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Always and forever on the run, are we not, Hunter?
‘Work, the Rebellion, the Clone Cause, things that nature… But what of us two?’
It had been a while. For Echo and Hunter.
Their relationship was certainly taking a serious hit, just because they were both always on the run. The life of a Rebel for sure it was!
Well, Echo more so than Hunter these days. But yeah, they were both running their shebs off for the Clone Rebel Cause. Not that it wasn’t all a priority, because it totally was. But, there were precious things to take care of meanwhile. Like their relationship.
When the two finally got to their shared quarters, the couple usually just slept. Too exhausted to do much of anything but to catch up on lost sleep.
To take care of each other in any kind of way? Well…
Just like tonight, the two having managed to haul themselves into the room, barely doing the evening ablutions before falling exhausted on the bed.
“Um, not even a kiss goodnight, love?” Hunter sounded grumpier than his usual.
Their moods having clearly shifted from what they had been before. Before the Cause. Echo having been more on the scale of grumpiness, alas now Hunter as well?
Echo had already snuggled comfortably under the bedding, his eyes finally closed from the exhaustion of the day catching up with him. Sighing heavily, because even if Echo wanted to be there for his partner, to take care of him, Echo already felt spent to even move. But, they had hardly spent one night together in the past two weeks with their missions clashing and so, Echo really really wanted to be there for Hunter.
Echo turned to face Hunter just then.
“Hunt, I’m sorry. I am really sorry for… well not being here for you. I know I…“
Yeah, there were excuses. There always were.
And Echo was just about to dip into one of the plethora having been made over time they had been doing this. The Cause, them, all of it. Even if Echo had agreed with Hunter early on, a promise of sort to try to keep their relationship above all else… But it hadn’t exactly worked like they had planned now had it. Something always in the way…
“Echs…” Hunter knew he should not even try to make Echo feel guilty for running out there all the time, feel him worse than he already was. “I know what this all means to you, the Cause… the regs…” Echo was about to object but Hunter gently placed his hand on Echo’s cheek. “Echo, there would be no Clone Cause, no Rebellion for the clones without you or Rex. And if it means we don’t get go spend every night in each other’s arms for the moment or few… Well, I can wait a while.”
Echo heard the words. Loud and clear.
All the right words Hunter was telling him. And it felt good. Really really good to hear them. Even if Echo knew Hunter deserved more than Echo could give him at the moment. But he could not have asked for a better partner. Someone who understood Echo in the good and the bad, someone who stood by his side. Unconditionally.
Not that it had been an easy road from there to hear. But, they had both compromised, listened, learnt and so here they were, running out of excuses. Guess, the truth was better than an excuse?
“Hunt… I… You’re too good for me. You know that don’t you.”
“No, no more than you are for me, my love.”
Echo’s eyes locked with Hunter’s.
The love they had shared since the very beginning, their ups and downs, everything they shared between them felt much more important at the moment than any cause. Echo’s tiredness was fading fast. And all he wanted to do, was to make Hunter feel like the most important person in the whole wide universe.
Echo leaned into Hunter, their lips on each other’s.
The soft touch of flesh on flesh quickly catching fire. The hunger within the two partners growing, the passion thought lost for a while, somehow igniting like never before. Echo, taking the lead, pushing Hunter onto his back while straddling him.
“Echo…. Please I… don’t need…”
“What, do you need, my love?”
“Only you, my dear. Only you, Echo.”