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“Alright, next question.”
Omega skipped alongside Rex as they sorted things out in the warehouse before going their separate ways. Echo had dug up an old poncho, a pretty thing embroidered and colorful, and Omega had excitedly thrown it on as soon as he handed it to her.
Now, Rex was letting her pester him with questions about anything and everything as her brothers and Riyo watched with amusement from their seated positions near the Marauder.
“Who’s the best hugger you know?”
Omega’s new question made Rex pause, hands stilling on the piece of discarded armor he had just picked up. He glanced over to where the Batch was resting, his eyes falling onto his beloved little brother, and he smiled.
“Echo.”
The mentioned clone rolled his eyes with a dramatic huff. “Not this again.”
“It’s true!” the captain snickered.
“Everyone in the 501st knew it was you and Fives who gave the best hugs.” Echo shot back, placing his helmet on the ground as he finished cleaning it, methodically going through the paces of preparation.
Rex waved his hand dismissively. “Lies and slander, vod’ika.”
Echo’s responding chuckle was light and warm. Any tension that had been surrounding him over the past weeks with the missions provided by Cid had left him upon his reunion with his older brother.
He beckoned Omega over to his side, and she bounded over with a giggle as he leaned towards her, playfulness dancing in his eyes. “Fives and Rex gave the best hug out of the entire 501st. Everyone knew to go to them, no matter what.” Rex let out a small laugh, shaking his head. “If something big happened during a battle or mission, if anyone wasn’t feeling their best, even if they just wanted a hug, we all knew exactly who to go to.” Echo’s eyes sparkled with fondness as he looked up at his older brother. “No matter the reason, they were the ones to go to.”
Quick, one-armed hugs between shift changes.
Tight, crushing embraces after a particularly nasty nightmare.
Echo had been on the receiving end of every single one.
“If you asked anyone in the 501st, then yes, they’d say Fives and I.” Rex said with a shrug. “But we knew the truth.”
The night before The End, Echo couldn’t sleep.
Hevy’s snoring, which usually was a soothing lullaby to help his brother sleep, kept Echo from drifting off.
His stomach felt like lead, and all he could think about was that, just maybe, things may not turn out so perfectly for his squad on their Rishi assignment.
Rustling from the bunk above his startled Echo out of his spiraling thoughts, and he stifled a yelp as the person above him suddenly appeared over the edge of the bed, eyes still bleary with sleep, and voice quiet.
“Move over.”
“What?”
Fives stepped down completely from his bunk, and unceremoniously shoved himself into Echo’s side. “Move your butt, Ech’ika.”
“We’re the same age, di’kut.” Echo snapped back, the familiar banter warming him as his twin curled into his side.
“Whatever helps you sleep better at night.” Fives’ retort was halfhearted, and the bickering twins went silent, content in each other’s presence. Finally, Fives shifted, nudging his brother’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
Echo let out a breath. Of course Fives knew something was wrong. “I don’t know. I’ve just… got a bad feeling.”
Fives hummed in agreement. “I keep thinking we’re going to wake back on Kamino, like this is all a dream.” He went quiet, a strange and unusual event for Fives. “I’m scared, Echo.”
“Vod…”
“Like, not even that something’s going to go wrong. Just that everything’s so different now.”
Echo looked over at his twin, and the pit in his stomach deepened. Fives had a hand over his eyes, and his other fist was clenched at his side as he tried to stifle his own fear.
He reached over, and slipped an arm around Fives, pulling him close. Immediately, Fives wrapped his arms around Echo, clinging to him like they were both just small little cadets again. Echo tucked Fives’ head under his chin, and ran a gentle hand over his cropped hair. Having his twin in his arms loosened the tight feeling in his chest, leaving him with a lightness that only came from cuddling with Fives.
“I don’t know if we’ll always be okay, vod.” Echo said slowly, voice shaking. “But I think we’ll always be able to be together, no matter what.”
Echo glanced up at Rex, and gave him a small, soft smile. “You and Fives were different, ori’vod.” He looked back down at Omega, who was watching him with bright eyes. “You know that Rex is the whole reason I joined the 501st?”
“Really?” Omega asked, looking between her older brothers as Rex watched Echo with warmth.
“Him and Cody.” Echo confirmed. A flash of bittersweet amusement flickered over his face. “I’m pretty sure Cody was nearly ready to kidnap Hevy when we met you two.” He felt proud of himself for not tripping over saying his older brother’s name, and that his voice remained somewhat steady.
