eyes squeeze shut again and you go through the motions, choosing the less destructive ways to calm yourself down.

none of them work.

when connor finds you, you’re drawing shapes on the floor with your finger. you’ve curled into yourself, not making a sound ; your usual means of comfort absent from your lips. he walks to you cautiously, “[name]? hank has returned. he’s asking to see you.”

you don’t move ; not a sound falls from your lips. connor sits in front of you, crossing his legs as he waits. from his suit pocket comes a ring of multicolored notecards — your eyes flash to his at the sight of them. connor holds them out further so that you can see them properly. “want to use these?”

a miniscule nod, but it’s enough to make him smile. “alright,” he flicks through the blue cards — feelings. stopping at your set of upset verbs, he slides the ring your way. “any of these describe how you’re feeling?”

a shaky finger hits the word overstimulated before dragging over to panic. connor nods, flipping to the pink set — solutions. “what do you want to do? go home ; nap ; have a snack ; get your puzzle book ; coloring book...” connor holds them up to you, reading out each one until you nod — except you don’t. pausing, connor speaks up again, “want me to leave?”

you shake your head. slowly, your hand crawls across the floor until it meets his. you nudge his hand, curling your fingers under his. connor holds his breath, adjusting your fingers until you’re holding hands properly. his eyes stay to the floor, “this is okay, too. let me know when you’re ready to leave.”

emotional regulation ft. lots of crying ♥︎

“connor,” your voice brings him out of his work. standing beside his desk, connor watches as you sway side to side. he tilts his head and it makes your eyes water. “i’m going to cry.”

that was his cue to take you into his arms. connor stands to do so, gathering your body against his and rocking you side to side slowly. your body hiccups a few times, sniffles leaving your nose occassionally. you seem to calm down even more as he rubs your back soothingly — connor’s led light flashes yellow as he stores that information for later.

you pull away with a deep breath, rubbing your face with the hoodie you’re wearing. connor frowns, “better?”

you nod, “needed that. thank you.”

“want to tell me what upset you? only if you want to.”

connor never knew what to expect your answer to be. sometimes you just shook your head and snuggled close to him again. other times, you did talk about why you were crying and it made connor realize the extent of human emotions.

“no more chocolate in the snack cabinet.”

“had a nice dream.”

“hank is wearing yellow.”

“it’s such a pretty day today!”

“too much noise.”

“gavin cut his hair.”

you let out another sniffle, lips pouting in thought. “not too sure this time. jus’ felt like i needed to cry.”

connor nods to himself, his led light whirring yellow once more. “i’m glad you feel comfortable with me, [name]. i’ll be here if you need another cry.”

you grin, meeting his eyes for a brisk second before reaching out to hold his hand. you swing your entwined hands lightly, grin softening into something gentle. “i know. thanks, con.”

the detective was sure he’d implode because of you soon. just not yet — not when you’re still holding his hand.

——♥︎—— for some reason my brain tells me to only write autistic readers n pair them w connor. like?? work w me here!! anyways. i hope this was okay, remember to take your meds, drink some water and have a nice snack!! airbendertendou © do not copy, plagiarize, repost, or translate my content on any platform. if you see my content under any other name than my own, let me know. i only have this tumblr and an ao3 account under the same name.

#connor imagine #connor x reader #dbh connor x reader #dbh connor imagine #autistic!reader #autistic reader #dbh x reader #detroit become human imagine #detroit become human x reader #connor headcannons #connor drabbles #dbh drabbles #dbh imagine #detroit become human drabbles

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seeker-of-stories19 · 3 months

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Autistic Ghost Headcannons

- Intentionally ignores social cues

- Scowls all the time at everything and everyone but usually not on purpose

- Takes full advantage of his ear defenders and balaclava to avoid sensory experiences he dislikes

- Incredibly restrictive eating, often chooses to go hungry rather than touch something he dislikes

- One of his favorite stims is smelling Soaps hair

- Gets overstimulated by certain things but is also very sensory seeking in other ways

- Wears tight gloves and sleeps under four weighted blankets because he likes the pressure

- Stims by making a tight fist, chewing his lips, scratching, hitting himself, leaning against things, rocking, pacing, rubbing the seam of his balaclava, tapping his ear defenders

- One track mind, he hates switching tasks and never does more than one thing at once unless it’s a hundred percent necessary

- Wears a mask largely to hide his scars and identity but it has the added benefit of keeping him from having to worry about making the correct facial expressions

- Very prone to dissociation

- Violent meltdowns, tends to have a vicious temper and destroy everything around him, hurting himself or anyone else unfortunate enough to cross his warpath

