Work Text:
Rishi was different. Rishi was nothing like Kamino and Echo was staring listlessly at the wall of his bunk. Fives was snoring gently above him, one arm hanging over the side of his bunk and a leg poking off the end, his pillow was folded beneath his head, Echo could describe the way Fives slept in his sleep. Fives spent most of his time since he got to the outpost messing around and trying to see how far he could push Sergeant O'Niner with his boyish smiles and attitude. Echo wished him luck because Sergeant O'Niner always got that glint in his eye that reminded Echo of Hevy when Hevy was about to put one of them flat on their backs in sparring. Droidbait was fast asleep curled into a ball next to Cutup, the two of them having taken to sharing bunks and trying to keep out of trouble, neither of them wanted to risk a report from the Sarge that sent them back to Kamino. Cutup had an arm thrown over DB's thighs, sleeping foot to head on that cramped cot like it was the most comfortable thing in the world to have DB take up three quarters of the bed they shared. Echo was still trying to adjust to life on Rishi Outpost, it wasn't exactly the front lines that they heard fabled war stories about, and they didn't see action which was something Hevy constantly complained about, but Echo didn't mind it much, it gave him time to read up on the reg manuals, to prepare-
For what? He didn't really know but it was always good to be prepared.
Hevy was on the other side of the room, and Echo couldn't tell if he was asleep or not. Unlike Kamino, the bunkrooms at Rishi had light filtering through thin slits that acted as windows. They consisted of reinforced transparisteel and had blast shutters that closed during emergency procedures in the outpost. Still, a minimal amount of light filtered through those windows to paint the side of Hevy's forearm as he lay on his back with an arm strewn across his forehead. Echo couldn't help but watch him from across the room.
After their training exam during the Citadel challenge Hevy had mellowed out some, he'd stopped messing with Droidbait so much and pretty much left Cutup alone. He practically got along with Fives. Echo still found it hard to really joke with him, to really get down and see the real smiles Hevy didn't allow him to see. There was always that underling niggling feeling that Hevy still disliked him, the feeling that Hevy was acting different around him and making an effort to do so even though Echo kept reaching out a nervous hand.
He was trying! He really was even though Hevy made his palms sweat and his tongue heavy in his mouth. Even though Hevy sometimes made his voice get stuck in his throat and his forget every smart thing he was supposed to say.
"Quit staring and go to sleep." A gruff grunt from the other side of the room startled Echo so badly his heart quickly began to pound in his chest. When he exhaled sharply he noticed that Hevy had turned his head from underneath his forearms and was looking over at Echo with half lidded eyes.
It happened again, Echo opened his mouth to respond but found that his tongue was sitting heavily in his mouth and words refused to leave him. Hevy huffed a half chuckle and he shifted his arm over his head.
"Figures, first time I've seen you speechless." Hevy grumbled, with a hint of humour in his voice as he shifted on his bunk. The metal creaked beneath his frame and then stopped when Hevy settled back down with an arm behind his head to use as a pillow.
"Why aren't you asleep?" Echo finally asked when his tongue managed to catch up with his brain. His hands were clammy where he rested them against the hem of his blacks on his stomach to fiddle with the synthweave.
A split second of silence, and then Hevy's swallow was audible in the silent environment of their bunkroom.
"Was thinking about something…" Hevy answered, careful to keep his voice low, just loud enough for Echo to hear him but without waking up the others. "You?" Came the question, half a moment later.
Echo paused. Hevy rarely volunteered for conversations that did not interest him, which meant that Hevy rarely had conversations with Echo. They had different interests, and Hevy, despite appearing to be a very extroverted hot headed individual, was a little bit of a loner when it came to speaking with people outside of Domino. He quickly weighed his responses and then he spoke.
"Having trouble adjusting, can't really sleep." Echo answered. With his arm behind his head, Echo could now see the line and curve of Hevy's nose and the curls that fell back onto his forearm underneath his head. Hevy's eyes were open, Echo could see the faint movement of him blinking against the light filtering through the windows.
"Not much to adjust too, it's the most boring place in the galaxy." Hevy huffed, staring at the underside of an empty bunk.
"It's an important place." Echo responded with a bit of indignation, ready to cite the multitude of speeches that Sergeant O'Niner had briefed them with when they had arrived for their assignment on Rishi.
"I know." Hevy snapped, already sounding irritated with Echo's tone of voice. Immediately Echo felt bad. The first time Hevy tries to initiate a conversation and he'd pissed him off by being his usual self ready to spout the regs and information that everyone already knew. Echo sighed.
