Archive of Our Own ^beta

  "Hey Fives. Do you remember Ilum?" Kix smiled and leaned his head back against the wall, resting his hands against Fives legs that are thrown over his own. His brother had just returned from a deployment with General Koon on Umbara and had not left his bunk since the moment he'd fallen face first into the pillow. 

Fives scowled and flipped himself over to raise a skeptical brow at his older brother. "No, Kix. I do not remember Ilum."

Kix had never been one to identify skepticism well, much less criticism from his brothers, and he ignored the tone of Fives voice in favor of the daydream he'd been seeing before his eyes as they sat together in that bunk. "When the war is over," He started, eyes flickering to Echo sitting behind Fives with his head cradled in his lap. "I am taking you both there." 

Not a statement, but a promise. 

Echo smiled. It was a rare sight to behold since he'd come back from the Techno Union, nights often wrought with terrors of his time as a prisoner of war that replayed like the scenes of a holo-film behind his eyes every time he closed them. 

  "I'd love that." And he would. Echo had not allowed himself the opportunity to be happy during much of the war. He'd lost Domino, and then the Citadel happened and the Techno Union had made them their puppet - he had been the hands that held the weapons, the one who had committed the sins. Echo was a weapon, a puppet, a slave- 

Until Kix had held him in that medbay late one night after a particularly brutal nightmare, skin painted in black and purple, nose bleeding, and told him he was a good man. That he was still his little brother. That Echo was still... human. 

Echo loved his brothers. He loved Fives. Echo didn't know how to do this world without Fives or without Kix. 

  "You said you missed the stars, Echo?" Kix's onyx eyes gleamed as he leaned forward and gently picked up Echo's hand to cradle it in his hand. There had been a lot of contact since being rescued from the Techno Union. It was what reassured Echo that he was not still in the stasis chamber. Not a ghost. He was  real.  "You can see so many of them on Ilum." 

Kix ran his hand over the patch behind his ear where he'd grown so accustomed to having a braid that hung over his shoulder. Obi-Wan had removed it himself mere days earlier, blue eyes shining with pride as an equally bright saber removed the braid and allowed it to fall into his hand. 

When the two of them had left the Chambers, Obi-Wan had beamed and enveloped his newly appointed Knight with such a look of pride that Kix had spent the rest of the afternoon warm. No one had ever been that proud of him before. 

  "You are going to be the best of us." 

Anakin had tackled him in a hug and congratulated him. Kix had laughed and returned with equal fervor at the news Anakin had been appointed as a Master. 

  "I know no finer healer, Kix!" 

Kix loved Obi-Wan Kenobi. After the war was officially over and the clones granted their freedom, he spent the entire afternoon with the man who had taken him under his wing and taught him what living looked like. What a purpose outside of being a weapon looked like. Kix would always owe Obi-Wan Kenobi his life. 

But right now.. He owed the sight in front of him to his brothers. To the ones who'd died to get the three of them here. 

  "Is this.. Is this it? The spot General-" Echo was practically bouncing up and down in his seat, dressed in a dark colored parka with a hood so thick that you could only see his eyes. The younger of the Domino twins had been talking about this particular trip for weeks. Echo had loved Rishi because it had given him a clear view of the stars from the landing pad, and that was not a luxury to have on a Core planet like Coruscant. "Obi-Wan told you about?" 

Kix landed the small ship with ease, engaged the landing sequence, and turned to face his younger brother. "There's a part of the ship above us that's angled just correctly and large enough for three of us to lay on." Kix replied. "This spot has the best view of the cliffs that overlook the Temple where the Jedi get their Kyber. The lights are supposed to be.. something."

The two in the cockpit turned around to face their brother. "He's quiet." Echo murmured playfully. "Too quiet. It's concerning." 

  "Did we forget the brandy? That'll loosen his tongue." 

