🌙Hex🔮

27 and living life ✌🏼 Chaotic Omnisexual🌈 Sci-Fi Obsessed🛸

[the-hexfiles]

Grace (Crosshair x AFAB!)

Chapter One: Dive Bar

Rating: Explicit

Content: Fluff, smut, little angst. First-Person Narrative, with nameless narrator (can be read as x reader) Post-empire Crosshair. Mentions of self-harm by the narrator because I H/C Cross couldn’t fall in love post-empire, unless it was with someone who understood trauma and healing.

Wordcount: 4.7k

A/N: This is my first fan-fic and my first attempt at smut.

Soundtrack: Sleepover by Hayley Kiyoko

Next...

Smack.

           “Fuck, Crosshair! You don't have to go that hard!” I said, trying to shake the stinging sensation off the back of my hand. The boys in the booth on the opposite side of the bar snickered to themselves when Wrecker whispered “That’s what she said.” Crosshair rolled the toothpick to the other side of his smirk, as I tucked the pile of cards into the bottom of my hand. Omega peeked her head over the bar next to Crosshair, with a bright little smile on her face.

           “Cross, you pay her,” I said, taking another swig of my cocktail, not looking at either clone in front of me.

           “I'm not the one cursing in front of kids.”

I flashed him a dirty look before I dipped into my tip jar and tossed her five credits.

           “Why is there a child in my bar anyways, Bouncer?” I joked as Crosshair and I tossed cards on the bar simultaneously.

           “Do you want me to kick her out?” Crosshair replied, slapping the pile of cards as fast as he tossed the jack down.

           “Damn you and your fast hands.”

           “They’ll go as fast or slow as you like,” he whispered with a small smirk. I rolled my eyes with a smile.

                                                       ***

           I had never met any of The Batch until Crosshair walked in alone late one night. I saw the first four of them around the square and docks when Phee first brought them to Pabu, then they were gone for a while. When they came back, they looked like they’d trekked through hell, with Crosshair in tow. He showed up within his first few days on the island, coming in alone late one night, sipping on Corellian whiskey until I made the last call. This went on for a week before I got tired of him staring into his glass in silence when it was dead. I started handing him my data pad to play music.

           Over a few weeks, he moved from the table in the furthest corner of the room, to sitting at the end of the bar, leaning across to grab the card deck or data pad when he was bored and I was busy with customers. The first time he leaned over the bar to grab the data pad himself he spied the blaster sitting behind my purse.

           “What are you afraid of?”

           “I live, work, and walk home, alone,” I said, lifting boxes and rotating bottles in the cooler.

           He gave a low hum, and punched in one of the bar playlists I premade. That night he stayed until I finished closing to walk me home. He learned my schedule and walked me home every morning, even on days he hadn't been sitting at the bar. I had started tossing his tips back at him and made a playlist of his favorite songs. He waited patiently, listening to me hum along to the music as I cleaned, stocked, and took inventory. Our general conversations were short, but consistent, and enough was always said. I learned about him and his brothers' time with the GAR, knew about a stint with the Empire before he defected, but that was all. No real details, just his scars on the side of his head and neck, and an agonized look in his eyes as he stared down at his drink, or stared off at the ocean when he walked me home.

           A few more weeks went by: the playful flirting started, his brothers and sister started coming along for a couple hours here and there to play darts or cards. Crosshair always sat with them when they came along, with a more tense and quiet demeanor. A particularly busy night a lightweight local felt bold enough to grab my ass as I leaned over the table to collect the boys' glasses. Before I could whip around to push him off, Crosshair had him by the shirt collar and was walking him out the front door. The bar owner, Joy, who was helping me behind the bar, laughed “Cross if you're gonna be here all the time and so damn protective anyways, I could use a bouncer. Not much pay, but the work is steady.”

           So, after working together for a couple months, slapjack became our game of choice on slow nights. I tried taking him on once at darts; absolutely never again. Billiards? Even worse. Sabacc was fun until he started using the mirror behind the bar to cheat. Slapjack and War I at least stood a chance.

                                                       ***

           “Last call boys, let's let them go home,” Joy said as she came out of her office. “I'll close up, enjoy your day tomorrow.” She said, looking at me. Crosshair took the cards from my hand “What’s tomorrow?”

           “Just took the day off,” I said, dancing around his question as I grabbed his siblings' glasses off the bar. Lost in thought and moving on autopilot, I didn't realize he had come behind the bar and was trying to walk behind me as I bent down to grab sanitizer tablets from under the sink. My ass knocked directly into his crotch, nearly toppling him over, so he grabbed my hips to steady himself. Both of us froze briefly until I started laughing and winked over my shoulder at him, “Hey there handsome,”

           “We're in public, dear, control yourself,” he said, smiling and squeezing out from between my ass and the back counter to get to my things.

           “Alright! Cross is finally getting some action!” Wrecker's laugh filled the empty bar.

           “Finally?” I looked to Wrecker then to Crosshair who was facing away from everyone, shoulders tensed.

           “Nice, Wrecker,” Hunter said, nudging Omega towards the door.

           “This is a conversation we should not be here for,” Tech said and nodded to Joy as he followed the group out.

           Outside of the bar, I looked over at him as we walked. The moonlight highlighted his sharp profile. “So, what have you been telling them about us?” I bumped him with my elbow playfully.

He looked down at me briefly before looking back at the lit walkway, “There's nothing to tell,” he said seemingly annoyed, “You never answered my question from earlier.”

           “I didn't know I had to.”

           “You don't.”

I let silence fill the space between us for a moment.

           “My birthday.”

           “So it's special,” he said looking down at me. He was tall, I barely came up to his shoulder.

           “I guess. More like Joy just insisted I take a day to enjoy myself instead of dealing with Saturday night locals.”

            “What's the plan for tomorrow then?”

            “Nothing. Maybe laundry while I listen to a movie.”

That quiet hum again passed his lips, then nothing until he walked me to the door and said goodnight.

            Morning invaded my bedroom too soon. Light creeped across the floor and onto my pillow waking me before I was ready to face the world. When I rolled over and adjusted my pillow, I was almost comfortable enough to fall back to sleep when there was a timid knock at my front door. Annoyed and half asleep, I clipped up my hair, put on a cami and boxers I found on the floor and walked into the living room. I opened the door to a blinding sunrise and a lightly blushing Crosshair holding two to-go cups of caf.