- But eventually when he’s in private he ends up just curling into himself and crying and rocking like he did as a kid

- It makes him feel incredibly vulnerable and he goes to extreme lengths to avoid the meltdowns which is a huge part of why they’re so bad

- Only Johnny and sometimes Price can calm him down

- Everyone else just thinks he has an explosive temper for no reason

- Ties his boots dangerously tight to get more sensory input

- Thrives under military routines but ignores rules that don’t make sense

- This definitely caused problems with COs in the past but Price is way more understanding and generally the 141 gets a lot of leniency on rules because of the type of work they do and the specific value of their skill sets

- Soap sleeps on top of him and always squeezes his hand a little too hard

- Hides in his room when overstimulated and shuts down completely, will literally disassociate for hours until Soap finds him

- Obsessively neat, nothing is ever anywhere other than where it’s supposed to be

- Doesn’t mind loud sounds but hates multiple sounds at once

- Explosions and gunfire are usually fine as long as he has his headphones but people talking and eating all at once in the mess makes him want to cry

- Absolutely despises crowds and will get very agitated and pissed off before eventually checking out until Johnny can get him back to a quiet space

- Soap letting him have the best vantage point when they go out because of how bad Simons PTSD and sensory issues are and he trusts Simon to watch his six

- Drinks but never to the point of being drunk

- Has the shittiest temperature regulation ever, gets so overheated but can’t figure out why and would freeze to death if it wasn’t for Soap making him put on layers because he’s basically immune to the cold

- Other than keeping his space clean which is mostly because it’s been beaten into him by his dad and then the army to the point where having a messy space will send him into a panic attack he’s a disaster. He never remembers to bring his dishes over to the tiny kitchen in the 141s rec room and routinely stares at things for days unable to complete simple tasks until he gets so pissed he ends up crying

- Price used to get annoyed by it and they’ve all three harassed him about it but once they realize that he’s genuinely struggling all three of them step in to make things easier for him, helping clean up his stuff in common spaces and wash dishes

- Soap definitely helps him with his laundry but only at 3am when he suddenly has the urge to do his own because ADHD

- His interoception is appalling, he’ll be furious and yell at recruits or just look at people like he wants to kill them on missions until Johnny leans over to subtly remind him that he hasn’t gone to the bathroom or eaten anything in eight hours

- Is fluent in BSL and uses it to communicate with Price when he’s in a verbal shutdown

- Soap and Gaz ask Price to teach them secretly and when they start signing to Ghost one day he’s absolutely shocked

- Generally he gets by with everyone else by grunting and scowling, people are too scared of him to call him out

- Most of his masking relies on peoples fear of him even though it often makes him feel even less human and it’s a vicious downward spiral

- Soap not being afraid of him was a really big deal because of this but also lead to him being really freaked out and unsure how to handle his prying

- Soap just finds him impossibly endearing and loves all the hidden little movements and noises he makes when they’re alone

- Lets Simon use his hands to fidget under the table during meetings

- Even though Soap isn’t the best at social cues himself he takes up explaining things to Ghost subtly whenever he can

- When Simon comes to his room to ask him about something someone said for the first time he’s ecstatic and considers it a great victory

- While a lot of Simons stims are more subtle or at least misinterpreted Soap will absolutely get hyped up when he’s stimming and start jumping or rocking or flapping his hands eagerly

- Soap sends him adhd x autism memes all the time and encourages Ghost to send back anything that interests him even if he thinks Soap won’t like it

- Is shocked to realize how strong Ghosts special interests are as his phone turns into a constant flood of articles and artwork about things Ghost loves

- Included but not limited to guns, puzzles, animal anatomy and bones, flowers (specifically the meanings of flowers) and many others

- Taking things apart and putting them back together, usually his rifle but will generally do it with everything from pens to knives

- Hoards weird things like old ink cartridges and bullet casings

- Has an unbelievable memory for details of old missions, can remember building layouts from over five years ago

- Soap’s room is so chaotic they barely spend time there because of how much it stresses Ghost out

- Generally they just balance each other out well with Simon being aggressively introverted and Soap being just as extroverted

- He pushes Simon a bit outside of his comfort zone and helps him socialize while Ghost reigns him in

- No one else really gets how they operate in the field except each other

- Soap was professionally diagnosed in school while Ghost was professionally diagnosed after Roba under a fake name with Price’s help so it’s not officially on his military record

- Ghost is actually very okay with how his brain works because it’s made him who he is and allowed him to surpass the regular limitations of a soldier

- He struggles more in his personal life but being around Soap heals a deep part of him that he’s buried since early childhood

- They understand each other like no one else ever has

#autistic simon ghost riley #soap mctavish has adhd #call of duty #soapghost headcannons #soapghost #ghostsoap #ghoap #cod mw2 #soap cod #ghost cod #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish

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lynnielovestlou · 11 days

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i've gotten two requests for this, so here's a little something for both of them :)

cw: abby anderson x reader , reader has autism , abby being a sweetheart , mention of sensory issues (food & clothes) , mention of hyper-fixations

masterlist

ꕤ₊˚ abby would definitely be the type to buy you all the things that you're hyper-fixated on. literally anything you're obsessed with, whether it be a movie or a book or an animal, she'd buy it for you because she loves the way your eyes light up whenever you get new things.

