I have SO enjoyed all the thoughts and comments on the Tech/Phee poll! Thank you all! It’s absolutely amazing how we can interpret something with so much variety and nuance. I wonder if that’s precisely what the writers were going for? Remains to be seen!
Not looking to open another can of worms, but would you indulge me one more time in a slightly more specific poll in response to an interesting trend I noticed in the responses? 😉 No explanation needed if you’d just like to vote/reblog but obviously your thoughts are always welcome! 💕 Just had to seek out this enticing little subset of data… 🤓
Tags (as posted on AO3): fluff, pre/early-relationship, pining (mostly from tech's pov), inexperienced!tech, first kiss, hints of size difference
Word Count: 2,016
"It's a beautiful evening, isn't it?" asked Phee.
"It is indeed," replied Tech.
The pair was strolling through the streets of Lower Pabu, their arms linked together as they eased in and out of conversations. They never seemed to run out of topics to talk about, whether it was Phee talking about one of her many adventures across the galaxy or Tech talking about something that had caught his interest or a subject he had read about recently. If they did run out of topics to talk about, the silence between them wasn't awkward. It was comfortable, safe even.
Although it was getting late, the streets of the tiny island were still busy with life. People were walking home from work, eager to find the comfort of their homes again. The Elders could be seen sitting together, sharing drinks and chatting. The kids were chasing each other and shouting, a couple of moon-yos accompanying them in their game of tag, you're it. Omega and Lyana were not among them, Tech figured they were probably on Lyana's boat, enjoying the lovely weather this evening had to offer.
"You know," said Phee. Tech tore his eyes away from the kids and focused his attention on her. "I know a spot."
She looked up at the sky and hummed, her brows furrowed as she thought. The sun was not fully set yet. The sky had turned orange, the few clouds present were grey. It was more of an indicator that night-time was close than the possibility of rain happening.
"If we get there fast enough, we could watch the sunset from there," she added, turning back her head to look at Tech. "It's worth the shot."
"Is the view going to be something similar to what you'd shown me when we first arrived here?" asked Tech.
His heart was drumming away in his chest, Phee had this playful glint in her eyes that he had learnt to love. He wished he could express it. Yet, every time he tried, words thickened in his throat, turning into a ball and getting stuck; preventing the words from slipping out of his lips.
Something else was also the reason for his reservation. Something deeper that Tech had rarely felt. He was second-guessing himself. It was foreign to him, this feeling as well as this situation he was in with Phee.
When they had first met, he had been confused as to why she would always point out that he had brown eyes. All clones did. Even Phee herself had brown eyes. It was nothing special to him. He used to feel overwhelmed when she would openly flirt with him, not quite sure how to react or respond. Phee did not seem to mind, taking things slow.
This overwhelming feeling faded overtime, reducing in size until it lodged itself in his chest, making his heart flutter anytime Phee would enter a room he was in. It was a pleasant emotion, Tech had figured that it was a feeling which could be related to having a crush. Tech found himself feeling giddy when Phee would call him Brown Eyes. It made him feel good about himself in a way that he hadn't before. He was captivated by the stories that she was used to telling Cid's patrons, he knew she exaggerated some elements of the story but he couldn't care less. She was a great storyteller. She had the ability to draw people to her, having them at the edge of their seats as she brought her story to a climax before landing it softly on a concluding act. He knew most of her stories by heart, granting him the capacity to notice when she was changing things up for the sake of not repeating the same story twice.
Tech found himself thinking about Phee more and more often, longing for her while he and the rest of the Bad Batch were on a mission. Wrecker had been the first one to bring it up, teasing him about having a crush. Tech would deny it and they would bicker about it, the way brothers do until Hunter would intervene and ask them to re-focus their attention on the task at hand.
Wrecker did not only tease him, though. He encouraged him. Tech had confided in him and revealed that Phee had given him her private commlink before they left.
"Call me whenever you need, a pirate can only always be useful in a delicate situation," she had said to him with a wink.
Wrecker had clapped him in the back, almost making him trip forward. "Just text her, Tech. What harm could it cause?" he'd said.
A few hours later, Tech was seated on the pilot's chair in the cockpit. Everybody else in the Marauder was asleep while he was keeping watch. His datapad was in his hands, his two thumbs hovering over the keyboard. He focused his attention on the viewport in front of him, the Marauder was travelling through hyperspace to their next destination. They still had a few hours to spare in front of them, Tech had nothing else to do but make sure that nothing was out of order. His eyes scanned the control panel surrounding the flywheel and… nothing. Nothing was out of order.
With a final, resolute exhale, Tech quickly typed a simple message and hit send. He stared at his datapad, his hands gripping the sides until his knuckles had turned white. He closed his eyes, trying to regain his composure. The odds were in his favour, the anguish of waiting for a reply was short-lived. Less than a minute later, Phee had replied to his text. It did nothing to ease his nerves. If anything, his heart had begun beating even faster as he read her text. Yet, it gave him the courage to send another message.
They spent the entirety of his watch texting one another, the blue light of his datapad lighted his face up as he typed rapidly on the keyboard; a smile stretching his features.
