You're Cute When You're Jealous (Echo x f!OC)
Summary: Leli is doing her part to help Rex and his brothers. She is prepping to leave for her next mission, and Echo is not happy about it. (I suck at summaries, sorry) Content: mild jealousy. parenthood(?). Babies in general(?). Pre-established relationship.
A/N: Welcome, friends, to Max's self-indulgent fantasies. Seriowan's Dad!Clone content gave me brainrot and I have not been able to get Echo with twins out of my head. This is just some fluffy nonsense I started writing on a napkin at work the other day. Hope you enjoy! (credit for the twin's names goes to @seriowan. Thank you for letting me use them Nay!) tags: @techtalksfics @seriowan (I know I already tagged you, but 🤷🏻♀️)
Word count: 1.6k
“I don’t like this,” Echo said for the hundredth time that afternoon.
“Ya know, I’m starting to see why your brothers named you Echo,” Leli smirked, pulling the poncho Rex had given to her over her head. After all the missions she’d done with Rex, she still did not understand the train of thought that led all clones to think that poncho = civilian.
Echo gave an unamused huff from where he sat in the corner of the boys’ room. She didn’t have to look at him to know he was pouting. It was that same kicked tooka look that he wore when Fives had approached her at 79’s back when the world still felt normal. Seeing him from across the bar with that cute little pout on his face made Leli’s heart flutter in her chest, and although that night felt like a lifetime ago, something just never changed.
She finished adjusting her new ensemble before walking over and placing a gentle kiss to his forehead. She felt some of the tension ease beneath her touch, but she could tell he wasn’t going to give this up anytime soon. She reached out to cradle his cheek in her hand, tilting his head up to place a chaste kiss on his lips. The kiss was far too short for Echo’s liking. When Leli pulled away he chased after her, but she stood up straight, a satisfied smirk dancing across her lips.
“Relax, will ya? I’ve run this sort of mission dozens of times,” Once the war had ended, Rex found himself short on allies. She had found him waiting for her outside of her apartment in the lower levels of Coruscant and had been helping him anyway she could ever since.
“That doesn’t mean I have to like it,” In fact, it made him dislike it even more, but he would never admit it.
“Quit worrying trooper, I can take care of myself,”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. It wasn’t a lie, not fully anyway. Leli wasn’t a soldier, sure, but she had never been one to shy away from a fight, especially when it came to defending clones. It was one of the things Echo loved about her--the passionate way she defended him and his brothers touched him so deeply, but it had gotten her into more than her fair share of trouble over the years. Now, more than ever he was worried for her safety. If anything happened to her or the boys, he would never forgive himself. But something else about this mission just didn’t sit well with him.
His eyes followed her as she moved about the room to continue prepping for tonight. She tucked the counterfeit chain codes Rex had given her into the pouch at her hip then made her way towards the two cribs that sat against the far wall of the room. Leli bent down and plucked one of the twins from his crib, cradling him gently against her chest. Based on all the fussing, he knew it must have been Sky.
Over the last few months, Echo had committed the twins’ disparate mannerisms to memory. The events of the Citadel and his imprisonment at the hands of the Techno Union (as well as his own insecurity) had robbed him of the first year or so of their life and he was determined to make up for lost time. Quinn was typically calm, he rarely cried and went down for naps without a fight. Sky on the other hand was a menace.
He takes after Fives, Leli had joked the day that Echo had finally met the twins. He’s always up to something.
At the time, Echo did not understand how an infant could be “up to something”, but after the first week with the boys, he understood completely.
Once Sky had stopped fussing, Leli adjusted him so that he was settled on her hip. She smoothed her hand over the small tuft of curls on his head and pressed a kiss into his hairline. The sight made Echo’s heart melt. He stood up from his seat and made his way towards her.
“The boys will be alright too,” She said, her tone more serious. “I would never let anything happen to them,”
“I know that,”He said softly, stepping closer to her. And he meant it. Leli had managed to take care of the boys on her own for so long. Echo knew that she was more than capable of keeping them safe.
