#echo fic

You peeked to the corner of the club, seeing Hunter cozied up with a pretty green Twi'lek woman- her legs draping over his lap as he kissed along her neck. At least he'd be less snappy on your next mission. Then you heard Wrecker laughing boisterously over the music as some reg tapped out, his squad mates dragging him away from the table. He'd be content too and it's almost as if you could already hear him hollering at Crosshair to regale his win over the regs. Resting your eyes back on the pale clone sitting at the bar independently, you watched from across the hazy atmosphere wondering if you should approach him or leave him to his thoughts.

You and Echo had a relatively close relationship. His reserved yet courageous demeanor was always something you had admired about him, and whenever he'd joined 99, you were among the first to buddy up with him. You knew exactly how it'd felt not to be "one of the brothers", even with how close you'd become with the Batch. So, it seemed easy for the two of you to cling to that shared understanding. You felt a smile reaching your lips at some of the memories you'd shared with Echo, a familiar ache settling in your chest and you determined that joining him at the bar was the best idea- even if not for him, but for yourself.

You made sure to clock him in the spot he was settled in before tearing your eyes away and descending the stairs to the main floor, losing sight of him through the dense crowd. Weaving through, apologizing to a few couples who were dancing or going about their "business" on the floor, you managed to emerge from the mass of people to find an empty bar stool- entirely devoid of your companion.

"What the-" you muttered to yourself under the loud music, "He was just here." Swiping a glance up and down the span of the bar, the friendly sight of a pale clone adorned by blue neons captured your attention. He seemed to be speaking to someone, though you couldn't quite see who it was from your current position so you stepped up closer to casually join the conversation when you overheard Echo decline whatever they had offered.

Curiosity got the better of you and instead of being a good friend, leaving the man alone to hopefully find some solace for the night, you stood just close enough to eavesdrop a little more. "I appreciate the sentiment, and you're stunning, don't get me wrong." His voice was as sweet as ever, a little solemn you could tell, but only if you knew him well enough.

Was she really all that pretty? Were Twi'leks the type of person Echo was into? Against your better judgment, you leaned forward onto the bar to glimpse the woman he had complimented, and your heart sank at how her pretty eyes glimmered against the neon lights.

Then you heard her laughter. It sounded as if she were laughing… at him. "Oh, honey," her accented voice cut through the music with its patronizing tone. "You can't honestly be refusing me when you look like," and you watched as her pretty eyes scanned the clone before her, gesturing lazily with her manicured hand, "that."

Maybe you'd heard her wrong. You'd definitely heard her wrong… right? There was no way in the galaxy that she was insulting him about his looks just because he told her no… right?

Echo stammered in shock, momentarily caught off-guard by her comment. It wasn't as if he'd not been used to people making remarks about his… unmistakable condition. He just hadn't anticipated the Twi'lek to be so hostile at his decline. "Well, I-"

"I mean, seriously? Look at you, you're a mangled mess." She let out an irked breath as if she were, suddenly, too good for the current conversation. You noticed her lean away from Echo, surveying the rest of the room full of clones, "I bet you don't even have all of the right parts to please anyone anymore, do you droid?" The Twi'lek's snide grin as she huffed out another laugh made your blood boil.

Droid?

Did she actually have the audacity to call a man of war, who kept her safe from the rising Separatist threats, a droid? She couldn't even begin to understand the horrors of war Echo had seen.

You heard a disparaging laugh bubble up from your friend, noting how his shoulders sank only a fraction, head inclining to the cup in his hand. His back had been facing you, turned completely to the attention of the Twi'lek in front of him, so you couldn't entirely make out his expression- though you'd felt as if you'd known him well enough to imagine the rueful smile etching his features about now. "Ah, yeah," he breathed with a soft, somber chuckle, "I guess I am a freak at this point, eh?"

"It isn't about that anyway," you finally chimed over his shoulder.

Echo's eyes widened at your raised voice, his hurried voice muttering your name in surprise. "What are you doing?" His brown eyes glanced between you and the Twi'lek nervously as you walked around to place yourself between the two of them.

"I don't think he'd have trouble pleasing anyone that had the decency to see past a few war scars. But clearly, that isn't you, you'd only be a waste of his time." The knuckles of your fingers began to ache because of your clenched fists and only at Echo's gentle touch did you relax.

The soft voice you'd come to rely on whispered past the music into your ear, "Cyare, please, it's not that big of a deal, really." Though his tone was even you could tell he'd been embarrassed that you'd overheard the conversation.

"It is though, Echo. You don't deserve to be spoken to that way just because you don't want to whore around for the night." You defended sharply, throwing a look back at him then quickly pinning the Twi'lek to her spot once more. "He has plenty of satisfying features, I'll have you know. He's funny, loyal, protective. He loves his brothers fiercely. He doesn't shy away in the face of danger. He's the first to answer when help is needed, he's reliable, and a wonderful man who deserves more than what most people give him."

Condescending giggles rippled over her pink lips as she covered them, a manner of mischievous glee sparkling in her eyes as she watched the protective display. "You defend him as if you two fuck."

A burn crept up your neck and into your cheeks at the allegation but you couldn't slow your words quickly enough before you said, "I'd be damn lucky if we did."

Echo's grip on your arm flexed at your statement, tentatively pulling you back toward him to de-escalate the rising frustration in you. "Cyare, maybe that's enough." He whispered again.

"You two are cute. No wonder he didn't want to sleep with me. Whatever," the Twi'lek waved you off noncommittally, then pushed herself off of the bar. "There are other handsome men around who need my attention." And with a subtle flip of her lekku, she merged with the swaying crowd.

Frustration simmered beneath your surface as you watched her disappear, more nasty remarks popping into your mind after the confrontation was over. "Stupid, nasty-"

"Cyar'ika," Echo's warm voice broke your hostility, his fingers raising your chin to meet his eyes, "what was all that about?" The pale brown hues narrowed in concern as if you had just been in a serious altercation on his behalf and were injured in some way. "It's not like that doesn't happen all the time, what with the regs calling us defective," his laughter dying as he noticed your soured expression.

You crossed your arms over your chest indignantly, "Just because people insult you, Echo, doesn't mean it's okay. You don't deserve to be treated that way. By anyone." The reassuring brush of his hand- passing from your chin to your shoulder- made you even more upset as if he were okay with being so dehumanized by someone. You pushed his hand away, not because you were offended by his touch- far from it- but because you needed him to take your words to heart. "And stop with the Mando'a, you know I don't understand what you're saying. I'm being serious right now, ya know? You're not a droid. You're you. You're Echo."

The slight tilt of his head made your heart lock up as he smiled at you. He didn't say anything, he just stood there, the pale brown of his eyes highlighted by greens and blues from the bar. It was something you two often did, communicate with just a few looks, something that Crosshair had hissed and griped about, witnessing it on multiple occasions. As the two of you stood there silently for a moment, you began to notice his smile shift and the color of his cheeks showed a little darker. "A-About what you said to her-"

Your entire world came raging back, the music suddenly too loud for you to think properly. "O-Oh right! The...uh-"

"F-Feeling lucky if the two of us-"

You hummed in agreement, with his sentence, not your earlier sentiment. Not that if you thought about it long enough you would've disagreed with your truthfulness brought on by impulse. In fact, you had thought about it quite a lot since meeting the Arc Trooper. You couldn't help yourself, really… he was quite literally amazing at nearly everything he did. He was fluid on the battlefield, quick to make decisions, soft, and compassionate when someone needed comforting. He walked around as if the horrors of his dreams didn't haunt him, opting instead to care even more for those around him. Echo was a man of honor and you marveled at how he carries himself. Not to mention being in close quarters with him, or any of the Batch really, only heightened your ever-growing desire toward him. It was practically inescapable to see someone either in their blacks, partially dressed, or completely naked while on the Marauder. You had seen Hunter and Wrecker shirtless on more than a few occasions and even once seen Tech remove his blacks to use the fresher, and nothing was really wrong with any of those instances. Though the one that lingered in your mind, that just kept nagging at you when you were particularly desperate to reach out and have his pale hand touch you, was when you'd walked in on Echo after he'd finished in the sonic. You thought Crosshair had been the last one to use the fresher and hadn't seen anyone else take a turn, but when you pressed the button revealing the cybernetic clone with just a towel hanging around his waist you froze. You could've acted normal about it, muttering an apology and turning around but you'd only stood there floundering.

And that was how you reacted in this very same instance- dumbstruck and speechless- as your cheeks and ears burned desperately.

Clearing his throat, jolting your attention back to his face, Echo rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "Well, we can just forget about it. I'm sure it seriously threw her off when you said that, so that was a good tactic." He joked kindheartedly, eyes closing in that familiar charming, laid-back smile of his.

He honestly thought you were joking. Or just trying to defend him by saying anything that sounded good.

Maybe that was okay.

Maybe you could get away with not making anything awkward between the two of you. Maybe he saw how anxiously you reacted when he brought it back up and was gracious enough to drop it for your sake.

But was that fair?...

He deserved to know how handsome he was, just as much as any of his brothers- 99 or otherwise.

"Besides, like she said- whether it was meant as an insult or not- I'm a mangled mess. We can't have you wasting your good looks on me, now can we?" Echo tapped the tip of your chin with his hand gently, winking mirthfully at you.

