Echo Deserves All The Nice Things Forever - Blog Posts

The Scomp Incident (One-Shot)

Surprise, here's another Echo ficlet! This probably has been done already, but it was stuck in my mind (Echo is currently stuck on my mind 24/7) so I wrote it anyway. Hope you'll enjoy it <3

Summary: whilst trying to comfort a struggling Echo, you unintentionally make things worse Rating: General Audiences Tags: struggling, insecurities, hurt/comfort, fluff, SFW Words: 1.375k Pairing: TBB Echo x gen!reader (with longer hair) Read this one-shot here on AO3

The last mission hadn't been too kind on the Marauder. On neither of you, but the ship had to be fixed before the lot of you could continue. The squad's injuries could just heal along the way.

Whilst Tech was in the cockpit realigning the navicomputer, Echo was outside, working repairs around the ship's hull. You were at his side, aiding him wherever you could.

“Could you hand me the fusioncutter?” he asked with a serious voice; his focus was on the parts in front of him, and he didn't avert his eyes. You silently handed him the tool and watched patiently over his shoulder as he used it to cut the damaged piece away from the panel.

The part, looking particularly fried, came loose, and Echo tossed it to the ground. “Alright, let's see..,” he mumbled. His forehead was wrinkled in a furrowed frown and his lips were pressed in a thin line. His nose and eyebrows would slightly twitch occasionally, his thoughts lost to you, as he was completely taken by the repairs.

A frustrated sigh when he struggled to replace the part. He needed one hand to put the replacing part into place, and another hand to tilt a different piece to make space. But the metal kept sliding from his scomp, he couldn't get a grip; it was no good, he needed two hands.

“Kriffing scomp..,” he muttered under his breath, and you could see the irritation on his face and a flicker of failure in his eyes. Time to step in; there was no need for this man to fret, because there was so much he was able to accomplish. He was the last person to question one's own inabilities.

You gently put a hand on his scomp arm and shot an understanding smile at him. “Here, let me help you,” you said softly. With a sigh, he reluctantly handed you the part and pointed to the space where it needed attachment. “I, er- thanks. Just wish I could do my own repairs,” he said softly; the disappointment in his voice wasn't lost on you.

Now that you held the part into place, Echo was finally able to start attaching it. He was using his scomp to get it right, before he could grab the micro flame welder to attach it for good. The focussed expression returned to his face, but you couldn't help but notice there was still some lingering frustration.

“You know you're allowed to ask for help, right?” you said softly to him. His gaze was still on his work in front of him, but you smiled at him anyway. “Didn't need to, before..,” he replied, his voice gruff and somewhat bitter. You shot him an apologetic look before you continued. “But you're part of a squad. We're supposed to look out for each other.”

He mumbled something unintelligible; you were right, but he didn't want to admit he wasn't able to do things the way he used to. Besides, everyone in the squad played their part and contributed; he couldn't keep them from their jobs because he wasn't able to accomplish his tasks.

“Echo-,” you started, leaning slightly sideways, ready to tell him he could always ask you for help, if he didn't want to bother his brothers. But you leaned too close; as Echo was using his scomp on the part in fullest concentration, your hair got caught in the rotating device.

You shot out a sharp cry and winced in pain; Echo stopped rotating his scomp as soon as he realised what was going on, but your hair was already tangled around it. “I-I-I’m so sorry!” he stammered, and you could feel his demeanour shift from bitter and frustrated towards torment and guilt. You had been trying to comfort him, to ease his mind, but you had managed the exact opposite.

He was blaming himself, of course; and the scomp he had already been cursing. “Echo, it's- argh- it's not your fault, I should've- ouch- been more careful,” you managed whilst attempting to free yourself, but it was no good. It felt like you were only making it worse; you could hardly see what you were doing.

The scalp below your tangled hair was throbbing from the violent tug it had endured. Twisting and turning, you ended up against Echo's chest. Although you felt a bit awkward, this ironically was the least painful position. You leaned your head against his chest plate in defeat.

Echo, not daring to move, cleared his throat. “I am so sorry for this, er- uncomfortable position,” he slowly said to you, and the slight quiver in his voice told you he felt even more awkward about it than you. You managed a chuckle before you continued. “There are worse places to get stuck,” you said jokingly, but really, you were telling the truth.

