Summary: you and Echo are sent by Rex to infiltrate an imperial gala. Though the feelings you and Echo have been having for each other don't help in making it any less awkward.
Warnings: awkward kissing, awkward hand holding / arm holding, Echo trying not to look like a tomato, making out, heated kisses. Soft touches.
Word count: 1,242
Your heart was pounding in your ears for multiple reasons. One- you had been running with Echo for nigh on ten minutes now, two- Echo was holding onto your hand, tight enough where you couldn’t slip from his grip, and three? Echo was holding your fucking hand.
You took a quick glance around, sucking in a deep breath as Echo took a sharp turn down a busy street, though with another quick scan you noticed an alley. You tugged Echo to a stop, then pulled him through a group of people as you and Echo ran into the alleyway together. You jogged for a few more minutes down the alley, taking another turn which revealed to be a dead end.
And footsteps were approaching.
“What are we gonna do?” Echo asked in a hush whisper, though it was a little too loud so you quickly shushed him. The voices of the people you had been scoping out were getting closer, almost nearing the dead end alleyway you and Echo were inside.
So without another thought to question what you were going to do, you just did.
You pushed Echo against the brick wall, one hand on his chest while the other went to the side of his neck, and you leaned up, using the man for a bit of leverage as your lips landed on top of his, just as the guards poked their head into the alley.
Echo had tensed under you for only a moment, though even he didn't realize why you were doing what you did- he still deepened the kiss, his hand and scomp finding purchase above your hips, his hand lowering slowly, flattening across your ass as he slid his tongue into your mouth.
And the moan that escaped your lips- almost made him go into overdrive.
You opened your eyes, and glanced towards the exit, lips still locked with Echo’s though you tried to pull away to tell him the cost was clear, he simply just chased your lips and kissed you again, causing another gasp to escape your lips.
Then- Echo pulled away. Pupils blown wide as he stared down at you. You cleared your throat, taking several steps back as you wiped your lips and adjusted your clothes, not noticing the slight twinge of hurt that flashed in his eyes as you went to wipe your lips.
“The coast is clear.” You muttered, walking to the exit of the alleyway, poking your head out as you looked around. Indeed you and Echo had escaped those who were chasing you. “We should get back to the rendezvous point before they start looking for us.” You suggested.
“Uh- yeah…” Echo muttered, and he followed you out of the alleyway and back to Rex and the other clone rebels to give them whatever info you and Echo managed to snag before you got chased through the under-city.
You were back on base within a few hours, though Echo wanted to talk to you about what had happened, he couldn’t find you anywhere on base. So he went to Rex, who gave him an awkward shoulder pat. “She’s meditating, put up the do not disturb sign.” Rex had told him, and Echo could only sigh.
He would always respect your privacy, even if that meant he couldn’t get his answers right away. After a few days he figured he would forget about it, hell you did too, though every night you and Echo always seemed to have the same recurring dreams of what happened in that alleyway.
Echo was getting desperate.
To hold you, touch you- kiss you like he had only a few days prior… he ended up talking to Rex about his… issue… and Rex actually encouraged him to talk to you… Though little did he know, you and Rex had a very similar conversation just a few minutes before Echo approached Rex.
So Echo went off to find you, and you went off to find Echo, scouring the whole base for each other. You groaned in frustration as you checked a broom closet for probably the third time, turning around and walking down to the mess hall, running face first into the very man you were searching for.
Though you had run into him a little too hard, and were about to tumble backwards on your ass… until Echo caught you. Both of you let out a little sigh of relief at the same time, a chuckle following afterwards.
“Hey…” You greeted, albeit very awkwardly. “Hi.” Echo replied, helping you to stand upright once more. “Can uh- we talk?” Echo then asked, and you nodded your head, looking around before leading him outside to one of the balconies.
You inhaled the fresh air through your nose, leaning against the railing as you turned your head, watching Echo follow suit, now somewhat relaxed beside you. “So uh- that thing that happened…” You trailed off, and Echo hummed.
“I'm sorry i-”
“I want to kiss you again”
Your eyes went wide as you spun your head around to look over at Echo, who was staring at you with dilated pupils and what seemed to be a deep flush coating his cheeks. You got over your shock, then let out a soft laugh, almost embarrassed.
“God me too.” You whispered, noticing the smile that graced his lips.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” Echo confessed, shifting so he was closer to you, reaching his hand out to you which you gladly took, holding it gently as you looked up at the clone. “Me neither… i kept seeing it in my dreams and- got it got so graphic i had to go ask Rex what i should do.” You muttered, and Echo couldn't help but laugh at that. “I had to ask Rex for advice too… Then I started looking for you.” Echo replied.
You practically beamed at him, and once again you and Echo erupted into laughter as you looked away from each other, though not for long as Echo was quick to reach out, sliding two fingers underneath your chin as he turned your head so you were looking up at him.
You didn’t even need to say anything, Echo was practically reading your mind as he leaned in.
Once again your lips were pressed together, and his arms were wrapped around your waist. He then hoisted you up onto the railing so you were sitting in front of him, though he still had his arms around you, and you had your arms around his neck as you opened your lips slightly, inviting him deeper.
He accepted that invitation, and his tongue slid into your mouth as he groaned slightly, drinking up your sighs and soft moans. You broke the kiss after a few minutes, needing air but also wanting to stare at the beautiful man standing in front of you.
“You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that.” Echo whispered, and a chuckle fell from your lips before you kissed him once more, though this kiss was much shorter. “Oh I have an idea…” You muttered, resting your forehead against his.
“I’d be willing to do that a lot more… if you want to.” He muttered, and you grinned, wrapping your legs around his hips.
“I absolutely do… so let's go somewhere else, I wanna see what else those lips can do.” You muttered.
Summary: The Republic might be gone, but that doesn’t mean the war is over, especially not for the clones. You and Echo manage to find solace in each other. And memories would always remain. But sometimes you just need someone to listen to you.
Based off the song “Ghosts That We Knew” by Mumford & Sons
Lyrics: “And the ghosts that we knew will flicker from view // And we’ll have a long life”
Warnings: angsty, talk of death and loss, hopefully a touching ending!
Author’s note: Happy @cloneficgiftexchange day!! As usual, @ghostofskywalker hosts an amazing event and I’m so grateful to participate!This was such a fun prompt to work with! I saw the characters and the song and knew exactly who I had to write for! Thanks to @akaanade for such a fun idea, and I hope you like what I have for you babe! Happy summer to all the clone lovers <3
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No one exactly knew who decided to create the clones. One day, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi ventured to a planet called Kamino, and the next, the clone army served the Republic.
They fought side by side with their Jedi generals, helping to bring about the end of the Separatist army and restore peace to the galaxy.
Until it all changed.
Suddenly, the Jedi were deemed traitors of the Republic and the clones that once fought with them now had orders to eliminate them.
You remember that day. The smoke from the Temple, the panic in the senate, the day the Republic turned into the Galactic Empire.
And now the Empire was trying to phase out clones, the clones who fought so valiantly in the name of the Republic, and now in the name of the Empire.
As an aide for the Pantoran Senator Chuchi, you worked with her side by side to fight for the rights of the clones.
That’s how you ended up in ties with the unofficial clone rebellion.
There were familiar faces, like Captain Rex and Captain Howzer, distinguished clones you had met before during assignments with Senator Chuchi.
But among the group of identical faces, there were some you knew you hadn’t met before like Fireball and Gregor.
And Echo.
The ex-ARC trooper was unlike any other clone you had met. His bravery and intelligence were unlike anything you had ever seen, not even in a clone trooper.
Between missions, when you had downtime and weren’t required by the Senator. You’d find yourself seeking him out, hoping to hear another story, to hear about his brothers that he held in such high esteem.
You’d hear tales about his days stationed at the Richi Outpost with the Domino Squad, his missions alongside the 501st as an ARC-trooper, and then there were stories about his most recent adventures alongside Clone Force 99, more commonly called the Bad Batch. His stories about the special troopers and the young girl, Omega, who joined them never failed to make you smile.
While you loved all of his stories, the ones about his brother named Fives were always your favorite. You could watch the wistful look in his eyes grow as he recounted their adventures and heroics—and of course, their (mostly Fives’) accidents.
“And when Rex walked in, Fives stood at attention hoping Rex wouldn’t notice the fact he had gotten his bucket stuck on his foot.”
Your laughter echoed through the night air as you listened to the tale from Echo’s ARC-trooper days.
“What did you do?” You managed to get out between your giggles.
Echo chuckled and shook his head. “When Rex asked what Fives had done, I looked him dead in the eyes and asked ‘who’s Fives?’”
“You didn’t!” You gasped, grabbing onto his shoulder in an attempt to keep yourself steady as another bout of laughter came on.
The clone nodded, chuckling quietly to himself at your reaction. Recounting stories of his fallen brothers was often painful. Even the mere thought of them was enough to put him in a stupor for the rest of the day.
But somehow you made his recollections a little lighter. The way you listened so intently, the way you asked questions and got involved in the conversation, the way you would rest your hand on his knee when you noticed his words start to stall and voice started to waver.
As you finally recovered from your fit of laughter, you turned your head to look at Echo only to find him already looking at you with a soft smile.
A warmth bloomed in your stomach at his expression and you found yourself matching his smile. There was something about the way he looked at you that made you feel giddy despite yourself.
“What?” You asked.
Echo’s answer was immediate. “Thank you for listening.”
Although it was a simple thanks, there was a deeper meaning behind his words.
It wasn’t just a thank you for listening, it was a thank you for being there with him, a thank you for your kind smile, a thank you for reminding him that there was still good in the galaxy after everything he had lost. You gave him hope that one day he’d see the light again.
And maybe he’d express all of that to one day. But for now, his simple thank you would have to do.
You grinned at him. “Anytime, Echo. I love your stories.”
You laid your hand on his shoulder, leaning towards him and planting a kiss on his cheek.
A small part of you relished the way he flushed at the action.
“They’re hard to tell sometimes,” he admits, glancing up at the stars above your heads.
You nodded, keeping your hand on his shoulder as you noticed his somber tone.
“But that’s why it’s good to tell them. Your brothers live on in your stories, they’re not just memories anymore.”
You let your hand slide down his shoulder until it reached his own good hand. You tangled your fingers with his, giving his palm a gentle squeeze.
He turned his head to you, gently pressing your foreheads together. He had told you about this gesture before. It was a Keldabe kiss, a tradition of the Mandalorians. And in moments like these, it felt more intimate than a normal kiss.
Maybe one day the fighting would stop and things would settle down once the peace returned. And as Echo sat with you in a moment of serenity, he was sure of it: the ghosts that he knew would flicker from view, and the two of you would have a long life.
Summary: During your shift at the bar, an angry customer yells something hurtful at you, and Echo checks to make sure you're okay.