He was being serious.

He didn't have any clue how desperate you were some nights to call out to him. Echo genuinely thought he was unwanted and he harbored it like a man devised for loneliness.

Never reciprocating his humor or obliging him in his self-deprecation, you remained stern, eyes locked with his handsome pale face. "I would fuck you right now in the middle of 79's if I knew we wouldn't get banned from the only clone bar on Coruscant."

Disbelief filled the clone's expression, eyes dilated to the size of Tech's goggles, his cheeks flushing a red bright enough to rival the neon lights. It was a terrifying leap to take, conveying these tight-lipped secrets you'd been carefully preserving but if it made Echo understand that he was just as desirable as any other man- clone, Jedi, or otherwise- then you'd shout it at every single person in the bar tonight. Your name fell from his lips in an airy exhale, frantically his eyes searched for any sign of banter or sarcasm but he was only met with decisiveness in your returning stare. "You..." he breathed again, deliberately slowing his racing heart, "You're being serious." At your resolute nod, brows furrowed and eyes stern, Echo looked down at himself critically. "B-But, I-"

"Do I need to prove it to you?" you provoked.

Echo's bewildered stare snapped back to your face, brows raised high in astonishment. "Pro-Prove it?"

Again you nodded with resolve. "You deserve it just as much as Hunter. I'll prove it to you right-" and before you could finish your sentence you were yanked forward away from the bar, weaving through the crowd. Echo's pale hand gripping your upper arm tightly enough not to lose you amongst the moving bodies. Confused but curious, you followed his lead.

Pulled to one of the single restrooms you felt yourself being slung inside, Echo behind you now, locking the door. The dingy lights were also a staple in the small room, the most of the illumination coming from the neon lights outside the high window. "Echo, what in the galaxy-"

"Say it again." His voice rushed as you turned to meet his urgent but dangerously narrowed eyes, the low tone startling you.

You knew he was referring to what you had said by the bar, but which part, in particular, left you timid to respond. "Say what again?" You finally managed, anxiously fiddling with a loose string on your pants.

The clone across the room looked positively possessed as he took only a single step toward you. "Tell me you want me." Echo pressed, the gravel to his voice making you shiver. "Please," his whispered demand nearly lost to the bass rumbling the walls.

This was certainly not where you had envisioned the night to go when you agreed to come out with your squad mates, but as you took a breath, you dove right into the dream. "I want you, Echo." And with the speed of an Arc Trooper, the man descended on you, pressing you into the wall. His body crowded around you, leaving no room to breathe in anything but him as his lips furiously pursued yours. Though he seemed desperate in his actions, there was a hesitation you felt in him. He was leaning against the wall by his arms, keeping himself just a hair's breadth away, afraid to touch you. Pulling back enough to speak against his lips, your hand found his cheek. "Touch me, Echo, please," your own plea a whisper.

His breath shook against your mouth as he faltered, "I-I'm afraid of ruining this…" His sincerity was the fear of a desolate man. "It's been so long… way before I looked-"

Reaching up beside you where his arms lay against the wall, gently guiding his hand and scomp-link to your body. "You can't ruin anything for me, I promise. I've been wanting this for so long, just touch me." A breathy exhale that sounded like a soft chuckle washed over your face at himself and to keep him from overthinking anymore you surged forward to press yourself against him fully- lips connecting.

The kiss you shared this time, was less desperate and hasty, instead imbued with passion and certainty as your tongue came out to greet his bottom lip. Mandalorian curses escaped under Echo's breath, voice trembling as he did, welcoming the dance you challenged. "I can't believe you want me… How could you want me?" Disbelief greeted you as you kissed him again trying somehow to get your affections across.

"How could I not?" Your simple reply caused him to look at you squarely, again searching your face as if he could find some hint of sarcasm or deception- but he found none. With a warm smile, you started unstrapping your armored chest piece and undressing from your standard issue GAR clothes. "Like I told the Twi'lek," you started as you set the clothes on a bar beside you, trying to maintain your composure with intense brown eyes observing you eagerly. "You're loyal, and kind. Funny as hell, adorable when you get embarrassed, charming when you aren't feeling too tired to banter around with me or your brothers," the last one made him chuckle a bit but it died off when the last of your clothes fell away and you stepped back up to him. "And no matter what's going on down here," you glanced down to where his codpiece sat, "I know you'll satisfy me completely."

"Kriff..." Echo stammered softly at the warmth of your hands reaching to unclasp his armor, a questioning look in your eyes. He grinned timidly, "I didn't think at this point you'd even feel the need to ask, cyare," to which you went at undressing him, yourself. Upon lowering yourself to the floor to undress his lower half, even with him imploring you to not get on the bathroom floor for him, you marveled when his blacks were pulled past his thighs.

"Well, color me surprised," your wistful voice made the clone groan in embarrassment as he covered his mouth with his hand, looking away bashfully. "Looks like you won't be disappointing anyone, will you, Echo?" You teased, glancing between the adorably sheepish look on his face and the solid cock that greeted you. Nothing amiss whatsoever. How could he be so insecure when he harbored this under his blacks?

Echo shifted on his robotic legs, anxiously, "There's no need for the commentary, cyar'ika," he complained, his voice deeper than usual as he stole glances at you between his legs as if he were caught watching something he shouldn't.

Smirking, you shrugged nonchalantly up at him, "Guess I'll just have to keep my mouth busy then." Your tongue splayed out over your bottom lip to experimentally lick at the head of his cock, reveling in the shaking gasp that escaped the clone.

"Oooh, k-kriff," Echo groaned helplessly, eyes screwing shut at the feeling blitzing through him like a barrage of blaster fire. The way his husky voice stretched out your name made your body ache for his touch.

You wanted more.

All of it.

All of him.

Your tongue danced along from the base to the tip a few times, placing delicate kisses here and there over his pale skin. It was sweet, watching him enjoy himself with such a small form of affection. The way his eyes fluttered every time your tongue swiped over the tip, how his teeth found purchase on the skin of his bottom lip to keep himself from making too many sounds. "Y-You gotta stop t-teasing me, mesh'la, please..." Echo breathed desperately, hand falling to the back of your head.

"Please, what, handsome?" The naïveté in your tone betrayed the way your eyes twinkled dangerously up at him and made him groan again, hand coming around to thumb your bottom lip, mesmerized by you.

"Please suck my cock." Desire finally blossomed in his eyes, the adorable timidness dissipating and giving way to a man who hungered for more. "I want to feel your mouth around me… I've wanted that for so long."

The admission surprised you, but you couldn't focus on it for too long before you acquiesced and took his cock into your mouth as far as you could before he hit the back of your throat. Echo choked out a moan at your motion, feeling the way your mouth warmed his skin, your tongue lapping around him. "S-So long… oooh, kriff. Wanted to feel your pretty mouth suck me off."

The filth murmuring from his pale lips was only fueling your lust as you hollowed your cheeks and started to bob your head back and forth on him. "I-I can't believe this isn't one of my-my dreams, oh fuck," Echo whispered as he looked down to meet your gaze, groaning at the hazy look in your eyes and whispering an astounded 'look at you' as his hand pressed into the back of your head. His hips thrust, against his better judgment, shoving himself further into your throat provoking a moan from the both of you simultaneously. Tears pricked the corners of your eyes as you relaxed, allowing him to fuck into your mouth at his leisure, the sounds he makes stirring you up more.

You pull back to catch your breath, a string of drool trailing from your tongue to his soaked cock. "You've dreamed of me sucking your dick, have you?"

"I've dreamed of many sinful things concerning you, cyare." Echo's voice was solid as he pulled you up by your arm, crushing his mouth to yours in a searing kiss. His tongue tasted yours for a moment, scomp pressing into your lower back so you were flush with him. The large expanse of his hand explored your body, mapping every scar and dip of skin to commit to his memory. "Your body is even better than I could've fantasized it; much softer, stronger." He whispered against your neck, placing warm open-mouthed kisses along it.

"Echo," you breathed out his name, his mouth dizzying you. "Show me what you've dreamed… I want to know."

The chuckle that escaped through his lips and fell over your skin sounded dangerous as if you asked him to show you his crimes. "Bend over for me then," the drawl of your name spurred a whine from you that made him grin and you spun around in his arms to place your hands steadily against the bar drilled into the wall. "Kriff, and I thought the sight of you sucking my dick was going to make me cum..." Echo muttered from behind you, his hand brushing down the curve of your spine, admiring the way goosebumps chased after his fingertips. "This view is sure to ruin me."

"Echo, please," you whined over your shoulder at him. The sudden change in power lost on you as you shifted your hips back to meet his, yearning for some sort of relief. Teasing him had done a number on both of you and you needed him to relieve you somehow.

"Looks like I can't deny how badly you want me now, can I, cyar'ika?" The cybernetic clone chuckled from behind you, leaning his tall body over your back to whisper, "Not when you beg for my dick like that." The warmth of his breath tickled the back of your neck and you moaned at the feeling. Without any more taunting, Echo finally leaned away from you to watch himself slip inside of you. "Shit… look at how you take me," he sounded nearly astonished by how his cock disappeared inside, appreciating the sight before him- second only to how you choked his dick.

"Stars, Echo," you moaned desperately, wincing at the stretch of him inside of you, panting as you took more as he pushed deeper inside. "M-More, please, fuck me Echo, please."