ꕤ₊˚ on the topic of hyper-fixations, she could spend hours and hours listening to you yap about the things you're passionate about. even if she doesn't necessarily care, she'd just sit by you and watch you talk, so enamored by the way you stutter because of how excited you are.

ꕤ₊˚ shes the most patient human being ever. if you were having a meltdown she'd ask if it was okay to stay with you. it you wanted to be alone, she'd leave you alone, but if you let her stay, even better. she'd stay with you until you'd calm down

ꕤ₊˚ if you two were ever out at a party or somewhere loud, she would make sure the loudness doesn't bother you. and if it did, she would have one hand on your shoulder and best believe she'd get you out of there

ꕤ₊˚ speaking of sensory issues, she is very aware of what triggers you and what doesn't. every time you would come over she would make your favorite foods, or at least your safe ones.

ꕤ₊˚ aside from food, i feel like she would also have a bag of your comfort clothes in her car or a drawer in her dresser for them. just in case you need to change into something that doesn't bother you as much.

in other words, this girl is downBAD for you and would do anything to make you happy :)

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fancyfade · 5 months

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Hi! Just wanted to say that i love reading your analysis and your knowledge on comics astounds me

Question, do you view any of dc's heroes as autistic? (If thats too much just batfam is fine)

Thank you for all your thoughts and mini essays 💚

Ty!! Glad to hear you enjoy it!

Ok right. So I'm thinking in general about DC characters I imagine as autistic. Batfam is easy to start with b/c I"ve read so much, but I'll include other characters as well

Cassandra Cain (Batgirl) - This is kind of a gimme, almost everyone headcanons Cass as autistic b/c she is explicitly textually neurodivergent (but they do not give her a real world diagnosis) and canonically has problems with language.

Damian Wayne (Robin) - another one I've seen a lot of. He has difficulties socializing that COULD be chalked up to being raised as an assassin, but also.... its in a way that's realistic for very many autistic people :P he also generally does not care about gaining the approval of everyone around him, like he's prickly and often unlikable but he's not trying to be liked.

Barbara Gordon (Oracle) - she reads as so autistic to me. Her conflict with Dinah in the beginning of BoP is positioned in the text as right brained vs left brained, which I think doesn't really make a lot of sense neurologically but does work as words the characters are using to describe things - the just think differently. Babs often reads as if she's coming at things from what in her perspective is trying to be analytical and unemotional (tho I do not think she always succeeds in this), and keeps people at arms length socially.

Bruce Wayne - he just reads as kind of autistic to me :P

Talia al Ghul - same :P

Milagro Reyes (Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle's little sister) - she's not a superhero but she reads as very autistic to me. We have scenes where we see her clearly upset by sudden change, she also acts generally very similar to how I did as a little kid. We see her blocking everyone out by watching the TV when a lot of new stuff is going on in the house.

Raven - NTT Raven reads as very autistic to me as well. NGL just like many other characters this can be explained by other factors (She was raised in a cult in another dimension, taught not to emote, and is fighting off the influence of her demonic father) but also. They keep doing characters that are relatable to neurodivergent people like that ;P

Back when I watched YJ, I had very strong opinions about Kaldur'ahm being autistic. I still do, even tho I don't normally count the animated tv shows in my version of DC

I also feel a case could be argued for Diana of Themyscira/Wonder Woman. But I am still marinating this in my brain.

#maiprim #dc comics #ask #autistic headcannons #raven #bruce wayne #damian wayne #talia al ghul #cassandra cain #barbara gordon #kaldurahm #diana of themyscira #wonder woman

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thief-of-eggs · 5 months

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Zukka where it’s Sokka with that audhd rizz, Zuko with that autism rizz (aka it’s all- “wanna see my collection of rocks shaped like boomerangs???” and “yeah, ok.” ((they basically just confessed their undying love))

#zukka #zuko #autistic zuko #sokka #adhd sokka #zuko x sokka #atla #zukka headcannon

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sam0l1 · 2 months

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Guys hear me out,

Husk is a cat, cats have autism, Husk is autistic.