It had been years, but no matter how long it would be from the day he lost his batch, it would always pain Echo to say his brothers’ names.
Their names meant home, safety, and hope.
Rex recognized the emotions in his younger brother’s eyes, and gave him a reassuring look.
“As soon as I found you boys that night, I knew I wasn’t letting Cody take you to the 212th.” He said, and Echo’s smile returned.
Rex found them sitting in one of the less traveled halls the night after their escape from Rishi. The Domino Twins (as the rest of the 501st members were already affectionately referring to the duo) were clinging to each other, heads bent close together as they whispered to one another.
The captain approached his new shinies, moving slowly, approaching them as though they were spooked tooka kittens.
His heart shattered in his chest at their expressions as the two looked up at him, identical faces marred with sorrow.
Fives looked tired, eyes heavy with exhaustion as he rested his head against his twin’s shoulder.
Echo, however…
His eyes were red, tears making tracks down his cheeks. He was holding onto Fives like a lifeline, and Rex knew how desperate he was to keep his remaining batchmate close to him.
“Sir? Everything alright?” Fives asked, straightening up, even as he continued to cling to Echo.
“At ease, boys.” Rex said warmly, lowering himself to the ground beside Echo. The twins watched him with wide eyes. “I wanted to see how you were doing.”
Echo took a deep breath, pressing his arm more firmly against Fives’. “We’re holding up, sir.”
Rex waved his hand, a fond dismissal. “None of that, boys. Not when we’re like this.” He reached out, placing a hand on Echo’s shoulder. “When we’re off-duty, together at the end of the day, I’m just Rex.” Echo and Fives exchanged a look, and Rex squeezed the younger’s shoulder. “I’ll ask again, vod’ika. How are you doing?”
There was a moment, a brief second, when Rex thought that Fives and Echo would be the type of shinies who pushed down the trauma they experienced in favor of appearing strong and unafraid.
However, that thought quickly fled as Fives’ face fell, and Echo curled in on himself.
“Not good.” Five whispered finally, voice breaking. “Not good at all.”
“Come here.” The blonde captain said, slipping his arm around Echo’s shoulder and tugging him close.
Fives collapsed all his weight against Echo, forcing his twin to fall against Rex, in turn, who quickly tightened his hold on the twins. Echo was frozen briefly, but he quickly relaxed against his older brother, latching onto him and burying his face in Rex’s shoulder.
Rex let out a sigh, reaching an arm across to hold onto Fives’ blacks.
“I’ve got you, boys. I’ve got you.”
Omega looked between her older brothers, enthralled by their words.
Riyo, Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech had also paused in their preparations, listening to the duo talk.
Echo let out a breath, placing his blaster on his lap to start cleaning it. “You’re still giving me too much credit, ori’vod.”
There was a pause before Rex spoke, and when he did, his voice was quiet, his words measured and careful. “When Fives found out about the chips, before he died…he told me there was one thing he wanted more than anything in the world.” Echo’s movements stilled, and his eyes became sharp. Rex’s smile was sad. “I think I’d give anything to get you boys one last chance to hug each other.”
The calm, warm atmosphere grew somber as Echo let out a shaking breath, leaning into Rex’s side.
The captain was suddenly reminded of the first embrace he shared with his younger brother upon their return after the rescue mission to Skako Minor.
Echo had been whisked away by Kix the second the Bad Batch’s ship had landed.
Rex had paused long enough to exchange a brief, genuine thanks with Hunter, clasping the sergeant’s arm firmly in his with a nod.
Rex ran into the medbay, nearly tripping over his feet as he searched for Echo. He spotted his younger brother in the corner of the room, a wry smile on his face as Jesse poked at his arm and teased him.
Kix spotted Rex, and a small smile appeared. “Hey, vod.”
Echo and Jesse’s joking paused as they both turned to look at their older brother, the pictures of perfect innocence.
Rex attempted to muster up his own smile, but seeing Echo sitting up in the bed, looking at him with an expression he thought he’d never see again, it nearly made his knees buckle.
Echo seemed to notice Rex’s reaction, and his face softened, his own emotions warring on his face.
Jesse and Kix shared a look with one another, and slowly stepped back, allowing the duo time alone with one another. As they left, Rex moved closer, sitting on the bed beside Echo, and placing his hand on his arm.
“How’re you feeling, vod’ika?” he asked softly.
“Tired.” Echo replied honestly. There was a light in his eyes, however, and that made Rex’s heart lift. “But I’m glad to be home.” His face grew more earnest, and his shoulders fell, the exhaustion settling in as his face grew weary.