"Greedy, aren't you," Echo teased lightheartedly, chuckling at how you begged for him to take you. He seemed to be enjoying himself as he sank into you fully, his typical jovial attitude returning. It wasn't even as if he were teasing you in an expected sexy way. He was teasing you as if he caught you with your hand in the ration box, looking to take extras. The feeling of his cock dragging inside of you as he gradually pulled out to just the tip and then just as slowly pushed himself back in nearly made you sob at the burning fixation for him to shatter you. "I love feeling you like this. I can't believe you want this as much as I do. Kriff, you are stunning. Everything you do floors me." You continually whined his name as he spoke, moving in and out of you at an agonizingly slow pace then you felt his hand brush up your back and grip your shoulder tightly as if bracing himself. "You're the reason I said no to the Twi'lek. I just want this, only this," he moaned as he pulled out one last time before stopping, whispering, "Only you," then hammering into you at a fracturing pace.

"Oh fuck, Echo!"

"That's it," Echo praised in his warm encouraging tone, your name falling from his lips like a tribute as he drives his cock into you over and over until you were almost screaming. His stamina was devastating, the force behind his thrusts calamitous as your body rocked against his. "What a breathtaking sight you are taking me like this, kriffing hells. I'm gonna cum," Echo stammered as his hips faltered narrowly.

You'd hardly been able to process anything he'd been saying, too deafened by the passion though you felt his hips shift a bit, slowing their pace and you begged, "Inside, inside please."

"Maker, y-you can't say it l-like that," Echo chided with a choked moan, "I-I," and with a shocked gasp, Echo's hips stilled as they pressed into you. The Mandalorian praises that intermingled with your name, the way his mouth fell to your shoulder, leaving open-mouthed kisses, everything coalesced to a white flash shooting through your body. A sob of his name reverberated off of the bathroom walls, echoing around the two of you as your release hit you. The force seemed to hit your knees and you faltered on your feet but were caught quickly by Echo's scomp-link arm, reeling you back into him.

"Careful there," the smile in his voice evident as he nosed at your temple, pressing a few gentle kisses along your cheek. "Just relax, I gotcha." The gentleness of his touches weaved around you, lulling you against his firm body and the mechanical parts cool against your hot skin. "Sorry, I know some of the pieces might be prodding you." He winced at the thought abruptly.

You shook your head in response, steadying yourself against him by wrapping your arms around his neck and nuzzling closer. "Perfect… You're cool, it feels good, don't move."

Echo

You are alone with Echo. It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, but it's not too warm. Pleasant conditions for working on the outer hull of the Marauder. It's nice to be alone with Echo, you can talk to him, his attention is only on you and the work you're doing together. It's not often that you're alone together, and every time you do, you promise yourself to talk to him about how you feel about him. But every time you back out and don't tell him. He is always attentive to you, polite, a gentleman, he is anything but dismissive, and yet you are very nervous every time. Today, however, you are determined to confess your feelings to Echo, you just don't really know how. You decide to try dipping your toes in the water first. It seems like a good idea to test what he thinks. A tentative, “Hey Echo,” escapes your lips. He smiles.

“Yeah?” You think for a moment about how you should phrase the sentence before you speak. You want to say the right thing and get an answer from him that you can do something with. “Have you ever thought about looking for a partner? You know, now that we live on Pabuu and all.” Echo raises his eyebrows in surprise and pauses in his work. His eyes wander back and forth thoughtfully for a moment, then his brows draw together critically, and you watch him carefully, feeling the nervousness creeping up inside you again. “No, I haven't really thought about it, not seriously anyway. I spend most of my time working with Rex, with the rebellion. I haven't really retired like the rest of the squad. There's still far too much to do out there.” A quiet, thoughtful, “Hmm,” comes over your lips. That's not exactly what you wanted to hear. Suddenly he adds, “Apart from that, I'm not exactly a great catch, finding a partner might be difficult”

To emphasize his words, he taps his scomp-link arm against one of his artificial legs. You really didn't expect that, and you didn't want to hear it from him. You actually want to talk back and tell him how adorable he is and that anyone would be lucky to have him by their side, but you don't really dare, not yet. You blink, a little nervously. The feeling of heaviness settles in the pit of your stomach. Somehow you had imagined the course of this conversation to be different and, slowly but surely, your courage is failing you. But you don't want to give up just yet. “You've really never thought about it? There is no one who could have awakened this thought in you in any way? Someone who could arouse your interest?” You see his jaw muscles flex, he grinds his teeth, seeming to weigh the words he wants to say. Echo sighs softly and finally says, “No, not really” Your heart sinks for a moment, but then something unexpected happens. Crosshair, who is walking by in the background, grumbles softly, “Liar”

Echo turns around, startled. Irritated, he grumbles, “Where did you come from?” Crosshair continues walking, without turning around he shrugs his shoulders and says dryly, “From the depths of space” You both watch as Crosshair disappears around a corner of a house, then your eyes meet. A nervous smile twitches at the corners of your mouth, while Echo suddenly seems to have a little more color in his face. You ask, curious as well as nervous, “Does Crosshair know something I don't?” The thought that Echo might already have a secret love affair comes to you, and the heaviness in your stomach turns into a full-blown mountain. But of course you don't want to let it show, but you still want certainty. Echo scratches the back of his neck nervously with the scomp link. “Why are you so interested in this?” he asks back, "Any particular reason?"

You shrug your shoulders uncertainly, avoid his gaze and say quietly, almost in a whisper, “Maybe I was hoping you liked me as much as I like you” You hear his footsteps coming closer and finally look at him again. “That's why you asked? Because you like me, um, romantically?” You say meekly, “Maybe” Echo smirks. “ Won't you just admit it?” You bite your lower lip as you feel the smirk infect you. You ask bolder than you feel, “What do I get in return?” Echo looks at you mischievously and takes one of your hands in his. “How about the first of many kisses?”

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Echo walked through the corridors, passing what he knew were squads of his fellow troopers with faces identical to his, except his dreaming made them blurry, not fully formed. He passed the gangly Kaminoan’s, their large eyes prominent in the haze of their figures, which seemed to blend with the clinical white of the walls. He didn’t exactly know where he was walking until his feet took him to the junior cadet barracks, the ones he and his brothers shared in their brief childhood.

It was surreal seeing it now, as he walked in, the shapes of the beds and the curves of the walls more defined than the hallways, more distinct in his mind. He took it all in, breathing in the scentless air. The last time he was here, he didn’t even have his name yet – none of them did.

The beds were so much smaller than he remembered. He smiled and sat down on one. He ran a hand he shouldn’t have over the cloth blanket, its fibers feeling as familiar as his own skin. An ache formed in his chest for all he had lost.

The door whooshed open, and his head shot in the direction of the noise. It was then he saw himself run in and climb onto the nearest bed, pulling his knees to his chest and burying his face in his arms.

Echo blinked in surprise.

His child self was curled into a ball, as tight as he could manage, and Echo could only see the curly dark hair of his head. He remembered he used to do that when he got overwhelmed, but he couldn’t remember when he stopped. He watched his child self grip onto the sleeves of his standard issue cadet uniform tightly, the knuckles on his little hands white.

His child self didn’t see him and made no moves to show that he knew Echo was there at all. It was strange to see himself like this. To see a snapshot of the person he was for a short amount of time.

Echo slowly stood up, the urge to know what it was that made his child self cry when the door opened again, and his breath got caught in his throat and his eyes stung when he saw who it was that stepped in the door.

This was not just a dream, but a memory.

Fives’s tiny face was the same as his had been, except his brother’s seemed to be perpetually twisted into a smirk, and if it wasn’t, it itched at the corners of his mouth, ready to bloom at a moment’s notice. But his face now held no impishness, instead, his small brows were furrowed as his gaze landed on his brother’s curled-up body on the bed.

“Hey, 21-0408, why the long face?”

Echo had to sit down and cover his mouth with a hand to stop the sob that dared to escape his throat. His brother’s voice, albeit that of his child self, felt so incredibly comforting. He thought he’d never hear it again, even if it was that little boy’s voice that all clones had as young cadets. To Echo, it just sounded like him; like Fives; like it did in his fuzzy memories.

His childhood had been a fleeting blur of training programs and accelerated growth, so he didn’t remember much of it. But he didn’t forget moments like this, where his brother’s love had engulfed him.  

Echo watched his child self slowly peek his eyes out from his arms at his older brother.

“Go away,” Little Echo mumbled.

“Come on, 21-0408,” Little Fives said and climbed up onto the bed next to him, trying to pry open his arms. “What’s wrong?”

Little Echo ripped his arm away and wiped his tear-stained face and nose with his sleeve. Echo grimaced as he saw the dark line that now appeared on the red fabric. He forgot kids could be gross sometimes, even himself.

“I said, go away, 27-5555,” Little Echo grumbled. “I want to be alone.”

Little Echo had no idea just how much time he would spend alone.

“Why?” Of course, Fives never let up about anything, even as a child.