Warnings: 18+ minors DNI! smut, oral f receiving, TW: body insecurities, self conscious reader
Word Count: 1.8k
A/N: As someone on the curvier side who’s dealt with body insecurities basically my entire life, I was happy to write this with experience on how it feels. This is my first (of probably many) Echo one-shots. Thank you @sageislostinspring for requesting <3
The weekend's familiar patrons crowded the bar, ordering their endless rounds of drinks for hours on end until they couldn't even walk straight. Cid wasn't a responsible bar owner, so she never let you cut anyone off when they were too drunk.
"Drunk customers are paying customers" She'd always say. You roll your eyes every time her voice plays in the back of your mind. She took you in when you were a child, and you always saw her as an aunt, but she wasn't protective of your safety like an aunt should be. Regardless, you loved her anyways.
Luckily, your favorite guys were across the bar tonight, crowded into a corner booth, taking it easy and enjoying their time together. Omega was kicking some ass at Dejarik. No matter how busy the place could get, and even with Hunter watching her like a hawk, you were adamant about making sure she was safe when there were this many people around. This was no place for a child, but somehow she was right where she belonged.
Glancing across the room back to the rest of the guys, you briefly caught Echo's eye and flashed him a smile. He smiled back before you returned to pouring and mixing drinks on autopilot. There was something about him - Echo, that you were so attracted to. The brothers were similar in appearance, but none of them were as kind as Echo.
Wrecker, Tech and Hunter were playing a drinking game, completely oblivious to the fact that they lost Echo's attention a while ago, but he couldn’t help staring at you.
"Can I get another drink?!" A loud, distracting man yelled from the other end of the bar.
"Yep, I'll be right there" You shot him a quick assuring smile.
"Now!” He impatiently demanded, his voice now louder than before, startling you.
“Please be patient, sir, I am working as fast as I can” You told him firmly.
“Maybe if you lost a few pounds you could work faster”
Right then and there your heart sunk into the pit of your stomach. Suddenly every hateful comment you'd ever received came rushing to your mind, clouding your ability to even defend yourself. You stood there, motionless. This man had found your biggest insecurity and attacked it with anger.
You caught sight of Echo again, who was already watching the look on your face turn to sorrow. It was too loud for him to hear what had been said, but he knew something was wrong immediately.
The beat of your heart thumped viciously inside your chest, pressing hard at the lump stuck in your throat. Rushing out from behind the bar, trying to turn the corner before a stream of tears stained your face in front of such a large crowd, you heard a slew of choice words exchanged loudly. One of the voices you recognized…Echo. You took a few deep breaths and poked your head around the corner.
Echo and the guys had cornered the insulting patron. Wrecker had him by the back of the neck, ready to throw him to the streets at any second. Echo and Hunter were in his face, undoubtedly threatening him.
It was all too much for you to handle and you needed some space.
The closing door of Aunt Cid’s office offered the solace you needed to calm down. There was a stinging sensation in your eyes as you shut them tight, trying your damnedest to get it together. No matter how many times in your life you tried to move past your insecurities about your body, someone like that guy will always be around to remind you of it.
Just then, a faint knock came from the other side of the door.
“Y/N?” The gentle voice called
Echo.
“I’m fine” You called to him, but the strangling effort in your voice to sound like you weren’t crying only made it all the more obvious.
“Can I come in?” He asked politely.
Instead of responding, you walked over to the door and pulled it open only slightly. You hesitantly looked up at him, and found the most concerned man in the galaxy. The wetness upon your cheeks instantly grabbed his attention.
“Oh, Y/N” Echo’s brows pressed together, his voice like silk. It took everything in you not to burst into tears just from the tone of his words.
You allowed him to enter, and walked over to sit yourself on Cid’s desk.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t want you to see me like this” You sniffled.
“I’m your friend, Y/N, I’m here for you” He consoled.
“Thank you” You half smiled, thankful for his company.
“What did that guy say to you?” He asked. Something in his tone hinted that he was ready to kill him for hurting you.
“You didn’t hear?” You asked, confirming that he was too far away to know what the guy said, and came looking for you just based on how shattered you looked as you left the bar.
“No. Well, Hunter may have. We all saw your reaction to someone yelling and didn’t ask any questions, the guys took care of it” He explained, and moved to stand in front of you, taking your hand into his own, “I wanted to come check on you, though”
“He made a comment about my weight” You said quietly, somehow ashamed of admitting something that wasn't your fault.
“What?” Echo was appalled to hear this.
Your insecurity and self consciousness overcame you again, and you hung your head, “Yeah”
Echo's rage became obvious despite his attempt to suppress it.
“Listen to me, Y/N..." Echo started, bringing his head down to grab hold of your lowered gaze, but seemed to almost swallow his words before he could make them come out. He shut his eyes tight, realizing he might regret what he says next, "You are the most breathtaking woman I have ever laid eyes on"
The beating of your heart almost strangled you in that moment. Your hands trembled together in your embrace.
"I've never had the nerve to confess that to you before, but you needed to hear it now" He assured you, "I have been all over this galaxy. I've seen women of all shapes and sizes…but you? You are everything"
Your broken heart began mending itself with every word he spoke to you, "Echo" You whispered admirably.
"I mean it. Don't even think about listening to someone like that guy out there"
You were speechless.
"And this?" He began, his hand gesturing to the curves along your body, "is perfect"
"Will you kiss me?" You asked suddenly, knowing you wanted nothing more in that moment than to show him you wanted him.
His eagerness was no match for his nerves. Echo wanted to attack your supple lips, not holding back at all, but he couldn't, not yet. He inched forward slowly, afraid of messing this up, and planted his lips upon yours and delicately entwined the two of you.
Sparks ignited between the warmth of your kiss. A light whimper fell from your mouth onto his, telling him you wanted more. His hand wrapped around the back of your head and pressed you harder into him. Your tongue slipped over his lips and pulled a moan from him, piquing your arousals even further.
Heat began forming in your belly, migrating quickly to the pulsing between your legs. You squirmed slightly, your body craving friction against your sensitive, aching clit. Echo made note of your restlessness, and pulled away slightly.
"I want to taste you" He whispered against your lips. You took that as an invitation to kiss him harder, but you were stopped suddenly when he broke away from the kiss, "All of you".
Just then, a fire rushed through your body with the realization of what he meant. Without even hesitating, you parted your legs wider in your seated position on the desk. Echo placed his kiss on your neck before trailing his pecks further down your chest. His hand worked to inch the fabric of your dress up the length of your thighs, shooting chills down the length of your legs.
"Let me show you how beautiful you are to me" Echo insisted, a hint of hunger settled into his tone
"Please" You breathed.
You watched as he lowered himself in between your legs, putting his face level with where you ached for his touch. Cool air grazed the wetness slicked on your folds as he pulled your panties down your legs.
Gentle kisses peppered the inside of your thighs, inching closer and closer to your pussy. Soft whimpers had already begun falling off your lips before his tongue ever pressed against you.
The moment that you felt the intoxicating sensation of his tongue circling your clit, you were in heaven. It started slow, with soft rotations getting a gradual start on your pleasure. Maker, he was good at this.
"Oh, Echo. Yes" You moaned deep, but gently.
His eyes rarely left yours while he devoured you, wanting to see pretty little faces you'd make from the feeling he provided for you. His cock strained so helplessly against his pants, torturing him to no end. Echo had dreamed of this exact moment for so long, and now he had you in his hold, whining and falling apart under his influence.
He hungered for you, not just to taste your arousal, but to feel you in your most delicate state. His love for you existed from afar, as he was terrified that you wouldn’t want him too. All the passion he felt for you built up to this, and he’d do anything to help you understand how perfect you were to him.
The motions of his mouth grew more eager by the second before he found a consistent rhythm that seemed to earn the most precious noises from your lips. Nothing had ever brought you so close to your orgasm so quickly.
"Maker, it feels so good" You cried out, knowing you were close to falling over the edge. He knew it, too, and didn't dare change a thing about his pace now.
Suddenly, your orgasm burst open with overwhelming ecstasy. Your body squirmed involuntarily in his grasp, so he grabs your hip and pulls your body harder against his face, not letting you relinquish even a second of the full intensity of your climax. Echo groaned against your clit, sending vibrations across your sensitively and driving you absolutely wild. The stars in your vision began to fade as you crept slowly down off of your high.
"Oh my god, Echo" You exclaim breathlessly. Your legs trembled while he slowly stood to his feet.
"Sweetheart, I-" He started, failing to find the words to describe how he felt.
A sudden knock came at the door.
"Y/N? Are you alright in there?"
It was Wrecker, and based on the sounds of feet shuffling beyond the door, you assumed the rest of the guys were out there, too.
How kind of them to check on you, too, but stars, they couldn't have picked a worse time than this. You both exchanged a glance of amusing disappointment, knowing you both wanted to rip each other's clothes off right then and there.
"Another time" You smiled warmly.
He smiled back, kissing you one more time, like he'd never get the chance to again, and couldn't wait to pick up where you left off.
When Echo is invited to your Life Day celebration, he's elated. That is, until he learns about gift-giving aspect of Life Day. But it's okay, he's a trained soldier with six men who will always have his back. Together, surely they can figure out the perfect gift to give you. Right?
So, I decided to participate in another @cloneficgiftexchange, Life Day edition, and this time, I was lucky enough to be able to write a fic for @ghostofskywalker herself. I was very excited to write this one, and the prompt "tell me I'm crazy" - "you're crazy" coupled with "agonizing over whether or not the gift character a got character b was something they'd like" seemed like they'd be so much fun to write.
ghostofskywalker, I love your fics literally so much, so I'm very excited and nervous to give this one to you! I hope you love it, happy holidays!!!
Echo liked his routine. He liked knowing exactly what he was going to do, when he was going to do it, and in what order it was going to be done. For example, once the transport touches down on Coruscant, Fives is going to throw his arm around Echo and shout something about “hitting every single club on Coruscant,” which really only meant 79s. Echo will laugh, shove his brother’s arm off his shoulder, and tell him that it didn’t matter how many clubs he went to, no one would want to dance with any one with a face as ugly as Fives’. They’ll go back and forth, with a few more brothers piping in every here and there, but once those doors open, Echo’s gone. His legs take him, almost as if they have a mind of their own, straight to a little shop on a level slightly lower than planetside. Without even really thinking about it, his legs take him straight to you.
Echo will walk into the shop, a little bell announcing his presence from above the door, and be hit with the smell of freshly baked pastries, cakes, and cookies. Although glass display cases attempt to draw his attention with colorful examples of the sugar-filled desserts the shop offers, Echo will glue his eyes to the person behind the counter. When you look up, your lips will break out into a blinding grin and his will have no choice but to follow. And for the first time since being shipped off the battlefield, Echo will feel peace.
