Chapter Text
When you opened your eyes for what felt like the millionth time that night, it was not on the moon, but your own apartment on Coruscant. With a warm hiccup, you scrubbed your face with your hands. Taking a deep breath, you took a moment to take in the dream--it had felt so real, with Tech limp below you and refusing to interact. A thought popped into your head and it seemed to be what you needed just about now, but you hesitated when reaching for your personal comm link. It wasn’t real, was it? Mulling it over in your head, you picked up the comm and with shaking fingers, put in Tech’s personal number.
The shrill beeping of the comm filled your room while you waited for the other end to pick up. You tried to make yourself forget about what you had just bore witness to. It felt like forever as you sat there, it was late, your chrono stating it was sometime in the early morning. A part of you was afraid that what you had conjured up in your sleep was real, feeling like you were holding onto a thin thread that would snap. Hot tears streamed down your face the more you thought about it, growing into more hard sobs that wracked your body as you sat there, mind running over the scenario over and over again. It wouldn’t just leave you, even if it hurt to think about.
Finally, the beeping stopped and you were greeted with a bleary voice that called out your name through the comm. Your breath caught in your throat as you tried so hard not to cry out in relief. In a rather small voice,
“Tech? Sorry if I woke you up I--” There was a shuffling on the other end, likely Tech sitting up in his bunk,
“Is there something wrong?” Biting your lip rather aggressively, you attempted to keep your voice steady but failed as it cracked as you told him yes, that you needed him right now. There was some more shuffling on his end, a swear when he bumped into something as Tech rambled about something he had been working on that day--a hopeful distraction. He knew about the nightmares--how you refused to call it anything in particular, but he definitely noticed it took a toll on your psyche and often manifested some of the awful things you had seen on the field as a medic. Tech also knew how it often would leave you feeling raw and out of it for days or even weeks at a time. Neglecting to feed yourself or even rest on the worst of those days. It was not the first time you’ve woken him up in the early hours of the morning, rushing to at least get some pants and shoes on before coming over.
It felt like forever as you sat there on your bed, not even really listening to Tech, staring off into the other end of your room. Thankfully what came next was a sharp knock at your door. Rubbing at your eyes, you willed yourself to your feet and shuffled over to open it to see a rather disheveled, familiar clone. His hair stuck up at an odd angle, his shirt wrinkled from when he picked it off the floor in his rush. In his arms was a small package of sorts of which he shifted from one arm to the other as Tech scooted his way past you and into the apartment. Plopping down onto the couch, he set down the package and made a gesture with his hands to draw you over. Settling down on the couch, you drew your knees up and leaned into Tech’s warm side, his arms wrapping around your frame as you finally let the tears fall and whimpered into his shoulder. The poor shirt turned into a damp pool rather quickly as he rubbed your back in small, soothing circles. When your breathing became erratic and choppy, Tech smoothed your hair down,
“Take a deep breath, I want you to breathe with me. In...out...in...out…” At first, they came short and rushed, but as you timed them with his own, they came to a slow and even pace. You peeled yourself from his shoulder to look up at the man you held so dearly.
“Here, let me--” Tech eased himself up and padded over to your kitchen, turning on the sink briefly and coming back to your side. Taking one hand to rest on the back of your head, the other took the cool, damp cloth and wiped gently at the tender skin on your face. Giving him a weak smile, you took the cloth from his hand and wrapped it around your neck to cool yourself off. Tech reached into the package, taking out a small bottle of water and handed it to you,
“Drink, even just a little sip helps.” All you could do was nod and accept the water, taking in little, but frequent sips. After some time of watching you calm down, did Tech finally speak, “Do you want to talk about it?” With a sniff, you nodded, slow to put your thoughts into words,
“You know how a few years ago, I went on a mission that went haywire?” Tech nodded, humming in acknowledgement, “It was that exact scenario, but instead of the one Jedi being there, it was you.” Your face crumpled as you tried to keep from crying again, biting the inside of your cheek hard. Pulling off his goggles, Tech rubbed at where they left indents and set it down on the table by your knee,
“It was an extremely traumatic event for you,” He turned and pulled you back into his chest, “You tried your best with the situation. And besides, I’m still here, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.” The soft warmth eased you to relax into him,
“It just felt so real, I felt so hopeless.”
“I know, it’s a terrifying situation to be in. But you’re here, you’re safe with me.” The two of you sat in silence as you processed your thoughts. The steady inhale of Tech’s chest kept you focused on the fact that you were here, you were home, you are on Coruscant, Tech is holding you, he’s here, he’s alright. At some point, Tech started to extract himself,
“I also brought you something to eat,” He pulled the package towards himself and withdrew your favorite snack. Normally he would go on and on about how the combination of protein and fats were best suited for a healthy meal, but instead he kept quiet as he split it and watched you take a few bites before indulging in his own portion. The two of you sat there, quietly munching away before you decided to break it,
“Thank you, I really mean it. You didn’t have to do this.” Tech blinked owlishly at you,
“Of course, I don’t want you to feel so alone. I wanted to do this for you.” His features softened into a small smile. Leaning forward, you pressed your lips against his own. Calloused hands came up to rest on your jaw as he reciprocated the motion before you parted once more. A warmth spread in your chest as you drank in the sweet expression on his face before curling up at his side. Tech reached over to the arm of the couch and pulled off a blanket that you may or may not have stolen from his bunk. Giving you a quizzical look, he didn’t question and instead wrapped it around the two of you. Later he might question why you stole random things from him, but for now he just eased with you in his arms. The silence isn't so loud and your thoughts ebbed away from what had been and flowed into what is now. A small kiss was pressed into the top of your head before you drifted off, this time with the guarantee of safety and promises of shared moments again.