           “Is that for me?” I said pointing to one of the cups, “Why are you blushing? Why are you here?” I said, stepping aside to let him in. As he stepped into the living room I was rudely awakened by the realization I hadn't cleaned all week. My house was small enough, you could see everything from the front door. Living room area to the left had a chair, caf table, and loveseat. A full laundry basket covered half the loveseat, 2 empty mugs and half a glass of water sat on the table. The chair had a rumpled blanket tossed across the arm. To the right was an open kitchen with a little island and a 2 person dining table. Ration bars and instant soup sat in grocery bags on the kitchen counter, while the dining table was covered in notes, and my dumped-out-purse-contents. My bedroom door was wide open to reveal the dirty laundry thrown across the floor, and a stack of books, 2 water bottles, 2 mugs, and my blaster on the nightstand. The refresher had cosmetics littered across the counter and last night's outfit and a damp towel on the floor.

           “Happy birthday. I was going to take you to breakfast but I see you've opted to skip wearing clothes today?” He said, handing me a cup and glancing down at my mostly bare legs and obviously braless chest under the cami. Unlike his brothers, he wore dark civilian clothes most days; but this day he looked particularly nice. He was wearing a black button up with dark pants and his GAR boots. The top two buttons were undone on his shirt, letting a few lines of a tattoo on his chest peek out.

           “I just woke up. Um, pants are probably in the basket. Sorry about the mess,” I said, taking a sip of caf and setting it down before making a panicked search in the laundry basket.

            “What happened?”

            “I don't like sleeping with clothes on, and I wasn't expecting company. If you give me a few minutes I can get ready to go–"

             “No. Your scars.”

I looked down at my thighs. Sure enough, just below the hem of the boxers, visible through dark tattoos, were the deliberate, straight marks across the tops of my thighs. All of my scars and stretch marks usually blended pretty well into my skin or were covered by tattoos, but they were still there, still visible to staring eyes. I pulled on a pair of sweats before I tried to busy myself with picking up the stuff off the caf table: “Not everyone heals from trauma gracefully,” I gestured to the chaos around my small house, “I still struggle, but at least my house I can clean.” Hands full, I turned towards the kitchen and tried to hurry by him, “Thanks for the caf. You remembered how I–”

        He stepped in front of me and reached to my hands, briefly tracing my knuckles with his long fingers before grabbing the dishes from me: “Need some help? Or company?”

I froze at the sudden and gentle contact, but held his eyes as I felt a warmth creep into my cheeks.

        “You, Crosshair, skilled marksman for the GAR and Imperial convict, are going to help me fold my panties?”

        “How else am I supposed to get a look?” He said with a smirk and light blush, turning into the kitchen. “You could always ask nicely,” I smiled and rushed to the dining table to condense the clutter. “Wait, what about breakfast?” 

“We’ll make it lunch,” He said as he kicked off his boots by the front door.

       I cut up some fruit and brought it to the living room. He’d sat on the free section of the loveseat, briefly glancing over a novel I had on the side table. I put the laundry basket on the floor between us and sat on the other end of the sofa. He put the book down and grabbed a piece of red fabric sticking out of the basket, pulling out a little red dress. I started a movie and watched him hold up the dress and stare at it confused.

           “You don't fold those, if you were wondering.”

           “It's short…”

           “A friend bought it for me, but it's tight and my scars show. Not sure what occasion I’ll have for it, but it's cute. I'll let it sit in my closet for a while.”

He draped the dress on the arm of the loveseat and picked through the basket until he found something he knew how to fold.

        The movie carried on while I put the clean clothes away and picked up the dirty clothes off the bedroom and refresher floor. When I was done, Crosshair was settled into the loveseat, feet up on the table and one arm draped across the back. He seemed relaxed until I sat down and saw he was grinding down on his toothpick.

           “I'm still not used to being all domestic.” He answered before I could ask, feeling my stare on his profile.

I curled up into myself on the loveseat, but even being on the opposite side, his long arm could reach completely across and he brushed the back of my neck with his thumb.

           “You didn't have to–” I said sheepishly.

           “Relax. You're not the problem. I offered to help. I'm still…”

           “Trying to make this place a home?”

           He stopped clenching his jaw and looked over at me for a moment before looking back at the movie. He continued the gentle touch on the back of my neck, tickling little the curls that slipped from my bun. I let the movie play for a few moments, to see if he had more to say. But he just continued rubbing the back of my neck with his thumb for a while longer before I spoke:

           “I know that no matter how welcoming a place or person can be, after being fucked with for so damn long its hard to feel safe. But I want you to feel safe here, because you've made me feel safe for the first time in so long,” I looked over at him. His eyes were flicking back and forth across the holo, trying to find something to say. Catching sight of the near tears in his eyes I added: “Even when you startle me by dropping by at the ass crack of dawn without warning.”

He gave my curls a gentle tug with a snicker and I laughed.

            “I don't have your comm frequency” He said with a smirk.

           I playfully made a shocked face, “Don't have my frequency, but now you've folded my intimates.”

           “And rubbed my crotch into your ass.” He said bluntly, looking back over at me.

           “Look at you, getting all this action,” I said as I pinched his side playfully, catching a good spot on his waist that made him flinch.

           “Wrecker doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut about other people's business.” He whipped his head back to the movie.

           “Never known the company of a fairer kind?” I said playfully, still looking at him. He let a few moments pass, blush creeping into ears and cheeks, clamping down on his toothpick.

           “Is that a problem?” He finally said, still avoiding my face.

           “No. And not shocking either. Can't imagine you really had that much time to enjoy R&R during the odd times you got it.” I looked back at the movie.

           “Never had any interest before now anyways,” He said.

           I felt him shift on the loveseat, felt his hand creep up into my hair and gently take out the clip. I looked over right as he took the toothpick out of his mouth with his free hand and set it on the lid of his empty caf cup. His eyes met mine as I shifted my body to face him and reached over towards his waist again, “Before now, huh?” I said with a smile pulling on his shirt. I heard the clip clatter to the floor.

           He leaned into my reach, crawling fully up on the loveseat to lay his body between my legs, one hand still in my hair as he held himself up with the other one. I gripped onto his shirt with both hands, until he stopped leaning towards me, hovering close, flicking his eyes back and forth to study my face. My left hand cupped his face and my thumb caressed his cheekbone, tracing the bottom line of his tattoo. His body weight pressed into my hips, bringing my attention to my dampening set of boxers and a warmth radiating off both of us.

           “Sit up, or kiss me dammit.” I said, breaking the staring contest we seemed to have started. He let out a low huff and pressed his smile to mine. I giggled against his lips.