Which is why it was twice as jarring for Echo when not only were you not at your post by the register, but there were green plants, candles, streamers, and hanging lights covering almost every surface with a cinnamon spice scent dancing in the air.
“Echo!” A voice to his right called, and as he turned, he finally saw you. On a ladder. Hanging another one of those circular lights. You quickly finished mounting the decoration and then scrambled off the ladder, faster than Echo thought safe, before throwing yourself at him in an embrace.
That was new.
Echo felt his face heat up as he lightly returned the hug, but he wasn’t able to fully pull his thoughts away from the drastic change in interior decor. “What happened in here?”
You stepped back and smirked, “Well, it’s great to see you too, Echo.”
“It’s everywhere.” He murmured. “Did you get pranked?”
“No!” You laughed. “It’s Life Day!”
Your voice held a lightness that made Echo’s gaze snap back to you, like a magnet. He noticed the joy that shone in your eyes and almost radiated from you. Stars, you were beautiful.
“Life Day?” Echo questioned, “Does Coruscant have an extra day in its standard week?”
Your eyes widened, “You don’t know what Life Day is? It’s my favorite holiday!”
Echo shook his head, “We don’t exactly celebrate a lot of holidays on Kamino. I think any sense of joy would make the long necks roll over and die.”
“Life Day is a Wookie tradition, although by now most of the galaxy has adopted it, it’s a huge celebration of family, joy, and harmony.” Echo listened to your explanation and heard the compassion in your voice. Compassion, not pity. Never pity. You never pitied his loss of childhood and normal life experience. It was one of the things on the, admittedly very long, list of things he loved about you. “Most people spend it with the people they love. They’ll make food, spend time together, give gifts, and some cultures even have little mythological figures to go along with it. There’s this one planet who believes that a fat man breaks into their house every Life Day to–”
“There you are, vod!” The little bell on the door rang out followed very closely by Fives’ irritating, grating voice, “I was starting to think you deserted, almost called the General to get a manhunt going.”
Echo turned, opening his mouth to respond, but Fives caught sight of you and his face lit up. His eyes bounced back and forth mischievously between you and Echo, “Oh… so this is where you disappear to whenever we’re on Coruscant.”
“Fives…” Echo warned, but it was useless.
“I never thought I’d see the day when a woman tolerated my brother’s company.” Fives pushed Echo aside, smoothly catching your hand and placing a kiss on it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss, the name’s Fives. I’m sure you’ve heard all about me.”
Echo knocked Fives’ hand out of yours and glared at him. Fives just raised his arms in surrender. “What? I’m the light of your life, what else would you have to talk about?”
Before Echo could hit him, you laughed, “Oh, I have heard about you, Fives. It’s nice to meet the man who loves my snickerdoodles so much. That actually reminds me.”
You ran into the back of the bakery, returning with a paper bag that seemed stuffed to the brim. “I added some extra pastries that I think you’d enjoy, Echo. And tell Hardcase that I ran out of poppy seeds, so he’ll just have to settle for lemon muffins.”
Fives’ jaw dropped. “This is where you get these from? Vod, you’d better keep her!”
“She’s not a massiff, stop talking about her like she is!” Echo snapped, but Fives turned to you and started gushing.
“Never in my life have I eaten anything as good as the things you make. Your hands must be blessed by whatever it is that’s out there in the galaxy. If this one ever gives you any trouble, you let me know, or any of our brothers in the 501st, and we’ll knock some sense into him.”
“Time to go!” Echo interjected, grabbing Fives’ by the shoulder and shoving him towards the door. “So many baked goods to hand out, so many clubs for you to hit, remember Fives?” Fives continued blabbering and Echo continued talking over him, but you were laughing too hard to understand anything either of them were saying anymore.
“Echo,” you called out, right before he was about to step out of the door, “you can totally say no, if you want, but would you want to spend Life Day with me?”
Echo wasn’t sure if the sudden silence that fell was real or just his imagination, but it felt as if time had stopped. He glanced back at you, and seeing you standing there, surrounded by your silly and over-the-top decorations, he knew there was no place he’d rather be. “I’d really like that.” He nodded.
Then he stepped away from the door and let it close. He sighed, disappointed that his time with you had been cut so short, then turned and came face to face with his brother, who was wiggling his eyebrows at him.
This time Echo really did hit him.
…
“So…” Fives spoke around his mouthful of snickerdoodle, breaking the collective silence in the 501st barracks as everyone ate their pastries, “the baker?”
Echo sighed. It was his fault really for assuming that Fives could mind his business and drop it. “What about her?”
“She’s cute.” Fives shrugged.
“You met her?” Jesse blurted from his bunk across the room. If everyone wasn’t listening then, they sure were now.
“Yeah, I followed Echo after we landed and caught him with her. Someone’s,” Fives gave Echo a pointed look, “been hiding her from us. Can’t imagine why.”
“Maybe it’s because I value her sanity.” Echo mumbled into his fudge.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
Fives nudged his brother. “Look, if you want alone time with your girlfriend, just say that.”
“Girlfriend?!” Hardcase yelled, accusingly looking at Echo.
“She’s not my girlfriend.” Echo defended, before any more of his brothers got any ideas.
“But you want her to be.” Fives countered.
“Well, ye–no!” The truth had slipped out of his mouth before he could stop, and now that it was out, there was no turning back. Gasps erupted throughout the room. Jesse had to sit down, Tup dropped his piece of pie, even Dogma looked over with interest.
Fives cheered triumphantly. “What’s stopping you then? Go get her!”
“She’s not into me.” Echo slumped in defeat. “She’s brilliant and talented and beautiful. And she deserves so much more than a guy who’s not sure if he’ll make it back every day.”
A thicker silence fell over the room. Every man in it knew about their reality. They were bred, born, and raised to fight in a war that was not theirs, for a galaxy that was not theirs, for people who were not theirs. Many clones turned to sunny, loud personalities to hide the pain and loss they felt after every battle. There was this unspoken rule that each clone had to live out his life to the absolute fullest while he could, because he didn’t know when it might end. Now that Echo had verbalized it, the entire barracks was reminded of the injustice of their own existence.
“Vod,” Fives broke the silence again, this time with a seriousness in his eyes that looked foreign on his face, “we don’t get many chances to connect with someone like you have. Most guys would desert if it meant getting your opportunity. You can’t let her get away. At least let us know if any of us have a chance with her, if you don’t want it.”
His joke released the tension in the room, each brother chimed in with their own eagerness to date Echo’s baker.
“Even if I wanted to, she’s not into me.” Echo repeated. Groans erupted from all over the room, Jesse even threw a pillow at his brother. “What? I’m telling the truth!”
Fives’ voice rose above the noise, “Echo, di’kut, that is the stupidest thing you’ve ever said. She’s so into you, it kind of hurt to be in the same room as you both.”
Echo rolled his eyes, but Fives kept going. “Look, tell me I’m crazy, but–”
“You’re crazy.”
“She gives you free food, every time you go to meet her–”
“She’s a generous person.”
“She had her eyes glued on you the whole time–”
“Well, maybe you were scaring her.
“She invited you to spend Life Day with her–”
“She what?!” Kix was the one who interrupted this time. “You’re going right?”
“Well, of course, I told her I would. Why would I accept if I wasn’t going to go?” Echo sputtered. “Should I not have? Is that a bad idea? Should I tell her I’m not coming?”
“No!” The entire room shouted.
“You have to.” Kix got up and started pacing. “This is perfect, confessing on holidays is so much more romantic than confessing on your random Zhellday. Just give her something for Life Day, declare your love, and bam! Mission accomplished!”
“That’s ridiculous.” Echo groaned, “Even if I wanted to, I don’t know the first thing about telling a girl you’re in love with her.”
“Well, you’re lucky that you have six brothers right here that will do all the work for you!” Jesse gestured to the occupants of the room, all of whom had their own versions of their scheming faces on.
Echo glanced at Fives, hoping that he would say something to put an end to this madness for once, but when Fives looked back at him, Echo could see the mischievous glimmer in his eyes.
“Vod, we’re going to get you your cyare.”
…
It was Echo’s own fault. He really should’ve done something, anything this morning instead of blindly following his brothers across the Coruscant shopping district. Anything would be better than standing, in front of this very judgemental old man, in a jewelry shop meant for anyone but him.
“I’m sure this piece is out of your budget, young man.” The shopkeeper barely glanced at the necklace Echo was asking about. “Perhaps you’d be better looking elsewhere?”
“Aw, come on, how much is it?” Fives argued, “It can’t be that bad.”
Echo had not been aware that jewelry was even sold at a price as high as the one that came out of the old man’s mouth, much less jewelry that was sold at a shop on one of the lower, dingier levels of Coruscant.
“That place is a scam.” Fives quipped, the moment the old man had shut the door in their faces. “Let’s try somewhere else.”
Echo glanced around. “I get the feeling that we’ll run into similar problems everywhere. The GAR doesn’t exactly pay well, where would we even find jewelry that any of us could afford?”
“Nonsense. The way to a woman’s heart is through expensive things.” Fives was already looking for a new place to try. “Especially shiny, expensive things. Necklaces, rings, bracelets, girls go crazy for that stuff.”
“I don’t know…” Echo trailed off as he thought about you. You were kind, funny, loving, and selfless. He didn’t take you as the type to get carried away with shine and credits.
“Echo might be right.” Jesse piped in, “There’s only so much we can do in the expensive-jewelry department. But that doesn’t mean we’re completely down for the count. We’ll think of something else.”
Fives slumped his shoulders, but didn’t say anything in his defense. All six of the men began looking around, wondering which one would give the next idea.
“What about…” Tup shyly started, “flowers? Girls like flowers, right?”
“Yeah!” Hardcase nodded, “That way Echo can still buy something for his baker and not have to spend too much money.”
“What’s her favorite flower?” Kix asked, pulling the attention in the conversation back to Echo.
Echo felt his face warm. How was it that in all the hours he spent in your company, all the attention he gave to every detail about you, he didn’t know what your favorite flower was? His brothers looked at him with expectant faces. Would they make fun of him if he told them that he didn’t know? Fives would have asked a girl immediately what her favorite flower was.
“I’ll know it when I see it.” Maybe Echo didn’t lie. Maybe you had a vase that held a certain type of flower all the time in your shop and Echo had never fully noticed it. Maybe you mentioned it in passing a few times. Maybe Echo would see a flower that he would be dying to put behind your ear.
As it turned out, Echo underestimated how many flowers there were in the world. And some of them looked so similar, he couldn’t even begin to guess which one you’d be partial to. This whole gift-giving thing was a lot harder than he thought.
“What about this one?” Jesse emerged from behind a wall of flora, holding a giant, yellow flower.