Why? Because I’m autistic and I said so

#this is lighthearted #headcannons #not serious #source? i made it tf up #cats #autistic cats #autistic things #hazbin hotel husk #hazbin hotel #autistic husk #he’s autistic because i’m autistic #hazbin husk #hazbin #huskerdust #husker hazbin hotel #husker #autism

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sinfulsalutations · 1 year

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𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚'𝕞 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 ⋆*･ﾟ 𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕖𝕔𝕙

➼ ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ ☆ ᴛᴇᴄʜ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

➼ ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ ☆ ᴀ ꜱɪᴍᴘʟᴇ ɢᴀᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛᴇᴄʜ ᴀɴᴅ ʜɪꜱ (ɴᴏᴛ-ꜱᴏ) ᴜɴʀᴇQᴜɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴄʀᴜꜱʜ ᴛᴜʀɴꜱ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴄᴏɴꜰᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ.

➼ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ☆ ᴛᴏᴏᴛʜ ʀᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ, ʙʀᴀɪɴ ᴍᴇʟᴛɪɴɢ ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰ, ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ, ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ, (ᴍᴜᴛᴜᴀʟ) ᴘɪɴɪɴɢ, ᴅᴏʀᴋꜱ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ, ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴋɪꜱꜱ

➼ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ☆ 4.2ᴋ

➼ ᴘᴏᴠ ☆ ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ

➼ ꜱᴏᴜɴᴅᴛʀᴀᴄᴋ ☆ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ - ꜱᴀᴍ ᴡɪʟʟꜱ, ᴡɪʟʟᴏᴡ - ᴛᴀʏʟᴏʀ ꜱᴡɪꜰᴛ

⋆ ★ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍʏ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴛᴇᴄʜ ꜰɪᴄꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜱᴜᴘᴇʀ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴜ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ꜱᴀʏꜱ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴀᴛᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ 😐. ɴᴏ ʙᴇᴛᴀ ᴄᴜᴢ ꜰᴜᴜᴜᴜᴜᴜᴜᴜᴄᴋ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜɪᴛ ᴀᴛᴘ ʟᴍᴀᴏ

⋆ ★ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴏɴ ᴀᴏ3 ⋆*･ﾟ ᴛᴀɢʟɪꜱᴛ ꜰᴏʀᴍ

“Would you rather have to shout all the time, or whisper all the time?”

Her voice cuts like a knife through the emptiness of the cockpit. It’s abrupt, no doubt, but it’s a sweeter tune than the ambient noise of machinery and mechanics. Tech turns to the co-pilot's seat where she reclines, having stolen Echo’s spot when he decided to go with Wrecker and Omega off the ship and explore the planet. She’d chosen to stay with him and Hunter. The reason wasn’t disclosed.

Her eyes are still glued onto the book in her lap, absentmindedly pinching a page between two fingers while her leg rocks. His datapad drops from where it was lifted to his face as he stares curiously at her image. He can feel his eyes strain; only then he realizes that he’s been staring at a blue screen for far too long. She’s much more soothing, he can conclude rather quickly. Everything about her is rather calming and softer if he were to compare.

“I’m sorry?” He asks softly. She looks up with large eyes and raised eyebrows. Tech tilts his head, probing with his gaze. “You said something, did you not?”

She nods and repeats the question, softer than before. He blinks, still unsure of the context. Her eyes flash away anxiously when he doesn’t answer after a few split seconds.

“I-I’m sorry, that was super random,” She backtracks, sinking back into the cushion of her seat. Tech gapes, panicking as he sees how she hesitates and turns away, and he chokes on his next intake of breath.

“No, no, go on,” He tries to encourage her in a bubbling stammer, leaning forward to grip the back of the seat; the action cages her in ever-so-slightly. She looks back after a brief moment of uncertainty, eyes still wide and wary. “I-I was just surprised. Please, continue?”

His words manage to fix any damage he might've inflicted before; a sweet grin appears over the twist of her lips. Tech grins and takes a mental picture of the scene in front of him, in order to go back and admire her when he has the space and time alone.

He isn’t very certain where these emotions initially came from, and he is usually so certain about most things. All he can say is that suddenly, or rather slowly building up, he isn’t sure, did they emerge and take up the forefront of his mind. Now when he has nothing else to think of, his thoughts drift to her. The little things he’s picked up on and likes about her. Small details. Interests and dislikes. It’s quite unfamiliar to him, but it isn’t unwelcome. If only he knew how to express these emotions outwardly…

She blinks, slightly dumbfounded, but continues.

“Well uh, personally, I think I would choose whisper,” She says, shrugging. She turns and leans back on the chair. “Shouting, I feel like I would just become a bother.”