Sky babbled happily on her hip, unaware of the conversation taking place between his parents, drool dribbling steadily down his chin. Before he could think better of it, Echo reached out his hand and wiped Sky's chin, then grimaced at the mess it had made of his glove. The look on his face made Leli snort. He wiped his hand on his blacks before smoothing her hair back behind her ear. Leli scrunched up her face at the residual dampness which made Echo let out a snort of his own.
“Then why are you so worried?” She questioned with a smile. Kriff, he loved that smile. Echo bristled.
“Who said I was worried?” He tried playing defense, but Leli was not having it.
“You did, now spill”She shifted her grasp on Sky and placed her now free hand on her hip. Echo knew there was no getting out of this one. The ex-ARC trooper sighed, bending down to pick up the neglected Quinn from his crib in an attempt to buy himself more time. The action was still a bit awkward as he tried to use his scomp as minimally as possible, but he was starting to get the hang of it.
He held Quinn against his chest the same way that Leli had and relished in the warmth of his son pressed up against him. He would never get tired of this feeling, even when the boys decided to spit up on him.
Leli tapped her foot impatiently, but couldn’t help the smile that spread across her lips at the image before her. It was a sight she thought she would never get to see, a little different than she had imagined, sure, but it was still a sight she would treasure forever. Echo met her gaze sheepishly before turning his gaze back to Quinn with a heavy sigh.
“I just don’t like this mission, alright?” Echo frowned. The mission itself was simple enough. They were essentially smuggling a deserter off world and into the outer rim where they would theoretically be beyond the reach of the Empire. It was a standard operation for Rex and his men, Echo knew that. But it was the way in which they were going about it that got under his skin.
Smuggling a single clone trooper onto an off-world transport was tricky. They were more likely to be recognized if they were traveling alone. A family however--
Echo scowled at the thought. He knew that the twins made Leli the perfect candidate for this role, but he still didn’t like it. The thought of someone else cosying up next to her, even if it was one of his brothers, bothered him to no end.
A knowing grin split across Leli’s face as she watched Echo wrestle with his thoughts. She let out a bark of laughter that made him look up.
“Awww look Sky,” she cooed playfully. “Buir’s jealous.”
Heat crept up Echo’s neck and his cheeks dusted an adorable shade of pink that only added to Leli’s amusement. Echo sputtered a bit, desperately searching for a reply.
“Am not!” Was the best he could come up with.
“Are too,” Leli smirked, leaning in to press a kiss to his flushed cheek. “You’re upset that I have to pretend to be someone’s wife.”
She had hit the nail right on the head, but Echo was too proud to admit it.
“No,” He said lamely, letting out an exasperated huff before trying another excuse. “I just don’t like this mission. You sneaking onto a transport past imperial security with the boys.”
“Technically I’m not sneaking. I do have a boarding pass, ya know.” She said, her tone remained playful as she grinned at the flustered clone before her.
“There’s too many variables. What if something goes wrong?”
“Nothing is going to go wrong. And if it does, my husband will be there to protect me,” She teased. Echo scrunched his face at her use of the word husband. His face was so red he could've passed for an imperial guard. Leli let out another bark of laughter. The look on Echo’s face was priceless and she wished she could snap a holo of it for future reference.
“Very funny,” Echo rolled his eyes, lightly bouncing the baby in his arms. Quinn snoozed soundly against his father’s chest, completely unfazed by the events unfolding around him. In this moment, Echo envied his son.
“Aw don’t be like that Eck, I’m only teasing you,” She purred, stepping close enough to rest her head on his shoulder. “And besides,” She placed a kiss at the base of his neck that made him shiver. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Echo grumbled, but he couldn’t hide the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips. He rested his head against hers, drinking in the moment.
A beat of tender silence passed between them before he spoke again, voice barely above a whisper.
“I am worried, though.” He murmured against the top of her head.
“Everything’s going to be fine, Echo. I promise.” She replied, pulling back to look into his beautiful deep brown eyes. “You’ll be there to watch my back, won’t you?”
“Always, cyare.” His breath fanned against her face as he leaned down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss.
“Good,” She said once they had parted. She pressed a quick peck to his cheek and gave his butt a gentle tap. “Now, help me get your sons ready for tonight. I’ve got a husband to meet.”
