#umbra-writes

As the moon reached its apex in the midnight sky, Tech rolled over in his sleep, the movement rousing him slightly. His arm draped across the opposite side of the bed, and a slight frown crossed his face as he realized it was lacking a familiar warmth. Slowly, he sat up and felt for his goggles before sliding them on to be sure. Just as he had suspected, his bed was empty, abnormally missing the presence of his beloved.

“My darling?” The soft call carried through the little home you two shared, but he got no response. His concern was starting to grow when he heard a soft sound from the open window. Tech sighed as he crossed the room to poke his head out and look down, and there you were, sitting just below the window with your back against the side of the house.

Tech’s chin rested atop his arms as he settled on the windowsill, blinking down at you affectionately. “Cyar’ika, that hardly seems comfortable.”

Your eyes opened slowly, and you blinked right back up at him. “You’re awake.”

“Not to state the obvious, but so are you.” Tech allowed one of his arms to dangle out through the window, his fingertips teasing the hair on top of your head. “Which is an unfavorable situation for both of us, considering the hour. Come back to bed.”

“I can’t sleep.”

“You can still let me hold you, correct?” A weak laugh escaped you, and Tech’s teasing smile dimmed at the unhappy sound. “My love?”

You raised a hand to rub at your eyes wearily. “Sorry, sorry… just a nightmare I’m still shaking off.”

Ah. So that was it. Nightmares weren’t uncommon for you, or any member of the Batch for that matter, but you still struggled to work through the experience on your own. And after all you had been through on their behalf, he couldn’t blame you.

Tech pulled himself up to sit on the edge of the windowsill, perching there for a moment before dropping down to land beside you. His arms were around you in an instant, and you released a shaky breath as you felt his lips ghosting against your cheek. “What was it this time?”

“It was… Plan 99 again,” you mumbled softly. Speaking about that moment, when you had nearly lost the man you loved more than life itself… it was almost too much for you to bear to remember. “I keep seeing you… fall away from me. And I reach out, but I can’t catch you. I never catch you.”

He was silent for a long moment as he processed that information. He often had nightmares about the experience as well, seeing as he was the one who could have died, but watching it over and over after countless failed attempts to prevent it… no wonder you were reacting this way. 

Tech carefully tugged your hand up to his lips, softly pressing his lips to your palm and lingering there. “My dearest love…” He moved to press your hand against your chest, the both of you feeling your slow heartbeat through the thin fabric of your sleepwear. “Do you feel that?” He hummed with approval as you nodded. “Do you know what it means?”

Your distress was briefly replaced with confusion as you shook your head. 

“You’re here. You’re safe. Not just alive, safe. That is what a calm heartbeat means.” Tech moved your hand again, this time pressing it against his chest. “So what does that mean for me?”

A small smile started to grow on your face as you felt his heart beneath your hand, pounding gently and peacefully. “You’re here. And you’re safe, too.”

He nodded and leaned in even closer to place a gentle kiss on your forehead. “So the conclusion is, we are both here in this beautiful place. We are both safe in each other’s arms.” His lips dropped to your ear, and his whisper became a bit more amused. “And I think it’s safe to assume that we are very much in love.”

You almost laughed, but not quite. “That would be an accurate assumption.”

Despite your smile, he recognized the absence of your laughter. He didn’t like it. So he pulled you to your feet and started walking. “Come on.”

“What? Tech, where are we going?”

“We’re going to ‘walk it off’ as they say.” His arm looped firmly around your waist as he led you through the winding paths of Pabu, leading you down the slope of the island. “Movement will distract you.”

You looked around, very aware that the two of you were in your sleepwear. And you were currently in a set covered with little printed tookas. “But it’s the middle of the night.”

“Technically, it’s early morning.”

“Well, it’s too early for this,” you insisted. 

Tech drew you closer against his side, his lips brushing against your ear once again. “Please, cyar’ika. Let’s just make it down to the beach. Then we can go back to bed. You have my word.” 

