Boy Wonder

Echo was still catching his breath when Rex laughed, plopping his chin in his hand. “You boys are brutal. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen him laugh that much.” Fondness spread through his voice, warming his chest, as he watched the little scene before him. Echo was still tucked away in Crosshair’s arms, getting his back patted by Wrecker as his breath started to calm. Now, because of his kind comment, Echo was glaring at him. Whatever he mumbled was lost as the rest of them laughed, making Rex narrow his eyes.

“Don’t get sassy with me. Already forgetting about the last thirty minutes? I’ve gotten a break so my energy is plenty renewed.” Rex threatened with a raised eyebrow. It worked wonders as Echo burrowed further into Crosshair’s chest. To his credit his brother was quick to glare in Rex’s direction, undercut by the grin still plastered on his face.

“Don’t worry we’ll protect you.” Wrecker’s assurances made surprise light up Rex’s frame.

“Is that so?”

Tech seemed to almost slide in front of them, keeping them even further out of sight. “He is our squadmate now. We have a duty to protect him from, as Echo has put it, evil brothers.”

Evil brothers! Sure, he’d spent plenty of time taking Echo down and inciting an attack against him but that was all in good fun. Surely he wasn’t expected to keep his hands to himself when his brother was grouchy. That comment alone was cause for another tussle. Rex narrowed his eyes, leaning forward and grinning when they each huddled closer together and further out of his reach.

“I’m not sure you boys could keep me away if I really wanted to get him.” Rex’s threat hit right where he wanted it to. Echo let out a curse, getting restless and squirmy again at the thought that this wasn’t quite over. Rex had almost forgotten how fun this was. It was always one of his favorite games growing up, on either side, and getting to hear his brothers actually laugh was high on his list of favorite activities. He had always expected Echo to be this way with him, give into the playfulness, wrestle with him, get into the play fights they were used to, but what he didn’t expect was the way the rest of clone force 99 seemed to join in too.

“I’d like to see you try.” Hunter was the next to come to his defense, already looking prepared to pounce if Rex tried anything, his eyes sparkling with that mischievousness they were so good at. Rex’s eyebrows shot up but his fingers still itched to get into a fight. They were testing him. Seeing if he was being serious about his warnings or if it was all one big bluff used to spook them into behaving. He was going to keep needling them, maybe even jump at them to watch the group scatter but Echo beat him to it with something he wasn’t quite expecting.

“Oh, I have a better idea.” Echo popped his head up from behind the wall protecting him, smile so big and toothy Rex froze in place.

“Echo.” It came out more apprehensive than intimidating but he couldn’t help it. Rex knew that look. It’s the one he often saw shared with Fives before the two of them pounced. Or that time he whispered a plan against him to Cody and they both ganged up on him. It’s the look he gave before he did something ill advised and conniving. Echo untangled himself from the pile, standing slowly so he didn’t give Rex any reason to run. Which, he probably would need to if this was going where he thought it was.

“I think you’ve been the instigator for too damn long, Rex.” Damn. Rex kept his eyes on his brother while making sure the batch stayed in line. They were starting to pick up what he was putting down, rising onto their knees to get into better positions to strike when he wasn’t expecting it.

“If you start this fight I will end it.” Rex kept his voice calm but that self satisfied grin had fallen into a nervous smile that he wasn’t going to be able to hide.

“You started it!” Echo nearly squawked in indignance. It wasn’t often that Echo had the gall to fight back so directly but when he did it was always like this. He often rallied others against Rex for the fun of it or started more of a ‘play fight’ to attempt a victory when he was distracted. It was always fun even when he lost. Echo’s grin seemed to grow tenfold, like he could hear Rex’s own thoughts. “Get him.”

The ship erupted like a bomb went off. Rex dove for his only out as the entirety of clone force 99 descended on him like evil little monsters trying to eat him for dinner. Unfortunately he didn’t make it far, having to grapple with Hunter almost immediately who had him half toppled over. He was quicker, though, and made a grab for Hunter’s neck. It was the one weakness he heard when they were descending onto Echo and valuable information was not to be wasted.