  "There's a bottle in the back, but-" 

   "Sh, he'll hear you-" 

Fives head slowly moved upward until he could stand to his feet and proceed to flick both of his brothers in the ear as he peered out the viewport to gaze at the scenery in front of them. "Snow." He whispered in disbelief. The former ARC Trooper had told his brother long before Echo had been rescued - mere days before Kix had found out he was Force Sensitive - that he wanted to go to Ilum because of the snow. He just wanted a simple sight: Fives wanted to see snow. "Snow." 

 "If I had known it would take snow to make Fives kriffing speechless, I would've brought him here years ago." 

  "Shut up, Kix. He's admiring the scenery." Echo smiled at his twin and extended a hand to wrap it around Fives wrist. "The lights will appear soon, vod'ika. Do you want to come outside with me?" Dazed and in disbelief, Echo laughed as Fives nodded and followed his younger brother to the back of the ship and up the ladder to the roof of the ship. 

Kix smiled softly and ran a hand through his hair. It was going to be cold, and quiet.. but so worth it. 

You taught me the courage of stars before you left... 

Fives was already pointing out the constellations spread out upon a dark canvas above them when Kix took his place between the Domino Twins. Echo was staring in silent wonder, following his brother's finger as he identified each individual constellation and murmured their origins to him. 

The youngest of the trio was suddenly glad that the parka hid his tears. The stars.. they were so beautiful. 

How light carries on endlessly even after death... 

  "Fives," Kix whispered. A gloved hand moved in between their bodies to grab Fives hand and extend his fingers in the direction of the brightest star in Ilum's sky that night. "Look." Fives and Echo gasped in unison as an emerald green light flashed in the sky - almost akin to that of a star being born - and slowly expanded until it encompassed the entire area spread before them. 

With shortness of breath, you explained the infinite 

How rare and beautiful it is to even exist 

  "Didn't think I'd ever get to see something like this." Fives murmured. Echo propped himself up on his hand and leaned into Kix as they both turned their attention toward the former ARC Trooper. "Thought I was gonna live, breathe, eat and sleep as a soldier. Now we have a florist, a music shop... a cybernetics kiosk... and we're here." Fives laughed in disbelief, rubbing his hands over his eyes almost as if he were trying to wake himself up from a dream. "We're here." 

 "Yeah." Kix whispered. He tilted his head backward to admire the entire sky and moved his hands downward to link his fingers with Fives and Echos. Kix had always been rather well read in the language of touch, and he'd utilized that skill when it came to speaking to his brothers. All of them had been touch starved, and Kix spoke the language of love through gentle touches that all his brothers craved to some degree. "We're here, vod'ika. We survived." 

As the three of them admire the lights and the snow of Ilum - a planet native to Kyber, native to the Jedi Order - Kix thanks the Maker that they were able to make it here, to have peace. It's a rare thing for a person born as a soldier to be able to achieve a real moment of happiness like this.

I'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
That the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes

  "Kix?" 

  "Yeah?" 

Echo leaned into his older brother and nuzzled his shoulder. The oldest of Domino had always been someone who craved touch, particularly more since he'd come back from the Techno Union, and Kix was more then happy to give it to him. "Love you." Echo whispered. 

Kix grinned and blinked away tears. "I love you too, Ech'ika. Now admire the stars.. cause they sure admire you." 

Fives gripped Kix's hand a little tighter as he focused on the snow. He had been adamant that Kix would not use The Force on him under any circumstances, and Kix had respected that, but he opened his mind just enough for his brother to feel the joy that occupied his thoughts. That's how Fives showed Kix his love, through his actions. Not his words. 

After carefully removing himself from his brothers, Kix removed the datapad from the satchel he'd brought with him on their trip and raised the camera angled towards Fives and Echo. It wasn't until his brothers tilted their heads upward and motioned him back toward them that he realized he could use The Force to snap the holo of all three of them. 

With shortness of breath, I'll explain the infinite 

Kix wiped at his eyes with the back of his hands and smiled as Echo eagerly tugged forward, fingers of his beskar hand pressing into Kix's own as he waved at the stars above them. Almost like he was welcoming them home. 

How rare and beautiful it truly is... that we exist..