Little Echo scowled at his shoes on the bed. “I…I keep messing up…”

“This module is hard, vod’ika,” Little Fives placed a hand on Little Echo’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Fives was barely older than Echo, but his older brother never let him forget it. With the Mando’a nickname ‘little brother’ sticking to Echo for practically as long as he’d known Fives. He pretended to hate it, and he’d give anything to hear it again. So, hearing it now, Echo’s heart seized. He wanted to grab his younger self by the shoulders and tell him to treasure the nickname; to never roll his eyes and pretend to hate it; to call Fives ori’vod in return because he knew he’d get a kick out of it.

“But everyone’s good at this module except me…” Little Echo voiced quietly, not entirely convinced.

Echo tried to wrack his brain for what module his younger self was talking about, but his dreaming made it too hazy to pinpoint; like if his subconscious ventured too far away from the scene in front of him it would fizzle away, and his dream would move onto something else. And he wanted to stay in this for as long as he could.

“You’ll get it eventually; it just takes practice,” Little Fives reassured.

“I’m going to fail…and never be a soldier…” his younger self sniffled. Echo saw his eyes gloss over again with unshed tears.

“Don’t talk like that,” Little Fives chastised, punching him lightly in the shoulder, a furious look on his face. “You’ll be fine. I’ll help you.”

Little Echo’s face lit up with hope. “You will?”

Little Fives nodded. “That’s what brothers do. We look out for each other; have each other’s backs.”

Echo watched his younger self sniffle as he looked at his older brother, who gave him a reassuring smile.

“Promise?” he said.

“Promise,” Little Fives said with so much conviction, that it made Echo’s heart squeeze again. He was always so sure of everything, never faltering – not even for a second. Once Fives believed in something, he didn’t waver. Ever.

Little Echo smiled, and wrapped his arms around his brother, who hugged him tightly. Echo watched them embrace, anchoring themselves to each other. He didn’t realise he was crying until he felt a tear fall on his hands in his lap. He reached up to wipe them away, scoffing lightly at himself.

“Hey, Echo, why the long face?”

Echo’s heart seemed to expand and stop as he turned around, seeing Fives standing there behind him several metres away. He turned back to where their younger selves sat on the bed and saw they had vanished, that the room had melted away into a long bright endless plane.

“Fives?” Echo wiped his face again and he saw Fives grin at him, before walking over. Echo blinked around the tears to take the sight of him. His figure was much clearer than anything else he’d seen so far in his dreams. Fives was adorned in his ARC trooper armour; helmet tucked under his arm with a proud smile stretched across his face. He willed his subconscious to stay in this moment, that it would be cruel to rip him from it with no warning. He needed time with him.

“Don’t look so happy to see me,” Fives joked when he came closer, his mouth quirked in that smirk that was so incredibly familiar seeing it felt like coming home.

Echo laughed tearfully. “Your ugly face is just so scary, I can’t help but cry.”

Fives threw his head back in a loud guffaw before punching Echo lightly on the arm. “It’s good to see you, vod’ika.”

Echo’s heart filled with so much warmth at the affection. “Good to see you too, Fives.”

Fives smiled at him before Echo asked, “What are you doing here?”

Fives didn’t respond, he just looked at Echo thoughtfully. Echo cleared his throat and shook his head. “When they found me on Skako Minor and you weren’t with them…”

He felt Fives’s heavy hand land on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. “I know. But I’m here now.”

Echo felt his lip tremble and he willed himself to take a breath. “I missed so much time with you.”

Fives shook his head. “Don’t think about that.”

“How can I not? I missed everything. I missed…”

“I wouldn’t have wanted you to see that anyway.”

He didn’t need to say the words for Echo to know what he was referring to.

“I…I would’ve believed you.”

“Then you would be dead too.”

Clones were conditioned not to linger on the losses of their fellow brothers. It was the nature of what they were bred for. Born knowing they would die. They were taught to take a moment to mourn, then to keep going. There was no time to let the grief linger in war.

But this was much harder than Echo had been conditioned to think.

Echo’s grief for losing Fives was too complicated for that. Echo lost Fives after the fact. He was mourning him outside of the mourning period, outside of the war. And it was something he didn’t know how to handle. The grief could sit for longer, dawdle almost now that there wasn’t another mission to focus on instead. And it was painful. A never-ending agony that oscillated between a dull ache to suffocating sharpness in the hole of his chest.

Fives had been a constant in his life, from cadets to losing their squad on Rishi Moon, to joining Rex in the 501st, all the way until the fateful night of the Citadel rescue. Fives had been there for all of it. Even thereafter, in the brief lucid moments in cryostasis on Skako, his thoughts would drift to his ori’vod. So, to be released into that mourning, to realise he was free, but without his beloved brother by his side was lonelier than stasis had been.

And hearing how exactly Fives met his end had not made it any easier. It was the unfairest of deaths, and that knowledge almost hurt more. That he wasn’t there. How if he had been, it may have gone differently.

There were so many moments where Echo would think of something he wanted to tell Fives, only to realise a moment later that he couldn’t. It was a cycle of remembering he was gone. Those milliseconds of bliss, before he remembered, were bookended by the searing hurt. And there was no one to share that hurt with.

Rex was elusive in his hiding and had gone through his mourning period. And though Clone Force 99 had provided him with a home, a comradery, that he was grateful for, they had not lost anyone the way Echo had lost Fives. They didn’t fully understand.

Echo just wanted the one person who understood him, who knew him inside and out.

In other, much less complicated words, Echo missed Fives so, so much.

And at those lowest moments when he missed him; when the aching felt never-ending and moving forward felt futile, Echo imagined what it would’ve been like had they both found their ends together. How much easier it would’ve been on his heart, to know that his brother was with him even in death. That if there was an afterlife, it would be spent together. That their hearts had stopped at the same time, one not forced to go on without the other helping keep it in rhythm.

The galaxy had not been so kind to grant him that.

“I…I know,” Echo replied quietly, his throat thick.

He watched Fives’ face study him for a moment before his brow settled into a crease, and his hand tightened on Echo’s shoulder. “Echo…don’t be sad.”

Echo looked at him with disbelief. He could see all the texture in his face and feel the puff of breath against his nose. It was as if he wasn’t dreaming at all. “How…how can I not be sad? You’re not here.”

“No, but you are. You have a second chance, Echo. A second chance to live.”

Echo shook his head. “You should be here too.”

“Maybe. But my path was different to yours. You finally get a chance to choose what you do with your life. Nobody else; you, vod’ika. That freedom I was fighting for? You have it now. You have for both of us. Do something good with it. Something we’d both be proud of.”

Echo looked at his brother searching his face for something he couldn’t name. Maybe he wasn’t searching at all, but memorising. Memorising the look Fives was giving him now; the pride, the unwavering belief he had in him. He hadn’t seen it in such a long time. No one had expected anything of him in just as long.

“Promise me you will, Echo.”

He didn’t even need to think about it. “I promise.”

Echo could feel the waking world calling him, so before Fives faded away, he wrapped his arms around his brother. Fives dropped his helmet and didn’t hesitate to embrace Echo back. Arms tightly holding each other, hearts pressed together and beating in time. Echo could feel Fives’s solid chest and his warmth as if he were awake. Everything felt right in the brief, brief moment. That anchor had returned. That pain in his heart had dulled in his dreaming and been replaced with the warmth of his brother he’d been wishing for. He gripped the edges of his brother’s armour, afraid to let go, to leave this moment. But knew he had to. He’d made a promise.

“I love you, Fives,” he choked out.

He felt Fives’s palm run over his hair as he spoke against his ear. “I know. I love you too. Remember, I’m looking out for you.”

Echo jolted awake. His chest heaved as he tried to remember where he was, and his body ached like it just run a marathon. Across the small corridor, Wrecker slept, soft snores sounding. The nightlight in Omega’s space glowed softly through the curtains, and Hunter had fallen asleep on the floor, his back leaning on the wall next to the ladder, no doubt guarding their sister’s bad dreams. He could hear Tech tinkering away in the cockpit, on watch as they flew through hyperspace. Where was Crosshair?

Oh. Right.

Echo ran a hand over his face and turned towards the wall, his eyes stinging with tears. He curled in on himself, wrapping his arms around his middle, ignoring the bulk of his scomp. He tried to preserve the warmth he felt from his dreams which threatened to evaporate in the chill of hyperspace. He pressed his eyes shut, willing himself to go back into that dream, to return to Fives and get one last look at him, but it was no use. He was here. And Fives was there, or somewhere.

It could’ve been a few minutes or an hour when he heard a voice. “Echo?”

He turned to see Tech looking down at him in his bunk, adjusting his goggles. “What is it, Tech?”

“I’m afraid it’s your turn on watch.”

“Great. Thanks,” Echo grumbled.

He tried to inconspicuously wipe his eyes as he swung his metal legs out of the bunk and stood up, stretching his neck. He watched Tech remove his goggles and rub his eyes and sat down on the edge of Echo’s bunk. They had limited space, and Echo didn’t mind sharing.

“Sweet dreams,” Echo told him as Tech lay down, falling asleep almost immediately, as he tended to do.

Echo walked to the cockpit and shut the door so the light from their travels wouldn’t disturb the others. He sat in the pilot’s seat and sighed, putting his head in his hand, no hair on his head to clasp as he tried to recentre himself. He took in some steady breaths, focusing on a screw in the floor panelling. He did everything he could to quell the turning of his stomach and the throbbing in his chest. Just as quickly as it had filled in his dream, the waking world had returned that giant hole in his chest, seemingly aware that something had filled it again briefly, and now it felt the absence more.