           “What's so funny?” He said pulling back enough to answer and pinch my side.

           “This has become a very nice birthday.”

He pressed his lips back to mine, more passionately, giving a gentle tug on my hair, and creeping his other hand under my cami to grip my waist. His hands were warm against my stomach but my hands made him shiver as I slid my hand under his shirt and over his abs. I moved to pull away but he leaned in further, holding tight. I slipped my hands back out and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Once undone, my hands traced up and down his upper body, feeling out every muscle line and scar, while his hand alternated between squeezing my waist and sliding up and down my thigh.

        He pulled away to catch his breath and tucked his face into the curve of my neck. After a moment he slid his fingers into the waistband of my sweats, breathing becoming heavy and slow, kissing behind my ear. I grabbed his arm to make him look at me. He freed his hand from behind my head to hold himself up.

        “You don't have to take this further than you want, you know. I’m perfectly fine with waiting as long as you want.”

He smirked slightly, then in almost one fluid motion lifted me up into his arms as he pushed himself up off the loveseat. He carried me into my bedroom and threw me onto the unmade bed and climbed back over top of me, an obvious tightness in the front of his pants pressing into my soaking boxers. He brought his lips back to my neck, corners of his lips tugging into a gentle smile. A soft sigh escaped me as he kissed down my neck towards my collar bone, making him grind into my hips playfully. 

           I tugged at his unbuttoned shirt to try to pull it off. Without moving his lips from my skin he pulled it off and tossed it aside, then continued teasing at my waistband. I pushed against him to sit up, pushing him off long enough to pull my shirt off and toss it onto the floor. He looked down at my bare chest, flushed. His hands ghosted across my stomach and waist as he brought his hands to my breasts. I started working at his pants while his eyes and hands explored my bare skin. He traced the tattoo along my right rib cage before bringing his hand back to cup my breasts.

           When I managed to undo his belt and buttons, he began tugging down my sweats. I let him slide off my pants and boxers but froze as he eyed up my entirely naked body, feeling myself dripping on the bed with anticipation. Feeling suddenly self conscious remembering the scars and stretchmarks that patterned my thighs and hips I reached for his pants again, this time he relented to back off the bed long enough to pull them all the way off, his hard cock freed of any restraint and his eyes never stopping their roam about my body.

        He climbed back over top of me, starting his kisses again from behind my ear, down my neck, across my collar bone, trailing all the way down to my thighs. My legs draped across his shoulders, hands squeezing my thighs, he flicked his gaze between my eyes and my dripping folds.

           “May I?”

           “You know what to do?” I said teasing.

He nipped at my thigh, leaving a mark. “I’m a virgin, not a nun,” he started kissing my inner thighs, trailing up to my hips.

           “A visual learner then–” I ended in a gasp, as he licked from my entrance to my clit, stopping and teasing my clit with his tongue with just a slight amount of pressure.

           “I’ll shut up now,” I sighed.

           He chuckled against me, then looked up, “Don't do that,” he licked me again, “how will I know what you like if you're quiet?”

           He devoured me, exploring every possible sigh and moan I could make and focusing his tongue on the movements that made me squirm the most. He played with my clit intensely while his eyes were trained on my face, listening to my panted instructions. As I got closer and closer to my peak, I instinctively grasped onto his hands, still curled around my thighs, holding onto each other like one of us might get washed away.

           “Fuck,” I moaned as my back arched off the bed slightly. I felt the vibrations of his moan against my clit, and he picked up his pace just enough to push me over into my orgasm, thighs squeezing his shoulders, letting go of one of his hands to grab onto the headboard.

           He brought me through my orgasm, still teasing my clit until it bordered overstimulation. I released the headboard to caress his cheek between my legs. He lifted his head away from my soaked pussy, smiling with my arousal all over his chin. With both hands I went to wipe his face but he just kissed my palms before he got up and dipped into the refresher. When he came back, he hovered in the threshold, wiping his smug face with a washcloth with one hand, stroking himself with the other, admiring the sprawled out and puddled mess I was on the bed.

           “You look proud,” I said chuckling. He tossed the washcloth in the hamper and crawled back into bed between my legs, he hovered above my lips for a beat before kissing me. I could taste myself on his tongue before he trailed his kisses across my jaw and back down to my neck, his erection pressing into my pubic. “What would you like from me?” I whispered as I kissed his ear teasingly. He gave a short scoff before shifting his hips so his length moved to grind between my wet folds. One hand slid up my thigh as I bent my legs to wrap them around his waist, while his other hand cupped my face as he continued his kisses on my neck and collar bone. He shifted his hips as I reached for his length to line it up, both of us moaning deeply as he pushed himself inside me. I held onto his biceps, as he paused for a moment, head buried in the curve of my neck. “Fuck, you feel good,” he groaned into my skin, before slowly rutting into me.

           It wasn’t long before he was fucking me hard and groaning unabashedly. The hand that was cupping my face, gripped onto the sheets beside my head, while he held himself deep inside me holding onto my hip. My knuckles were white, switching between holding onto his arms and digging into his waist, leaving small red scratches down his sides. His orgasm came hard and fast, slamming his hips into me, resting his forehead on mine as he came.

           He lifted his flushed face away from mine, not looking at me as he started to pull out and back off the bed. “Wait, Cross,” I said trying to hang onto his arm but he gently pulled away and slipped into the refresher.

           I waited a few minutes before I got up and knocked on the door. When there was no response, I tested the door and found it unlocked. He was facing away from me, staring at the shower but made no move to turn it on. “What’s wrong?” I asked, closing the refresher door behind me. He glanced over his shoulder at me, then back at the shower. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my head into his back, his body oddly tense. “Can we shower together, or do you want space?” I let silence fill the room for a moment. After a pause, he took one of my hands and kissed it, “Stay,” was his only response.

           He avoided looking at face until we were curled up on the dry side of the bed. I rested my head on his shoulder, my leg draped across his hips, tracing the outline of the skull and 99 tattoos on his chest. I listened to his heartbeat, smelling my soap on his skin, feeling his right arm wrapped around me, thumb rubbing circles around my own tattoo. I was starting to doze off when he spoke:

           “You didn’t…” He kept staring up at the ceiling, “...finish, a second time.”

           “And?”

           He looked at me as I sat up on my elbow to look down at him. “If that’s what you’re upset over, don’t be. Once is plenty to start. Come on, take me to lunch.” I pinched his side, making him flinch and briefly frown at me. “We’ll worry about round two later,” I said, starting to roll over him to get off the bed, but he held me over him, my legs straddling his naked waist.