Echo winced. “I think that one’s too obnoxious.”
“I found one!” Kix shouted from across the flower shop. Looking up, Echo could just see a black-gloved hand holding a dainty, purple flower above the shelves.
That one was better, but it still didn’t speak to Echo in any way that reminded him of you. “I’m not so sure.”
Fives groaned and tossed the bouquet he was about to offer Echo over his shoulder. “You’re impossible. She’s got to like something from here. Where’s Tup? This was all his idea.”
“He’s flirting with the cashier.” Dogma pointed towards the entrance. To his credit, Tup didn’t burst into a noticeable blush, but his shoulders tightened in a subtle motion that told his brothers that Tup heard them call him out. Nonetheless, the flower shop cashier was giggling at whatever he had said.
“At least someone here is striking gold.” Hardcase grumbled. “Now if only Echo could take a page out of Tup’s book. Tup’s book of all people!”
Echo knew his brother’s frustration wasn’t entirely on him. They would die before they admitted it, but none of them really knew anything about women, and this experience was showcasing that for all of them. His brothers huddled together, brainstorming the next plan while Echo ran his eyes over the shelves once again.
It felt like the millionth time he looked at this wall of flowers, but this time, one flower stuck out to him. It was elegant, but simple. Echo knew the petals would bring out your eyes in the best way.
“That one.” Echo pointed to it. His brothers stopped bickering almost immediately.
Fives hopped into motion first, “Perfect! Let’s go.” He marched Echo, who now held the bouquet in his hands, straight to the cashier. “Move over, Tup, you can flirt later.”
This time a blush did erupt on Tup’s face. He turned away to hide it, but the cashier just laughed lightly before turning to Echo and Fives, a more professional mask slipping over her features. “I take it you’re Echo?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Echo nodded, “Just this one please.”
The cashier nodded and began to ring up the bouquet. “I couldn’t help but overhear some of your situation, and Tup filled in a little bit. I just wanted to let you know that these flowers are commonly allergenic. Most people are pretty mildly allergic, but it’s not uncommon for a person to have a pretty severe allergy to them.”
Echo froze. “I can’t give that to her then! What if I put her in the hospital?!”
“Hospitals are not romantic.” Hardcase agreed, wisely.
“I’ll try something else.” Echo sighed, “Thank you for all your help.”
The cashier sympathetically nodded at him, and began to open her mouth to offer more help, but Echo was already being ushered out the doors of the shop by his brothers.
“It’s alright. Shake it off.” Fives assured, “The guys and I have already talked, and we’ve got a plan that’s a sure winner this time.”
…
“I can’t do this.” Echo threw up his hands.
Dogma glanced up from his own project. “Sure you can. There’s nothing that screams ‘Life Day’ more than a pair of mittens, and nothing says ‘I’ll be here to protect and provide for you’ more than the honorable discipline of knitting. Ow-”
Throwing the ball of yarn at Dogma probably wouldn’t help him learn to knit, but it did make Echo feel sort of better.
The plan that his brothers cooked up after the flower shop had not worked. And neither had the next. Or this one, apparently.
In Hardcase’s defense, Echo hadn’t even attempted to put together a 60-piece marching band to parade down the bakery’s street for Life Day. But he had attempted to learn to play the guitar because, according to Jesse, every woman dreams of the day a man plays a guitar and sings for them as they awkwardly avoid eye contact and shuffle in their seats for lack of better things to do. While he was sure the love songs he had tried to learn were beautiful, Echo found out that he didn’t have the musical ability to portray them in any flattering manner.
He was getting so desperate for a good plan, he’d even asked Rex one day, “Captain, if you were a beautiful baker, who was completely out of my league, what would you want for Life Day?”
“For you to leave me alone, probably.” Was the only response he got.
It had been weeks since he last met with her, weeks since she invited him to spend Life Day with her and started this whole mess. He knew that he couldn’t look her in the eyes until he had the perfect Life Day gift for her, but now that was Life Day Eve, Echo was getting hopeless.
Dogma glared at his brother. “You’re going to make me roll that ball back up, aren’t you?.”
“Yup.” Echo met his glare.
“Okay! New plan!” Kix jumped in. The entire room groaned in protest. “Shut it, all of you. I’ve listened to all of your awful ideas, I apologize to the woman you fool with them by the way, but I’ve got something you all don’t: a working brain.” More yarn balls got tossed in Kix’s direction along with insults that drowned out Dogma’s protests.
“Echo,” Kix ignored them, “this girl seems like she’s really special. And really special girls aren’t going to be swayed by things. She’s probably already into you and just needs to know that you’re in love with her. All you need to do is tell her, and the best way to do that is with love letters. They’re simple, heartfelt, and genuine. Three things that women love.” The men in the room had quieted over Kix’s speech, and all seemed to be absentmindedly nodding as they thought this new plan over.
“You’re right.” Echo stood up. “This is ridiculous. I just need to get it off my chest and tell her how I feel. A love letter is the perfect way to gift that.” Cheers erupted from the room this time.
I’m proud of him. Fives thought as Echo sat down and began writing. This was really important to him, but he could probably give her a rock off the ground and she’d kiss him.
Good for him. Jesse thought as Echo threw away his first draft of his love letter. He’s really thinking about what he’s going to say. He’s making sure it comes out just right.
He’s dedicated, I’ll give him that. Dogma thought as he laid down to go to sleep, Echo still writing. It’s not his fault that he can’t understand the value of knitting, but I guess this is the next best thing.
That must be some letter. Tup thought when he rolled over a few hours later, Echo’s pile of discarded letters getting taller and taller. I hope she likes it.
What time even is it? Hardcase thought when he woke up in the very early hours of the morning, Has he been writing this whole time?
I’ve created a monster. Kix realized when he got up the next morning, seeing no trace of Echo, but a huge pile of crumpled up pieces of flimsi next to the desk that he had sat at all night long. Maker help that Baker.
…
“Happy Life Day, Echo!” You greeted the clone standing outside your door. He returned your grin with a smaller one. You noticed that he looked slightly disheveled and he seemed to be breathing a bit heavier than normal. Instead of pointing it out, you decided to politely ask, “How has your morning been?”
“Awful.” Echo blurted before hastily correcting himself, “-ly great. I’ve had an awfully great morning. How about you?”
“I guess my morning has been awfully great too.” You awkwardly shuffled aside, “Would you like to come in or…?”
“Oh!” Echo quickly walked past you, and you noticed as he did so that he was carrying a large sack with him. It was made of dark green cloth and looked suspiciously like something you had seen other clones use to carry their gear. You found it odd, but decided not to mention it. Maybe clones had a regulation that stated they couldn’t go anywhere without their gear, and if him being able to wear the very flattering civilian clothes that he currently had on meant he had to carry around a giant sack everywhere, who were you to complain about it?
“Thank you so much for coming. I know I kind of sprung the invitation on you.” You gestured to your table, which you had set for two people with a candle in the middle. You blushed as you realized that you just presented him with a candle light breakfast, but continued on. “I made a sort of late breakfast for us, and then I have a full day of Life Day activities planned for us. I really wanted to make sure you have the full experience for your first Life Day.”
Echo prided himself in being a very observant and aware man, but he had not heard a word you had said after looking at the table. “It’s only us today?”
Your smile faltered, “Yeah, I had planned the day for just the two of us, is that okay?”
“Yes!” Echo coughed to clear the eagerness out of his tone. “Yeah, that’s fine.”
Echo had never been to your apartment, and so when he first got the comm asking him to meet you there, he got even more nervous than he already was. But his nerves were calmed as he looked around the room during breakfast. Your unique fingerprints were everywhere. Just like the bakery, every inch of this house was decked out in Life Day decorations. Little replicas of a decorated Tree of Life were scattered over various shelves and counters, garlands were hung with Life Day orbs, candles and other decorations covering everything. You even had a larger Tree of Life replica set up in your living room, also decorated to the nines. The entire house screamed the passion and love that you put into all things you care about, and the knot in Echo’s stomach loosened more and more with every minute he spent with you.
Breakfast was amazing. You were a great baker, Echo already knew that, but you were excited to show him that you were an almost better cook. While the day had started off on a bit of a stumbling foot, conversation began to flow easily between the two of you as more time passed. It was nice to see Echo relaxed and smiling. You don’t really know when it started, but these days, your life seemed to revolve around the little moments you were able to spend with Echo. He was sweet and gentle with you, but you knew that he was also brave and courageous. You adored every aspect of him. You hoped that one day, you’d be able to openly show the depths of that adoration. The rest of the day seemed to fly by. The two of you decorated cookies, built orgabread houses, played games, and before you know it, you were snuggled up on the couch, large mugs of wroshyr louse syrup cocoa in hand, watching the third Life Day holofilm of the night. At some point between the start of the second holofilm and now, Echo had managed to sneak his arm across your shoulders, allowing you to bury yourself into his side. His warmth seeped to you, and you were well on your way to falling asleep when he mumbled, “Cyar’ika?”
“Hm?” You didn’t know what the word meant, but you somehow knew he was referring to you. Lifting your head up, you met his gaze. How long had he been staring?
“When you first invited me over, I had no idea what Life Day was, but I did some research, and my brothers yelled at me, and now I think I have a pretty good idea of what it means. You’re really special to me, and my brothers told me that you give special people gifts on Life Day. So I spent the past few weeks, losing my mind, trying to find the perfect gift to give you.” A blush started to creep up his face, but he didn’t let that deter him, “I tried many things, and each one didn’t work, so I tried something else.” He carefully untangled himself from you and left the room. Before you were able to fully wonder where he went, he returned with the sack. “I couldn’t decide on one thing to get you. Each place I went to had something that reminded me of something that I like about you, but I like so much more than one thing about you and choosing which one to show you was impossible.”
He opened the sack and pulled out a necklace. It wasn’t anything big or flashy, but the chain was decorated with little pearls, “This isn’t the original necklace I looked at, the GAR doesn’t pay enough for that one,” Echo joked, “but it represents my point a little better, I think. When I looked at this, I saw all the little kindnesses that you do. Not just for me, but my brothers, other customers at your bakery, sometimes even just strangers off the street. I see a world that is mean and cruel everyday, but when I’m with you, I’m reminded of all the beauty and good that’s in it too.” A lump had formed in your throat, so the only thing that you could do was reach out and take the necklace.
When you looked back up at him, he was holding out a single, purple flower, slightly crumpled from being held in a sack all day long. “I searched a flower shop for hours to find this. I don’t know what it’s called or where it’s from, but when I saw it, I knew exactly where it belonged.” He reached out and gently brushed your cheek as he settled the flower behind your ear. “Right there.”