When would this feeling of emptiness end?

The Marauder shifted in its hyperspace travels, tilting off course slightly, triggering some alarms. Echo immediately sprang into action, and his hand and scomp grabbed the controls to steady the ship. With a frown, he checked the stabilisers and saw they needed recalibrating. Didn’t Tech just deal with this after they’d left Ordo Moon mere hours ago? He tried and failed not to get annoyed – he just needed to fix this, and quickly so they didn’t veer off course and fall into a star. He sighed, knowing they’d have to come out of hyperspace for these repairs. Maybe the ship had been more damaged than he thought.

Echo slowly pulled back the hyperdrive lever and the ship came to a halt in open space. He hoped no one woke up with the disturbance and that this wouldn’t take long. They didn’t have time to waste. He placed the Marauder in idle whilst he scomped in and started recalibrating. It was a lot easier now that Tech had upgraded his cerebral interface, so there was less strain on him. He was able to scomp in and load up the commands without much effort. As the commands processed through the system, he watched the stabilisers respond and recalibrate in his mind’s eye.

It was then he felt a shiver run up his spine.

A monitor beeped, interrupting his realignment, and Echo looked at a screen searching for the alert among the pop-ups when he noticed the time.

05:55. Echo’s breath hitched.

He heard the door behind him slide open but didn’t look away from the monitor. He couldn’t.

“Everything okay in here? I felt something,” Hunter’s voice thick with sleep asked.

Echo kept his gaze on the numerals, and he allowed himself to smile, that warmth he’d been longing for slowly filling the hole in his chest.

“It will be,” he told Hunter.

Fives was keeping his promise, so Echo would too.

banner art by @vimse thank you for reading! <3

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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.

“Is everyone ready?” You questioned as you looked around at the five men standing in front of you, “Once we go inside, there’s no turning back.” 

There was a small series of nods from the members of the Bad Batch, all of them looking fairly confident in the job that they were about to perform. You all were to sneak into a Trade Federation formal party here at a hotel in Coruscant. Being a spy for the Republic during the Clone Wars, this was a fairly typical mission for you, but this certain mission required a team. You loved being able to get Clone Force 99 to help you when they were available.

 Your target was a man by the name of Redarr Berenk, who was high up in the rankings under Nute Gunray's personal team of coworkers. You were to blend in with the party and seek out Redarr and gather as much information as you could about the rumors of a new model of battle droid being in the works. If the rumors are true, it will cause much deviation to all the clones battling out on the front lines. 

"We should be landing shortly," Tech announced once he sat himself back in the pilot's seat. 

"Good. Once we land, Echo and I will go in the front door to check in and the rest of you will wait for me at the back so we can sneak you in." You said calmly, your hand resting on the back of the pilot's seat, watching Tech pilot the Havoc Marauder to its designated landing platform. The ship landed with a groan and a hiss, it was a very minimal landing compared to other landings Tech had done with you aboard. Only you and Echo stepped off the ship. The rest of Clone Force 99 stayed hidden and silent on the ship. You walk through the front doors with Echo right behind you. You were dressed in what was considered business casual for someone who works with or for the senators of the grand Republic. Echo was in his usual kit, acting as a bodyguard for you who was specially commissioned by the senators of the Republic. 

“Checking in?” The twi'lek clerk asked behind the desk; She barely looked up from her terminal in front of her. 

“Yes. My rooms should be under the name Jay Lanni.” You said calmly falling easily into a professional facade like you have done on many missions before, “If it is not under that, try under Senator Riyo Chuchi. I am here representing her on this occasion, after all.”

The twi’lek glanced up from her terminal, her purple eyes looking at you and then glancing over your shoulder at Echo who stood behind you, “If it is just the two of you, why are you getting two rooms?”

You acted offended, “Well, ma’am, that is none of your business. I very much like my own privacy, if you are that persistent in your curiosity.” 

The cleric flinched a little, realizing her mistake, and quietly started to continue her job of checking you into your rooms. She was fairly quick in handing you your keys, shyly telling you to have a nice stay. You thanked her and walked away with Echo following you right behind you. You heard Echo activate his comlink in his headpiece when he saw that there was no one around to hear them, “We have the keys, be ready at the back door.”

“Very good.” You hear Tech’s voice as you activated your own, “I have currently disabled all cameras on our route to our rooms. Hopefully, we will not raise any suspicion.” 

“Good job. Hey Wrecker, remember that this is a stealth mission right now. So no sounds.” You respond calmly, making your way over to the back entrance, hearing a small whine from the big man over the comm channel. You looked around your surroundings of the luxury apartment and made sure the coast was clear before tapping the hotel key on the door panel to open the glass door. It swished open and the rest of the boys made their way into the building. With you on point and Hunter bringing up the rear, you guide the squad through the rich hallways to the elevator to take you all to the floor level where your rooms were. 

The elevator pinged to your floor and everyone piled out, making it quick to the doors assigned to you and the rest of the squad. You handed one of the keys to the first room to Hunter and you went to the other. You watched Hunter open the first room and the rest of Clone Force 99 pushed their way into the hotel room, you opened your own with ease and closed the door behind you. Luckily this room had easy access to the room next to you with the other boys. You opened the door that connected the two rooms and was greeted by Crosshair who just gave you a small smirk and moved away.

Both rooms were identical, minus the fact that they mirrored each other. Both of them had two large luxury beds, covered in very plush comforters and pillows. They both had huge bathrooms that had walk-in showers and deep bathtubs. The balconies that each room had were perfect for Crosshair’s part of the mission. He was to sit on another building and watch from afar with his sniper rifle, there to cause a distraction if things went a little haywire. Plus, he is your first eye in the sky with Tech who will be watching from the cameras. Wrecker and Hunter will be on standby, ready to charge in and get Echo and yourself out of the event if things went a little too crazy. Which you hope won't happen. 

"I'm going to scout," Crosshair announced, moving to the balcony door, and grabbing his rifle. 

"Wait," You called, stopping him in the doorway and handing him one of the room keys. He gave you a small nod and then climbed over the ledge to scout out a spot for him to set up and watch the event from afar. Tech started to set up his little hacker station on a desk in one of the rooms already working on getting into the camera system to monitor everything. 

"Hey, can we order food?" Wrecker piped in, already settling himself on one of the lush beds, his big body stretching out over it. You tell him sure and toss a tablet to him so he could order food for everyone. He smiles and instantly starts doing so. You go to your bag of stuff and head to the bathroom in the room that was not fully occupied by clones, “I’m going to start getting ready. Let me know when the tailored delivery is here.”

You hear an affirmative and leave the boys to their own devices. You know that more than likely, they will either be really good and everything will still be in one piece, or they will have everything scattered everywhere in a mess. Hopefully, the first option considering how nice the place is, but you know eventually they all will get bored. 

They seemed to be quiet for about an hour until you heard a soft knock on the bathroom door you left open. You glance up from the reflection of yourself over to Echo standing in the doorway holding two garment bags. You hopped down from the spot you were sitting on the counter where you were working on your makeup and walked over to him, taking one of the bags that was labeled for you. 

“Thank you.” You hummed, moving to hang up the bag, “Actually, while you’re here, can you help me with my holster?”

You reached over and grabbed your thigh holster that would eventually hold a blaster that could be easily concealed under your skirt. You were already wearing your legging shorts that would be under your dress. 

“Just need help with tightening it.” You explain lightly to the clone standing in front of you. He barely seemed hesitant, moving to hang up the bag that had his specialty-made tux for him for this event. He kneeled in front of you and took the holster from your hands. 

“You sure this isn’t a two-handed kind of job?” Echo teases, lightly reaching out to wrap the holster around your left thigh. You reached down, helping him place it where you wanted on your thigh. 

“Very funny.” You snorted, pulling on the straps, getting the holster tight enough so it won't move around on your thigh or fall with the added weight of the blaster. Once it was tight enough, Echo removed his touch from your thigh and stood up giving you a small smile. 

Out of all the clones you had ever worked with on your missions, Echo has always been the clone you have been the most comfortable around. There had been many late nights while traveling on the Havoc Marauder where you and Echo curled up in the gunner's mount, quietly conversing like teenagers about anything and everything. In the mornings, one of the other members of the batch would find you two leaning against each other asleep. If it wasn’t for the war and the constant looming fear that you may never see him again, you would probably consider him your best friend. 

Echo was always someone you could rely on. Someone who you could talk to about anything and everything and feel like he is doing the same thing in return. Someone who you could let your guard down around and see for just you and all your flaws. 

“Thank you.” You gave Echo a small smile in return, moving away from him to sit back up on the counter to finish putting on your makeup. Echo stood there for a second, watching you. He reached for his bag and moved to step out, “If there's anything else you need, let me know.”

“I need you to start getting dressed as well.” You teased him, which made him chuckle. He left the small fresher, probably headed to the one in the other room to get himself suited up. 

When you finished your makeup, you hopped off of the counter and moved to close the door. You pulled the dress that Senator Chuchi’s tailor had specially made for this assignment. It was a long, maroon dress where the sleeves were off the shoulders and the skirt had a slit in it for easy access to your blaster if needed. You removed your top already having been wearing the tight-fitted shorts that you would wear underneath the dress and pulled it on. Sighing to yourself, realizing that you would not be able to fully zip the zipper up your back, you left it for later. You grabbed the small, velvet box that held the jewelry that the tailor had picked out to match the dress. 

