#tbb echo fluff

Underneath the twinkling canvas of stars, you and Echo found yourselves nestled around the crackling campfire, the warmth casting a gentle glow over your faces. The air was crisp, carrying with it the faint scent of pine and the distant sound of nocturnal creatures stirring in the forest.

Echo sat beside you, his gaze fixed on the dancing flames as they flickered and swayed in the cool night breeze. His expression was thoughtful, his brow furrowed slightly as if lost in deep contemplation.

"You know," he began, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between you, "there's something about being out here, under the stars, that just feels... right."

You nodded in agreement, following his gaze as it drifted up toward the glittering expanse above. "It's peaceful," you replied softly, "like the chaos of the world fades away for a little while."

Echo smiled, a small, genuine curve of his lips that softened the lines of his face. "Exactly," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

As the fire crackled and popped beside you, the two of you found yourselves lost in conversation, sharing stories and memories as the night stretched on. Echo spoke of his time as a member of the 501st as well as his time in Clone Force 99, recounting daring missions and narrow escapes with a mixture of pride and humility. You listened intently, hanging on his every word as he painted vivid pictures of battles fought and comrades lost. There was a depth to Echo's stories that resonated with you, a sense of camaraderie and loyalty that spoke to the bonds forged in the crucible of war.

"I'll never forget the time we were stranded on that desolate moon," Echo said, a wistful smile playing at the corners of his lips. "We had to fend off a pack of ravenous nexu with nothing but our blasters and a few thermal detonators."

You laughed, the sound echoing softly in the quiet of the night. "That sounds like quite the adventure," you replied, imagining the scene playing out in your mind's eye.

"It was," Echo agreed, his gaze distant as he relived the memory. "But it was also one of the moments that brought us closer together as a team. We had each other's backs, no matter what. I felt like a real part of a team again." 

As the fire burned low and the sky lay above you as a dark, velvet cover, you realized that this moment was something special. It was a chance to connect with Echo on a level that went beyond the battlefield, to see the man behind the armor and the scars.

"Thank you for sharing your stories with me," you said softly, breaking the silence that had settled over the clearing. "It means a lot."

Echo turned to you, his gaze soft and sincere. "Thank you for listening," he replied, a hint of warmth in his voice despite its wistful touch. "It's been a long time since I've had someone to share them with.”

You felt a flutter of anticipation in your chest, and the air between you seemed charged with electricity, a palpable tension that you couldn't ignore. He shifted beside you, his gaze lingering on your face as if searching for something in the depths of your eyes. 

"You know," he began, his voice low and husky, "there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

Your heart skipped a beat at his words, anticipation coursing through your veins. "What is it?" you asked, barely above a whisper.

He reached out, his hand coming to rest on yours, his touch sending a jolt of electricity up your arm. "I... I don't know how to say this," he confessed, his gaze dropping to where your fingers were intertwined. "But ever since I met you, I've felt... something. Something I can't really explain, and something I don’t think I deserve, but… I don’t want to stuff it down anymore.”

“Oh.” Your breath caught in your throat, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air between you. “Echo… How could you say you don’t deserve it?”

“Cause I’m a bit of an ass,” he said with a grin, breaking the intensity of the moment with some levity.

“My favorite ass,” you teased, heart warming at the humor and relief that softened his sharp features. 

Echo looked up, his gaze locking with yours, and in that moment, the world seemed to fall away. His pale brown eyes were brimming with emotion, a new vulnerability and courage surfacing at the same time. You didn’t know how to confess all that you felt toward him as well, feeling utterly paralyzed by the dreaminess of the entire situation -- nestled cozily side by side on the ground beneath the stars. 

Without thinking, you leaned forward, closing the distance between you until your lips met in a soft, tender kiss. It was like coming home, a perfect moment of clarity and connection that left you breathless and wanting more. He sucked air in through his nose, freezing for a split second before tilting his head to deepen the kiss. His arms snuck around you, pulling you more closely against him until you were almost losing your balance, and you came tumbling apart with hands sprawling to find the ground and a small chuckle punctuating the passion.

Once you got situated, you snuggled back together, closer than before, tucking yourself against his side. He nestled his cheek against the side of your head, his fingers tracing patterns against the outside of your arm. "I've wanted to do that for so long," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.

You smiled, a rush of happiness flooding through you at his words. "Me too," you replied, turning and leaning in to press another kiss to his lips.

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The shock had yet to leave your body. Falling from a branch cracking underfoot was not on your agender for the day, and neither was getting your forearms scratched by threatening fauna growing at you hungrily. It had temporarily damaged a few of your nerves, but the feeling was coming back readily and almost in fury which didn’t help either.

At least with Echo’s arm beneath, and the other resting enough on top whilst he cleaned the wounds up, it was almost still.

Not as still as the air between you and Echo. Not as uncomfortable.

You looked at him, eyes darting across his face whilst taking the time to observe. His brows were knitted together, in concentration, disappointment, or… his more commonly relaxed expression. It was hard to tell. His eyes were narrowed by the movement of his brows, but he wasn’t glaring. At least, it didn’t feel like he was. Though the colour of his irises was paler, just as his skin had become, no thanks to the vermin that may as well have tortured him, they were still the same when you looked beyond their colour. 

They were still warm with care and kindness, even if being a changed man had altered how he showed it. Marginally. His voice was different, too, deeper and, well, a little grumpier, but it didn’t lack warmth either. If anything, it made his indignation even funnier than it should have been with how he would tilt his head up.

Once a batch brother with Fives, he never left. 