Tech nods.

“I agree,” He says. When she gazes back, he realizes the connotation of his words. He takes a panicked breath. “Not that you would be a bother.” He corrects himself. She bites the corner of her lip as she listens, and he looks away for a moment as he talks. “Just that it would be quite annoying if anyone were to shout all the time. And um, I would certainly choose to whisper as well. Though I suppose some might choose to shout… Someone loud like Wrecker, perhaps, or-”

Before he is caught up in his words again, she lets out a warm chuckle. He gazes up, watching her eyes flutter open and close; she turns and leans her chin on the crest of her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Tech,” She assures him. “I knew what you meant.”

He blinks.

“Oh,” he mutters absentmindedly. “Right. I’m sorry.”

Her eyebrows knit together.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” She remarks.

He shrugs.

“I went on a bit of a tangent,” He says, looking away. The datapad resting on his lap looks very appealing at that moment. But he doesn’t reach for it even as his fingers twitch and curl around his thigh.

She frowns.

“I wanted you to answer me,” She says. He bargains with his eyes at her insistence before shrugging without much care.

“Well, yes, I suppose you did.”

When she scoffs, a small part of him panics. But she looks so sweet, so calming and relaxed that it's hard to think that she meant it to be any part rude or mean.

"Let's play," She says ardently, patting her lap.

Tech nods and tries to appear as casual as he can, even with an invisible pressure tugging at his heartstrings.

"Let's," He responds.

She smiles, readjusting her spot in her seat and crossing her legs.

“Hm... Would you rather always say what you were thinking," She begins, her gaze fixating somewhere else with contemplation in her eyes, "...Or never be able to speak again."

Tech watches intently and doesn't even look away even as she returns her stare back to him.

"Always say what I am thinking," He says, then adds confidently, "I already do that anyway," But he doesn't realize the lie between his words until afterward.

She blinks.

"You do?" She asks.

He flashes a look of faux gawk, acting as shocked at her doubt as best as possible.

"Of course," He tells her, chin dipping down and turning inward. "I say most things that are on my mind."

She frowns and her lips purse together; something flashes over her eyes that he isn't able to decipher.

"Right," She exhales, before leaning back again and breaking the tension between the two. Tech lets out a heavy breath, before saying something to free himself of the stress being inflicted on his head. Talking to her without appearing so infatuated truly is harder than he thought.

"Would you rather give away all your credits or all your possessions?"

She perks up, eyes brightening the longer he speaks. He can feel his own heart skip a few beats at the sight.

"I think possessions," She says once he finishes. "Because, well, if you still have credits, you can just buy them again."

Tech nods in agreement.

"That does make logical sense. Though... what if one weren't in much wealth?"

She hums, looking away to the window as she thinks for a brief moment.

"I guess then credits. Because possessions than would be important."

"I think that's what I would choose," Tech further explains. Without even realizing it, that pesky habit of his peeks its head; as he continues talking, he raises his pointed index finger to additionally assert his point. "Because our squad doesn't have lots of credits, to begin with. And we couldn't do without the Marauder."

"You could always just continue doing jobs for Cid," She interjects. Tech turns his head. She bites her lip and shrugs. "Y'know, build your balance back up."

He nods softly.

"Exactly."

She asks the next question.

"Would you rather..." She leans in closer to him, only her bottom on the seat now as the rest careens toward the pilot's chair. His eyebrows knit together; he's unsure if she even realizes how she tries to come closer. But he dismisses it; he decides to lean in closer and leans elbows on his knees. "...Fight a blind or deaf Jedi?"

He hums thoughtfully and looks away, but he can feel the gentle gaze she holds on his face. Tech inhales a shaky breath, and he internally curses himself for acting like such a mess.

"I don't think there's much of a difference," He says, looking back. He almost leans away from the surprise that surges through him when he makes striking eye contact. She looks so interested, so thoughtful, and unbearably sweet. He drifts away from her eyes and lower to her parted lips but looks back up again quickly. He doesn't know which one is worse to look at. "Either way, they'll still have a powerful connection to the force and be able to fight competitively even without one of their main senses."

Thankfully, she's the one to break eye contact. He has time to breathe.

"Oh. That makes a lot of sense," She says. Her hands fold over each other and on top of a knee, her legs crossing. "Sometimes I forget how smart you are."

Unknowingly, a pigment of pink dust over Tech's cheeks at the compliment; but she seems to notice. She grins.

"Thank you," He manages to chirp through his tightly sealed lips.

She nods, but it's more of a subtle dip of her chin as she mouths 'You're welcome' without much thought accompanied by a sickly sweet smile.

