Summary: Your latest mission was tense and stressful. Time to get comfy and find your favorite cuddle buddy.

Warnings: none

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Fuck, it had been a long day. You didn't even bother to clean off your twin blasters as you set them down on the floor next to Tech's bunk. It was where you usually laid down your armor and weapons. He never minded, he actually was happy with the habit you had made out of keeping everything there. He always seemed to want to inspect your gear himself, modify it if he took an interest in one of the parts.

Every thunk of the armor hitting the floor made you wanna groan in utter relief. You had been getting used to the heavy pieces of plastoid that you carried around on missions - it didn't mean that you wanted the armor weight on you constantly though.

You never quite understood why the guys kept their on. Of course Tech liked taking off everything above the torso when he knew we'd be completely unbothered for a while. Crosshair was the same with the top half of his. If Hunter or Wrecker were taking any of it off, usually they'd just take off all of it. And Echo was hardly seen without his on.

You never were around the guys long enough after a mission to care to keep yours on. You'd been able to get lounge clothes (though it was against regulation, you frankly didn't have a shit to give) and you wore them whenever you had the chance. There were times while on shore leave that you'd keep your armor on just to blend in with other soldiers or to practice carrying all that weight normally. But you were always a sucker for taking it all off and getting cozy around the ship. The Havoc in which you considered your home certainly didn't have a "home"-like smell, but inside was your family. Not an organized family, but it was close enough.

You slipped your boots off, removing your flight suit and everything else to get comfortable. Putting on an actually clean pair of underwear and a breast-band, slipping on Tech's favorite pair of shorts (at least his favorite pair that didn't show your ass off like a trophy) and a black t-shirt he kept in his possession. And of course socks because you would never step around in that ship barefoot even if it was a life or death situation.

You left the small portion of the ship that housed your bunks and saw the boys all around the main hull. Tech was sitting at the mini booth he had set up - after you guys started basically living on the ship due to excess missions, he thought there should at least be somewhere for him to work (and because you wanted a seating area). Echo sat across from him with an e-book on a datapad. Crosshair took his normal seat in the darkest corner of the room, watching over everyone while stroking his rifle with a rag. The universe would be a much different place if he ever thought of putting the thing down. Hunter must've been in the cockpit, getting some piece and quiet from the boys and Wrecker - Wrecker must've also been in the cockpit but that surprised you. Usually the Sergeant wasn't sane enough after missions to keep him around.

You smile and waved at Crosshair like you always did when he was brooding, watching him return a playful smile. It was one that meant he was comfortable around you, he only ever gave those gestured to the boys. It made your heart warm when Hunter had pointed it out.

Your attention returned the the silent Echo and the almost silent Tech if it wasn't for the occasion mumbling to himself. He did it when he was working very often. When he had did it for the first time in front of you, you were convinced he actually wanted to chat or tell you what he was doing, so you listened. You found it cute.

Moving over to the table, you sat down on the semi-hard seats, seeing what Tech was so focused on. He had a few pieces of metal scattered around the durasteel table, tools and such set to the side. His little mess of organized chaos made absolutely no sense to you whatsoever. Whatever he was working on, it had wires everywhere and - were those curved plates?

It looked like an explosive to you, very close to one actually as he started fixing wires together, metal screws and bolts connecting in his head as he pieced parts together - he made it look so simple, almost as if he was building furniture. Without a manual. Nevermind; he was the manual.

You wanted him to hold you, you always did after missions like the ones you just went on. Everything was a bit scary afterward, getting into the habit of replaying every scene, every moment where the whole mission could've derailed. He was your form of stress relief, just in the body of a chatty nerd that never wanted to lay down and itched to do something with his hands constantly. Scanning your eyes over his body, his feet were planted as his legs were in a manspread, arms out at the table working nimbly with his talented hands.

You had a brilliant idea. You scootched over to Tech, basically on your hands and knees as you ducked your head under his arm. Your movement earned a questioning hum from him. His arms stopped moving at the wires. You could tell by the way they were held out straight in front of him that whatever antics you were pulling had gained his full attention.

You felt him watching you as you slipped your body between his and the table, wrapping your arms around his torso, your knees resting on the booth on either side of him. Sitting on his lap, you nuzzled your cheek into his chest, bare of all armor. The plastoid on his thighs weren't the most comfortable seat, but feeling the warmth of Tech all around you made it bearable.

He relaxed his shoulders after you let out a heavy exhale, closing your eyes and just sitting against him.

Maker, you looked adorable under his arms and Tech had to use all of his power to work on not wrapping his arms around you. He wanted to get his shock-wave grenade done before landing so he could present it to the GAR. It would be smarter to have a larger shockwave (even if the people deploying it would require a good arm) but wanted to be the one to craft it. He knew if he only suggested the idea to the GAR, they'd take months to get it approved and months to create it. So he thought he'd just make his own.

Tech relaxed himself, continuing to work on his small project while his chin rested atop your head, feeling the soft strands of hair under his jaw. He could work like this, with you holding onto him like a Ewok. You had the same teddy bear softness as one, and the cute noises you made when you were angry or the way you got all curious when seeing new things while on missions.

The cogs in his mind were turning at a faster pace, encouraged by the fact that he had someone waiting for him to cuddle, tucked into his little bubble of concentration he'd formed long ago. He never expected his small bubble of personal space to ever be invaded or shared. But he soon can to realize that sharing it with you was everything he'd ever wanted.

You were able to snuggle into him whenever while he was working and he enjoyed it a lot more than he expressed. When you spoke, he put his datapad down to listen. And not some half-ass listening - real listening and commenting. You were new terrain for him, making him open his arms wide to welcome you into his once introverted lifestyle. Introverted not meaning that he didn't like interacting with people, just that he liked being alone more often than not.

But with you wrapping your arms around him, tucked into his lap, simply resting your head against him - he'd let you invade his personal space every day he continued to breathe if it meant he got to feel this happy. He usually questioned your every action, but he didn't want to question you in the fear you would move.

And you didn't.

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