           “Round two?” he asked. Maker, he was adorable when he was confused.

           “Only if you want to,” I kissed his forehead and continued off the bed to get dressed.

           “Only if you wear that red dress,” he smiled. He laid on the bed, with his hands behind his head and propped up on my pillows, as he watched me get ready before he got up to pick his own clothes up off the floor.

                                                       ***

           “How was it?” Hunter asked when he came up to buy another round. 

           "How was what?” I said smiling to myself and yawning as I grabbed him another cider.

           “Yesterday,” he said, giving a suggestive smile and glancing over at Crosshair – who never did go back to the Marauder that night, opting to just wash his clothes before work.

           Crosshair sat at the opposite end of the bar, watching a particularly rowdy group of women enjoying their phattro a little too much.

           “It was quite lovely. He makes for good company.”

           “Thanks for being good to him. And let us know if he fucks up, we'll straighten him out.”

           “Oh I don’t think he’ll be a problem,” I said as I popped the top off the cider and handed it to him with a smile. “She is, though,” I said nodding to Omega standing next to Hunter with her hand out.

           “Don’t I get a favorite brother pass or something?”

           “You do, but you used it earlier today.”

           “This is all your fault,” he said playfully scowling at me.

           Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the women walk up to Crosshair and put her hand on his shoulder, whispering something in his ear. I looked at Hunter who was clearly eavesdropping, smiling. When I looked over, Crosshair was pointing at me. She pouted then waved me over, asking for another phattro. When she walked back over to her group, I leaned against the bar beside Crosshair, grabbing my cards from my bag, “What did she want?”

           “Jealous?” he said smirking, taking the cards from my hand and shuffling them.

           “You pointed at me, I have a right to know what excuse you used me for,” I said yawning again.

           “Not an excuse. She asked if I had someone,” he said flatly, dealing cards between the two of us. “I kept you up too late last night,” he said as I yawned for a third time and finished my caff, soaking the mug in the sink.

           “Please do it again,” I said with a sleepy smile, picking up my cards. “But not tonight. Let’s just cuddle tonight.”

           “Who said I was spending another night?” He said with a smirk, playing with the edge of the top card.

           “Me. Pick up clean clothes from the Marauder before we go back to my place.”

           “I need to wear clothes?”

           I gave him a playful wink and we started tossing cards onto the bartop.

************************************************************************

Next...

[misstoodles-doodles]

Paint practice feat. Echo

[alligatorpie1945]

I forgot I had made a couple of these #Supernatural Tarot cards from a while ago. Maybe one day Ill get around to finishing the full set.

[pinkiemme]

Fuck the art block this came to me in a vision

[babystepszine]

🩵 MEET THE GUESTS! 🩵

Introducing @alligatorpie1945 (she/her) as one of our guest artists!

[secretly-a-trekkie]

EVEN AI CANT COMPETE WITH THE POWER OF ME TRYING TO SVOID TALKING TO MY FAMILY MEMBERS

[jotaajudit]

I drew myself a new profile pic :)

More versions below 👇

[sallyfisher1312]

In Your Loving Arms

Echo x reader

Masterlist

A/n: As mentioned in the headcanons, I got carried away and wrote this fic. I can help it, whenever people interact with my posts I just get so motivated. Anyway, thank you so much for your request and support.

Summary: Echo kept his feelings for you hidden for months, but one day he comes back all bruised and as you help patch him up, he panics. Then, fearing you might leave him, he confesses the truth.

Warnings: A lot of insecurity and low self-esteem, angst but happy ending, a panic attack I think, I’m not sure but it’s something similar at least, injuries from missions, let me know if I missed anything.

Word Count: ~2.2k.

Headcanons that inspired this fic.

You had such an effect on him, he didn’t know how to quite explain it. Ever since you joined the Bad Batch you were nothing but a ray of sunshine. It took some time for Echo to realize what he felt for you, he knew it was different from the love he felt for his brothers and it wasn’t like the thrill of a small fling either. He couldn’t accept what he was feeling for you, he convinced himself that no one would be attracted to him with all of his cybernetics, specially not someone like you who receive enamored glances every time they visited 79's. Even when he did accept it, he was sure it was a terrible idea to tell you how he felt.

First, they were soldiers, second, he was terrified of messing up your friendship; he couldn’t risk losing you when you meant so much to him. So, he decided he’d just keep bottling up his feelings as long as it meant he could keep being your friend.

However, one day that would change.

It had started bad already, he kept wandering in and out of his mind all day, then there was the mission, one of the worst he ever had. He climbed the Marauder’s ramp, planning on just crashing onto his bunk as he hoped you wouldn’t see him all bruised and get worried. But of course, you were there for him, like you always were, and the moment you got a glimpse at him you were all over him, telling him to have a seat as you went to get the med kit.

His chest tightened, either guilty that you had to worry for him or grateful for how you always helped him, maybe both. He tried not to think too much as you came back, already opening the med kit to disinfect his wounds.

“Just stay still, this might sting a bit” you murmured, already focused on the small cut above his brow, making him smile faintly. You didn’t even need to tell him that; he was so used to you tending to him now, although he felt guilty, he relished these moments, they were so calming, he was certain not only did you take care of the physical wounds, but also the psychological ones, so he’d never dare to move an inch, whatever it is you wanted to do to him, he’d stay put.

The sudden warmth of your hand on his cheek filled his tummy with butterflies, you slightly tilted his head to get better access to the scratch, unaware of the impact such a delicate touch had on him.

Echo closed his eyes, wishing to engrave the softness and heat of you on his brain, he figured you were already lying down covered by the blankets, that’s why your hand must be so warm. But the GAR’s blankets were too thin, maybe you were snuggling cozily with Wrecker, he remembers seeing you two cuddle before. How he wanted to do that to you, to have you on his chest, your hands wrapped around his middle and your legs intertwined as he ran his fingers through your hair.

But he couldn’t.

The metal parts all over his body would poke you everywhere, you would be so uncomfortable you would probably get up and leave. That is, if you ever lied down with him in the first place. You’d never do that, Echo reminded himself over and over of this fact, no matter how badly he loved you, he’d never have the chance to show it to you. Not to mention the other hundreds of people you could choose instead of him, and how they could treat you better than he ever could as a puppet of the Republic, and how they could give you a better life, and-

You finished dabbing the cotton onto the cut, deeming it clean enough with a small proud smile. However, it quickly faded as you finally became aware of his expression. You knew it too well, more than you wished, the way he clenched his jaw as his brows creased into a scowl, it always showed itself on his handsome features when he was stuck in his mind, overthinking about truths he made up to beat himself up.