“Echo,” You smiled, starting to see where this was going, “thank you, I–”
“I’m not finished.” Echo reached into the sack and started pulling out item after item. “I bought you mittens, sorry they’re not homemade, a music box, I didn’t have time to put together a 60 piece band, I even brought Jesse’s guitar!” Your eyes widened as he pulled the instrument out of the sack, along with pages and pages of flimsi with music written on it. “I wanted to find the perfect way to tell you how much you meant to me, but all I did was drive myself crazy and waste so much time. Because none of these things can possibly show how much I look forward to every moment that I spend with you, and every smile of yours that I get to see, and how much I love everything about you. I love you.”
A beat of silence fell over the both of you as you both processed the weight of Echo’s words. “I have a Life Day gift for you too. But you have to close your eyes before I give it to you.” Echo’s shock displayed on his face for a moment, but he nodded and dutifully closed his eyes.
You took a deep breath. Echo’s leap of courage inspired you to take your own. You slowly leaned closer and closer into Echo, allowing yourself all the time you wanted to observe his features. His strong brow, sharp jawline, and full lips. You were most focused on those lips right now. Echo stiffened when you placed a hand on his shoulder for balance and when he began to feel your breath ghost over his lips. “I love you too.” You whispered, and then closed the gap.
Echo still had one gift that he hadn’t given you, but something told him he wouldn’t need that letter anymore.
…
Echo loved his routine. He knew exactly what he was going to do, when he was going to do it, and what order it was going to be done. Once this transport touches down on Coruscant, Fives is going to throw his arm around Echo and shout something about “making sure that the pretty baker sets aside the good stuff for me.” Echo is going to laugh, shove his brother’s arm off his shoulder, and tell him that it didn’t matter what he brought back with him, anything from that bakery is “the good stuff.” They’ll go back and forth, with a few more brothers piping in here and there, but once those doors open, Echo’s gone. His legs take him straight to a little shop on a level slightly lower than planetside, straight to you, but now, he’s thinking about it a whole lot.
Echo will walk into the shop, a little bell announcing his presence from above the door, and be hit with his favorite smell in the world, but now, a pair of eyes is already looking back at him. The baker will leave her post behind the counter, as fast as she can, and throw herself into his arms. And for the first time since he left you, Echo will feel like he’s home.
hello do you think you could write soft echo smut please🥺
Playful and fluffy couch "fun" with Echo
Echo X Fem!Reader //SMUT//
Absolutely!! I am soo sorry this has been sitting in my inbox since like November. I loved this request btw and I am soo sorry I didn’t get to it before I took my break.
Notes: I hope this isn’t bad! I am a little rusty lol
I did a Fem!Reader instead of a gender neutral one, I hope that’s okay!
Also! I know you asked for soft smut….but I made it a bit more playful! Still soft though! (if none of these are what you wanted in this request please request this again so I can write you another!)
Warnings: Before the Bad Batch era by a lot, fluff, established relationship, smut, playfulness, Echo is a considerate angel, unprotetced sex!!!BE SAFE!!!
You sat on your couch beside the love of your life, gently teasing his thick curls of hair. Echo had his head on your shoulder, enjoying your soft touches. He was so relaxed, his eyes half lidded as he struggled to stay awake.
A thought popped into your mind. You glanced at his relaxed face one again, a grin pulling at your lips. Shame…..He was adorable when he was this relaxed.
You gently scraped your nails down the back of his neck, a feeling you knew Echo loved. He shivered, his whole body seeming to twitch in excitement. He huffed, sitting up quickly, a glare on his handsome face.
Echo’s scowl got bigger when you began to laugh. He was too cute! Echo was definitely planning revenge already, but you were too busy laughing to notice.
Your mistake.
Echo grabbed your legs which were curled on the couch, and yanked. You screamed in surprise when he dragged you down flat on your back, Echo quickly crawling on top of you to pin you down with his body weight.
You struggled in a playful manner, shouting his name and pathetic pleas of ‘I’m sorry!!’ None of which worked. Echo flopped on you like a loth cat would, all of his weight was on you. He was heavy!! You gasped for air dramatically, swatting at his sides.
“You’re a butt Echo!” He gasped in mock offense, looking at you with wide eyes. “Me?? A butt? Never.” He scoffed, smiling when your glare grew more intense.
“I’ll….” You paused to think about a good way to get him off, “I’ll…...I’ll tickle you!!” Echo laughed, nuzzling his face into your neck. “Go ahead. I’m immune.” You sighed loudly and stopped struggling, giving up.
Ugh, you loved this fool so much.
You both sat there in silence, Echo’s hot breath on that one really sensitive spot on your neck. He was doing it on purpose, the ARC trooper knowing exactly what turned you on.
Echo smirked against your skin when you squirmed a bit, your underwear growing damp and uncomfortable. “What’s the matter honey?” You scoffed at his sweet deep voice. How he said that drove you insane, and the bastard knew it!
“You know what!” You squirmed more, finally hitching one of your legs around his hips, pulling him closer. Echo’s eyes widened, his pupils blowing out in lust. You brushed your nose playfully against his, drawing him in for a sweet and deep kiss.
Echo pressed his body firmly against yours, slotting his hips with yours. He stroked a calloused hand along your thigh, grabbing it and moving it over his other hip. Echo loves to be as close to you as possible, he just enjoys your warmth and the intimacy of it all.
He was also very careful as well, moving one of his arms beside your head so he could take some of his weight off of you. Echo was very considerate of your needs.
You nearly purred against his lips, your arms wrapping around his neck so you could play with the hair at the base of his neck. A small giggle left your lips when he shivered, Echo pulling away slightly so he could glare.
He made you laugh more just with a look. “I’m sorry!” You spoke through your laughing, Echo rolling his eyes in mock irritation. He sat up and pulled off his shirt, tossing it on your face. You continued with your fit of giggles, tossing the shirt onto the floor.
“You’re lucky I love you….” You smiled at his words, your laughing finally coming to a stop. “Oh I know.” You grinned cheekily, Echo helping you with your shirt and bra. Well it was technically HIS shirt……...
“Always straight to business.” You spoke, trying your hardest to mock his sexy voice. He chuckled, pressing a light kiss to your throat. “The ARC Trooper way.” He purred in your ear, his lips attacking your throat.
You threw your head back, exposing more of your sensitive throat to his incredible lips. You put one of your hands on the back of his neck, teasing the sensitive skin while your other hand ran down his side to the waistband of his sweats.
The sweatpants were dark blue with little white republic logos on them. You had bought him and Fives matching sets a while back. You yanked at his waistband some, Echo getting the hint and helping you slide them down his thin hips.
He awkwardly kicked them off and onto the floor, huffing with effort. He didn’t have on any briefs underneath, which made things quicker for you. Echo was already hard and ready, his cock head shining with pre-cum
Just looking at his cock made more wetness rush between your legs. He quickly distracted you by moving his lips to yours once again though, his cock pressing into your thigh.
His lips moved perfectly against yours, his tongue eagerly slipping between your lips to wrestle with yours. You moaned into the kiss, your eyes closed in bliss. Echo smirked against your lips when he removed your thin pajama shorts.
Both of you were very excited and ready now, so he didn’t do his usual teasing trick with your underwear. He just slowly removed it with his thick fingers instead of his teeth this time.
Once you were both finally naked Echo ran a finger through your drenched folds. He grinned, pulling away from your lips with a smirk on his face. “Don’t look at me like that trooper.” You smirked back, playfully biting his bottom lip.
Echo chuckled, nipping back at your lips as he slowly pushed a finger into you. Echo always checked to make sure you were ready and could take him. You moaned, throwing your head back once again.
He had been on Coruscant on leave for the past two days and wasn’t to return for a few more, so you two had been very….busy…. Whenever he had a long leave like this you two made sure to take your time with one another. Echo was a very fast learner.
You gasped when Echo found one of those spots that made your toes curl. He had a very good memory, and boy did you love it.
Echo quickly removed his finger, bringing it to his kiss-swollen lips to lick it clean. Your walls clenched around nothing at the erotic sight. You whined loudly, glaring daggers into your lover. Echo chuckled deeply, the sound sending waves of pleasure down your spine.
You scoffed, Echo quickly cheering you up with a kiss. You gasped into his mouth when he pushed the head of his cock into your heat, pressing your body up into his. He groaned out your name as he slowly pushed all the way into you.
Echo pressed another soft kiss to your lips as he began to slowly and deeply thrust into you. He moved his head to your neck, burying his face into your skin. He pressed a soft and sweet against your hot skin with every thrust.
“Oh Echo.” You moaned softly, your nails softly gripping his shoulders. You always tried to not scratch him up too much; but when he hit that certain spot only his cock could ever reach you lost a bit of control.
You saw stars, cries of pleasure leaving your lips. Your walls clenched him tightly, Echo moaning loudly at the feeling. He picked up his pace some, both of you getting closer and closer to the edge.
“I love you.” He panted, pressing his damp forehead against yours. You smiled, looking up into his beautiful eyes, “I love you too.” Echo kissed you again, his kiss making you feel even more excitement.
His pace started to become a little messy as you both got closer. Echo reached down between your bodies, finding your clit. His lips stayed on yours as he brought you over the edge, swallowing your cries of pleasure.
You saw spots as you came, your fingers and walls gripping Echo tightly. Echo gasped when he came, his eyes squeezing shut with pleasure. You laid your head back as he came, the feeling of him painting your inner walls causing you to shiver more.
You rode out your orgasm together, Echo weakly thrusting until he had finished. He held you tightly as your body shook with little aftershocks, pressing soft kisses to every little bit of available skin he could reach.
“We should take a bubble bath in a few.” He mumbled into your neck, his body relaxed and fit perfectly against yours. “Mmmmm…...Good idea baby.” You muttered back, the soft cloud of bliss keeping you from opening your eyes.
all you could hear was your heavy breathing and the loud and fast beat of your heart.
You were running but you didn’t know why. One moment everything was fine and the next… you were running into the forest and you thought you heard footsteps behind you, but all those sounds were dulled out as you focused on the sounds of your heavy breathing and your beating heart that was still. beating. Stay alive
Thump, thump, thump thump-
You jumped over a fallen log, bad had miscalculated the path in front of you, because as soon as you stepped forward onto the trail after the jump, you had caught your foot on a twisted vine, and you tumbled down, your body rolling down a steep hill, prickly bushes and sharp stones cutting your skin until finally you rolled to a stop at the bottom of what you assumed to be a river bed, the sounds of rushing water filling your ears and splashing on your clothes.
You pushed yourself up slowly, watching the blood leak from your arms and into the rushing water. You could still hear your heartbeat in your ears, and your ragged breathing.
Get up, Get up, Get up!
you managed to stumble to your feet, taking a quick look around, trying to decide your route to the safety of the palace. No, you were too far from the palace, you had to hide, but there were no caves, or dense foliage to cover yourself with. You were exposed in this river bed and you had no way to cross the river without getting pulled by its current.