This entire outfit was way more formal than anything you would wear on an average day. If you never joined the army, you would have probably only dreamed of wearing something like this. You finished up everything you could do for yourself, grabbing your heels and making your way back into the main rooms of the hotel, searching out the first clone you could find, which happened to be Hunter. 

“Can I get some help?” You asked him nicely, turning your back to him and showing him the half-done zipper on your back. You felt his light touch on the fabric and the sound of the zipper sliding up your back. 

“This color suits you.” He complimented, removing his hands when he finished his task. You politely thanked him, moving to sit down at the foot of one of the beds to put the heels on your feet. Tech moved over from his little technology corner, handing you a small device. 

“Put this in your ear. No one should be able to notice it and I will be able to communicate with you through it.” Tech informed you. You smiled at him and thanked him, the device easily fitting in your ear. It was light and comfortable enough that you honestly might forget it's even there. Tech moved back to his computers and you heard some small beeping from the device for a moment and then Tech’s voice simply testing the audio functions. You let him know it was working and finished putting on your shoes. 

As you stood, Echo made his way out of the other fresser completely dressed in his tux. It was mostly black with the vest under the jacket that is maroon red to match your dress. His right sleeve was specially tailored for the scomp on his arm. Not entirely concealing it, but almost giving it its own special flare. He stopped looking at you in your dress, completely pausing his actions. 

“You… That color really suits you.” Echo said after a moment, almost as if he had to reboot things in his brain. You laughed lightly at his reaction. His words were very similar to Hunter’s complement earlier. 

“I could say the same thing for you.” You teased him, walking over to him to gently adjust the tie that was around his neck, “You clean yourself up nicely.” 

He did look very handsome while dressed formally. 

“You two have less than thirty minutes until the event starts,” Tech informed you, breaking your attention away from Echo for just a small moment. 

“Did I seriously take that long to get ready?” You gasped, looking back at the room. You now realized that Crosshair was already gone from the room with Wrecker lounging out on one of the beds. He looked like he was already asleep if you didn’t see a tracker on the holo pad showing the time left for food to arrive sitting right next to him on the pillow. You know that man will be up in a split second when he sees that the food has arrived.

Echo held out his arm to you, giving you one of his naturally handsome smiles, "We shouldn't keep Rendarr waiting." 

You smiled softly at him in return and took his arm. You opened the door to the room exit and stepped out. Behind you, you heard Hunter yell out something along the lines of “Don't party too hard,” which had you giggling. 

You and Echo made your way down to the formal event. The two of you blended in easily into the crowd of partygoers acting as one of the many couples in the event. It was always super easy to work with Echo on undercover ops. He obviously had past experience with him being an ARC Trooper. Some of the stories he told you about his past missions were unfathomable compared to most of your missions. Plus, the close friendship that you had made things so much easier. 

"I see Rendarr, northside of the bar. Looks to be ordering a drink." You heard Crosshair hiss over the coms. 

"Care for a drink?" You acted innocent as you pulled your mission partner with you toward the desired location of your target. You were quick to spot the man in the spot Crosshair had commed. You and Echo walk up to the bar and you waved the bartender down, ordering a glass of wine for each of you. 

Once you got your drink, you took a simple sip from it, getting your red lipstick on the glass. You watch your target, waiting for the perfect moment to grab his attention. When you spotted it, you discreetly tapped Echo twice, letting him know you were going to step away from him and he needed to watch you. 

"I don't think I have met you before." You pulled on your best persona to get this man's attention. It worked, he set down his empty glass on one of the trays of a server droid that passed by. 

"I'm Rendarr Berenk, the main assistant for Nute Gunray." He introduced himself, being fairly obvious that he was checking you out. You acted to not be phased by any of his actions, keeping your eyes focused on his, "May I ask who I have gotten the pleasure of speaking to?" 

"I am Jay Lanni, the representative for Senator Riyo Chuchi this evening." You responded pleasantly, giving him your best smile. 

"Oh really? I had not realized she was invited to events like this." He responded with genuine surprise. 

"Well, after what happened with the blockade on Pantora, the Trade Federation tends to invite her to events like this as an apology." You explained calmly, like this was common knowledge, "But Senator Chuchi is a very busy woman, so she sends me instead." 

The two of you break into light, formal conversation, making it seem that it is simple and easy for him to continue to converse with you. Eventually, he fell for your trap, asking you to dance. You gracefully accepted, taking his hand as he led you to the dance floor. 

Once there, you continued the conversation, trying to slowly work your way into getting the information you needed from the man. He seemed fairly resilient, only giving you vague answers. You started to get the feeling that this man might not have the information you needed. So you decided to call it, slipping your secret word into the conversation that would let Echo know to come and get you away. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him doing just that. Echo casually made his way over to the two of you. 

"May I take my dear friend for a dance?" Echo asked, holding his hand out for you to take. Rendarr made a look of surprise, probably not expecting you to have been here with someone. You politely thanked Rendarr for the dance and then took Echo's hand, letting him whisk you away further into the dance floor. 

"Well, that was a bust." You sighed, instinctively shifting closer as you danced now that you were with someone you considered to be comfortable with. You could smell his cologne now that he was closer to you, almost chest to chest. The two of you move in a simple dance, his hand holding yours and his scomp resting lightly on your hip. You had your free hand resting on his shoulder. Echo made a small hum of agreement in response to your words. You wouldn’t admit it out loud at this moment, but it's nice to have Echo out with you like this on this mission.

 “It might not fully be one.” You hear Tech chime in, in your earpiece, “There is a terminal in the basement, just under this event that might have some information that we need. I cannot get into it from here, but the computer has Rendarr’s name on it.” 

“It's worth a shot.” Echo hummed, his eyes already scanning around the party to find a way the two of you could slip out. You nodded your head in agreement, pointing at an exit you spotted. 

The two of you danced for about two more songs and then slipped away from the dancefloor. You kept your hand tight in Echo’s grip, letting him lead the two of you to the exit. The two of you managed to easily slip away without being noticed. You made your way to the elevator, hitting the button for the basement. 

“Where are we headed, Tech?” You called once you knew the coast was clear. 

“Once you reach the basement floor, you will head down the corridor. Take your first right and then the door should be the third one on your left.” He informed you. 

Bing. 

You and Echo step out into an empty corridor. The hallways were a lot duller than the rest of the hotel, making it obvious that this was mostly only to be seen by staff and maintenance crews. You shot a look over at Echo, sizing up how he was feeling about this. All you got was the normal determination that sits on his face when the group was on missions like this. 

“Let’s go.” You sigh and start down the hallway, your heels clicking softly on the tile flooring as the two of you walk. You reached the right turn and were about to turn down it, when Echo reached out, grabbed your arm, and pulled you back. The two of you hid in a small dip in the walls, bodies pressed to the cold surface.

Echo’s eyes were locked in with yours, his finger covering his mouth as a silent signal to stay quiet. Letting out a soft breath you realized you were holding, you listened closely. Down the hallway you were about to go down, there was the sound of two pairs of boots quietly patrolling toward the two of you. 

The two of you stayed silent, together in a close space listening for the guards to either turn away or go further down the hallway. They sounded like they were coming right this way. 

The look on Echo’s face was the same look he had given to you before. It was a look that told you he was going to be apologizing profusely to you after this. You raised an eyebrow at him, looking confused. 

Then, Echo leaned in. Right as when the guards turned the corner, Echo pressed his lips to yours. You were so shocked for one split second, you didn’t respond. But you quickly got the idea of what he was trying to do, so you pushed forwards kissing him back, and hard. Echo made a soft noise from the back of his throat, a similar sound of surprise when you first made yourself comfortable next to his body long ago in the gunner's mount of the Marauder.

He was quick to return the passion, taking your breath away, softly pressing his body up to yours as his hand and scomp held your hips. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling him close to your body. You could taste the wine the both of you had been drinking on his lips as you sucked on his bottom lip. 

The two of you kissed for a while, long enough to make you forget why you had started to kiss in the first place. You have to admit it, he was honestly an amazing kisser. Eventually, Echo pulled away, the both of you breathing deeply. He must have been somehow listening for the guard’s steps while kissing you to the point you went dumb. You could hear the guards now on the opposite side of where you needed to go. 

You found yourself quietly giggling, “Please tell me you’ve had to do that before on a different mission.”

Echo blinked, looking just a little surprised that you did not seem upset. He then made a small smirk, you saw that your lipstick was now smeared all over his lips as well, “No, I haven’t.”

“Well, I certainly am surprised.” You were still giggling. You reached into his jacket and found the handkerchief that you knew was in there and pulled it out, “You’ve got something on your face.” 

Echo made a look of confusion at first, but he quickly figured it out as you tried to rub the bright red lipstick from his face to make it less noticeable. He started to softly laugh as well making it a little difficult. Once you were satisfied, you handed him the cloth back to him. 

“So, you’re not upset?” He asked, trying to get a verbal confirmation that you were not upset at him for doing something first without your permission. You easily slid yourself out from between him and the wall, turning the corner, and heading to where you needed to be to complete the mission.