You sighed, but you allowed him to lead you down to the shoreline. The sound of the waves was soothing to you, and you were silently touched that he remembered such a small detail about you.

As the two of you finally reached the beach, and you felt the pavement turn to sand beneath your feet, you took a deep breath. The cool ocean breeze filled your lungs, your mind, your very soul. “You know what? I admit it. You were right.”

“I usually am,” Tech reminded you with a distinctly pleased tone to his voice. 

You rolled your eyes, but your smile was affectionate. “Are we taking a moonlit walk on this beach or not?”

He slid his arm through yours as his eyes gleamed with love and amusement. “I’ll let you lead the way.”

As the cool air of Cid’s parlor washed over your face, you took a deep breath. It was rare that you felt relieved coming here, but after a week in the scorching sun of Tatooine, an air-conditioned building felt amazing. Even if the rest of it was less than impressive.

There was one good thing about the interior, though. And he was sitting at the bar, hunched over a datapad.

You couldn’t contain your smile as you approached Tech, crossing your arms as you observed him for a moment. When it became clear he hadn’t noticed you yet, you finally spoke up. “Anything new?”

He nearly fell off his stool as he was knocked from his focused state. He blinked at you with wide eyes as he finally composed himself. “Cyare! I predicted your arrival to be 2.4 hours ago.”

“Aw, you were waiting for me?”

Tech quickly looked away before he could start to blush, adjusting his goggles to realign his focus. “I was awaiting an update. We do typically allocate our funds, after all.”

“Fine. Let me go see about those funds, then.” You pressed a light kiss to his cheek before darting into Cid’s office, smothering your laughter as you heard his indignant sound of surprise.

He shook his head lightly as he watched you go, but there was a spark of affection there, too. Mostly curiosity, though. Why you were wearing long sleeves when returning from a planet like Tatooine was beyond him.

A few minutes later, you came back from the office with a crate in your hands. You held your head proudly as you dropped onto the stool beside Tech. “One thousand credits,” you said smugly, opening the crate to display your payment. “How’s that for my first solo mission?”

Tech hummed quietly as he observed the credits. “Considering that your mission consisted of a week-long operation gathering intel on a gang-infested planet… I cannot classify your pay as satisfactory.”

Your smile dimmed a bit, but you weren’t too hurt by his disapproval. It wasn’t you he was displeased with at the end of the day. “Don’t forget, this is Cid we’re talking about.”

“An important factor in the equation, yes. My point still stands.” Tech carefully shut the crate as a patron drifted by, not wanting them to get any ideas about the small stash of credits. “Just because the pay is characteristic does not make it any more reasonable. We should be paid better for undertaking such dangerous work.”

You shrugged as you began to reach for the case, your left arm stretching across the counter to grab it. “Don’t have to convince me.”

“Of course, I don’t. I am seldom wrong, remember?”

“Oh, a rare Tech joke!” You laughed lightly. “This day just keeps getting better.” 

You were about to say something else when Tech’s hand shot out to grab your wrist. Too shocked to speak, you just blinked in stunned silence as he carefully rotated your arm, giving him a better view of the thin, transparent film peeking out from beneath your sleeve. Your cheeks warmed at the curious look he gave you, but you didn’t stop him as he slowly pushed your sleeve up to reveal the skin of your forearm, allowing him to see the freshly inked lines on your inner wrist.

Tech’s head tilted slowly as he took in the shapes now forever emblazoned on your skin. A small skull. A lightning bolt behind it. A pixelated look to the whole thing. His eyes lifted to yours, amusement practically glowing in his eyes. “Well,” he said quietly. “That looks familiar.”

The smug tone in his voice made something inside you want to curl up with embarrassment, but it also thrilled a more prominent side of you. “Okay, listen. The person I was tailing stopped at a tattoo parlor for a few hours every day. He was getting a ridiculous sleeve done, and he was starting to get suspicious about why I was always there if I wasn’t doing anything.”