“Senator~”
An eerie voice sang out, and you spun around to where you thought the voice was closest, but saw nobody. You took one step back, and then another before turning to run.
A sharp gasp fell from your lips as you saw one of the Empire’s new inquisitors. Their lightsaber was on, the red hue lighting the dark area around you, reflecting horror across your face as the inquisitor took a step forward as you took a step back.
“It’s not too late senator… ally with the Empire, and we won’t destroy you, or your world.” They hissed, raising their red lightsaber, pointing the tip towards your chest. You shook your head. “No.” You growled, or tried to anyway. But your voice cracked and your hands shook. You were afraid… deeply afraid.
“Oh… well that's too bad Senator.” the Inquisitor said, and raised their lightsaber, about to strike, only for a steel spear to pierce right through their armor, through their heart. Their saber fell to the ground, shutting off upon impact, and then the inquisitor fell, revealing your guard captain behind them, extending a hand to you. “Come senator, I found a speeder. We must get to the Capitol.”
thump… thump… thump
Your eyes shot open and you stared at the ceiling, gripping the sheets that made your bed as you blinked once, then twice before pushing yourself up. Your hair fell out of its loose bun, the elastic having slipped off through the night as it laid on a different part of the bed. A sigh fell from your lips and you fixed your hair, rubbing the back of your head as you just sat there, and recollected yourself.
“Sister? Are you awake?”
Your sister- the Queen’s voice flowed into your ears, and you grunted before standing up. “Yes, I'm awake.” You replied, and the door opened as your sister walked inside, offering you a kind smile. “I thought you and I could have some sister time? the council is quiet and i have no looming duties to fulfill… so i thought we could put on fun disguises and go out to the markets and shop around.” Your sister giggled.
You rolled your eyes at her playful attitude, she was the older sister but she acted more like a kid then you did, probably because as a Senator you had to deal with a lot more people than the Queen did… but… a break would be nice.
“Okay… yeah that- that sounds amazing.” You spoke softly, gathering your clothes for today in a neat pile on your bed. Your sister clapped her hands together and let out a quiet cheer, turning back to the door. “Good! meet me in the courtyard when you're ready.” She instructed, and left your room, closing the door behind her as she did so.
You let out another sigh, smiling absently to yourself as you got dressed. You had chosen to wear a white coloured cropped blouse that hung around your shoulders instead of your neck, showing off your shoulders, upper chest and collar bone. The top seam of the blouse had a different coloured strip of fabric, a sage green that matched the color of your baggy pants which were high waisted, so you didn’t show off much belly. But it was tight around your hips and thighs and then got wider as the pant leg got longer.
You tied it off with a silver necklace and a matching arm band, brushing your hair and curling the strands of hair that framed the sides of your face.
Soon you left your room, your guard captain following from a distance as you met up with your sister in the courtyard. She was wearing one of her ‘disguises’ which consisted of a beautiful flowy sundress and a matching coloured headband.
When she saw you her peaceful expression turned into a smile as she walked over and embraced you tightly for a few seconds before letting you go. “Oh I'm so excited! the guards will tail us from a distance but i took some fundage from the treasury so we can go shopping! we can get new clothes and food and little goodies.” She giggled, offering her hand to you which you took immediately, giving it a gentle squeeze before you settled for locking arms together as you walked side by side out of the palace grounds and towards the markets of the city.
Your planet, Abrium, was lush and magnificent. The planet had such varying types of terrain, ranging from mountains that spanned for miles to lush forests and fields of flowers. Underneath all that however was a large expansive cave system, filled with crystals and plant life, along with hot springs.
The crystals in those caves you had just learned were called Kyber Crystals by the Jedi, and they were used to create lightsabers. The mineral deposits were unknown to the Republic or to the separatists, and the Empire had no clue either. It was a secret the people of Abrium would take to their grave, not wanting to bring any conflict to an old neutral paradise.
You had kind of zoned out as you walked with your sister through the markets. She bought some trinkets here and there and some clothing items too, but y=nothing really sparked your interest, and if you did, you didn’t notice it.
That’s when your guard captain rushed up to you, and gently tapped your shoulder. “Senator, your highness, there are odd civilians following you, armed. We must get back to the castle.” He whispered to you, and you nodded, tugging your sister's arm. “Come on, we can always shop another time.” You stated, and walked back to the palace with your guards following close behind, a few of them scattered ahead of you as well.
You reached the palace unharmed, and you went back to the courtyard, still content on enjoying the day with your sister. You turned to the guard captain, pulling him aside for a moment. “Has my contact gotten back to you?” You asked quietly. The captain glanced around before nodding. “Yes, while you were in the marketplace I got his reply. He’s sending one of his finest here, an old friend he says.” The captain whispered. You, however, were surprised.
“Only one?” You asked, glancing around again just to make sure nobody was listening in. “he said it was all he could spare and that he was sorry. He wished he could do more.” The captain murmured. You sighed, but nodded. “When will he be arriving?” You asked, and the captain checked the com before telling you. “Tomorrow morning. I told the contact that he could land at your private dock.” The captain explained, and you nodded.
“Good… Thank you Captain.” You muttered before walking back to your sister. When the sun began to set you and your sister parted ways for the night, and you made your way back to your room, setting some of the trinkets your sister got for you on the table in your room. You sighed, walking over to the holo table that you had built in the center. Well you didn’t build it but you put it there.
You turned it on, noticing the red transmision button flashing, so you pressed it, knowing only your old friend had access to the channel.
Rex popped up on the golo table, and a smile enveloped your features just as it did his. “Hello senator.” He created, and you chuckled in response. “You don’t have to be so formal you know.” You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest as you stared at him. “Your captain told you that I'm only sending one soldier?” Rex asked, and you nodded.
“Yes, and I understand why resources are limited… I try my best to fund you, but large amounts of money being sent to an untraceable source can look suspicious.” You sighed sadly, but Rex shook his head. “Don’t even apologize. You’re helping us out of kindness and we all appreciate it… Now, this clone is a very capable soldier, and he will keep you safer than most of your guards can, don’t worry.” Rex reassured, keeping things vague like always.
“Alright… Thank you Rex, and get some rest if you can.” You said softly, saying your goodbyes as you ended the transmission. You sighed again, removing your clothes from today, getting dressed in your sleep clothes after going through your bathroom routine.
And in bed you ended up, staring at the ceiling again, eyes following the painted stars that you had created so long ago. You smiled, and allowed yourself to drift off, hoping for a dreamless sleep for once.
-
A Dreamless sleep is what you got, and you stirred awake as the sun shined through your window, followed by your little alarm going off, which you quickly shut off since it was quite annoying.
You got up quickly, kind of excited for the day ahead, knowing you might see a familiar face from your past, or a man you had never met before. Either way, Rex assured you that he was a good soldier, and a good protector and you believed him.
You dressed in something a little more professional, wearing light tan pants and a cream coloured short dress on top, with one sleeve gone. The other sleeve was flowy, and on the back of the dress you had a cape connected to a clip on your shoulder, which allowed for easy removal.
You pulled on a pair of brown leather knee high boots, and then clipped a white belt around your waist before pulling on white arm sleeves that stopped at your elbow. They matched with the short dress, and it pulled off an elegant look, but also versatile.
After you were dressed and ready for the day, your Captain had commed you to let you know that your soldier had arrived in atmosphere and was flying to the Capitol, so you made your way to your private ship dock just as a ship, which looked to be an old mining vessel, flew in and landed on the landing bay. You stood back, the wind blowing through your hair as the ship finalized its procedures.
When the ramp opened you started walking forward, keeping your hands by your sides as you stopped a few feet away from the ramp, waiting patiently for the soldier to step out.
When he did, you could immediately tell he was a clone, but much paler than Rex or any of the clones you used to know. He also had cybernetic implants on his head, and what looked to be a scomp for one of his arms. He also had two metal legs, looking more droid than man. But he was definitely a clone.
When he saw you, his eyes had widened slightly. Rex didn’t tell him what senator he’d be meeting, and he never expected it to be you, despite the fact that this was your home planet. “Senator.” He greeted, trying to keep his voice from cracking as he walked up to you, extending his hand for you to shake.
You took it, and smiled, shaking his hand before letting go. There was something familiar about his voice, and his eyes… You stared at him for a moment, noticing him shift uncomfortably under your gaze. You then softened your eyes, and took a step back. “This way trooper, I'll show you to your room in my quarters and then I'll brief you on everything that’s happened.” You explained and the clone nodded.
“Sound’s good to me, senator.” The man spoke up, and again you paused, the more you heard him speak, the more familiar it was. You turned around, looking at him again with eyes narrowed. You studied him from head to toe before your eyes met his. You could see untold stories in his eyes, years of war… and months of trauma.
The way he acted, and spoke…
Your eyes widened in sudden realization, and it felt as if your heart had just been torn from your chest.
“Echo?” You asked, voice barely above a whisper, cracking still even as you spoke. The clone perked up when you had said his name, relieved that you had finally remembered him… from all those years ago, how could you forget a man like him.
“Oh my god- Echo!” You exclaimed, feeling a tear slip past your cheek but you paid it no mind, and instead launched yourself into his arms, hugging him tightly. “Rex told me you died! after the attack on Kamino- he- i thought you were dead.” You choked out, feeling his arm squeeze your waist as he held you.
“Well I'm here, so obviously not dead.” He tried to joke, but when you pulled away and he saw your frown, he stopped joking around, and raised his hand to cup your cheek. “I’m sorry for that… I was… I was taken by the techno union and…” Echo trailed off, not really wanting to recount all the trauma he had undergone. His mechanical parts spoke volumes to what had happened.
“Oh Echo… I'm so sorry.” You whispered, pressing your forehead to his for a moment before you pulled away. “We can catch you up on all aspects of my life once we get you settled, okay? Come on sweetheart.”
You led Echo off the landing pad and back to your quarters, your bedroom was only a room inside an even bigger room, it was basically like a penthouse on Coruscant with a few bedrooms, a kitchen and living area.
You brought Echo to the room right beside yours, opening the door for him so he could look inside. “This is where you’ll be sleeping, it's right beside my room so if you hear anything you can rush in, to protect me.” You chuckled, leading him out to the holotable in the living area.
You started it up, and showed the castle and specifically your wing before you turned to him.
“So the Empire attempted to take my life for not allying with them, and they tried again by sending spies a few months later, so I reached out to our mutual friend for help and asked for a bodyguard of sorts, which is where you come in.” You started to explain, and clicked some buttons as you showed the members of the Abrium council. “I have dealings with these people all day every day, so I need you by my side for every minute. I have my guards but sometimes it's not enough and I care more about my sister’s life than I do my own, so I've pushed my guards more to her for her protection.”
