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You have been tiptoeing around the obvious for too long now.
You liked Echo. Really liked him. And it seemed like everyone besides him knew it.
Hunter gave you side eyes with a slight upturned smirk every time your cheeks flushed around Echo. Tech just coughed awkwardly, but he always made excuses to have you help Echo on repairs instead of him. Wrecker always made sly remarks, trying to whisper them only to you but doing a terrible job at it. Crosshair either snarled at the tension or quipped a snarky and inappropriate comment. Omega was much more tame, but she was a devious matchmaker, using her puppy dog eyes to sway you and Echo to both help her with something for her to disappear halfway through.
You knew you had to tell him at some point, but you were just so scared. Scared of rejection, scared to mess up the team's dynamic, scared to violate boundaries...
So to stave off your flustered mind, you decided to retreat to a romance world where everything is fake and everything works out for those involved. It soothed and enhanced the need for affection at the same time.
One day, you decided to take a walk. The team settled near a forest for a few days, and you needed space. It was too cramped in the Marauder for you to keep your reddening cheeks at bay around Echo.
You brought your book with you, hoping to settle by a nice tree and appreciate the world around you and the world amid the pages. Bidding the crew a short farewell, you quickly stepped off the ship and set off for the perfect spot.
The light wind nipped at your skin as you walked. It was a contrast you welcomed given the warm sun's rays. Stretching your legs felt heavenly, and hearing the slight bustle of nature around you established a sense of peace that was a rarity as a soldier.
As you walked, your mind started to wander to Echo. You knew he was self-conscious of his new body; you saw the way he refused to look at his own reflection and constantly zoned out while staring at his cybernetics. Yet to you, he was beyond perfect. His smile brightened your day, his determination to bring justice was more than admirable, and his strength even after all he went through tugged at your heart. Every time he was in your presence, you felt engulfed in a rare warmth that radiated off of him. It nudged at your senses, rendering you incapacitated, and you blamed this for the reason words of your affection could not be said.
The tension was eating you alive.
You finally found a nice patch of grass overlooking a small river and leaned against the sturdy trunk of a tree. Opening your book, you quickly settled into the chapter you left off on.
And of course, it was an intense moment.
The female character was just about to leave the room, and the male main character grabbed her by her wrist, spun her around, and kissed her. You started giggling like a schoolgirl, reading how the male main character lightly bit and tugged the bottom lip of the female. Finally! It was bound to happen-
A low cough came from behind you.
You almost threw the book as you whipped your head around, meeting the amber eyes of Echo. He wore his blacks with a DC-17 strapped to his thigh, mouth turned into a small grin. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"Echo!" You squeaked out. "What are you doing here?"
He leaned against the back of the tree then, arms folded against his broad chest. "Crosshair said I needed Vitamin D before I turn paler than his hair."
You huffed out a small laugh before slapping your hand over your mouth. "I'm sorry that-"
"Don't be," He was smiling, and the sight would have brought you to your knees if you weren't already sitting. "Hearing you laugh is worth it."
You turned away from him, eyeing the floor as you anxiously played with your fingers. You felt him shift behind you. "May I?"
Looking quickly back at him and then at the spot he pointed next to you, you gave him the go-ahead.
Your heart rate increased tenfold when his shoulder brushed against yours, breath lodged in your throat. Was it getting hotter? Did you smell okay? Man, your hands are sweaty-
"How's the reading?"
Your thoughts halted. "Hm?"
"Your book?" He motioned to the pages flapping in the wind in your lap, and you murmured slightly, trying to gather your bearings. "Good! It's uh, good. Really good."
He gave his own murmured reply, leaning his head back fully on the trunk. When things got too quiet for your liking, you glanced his way. He looked so relaxed, his shoulders slumped and released of their usual tension, eyes admiring the shimmering water in front of you. His legs were lazily placed in front of his body, his left side barely grazing yours.
He looked like he could fall asleep. We all knew he needed it. Echo was so hard on himself, but you couldn't run away from your nightmares.
With that, you decided you had stayed out long enough. His presence was too intoxicating for you, and you couldn't fathom reading a book, nonetheless scenes like the one you just read, with him next to you.
Standing up sharply, you clutched the book in you left hand before turning away from Echo. "I should-"
A firm, flesh hand collided with yours.
"Don't."