“So you decided to get a tattoo yourself,” Tech mused teasingly as his fingers traced along the thin lines on your wrist. “And you decided to tattoo a symbol that is exclusively on my armor?”

“I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it.” You huffed defensively, though really, you felt more shy than upset. “Do you have a problem with it?”

Tech shook his head. “As long as the parlor was fairly clean and reputable, I have no problem with it.” He met your eyes again as he lifted your hand up to his face and pressed his lips against the tattoo, kissing the inside of your wrist softly. “In fact, I think I love you more for it.”

You couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped you at that, and for a moment, his shyness mirrored your own, as if he was worried he had gone too far that time. But then you started to smile, and he mirrored that expression, too. 

The sound of laughter roused the two of you from the moment, and you turned to see the rest of the squad entering the parlor. You glanced at Tech and gave his hand a faint squeeze, silently promising to continue the conversation later. The excitement in his eyes and the way he squeezed your hand in return showed that he understood. You separated as the others got closer, but your hands remained close together on the countertop.

Omega was the first to notice the mark on your wrist, and she gasped with delight. “No way! You got a tattoo?”

A wave of relief went over you when no one else raised their eyebrows at your choice of markings. “No better place to get a tattoo than on Tatooine, right?” You heard Tech sigh heavily at your terrible, terrible joke. 

Her eyes sparkled with an idea that clearly excited her. “Can I get one, too?”

All was quiet in the Marauder as you made your way up to the cockpit. Your ears were still ringing from the firefight your squad had barely escaped from just a few minutes ago. One of these days, you were really going to give Cid a piece of your mind… just once your head wasn’t pounding.

The consistent hum of hyperspace became louder inside the cockpit, and you slumped into the co-pilot’s seat. It was no feather mattress, but it was more comfortable than most other places on this ship. That, and the company found there could soothe you better than anyone else.

Tech took a second to adjust the controls one last time before swiveling his seat to face you. The blue glow emanating from the viewport made the lenses of his goggles almost opaque at this angle, but it couldn’t hide the way his brow furrowed as he looked you over. “Mesh’la… you look unwell.”

A heavy sigh left your chest as you brought a hand up to rub your eyes. “I’m okay. Just tired.” 

He nodded as he pulled out his datapad, dropping his eyes to the screen for the moment. “That is understandable. Cid seems to have a habit of sending us on missions that are… far from relaxing.”

All you offered in response was a hum, your eyes closed as you tried to calm yourself. Maybe some of those breathing exercises you’d been learning would help. You took a deep breath, but that breath caught as your lungs expanded, exposing a pinched nerve toward the top of your spine. It took everything in you not to grumble as you rolled your shoulders carefully, trying to work at the sore spot without aggravating it too much.

There was silence beside you until you heard Tech sigh heavily. When you opened your eyes to look at him, he was putting the datapad down, a question in his gaze. Your sigh echoed his as you nodded, shifting in the seat so your back was facing him. It wasn’t often that he offered something as intimate as a massage, and you normally had to fight not to appear too eager when he did. Tonight, however, you were too exhausted to feel much about it other than relief. 

Your hair was carefully swept over your left shoulder, and Tech rested his hands on your shoulders. “Where does it hurt?”

“Between my shoulders… mostly.”

His hands slid to the indicated spot, and you tried not to gasp as his fingertips gently rubbed at your skin. He had removed his gloves - you could feel it in the warmth of his touch.

“How are you holding up?” he whispered softly. “I want to know everything.”

You leaned your head back, keeping your shrug slight as not to impede his progress down your back. “It’s just… not easy. I love running around with you guys, seeing new places and helping people where we can. But every once in a while, I wish things were different.”

Tech hummed, letting his hands move up to the back of your neck. “In what way?”

“Well, for one, we wouldn’t be working for some self-obsessed sleemo who hardly pays us enough to cover one meal, let alone six.”