"Your turn."

"Huh?"

She huffs playfully, leaning one side of her body on the back of the seat.

"Y'know, ask a question," She says.

Tech blinks.

"Oh. Right."

He thinks for a brief moment before he speaks again.

"Would you rather... have a one-minute conversation with your past self or your future self?" He asks.

She hums, putting a finger to her chin and tapping it once, twice, staring off into the unseeable distance.

"Hm..." She says, half genuine, but half to be silly. She drops her hand and points it in his direction, but not to accuse. "Will anything I say be able to affect their decisions?"

Tech raises his eyebrows, actually surprised at the question.

"Good question," He compliments her, "Let's say, no. They don't."

She nods curiously and sinks further onto her side leaning on the seat.

"Then my future self. I'd like to see what I get up to," She explains.

Tech looks thoughtfully at her expression, the way she appears so perfectly poised and relaxed while he feels anything but; itching in his seat, overthinking every single word he says, attempting to perfectly craft and construct sentences all to come off still as a blubbering mess. But he'll try; he really will, if it means he can spend more time with her.

"And if you were able to affect decisions?"

Another look that he doesn't know the origin of washes over her face.

"Past," She says. "I'd tell her not to do certain things. Fix some mistakes, I think."

Tech's head lifts and his mouth drops ever so slightly with the revelation.

"Ah. I see..." He mutters; when she only makes a small noise of approval and goes silent again, looking at him as though he should continue, he lets out a shaky breath before he lets out an unconfined thought. "...Like what?"

She shrugs automatically without actually looking.

"Don't know." Her hand comes to the cushion, softly gripping it without her gaze lingering away from his eyes once. The act is so strangely intimate, yet they're still about a foot apart from each other. "I guess I'd stop myself from entering toxic relationships or making bad decisions..."

He nods in agreement.

"I think I would do the same."

"Would you rather lose your vision or your hearing?" She asks almost immediately after he finishes his sentence, and for once, he gratefully appreciates being interrupted; the silence is hauntingly loud when he is anxious.

Tech thinks for a brief moment before answering.

"Hearing," He answers. "Sight is vital in my field of work. And I could always learn BSL."

She tilts her head, perplexed.

"BSL?"

"Basic Sign Language, yes," He says quickly. Her mouth opens and she leans backward, nodding with understanding.

"That makes sense..." She mutters; he is unsure if it is to herself or to him. Instead, he decides to ask,

"What would you choose?"

She returns to how she sat before and shrugs lazily.

"I'm not sure," She says. "Hearing makes the most sense, I couldn't bear seeing darkness all day. But I love certain sounds. Replaying them over and over in my head wouldn't feel the same."

He lets out a breath through his nose.

"I agree. I couldn't imagine being unable to see your face every day."

Slowly, as the words begin to pour out, he realizes what he's said. His mouth shuts and his eyes widen, looking away with a ghostly realization and goes dead silent.

Her eyebrows knit together and she frowns.

"What?" She mumbles, head tilting as she speaks.

"I'm sorry," He blurts, hiding his face in his hands. Kriff, everything is ruined, he thinks. She'll immediately stop wanting to hang out after this, and he'll have to exile himself in his bunk and never see the light of day again, everything has been ruined by a tiny slip-up that should have never happened due to his great intelligence- "that was extremely inappropriate. I understand if you no longer want to continue this conversation, I-"

"No, no," She interrupts him mid-tangent. He gazes up from where his face is hidden between his palms and tilts his head. She looks extremely perplexed at his freakout, biting the corner of her lip. "I meant that I didn't hear you."

Tech's eyes widen.

"Oh," He states, extremely bland and more of a placeholder for something else. But for a pregnant pause, nothing fills in the blank.

"I, uh."

She lets her bottom lip free from her teeth and slumps backward, loosening the atmosphere.

"-I just said that there are certain things I couldn't bear never seeing again," He finally manages to illustrate. The excuse isn't as eloquent and believable as he'd wanted it to be, but it is suitable enough. She nods and softens up again, crossing her arms over her chest far too suspiciously to Tech's comfort.

"Like what?" She asks.

Tech shakes his head and waves a dismissive hand, almost too offhand.

"It isn't important."

Her lips twist into something between a frown and pursing her lips at this. He tenses under her gaze. But she quickly lets it go, letting out a very subtle eye-roll he barely even catches and dropping her arms back to her side.

"...Okay," She says before gesturing towards him again, encouraging to ask him a question this time.

He obliges, though rather worriedly.

"Would you rather-" He begins, scooting a bit further off his seat to be closer. "-surround yourself with lots of people you only moderately get along with, or one person you get along with perfectly?"