You continued to explain all that has happened since the empire came into action, and Echo hung onto every detail until you finished speaking, turning to look at him. “So, that’s about everything. I don’t know how long you're going to need to stay for, I guess until I get some more soldiers… or until the empire backs off.” You huffed, staring into Echo’s eyes.
“Are you.. okay?” You blurted, glancing away from him for a moment. “I wasn't at first, but I had good friends who helped me get better.. who made me feel better. I may be more of a machine, but I still feel like I did when we first met.” He explained, and you nodded, looking at him again.
“Well, we’ve still got the day ahead of us, so why don’t I give you a tour of the palace? and you can meet my sister.” You suggested, and offered your arm to him, which he took with a smile.
You showed off the main points of interest of the castle before you reached the throne room, pushing the large double doors open, smiling as you saw your sister perched on her throne. “Oh! Good morning dear sister, who’s your friend?” Your sister questioned as you and Echo walked forward. “This is the protection I told you about when the attempts first started.” You explained, smiling at Echo who in return smiled at you.
“I’m just giving him the tour.” You added, however, you noticed an uneasy look on your sister's face, and you frowned. “Is something wrong?” You asked, however your sister shook her head. “No! No of course not… maybe you should take Echo for a trip to the petel fields?” She suggested, and your eyes widened.
“o-of course your majesty.” You replied, grabbing Echo’s hand as you led him out of the throne room. “What’s going on? what’s the petel fields?” He asked, following behind you as you practically dragged him through the halls until you reached the fence that led to the forest. “Infultraters. we made a code, and Petel fields means leave the castle and get to the safe place.” You explained, finding an opening in the fence where you slipped through, gesturing for Echo to follow.
“What about the queen, is she going to be okay?” Echo asked as he followed you through the forest. “The guards know the protocols. She will be escorted to her quarters and defended there.” You explained… at least that's what you desperately hoped for…
Just then, you heard shouts coming from your right, and as you turned your head you saw several storm troopers heading towards you. “Run!” You exclaimed, unclipping your cape as you threw it at the troopers before running with Echo through the brush.
You had a certain path to follow, one that would take you to the safe room you and your sister created in the cave system underneath the castle. You grabbed Echo’shand, taking a sharp turn down a small hill, disappearing in a crack in the stone wall. Echo grunted as he squeezed himself through, and then chased after you through the cave, trying not to get distracted by the shining stones that made the cave glow.
You heard shots being fired at the crack in the wall, the stormtroopers hoping to break open the crack some more to get in, but instead of opening it, they only made it worse as the top part of the cavern in that area started to crumble before falling, blocking the entrance.
You cursed under your breath, squeezing your eyes shut as you listened to the harsh beating of your heart.
thump thump, thump thump
“I’m okay… I'm okay.” You whispered to yourself, turning to look at Echo, who had a concerned look on his face. “Come on, there's another exit that leads us farther away from the castle, but it will be safe.” You explained, and led him through the caverns.
You were very silent as you and Echo walked side by side, however as you entered a cavern with hot springs, you let yourself pause, and tried to relax… But the nerves just kept building up, and you kept thinking about your sister.
“Let’s take a break.” You muttered to Echo, and sat down by the hot springs, letting the steam climb up your back slightly. You hugged your knees to your chest, not wanting to give away what you were feeling, but Echo could tell just by looking at you that you were stressed, and worried and right now it was all crashing down at you all at once.
A single tear fell down your cheek, before the onslaught came and you hid your face in your arms which rested on your knees. Echo, who had been sitting across from you had now moved to sit beside you, hearing your quiet sobs that were muffled by your arms.
Slowly he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, and you fell apart even more, letting your arms wrap around his torso as you gripped him tightly, your years steadily streaming down your face as you cried.
Echo just held you, knowing that this comfort was all you needed at the moment, just the silent reassurance that you weren’t alone. Eventually your tears came to a halt, and you slowly pulled yourself away from his grip, staring into his eyes which were once a deep brown, and were now a pale yellow, almost golden in color.
“You're not just a machine to me Echo… I want you to know that.” You sniffled, gently laying a hand on his mechanical leg. “You may have metal parts… but you're still you… and- i’m still me… we’re human and nothing and nobody is gonna change that,: You whispered to him, seeing the slight smile that crept up his lips.
“Thank you Y/n.” He muttered, and you just sat beside him, resting your head against his shoulder as a sigh escaped your lips. “I’m so worried Echo… about my sister, my home… all of it.” You muttered, sitting there for a few more moments before you stood up.
“Come on, we shouldn’t dawdle anymore. I have to make sure my sister’s okay.” You breathed out.
Soon you had exited the cave systems, and cautiously made your way back to the castle. Everything was eerily quiet, so in turn, so were you and Echo.
You reached the throne room, poking your head inside to look around when you spotted it, a limp form on the throne, blood splattered around it. A sharp gasp left your lips, and you immediately ran towards the throne, more tears springing from your eyes as your sister laid cold in your arms.
“No!” You roared, holding her tightly. “Where were the guards!” You shouted, clutching the queen to your body as you sobbed.
Echo knelt down by your side, placing his hand gently on your shoulder, frowning down at the body in your arms. “Come on, we need to get you somewhere safe. The castles been compromised.” He muttered, but you refused to let your sister go.
She was still warm, but her life was gone. She was freshly murdered, and you were furious…
The guards finally arrived, having heard your shouts. The guard captain approached, horror written across his face. “Oh no… gods…” He muttered, and you snapped your head around, glaring at him with the fury of hundreds. “Where were you! You were supposed to defend her!” You shouted, your grip on her body loosened now, which allowed Echo to move her away from you.
You stood up, taking a few steps towards the guard captain. “We found knocked out guards a few moments ago Senator, So we rushed here as soon as we found them… I'm so sorry.” He whispered, avoiding your furious stare.
“Fools.” You sneered, Pushing past them. “Gather all able bodied men and women, arm them and push these imperials off my planet!” You shouted, glancing back at your dead sister, whom Echo had covered with the cape she had worn earlier today.
You clenched your hands into fists, and turned away. “The duty falls to the second in line… I am the successor. So once these imperials are wiped out, we will take further action… until then Those are your orders. Echo, with me.” You ordered, and the man was by your side in an instant as you walked out of the throne room towards your quarters.
The tears were still flowing amidst All that anger, and when you reached your quarters you let out a furious scream, grabbing the nearest item to throw against the wall, which ended up being a vase which shattered upon impact.
Echo walked up behind you, turning your head towards him as he pulled you into his embrace, rubbing your back as you sobbed again… Now with the loss of your sister, and the oncoming burden of The crown, and the threat of your own death…
it Shattered you.
Every memory of your sister, every laugh, and smile in your mind. It shattered you. But Echo held you up even as your legs gave out from underneath you.
He had swooped you up into his arms, carrying you to your bedroom where he laid you in bed. But he didn't leave your side, running his fingers through your hair to help calm you down.
The tears slowed, and your sobs quieted as you just laid there, unmoving and unspeaking.
The guards carried Out your will and armed those who could and were willing to fight for Abrium. And they fought for days against whatever troops the empire sent. And for those days you were just frozen. In fear, grief? Maybe a bit of it all.
But Echo was there for you, he made sure you ate and stayed hydrated. With your minimal verbal confirmation He had changed you into your sleeping clothes so you were more comfortable. And he protected you just like he swore to you he would.
The imperials ran after four days of fighting. Your people were skilled, and it scared the empire as more and more of their troops perished. And they soon gave up on your planet, thinking it was not worth the resources anymore…
You started climbing out of your haze by then, at least for your sister's funeral. You didn't speak, you had the right to mourn just like your citizens did, and they understood too…
Echo wouldn't leave until he knew you were okay, and you were so grateful for him, and his witty conversations. It was something you had started to look forward to every morning… and fall in love with all over again…
You had been with him years ago, if only for a brief moment. It was the best years of your life that you had spent with him. And now all that was coming back to you… Especially on your coronation day.
You stood tall, your eyes never leaving Echos as he stood by the seats in your line or vision as you were crowned Queen of Abrium. It was a responsibility you never wanted, but a responsibility you'd take if it meant keeping your people safe… but there was more you could do…
“People of Abrium!” You shouted, your voice carrying across the large palace plateau, seeing All your people gathered together to see you take leadership. “We firsthand have seen the horrors the Empire Is willing to commit just for greed! And there have been sparks in the galaxy, rebels who want to fight back against this wretched empire!” You exclaimed, glancing at Echo as you smiled.
“I am proud to announce to you that these rebel cells will have our support! And a place to settle if need be! I will not stand by as innocents, like us, are slaughtered for not complying with the Empire's new rule!” You shouted, and your people cheered. “We will usher in a new era, together. And we will fight for peace!”
More cheers erupted from the crowd, and you smiled, but were quickly overwhelmed. Echo was about to step towards you to congratulate you when a loud shot sounded through the plateau.
It was like the world was moving in slow motion as Echo saw the red blaster shot fly past him and imbed itself in your chest, closer to your shoulder. You fell to The ground, your guards immediately surrounding you. Echo rushed to you as well, crouching down by your side as more guards were sent out to find the assailant.
Echo cupped your cheek with his hand, quietly begging for you to wake up, to not die… He applied pressure to the bleeding wound on your shoulder, and he heard a wince leave your lips. He sighed in relief. If you were in pain, then you weren't dead.
“We need to get her to the infirmary.” Echo stated, lifting you up in his arms as he nodded to the guards, who kept a tight formation around you and Echo as he brought you to the palace infirmary.
The nurse droid told him you'd be fine, but even then he never left your side. keeping your hand in his as you recovered.
So much chaos, and pain that you had to endure these past months since you first were attacked. Echo felt horrible for you… which made leaving your side when the time came even harder, especially now that a relationship had bloomed between you two. As much as you tried to hide your attraction, Echo very much felt the same about you, and you knew it too.
He had kissed you the night before your coronation, and you kissed him back. You praised him, and made him feel comfortable In his skin. You were significantly shorter than him, so brushing against his metal parts was common, but every time you did you reassured him that you didn't mind it, and you still cared for him regardless.
He wanted you to know he cared for you too, so much…
“Mhm- Echo” You whispered, your weak voice catching his attention in an instant. Echo stared at you, squeezing your hand gently. “Are you okay love? Do you need anything? Water?” He asked, but a light squeeze from your hand told him all he needed to know, and he calmed down, pressing his head to yours.
“You scared me, Mesh'la.” He muttered, hearing your soft chuckle. “I'm sorry my darling… but I have a question for you.” You spoke softly, seeing Echo pull back so you could look at him properly. “Echo… I want you to stay with me. I want to be able to love you, and see you every day.” You whispered, holding his hand tightly.
