**Characters: Fives, Ahsoka, Echo, Kix, Jesse (mentioned), Hardcase (mentioned), Jannin (OC Character)
**Some Humor: Some Romance
You can read it HERE on AO3.
Echo wakes up to the sound of blurrgs growling in the distance. He doesn't open his eyes, but makes a growling noise himself. “Grrr! Can’t sleep here either!” He opens his eyes and stretches out. He looks over at Fives to see if he's awake yet, only to find him sitting up, looking at his data pad, with the biggest, cheesiest smile ever.
“What's got you in such a good mood?” Echo asks with a yawn.
“I got a message from Kix.” Fives says.
Echo raises an eyebrow. “And that has you smiling like a buffoon?”
Fives has an offended look on his face. “I am not smiling like a buffoon!”
Echo laughs. “You are, but what was the message?”
“This.” Fives says and shows Echo his data pad. There, lying on her bed, in the med bay, is Ahsoka, fast asleep, and cuddling her blue Tooka doll.
Echo smiles. “I told you she would like it.”
Fives shakes his head. “Yeah, yeah, Mr. Reg Manual. Always right about everything.”
“You're just realizing this now?” he grins. “Took you long enough!”
Fives throws his pillow at Echo. “Shut up you nerd! Let's get going. The sooner we finish our assessment, the sooner we can get back home.”
“Yeah, so you can get back to your swooning of the Commander.” Echo grins.
Fives grins as well. “Yeah…that too.”
“Speaking of?” Echo looks around. “Where’s your orange Tooka? I thought you fell asleep with it?”
“How did you know I had it? You were out before I was.” Fives produces said Tooka from his pack. He looks at it and smiles. Then he puts it back.
“Yup.” Echo says as he gets up. “You’re hooked!”
Sooner than later, they are flying through hyperspace back to Courescant. Echo, putting in all of his notes and observations. Fives telling Echo what to put in.
“You know…” Echo starts to say.
“Then why?” Echo looks up.
“Because,” Fives shrugs, “you take better notes than I do.”
“That's not true! You just want me to do all the work!” Echo looks back down.
Fives sighs. “Yeah, because when I do a report, you go in my data pad and retype all of it anyway!” He shakes his head and looks back out to space. The lines of hyperspace flying by like a painting in the sky. Fives had always loved the view.
“Rewrite” Fives corrects. “Same difference.”
Echo lifts his head. “Fine. I promise not to…” he makes air quotes, “rewrite your reports, if you tell me what you're going to tell the Commander when we get back.”
Fives turns quickly. “And... Why would I tell you that?”
“Because!” Echo grins. “I know you love me more than Hardcase and Jesse, who have been messaging you every hour to ask you the same question!”
Fives laughs. “You guys need to stick your noses elsewhere!”
Fives sighs again and smiles. “No.”
Echo leans closer and says it slowly. “Spill. It…. Now.”
Fives narrows his eyes. “It's nunya, and you know it.”
“Oh, Come on!” Echo wails. “I'm your twin! You tell me everything!” He points. “I tell you everything, don't I?”
Fives is laughing more now. “Yes, yes, you do.”
Echo grins. “Mm-hmm. So….?”
Fives breathes in and out slowly. “Honestly? I'm not sure what to say.”
Echo tilts his head. “Didn't you tell me that you said, and I quote, “I love you” to her when she was in the bacta tank?”
“Yeah.” He blushes. “I did, and I do.”
“So…..?” Echo says again. “Why don't you start with that?”
Fives shakes his head. “I can't tell her that to her face!”
“Because! She….she might say it back.”
Echo puts his hand on Fives shoulder. “Fives. Why would that be a bad thing?”
Fives looks down. “Echo, I…” he shakes his head. “I should have stopped it a long time ago. I'm an ARC Trooper….and she's a commander. My Commander! What or how or why can this possibly work?”
Echo smiles. “You know dang well it could work! Spare me the theatrics you Drama King! She loves you! I already knew that for a long time. I knew you loved her from the moment you laid eyes on her! When two people love each other, that’s all that matters! Period!”
Fives looks at Echo. “When did you become such an expert in love?”
Now it was Echo's turn to blush.
“Ohhhh!” He sits up. “That girl you met at the library! What was her name?”
“Jannin! Yeah, that's right.” Fives grins. “Do you love her?”
“I do. But... we're not talking about me. We're talking about you… and the Commander.” Echo gets a serious look. “Honestly… you guys make sense together. Don't let anything stop you from pursuing her.”
Fives gives a nod. “Okay.”
Echo nods too. “Not even the General.”
A panicked looked suddenly crossed Fives’ face. “Oh, Kriff! I'm gonna get force choked!”
Echo laughs. “Drama King! He's not going to force choke you!”
Fives looks out the window and sighs. “It would be worth it.” He looks back at Echo. “She's worth it.”
“Very poetic, Romeo.” Echo rolls his eyes. “Now tell her how you feel. In person, when she's awake.”