He laughed, but there was a resigned tone to it. “You’re not alone in that sentiment.” Tech rested his chin on your shoulder, his cheek against the side of your neck as his fingers ran up and down the opposite side. “What else?”

You opened your eyes, shifting so your cheek lightly rubbed against his hair. “I wouldn’t say no to more of this. We don’t spend enough time together where it’s just us.”

“Now that is a fact.” Tech’s breath warmed your face as he leaned around to kiss your cheek. “I will admit, there are times when we’re on a mission, and I look at you and I just…” He paused as another quiet sigh escaped him. “It’s almost impossible to describe. There’s this magnetism, this… gravity to you. If I allowed myself, I’m certain I would crash into you and never separate from you.” Tech reached around to take the armrests of your chair and turn you to face him. “Am I making any sense?”

You smiled affectionately. “Just a little.”

To your surprise, Tech’s hand slid up to your cheek, cupping your face gently. “I can offer more of an explanation, if you’d permit me.”

“It’s okay. I think I understand.”

“Do you?” He tilted his head with a small smile as his thumb traced over your cheekbone. “Enlighten me, mesh’la.”

You leaned into his touch, sighing for what had to be the hundredth time. “It’s simple. It only makes sense that you would be drawn to someone you love.”

His touch stilled, and then his hand shifted slowly, coming to rest beneath your chin and lift your face tenderly. “Cyar’ika, you truly are brilliant.”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t make that connection.”

“I did, but there’s a beauty in the simplicity of your explanation.” His lips quirked into a bigger smile, a twinkle visible in his eyes through the lenses of his goggles. “As well as other aspects about you, obviously.”

You wrinkled your nose playfully. “Obviously.”

“Hush.” Tech’s fingers tightened around your chin as he pulled you closer, allowing his lips to hover over yours for a moment before fully committing to the kiss. And the sigh that escaped you this time wasn’t long-suffering or weary. It was nothing short of blissful.

After a moment, Tech pulled away just enough to whisper. “Now, my darling. You need to rest.” He smiled at your almost comically disappointed expression. “We can continue this at another time.”

“Promise?”

He placed a kiss on your left cheek. “I swear on your heart.” And then your right. “And on mine.”

You tried to pull him into another kiss, but you leaned back with a laugh when you saw his firm expression. “Fine, fine, I’m going. But I’m holding you to that promise.”

“What’s this?”

Tech quickly moved to hide whatever he was hunched over. You only had time to glimpse something extremely small and round before it was covered by his hands. “I would rather you did not ask me about this one, mesh’la.”

You peeked over his shoulder, hoping to get another look at this project he’d been acting strange about. “You’ve been working on this for days. Can’t I just look at it? I promise I won’t break it.”

He smiled warmly, an expression that would have made your heart flutter if you weren’t so accustomed to it by now. “I have no doubt that you wouldn’t compromise my work. However, this is one project that I can’t let you see until I have finished it.”

“Why?” Your chin rested on his shoulder as you kept your eyes fixed on his hands, which were still obscuring your view of this mysterious device he was working on. “Is it a surprise?”

“Perhaps. But I cannot resume my work with you observing me like this.”

You sighed melodramatically as you leaned away from him. “Fine. I’ll leave you alone for a while.” After pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, you let him be, leaving to go find Omega. She and Lyanna were probably off getting into trouble. Again.

As Tech watched you go, he felt a wave of relief wash over him, as well as the typical spike in endorphins he received whenever he looked at you. It was difficult to keep someone as curious as his beloved partner in the dark about such things, but he had managed it. And he was almost finished. He could have this finished by tomorrow if he really focused. 

But he didn’t want to rush this project. This one had to be perfect. 

He picked up the delicate tool he had dropped when you walked in, repositioned his lamp, and got back to work.

A few days later, you started to notice that it wasn’t just Tech. Everyone was acting strange. Sure, the Batch had never treated you unkindly, but they were all a little more… smiley with you than usual. Omega and Wrecker, especially. You could hardly look in their direction without one of them not-so-subtly trying to cover their laughs of glee.