“Echo, hey… You’re doing that again…” You whispered, cradling his face on your hands as you looked straight into his distant eyes.

Slowly, the cold look on them disappeared as they focused on you. He took a sharp breath, coming back to reality all at once. You caught him doing it again, for the millionth time now. And yet, you weren’t angry, or disappointed, or upset in any way, you just looked at him with compassion, patiently waiting for him to come back with soft brushes of your thumbs over his chiseled cheekbones… wait. Your hands… on his face… both of them. Kriff, all of the thoughts suddenly came back. He didn’t understand it, if he loved your care so much, why did it hurt him like this?

His eyes began to burn, begging for him to let go of these repressed emotions. He couldn’t let you see him like this; you have already done so much for him today. “Thanks, I think I’ll head to my bunk now…” he murmured, gently taking hold of your wrists to guide them away from him.

“Hey, I’m not done patching you up yet, and I’m not gonna let you sulk by yourself when you’re like this. What’s going on inside that head of yours? You can tell me anything, you know that” You answered, reaching for his armor plate, intending to remove it so you could inspect the rest of his body for injuries.

Oh, no. You were going to see them, see his thoroughly damaged body full of scars and metal bits and you would be disgusted and then you wouldn’t even want to be near him anymore and - “Wait, wait, wait… No!” In a panicked state he swatted your hands away, regretting instantly.

Kriff, what had he done?

He got up and abruptly turned around, the tears already cascading down his face as he hyperventilated. He kriffed it up, he hurt you, you must hate him now.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you, dear. I won’t take it off, can you just breath for me?” hesitantly you grasp his shoulder, delicately turning him around again. He squeezed his eyes shut, slightly facing away from you as he tried to take deep breaths.

“Go back to sleep… Please…” Echo pleaded in between shaky breaths, still trying to regain his composure.

“If you insist.” You slid your fingers down his arm until you laced them with him own, then, before he could oppose, you tugged softly, prompting him to follow you. He didn’t have the strength to fight you now, he let you drag him to wherever, busying himself with his own ragged breathing so he wouldn’t wake up the others as you passed the corridor.

“You can sit down now, dear” you instructed and he complied, immediately hunching over to cover his face under his palm. You sat beside him, unsure whether you should try and do something, risking overwhelming him more, or letting him be. From your previous experiences with him, you knew the latter was rarely a good idea, though.

So, you stayed, scootching closer to him, caring not to smother him. You glanced around the ship’s interior, waiting calmly as his gasps for air evened out. You watched his now composed form still hiding from you, and with a sigh you decide to finally try something.

“Do you feel better now?” you tilted your head in union with your words, observing him eventually drop his hand, keeping his head hanging low.

After a few seconds of intense silence, he speaks again since his outburst: “I’m so… so sorry…”

“There’s nothing to apologize for, you were having an episode and did what you thought would help you.” He scoffs at you, not believing a word you had just said, briefly looking at you before averting his eyes again.

“I understand if you don’t want to…” to talk to me anymore, to be my friend anymore, to do anything regarding me anymore. Instead of completing the sentence, he stopped, thinking for a bit. This might be the last time he gets to talk to you, he thought, might as well tell you the truth.

“If I don’t want to…?” You quirk an eyebrow at him and he turned to face you, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

“I was skeptical of you in the beginning.” He started, mustering all of his courage to maintain his focus on you. “But since then, everything you’ve done is help me.” He could feel the kriffing tears starting to build up again, yet he didn’t dare look away this time. “You were always here for me, and the more time we spent together I… I started caring for you.”

“I care for you too, Echo. That’s why I stay.” You offer him a smile, though he only shakes his head at you.

“What I mean is… I love you, I have for months now, and I know I’m not desirable anymore, so I understand it if you don’t reciprocate it. But I need you to know that every time I see you snuggled with Wrecker, I wish it was me and not him, I wish I could hold you like that when we go to sleep…” He visibly gulped at your unreadable expression. Your eyes were wide, your mouth agape, was this the first time he actually upset you?

“Echo, don’t say things like that.” Ugh, he didn’t want to hear this. He just wanted to keep being your friend, now the last thing he’ll hear from you will be a rejection.

“You are so handsome, I thought you noticed how the women glance at you at the bar. I’ll make sure to remember you this every day, then.” You wiped the single tear falling down his doubtful face with a pause, before continuing. “I love you so much, too. For so long, all this time I thought you only saw me as a friend, but turns out you were just hiding from me…”

You shook your head in disbelief of this whole situation with a smile before adjusting your position on the mattress. “Come here, let’s rest for a bit. We’ll figure out all of this tomorrow.” You opened your arms towards him, though he didn’t move a muscle.

Only then did he notice where had you taken him. He observed your bunk for some time, unsure if he should take on that offer. “You don’t have to do this.” He murmured as he moved to leave your bunk.

You would have none of that. “Echo, I mean it. I love you; I want this just as much as you do.” You reassured, keeping your arms extended at him.

“My armor will hurt you.”

“Then take it off.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but closed them before any words came out. With a defeated sigh, he tried again: “That won’t solve anything. I will still hurt you.”

You knew what he meant, and you were determined to convince him otherwise. “Let’s just try. If you poke me or if you change your mind we’ll stop right away.”

He got to his feet and reached for the clasps of his armor, hesitating still, he removed bit by bit, until only the parts he couldn’t take off by himself remained. He turned his head at you with a pleading look and you didn’t think twice, carefully aiding him while he focused on the armor falling down on the ground, in an attempt to distract himself from his body modifications bulging from beneath his blacks.

“All done. Do you still want to join me?” You asked, returning to your spot on the mattress with inviting arms.

He acted without thinking, he knew that if he did, he’d give up instantly. Kneeling on the bed to scooch closer to you, he slowly positioned himself beside you, then lied down facing you. “What now?” He whispered, his breath fanning on your lips from the proximity.

He gasped as he felt your arms envelop him, placing his head on your chest. He short-circuited, not expecting in the slightest for you to hold him so boldly like this, but as your warmth came into contact with his body, he gradually let himself enjoy it, circling his arm around your waist and pressing himself deeper into the crook of your neck and shoulder.