Since you were leaning against his chest, you could not only hear, but feel the heavy sigh that followed. “You're just saying that to make me feel better,” he replied, his voice a little less tense than before. “Everything I say is to make you feel better,” you smiled at him light-heartedly, but the smile was lost against his plastoid armour. But you managed to make him chuckle, which you could feel as well; a warm, rumbling feeling from below his chest plate.

“Am I such a mess?” he replied at last, whilst gently putting his hand on your scalp. He started massaging it very tenderly, trying to ease the pain his scomp had caused. You relaxed your muscles and your weight slightly shifted against him. “No, I would never describe you as a mess. I just like to see you feeling.. better,” you confessed after a moment of silence.

He chuckled again, and you could almost feel how his mood lifted at your words. At least you had managed that, by getting the both of you in this situation.

“Speaking about messes..,” he continued the conversation, slightly warily about his choice of words. “Is it that bad?” you winced gloomily. Carefully, Echo tilted your head to look you in the eyes, making sure to not hurt you any further in the process. “It ain't pretty,” he told you in all honesty, an apologetic smile adorning his face. You scoffed; despite the hurt, you were slightly amused by the whole incident.

“Guess I'll live like this now. Consider me your newest prosthetic,” you joked at him, and he chuckled softly. “I guess there are worse prosthetics to have,” he repeated your words, and your lips curled into a wide smile. At least he was amused by it now as well.

Your eyes skimmed your surroundings and you noticed the tools you had been using for the repairs. “Just get a tool to cut it off. But please, not the fusioncutter,” you swallowed, and before Echo could make a move, he looked down at you. “You sure?” he checked, and only after you nodded in affirmation, he reached for a vibro-cutter.

“Keep still,” he gently urged you, and you wrapped your arms around him to steady yourself. Very carefully, he let the cutter's blade slice through your hair, as close to his scomp as possible. It seemed like the both of you were holding your breath as he made the movement.

“All done,” he smiled at you at last. Reluctantly, you let go of him and stepped back, sliding your hand through your now freed hair. “I'm really sorry about that,” Echo shot at you, awkwardly scratching his neck. “Eh, don't be. It'll grow back,” you tried easing his mind, smiling at him in comfort.

He looked back at you, and for a moment, you thought you noticed a blush on his cheeks. “You know what?” he started, “It looks good on you.” You scoffed in amusement. “You're just saying that to make me feel better,” you shot his earlier words back at him, the smirk on your face giving away how amused you were with the whole situation.

He shook his head whilst laughing, and the sound warmed your heart. In the end, you had managed to make him feel better; it had only needed an incident with his scomp and the loss of some hair.

Echo taglist: @welcometo79s

Bathroom reveries

Summary: Echo has a bath. That’s literally it. Established relationship, Echo x GN reader.

Word count: 1060

Warnings: N/A, possibly inaccurate medical talk???

Authors note: I just wanted to do some fluff for one of my favourite boys. Lmk if you like it. My inbox is open for chats and requests. ❤️

Echo slipped deeper into the water, a sigh escaping his lips. He’d not had a bath before. The water was warm around his shoulders, the soft bubbles tickling his skin and easing him into relaxation. You had helped him remove his prosthetics, which had been causing his limbs to ache for quite some time, and then helped him into the water. At first the prospect of a bath seemed a useless hassle to him, but seeing how much you enjoyed them had him acquiescing to see what all the fuss was about. In the little bathroom with the steam fogging up the windows, he had to admit, he got it. Bathing was quite relaxing. He sank deeper into the water, eyes closing.

A knock at the door interrupted his reveries. “It’s only me, can I come in?” Your voice called in from the other side.

“Mhm.”

You opened the door, leaning your weight against the frame and cocked your eyebrow. Echo hadn’t even opened his eyes. “I knew a bath would do your limbs good.”

He smiled. “Yeah, yeah, happy now?”

“Very. I’m just making a cuppa, d’you want one?”

“No thank you, Cyare.”

