A/N: the flower-gifting to "working girls" was inspired by the side mission from the first The Witcher video game by CDPR.
A/N2: I'm going to jump around the timeline with this project – it's my favorite way to write those type of anthologies - Those are mostly stand alone short stories but I try to built a cohesive overarching "plot".
Lifetime deal
The first time she saw him, after weeks of hearing rumors that he's alive, she almost recoiled in horror - he looked like death incarnate. Pale as only the dead could be, missing an arm, with various pieces of metal sticking out of his bald head.
She remembered him as he first appeared in 69's, dragged by the ear by 501st field medic, with his best friend, Fives, grinning madly as he trotted behind them. She immediately took a liking to both ARCs - such opposites, but working surprisingly well together in- and... outside the battlefield. They were her favorite patrons.
"It took you long enough" the courtesan finally said, when Echo came to her view with an outstretched arm, holding a blue flower - the sign which 69's staff and few of the clones established to distinguish those worthy of a discount from the rest of the lot that tried piggyback off their hard work by looking the same. At first the flower-gifting was born of necessity, but courtesans were a clever and very perceptive lot, so the flowers turned more to something of a courting tradition.
"How are you, Echo? I've heard you've had it rough out there" She tried to joke as she took a flower from ARC's hand not even glancing anywhere than his face, to not to make him uncomfortable.
"Hibiki" her name was all he said.
Hibiki approached him like he was a caged animal - slowly moving towards him until her sleek hand rested on his shoulders. The man almost jumped out of his skin.
"I'm sure you wanna catch up," she said gently "we can just go to my room and... talk or..."
For a moment he stood there on a spot, confusion and fear distorting his once handsome face. He shook his head as if warding some intrusive thoughts then run away without looking back.
She was sure Echo'd never come back.
However, he did came back almost a year later. He was donning a black and red uniform, in place of the white and blue one he wore so proudly before. He was still pale as death. Still extremely malnourished. He was still an echo of his old self. He looked detached, but more conscious at the same time.
"No flower?" she asked, resting her hands on her full hips.
He looked at her with widened big, brown eyes - Confused by her casual demeanor.
"I came... I don't know why. I-I think that's what Kix would- I didn't bring any flowers- I thought my subscriptionexpired" he stammered "andIdon'tevenhavea-"
"It's all right. Calm down. You're hyperventilating"
the courtesan furrowed her brows, finally having a chance to inspect him fully from top to botto-oh!
"that doesn't change much" the red light level worker finally admitted "there is still plenty of you to... have fun with... if you want."
"My new team thinks otherwise" Echo admitted dryly taking a precocious step back "one of them even run percentages, statistics and... stuff to prove his thesis"
"you mean Tech?" Hibiki laughed now realizing why the black-red uniform looked so familiar "Who do you trust more? Me - a masseur-turned-courtesan with years of experience or a helpless virgin that had never seen a naked woman in his life because he can't talk to anyone properly"
"you... know him?"
"never met him personally, but, I've heard of him - he creeps my crew more than the sniper"
"Crosshair? I didn't know they... frequent here"
"the whole squad does... except Tech... and you, that is"
His eyes darted to his uniform. Even his blush, now way more visible due to the pale skin, looked sickly.
Echo sighed, tears welled in his eyes.
"look" Hibiki took his face in her palms, gently creasing his jaw with her thumbs "we've talked about it. Remember the first time? You're loosing your mind because, apparently, hiring a hooker was a breach in some sort of protocol-"
"SEC-452/B/577/B/" he interjected, turning even more red, as the courtesan pursed her hips.
"my proposition still stands" the working girl chuckled "Let's just chat, drink some caf and see where the night will take us... if it takes us anywhere."
"That's nice and I'd love to have a... nice evening, but I do not have spare credits and you've said it yourself: I didn't bring any flowers"
"back in the day, you and Fives threw so many drunk patrons out of 69's and escorted me to and from every shady location I asked you, so as far as I'm concerned..." Hibiki smiled, pat shoulder guard of his uniform, then took his cybernetic socket-arm in her hand, squeezing it lightly. "you have a lifetime deal for me"