He almost couldn’t believe this. It was happening. He loved you so much, and now he knew you loved him too. He would have never believed this day would come, yet, here he was. For the first time, he let himself fell you, thoroughly. The tears were flowing nonstop but he didn’t care in the slightest if the others could hear him sob, he didn’t care that tomorrow you two would have to talk this over, all that mattered was here and now, snuggled in your loving arms.

______________________________________________________________

Reblogs, comments and feedback are appreciated. Let me know if there are any mistakes, English is not my first language. Thank you for reading! <3

Do not copy or translate!

[summer-of-clones]

Tips, Tricks, and Things to Remember…

⏳ What deadline??

That’s right! There are no deadlines for prompts! Prompts can be filled ANYTIME during the event’s duration to count toward Participant (filled 1-12 prompts), Completionist (filled 13-25 prompts), Overachiever (filled 26-38 prompts), or Super Overachiever (filled 39 prompts) status!!

That means you could fill a Week 1 prompt during Week 13 and it would ABSOLUTELY COUNT!!

🤿 Dive right in!!

That’s right!! Whether you’ve been here since day 1 or you found this event during Week 13, you are welcome to join! The beauty of no deadlines is there are no deadlines to join either 👏

🥪 Prompt Sandwiches are delicious!!

You may have seen my post about prompt sandwiches (and if you didn’t, you can find it HERE!) — but this is the gist:

You are welcome to combine prompts into a single fill! As many as you want! There may even be some brave soul that tries to tie ALL 39 prompts into one, singular fill 🙊 (if anyone does this, I will make you your own, special badge, just saying!)

If you put 5 prompts into one fill, it will count as filling 5 prompts! Easy peasy! So if you’re stressing about trying to create a few dozen pieces to fill prompts, please don’t! This event is meant to be a fun, creative outlet. So stack up those prompts and create something uniquely YOU!!

🥳 The most important part…

Having fun!

At the end of the day, my hope for every single participant is that they thoroughly enjoy the creative process in their own unique ways. I have LOVED seeing so many different takes on the same prompts — it’s incredible!

[pinkiemme]

Existence is Resistance 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

[eightbitpale]

The Loyal Knight, AKA Ren Faire Codywan 2 Electric Boogaloo, fully rendered edition.

Based on this drawing I did for CWFKB25, which in turn is based on the painting La Belle Dame sans Merci by Frank Dicksee, which I’m sure nearly everybody has seen at some point. There’s also a Keats poem of the same name, which I highly recommend.

[moomoog017]

art ᯓᡣ𐭩 echo on pabu

I was inspired by @thattoothpick 's BEAUTIFUL art of Echo with a lil garden. Please look at it, it's GORGEOUS. [HERE!!!]

[clonetrooperdiaries]

Oops, I do

Summary : You and Echo get paired for a simple job for Cid, but when you have to plan your fake wedding with the man you've loved for years things get interesting Pairings : TBB Echo x Fem! reader Warnings : None, fluff, angst, mentions of Fives and Echo's death, super cute happy ending Words : 2.8k Masterlist here dividers by @saradika-graphics

Your positive Cid did this to you on purpose.  

You stood in a small old looking wedding chapel in the slums of Ord Mantell with the secret love of your life, Echo. Only he didn’t know you loved him, but apparently everybody else did and they liked to put you in these ridiculous situations, like the one your currently in now. You had done a lot of different and crazy jobs with the bad batch over the last year and a half you’ve been with them, but this takes first place.  

 It all started when Cid called you into her office a week ago with a smug grin and you instantly knew it wasn’t going to be good.  

“Got a job for you and grumpy” she says, “You two are gonna pose as fiancés and infiltrate an old chapel on the lower side of the city. The girl who runs it is the daughter of someone who owes me. So, you're going to go there and pretend you're plannin’ your big day while you get info on her old man. Got it?”  

Echo looks to you with a slight blush on his cheeks and then back to Cid, “You want us to... pretend to be a couple... getting married?”  

“Yes. Pay attention.”  

Your cheeks are on fire as you avoid looking at Echo, and Cid is grinning at you. She knows all about your love for Echo after you got super drunk at her bar a while back and confessed all your feelings to her. She’s made fun of you behind the batch’s backs ever since, even though your pretty sure the rest of the boys know of your feelings as well.  

You sigh, “When?” 

“You go tomorrow. And get a dress, you gotta sell the sweethearts in love shtick!” You finally turn to look at Echo and he's staring at you with a look you can’t quite place,“Alright get out and don’t come back till you have my info!” 

... 

You and Echo have been friends for a long time, first meeting when you were a civilian medic assigned under Kix in the 501. He had dragged in Fives to get treated after they returned from deployment saying that Fives was trying to tough it out and not get medical attention. You scolded Fives but was joking along with the two of them through it all. After that those two became your best friends and you would see them whenever they were back on Coruscant. During that time, you fell hard for Echo, it was inevitable really. He’s always been incredibly awkward when it came to interacting with women, especially you but as your relationship continued to grow, he became comfortable around you letting more of his soft nature show. You two got even closer and he just became your person. You loved him with everything you had.  

Then the citadel mission happened, and you had to grieve the man you loved, having never told him your feelings. You and Fives got even closer after that becoming each other's support in your journey of grief. It still hurt but you learned to carry on and then, you lost Fives, the cycle happening all over again. If Rex hadn’t been there, you don’t know what you would have done. You became a shell of yourself and contemplated leaving the GAR, and you almost did until you got the one comm that changed everything, Echo was alive. Rex and the batch found him and brought him home. After that day you vowed you would never leave his side again and you got yourself reassigned to be a field medic working under Clone force 99 and you, like Echo have been with them ever since.  

Echo was still himself but not. Skako Minor changed him in a lot of ways, he was broken in a lot of ways and for the first few months he could barely look at you but, slowly he let his walls down around you and the friendship that you once had returned. You fell in love with him all over again, the new Echo that he now was, the one that stood beside you pretending to be your fake fiancé, not knowing that he wished it were real too and that he loved you just as much as you did him.  

“The small package is our most popular! You get to do a small run through and then we throw the larger celebration at a later date. It gives you the chance to say your vows without the nerves of a large crowd, which you will then say in front of later!” Nira, the manager explains.  

You look at Echo smiling, “Sounds perfect right cyare?”  

“Yes, perfect.” he responds blushing slightly at the nickname.   

Nira looks between the two of you smiling widely, “You're such a lovely couple I can really see the love you have for each other! Let me get everything set up and we can do a run through, okay?!”  