Rex rubbed Echo’s arm gently. “We’re glad to have you home, vod’ika.” There was so much he wanted to say to his younger brother, so much he wanted to explain.
What had happened in the time since the Citadel.
Why Fives wasn’t sitting next to him instead of Rex.
Why it had taken them so long to rescue him.
His voice caught in his throat, and he simply shifted his hand down, holding onto Echo’s.
As long as it had been, Echo knew Rex better than he knew himself, and knew he’d be too stubborn to talk about things straight away. He tugged on Rex’s hand, pulling him close and into a hug.
Rex wrapped his arms around Echo, hugging him as tightly as possible.
Oh, and it was just then settling in how desperately Rex had missed his ad’ika.
“Ori’vod.” Echo whispered, shoulders beginning to shake. “I missed you, ori’vod.”
Rex bit back a sob as he shifted, pressing his forehead against Echo’s in a gentle keldabe kiss. “I’ve got you, ad’ika. You’re safe.”
Echo’s flesh hand clung to Rex’s armor, and his other arm wrapped tightly around Rex’s waist as they embraced, neither clone terribly keen on being the first to let go.
While Rex and Echo had been reminiscing, the rest of the Batch and Riyo had moved into separate preparations for their respective missions, giving the duo privacy.
“I think Rex is right.” Omega said, her voice soft as she looked up at Echo with a small smile. Rex let out a triumphant sound as Echo raised an eyebrow at her. “You do give the best hugs.”
“How do you know?”
Rex leaned forward, listening intently to his little sister, dramatically widening his eyes in order to elicit a giggle from her.
Omega leaned against Echo, snuggled into his side. “After Hunter got taken, remember?”
He knew immediately what she meant, the moment that she was thinking of, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm soothingly.
Echo didn’t really… do hugs after leaving with the Batch.
It was something so ingrained in his relationship with Fives, his relationship with Rex, that Echo couldn’t bear to be embraced by one of his new brothers or sister, lest he be shoved back into memories of his fallen brothers.
It wasn’t until Hunter was taken that Echo allowed himself to hold his sister.
A few nights after that day, Echo was startled out of his silent musings during his turn at watch. Tech and Wrecker were blissfully slumbering in their own bunks, but the sound of soft feet padding across the floor alerted the ARC of Omega’s awake state.
The footsteps paused at the entrance to the cockpit, and Echo swiveled his chair around, meeting an exhausted Omega’s eyes. The dim light from the hall gave her blonde curls an eerie glow, and her eyes were rimmed with red as she rubbed her nose with her sleeve.
Her cheeks were damp, and that was all it took for Echo to break.
He opened his arms to her, an invitation, waiting for her choice.
Omega’s tired face filled with surprise, and her eyes widened as she looked at her older brother. He simply gave her a soft, equally tired smile, and that was all Omega needed.
She wasted no time in throwing herself at Echo, paying no mind to his metal legs and scomp as she clung to him, attempting to burrow as close to him as possible.
Echo was immediately reminded of Fives during their cadet days, on the evenings after a particularly difficult day of training, and he scooped Omega up, cradling her in his lap.
“What are we gonna do, Echo?” Omega’s voice trembled as she whispered, and Echo simply began to rock her back and forth, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
He tucked himself around the little blonde, attempting to shield her from the cruel, cruel world that had stolen so much from his sweet baby sister. “We’ll get him back, ‘Mega. I promise.”
Rex knocked his shoulder against Echo’s, a proud look in his eyes.
Echo’s cheeks flushed, but he simply squeezed Omega close, warmth filling him as he soaked in the feeling of his older brother and little sister on either side.
For a moment, he could pretend that things were alright, that they weren’t about to be separated…
That there was a chance his decision could separate him from Omega and their brothers for far longer than he hoped to be apart from them.
But that was a decision for later in the future.
Riyo approached the trio, offering them a soft smile, determination in her eyes. “It’s time.”
Echo and Rex nodded, standing up, and Omega jumped to her feet, straightening out her poncho.
“Be careful, yeah?” Echo said, gently helping her adjust the swath of fabric around her torso.
Omega gave him a stern look so similar to his own that Echo had to hold back a laugh, though he was positive he heard Rex snickering behind them. “You too.”
Echo raced off the Marauder after Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker, letting out a heavy, relieved sigh as he watched Omega let out a joyous shriek, running straight into Hunter’s arms. The sergeant seemed startled by the show of affection, but quickly recovered, scooping Omega up and holding her tightly as Tech and Wrecker gathered on either side.