His listening skills paid off as Hunter jolted away from the fingers teasing his neck, hands grabbing to remove the offending sensation with a laugh so surprised it completely derailed Rex’s attempt at escape. The sound that left Hunter was so different from his typical gruffness that Rex couldn’t bother to move away quickly enough and instead followed him down to the floor, using his other hand to trace Hunter’s neck the same way he’d done to Echo.

That left him open to attack from behind. Wrecker scooped him up, arms tightening around his middle to yank him off of the ground leaving him dangling in the air. Rex wriggled fruitlessly but couldn’t quite get his own hands under Wrecker’s and that was how he knew he was done for. Wrecker’s curious fingers prodded at his sides first, sending a jolt up his spine at the first contact. His body bent to get away but he was held firm, huffing in weak protest. It didn’t exactly tickle quite yet. It was way too hesitant to get him to laugh but the action had opened up the flood gate wide enough to make his smile split his face. He stretched as far as he could manage to get a hold on Wrecker’s side, digging in mercilessly enough to get himself dropped in surprise as the bigger man let out a yelp.

Echo was remaining helpfully out of the mix while he tried to fend the rest of them off. Probably planning to swoop in and expose all of his weak spots once they had him tired out and pinned but for now Rex had bigger problems and they came in the form of a slippery sniper. That man had Rex on his back faster than he expected, hands already grabbing for his unguarded middle before he even hit the ground. That got him to bark out a laugh but it wasn’t enough to keep him down, the rest of them too unfamiliar with him to truly understand how to stop the fight. Rex used his legs as leverage to flip their positions, elbows shoving away the hands at his sides to then jab his own at Crosshair’s ribs. The jolt was well earned as he tested out what firmness would work best. Turned out that a mix of wiggling and tracing was perfect, finally getting the man below him to crack an uncharacteristically wide smile as he tried to flop back and forth. He could stay like this for a while, taking down the grouchiest of them all would be a feat in itself but it would give him something to brag about each time he saw them, and he did plan on seeing them often. Not just for Echo, although that was a big part of it, but for this batch of new brothers he’d found too.

It was actually Tech that got him while he was distracted, sneaky bastard. He was happily prodding away at the crumbled up ball that was Crosshair until the back of his neck was grabbed. The confidence behind the touch made him think it was Echo but when he flung himself backwards he was treated to Tech’s goggled face right before Crosshair tackled him backwards.

They moved fast, he’d give them that.

Rex wasn’t planning on giving up the fight just yet, although he was prepared to lose, so as several hands started to descend on him he reached out to poke at any soft spot he could manage. Someone grabbed his legs then, plopping their heavy weight over him to immobilize him, just as Echo’s face appeared overhead, still grinning proudly.

“You have to pin his arms. If he’s got hands free he’s going to tickle you.” The gleeful way Echo said it paired with the immediate holding of his arms was enough to make the nerves finally burst from his fight or flight and send giddy panic up his spine. He should’ve known better than to mess with Echo with so many new allies present. Jokes on him, he thought they were on his side. Turns out their loyalty only extends so far.

He could still squirm, although with Wrecker holding one arm, Tech at the other, and Hunter firmly sitting on his calves he wasn’t too sure it was a mercy. They gave him just enough room to wiggle with no way to get free. He wasn’t surprised when the only two left plopped by either side of his middle, both looking devious in their own ways. He created monsters. Should’ve known they’d come back to bite him.

Echo - the bastard - poked deliberately into his side, delighting in the way Rex had to crane away from the feeling. It didn’t end, just traveled up and into his ribs which is when soft laughter started to pour out of him. The poking kept traveling up and up and up until it was mere inches away from the spot he knew Echo was after and finally he let himself bargain.

“Don’t you dare!” Rex barked, out of breath already. He was half bent away from Echo, staring up at him for some sort of mercy he knew wouldn’t come. Echo had a wide smile on his face but his eyes gave him away, fond and soft despite the way he mobilized his own squad against Rex.

“Why should I?” Echo asked almost sincerely. He used his fingers to trail delicately over Rex’s ribs, fluttery sensation building in his gut already. At least he wasn’t pulling out anything big yet, starting him off slow.

