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tcwmatchmakingau · 1 year

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The Beauty In All, Part One

Editor's note: written by @deejadabbles

Pairing: Echo x GN!reader Rating: General Audience (but minors DNI) Summary: Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice- still shame on you, don't take advantage of my kindness! After so many times of falling for people who mock and manipulate your kind nature, you thought that love, true love, was simply not in the cards for you. Thankfully, Right to Love is here to make sure you and a lucky ARC trooper get your happy ending together. A.N: did you know there's giant garden in the senate building that has tons of different nature environments? I just loved the idea of a reader working there and tending all kinds of exotic and dangerous plant life. Tiio is my Corrie Guard OC and Maura is a matchmaker OC that will show up a lot in my future fics for this AU! Word Count: 2853

Warnings: Mentions of past bad relationships and toxic exes.

His eyes were staring at you with that expectant intensity again, just a shade off of his infamous tooka-eyed stare. If it wasn’t for the fact that you were able to hide behind the felucian ficus you were pruning, you probably would have caved instantly.

“I don’t know, Tiio,” you hummed, looking down at an unhealthy leaf, rubbing it between your fingers and trying not to get lost in memories of previous attempts at romance. “Wouldn’t something like a matchmaker make the whole process seem…” you scrambled for a word and settled for, “robotic?”

Tiio’s eyes went wide, “No, not at all! Oh, vod’ika,” he stepped around the ficus, catching you on the other side so he could keep his gaze on you, “If that’s what you’re worried about, I promise it’s not like that!-”

He paused and looked around, making sure his suddenly loud words didn’t draw too much attention. Technically, he wasn’t supposed to be in the garden when he was off duty, but the other guards had gotten too used to him swinging by to chat with you at the end of his shifts to really care. After all, what good was working in the senate building if you can’t enjoy the few luxuries it has?

When he turned back to you, he spoke calmly again, “It’s not like they just take a few basic facts about you and put them in an algorithm or something. It’s done with real people- people who actually care about others finding love and connections.” Tiio ran his hand through the halo of curls around his head, and when he got that far-away look, you knew who he was thinking about, “they want you to find someone who’ll see you for you, who shares values and interests,” then he gave a sigh, a dreamy sigh of content adoration, the kind of sigh only someone deeply in love is capable of making. “Someone who’ll treat you the way you’re supposed to be treated.” That’s when his eyes snapped back to yours, “That’s what I want for you, vod, I think it’s the perfect way to find someone who actually deserves you!”

The determination in his eyes made you smile, Tiio always had a way of making you feel appreciated. Of course, he just insisted that it was ‘returning the favor’, a reference to the event that sparked your friendship in the first place.

Being the head arborist of the Senate Botanical Garden meant that you saw and interacted with the Coruscant Guard every day. During the war, you had been witness to numerous counts of senators and civilians mistreating clones, and like any decent being, it had infuriated you.

About a year into the war, when anti-clone protests had really reached a head, you had asked the children in your volunteer herbology class to help you with a little project. Armed with a barrow overflowing with flower crowns and letters from the children who made them, you spent a whole day passing them out to the guards as a show that there were some out there who appreciated and supported them.

Many troopers took a shine to you after that, and Commander Fox once mock-complained that his men were always begging for guard posts in the garden because of you, but Tiio had become closest to you in the following time. Now, he was one of your best friends, an amazing listener who always reminded you of your self-worth, he was someone who reminded you why it was so important to stay gentle and kind, even when the galaxy tried to make you hard and jaded.

Tiio knew you, and your past, your heartbreaks and string of lovers who took and took and took from your wealth of kindness without giving you a drop of true devotion in return. And he knew how hard it was for you to trust someone like that again, especially after the last one.

So, if Tiio, who was even more protective of your heart than you were, thought this was a good idea, then maybe…

“I know that look!” Tiio was smiling now, realizing he was winning you over and when you tried to hide among the foliage again he laughed. “Listen, I won’t push you, vod’ika, but I really think this is a good idea. I just know one of my brothers will make you happy, and Right To Love will make sure you find the perfect one.”

You reemerged from the leaves, unable to hide how flatter and flushed his words made you. “Sure you aren’t just determined to prove that clones ‘do it better’ than natborns?” you said in a playful tone, paraphrasing something he and some of your other clone friends had said once while discussing your past relationships.

Tiio had the good grace to look away bashfully, “Maaaaybe?”

A laugh made its way out of you at that, “Alright, Tiio, you win. I’ll schedule my appointment when I get home tonight,” and you laughed again when Tiio whooped in triumph.