"Sorry." His bunk creaked as he shifted to look back at the underside of Fives' bunk. Of course he karked it up this badly, it seemed like that was all he was doing these days, pushing Hevy away, dragging Fives down, trying and failing at helping Droidbait and Cutup get more confident.
Hevy’s bunk creaked on the other side of the room, like he was really shifting his weight and then- “Hey Echo.”
Echo looked back to see Hevy sitting up with his elbows resting on his thighs, hands clasped loosely together. Hevy was looking at him with amber eyes, quizzically watching him. He’d never seen that look on Hevy’s face before, Hevy knew everything, Hevy was confident and smart and-
“I’m sorry for snapping.” Hevy said, and if they weren’t in their absolutely silent-enough-to-hear-a-pin-drop barracks Echo might’ve missed the apology. A sincere apology , from Hevy.
“Sorry for being an Echo.” Echo replied with a shrug, even though Hevy probably couldn’t see it. Echo sat up in his bunk, careful to avoid hitting his head on Fives’ bunk above him.
Hevy was lucky, he didn’t have anyone above his bunk.
“You’re alright.” Hevy said and then trailed off into silence.
What could he say, Echo didn’t know how to keep a conversation going like Fives, and the only time he spoke to Hevy for more than two minutes was to argue tactics with him or to collectively bitch at Fives for pulling a prank, both of those required them to be frustrated at one another or someone else at the same time.
“What’s so hard to adjust to?” Hevy asked, breaking the short silence between them. Echo pressed his chin further into his palm and slouched over, exhaling softly.
“This place.” He murmured. “It’s not really the front lines, is it? We’re just here, drifting… does that mean we’re not ready?”
“Of course we’re ready!” Hevy retorted. “You do remember using your brain to help us pass the Citadel test, right? You outsmarted Trainer Brick even when he decided to screw us.” There was something in Hevy’s voice that made him sound… angry . Like he was offended at Echo for not just implying he wasn’t ready, but for implying that he wasn’t ready himself. Echo’s brow furrowed, but Hevy kept talking.
“I know we always complained about your Echo’s but someone had to make sure we kept to our mission objective, and you’re a damn good shot. I wouldn’t ask for anyone else to have my back.” Hevy finished, eyes intently trained on Echo,
“I didn’t-” Echo struggled to find the words. “I thought you hated me.” Echo blurted in disbelief.
A few emotions crossed Hevy’s face all at once, his brow furrowed and his mouth turned downward into a frown, and then he got up from his bunk, and with all the grace of a lethal and trained soldier he silently made his way across the barracks until he was standing in front of Echo and his bunk.
Echo held his breath. If this was Kamino, before the citadel, Hevy would’ve beat his ass by now, if this was them as cadets and not a unit under Sergeant O’Niner, Echo would be on the ground with a black eye. Hevy was always a little bit bigger than them, a hint taller and broader. He filled out his chestplate and armour much better than DB or Echo did. If this was Kamino, if this was Kamino, Echo wouldn’t have sweaty palms and his heart beating faster every time he saw Hevy in his peripheral.
If this was Kamino, Hevy wouldn’t be looking at him expectantly, mouth closing like he just said something that Echo didn’t hear, he would’ve just walked away. Echo didn’t want him to walk away.
“What?” Echo blinked in confusion
“Can I sit?” Hevy repeated, gesturing to the empty space next to Echo on his just-on-this-side-of-small bunk. Echo’s eyes darted between the empty space and Hevy, and then he shoved across to give him more room and nodded, squishing his pillow against the rail at the head of the bunk. Hevy sat down, the bunk shifted and creaked with both their weights, like their shitty beds weren’t made for two full grown bodies.
-they were, droidbait and cutup were a testament to that-
Hevy took a second to look up at the bunk above the, waiting to see if his sitting down prompted Fives to wake up and check on the bunk below him. When nothing came from Fives, Hevy turned his head to look at him, that same intense gaze that he always had- the same one that left Echo’s words failing now. Hevy blinked.
Echo blinked back.
Then Hevy looked down at his hands, rough and calloused from his constant fiddling with his favourite Z6 in the armoury, the one O’Niner told him he wasn’t allowed to be touching yet. Echo swallowed to try and get the dryness off his tongue.
“I don’t want you to hate me… well, not anymore.” Hevy tangled his fingers together, something he hadn’t done since he was eight standard years and still a little shaky with his words and confidence. “You’re good Echo, you’re good at what you do, you’re smart .” Hevy sounded like he had been thinking about this for a while, but Echo didn’t interrupt him, if there was a point that Hevy was trying to make he would make it. “If you don’t think you belong out here then none of us do. You were the only one with enough balls to hit me back.”