“I will get you back twice as bad. You know I’m not kidding.” He was in no position to make demands but the light tracing on his ribcage was making his brain all fuzzy. Echo’s fingers traveled up again and Rex damn near squeaked but was saved - sort of?! - by Echo passing on his unguarded underarm to trace maddeningly on his bicep. It made the start of breathy giggles tumble out of his mouth, head shaking back and forth to do something.

“Already threatening me.” Echo tsked but no disappointment showed on his face. His expression matched the batch’s, all grins and excitement. He’d really worked them all up into some sort of playful little attack force and he was about to pay for it. “You better be prepared to lay back and laugh, Rex.” Stubbornness lit up his frame and he clamped his mouth shut, squeezing his eyes closed so he didn’t have to look at any of their dumb faces. “Not gonna laugh, huh?” Rex shook his head but gave up a smile when Echo chuckled in amusement. “I think you’re forgetting that I know you just as well as you know me.”

He should’ve been expecting it. But Rex was just a man and he couldn’t help the way his body flinched when the tracing on his bicep shifted right to his exposed underarm, wiggling there in a way so practiced it was both nostalgic and unfair. In a moment of weakness he sucked in a breath to attempt to hold it, staving off any noises to not give them the satisfaction, but they must have planned a counterattack because Wrecker chose that exact moment to do the same on his other side.

While he usually prided himself on holding out longer a bark of laughter was completely forced out of him and with that all of his self control went with it. All of the prodding was so focused. Had Echo briefed them somehow on how to do this? Or were they learning so fast just by watching him?

Oh, Rex was done for.

“There we go. See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Echo always teased like he had the upper hand regardless of if he had it or not, and he was well used to that, but Rex hadn’t been on the other side of it in so long that it flustered him anyway. Even when he was younger, less guarded, it was still the same. It was good to know some things never changed.

Echo moved but Tech immediately took his place and Rex threw so many swears out at them he could make a sailor blush. His old ARC just sat back and let them at him. The constant itchy feeling was starting to go to his head. Getting ganged up on always made him more nervous. The batch, however, were in a league all their own.

“I am surprised he was so easy to break.” Tech commented as he drilled into Rex’s underarm with precision. His laugh kicked up a notch, yanking away but directly into Wrecker’s hand - literally - before both of them pulled away.

“Hey!” Rex complained as if he had any right to, body falling limp against the floor. He was grateful for the break, although he wasn’t sure why he was being awarded one.

“He puts up a good fight but he’s just as bad as me. Isn’t that right?” Echo teased, readjusting so he was sitting closer to his hip. With the little wiggle room he was provided he flipped Echo off, doing nothing but making the evil look in his eyes even worse.

Hunter tsked, his hand landing just above Rex’s knee. “Not nice, captain. Maybe you aren’t getting taught a good enough lesson.” He nearly jumped out of his skin when his ribs were squeezed, yelping before he dissolved into laughter again. He was too busy expecting Hunter to attack him next to notice Crosshair aiming for his ribcage. The look on Crosshair’s face said ‘revenge’ and he knew it was deserved. The spaces between were given attention, that pinpoint accuracy meant for sniping still just as useful in times like this.

“His laugh is so nice.” Wrecker commented almost wistfully. Rex had to hide his face in his shoulder as well as he could manage. Damn them for making his face burn. It was unfair, truly, to be reduced to a puddle on the floor and have them talk about him like he wasn’t there.

“I’ve always really liked Rex’s laugh.” Echo agreed but it was nearly drowned out as Crosshair gripped his ribs and wiggled his fingers into the back of them like the absolute asshole he was. It forced a loud belly laugh out of him, body wriggling with no way to escape. “It sounds a lot like home.” His sentence was punctuated with a light tap to Crosshair’s wrist with his scomp, getting him to pause and leave Rex laying lax on the floor again.

“Sappy.” Rex said, out of breath. He wasn’t sure what all the starting and stopping was about but it was driving him more up a wall than Echo’s usual routine. Typically Echo was a ‘strike first, tease, dip’ kind of opponent. Since he couldn’t fight back once he got tickled he tended to pull out the big guns before anyone could get him back. Rex had always been able to catch up to him, wrestle him to the ground, and force that light laughter out of him until he was satisfied. Now, however, Echo didn’t need to worry about that and was taking his sweet time.