So you probably should have been more suspicious when the team cornered you right after dinner and told you that Tech wanted to talk to you. Down on the beach. Alone.

To be honest, you weren't sure what to expect as you made your way down the winding paths of Pabu. Tech hadn't been paying much attention to you the last few days… maybe he was trying to make it up to you?

You slowed as you neared the end of the path and the ocean came into view. Where the path ended, a trail of lanterns began, lighting a way down the beach. And at the end: a large blanket draped over the sand, where Tech was waiting.

Your heart skipped at the almost painfully romantic sight. The lanterns already made the scene beautiful, but the sunset casting a golden glow across the island left you breathless. Almost as much as that wonderful man always did.

Despite your attempts to stay calm, a huge grin spread across your face. Even though your expression was eager, you managed to keep your steps measured and slow. No matter how badly you wanted to just sprint down there and tackle him onto the blanket so you could kiss him properly. You didn’t want to ruin the moment by overwhelming him on accident.

Tech raised his head as you got close, and the smile he sent your way made your heart absolutely melt. It was downright unfair how cute he was. He got to his feet, and you took his hands as he reached for you. As always, he lifted your hands up to his lips to gently kiss the back of them. However, in a development that made your stomach flutter, he didn’t leave it at just one kiss like he normally did. His lips trailed over your knuckles, down your fingers in a quiet, worshipful caress.

“Cyar’ika…” The warmth in his voice put the heat of the setting sun to shame. “Thank you for joining me.”

Not wanting to reveal just how enamored you were in this moment, you tilted your head in a playful manner. You kept your tone as light as you could with butterflies swarming around in your chest. “You thought I would say no to spending time with you?”

He shrugged as he slid an arm around your waist and tugged you down to the blanket. “Well, I was concerned that you felt displeased at the lack of affection I have been offering you as of late.” Once you were comfortably seated, he pulled you against his side, a familiar position for the two of you. “I assume this is an adequate way to begin reparation?”

“Watching a sunset together?” Your head rested on his shoulder as your eyes scanned the waves gently rolling into the beach. The glowing oranges of the sky almost made them look like melted gold, or amber… some kind of gem. “This is a gorgeous start.” 

There was a quiet hum as Tech reached over to touch your chin, tenderly coaxing your head off of his shoulder. “Gorgeous…” His gaze roamed your face appreciatively before he leaned in to press a kiss against your cheek. “I would have to agree.”

You felt your cheeks warm beneath his lips, and you began to duck your head, but his hand was back on your chin in an instant.

“None of that, mesh’la,” Tech whispered softly. “Do not hide your face from me. You have always been radiant, and this sunset has turned you into an absolute vision.”

After a moment, you raised your head to meet his eyes, smiling at the way the golden light of the sunset made his eyes shine. “I could say the same thing about you.”

He smiled again, shaking his head affectionately. “You are too kind, cyar’ika. But I did not call you here just so we could exchange compliments.”

“Then why did you want me here?”

Tech let his lips ghost over your cheek one last time before shifting to take something out of one of the many pouches on his belt. You swore there was a new one every time you saw him. Then he passed his binoculars into your hands and gestured out to the horizon. “Look.” He pointed to give you a more specific area to focus on. “Do you see that island out there?”

Raising the device to your eyes, you could, in fact, see a tiny island. The glare of the setting sun made it difficult to make out, but it was there. “Yeah, I see it.”

“The people of Pabu utilize it for certain… customs,” Tech explained, watching you as you continued to examine the distant view. “Traditionally, when two individuals are married, they spend a week alone on that island. Several domiciles have been constructed there, and the couple spends the week in one of their choosing.”

You made a quiet sound of interest, still looking through the binoculars. “So Pabu has an exclusive honeymoon retreat. Who knew?”

“…I would like you to accompany me there.”

