Kriff, what is this man going on about now? It's not that you zoned out, it's that Tech has a tendency to waffle on, sharing every single tiny detail, as if you have any idea what half of the words that he's saying mean. You're not the best with technology, and Tech knows that, considering he pulls the same disappointed expression whenever you ask him why your holopad isn't working.
"Did you charge it? Did you try turning it on?" He'll always ask. You're not that stupid... most of the time.
And now you find yourself leaning against his control panel with an empty head, no thoughts, only the babbling sounds of Tech scrambling away over his work. Is he actually talking to you? Or is he talking out loud? Both? Kriff, who knows?
"Tech-" you intervene. You're met by that same, disappointed glare, and you know he's pouting because you threw off his groove. "You do know that I, uh, don't know what most of these words mean?"
Tech lets out a sigh, swivelling his chair around to face you. "That doesn't surprise me," he sarcastically comments. "You zoned out again, didn't you?"
"What? Phfft, no..." you scrunch your face up, avoiding eye contact through his tinted googles.
"I know you're lying," he sighs once more, and explains how once you raise a brow. "Your signs are obvious; avoiding eye contact, crossing your arms, brushing me off, and so on. Your body language speaks more than I need to hear."
"Ugh," you grumble, settling your hands on your hips. "It's just... well, this kind of stuff is your speciality, not mine," you explain, and Tech's ears perk up at your subtle compliment.
"And your speciality is distracting me from my work," he says with a dry smile, turning his chair back, and returning his focus.
The sound of fingers tapping away fills your ears yet again, and Tech seems to be ignoring your presence, no doubt secretly irritated that you now seem interested in his work. You can't help but peer over his shoulder, attempting to see if you understand at least something, and to nobody's surprise, you don't.
"You know, I do like it when you attempt to teach me," the words slip from your mouth. The least you can do is compliment the poor man, praising him for trying to teach you, and having the patience to deal with your short fuse. "I like hearing you talk about your interests, it's... cute," you explain with a small shrug.
Tech's hands freeze up, and you're met with a wide pair of eyes. Did you use the right word? Or has Tech's brain short-circuited? He may be the smartest man to ever grace the galaxy, but when it comes to social interactions, this man is clueless. And oh, don't even bother thinking about flirting with this brainiac; your comments will fly straight over his head, usually because his head is buried too deep into his work to notice.
"Cute?" Tech stutters his simple question, and has to look away as he pulls his goggles from his eyes, wiping the fogged up lenses.
"Yeah... cute," you nod, rubbing the back of your neck nervously. "Your admiration for your interests is cute, but still dorky," you explain.
Tech has to clean his goggles once more as he repeats your words yet again. "Dorky?"
Kriff, this man is hopeless.
"I meant it in a good way," you explain, and Tech nods as if to say 'yeah, sure.' A defeated sigh escapes from your lips, your arms cross over your chest, and you're about to shift your weight off his control panel and walk away, but Tech surprises you.
"I'm sure you did," he replies in a tone that is thankfully not sarcastic. "And uhm, if it means anything... I think you're cute too..."
Tech has to look away, dipping his head as he rubs the back of his neck. Although you can't see his face, you know he's blushing as the tips of his ears are bright red. A smile forms, followed by a light laugh, and Tech snaps his head up with a worried expression, afraid that he's crossed a boundary. You're not laughing at him, are you?
"Thanks," you smile. "I know you mean it, too."
"What do you mean?" Tech tilts his head in confusion.
"Your body language. It tells me that you're telling the truth," you briefly explain, curious to see if he'll pick up on what you're actually talking about.
Tech scoffs. "Well, I'm not going to lie to you," he says with a roll of his eyes.
"I didn't mean that," you lightly laugh, and decide to give him another clue. "I noticed that you were blushing, you couldn't keep eye contact, and you rubbed the back of your neck nervously."
Tech's silent for a few moments, and you can physically see the cogs in his head turning, attempting to piece together the easiest puzzle he's ever been handed. "I... For once, don't follow," he replies, and his body language heavily implies that he really has no idea what you're talking about.
"You're smart, Tech, you'll figure it out," you say with a smile, shifting your weight off his control panel. Tech swivels his chair around, watching as you exit the conversation, heading into the cockpit, leaving the poor man to focus not only on his work, but your blatant attempt of flirting.