“Mesh'la i-”
“Marry Me.” You breathed out, your words catching him off guard entirely. “What?” He asked, and you grinned coyly. “Marry Me, silly man. lead your rebellion here, help Rex Not just as a trooper, but as a king” You mused, lifting his hand to your lips as you kissed his knuckles gently. “I-”
“Think about it, darling.”
And think about what he did. Years Later you stood with Echo, having landed on Pabu for a little visit so you could meet his brothers, his family… so you could get married in a place that was so gorgeous, surrounded by kind people and family.
If your sister was watching, you knew she'd be proud of you…
You stared up into the sky, holding Echo’s hand as birds flew above you. You turned to look at him, noticing that he was already staring at you. “I love you, Echo.” You whispered, leaning into him as he chuckled.
Summary: Echo's a little down in the dumps so you take him shopping to cheer him up, and treat him like he's a human, and not just a machine
Warnings: non explicit smut, oral, riding, p in v, unprotected, fluffy fluff fluff
Word count" 2,267
Music could be heard throughout the studio but you knew that the other members of The Bad Batch were out running personal errands or were just enjoying their day off. You were just cleaning up the studio after being on the phone all day with venues and hotels for the next concert they had.
But when you started hearing music you had paused in your work, and told whoever you were on the phone with that you would call them back.
You walked over to one of the recording station doors where you heard the music loudest. You recognized it as one of the Bad Batch’s songs, I Am Machine which you knew was an idea from Echo as he helped make the lyrics.
You poked your head inside, and let out a soft sigh when you saw Echo in the recording booth, playing the track over and over again. But he wasn’t just sitting there.
Echo was curled up, as best as he could anyway, scratching at the skin around where his prothstetics were in his arm and legs. You noticed clear tear burns on his cheeks, and you frowned before stepping inside.
“scratching at the skin will only make it irritated, hun” You spoke up softly, watching Echo jolt up in surprise before looking up at you, turning down the music.
“I know, it's a habit… sorry… was the music too loud?” He asked and you shook your head. “No- i just thought everyone had left. Are you okay Echo?” You asked, pulling up a chair to sit beside him, glancing down at the slightly red area above his elbow. He sighed, hesitating almost before shaking his head no.
“It’s okay Echo… my father- before he died had to live with prothstetics… he was born without a leg or an arm but he didn't have access to a lot of money so- he made his own prothstetics and that's what killed him- anyway, he managed to live his life as normal as possible. so-” You rambled, shutting up when you noticed Echo was staring at you, his eyebrow raised slightly.
“sorry- im just”
“I know, don’t worry i- i appreciate it. and I'm sorry about your dad.” He replied, and you snorted. “Don’t be, he was a fat old coot with a lust for killing birds.” You huffed, flashing Echo a smile before you stood up.
“I have an idea! why don’t I take you out shopping today hm? I have some money I've been itching to spend, and I think you need some clothes that’ll make you feel more you, yeah? So come on, beanie boy.” You exclaimed, holding out your hand to him.
He took it with his good hand after a few moments, and you yanked him up to his feet before leading him out to your car. You had switched out the older car for something a little modern, having bought yourself a nice jeep to hold a lot more than what your muscle cars did.
When Echo climbed in, you started driving to one of the nicer yet normal malls in LA, rather than the one with all the extremely expensive stores. It was a bit hard to find parking first but eventually you found a spot closer to the doors that wasn’t a handicap spot.
You grabbed Echo’s hand once you were both outside of the jeep, and you locked the car with your key fob before walking with him into the mall. You both wandered around for a little bit, doing some window shopping as you looked through some certain stores. And eventually you found one that seemed to have caught Echo’s eye.
It was more of a grunge store, but as Echo led you inside you could see what he was gravitating towards.
Military esk grunge.
You had known through passing conversation that all of The Bad Batch boys were from the military, and left or was either honorably discharged like Echo because of his injuries. They all wore their dog tags still, which you found interesting since they held a bit of disdain for the current military and government.
Anyway, you started looking through the styles of clothing, tossing a pair of black cargo pants towards him, followed by a couple shirts you thought would look good, and then some other things on top of that before you pushed him towards the change rooms.
You told him which pairs went together, and then waited on a bench outside like how a mother would wait for their child after finding a stupid pair of pants that they hated.
Regardless when Echo stepped out in one of the outfits he kind of stole your breath away. The beanie was still on his head, but it went with the rest of his outfit.
The outfit consisted of a dark gray pair of jeans which were ripped at the knees and a bit on the thigh, the shirt was a lighter gray, also with some purposeful fraying. It was tighter on him, so it hugged his chest quite nicely while still being a bit loose at the bottom. And overtop he wore a leather bomber jacket, again purposefully looking worn and faded. And then his dog tags sat over his chest.
You grinned, nodding in satisfaction. “Oh that looks great! what do you think?” You asked him, looking him from head to toe before flicking your eyes to his. He was staring at you already, like he was admiring you, until your voice snapped him out of his head and he nodded, clearing his throat. “y-yes. Yes, I like this one.” He muttered.
You nodded. “Okay go try the other outfit and then show me.” You said, an excited tone to your voice. It took a few minutes before Echo came out again, this time in the second outfit you had picked out. And you liked this one a lot more than the first.
The outfit had a lot of different aspects to it, but starting from the bottom were the pants. They were cargo pants in a dark brown color with some extra padding at the knees. You had paired a belt with it too, and clipped to the side was a small little belt satchel which you thought could hold his guitar picks, condoms, whatever he wanted.
For the tops, there were three shirts. The first layer was a thin black long sleeve that Echo had rolled up slightly, so you could see his metal hand, the silver adding something nice to the whole look.
Overtop the long sleeve was a lighter green t-shirt, nothing special, and then finally on top of that was a sleeveless cargo vest with a few different pockets scattered all over. Of course he still wore the beanie, but you made sure all the colors you picked looked good with gray.
“I like this one.” Echo spoke up, getting a bit shy under your intense gaze. You smiled, nodding your head as you stood up, clapping your hands together. “oh yeah, i love it.” You chuckled, sending Echo a thumbs up. “I’ll buy both for you, if you want.” You offered, and Echo’s eyes went wide.
“What? no- you don’t have to spend your money on me.” He choked out, cheeks flushed as he stared at you. You tilted your head, crossing your arms over your chest. “Oh well, that's too bad cuz I'm buyin’ em.” You stated firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Echo sighed but nodded, changing back to the clothes he came with, carrying all the other clothes he tried on in his arms as you led him to the til. You paid for all of it, not even caring about the price that was displayed on the screen. You heard Echo’s choked up surprise but other than that he didn’t say anything else, taking the bag from the cashier as you walked out with him.
Your hand was back in his, not like he didn’t mind, he almost reached out for you first but you beat him to it.
You continued walking through the mall with Echo, and did some shopping for yourself too. Though while Echo had to use the washroom you snuck off to the lingerie store across from the bathrooms, taking a quick look around before you bought what you found and rushed back to Echo who left the bathrooms as soon as you walked back to that area.
He noticed you walking towards him, and he looked at you curiously but said nothing as you intertwined your hands again and continued walking.
Once you and Echo both got what you wanted from the mall, you invited him back to your place for dinner, which he graciously accepted, not wanting his time with you to be over quite yet.
Turns out you and Echo lived in the same neighborhood, and he was only a couple houses down from you on the next block. Which made bringing him home easy enough… if he wanted too anyway.
But once you entered your home you tossed the shopping bags onto your couch and walked to the kitchen where you started getting everything prepped for dinner. It wouldn’t take long so Echo just seated himself at your dinner table, watching as you moved around the kitchen with ease.
“Thank you.” He spoke up, tearing your attention away just as you brushed your finger against the element on the stove. “For what- ouch!” You yelped in pain, clutching your finger with a wince. Echo got up to you immediately, and had your hand in his as he studied the already forming burn blister on your finger.
“It’ll heal, do you have any burn cream? it can help the pain.” He spoke softly. You hadn’t realized until now but he was so close to you… not like you minded. “U-uh- in the bathroom, second drawer…” You muttered, pointing to where the bathroom was. He nodded and walked away, and that warmth immediately left you.
You sighed, dropping your hands to your sides before you continued prepping, just with one hand for now until echo came back with a bandaid and a tube of burn cream.
Echo gently turned you towards him, subconsciously pressing you to the counter top as he gently rubbed the cream onto your finger before wrapping the bandage around it. But he wasn’t done, instead he brought your hand up to his lips, his eyes boring straight into yours as he pressed a gentle kiss to the bandaid, and then trailed his kisses down the palm of your hand.
You didn’t pull away, and instead moved your hand to cup his cheek as he placed gentle kisses on your wrist. “i cant- fuck i can’t deny what i’ve felt for you since you joined us… you’ve treated me like- like a human being since the moment we met… and ive been fascinated with you.” He muttered against your skin.
“Oh Echo…” You whispered, wrapping your other arm around his waist before pulling him into you. “You’ll never be a machine to me, or mostly prothstetic. You're human whether people want to deny it or not.” You whispered to him, pulling back from the hug as you just stared into his eyes.
You and Echo stayed like that for a few moments, just reveling in each other’s warmth and love that you held for each other, until you smelt something burning that was.
You gasped, pushing Echo back as you went back to the food cooking on the stove, managing to save your cooking from getting too burnt. You just smothered the charred taste with more seasonings.
You and Echo laughed, but soon you were eating, talking and falling for each other the more you got to know him, and vice versa… Echo helped you with the dishes after you ate, loading them into the dishwasher after you rinsed them off.
non explicit smut under the cut
And then you led him to your bedroom, keeping a finger hooked on the collar of his shirt as he followed behind you. Clothes were shed, but gently. He treated you as if you were royalty, like you needed to be worshiped.
And did he ever worship you alright.
his mouth was on you for what felt like hours, bringing out orgasm after orgasm as you withered, screamed, cried and moaned his name like a prayer. You took a little break, but as soon as you were energized you pushed him into the bed and you rode him.
You were careful with his prothstetics when you needed to be, but for the most part you focused on his pleasure, recieving your own too, but after the night he had already given you so far, you felt it was only fair he got what he needed.
When the night was over you and Echo just laid in your bed. You were holding him in your arms with His head resting on your chest and shoulder. Your chin was atop his head, and you occasionally shifted down to press a few kisses to his skin.
“I’m pretty sure I'm in love with you.” Echo breathed out against your skin, his hot breath making you shiver briefly before a soft chuckle escaped your lips. “Yeah?” You asked, sliding your hand down his side, grasping his hand in yours as he used his metal arm to pull you a bit closer.
“Yeah.” He replied, and you could feel him smiling when you told him you were falling for him too.