"Even better," finally replied Phee, a smile decorating her face.
Tech was pulled out of his thoughts as Phee pulled on his arm, guiding him out of the busy main street towards a staircase going down the beach.
The sand crunched beneath their feet as they walked towards a trail which led up to a short hill. The sound of the waves washing on and off the shore was swallowing the ambient noise of Pabu, distancing them from its villagers and creating an intimate bubble around them. The terrain was now slightly going upwards as Tech and Phee followed the path. Sand turned into soil and grass with rocks, making it difficult to walk without tripping.
"Please, be careful," said Tech, tightening his arm around Phee's, securing her on his side.
"Right," said Phee, her eyes trained on the ground as she tentatively made a step forward. "We wouldn't want me," she continued, throwing a knowing look at Tech, "or you to break anything."
Tech nodded, "breaking my femur has been a painful experience," he agreed. "I do not wish to experience it again nor do I recommend it."
Phee replied with a chuckle, "Let's try and hurry up, though. Or we would've taken these risks for nothing."
After a few scares of tripping or spraying an ankle, Tech and Phee made it up the hill.
"Here we are," said Phee, slightly out of breath. "We've arrived just in time."
Phee gestured to a man-made platform on top of the hill, the terrain had been flattened and a short wall made of rock had been built to its edge, preventing anyone from falling down.
Phee untangled her arm from Tech's and took his hand, lacing their fingers together. She quickly darted up her eyes to Tech as she did so, searching for any signs of discomfort.
Tech squeezed her hand, soothing her concerns. With a short nod, she walked them up to the railing. She leaned on it, Tech followed suit. The sun was slowly going down the sky, almost reaching the line of the never-ending ocean in front of them.
Tech and Phee stood next to each in silence, enjoying the view as the sun disappeared under the ocean. The dark blue colour of the night seeped into the remaining orange until the sun had entirely disappeared under the ocean, the moon taking its place as the main source of light. Hundreds and hundreds of stars appeared one by one, decorating the sky with their soft twinkle. Tech dared to throw a look towards Phee, the moon was casting its light on her face beautifully. Tech tried to wipe his sweaty palms discreetly on his pants, he tried in vain to swallow the bundle of nerves which had appeared in his throat.
Phee turned her gaze away from the scenery and met his eyes. Tech, whose face was turning warm at being caught red-handed, swiftly looked back at the ocean.
"See something you like, Brown Eyes?" she asked, bumping her hip against his. Her tone was teasing, Tech could tell as much, but not mocking.
"I- um-" tried to say Tech. Phee tore her eyes away from his face, letting him find his words.
Her attention was brought back onto Tech as he took her hand, lacing their fingers together. "You look very beautiful under the moonlight," breathed out Tech.
He watched as Phee's eyes widened, her lips parting as she registered what he had said. Embarrassment washed over Tech but before he could backtrack, Phee turned her entire body towards him. She stepped forward, their chests now flushed against one another. Her hands reached and rested on his collarbone, softly gripping his jacket.
Tech's heartbeat quickened as she looked up at him. Tension was at its climax as she got her on her tippy toes, their faces a few millimetres from each other.
"Is this okay?" she whispered into the night.
Tech nodded.
"Please tell me-"
Phee's sentence was cut short as Tech closed the short gap between them, locking their lips together in a gentle kiss. Phee's heart skipped a beat at the feeling of his lips on hers. They were soft but hesitant. She reciprocated the kiss and felt Tech melting against her. They eased into the kiss as Tech’s hands found her hips, his touch electrifying her; she wrapped his arms around his neck, bringing him closer to her.
They kissed under the moonlight, exploring and discovering each other. Happiness coursing through their veins, their hearts beating in tandem pressed against one another. Tech leaned away from the kiss first, opening his eyes and gazing into Phee’s.
Phee’s lips parted but nothing came out of them. Tech had left her speechless.
“Was that okay?” asked Tech.
“Was that okay?!” repeated Phee. “It was more than okay. You definitely swept me off my feet, Brown Eyes.”
With a renewed confidence, Tech joined their lips together once more. Phee hummed into the kiss, cupping Tech’s cheek with one hand.
“I gotta know, though,” said Phee against Tech’s kiss-swollen lips. “Was it worth the shot?”
Tech broke eye contact and turned his head to focus his attention on the ocean. Phee’s gaze stayed on his face, admiring his features. “You keep being full of surprises,” he replied.
A smile stretched Phee’s features, her gaze softening as Tech looked back at her. “So I’d say that this was definitely worth the shot,” he added. “Our first kiss definitely has nothing on the sunset we had just witnessed, though. It was more breath-taking.”
Now that the tension had dissipated between them, it was easier for Tech to let the words out, knowing that his budding feelings were reciprocated by the woman he was holding close.
“Let’s hope that it’s the first one of many, then,” she whispered before sealing their lips in another kiss.
The moon casted its comforting, blue-ish glow upon them as they exchanged kisses, the stars being the witnesses of a memory they will both share and treasure for the rest of their lives.
someone really needs to tweet at Jennifer Corbett and just ask her straight up what the ship name for Tech and Phee should be. then we could officially settle on one 😅