Dating and love always had risks, and maybe this avenue of dating wouldn’t be any different, but if that was the case, you weren’t any worse off, right?”

You knew that it might be a slow day for the matchmaking service. One of your days off coincided with a day that most were busy at their standard jobs, which was by design. There was never a day when Coruscant wasn’t bustling at all hours, but days like this made shopping and other chores just the slightest bit easier.

There was only one other client in the waiting room, a twi’lek male who seemed to be calm in a way you couldn’t fathom right now. You were fidgeting with the questionnaire they had handed you, struggling to concentrate on answering the questions in the thorough, thoughtful way you wanted to.

When a woman’s voice called out the twi’lek’s name you even jumped in your seat. Maker, why were you so nervous?

About that moment is when you caught the eye of the man behind the front desk, he was smiling at you, in a warm and understanding way that said he had seen your kind of reaction often. When the other client disappeared behind an office door, the man spoke up.

“Having trouble with your questionnaire?”

You looked away from him, opting to stare at the form in question instead, “Something like that…”

There was the sound of chair wheels rolling on the floor, then of steps coming towards you. When you looked up he had just put his hand on the back of a chair near you. “Mind if I sit?”

“Oh- not at all, please,” you waved your hand in invitation, and he immediately took the chair.

He was a clone, not too young like some of the “shinies” you'd met in the senate building, but not one of the older ones like Fox from what you could tell. His haircut looked like he needed to trim it every few days to maintain, even if he only wanted to show off the aurebesh tattooed across his head.

“Do you wanna know a secret?” he asked, something twinkling in his eyes. You raised an eyebrow at him but nodded, and he leaned in a little closer to you, “everyone who comes in here is nervous, some are just better at hiding it,” he said in a dramatic, stage whisper.

That made you laugh, and the thing that had your insides in a vice grip seemed to loosen it’s hold just a little. “Oh yeah? You’re just talking about natborns like me, right? Can’t imagine something like this,” you wiggled the questionnaire, “shakes men of your training.”

“Oh I wouldn’t say that,” he chuckled, then jabbed a thumb at the wall across from you both, which had the service’s slogan painted in cheerful lettering: ‘Love is a battlefield where we fight for you!’. “Our saying is right, and this is a battlefield we were most definitely not trained for. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to calm one of my brothers down while sitting in these very chairs. And don’t even get me started on easing their nerves before their first dates!”

That time you both laughed together and your shoulders felt lighter now too. “I’m sure you’re very skilled at that- at calming people, I mean, Mr…?” You asked, realizing he hadn’t given his name when you walked in.

“No need for a ‘Mr’, just call me Kix.”

“Well, Kix, your brothers are lucky to have someone like you to help with this new step in life.”

He gave a little shrug, “I hope so. I’ll be able to help them more when I get my degree in counseling.”

“You’re studying to become a therapist?” you couldn’t hide the excitement in your tone. You knew the clone rights and personhood act had a whole section to it regarding mental health resources, which was amazing, yes, but, everything had flaws. Tiio had mentioned that, as well-meaning and helpful as natborn therapists were, there were some aspects of their lives that no one but another clone would ever quite understand. “That’s wonderful, I’m glad your brothers have someone like you working so hard to help them.”

Kix let out a little noise that might have been a cough or a hum or something else. He might have been a little flustered by your comment. If he had been, he recovered quickly and said, “That’s my hope and in the meantime, I volunteer here.” He shook his head at that, trying to get his thoughts back on track. “But we’re not here to talk about my life’s story. I just wanted you to know that it’s okay to be nervous, and, if I could offer some advice?”

“I’d love any you have at this point.”

He tapped at your list of questions yet to be filled out. “Don’t overthink these, okay? I know it’s tempting to get into your head and overanalyze every answer, or worry that you’re not being accurate, but chances are, you know yourself well enough to give us any information we need, without too much trouble.”

You hadn’t realized just how stuck your own breath felt in your chest, until you let out a cleansing sigh at his words. Wow, if Kix was this good now, he was going to make a spectacular therapist.

“Alright,” you said with a nod, “I’ll get out of my head and just say what feels natural!”

“There you go!”

If Kix had any other advice to give, it was lost when the feminine voice from before called his name from the office and he had to excuse himself. With some (not all, but some) of your nervous energy calmed, you turned your focus back to the file in front of you. At one point the other client walked through again, taking his leave, right before someone else came in for their appointment. Thankfully it didn’t take a horribly long amount of time to finish the rest of the questions and pass it off to Kix.

Now there was just the waiting.