She answers almost too quickly.

"Definitely the latter," She tells him, before adding a little shrug when she continues, "I already sort of do that."

Tech squints his eyes.

"Oh?"

She turns away and hides her face before rubbing her neck tensely and gritting her teeth.

"I mean, why else would I stay back with you?" She says.

His eyebrows raise and his mouth drops with the revelation. He bites his lip before he tries to even talk again.

"Well, I thought you might have been tired, or Wrecker didn't require your assistance watching Omega, or..."

She shakes her head.

"Not at all."

He treads carefully over his next words.

"So you enjoy my company?" He asks.

She looks at him rather obliviously, a mysterious look of bewilderment across her face, accompanied by a little grin.

"Of course," She says.

He blinks.

"Oh."

She bites her lip and stifles a giggle. She excitedly readjusts in her seat, awaiting a longer response. But he still sits there, slightly dumbfounded.

"...I enjoy your company as well," He finally says, eyes brightening under his goggles; though he doesn't know if she can see clearly through the yellow hue they color over the brown hue.

She smiles.

"Thank you," She responds, softly and through pursed lips. He pouts a little.

"That's not something you should thank me for. It is simply a statement," He says as emotionless as possible, looking away to try and compose himself. But he can still feel her stare. It does not help his mission.

"Sure, Tech," She wonders cheekily, crossing her legs and leaning back. "Would you rather be your own boss or work for someone else?"

Tech hums.

"My own boss," He says. "The only person I've ever really reported to is Hunter. Even when we were under the GAR. So I've always had plenty of control."

She nods, leaning her head on two hands as she watches him talk.

"Yeah..." She says absentmindedly, nodding in agreement. He finally looks back at her. "...Though I'd feel lost."

Tech looks at her with a thoughtful, probing gaze.

"Have you ever not been part of a group?" He asks, genuinely curious.

She keeps eye contact even as she shrugs and bites her lip anxiously.

"Not really," She tells him. "Always working for someone. I'm a follower by nature."

Tech mutters nonsense in curiosity at her response, looking with a strange wonder into her eyes. The certainty in her words was peculiar to him, something he hadn't seen with such a statement. It felt rather odd, almost out of character.

"How do you really know that?" He asks. Her head cranes in his direction, perplexed.

"What do you mean?"

Tech frowns, looking away to articulate his thoughts clearly, before looking back at her again and speaking.

"If you've never been your own boss, you've never known what it's actually like," He says. "You won't ever know if you are a leader by nature if you just haven't had the opportunity to ever be one."

She raises her eyebrows and turns away, surprise etched over her face.

"...I've never thought of it that way," she finally says before looking back up with newfound clarity. Tech nods to show he's listening but doesn't make direct eye contact with her.

"Lots of clones have dealt with the same complex," he explains his understanding of the topic.

She hums softly from an opened mouth, nodding slowly.

"Guess I am a clone," She jests with a chuckle.

Tech laughs, and a rush of confidence surges through him with his next words.

"Yes, a very pretty one."

She raises an eyebrow, suspiciously eyeing him with disbelief.

"...Right."

And Maker, the insecurities drop in again as if they never left.

"Kriff, I'm sorry," he immediately blurts, waving a hand to get her barely lingering attention. When she looks back, he continues.

"I- apologize, kriff... if I made you uncomfortable, it was a thought that just slipped out-"

Suddenly, a warm melody against his body, she reaches over and places a hand on his forearm. Tech's grounded now and gazes up. Her eyes are soft, fully understanding and relaxed, soothing in a way that steadies his erratic heartbeat. She smiles when he feels him calm down.

"Hey, again, it's fine," she says. He almost looks away with the intensity of her thoughtful, undeservedly kind stare. "I'd like to hear it. You did say you always say what you think."

Tech shrugs weakly in agreement.

"I did say that, yes."

She grins and pats his arm one last time before pulling away, going back to her original spot and gesturing with her chin in his direction.

"Okay. Ask one now."

He thinks for a moment.

"Would you rather have to spend an entire year sharing a room with me, or Wrecker?" He asks.

She gasps.

"Oh, Maker...."

He laughs at her exclamation but falls silent again with a gaping mouth when she continues.

"You, definitely."

He almost reacts with surprise; almost. He's able to suppress the giddy squeak he wants to let out and instead raises his eyebrows.

"I should've picked a harder question," He says, making her laugh softly. He observes her; she still looks away and out the window, somewhere that was nothing even close to spectacular. Her eyes twinkle; but not from lights; she lights them up all herself.

"Would you rather," She begins; her head cocks back to him and an open-mouthed grin spreads over her face. "Have to help me organize my life into a routine, or follow Omega around with no way of stopping her roaming?"