The former ARC trooper’s eyes swept past the heartwarming sight of his little sister being embraced by their brothers, and his gaze fell onto the lithe sniper lingering a few feet away, fists clenched at his side, eyes firmly set on the ground.
Echo walked forward, pausing for a moment to run his hand over Omega’s blonde curls, feeling her briefly press against his touch from her position tucked into Hunter’s side. He approached Crosshair, stopping right in front of him, and simply taking in the sight of his younger brother.
“Hey, Cross.” He said softly.
There was an almost imperceptible flinch in Crosshair at the sound of Echo’s voice. He didn’t speak, waiting for his younger brother to talk.
The circles beneath Crosshair’s eyes worried Echo the most, and he couldn’t help but wonder about the last time his sniper brother had a good, full night’s worth of sleep. The scar on the side of his head had his worry spiking even further, but Crosshair was opening his mouth to talk, and all Echo could focus on was his voice.
“Reg.”
The nickname that he rasped out, so usually said with a hint of sharpness, was filled with nothing but warmth. A warmth that, no matter how welcome, was uncommon, and made Echo frown.
He stepped closer. Slowly, making sure Crosshair could see what he was doing, Echo lifted his hand, and rested it on the taller clone’s shoulder. “Crosshair.” The sniper tensed, and Echo tightened his grip. “Vod’ika.”
Crosshair’s face fell, and the tension bled out of him. He slumped forward, but Echo was ready.
He pulled Crosshair close, wrapping his arms around his brother and hugging him as tightly as possible. Slowly, Crosshair returned the hug, clinging to Echo like a lifeline, his face buried in his shoulder.
“Ori’vod.” Crosshair’s whisper was for Echo’s ears, and his ears only. He sounded so young, so broken, and the older clone felt his heart shatter in his chest.
He tightened his grip even further, bringing his flesh hand up to hold the back of Crosshair’s head, pressing gently against the scar from the engine blast. “I’ve got you, Cross. You’re safe.”
Crosshair’s knees buckled, but Echo supported his weight, gently lowering them both to the ground, and holding his younger brother tight against him. Crosshair’s fingers dug into the cloth of Echo’s shirt, grasping onto him, as though he was afraid that he’d disappear, leaving him alone again.
The taller clone let out a quiet sob. “I’m… Echo, I’m so…”
“Don’t, Cross.” Echo said firmly, brotherly authority in his voice. Crosshair went quiet, and Echo tightened his arms around him. “Not now. Just breath, vod’ika. I've got you.”
Crosshair tucked his face into Echo’s shoulder, curling into him as though he was a small cadet, and Echo simply adjusted his grip, whispering soft reassurances as Crosshair’s breathing leveled out, his silent, shuddering sobs slowing as they embraced.
Behind the two, the rest of the Batch was slowly separating, and Omega immediately darted back towards Echo and Crosshair. She slowly wriggled into their embrace, tucking herself up against Echo’s side as she held onto Crosshair’s arm.
The sniper moved the arm she held onto, wrapping it around his younger sister and holding onto her as well, keeping her snug in the hug.
When the Batch did eventually manage to separate themselves from each other and make their way to the rendezvous point where Rex, Cody, and Ahsoka Tano were waiting, Rex couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on his face at the sight of Crosshair standing closer to Echo than anyone else, their shoulders nearly brushing.
Upon seeing the Togruta, Echo’s smile grew, and he stepped away from his younger brother after a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He opened his arms, and Ahsoka’s face began glowing with happiness, the weariness that seemed to follow her constantly fading away, a laugh bubbling out of her as she ran forward into his embrace. Echo laughed, lifting her up and hugging her tightly.
Heart nearly bursting at the sight of his younger siblings reuniting, Rex approached the rest of the Batch, placing a hand on Crosshair’s shoulder. The sniper tensed slightly, but looked at him with tired, hopeful eyes.
“Echo get through to you?” the captain asked, a conspiratorial smile spreading over his face.
Crosshair let out a sharp huff, not quite a laugh, but close enough that Rex felt triumph fill him. “Don’t know how, but yes.”
Rex glanced back to where Echo was now embracing Cody, the freshly rescued commander holding their remaining Domino close, cradling him as Echo whispered something to him which made Cody let out a loud laugh. “Magic hugs, vod’ika.” Rex winked at the sniper, playful and light. “Never underestimate the power of an Echo hug.”