Speaking of.

“Cody used to put him in a headlock and do this.” Echo reached out and didn’t even bother with a warning - although Rex knew what was coming - before kneading Rex’s lower belly as if it was a particularly wiggly bit of dough. His laugh came out of him in a whine, trying to suck his stomach in as much as he could to get away from the downright evil fingers playing with his soft spot. Echo was right, Cody did this a lot more than he’d like to admit. It was his favorite spot, somehow figuring out the perfect motion to get all of Rex’s nerves to set alight.

“Codehehe is a dihihick!” Rex yelped when Echo shoved his fingers up under the hem of his shirt to walk his fingers over the lower part of his stomach.

“I’m telling him you said that.” Echo spoke up over the loud cackling he’d reduced Rex to. He just kept pinching and then scribbling but he never once stopped moving. That’s what made Rex so squirmy. The constant dance of fingers over his skin was hitting him right in the gut - literally - and forcing him to yank this way and that to try and rid himself of it.

As with the other spots Echo stopped pretty quick, keeping him in a constant battle between relaxing and bracing himself. Rex sucked in breaths like they’d be his last, his own heart beating in his ears like a roar. He didn’t get long to relax, feeling the hand that had been inconspicuously resting on his thigh squeeze so his leg jolted, that sensation shooting straight up to his frying brain.

“Hey, captain.” Hunter tapped his fingers against the side of Rex’s knee, those fingers getting restless in the worst way.

Rex tipped his chin down to get Hunter in view, groaning at the look on his face - open and mischievous and nothing that Rex wanted to be seeing. “Yes, asshole?” Hunter laughed but he wasn’t deterred, head tipping to the side.

“Are your feet ticklish?” The question sent ice through his veins, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

“No!” He answered too fast, much too frantic for any of them to believe him and they certainly didn’t, those horribly playful looks turning devious.

“Echo?” Hunter asked, leg now jiggling impatiently as he waited for the green light. This was going to be the one time in his life he truly and honestly begged. He turned big eyes towards Echo, hoping for some sort of mercy, but he recognized that delighted look in his eyes as he crawled lower and oh fuck, oh shit!

“NO! No no nononono!” Rex yelled, trying again to get his limbs free from his captures who had the sense to let his arms go, allowing him to fling his upper body upwards, nearly head butting Hunter as he grabbed the other man’s arm just for something to hold. “Echo please. I’ll do anything you want. There’s not an ask in this world I would say no to!” Echo was barely listening, eyebrows raised. He settled by Rex’s feet.

“I do have a request, actually.” Echo rested his hand on Rex’s ankle, tapping in the same way Hunter had been. Speaking of the sergeant, he laced his fingers with Rex’s and squeezed, a bad omen if he ever saw one. Echo moved slowly as he pulled Rex’s boots off, careful not to let his heels hit the ground too hard, but he was definitely playing up the sweetness for wicked reasons. Rex just held onto Hunter’s hand and pressed his lips together to suppress the whine he wanted to let out. With a playful tilt of Echo’s head he smiled, sweet and disarming. “Laugh.”

Fingers were scribbling over his sole before he had the breath to protest. Laughter so loud and bright tumbled out of him as his body lurched forward, nearly knocking Hunter off of him. He was going to yank Hunter backwards if he didn’t burst his eardrum first. It got worse when another hand was added to the mix, clearly Hunter’s, attacking both of his feet at the same damn time. Itchy tingles made him want to kick his feet but he couldn’t, not pinned like this!

Frantic giggles pounded against the walls trying to get out, curled around his gut, fluttered around the inside of his body like butterflies trying to tickle him from the inside. His feet were barely ever exposed long enough to be targeted but when they were Rex felt like his head was going to implode. Nothing more than a passing flutter against the bottom of his foot was the norm and even then he knew they were sensitive.

Echo, the kid he practically raised was an evil horrible brother and Rex was going to kill him when he got loose. Someone sat at his back but he didn’t realize it was Wrecker until Tech and Crosshair practically floated towards his feet to take over, leaving him to lean against Wrecker for support, his hands flying to cover his face.