Tech hisses in a sharp breath, shaking his head in faux disapproval. He tries to tease, tries to be relaxed and composed, the perfect example of a casual flirt. He's intelligent enough to know he could never truly be one of those men, but he can try.

"A difficult decision-" She chuckles at his comment. "-But you. Again."

She grins; it's more languid than before, casual but sweet all the same.

"I'm flattered," She says delicately.

His lips purse.

"You should always feel that way when I am around," He responds coolly. He turns away to keep his composure. He's also intelligent enough to know that if he were to look back, any semblance of control or simple understanding of conversation skills would dissolve once his eyes locked on hers.

Yet in the corner of his eye, he can see her head tilt.

"Why?"

He stammers, a gloved hand rubbing at his neck while he coarsely forces out his next words.

"Well, since I said that I usually say what I'm thinking, I must be showering you with compliments all the time..."

His eyes shut tight for a split second, wincing over an invisible punch to the gut. Every single word that comes out of his mouth constitutes him to cuss himself out. Berate his mind for being so flustered and clammy around her. Slowly, he peels one eye open and forces himself to look at her. Her eyes are drowned in confusion, but the corners of her lips slowly curl up with each passing second.

"Oh..." She finally mutters. Her head fixes back upright and she blinks once, twice, eyebrows furrowing with concentration. She's thinking, anyone could tell that, but he doesn't know what. She still grins, like a cocky, yet timid Cheshire cat. "...I don't feel that way."

It's his time to look confused.

"I don't compliment you?" He asks.

Her eyes flit away, then back to him again.

"Well, you do but..."

He shakes his head; her own outward confidence makes him feel less silly trying to act flirtatiously.

"Then I'm not doing it enough," He asserts with disapproval. "I should keep to my word."

Her eyebrow pushes together and she lets out a confused, but charmed breath.

"It's just would you rather, Tech," she giggles.

Her words almost catch him off guard, but he manages to rebuke her quick-wittedly.

"It's important to keep integrity at all times," He says.

She giggles and leans back, pulling away from his striking eye contact. He winces internally.

"Okayyy," She says. She crossed her legs and folds her hands on top of her knee. "If you say so. What are you thinking then?"

She beams at him, and so, he says what he thinks in that moment.

"That your smile is enchanting."

Her eyes widen. Immediately she turns away and covers her mouth with her palm, hiding something, perhaps the smile he complimented so genuinely, and shakes her head. He grins at the sight.

"I'm also thinking about how I feel so suddenly incompetent and unable to communicate when you're around," he says.

She snaps her head back to him, eyes timid and soft. He can see the smile and wrinkles in the corners of her eyes. He can't understand why she'd want to hide it in the first place if he said how much he liked it.

"Really?" She asks through her parted fingers, quiet.

He nods entirely sure.

"Yes."

Her eyes flit to his and away again. Wordlessly, she turns completely to face him, scooting closer so her bottom barely lies on the cushion. Her face leans in closer so it lingers over his like a hovering bird over a branch. It's teasing and terrifying, and he shivers when he takes a deep breath in.

She asks, delicately and wary,

"Would you like to hear what I am thinking, Tech?"

"Please," he rasps.

"How much I want to kiss you right now."

His mouth drops, and her smile widens. Bashfully she looks away, wiping her cheek as if her blush would disappear. He watches, still awestruck and positively frozen.

"...Tech?" She asks. Wordlessly, he scootches forward. His breathing fans over hers; their lips are so close to touching, but he hesitates.

Is this really happening?

Really happening?

"...You want to kiss me," He confirms verbally, and she softly swipes her tongue over her bottom lip, nodding.

"I do," She says.

Tech doesn't realize he's leaned in so close until she finally closes the small gap. A wave of tingling warmth rush over his skin; he shivers pleasantly. Her lips are soft, so gentle, feathery light over his that if he weren't so enraptured he wouldn't feel them. She dives in further, tilting her head to the right to gain better access; his lips mold to hers securely.

This is heaven; he never wants to leave.

She eventually breaks away but doesn't move. Heavy pants fan over his parted lips as they both catch their breath. Her eyes are shut close when his flutter opens. Tech smiles.

"Was it what you thought it would be like?" He asks.

Without missing a beat, she nods with her eyes still closed.

"Even better," She smiles through it.

Just then, a curse echoes through the cockpit. They snap their heads to the voice; Hunter watches them with disdain and a defeat that couldn't have been from the kiss.

"Dank farrik, couldn't you have waited for a couple more rotations to do that?"

"...Why?"

"Now I owe Wrecker two weeks of Mantell Mix!"

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