You didn’t know what the process was, exactly, or even how many matchmakers were there right now, but it felt like time was crawling by as you waited for someone to call you back to the offices. Eventually, you had to distract yourself by playing a game on your personal datapad, and that at least kept some of your wandering, anxious thoughts at bay.

The moment you heard your name, your head snapped up to see a woman standing beside the reception desk. She was dressed in a flowy blouse with wide sleeves and flared pants, giving her a more casual look than you’d expected. Her dark hair framed her face in waves and her smile was warm, reaching her eyes as she said, “I’m Maura, and I’ll be taking care of you while you’re here at Right to Love. Are you ready to start?”

You gave a nervous noise as you stood, “I thought I’ve already started with that whole personality quiz,” you joked.

All Maura did was widen her smile before waving for you to follow her. Her office was towards the back and inside she had obviously made an attempt to make it feel warm and inviting. Soft-looking, romantic pictures hung on the wall and the dark wood of the furniture made it feel more cozy and less sterile. There was also a stuffed tooka and a handmade blanket on one of the guest chairs.

She gave you a chance to settle into the cushioned chair, before she got down to business. “So, I have a few questions I’d like to ask you. While reading your answers, I couldn’t help but notice a certain…pattern. If you’re comfortable with it, may I ask what some of your previous relationships have been like?”

You weren’t sure if she was just that good, or if maybe you were just too obvious. Still, you supposed if she was going to help you find love, she needed to know your experience with it.

“They’ve been…” Kriff, how do you even put it? “Unfulfilling…? No, no, that's not the right word.”

Maura looked perfectly patient as she watched you flounder, “Take your time, my dear.”

Not being able to hold her gaze, you found yourself looking over at the tooka plushie in the seat beside you as you gathered your thoughts. You didn’t want to come off as someone who couldn’t admit their faults, or as if you couldn’t recognize when the blame was yours, so, you chose your words carefully.

“I…tend to attract people who don’t appreciate certain parts of me…” When she didn’t interrupt you, you went on. “See, I always try my best to see the good in people. I always want to give out second chances, I want to give them a space to grow and be happy, those things are really important to me. I want to be someone who sees the beauty in the world and a lot of my partners have mocked me for that.”

Maura tilted her head. “They think it’s a negative trait, not something to be admired.”

“They think I’m naive-” your eyes met hers again, finally getting some certainty in your tone. “I’m not, though. I refuse to give in to this stereotype that just because someone’s nice and wants to see the good in others, that that means they’re stupid or don’t know how cruel the galaxy is. I do know how cruel it can be, that’s the whole reason I want to see the good, I don’t want to just give up and think there isn’t any good, and become cruel and jaded too. What kind of galaxy does that give us then?” Suddenly, you snapped your mouth shut. “Sorry, I kinda rambled, didn’t I?”

“Not at all. Please, keep going, this kind of honesty is what I want from everyone who comes here!”

A smile to match hers made its way onto your face. “I’ve just had a lot of partners who make me feel like I have to change for them, or like my views on the world somehow made me childish.” You swallowed hard then, smile fading as the memories of fights with your last partner came back to the surface. “Or, they’ve taken advantage of my good nature.” Some relationships left scars, deep ones. “I think I’ve gotten to the point where I’m scared of risking that again. Scared that my next date will be with someone who sees those parts of me, and just sees them as something to manipulate to their advantage.”

You hadn’t noticed that you grabbed the tooka plush until it was in your lap and you were practically hugging it. Maybe that was the reason it was there, talking about love and relationships did mean a certain kind of vulnerability after all.

Maura called your name again, gently, warmly, and you met her patient gaze again. “You’ve obviously been through a lot with past relationships. But I promise you, we do extensive screening here, and I’m going to make sure we find someone who can appreciate those parts of you.” She leaned back in her chair then, looking thoughtful, “I’ll also say that I admire your emotional intelligence. Whoever called you childish obviously doesn’t know the meaning of the word, you’re quite mature, my dear.” She hummed and stared at nothing in particular for a moment, “Give them a space to grow…” she repeated your words to herself almost absentmindedly, then sat up straight again. “Alright, I have a few more questions, but, I’ll say this now: I’m going to make it my personal mission to find someone who will care for you as deeply as you obviously care for others.”

That made your face warm, though you weren’t sure why. It was her job (well, volunteer work) to find you someone to love, but that specific vow made you feel…reassured. Cared for.

Maybe, you really were in good hands here at Right to Love.

#tcw matchmaking au #clone matchmaking au #The Bad Batch

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