“Okay. Don’t fall asleep in there.” You wagged a finger at him despite how he still had his eyes closed.

“Oh actually,” he called out, eyes shooting open. “Join me?”

“Give me two minutes.”

Echo watched you gently shut the door, his gaze lingering in your direction. You’d known each other since before his accident. As a medic on Kamino, you’d had plenty of interaction with the clones, and when he’d been found by Rex and the Batch, it was only natural for you to treat him. From then on, you’d sort of been paired together and had joined the Batch as their unofficial medic, although the term was ‘escort’. As if Echo needed one, you’d always scoffed. Through the months you’d become closer still, and it felt inevitable to the two of you that you’d end up together. Echo still remembered the shaking in your hands as you’d held his, eyes wide with anxiety when you told him how you felt.

That was four years ago. The home you’d built on Pabu for the two of you had quickly grown to become a safe zone for Echo, a place where he could relax slightly from the terrors of war. Not that he minded, since he volunteered to aid Rex and the Rebellion, but his body was beginning to fail him, and he was spending more and more time at home. This was how he had ended up in the bath, your special soaps filling the water and easing his aching muscles.

The door creaked open and you reappeared, holding a mug of tea. He watched as you shut the door, quietly wandered over to him, and sat on the ground. You let your weight lean against the bath on one side, your legs folding up to your chest with your tea cradled in your hands.

“When do you think you’ll be flying back to Rex?”

Echo sighed, brushing his hand over his face. “I dunno. Depends on my knees.”

“Hmm… is the water helping?” You sipped your tea.

“It is actually.”

He watched as you smiled behind the rim of your mug. “Maybe you should take baths more often.”

“Maybe I will. I must be a bloody hassle to get in and out though.”

“I don’t mind looking after you.”

“I'm well aware of that cyar’ika.”

The water splashed slightly as he lifted himself up to a sitting position. With his missing limbs, he struggled not to slip in the bath, but you’d been a Saint (as usual) and bought bath grips for the bottom of the surface. His thighs leant against them, hand gripping the handle of the wall that you’d had installed. When he was comfortable, he shifted so he could lean his arm over the side of the bath to rest his chin against. His fingers drummed against the porcelain.

Your eyes narrowed as he stared at you. “What?”

“I was thinking we should watch a movie later.”

“Ooh, which one?”

“Well-“

You put your mug down, snapping your fingers excitedly. “Oh, Phee was on about a horror that sounds pretty good. Or maybe we should watch something a bit more chill? Wait no, I’ve got it.”

Echo grinned, “go on.”

“Princess Mononoke. You’ll love it, I know it.”

“Alright, I’m happy with that. Is it on the Holonet?”

“Yeah. I’ll get it uploaded so we can watch it in bed.”

The soldier agreed, his head lolling to the side so his cheek was against his forearm. You’d never seen him so relaxed; it was quite the sight. Time seemed to pass quickly as you drank your tea and chatted with Echo, the pair of you easily slipping into conversation. Once the mug was empty, you put it down and dipped your hands into the water.

“Ooh getting a bit cold. Do you wanna get out soon?”

You watched Echo nod. “Please.”

“Okay,” your hands automatically found the shower gel you kept to the side, and squeezed some into your palms. When you started cleaning Echo’s skin, he began to protest but you interrupted with a tut.

“I want to. You’re supposed to be relaxing.”

“I guess there’s no stopping you then.” He tried not to smile but did anyway, turning around so you could reach his back.

Your hands worked mindfully around his spine, something which Echo had always been grateful for. You never treated him like he was delicate, but you were thoughtful and no longer needed to ask if what you were doing was alright. The micro-expressions Echo struggled to keep to himself always told you the answers you were looking for. As he turned around completely, you leant forward and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. The soldier smiled and tilted his head to the side, soapy hand coming up to tilt your chin so he could kiss you.

“Hmm,” he watched your eyes linger shut for a moment. “Legs?”

“I’ll do them.”

When he had finished cleaning his thighs, you helped him up onto the side of the bath so he could hold the handrail as you drained the water. The stub of his left arm found your side.

“Hey,”

“Hey.”

“Thank you.”

You smiled softly, “always.”