For a second, you didn’t understand what he meant. He had just said that newlyweds were the only ones who ever visited that island. For you to go there with him, he would have to be suggesting…

The binoculars nearly slipped from your grip as the realization hit you. You quickly turned back to Tech, and your eyes widened when you saw the ring in his hand. There was no diamond, no precious stone embedded in the piece of jewelry, but a vine of intricate engravings wrapped around the band. “Love… is this what you’ve been working on?”

Tech nodded, taking your hand in his. “I may not have the financial means to purchase a typical engagement ring, but I still want my future wife to have something beautiful. Or my best attempt at it, at least.”

“Do you mean it? You really want me to be your wife?”

His hand left yours, moving up to cradle your face. “My darling cyar’ika… how could I want anyone else? The real question is, do you want me to be your husband?”

You nodded, a little more eagerly than intended, but you didn’t care. The love of your life wanted to marry you. If anything, you weren’t eager enough. “Yes. Absolutely, Tech.” 

The way his eyes lit up with pure joy made you want to say yes a thousand times over. He took your left hand in his, bringing it to his lips to press a loving kiss to your ring finger. “Thank you… thank you, my love.” 

Then the ring took the place of his lips on your hand. It fit you perfectly, suited you perfectly. Just like he did.

You couldn’t properly express your excitement by saying yes a thousand times. So a thousand kisses would have to do.

You were up before the sun on the morning of your wedding. There was no way you could stay in bed knowing that in just a few hours, Tech would be your husband. 

Phee had helped you find someone who could sew you a dress, and you had to admit that the gown was magnificent. It was simple, but the embroidery trailing down the skirt matched the ring Tech had made for you. Omega spent days scoping out where the best flowers could be found on the island, and she assured you that she would make you the biggest bouquet you’d ever seen. She had offered to braid flowers into your hair as well, but you suggested that she keep practicing that skill on Hunter first. 

Now, the wedding was less than an hour away, and Omega had yet to show up with your flowers. You weren’t too worried, though. She had been going on and on about how gorgeous your bouquet was last night; she had to be finished with it to be that pleased with herself.

Besides, you would marry Tech either way. Without flowers, without a dress, just as long as you could be with him forever.

“My darling…”

You turned around to see Tech staring at you with unabashed adoration. And you didn’t even try to stop yourself from staring back. You had never seen him in a suit before, and it was a dang good look for him. The color was a few shades darker than the armor he normally wore, and the little red accents from his tie and the rose pinned to his lapel made him especially eye-catching. 

Tech approached you slowly, instantly cupping your face in his hands once he was close enough. “...There are no words, my love. Beautiful would be an insult when you look this divine.”

There was no use trying to slow your heartbeat. It was your wedding day; you were allowed to be excited. You sighed softly, closing your eyes as you leaned into the adoration of his touch. “Haven’t you heard that it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?”

“I do not need luck,” Tech said matter-of-factly, tracing his fingers down your cheek. “I have you.”

You opened your eyes to smile at him with all the love you could muster. “You’ll always have me.”

“And you will always have me, cyar’ika.” He leaned down to capture your lips in one last kiss; the final kiss you would share before you became husband and wife. “Always.”

"There you are!"

The two of you separated as Omega ran up, holding a bouquet of flowers in her hand. You hadn't doubted the girl's ability to create something beautiful, and the bundle of flowers didn't disappoint. It wasn't as large as you had been expecting, though it still had a substantial amount of blooms, all tied together with a silky red ribbon.

She skidded to a stop in front of you, holding up the bouquet with a pleased smile. "I found a better ribbon this morning. I thought this would be nicer than using one of Hunter's bandanas."

"It's perfect, Omega." You took the flowers from her, pleased to find that it fit almost flawlessly in your hands. "Thank you so much."

The girl was practically bouncing on her feet, almost radiating more excitement than you were. "Come on, everyone's waiting!"

She darted off again, no doubt to join the others gathered beneath the great tree. You straightened the delicate chain of jewelry hanging around your neck and gave Tech what was quite possibly the biggest smile he would ever see. "So, my love? Wanna marry me?"