The Clone Wars One Shots

Secret Admirer Part 1

(Happy Revenge of the Fifth, everyone! Here's an attempt at a Star Wars spin on a relationship cliche that I made while trying to get over my ✨ writer's block ✨ about the Hearing Impaired miniseries. No luck, unfortunately. Anyways, here's some stuff. Let me know what you think, and enjoy!)

Since the day you had first met him back when you were overseeing the final stages of his cadet training, you had been captivated by Tech's brilliant mind and impressive skill set.

What had started out as fascination quickly transpired into something more after the Bad Batch returned from their first mission and Tech rambled on and on about the different things they had seen as you patched him and the others up. Though his brothers found it annoying, you loved when he rambled, and made a point of listening to his every word whenever he was around you.

Whenever he found himself in the medical bay and you were lucky enough to treat him, you listened happily while he rambled on about how he had sustained his injury, what stupid things Wrecker and Crosshair had been up to that week, and upcoming missions.

There was a big problem with the intelligent clone: he was exactly your type. Kind, strong, talkative, confident, intelligent, and an overall amazing man.

Why did he have to be so perfect?

You knew nothing would ever happen between the two of you. He only saw you as a friend, if that, and you knew you couldn't change that. You had serious doubts that he even remembered your name. No matter how much you loved him, you knew Tech would never return your feelings. How could he? You were from two completely different worlds, and besides... you were damaged.

You were a medic based on Kamino. You worked alongside Nala Se, healing the wounded and more often than not, arguing with the Kaminoans about the clones. You saw them as living beings worthy of their lives, but the Kaminoans didn't share your views, nor did they respect your work. Frankly, you had no idea how you had managed to keep your job for so long, given how much Lama Su hated you. Nala Se was nice enough (sometimes), but she made sure you knew that you were different, and never gave you the respect you deserved. No one had for a long time, and you knew they never would again. The explanation was simple:

You weren't fully alive. Not anymore.

After an attack on Tipoca City almost a year prior, you had been left with only half of your body. You had saved a group of cadets after they had been separated from their group, but lost your limbs in the process. Now, you sported mechanical arms and legs, and half of your face had been replaced with mechanics.

You couldn't bear to look at yourself in the mirror anymore, so how would Tech ever love you? Your own patients, the people who would have died a hundred times over without you, flinched at the sight of you every time they woke up in the medical wing. The cadets feared you, making up rumors that you were a zombie, while older clones did everything they could to avoid you.

Tech hadn't seen your face since a few weeks before the attack, and if all went according to plan, it would stay that way. Whenever he was in the medical bay, you wore a mechanical mask that concealed your face and stayed clear of him whenever possible, hoping that he had forgotten about you. Both fortunately and unfortunately, it seemed he had done just that. It was hard avoiding the man you loved, but you knew it was for the best. Your heart wouldn't have been able to take it if your appearance startled him. You couldn't risk that - not just to ask a question that you already knew the answer to.

The one place where you could find peace was your private quarters. It was a small, dimly lit room that always smelled of salt water, but it was home. On your down time between treating patients, you would surf the holonet from the comfort of your bed, before getting called back to work by Nala Se at ungodly hours. If there was one thing the Chief Medical Scientist could do, it was keep you on your toes. You ran on caf and fear, just the way Nala Se liked it, and saved dozens of lives every day.