“How can I be, with a performance like that?” You gave him a smile, looking over your shoulder at him. He seemed stuck in place for a moment, his pale brown eyes locked on you. He quickly pulled himself out of whatever he was thinking and followed you with a smile on his face.

The two of you got to the office with ease after the first encounter. You found the terminal that Tech had mentioned sitting next to a desk in a very elaborate office. Echo had to take off his top tuxedo jacket to scomp into the terminal. He made a small frown as you watched his eyes dart left and right like he was reading text. 

“This might take a bit. There is a lot of information.” He hummed as he closed his eyes focusing on the data. You make a small hum letting him know you heard him and moved to sit on the opposite desk. You stayed quiet, listening for anyone who might approach the room and watch Echo as he worked. 

He stayed completely still besides his scomp link moving as the computer in his brain worked to find the information he needed. He would look over at you now and then, the only time his eyes would stop moving and focus once again on his surroundings. He would give you a small smile and then close his eyes again after a moment. You would return the smile, always fascinated with how Echo’s mind and body worked when his mind was deep into data. It was something you could probably watch for hours. Not out of curiosity, but more as an appreciation that this man, this living being, had gone through so much, and instead of succumbing to what has happened to him, he rather embraced it. You always admired his strength. 

Suddenly, you sat up straighter, hearing the sounds of approaching footsteps, “Echo, how fast can you get out?”

Echo’s pale brown eyes opened, looking over at you with concern. He instantly knew that someone was coming. 

“Not fast enough.” He grunted. 

Now it was time for you to do something crazy. You moved off of the desk for a moment, moving your body between Echo and the desk. It was a tight fit, but you hiked up your skirt, pulling yourself back onto the desk right in front of him. 

“Trust me.” You whispered, and Echo gave you a look like he was about to say something, but you stopped him, pulling him close to your body for the second time this night. You wrapped your legs around his torso and used both of your hands to press his face into your chest. He froze for only a split second but quickly relaxed into your touch, his free hand laying on your now bare thigh. The tips of his fingers just barely touched the hem of the shorts you were wearing under the dress. You had situated the two of you the way you wanted right as the door opened hearing the sound of a man behind you make a noise of disgust. 

“Do you mind?” You made yourself sound exasperated, glancing over your shoulder at the guard who looked like he had seen a ghost. Echo surprised you for the second time tonight, moving on his own accord. He kept his eyes closed and buried his face into your neck. You felt his lips softly kissing the tender spots along your neck, making you gasp out. 

“This is a restricted area.” The guard seemed to find his voice after the initial shock of finding two individuals in an office looking like they were attempting to do something intimate. 

“Exactly, so leave us alone.” Your voice seemed to shake a little with how good Echo was starting to make you feel with his lips on his neck, now sucking on the delicate skin. This all made the scene look even more convincing to the guard. 

He stood there flustered for another moment. It was enough time that Echo was able to back out of the system and be able to safely unhook his scomp. You heard the soft click and then Echo raised to his full height, instead of leaning over with his arm connected to a computer. He grabbed your waist, pulling your body even closer to his. 

“I suggest you leave.” Echo’s voice was suddenly deep enough that you could feel his chest rumble against your own. It surprised you how much it affected you. The guard seemed to hesitate for a moment but then decided to back out. 

When you heard the soft swish of the door closing behind the guard, Echo suddenly surged up, pressing his lips against yours in a kiss for the second time this evening. You instantly melted into his touch, getting lost in the smooth feeling of his lips on yours and the warmth of his body against yours. You laced your fingers behind his head, pulling him down to meet the kiss making a soft happy hum. 

You two kissed until the both of you had to come up for air. Echo gazed down at you, his pale brown eyes now mostly black with how much his pupils dilated. His chest heaved as he took in a deep breath and leaned back in, his mouth attacking your neck again. His teeth grazed against the soft skin right under your ear, pulling a soft moan from your lips. 

“Echo.” You gasped softly, your arms holding around his shoulders tighter. He made a small hum in response, his pelvis rocking up against your own, making you wrap your legs around his slender hips. You could feel that you were not the only one being affected by the stunt the two of you had just pulled. You decided to let go of his shoulders, running your hands down his clothed chest, your fingers grazing over the fancy buttons of his maroon vest, as you reached his belt. Your fingers gripped the fine leather, pulling his hips closer to yours. You were rewarded by the most attractive groan you had ever heard in your entire existence. 

“He’s going to be back soon with reinforcements,” Echo grunted, his lips still on your neck. You wouldn’t be surprised if he had somehow already made a mark on your neck with the way he was treating you. 

“Do you have the data we need or do you need to scomp in again?” You felt like you weren’t even hearing your own voice when you responded to him. You sounded so breathless from Echo just kissing and holding you. 

“No, I think I have the information we need.” Echo reluctantly pulled away, gazing down at you once again. He looked unraveled, his shirt not as pristine as it was when the event first started. You could see some of it was already being pulled out from where it was previously tucked in. You hopped off of the desk, your dress skirt falling over your legs as you stood. You moved close into Echo’s space once again, not wanting to let go of the feeling of having him so close to you. 

“Let’s get out of here then.” You took Echo’s hand, pulling him out of the office. You checked to make sure the coast was clear and practically pulled him back to the elevator. The elevator doors closed behind you, and you punched in your floor number to take the two of you back to the hotel rooms. 

You and Echo were instantly drawn to each other once again like magnets to metal. You found yourself pressed up against the wall of the elevator as you were kissing Echo deeply once again. 

Should you be surprised that this was happening to the two of you? Probably. But then again, the two of you have been super close. Echo knew you better than any other living being in this world and you felt like it was safe to say that you knew him just as much. It wasn’t like you’d never seen Echo as someone who wasn’t attractive in any way. Much the opposite. There had been many lonely nights where he appeared in your mind as you tried to sleep or in your dreams. 

“Do you want this?” He asked you after the two of you broke away for air from a really deep kiss. You were already gripping onto his belt once again, with one of your legs wrapped around his hip. His scomp was holding it up. You could feel his arousal through the many layers of fabric against your inner thigh. 

You knew what he was asking, instantly. He was your best friend after all. You nodded smiling at him, “Yes. I do.” 

You leaned forward, giving his neck the same treatment he had done to you in the office earlier and you were rewarded once again with Echo’s wonderful sounds. He felt so good against you, it made you shiver wondering how it would feel when it became skin-on-skin. 

The elevator pinged softly, letting the two of you know that it had arrived at its destination. You had to reluctantly pull away once again to move this affair to the privacy of one of your hotel rooms. You will probably have to shoo the other boys out of it and lock the doors once you get there.

Echo took your hand this time, leading you down the hallway. The both of you had big smiles on your faces and excitement in your eyes. You reached the door you had first opened when you arrived at the hotel and used your key to open it up. You were surprised to find the one room vacant, the door that connected the two rooms closed, leaving space for you and your partner. You took it as a moment of luck and strolled right over to one of the beds, kicking off your heels along the way. 

Echo followed you close behind, pausing for a moment to get his shoes off as well. You stopped at the foot of the bed, turning around and grabbing Echo by his coat, pulling it off his shoulders. Quick to follow was that beautiful vest, you undoing each of the buttons and his tie. You threw them on the floor haphazardly, knowing you’ll pick everything up once the deed is done. Echo leaned down, kissing you as his hand slid behind your back, making quick and easy work with the zipper on the back of your dress. 

The dress only came down enough to reveal your breasts, the rest of the silk fabric bunching up at your hips. Echo gazed down at you with nothing but lust on his face. He leaned down, cupping one of your breasts with his hand and used his mouth to give the other attention. He pulled sweet moans from your lips as it caused you to pause your attempts at getting his white formal shirt unbuttoned. 

When Echo was satisfied with his work on your chest, he reached down, grabbed your hips, and tossed you onto the bed. You made a small gasp as your body hit the soft comforter on the bed. He smiled at you and crawled on top of you. It was one of those classic, crooked smiles he would give you that always gave your stomach butterflies in a normal situation. Now, it made you feel dizzy with arousal. 

“Since you two are safely back in the room, I am going to turn off the communication devices.” You jumped, suddenly hearing Tech’s voice in your ear from the device he had given to you, “When you are done, I would like to look at the information Echo managed to get.”

Then there was a soft beep, telling you the device had powered down. You flushed deeply in embarrassment. He must have heard everything. That must have also been the reason this room had already been closed off. Everyone else in the Bad Batch knew what was going on. You reached up and pulled the small device out of your ear, tossing it onto the table next to the bed. 

Echo above you was reaching up, hitting a button on the device on his head. Probably turning all of his communications off as well. You then hear him start to laugh softly, his hand soothingly running up and down your side. With Echo laughing, you were quick to be put at ease. 

“They’ve probably heard worse, haven’t they?” You asked with a soft giggle in your voice. Echo chucked deeply, pressing down to kiss you on the lips, “I’ll tell you those stories another day.”

You smiled softly into the kiss, this one being a little more gentle compared to the ones the two of you had been experiencing before. You took the moment to reach down and finish unbuttoning his top, pulling it out from where it was tucked into his pants and opening it up to reveal his chest to you. 