Not really.

What smile you had found at your staring soon fell. It must have been hard, being the only one left and not being able to say goodbye. Not being able to have anything but a set of photos to remember him by. All his years of having to mother his cadet squad until it was just him and Fives. The months of energy poured into keeping Fives out of trouble only to come back and discover he found it anyway…

It had to go somewhere. And it went into his new brothers. His new squad. His sister. 

You averted your gaze. You felt guilt that wasn’t even yours to bear. Guilt for being hurt and worrying him enough for him to go after you. The speed with which he shot down the sabre tooth was something to behold, but his expression was something between anger, disappointment, and concern and which part was aimed at you, the sabre tooth, and himself was a mystery.

If you had not averted your gaze in thought, you would have seen his eyes soften and look at you with a guilt of his own. “You okay?” You nodded slowly. “I’m still here, which stands for something.” Your free hand grasped the edge of the bunk nervously, though it didn’t have a chance to appear before you hissed at the sting.

“Echo, may I ask you something?” At his hum, you continued. “Are you… upset with me?” That gave him pause. When you gingerly looked at him, he was looking at you with wide eyes. “You looked like you were when you saved me, is all.”

He blinked. “I..” he cleared his throat and lowered the cloth in favour of a bandage. “I wasn’t upset with you.”

That gave you a surprise, though you remained sceptical. “You weren’t?”

“No.” Gentle but firm fingers began to weave the bacta-infused weave around your forearm. You had asked him if he wanted your help with it when he was relearning the action, and he had declined, politely.  He sighed again. “I was terrified when I saw you fall.”

“I’m sorry for scaring you, Echo. I would have found another branch if I could.” You moved your free hand to graze the backs of your fingers against his cheek. His hand stilled for a moment and his eyes fluttered to a close at the touch. “This reminds me of this one time when you were on shore leave and you were caught in the middle of a fight.”

“Sometimes bailing Fives out of trouble was not in my best interest.” Echo smiled with a soft laugh, his hand returning to bandaging you up. “If it wasn’t for that moment, I wouldn’t have met you.”

“I just helped stem your nosebleed.” With more confidence now you were certain his previous dismay was largely over, you flipped your hand over to hold his cheek with your palm. Your thumb followed the bone, no different to how you did before The Citadel. “Fives told me. When you were...well… when you died. The guys were good, you know? They held a little remembrance thing and invited me to it… I’m glad you didn’t die.”

“Yeah. But I’m not…” After he secured the bandage, Echo trailed his hand down your arm until he took your hand. His fingers traced the pattern of your palm whilst he thought. His face fell. “I’m not the perfect specimen I once was. Tech said himself I’m more machine than man.”

“Machines don’t have a heart or lungs or a stomach. They don’t have skin that sweats or tears to shed.” Your thumb moved beneath the corner of his eye. “You’re not a machine to me. Regardless of your cybernetics and your being able to go through terminals just by plugging in. You’re Echo, a man before a machine regardless of ratio or percentage. You’re a warm-blooded creature. Not a droid or a machine, no matter what Tech says.” Echo lifted his head to look at you properly. He looked uncertain, but he was listening. Intently. “You’re not just any man either.” With what nerve regeneration had taken place, you grasped his hand as firmly as possible. “You’re my man. You’re Echo.” The rouge to his cheeks made you smile. “You may not think you’re perfect, and you might be different, but I still love you.” His lips brushed against your fingertips, which you could barely feel. “I love you, too… It’s just…” You tilted your head and quirked up your brow, your body slowly sliding off the bunk to sandwich between it and him. “When I left for the Citadel, I was expecting to come back a few days later. I’ve missed so much already, upturned your life around again…” “You could never upturn my life for anything but the positive, my dear.” You pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and, to prove you truly didn’t care how machine he was, you wove your arms around his torso as you settled between his legs.

You smiled at the way he became vaguely rigid before enveloping his limbs around you. Sure, maybe he did only have one complete arm and one hand to press flat against your shoulder, but it was the most protective hand. And maybe his cybernetic arm wasn’t always comfortable, but there wasn’t another arm like it in the world and it so often gave him another outlet for his humour (such as his retelling of being sold as a droid on Pantora. He reenacted it, complete with the whizz of the probe, and you laughed so had your stitches had stitches). It kept you just as close to him as his other arm, and the cybernetic areas of his legs were still as useful and sturdy as his real legs had been.

“Half cyborg or not, this is who you are. I want you to be you, not change to who you used to be.  I loved the old you, and I love the new you, too.” You nuzzled yourself into his neck. “Is… that okay with you?”

Echo settled his chin on the crown of your head. “More than. Cyar’ika.”

Echo doesn’t sleep well. He never has, though it gets better with you. Despite the fact he isn’t a big cuddler (he worries his prosthetics will hurt you; he also doesn’t find it very comfortable for long periods of time), he revels in your presence. Your warm body beside him, knowing and feeling that you are here, that you’re real and everything is okay. It is something no other past memory would be able to replace.

He hates silence. Hasn’t been able to enjoy it since Skako Minor. Echo likes to fall asleep to the sound of someone talking. Or even simple white noise. It’s another form of soothing that helps calm him.

So you talk to him when the two of you go to lie down, tell him about your day or your interests, anything that's on your mind; he’s always been a great listener. However, don’t be offended if he falls asleep through what you say. If he is able to doze off to the simple sound of your voice, it is a compliment that ascends words; it means he trusts you eternally, feels safe enough to be in your arms when he falls unconscious, and knows he won't wake up back in the cryo chamber.