You both nod and she skips through the chapel to the back leaving you two alone. There are two twi’lek girls that are setting up and lighting candles around the two of you. Echo grabs your hand with his and leads you to the side away from the girls, “I’ll talk to the staff and see if I can get anything on her dad. You okay to question Nira?”  

You nod looking behind Echo seeing the girls looking over at you two, so you lean into Echo, embracing him in a hug. He stiffens for a second and then melts into you showing you a soft smile, “You know I think your missing something.”  

He looks at you confused, and you smile. You step out of his arms and grab a blue flower from one of the vases and gently tuck it in the seam of his chest plate, “There... Perfect...”  

He stares into your eyes curiously with a small smile, “Thank you.” He lets you go and heads over to the one girl while you talk with the other since Nira wasn’t back yet. You were able to get a good amount about Nira’s dad as he owned the chapel and Nira just ran it under him. Then Nira returned happily with a stack of papers, “Okay! We can do the run through today and then we can pick a date for the large ceremony afterwards!”  

She leads you and Echo to the center of the chapel before you can protest or come up with an excuse as to why you have to leave. She grabs both of your hands placing them together making you face each other.  

“So I will start and say to the crowd thank you for coming to celebrate the lovely couple, we are here to join the two of you into one. May the force guide you as you take this next step in your life together. Then you say your vows!”  

You and Echo share a panicked look, “We weren’t prepared to say them today...”  

“That’s fine, most just say what's on their heart anyways. You two can each take turns saying something and on the big day we can spruce it up!” she says looking at the both of you expectedly.  

Echo blushes looking at you not knowing what the next move should be. You sigh, thinking there really is no better opportunity to confess to the man you love then at your fake wedding rehearsal.  

“I’ll go first...” you take a deep breath your hand shaking in his, “Echo... If you were to ask me when I first realized I loved you, I would say it was the day we lost you. Up until that point you had been my best friend, someone I thought would always be there. I knew the life of a soldier held almost no guarantee's that you would come back, but I always believed that you would because, you were my person. The person I found comfort in, the person I always thought about, the person I trust more than anyone in this galaxy and in an instant my person was gone, and I had realized that I had always loved you, but it was too late.”  

Tears start sliding down your eyes as you continue, “I mourned you with Fives, having to learn to live without you and then we lost Fives too and I had never felt so alone in this galaxy. I had lost my two best friends and had no one left. Until the day my world started spinning again, the day they found you and brought you back. You were the same, the Echo who was my best friend, the Echo who I loved but you were also different. I thought that I couldn’t love you anymore but getting to know the new Echo, made me fall even harder than I already had.  

The force works in mysterious ways and does everything for a reason. I know that everything that you’ve been through is the will of the force proving to everyone around you again and again that you are one of the strongest men to walk in this galaxy. I know you have suffered in so many ways that I’ll never understand but, I will spend my life showing you all the support you need and helping you in every way that I can, as your partner and as your best friend, just like you have always done for me. I love you Echo... With all that I am, and may the force be with us wherever we end up, so long as were together.”  

Nira had pulled tissues out and had given one to you while she wiped her own eyes. Echo was frozen, the tears streamed down his face like he didn’t expect anything that came from your mouth, but you also know that he knew, you meant every word. Nira turned to Echo about to speak but he beat her to it,  

“Y/n, I don’t know a lot about love. I’m a clone, a soldier, a product of war made to fight till my last breath, and I’ve never thought anything different. At least not until I met you. Clones are not supposed to want things, we are supposed to just follow orders and fight in this war without thinking of what comes after. You, made me believe in life outside of the war, you made me want a life and not a soldiers life, a normal life. From the moment we first met in the med bay all those years ago, you slowly pulled down the walls I had built around me and showed me that there’s more to life than the carnage I had become used too. Every day that I got to see you, even if it was just for a second it became my reason to live another day. I didn’t know what that feeling was in my chest every time you were there, or when your name was said, until Fives told me I had it bad for you. I didn’t want to believe him but, of course he was right.  

Then the citadel happened, and in the blast that should have killed me, all I thought about was how I didn’t get to see you one last time. I didn’t get to tell you how I felt about you, and that thought alone was my reason to fight through everything I went through on Skako Minor. You were my reason to keep breathing when all I wanted to do was die, and I’m so glad I fought through it all. I know I’m still broken, less than half the man I was when I first met you, more machine, but I will always fight to be at your side. I will stand with you, protect you, be your best friend and your partner in this crazy ass galaxy, and love you with every breath. I... love you. More than anything in this universe, and may the force continue be with me so I can spend the rest of my days proving it to you...” 

You were sobbing, ugly sobbing. It was embarrassing honestly but Nira understood as she handed you more tissues. Echo pulled you to him and hugged you tightly while you continued to cry. You loved him, and he loved you, and you both confessed in this dingy little chapel in front of a stranger, it was comical really but perfect.  

“That was beautiful you two! Absolutely perfect...” Nira says, “All that's left is the exchanging of the rings which most people don’t have so we can skip that for now at least, and then I pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss your bride!”  

Echo looks down at you smiling as he leans in and gently kisses you. It was soft and timid, gentle and perfect.  

“Perfect! Now if you’ll come with me, we can set the date for the ceremony and make the final arrangements!”  

... 

Echo and you spent the next hour talking with Nira, creating your fake wedding. You were on cloud nine and you kept your hand in his the entire time, leaning on his shoulder just smiling like an idiot. You barely remembered the mission as you went to leave but Echo kept Nira talking to get the last bit of info that you needed.  

One of the twi’lek girls came up to you and handed you a piece of paper, “Congratulations.”  

You take the paper and your heart stops, “What's this?”  

“It’s your marriage certificate” she says like it's obvious.  

“I don’t understand, this was the rehearsal. We didn’t actually get married today.” 

She looks at you confused, “Yes you did... It’s part of the package. You get married here first just the two of you and then you get your big wedding later.”  

“It wasn’t a rehearsal...” you whisper more to yourself than anything. The Twi’lek just nods walking away. Echo watches you while he’s talking to Nira and you go to hide the paper nodding to him that your fine, but his gaze says he doesn’t believe you. You were anything but fine.  

You confessed to Echo, in your fake wedding vows... Which were actually real. He confessed back to you and... the two of you got married? Your husband and wife? Echo is your husband... 

“Ready to go?” Echo asks making you jump. You nod not being able to say anything in your shocked state, and the two of you leave the chapel heading back towards the marauder but instead Echo grabs your hand and leads you through the city silently to an old building rooftop.  