“I will.” Fives says as the ship shakes from coming out of hyperspace. “I'll go see her as soon as we turn in our reports. Speaking of,” he grins. “You’re going to rewrite mine, right?”
Echo scoffs. “I thought you didn't want me to!”
Fives is stretching out his arms. “Go ahead,” he smiles. “Nerd.”
A few hours later, Fives is standing in front of the Med Bay. His heart feels like it's pounding out of his chest. His palms… sweaty. He swipes his forehead. He hears a voice behind him.
“What are you waiting for?”
Fives jumps. “What the?! Echo?! What are you doing here? I thought you were going to the library.”
Echo smiles. “I'm still going to the library. I just wanted to come check on you first and make sure you actually go in and talk to the Commander.”
Fives straightens. “I'm going! I'm going! I just…” He looks down. “I’m…”
Echo puts his hand on Fives’ shoulder. “You’re nervous.”
“Yeah.” He looks at the flowers in his hand.
Echo looks at them too. “Those are pretty. What kind of flowers are those?”
Fives blushes. “They're called Zeillas. She told me once that they were her favorite flower.”
Echo smiles and nods at the doors. “Go, Fives. You got this.”
Fives sighs. “I got this.”
He walks through the Med Bay doors straight to Ahsoka's room. The evergrowing Get Well posters outside of her room, along with the bunches of balloons, made Fives smile bigger. He loved his brothers and he could tell how much they loved their Commander too.
He jumps again. “What?! Kix! Warning next time!”
Kix laughs. “Dude! This is my Med Bay.”
Fives stares at Kix. “I know, Kix. I know.”
“So….you’re here to see the Commander, right? She's been waiting for you to get here.”
“She has?” Fives perks up. “Really?”
Kix nods. “Yeah. She was pretty worried about you and your mission. But, I reassured her that Echo was with you.”
“What's that supposed to mean?! I can take care of myself!”
Kix looks at his comm. “Wow, look at the time! Gotta go! Good luck!”
“Kix!” Fives yells as Kix walks away. “Ugh!” He shakes his head and takes a deep breath. He opens the door.
“Fives?” Ashoka sits up. “You're here. I'm…I'm so glad you're safe. She hugs her Tooka and puts it in her lap.
“Hey, Commander.” Fives says as he sits down in the chair. “How are you feeling? Are you able to get around a little more? Kix hasn't been too much of a tyrant, has he?”
Ahsoka covers her mouth and giggles. “No! He’s been a great medic.”
Fives huffs. “He'd better be.”
Ahsoka nods. “Also, yes. I'm able to walk more and have therapy. My master has finally let me have my room to myself.”
“Yeah.” Fives bristles. “I couldn't see you before we left for our mission. I wanted to, Ahsoka. I really did.”
Ahsoka leans over and puts her hand on his. “Well, you're here now.” She smiles.
He blushes and stares into her eyes. “I brought you some flowers. Uh, I…I think you'll like them.”
Ahsoka gasps. “Zeillas! My favorite flower! You… you remembered!”
He hands them to her and she smells them.
“Thank you, Fives. They're beautiful.”
He blushes again. “You're welcome, Ahsoka. I'm just glad you're doing better. I just…I don't understand… why….” he looks down.
“Why….What? Fives?” Ahsoka has a very concerned look on her face.
He looks up. “Why would you… Why did you…” He looks away and takes a deep breath. He looks back into her eyes and takes her hand. “Why would you put yourself in danger and throw yourself in front of us like that?! We're just… clones, Ahsoka. I told you before that your life is more precious…far, far more precious than all of us… than mine! For you to take a risk like that… I just… I…” He closes his eyes.
“Fives?” Ahsoka has both of her hands in his. She sees a tear roll down his cheek, and she gasps. “Fives? What is it?”
He looks up and she can see the anguish….the worry…but, something else. Something… she didn't know. Something she's only heard about or seen in a halo film. Her eyes are wide.
Fives leans closer. More tears fall. “Ahsoka, I love you. I've loved you for so long. I worry about you so much, and I don't mean to. I know you can take care of yourself.” He sniffles.
She's crying now, too. “Fives. I love you, too. It's been a while for me, and…. I also worry. You mean so much to me…You…You…” Her tears fall.
Fives sits on the bed and holds Ahsoka in his arms. “I swear to you, Ahsoka. I'm never gonna let you go.” He kisses the top of her montral.
She looks up at him with those big, blue Corelean eyes. He leans down and kisses her. The kiss that had been long overdue, since their first. They kissed, with all the love and warmth they possessed. Both knowing, that this, here and now, was exactly where they belonged. Together…. In each other’s arms
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I am so, so happy with the way this chapter turned out. I think, that will be all folks. They ended up together and that was the goal. Thank you for all those that have stuck with me! @tealmist55 , you don’t know how much I have appreciated your encouragement, your comments and your help throughout this journey. Thank you so much! 😊
Tagging: @everythingfivesoka