You should be surprised, but somehow you are not at the sight of metal embedded into Echo’s skin. He had told you a long time ago that he was technically a cyborg. “More machine than man,” Tech had once told you. You knew going into this that Echo was completely different than anyone you had ever met. You lightly ran your fingers over the small ports that lined his chest and stomach, more curious than disturbed. The feeling of your hands on Echo made him shiver some, his pale face flushing a beautiful blush. 

“Can you feel those?” You smiled softly at him, watching his reaction to your touch.

“Kind of? It’s hard to explain.” Echo murmured as he leaned down to kiss you softly on the lips, You hummed, kissing him in return, melting into his touch. Eventually, you pulled away and aimed for one of the ports above his collarbone. You kissed and sucked on the scarred skin around the metal embedded in his skin. Echo’s breath hitched and he made another delightful noise in response. 

He reached down and started to pull up your dress. His hand shaking from your ministrations and his stomach flexing in arousal. You gave him a satisfied hum in response, encouraging him. He got to the holster on your leg and pulled the blaster that had been sitting against your thigh all night. He lightly tossed it onto the table next to the earpiece. He removed the holster next, his body moving down yours, his lips reaching the tender skin between your thighs. He softly kissed and sucked on the skin, leaving small marks that you know will probably be there the next day. 

His skilled fingers hook under the waistband of your shorts, and pull them down as well as the underwear you were wearing underneath. You feel your characteristic shyness bubble up from your stomach as your thighs shook some, wanting to close your legs and hide from the wonderful man lying between them. Echo was going to have none of that, his right arm wrapping around your leg, the tip of his scomp laying on your hip. 

He gave you a dazzling smile, his free hand running through your folds enticing a moan from you. You could quickly tell this wasn’t the first time he had done this. That classic rumor that all ARC Troopers were skilled in bed was coming to light. Echo made a small hum, satisfied with the noises he pulled out of you as he slid his fingers into your entrance quickly finding the one spot that made you see stars and cry out. 

“Do you want to let the entire hotel know what I’m doing to you?” Echo teased softly, his breath on your skin making you shiver. You let out a heady groan, the idea enticing, but you slapped a hand over your mouth to try to keep yourself quiet. You couldn’t help it with how good Echo was being to you already. Echo made a breathy chuckle and leaned his head down, his lips kissing your clit and making your hips jerk. 

Echo looked like he was a tooka getting some cream after a long time. His eyes blown wide as he sucked and lapped at the tender nerves with a big grin on his lips. His fingers worked all kinds of noises from your lungs as you trembled in pleasure. 

“E-Echo!” You gasped out as you tried to rock your hips closer to his menstruation. He just chuckled against you, sending shivers of pleasure up your spine. The hand not covering your mouth, reaching for the top of his head, your nails accidentally scratching pink lines on the back of his head. 

“You look so good like this.” He rumbled, his eyes locked onto yours, “Probably even better dressed up in this dress.” 

He was referring to the dress that was still somehow wrapped around your lower stomach. The skirt of the dress was draped out under the two of you on the bed. You flushed, feeling a bit lost for words on the compliment. 

“You wanna cum like this?” Echo breathed heavily. He looked like he was enjoying this as much as you were, if not more, “Want to cum on my fingers and tongue? Then make you cum again on my cock?”

His words had you whining and rocking your hips up against his fingers which were still inside you. Your core was already clenching down on them some. He could probably stop his touches and continue talking like he is and you would probably cum just from that. 

"Please." You moaned, wiggling your hips a little bit, trying to encourage him to back up his words. You were rewarded with a sexy chuckle and his head dipped back down to your clit, rewarding you with his sucking. He picked up his pace and menstruation. You started to feel the telltale warmth start to bubble in your belly with your pending climax. 

“That’s it. Cum for me.” Echo rumbled against you. 

His words and his demand were the last ingredients to your climax. You let out a deep moan, your legs shaking hard as you jerked your hips. You toppled over your edge as you felt your inner walls squeezing around Echo’s fingers. Gasping deeply, you came hard against Echo’s face. Echo grumbled his approval, still working his tongue and fingers on you to extend your orgasm. 

Panting lightly, you slowly came down from the high of your orgasm. You started to get sensitive and gently pulled Echo away. He sat up with a big grin on his face. You laid flat out on the bed for a bit to catch your breath. 

"I'm guessing this was good." Echo was being cheeky. He crawled up your body and leaned in and kissed you softly on the lips. You made a small laugh, shivering a little at the feeling of his chest against yours. The ports embedded in his skin surprisingly felt really good. 

You reached down to Echo's belt, working his pants open. He made a small hum of approval as you worked on getting his pants and underwear off his hips, revealing his cock to you. He kicked his pants off to the side and you bit your lip at the sight of the man on top of you. You reached for his cock and started to gently stroke it at first, gaining a groan from Echo as a reward. 

The two of you kissed each other, you swallowing down his soft moans as you stroked him. It didn't take you too long for you to start squirming under him again and for him to gently pull your hand away from his member. 

Echo hooked your left leg up again with his scomp arm, this time lifting it up a bit more, your calf resting on his shoulder. He lined himself up against your entrance, his tip lightly running through your folds. 

"You ready?" He asked you lightly, checking to make sure you were good. You nodded, giving him a small smile and arching your hips up to encourage him, "Yes." 

He slowly started to push in, the both of you simultaneously moaning at the feeling. He stayed still for a moment once he was all the way in, probably for the both of you to adjust a bit. His pale brown eyes staring down at you, watching your reactions. 

"Echo, move." You groaned after a moment, trying to move your hips to get him to do what you asked. You reached up to grab him as well, but his one free hand grabbed yours, interlacing your fingers together. 

He then started to move. It was slow at first, savoring this moment. You found yourself helplessly getting vocal again as he managed to tilt his hips just enough to make you feel like you were seeing stars. Encouraging him to pick his pace, he started to get as vocal as you were getting. He made some of the most beautiful moans, making your cunt squeeze him tight. 

"I'm not going to last much longer." Echo groaned, "C’mon, cum for me, baby." 

Considering both of his hands were occupied, you reached down with the one spare hand you had left. You quickly reached your clit, rubbing it just right to tip you over the edge for the second time tonight.

"That's it." Echo gasped, being able to feel you tighten down around him. His hips quickly loosing its rhythm as he fucked you through your climax. 

"Echo!" You cried out as your whole body tensed around him. It felt amazing. Even more so when Echo buried himself deep into you and reached his climax as well. You instantly felt warm all over, your toes curling in pleasure. 

You clung to each other as you both slowly lowered yourself down from the high of your climax. He let go of your leg, letting it rest on the bed as he leaned down, just barely keeping himself up on shaking arms. You wrapped an arm around his shoulder, holding him close to your body as the both of you gave each other soft kisses on the cheek and on your shoulders. He was still holding your hand as well. 

You two basked in the afterglow for a while, starting up a soft conversation as you did. It was mostly about how it had been a long time since either of you had done anything like this. 

"C’mon. Let's get cleaned up." Echo eventually sighed, pulling himself out of the bed and pulled you up as well. 

"What if I want to stay stinky?" You teased him lightly, slowly getting out of the bed after him. Your legs were still a bit shaky as your dress fell to the floor around your feet. 

Echo gave you a smirk, "Then I guess you won't be getting any cuddles tonight." 

You made a noise that sounded like you were offended as you watched him walk into the fresher. You took the moment to watch Echo walk in front of you. The white dress shirt still hid most of his back implants, but you could still see the ridge of his spine from them.

Even from the damage that Echo had received from Skako Minor, all the metal and mechanics, he still looked beautiful to you. Seeing all the scarring and what his body had to endure, and the small improvement since you first met him, made your heart swell. He was truly a marvel to wonder.

You followed Echo into the fresher, quietly watching him as he removed the last remaining clothes he was wearing and started up the shower. He paused after a moment when he noticed you were staring at him. 

"What?" He had an eyebrow raised. 

"Just thinking about how beautiful you are." You admitted after a pause. 

Echo made a small snort, reaching out to you to entice you into the shower with him, "I think that's supposed to be my line." 

You made a small giggle, letting him pull you into the warm shower. He put you under the spray first, reaching for the soap and starting to gently lather your body up. You relaxed under the warm water and gentle embrace that Echo was giving you. If you could pause time right now, you probably would. Spend eternity in the warm and comfort with Echo, still basking in the afterglow of the intimate moment you two just had. 

When you deemed that Echo was done with you, you reached out giving him the same treatment. The hard muscles of his body quickly become soft and relaxed under your touch. He made a satisfied hum, resting his head on your shoulder, giving you sweet kisses on your neck. 

After a moment, you heard him speak your name. You paused your actions, sucking up a deep breath. 

"Echo. Please don't say what I think you're going to say." You felt your lungs tighten some as he lifted his head, soft eyes locking with your own. 

 "Why not?" He asked you, his face was serious. You knew what he wanted to say. You knew deep down you wanted to say you loved him too. 

"Because it's not something we can afford right now. Especially with this war." You watched Echo's face fall at your words. You reached out with both of your hands taking his face in them, running your thumbs lightly over his cheekbones, trying to silently soothe him before he got too upset. 

"What about after the war?" His eyes looked hopeful, still not wanting to let this go. You sighed softly, leaning in and giving him a soft kiss on the lips. 

"Okay. After the war. We can try then. If we both survive it." 

He made a small nod, wrapping his arms tightly around you in an embrace. 

"After the war." He promised.

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