“Because I know you’re full of it.” Echo retorted instinctually.
“That’s what I mean-” Hevy turned his head, pausing when he realized he was much closer to Echo than he thought he was, while sitting next to him. “You’re not scared of me.” He finished lamely.
There was that feeling in Echo’s chest again, heart pounding just a little bit louder, hands getting a little bit warmer. He wanted- He didn’t know what he wanted, but the warmth he felt was just, all there and slipping down to his extremities and warming his limbs and going right down to his gut.
“Can’t be scared of you-” Echo could feel the corner of his lips quirking upwards as he replied. “I’ve seen you cry over deecees at arms training.”
Hevy huffed. A fond sound that made Echo lean just a little bit closer into him. They were pressed together in a firm line now, from their shoulders to their sides, elbows knocking, to their thighs and their knees, calves brushing against each other.
“And you can still recite those reg manuals in your sleep.” Hevy retorted with nothing but fondness in his tone. “I stopped hating you before our last test. Ninety-nine knocked some sense into me. Told me to get my head out of my ass before he’d do it for me.”
“Ninety-nine?” Echo asked in disbelief. Ninety-nine wouldn’t hurt a damn fly, let alone yell at Hevy who was clearly his favourite Domino, but still, as Echo watched the way Hevy turned his gaze back to his hands.
“Yeah. He, uh, really made me reevaluate some things.” Hevy rubbed his thumbs over his knuckles.
“I don’t hate you either, you know.” Echo said, knocking their shoulders together. “Just don’t know what to say around you.”
“I want you to say what you think.” Hevy said, pressing his lips into a half smile. “I just never know if what I’ve said pisses you off.”
Echo laughed, which made Hevy’s gaze snap up to him with even more of a furrowed brow. Echo met his eyes and said. “We’re both idiots.” He wheezed and reached for Hevy’s hand and squeezed it, a signal for Hevy to let him continue when he made an indignant noise. “I’ve been trying not to piss you off.” Echo said once he’d composed himself, sounding breathless.
“Idiot.” Hevy muttered, tangling his fingers with Echo’s. Echo’s eyes drifted down to their joined hands, feeling Hevy’s calluses brush against his knuckles. “Your brain’s too smart for your own good sometimes.”
“And you do too much without thinking first.” Echo retorted, squeezing Hevy’s hand and rubbing his thumb over the back of Hevy’s hand to tell him he didn’t mean it in a bad way.
“Yeah?” Hevy challenged, he raised an eyebrow at Echo. His eyes darted down to his lips for a split second.
“Yeah.” Echo whispered, his own eyes dropping to Hevy’s chapped lips.
Hevy’s other hand gripped his chin and pulled him in. Chapped lips clumsily slotted against his own. It wasn’t sparks like the holonet said it would be like, but it was warm and sweet and reminded Echo of the things he and Fives used to talk about as cadets, things that made you feel whole and warm and safe.
Echo kissed back, though he wasn’t very good at it. He felt Hevy lean into his frame on the bed, pulling their hands away from their bodys to press Echo’s hand into the mattress beneath them. As Hevy kissed him, he coaxed him, albeit a little clumsily, back onto the bed. How Echo wanted. Without their hardshells on Echo could feel every plane of Hevy's broad body pressing against him as he fumbled with his other hand, finding the back of Hevy's blacks and twisting his fingers into the synthweave to pull Hevy down onto the bed with him without breaking the kiss.
Then Echo yelped against Hevy’s lips as his head missed the pillow and knocked against the railing of his bunk and Hevy pulled away with concerned eyes as they both stilled, waiting to see if they’d woken anyone else in the barracks. When no one said anything, Hevy couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips as he dropped his forehead against Echo’s.
As if Hevy’s chuckled was infectious, Echo couldn’t help it when his shoulders started shaking and he started laughing along with Hevy, nose brushing against Hevy’s.
Echo met Hevy’s eyes, they glinted mischievously even in the darkness of their barracks. Hevy lifted his other hand up, balancing his body weight on his elbow to card his fingers into Echo’s hair and rub the spot where he hit his head.
“Should be careful.” Hevy huffed. “Don’t want you losing any more brain cells.”
Echo smiled, and brought his hand up from the back of Hevy's blacks to cup the nape of his neck. “Shut up Hevy.” He said before pulling Hevy down into a kiss.
Hevy’s laugh was muffled when he kissed back.