You couldn't breathe, only slightly shifting your body to stare at the hold he had on you. And even as he stood, he didn't let go. In fact, he held on tighter.
"Stay."
You couldn't look at him, because his voice, his scent, he was too much for you to handle. You couldn't process why you wanted to flee, but you couldn't process anything regardless.
"Y/N, please look at me."
His words were so soft, so gentle that it felt like a crime not to comply. You gulped, slowly raising your eyes to meet his. And-
Oh
Oh
They were hungry.
Yours widened in response. There is no way-
"Is it true?"
His question left you a bit taken aback. What was true?
"Echo?-"
"Do you?"
Your heart pounded in your chest, so loud you knew Echo didn't need Hunter's senses to see it grab for him. Your breath was nothing short of a whisper. "What?"
"Do you think of me like that?" Echo's voice dropped lower than you though possible, sending a shiver up your spine as his eyes flicked to the book and then back to you.
The book.
Like that. Like romantically.
Like that scene. That kiss.
You almost collapsed from the panic that swirled in your mind. You weren't ready for him to know, you don't know if you would be ready-
Then he caressed your hand lightly with his thumb, the hand that was still intertwined with his.
And you stopped breathing altogether.
You couldn't stop staring at his eyes, that gaze that screamed enrapture, enamor.
For you.
And you knew as his own shifted to your lips, your gaze screamed the same.
And it was too much.
You turned again. "I have to-"
You were turned back by a solid twist, not hard by any means, but a force nonetheless.
You sucked in a sharp breath as you saw his face. His eyebrow pinched into a look of pleading, mouth parted slightly. His own chest started rising quickly, and you heard the stuttering intakes as he inhaled. "Tell me."
And you don't know what it was, but when he looked at you like he needed your answer to survive, how could you not oblige?
"Yes," You confided softly, watching his eyes widen. "I do."
Time seemed to stretch out, and you almost squirmed. This is what you were afraid of. Of course he doesn't like you like that. He is amazing and-
Your back hit the tree quicker than you could blink, but it was undeniably gentle. Echo loomed over you, a fire you only see when he is resolved flashing in his eyes. And you knew that when he dons that look, there is no stopping him. And you didn't want him to stop.
"I can't believe-" He started, eyes bouncing back and forth between your lips and then your wide gaze. "I never thought-" His voice cracked a little, and it broke a piece of you heart to hear.
"Echo?..." You whispered, now rubbing your own thumb against the back of his palm. After all, your hands were still connected at your sides.
He stepped closer to you then, chest now touching yours. The thin fabric of his blacks didn't numb his touch, and you stood in awe as it sent a thrill throughout your body. "Can I?..." Echo's stare hardened on your lips, tracing out the delicate lines and the way the light brightened its color. You almost flatlined. Echo...the Echo you had a crush on...wanted to kiss you.
You had no words to give, even though your body practically begged for his. Just a taste...
"I need to hear you say it." His breath fanned over your lips, teasing you with what you could have as he sunk his head even closer to yours.
And you let his proximity influence you, drug you. "Yes. Kiss me."
And Echo let out a low groan as he let go of your hand to cup your jaw, kissing you with so much passion it sent your mind spinning. Flames licked throughout your body, and you emphasized their wish by kissing him back with equal ferocity.
You have never seen him this hungry, this starved for anything before. And you never felt so needy in your entire life. But for Echo, oh you would beg.
The kiss became fiery quickly, both of you fighting to hold on. You didn't want this to end, and it seemed like he didn't either. You felt everywhere, from his face, to his shoulders, and then his neck. And every time you moved, he grounded deeper into you. It was a storm of emotions, and you were just here for the ride.
With him.
You parted your mouth for him and he wasted no time, diving for more. Your tongues danced together and explored, leaving moans to escape from your own mouth.
And then he bit your lip.
And dragged.
And oh, you were gone.
"Was that alright?" He asked, breathless as he pulled away slightly, only to sink back in when you yanked him closer.
"Do it again." You demanded, pulling his eyes towards your own.
And more passion erupted.
That walk was the best decision you ever made.
You should have told him how you felt a long time ago.
You don't know how Echo found out about your feelings for him. You would figure that out later.
But he felt them back. That was more than a win.
And Echo wouldn't have ruined it for you. He was standing behind you when you were reading longer than you thought.
He read every word of that chapter and was only thinking of you.
You stayed out with Echo until the night turned colder.
But you were more than warm.