Oranges and pinks painted the sky as Echo and you stood there staring at each other. You gently touched the flower you put in his armor ignoring his gaze. How do you tell him he’s your husband? You only told each other you loved each other and hour ago!  

He grabs your chin lifting it up so you look at him, “What’s wrong?”  

“N-Nothing...”  

“Cyare, if its about the vows... I-”  

“No! It’s not that... I meant every word. I love you Echo...” 

He smiles his beautiful small smile, “And I love you. So tell me what's wrong.” 

You close your eyes and shakingly pull out the piece of paper handing it to him. He takes it confused and reads it eyes widening. His gaze goes back and forth from the paper to you while he puts it together, “We... got married? For real?”  

You nod, “we did.”  

“I thought it was a rehearsal...”  

“So did I...”  

 Then a big toothy smile spreads across his face and he grabs your hips pulling you close. His breath mixes with yours and before you can ask what, he’s kissing you. You freeze before kissing him back, grabbing the back of his neck pulling him closer. His scomp traces your waist and you groan as he shoves his tongue in your mouth. Eventually you pull apart for air and you just stare at each other, the light of the sunset making you glow.  

“You’re my wife...”  

Your cheeks burn hearing him say it but you smile, “And your my husband...”      

“I know we didn’t plan this but... I don’t want to change it.”  

You lean into his embrace, “me neither.”  

Your comm goes off and Cid's voice breaks through, “Lovebirds! Did you get the info or what? You should have been back already!”  

“On our way now” you sigh chuckling. If Cid only knew what she did for the two of you. Maybe you’ll keep it a secret for a while.  

“Shall we?” you ask.  

“She can wait a while longer. I want to spend some time with... My wife" He grins at you pulling you back into his arms. You laugh happily watching the last of the sunset in your husbands arms. 

You didn’t expect a lot coming out of this mission. Certainly not a confession, first kiss, and a marriage, but the force works in mysterious ways. You don’t know what your future holds but so long as you have Echo by your side, you know you’ll make it, together.   

[blueberry-ry]

Everytime @chiliger drops clone tubies art I get it by a wave of baby fever, so now you guys will have to suffer with me through this one

[oiphafslfhagsjas-deactivated202]

[the-hexfiles]

Educators in May

[areyoufuckingcrazy]

Hi, me again! Could I request a comfort fic with either Rex, Fox, or Echo? This last week has been so hard with my depression- where everyday tasks, like getting ready for work, feel overwhelming. I love your stories; they are the literary equivalent of a mug of tea and a cozy blanket.

Thank you so much —it truly means the world to me. I really appreciate and am touched that my stories could bring a little comfort for you during a tough time. I hope the following is what you wanted and brings a bit of comfort xo

⸻

“Safe With You”

Echo x Reader

The hum of the Marauder was a soft lull in the background, like a lullaby Echo had never known he needed. You sat curled in a blanket on the makeshift bench-seat of the ship’s common area, half-asleep but unwilling to move to your bunk just yet. It wasn’t just the nightmares. It was the quiet loneliness that always settled too deep in your bones after the lights dimmed.

Footsteps echoed—soft but mechanical—and you already knew it was him.

Echo always walked like he didn’t want to be noticed. Like maybe the durasteel in his limbs made him take up too much space. But to you, he never felt like too much. He felt like safety.

“Can’t sleep again?” his voice was a quiet murmur, meant for you alone.

You opened your eyes and gave him a small, sheepish smile. “Was just… thinking.”

He tilted his head as he sat across from you, his cybernetic hand resting on the edge of the bench. “Thinking, huh? Dangerous pastime.”

“Yeah, well, I’m known for my recklessness,” you said, trying to joke, but it came out thin.

Echo’s eyes softened as he looked at you, shadows under his own eyes betraying he hadn’t had much rest either. The war had ended, but peace still felt like a foreign language.

“I hate seeing you like this,” he said gently, glancing down. “You don’t have to pretend with me.”

You blinked a few times. No one had said that to you in a long time. Not like that. Not like they meant it.

“I’m tired of being strong all the time,” you admitted, voice small. “It’s like… the second I stop, everything I’ve been holding up comes crashing down.”

Echo didn’t say anything for a moment, and then he stood—tall, quiet—and crossed to your side. He sat down beside you on your bed, shoulder to shoulder, warm despite the metal. Without asking, he pulled the blanket over the both of you.

You leaned into him, and he let you.

“You don’t have to hold everything up,” he said, pressing his forehead gently to yours. “I’ve got you.”

Your breath hitched, and when your hand found his— you felt the weight of the world ease off your chest, even just a little.

“I feel safe with you,” you whispered.

Echo smiled, barely there but real. “Good. Because I’m not going anywhere.”

And for the first time in a long time, you believed it.

The silence between you wasn’t heavy anymore. It was soft—like a warm blanket pulled over the both of you, tighter than the one wrapped around your shoulders.

Echo leaned into the wall behind him, tugging you along with him so that your head rested just over his heart. It beat steady under your cheek, a gentle rhythm that grounded you more than you expected.

“I used to hate the quiet,” he said, his voice low, like he was afraid to wake the stars outside the viewport. “When I was in the Citadel, then with the Techno Union… silence meant something bad was coming. I’d brace for pain, or for someone to take another piece of me away.”

Your arms tightened around his waist, your hand resting on the seam where flesh met metal.

“But now,” he continued, fingers lightly stroking your shoulder through the blanket, “it’s different. Now it’s just… peace. You make the silence feel safe.”

You didn’t trust your voice, so you nodded against him, letting his words settle into you like rain on parched ground.

A moment passed. Then another. Your breathing slowed, syncing with his. The last remnants of your anxiety started to unwind, like frayed threads being gently tucked away.

Echo shifted just enough to tilt your chin up with his fingers—so gentle it made your eyes sting.

“I know I don’t have much to offer,” he murmured. “Not like I used to. But whatever I have left… you can have it. All of it.”

Before you could answer—before you could even think to—he leaned in and pressed a kiss to your forehead. Slow. Reverent. Like a promise.

You closed your eyes and let it linger, feeling the way his lips trembled just slightly, like he was holding back all the emotion he wasn’t sure he deserved to feel.

“You’re everything I need,” you whispered against his chest. “You always have been.”

He held you tighter, letting out a breath like he’d been waiting a lifetime to hear that.

And for the rest of the night, you stayed there in his arms, wrapped in warmth, in safety, in the kind of love that didn’t demand anything but presence. The galaxy could wait.

For now, you were exactly where you belonged.

[chromaherder]

Been thinking about them lately.