All of those years of teasing Cody, goading him into a play fight, or sneak attacking his brothers, hands under blankets so they squirmed as they giggled, were coming back to bite him. He earned every playful little scritch through years of doing the same to his brothers and he knew it, too. Rex yelped through his own giggles as Wrecker’s fingers brushed against his neck, a hand against his knee scribbled behind it and he barely recognized Hunter’s wry smile before it disappeared again as he squeezed his eyes closed. All he could feel were their fingers finding every ticklish spot on his body, aided by Echo’s helpful commentary as he pointed out how to do it better.

Someone had just started to target that spot on his lower belly again, fingers kneading into the muscles making them twitch with sensation, as Rex was reaching his end. Someone was going to have to peel him off of the floor of the ship after this was over. If they ever let him go. He’d always prided himself on not being easy to take down but Force they were giving him a run for his money. Aided by Echo’s expertise and allowed to poke and prod however much they wanted. He couldn’t, however, speak anymore so all he did was open his eyes, hand clamped around a wrist that was attached to none other than Echo himself, hoping the plead in his eyes would suffice.

Echo’s fingers stilled immediately, smiling as he sat back. “Okay, okay. Let him go.” As if simply deleted all the hands teasing him fled. So did Hunter’s weight over his calves. Even the support at his back moved, letting him flop backwards. He was totally in his right to curl up on the ground, arms wrapped around his middle to try and remove the fluttering sensation from every nerve under his skin. He even rubbed his feet together to try and rid himself of the tingles. Leftover giggles kept tumbling out of him, face pushed into the cool ground to sooth his overheated skin.

“Did we break him?” Crosshair asked, leaning over him. Rude.

“You okay, cap?” Wrecker asked, concern lighting up his voice. He’d respond, tell him it was fine, that they hadn’t hurt him, but he couldn’t get his tongue to work properly anymore. There was a gentle hand on his shoulder, someone at his back, and he knew instantly it was Echo. There was a whisper in his ear but he didn’t catch the words, just gathered some worry and a familiar squeeze to his arm. Rex swallowed, nodding, a smile still splitting his face nearly in half.

It quelled the worry in Echo who sat back up, hand moving to sweep comfortingly over his back.

“He’s okay, just a little touched out. He likes his back touched, though.” Echo informed the rest of them. The tickly sensations were still crawling over his skin but he was starting to tune in more as his body calmed. His heart was no longer roaring in his ears at least.

“We did kind of attack him.” Hunter commented with slightly less concern than Wrecker had shown. He’d scooted closer to try and copy Echo’s movements, focusing on rubbing the upper part of his back firmly. Rex could imagine him doing that after reducing one of the batch to nothing but a puddle of giggles, keeping them company as they recovered.

“Oh, he doesn’t mind being tickled that much. He just puts up a front.” Echo was just selling all of his secrets to them, huh? With a grumble he rolled over onto his back and threw his arms around Echo’s shoulders. It was gratifying enough to hear Echo yelp as he yanked him over and onto the floor but Rex had ulterior motives. There was a light struggle while Echo tried to fend off a possible attack but he settled quickly as Rex laid his heavy weight onto Echo’s chest, sighing in contentment. Once Echo realized the hold was more of a cuddle and less shenanigans he let himself be used as a pillow, chuckling as he scratched at Rex’s scalp in comfort. “Likes to be snuggled, too, if you didn’t notice.”

Rex was going to bite him.

He refrained from violence but was pleasantly surprised when the rest of the batch settled in a little pile around them. They pressed tight in on them, their warmth appreciated after all of the activity. Rex sighed as someone - Wrecker - pressed against his back. Tech was lounging somewhere against Wrecker and Crosshair had taken it upon himself to squish between Echo and Hunter like a particularly lanky tooka. It was always going to be a bit odd, seeing Echo outside of 501st blue, but Rex knew he’d found his own place within Clone Force 99 and maybe they’d all found a few new brothers to add to their family too. He’d put up with them ganging up on him as long as they kept showing up for Echo the way he’d seen them do already.